Modern Warfare III’s Season 4 Reloaded update launched this past week, and with it came another nail in Modern Warfare Zombies’ coffin. It’s a shame. I was a big proponent of the mode, and despite receiving much criticism at the reveal, it launched to a fairly positive reception: The gameplay was a gripping blend of extraction mode DMZ, Warzone, and Call of Duty Zombies. The story fleshed out the modern era of the Dark Aether saga with some crucial ties to the past. The three-act mission structure with unlockable rewards gave players substantial content to work through at launch, and the emphasis on cinematics pleased many.
The good times continued through Season 1, with a new story mission, additional schematics, and the first Dark Aether rift unlocked. Described as “endgame content”, the rift was for players who had worked through all three acts, with the difficulty cranked up to max. Although challenging, the rifts rewarded players with rare loot, including the new schematics, which made a raid into the Dark Aether more than worth it. Cracks began showing when Season 1 Reloaded didn’t add anything substantial except for a new warlord. It was deflating, but I decided to be patient and wait for the Season 2 reveal, where we’d surely see a substantial update.
Then it happened. Call of Duty unveiled the Season 2 roadmap, and “in-season” markers plagued the entire MWZ section. It was extremely disappointing and confirmed fears that post-launch support for the mode was limited. By Season 3, I had made my peace with limited content updates and wasn’t surprised to see a similar content slate on the roadmap. CharlieIntel confirmed that Treyarch had “shifted focus to something exciting on the horizon” and that “Sledgehammer Games will finish development on remaining MWZ story and content”. This angered some, but with (what we now know as) Black Ops 6 on the way, I’d prefer all hands were on deck than waste resources and devpower on a mode already on life support.
Unfortunately, though, Season 4 has dragged MWZ even lower. “Unstable Rifts”, the only new update (in-season), has missed the mark. The five-phased assault in the Dark Aether is thrilling if a little overwhelming, and the animated camo is a solid reward, but the struggle to get there isn’t worth the hassle.
Three obelisks are hidden around Urzikstan, each with a symbol denoting an ammo mod. Collect souls from the undead using the ammo mod on each of the three obelisks, and the Unstable Rift will spawn somewhere on the map. It sounds familiar for a MWZ easter egg, but then the problems begin. The rift is a one-time use, open to all players, and has its location broadcast to every player on the map. You don’t need to be a Zombies veteran to work out what has happened across MWZ lobbies since the update.
I grouped up with five other players in-game and successfully tracked down all the obelisks. We were beaten to the rift by other players waiting to snipe it. All that work down the drain for nothing. Three new obelisks spawn on the map after a squad enters an unstable rift, but there wasn’t enough time to track them down in that session.
I can only think this was an oversight rather than an intended update feature. Will it be addressed? I have no idea at this point. MWZ updates are few and far between. Having the rift spawn next to the last completed obelisk makes more sense than a free-for-all where players can wander in without contribution. Perhaps there’s a technical limitation preventing this from happening?
As a solo player, it’s been nigh-on impossible. Miraculously, I found myself in a lobby where no one was interested in doing the obelisks. I was able to locate all three and unlock the unstable rift without anyone poaching it, but the rift itself is too difficult for the majority of solo players. Despite being given some benefits when entering, you’ll need a full loadout with an Aether Blade and a Dog companion if you want to succeed. And with the scarcity and cooldowns of these items in mind, it just isn’t worth loading into a match of MWZ fully kitted-up since there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to access the rift.
It’s a mess, if I’m being honest. The last remaining wells of enthusiasm I have for MWZ are drying up. We’ll likely be getting one more story mission before Black Ops 6, so hopefully, it can end at some sort of high. I was optimistic about Outbreak, Black Ops Cold War’s open-world Zombies mode. It improved with each season, and I was excited at what a possible Outbreak 2 would look like. I don’t have that feeling with MWZ. It’s a mode that has wasted much of its potential, and I’d rather see an Outbreak 2 that incorporates some of MWZ’s features than a MWZ2.
MWZ is symptomatic of the main problem Call of Duty faces: Activision is spreading studios too thin across too many projects—the unfortunate byproduct of working on a billion-dollar franchise where profit is king, and a yearly entry is mandatory. In a perfect reality, we’d have an open-world Zombies mode that receives substantial updates between the launch of new round-based maps. However, Zombies fans know all about the dangers of building a perfect world. While we aren’t dealing with an omnipresent being like Dr Monty, Activision’s grand vision for Call of Duty is likely at odds with what we want to happen.
MWZ has given Zombies players something to do during the wait for BO6, much like Infinite Warfare Zombies and WW2 Zombies satiated us between Black Ops 3 and 4. If Activision is serious about COD HQ being the entire franchise's future and doesn’t plan to abandon it in a few years, it must show it. I think it's time Zombies gets a level of support that removes the need for “off-years” – but that’s a discussion for another day.
It isn’t all bad news, though. The Black Ops 6 reveal has rejuvenated many Zombie players with the confirmation of two round-based maps at launch, a dedicated crew of characters, and the return of GobbleGum. It’s disappointing that substantial post-launch support for MWZ wasn’t on the cards, but the future is bright! I plan to review MWZ thoroughly once support has officially concluded. Unfortunately, it’s one of those situations where the mode has many positives, but the negatives are so heavy that they drag the whole experience down. I’ve been a bit more cynical than usual, and I think that’s because MWZ started so well. It’s disappointing, but I get it. Treyarch’s main priority is Black Ops 6 –and that’s the correct call.