It’s hard to believe, but the third post-launch map of Black Ops 6 Zombies is already on the way. This means it’s time for some predictions, teaser analysis, and my thoughts on why I believe this is the map the story of BO6 Zombies has been waiting for.
Much of the goodwill from the launch period has evaporated, as is standard for a Call of Duty game, but Treyarch is set on keeping the tempo up. We’ve had a combo of new maps and modes since launch that Floyd Campbell would be proud of. It must be all that Melee Machiatto!
Regardless of how you feel about Black Ops 6 Zombies, the Zombies Team deserve credit. The message “We want round-based maps” was received loud and clear. Committing to back-to-back-to-back seasonal round-based maps was no doubt a massive undertaking. There will be a time and place to run a post-mortem regarding the strategy’s success, but I can’t fault the developers’ mettle.
The previous Zombies map, The Tomb, is a good experience with a few glaring flaws: it’s atmospheric and a joy to kill zombies in, but it lacks narrative depth alongside a short main quest. Despite securing the Sentinel Artifact, we have no idea what awaits our crew when they reach the Liberty Falls Mansion Site.
The story of Zombies should always revolve around questions, but we need some things answered to free up bandwidth for new mysteries. In Black Ops 6, we haven’t had many “aha” moments, and the scattershot approach to lore has made engaging with some story threads difficult. Why look into Chaos lore if we don’t know if it’s canon, a reboot, or something in between, for example?
Approaching The Mansion, we have a lot of story to cover. Including but not limited to:
- Pericles Panos
- Ava Jansen visited Liberty Falls in the 2020s and was dragged into the Dark Aether.
- S.A.M
- Richtofen’s plans for Project Janus
- What happens when the Sentinel Artifact is activated?
- Chaos ties: the fate of Alistair Rhodes, Scarlett, etc…
- Weaver and Co’s Revenge.
- MWZ intro cutscene
- The Construct
- Kortifex and the Elder Gods
- Samantha Maxis’ fate
- The Forsaken’s fate
I’m not expecting answers to everything—this isn’t a checklist! But we might be in trouble if no big reveals exist on this map. There cannot be any more hesitation; Treyarch has to pull the trigger. I’m confident that’s exactly what will happen. After all, the first teaser starts with a Richtofen quote.
Teaser 1 – The Mansion
If it wasn’t clear before, this will be a Richtofen-heavy map. Before his abduction, he operated out of The Mansion, as seen in the Liberty Falls cinematic. Many (myself included) were disappointed at the lack of impact Liberty Falls had on the story after being hyped up for so long via the cinematic. It’s evident now that instead of showcasing the town of Liberty Falls, it was designed to catch us up with Richtofen and introduce us to S.A.M and The Mansion. Whether that was a good idea is a discussion for another time, but it underlines the importance of the forthcoming map.
Teaser 2 – The Cultist
The second teaser shows a portrait of a man donning robes belonging to The Order, the nefarious group from Black Ops 4’s Chaos Story. Josiah Shem, the former owner of the Liberty Falls Mansion, is the running favourite for the man’s identity. Through The Tomb’s ending, we know he was obsessed with eternal life, heard a “great voice from beyond”, and more than likely led hundreds of followers to their deaths. Suddenly, Richtofen’s fascination with the Mansion makes sense…
Blanchard: Chief of Security John Blanchard. Inspected construction today. Project’s really coming together, but…
Blanchard: I keep thinking about how my grandad wouldn’t take me to Fort Washita when I was a kid.
Blanchard: I wanted to do their bullshit “ghost tour” for Halloween. Sounded like dumb fun.
Blanchard: Sorry
Blanchard: Grandad actually used those words. And he meant it.
Blanchard: Now I’m starting to think the same thing might be true about the mansion.
Blanchard: I’d like to believe Josiah Shem didn’t know what he was doing when he had his flock build the place.
Blanchard: If he did, then he got what he deserved. “Shem’s Folly.” Ain’t that the truth?
Blanchard: Every owner after him – captains of industry, gangsters, you name it. All their money and power couldn’t save ‘em.
Blanchard: Shit like that doesn’t just happen without… other forces at work. Grandad knew that.
Blanchard: But, that’s where the Director wants to bunk down. And I can’t talk him out of it.
Blanchard: So my job’s making sure he doesn’t end up like everyone else who moved into the murder mansion.
Blanchard: Lucky me.
Blanchard became a fan favourite after Liberty Falls. It’d be great to hear his voice again, though if I were him, I’d have left Liberty Falls as soon as Panos trapped the strike team and broke free.
Teaser 3 – The Dinosaur
If this quote is still from Richtofen’s POV, he may not have picked his team as wisely as he thought. Panos is unaccounted for after escaping from the Dark Aether. What he has in store for Richtofen is unknown. Will he also keep his promise to the mystery entity in the Dark Aether? Time will tell. His new friend is likely Samantha, but I could see an Ava Jansen-shaped curveball.
It’s cool to see the Dinosaur skeleton room is part of the map. It was a standout from the Liberty Falls cinematic. Questions are already being asked about what its presence means for gameplay. Will it be the boss fight, a trap, or simply window dressing? A dinosaur boss would be a massive spectacle, but our crew have a more pressing enemy to tend to…
Teaser 4 – The Liar
It might just be me, but S.A.M. looks agitated! We’ve known since launch that the tin can isn’t a straight shooter since it lied about Richtofen’s status, but I’m interested to see how it pulls the rug on us and why it wants the Sentinel Artifact.
I’ve mentioned it before, but the re-casting of S.A.M. works for me, considering the character is a bastardised AI version of Samantha Maxis rather than Sam herself. That said, I’m adamant we’ll see the real Maxis again, and it would be disappointing if Julie Nathanson didn’t return to voice her at that point. As always, I stand with the striking voice actors and hope for a positive resolution.
Teaser 5 – The Drawing
This one caught me off guard—a drawing by Samuel, Eddie’s son, that harkens back to the Liberty Falls cinematic. It’s reminiscent of Samantha’s Der Eisendrache and Tag Der Toten drawings. It’s a neat teaser, and I hope we see more like this! Maybe there’ll even be a few on the map?
Did Samuel foresee his death by having the same nightmares as Eddie? For the uninformed, Samuel and his Mother were victims of a house fire set by Weaver, who believed Richtofen was alone. Come to think of it; we still don’t know the motive for the fire or the exact events of that evening.
What if Samuel didn’t perish in the fire? I’ve always been a fan of the theory from Cold War that Samantha Maxis, who accompanied Weaver on the operation, unknowingly used her powers to escort Samuel to the Dark Aether. The Dark Aether isn’t a place of safety, but perhaps the boy was lucky enough to meet a charming little bunny rabbit.
With so many story threads dangling, predicting where we’re going is difficult, but I’ll try anyway! It’s a foregone conclusion that The Forsaken and S.A.M. have some sort of connection, so I can see the reveal for that finally playing out. A Dark Aether entity and a rampant AI working together, what’s the worst that could happen?
As for Richtofen, I think we’ll finally understand his goal. We know it’s likely related to his family, but we don’t know exactly how he intends to save them. Time travel? Clones? Re-establishing the multiverse? Whatever it is, I hope it’s not the last one!
Josiah Shem seems like a more significant player than most of the other characters we’ve encountered in Black Ops 6. His connection to The Order of the Chaos story means he could be the key to finally understanding what’s going on with Chaos and Dark Aether.
That’s our lot for now! I’ll be sure to update this with additional thoughts if Treyarch makes any more posts. The teasers have done a great job of increasing my anticipation for the new map. A lot is riding on this one. The outcome will more than likely determine the trajectory of the next few years of Zombies. Here’s hoping Treyarch deliver. I’m optimistic!