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Modern Warfare Zombiescontinues the open-world approach toCall of Duty Zombiesintroduced inBlack Ops: Cold War.Following the story set-up inCold War’sOutbreak modeand massively expanding on the game, players will have to deal with a new enemy while surviving the hordes, an enemy mercenary force known as Terminus Outcomes. Players will encounter several new objectives in the Zombies mission area, including Encampments, Strongholds, and a Fortress that will reward players with bonus experience and valuable loot if they are able to clear out the occupying zombies or mercenaries.
Especially when tackling these outposts in higher-tier threat areas, players will want to be prepared for a harsh fight as the Terminus Outcome forces can be incredibly fatal if players allow themselves to get overwhelmed or get caught out of position. Here’s what to expect when tackling Encampments, Strongholds, and Fortresses.
Encampments
Encampments are small establishments located around Urzikstan populated by Terminus Mercenaries. Players will want to use extreme caution when approaching these locations, as the forces stationed at the encampment will begin firing on players immediately.In higher threat zones, players willencounter snipers and stormtroopersat these outposts that can quickly destroy armor and knock down players.
As players approach an encampment, they will begin to hear thebuzzing of a drone overhead- encampments have alocal counter UAVdeployed that will impact players' equipment, so be sure to drop the drone before fully engaging the encampment. Encampments can be quickly dispatched withgood squad communication and coordinationas the defending force is typically not too large. Players deployingsolo should considertaking a suppressed weaponto maintain an advantage when outnumbered against the Mercenaries.
Players will occasionallyreceive the activity completed banner although one or two Mercenaries are still alivenearby - stay vigilant andkeep an ear out for enemiesas they will regularly make exclamations that will give away their position. Once all Mercenaries are dealt with, players cancollect all the lootdropped by the soldiers and open the available reward caches- there will always be one small mercenary cache, but players can often find large mercenary crates, with ahigher chance of finding these crates in higher tier threat areas.
Strongholds
Players will encounter two types of strongholds throughout theModern Warfare Zombiesmission area -Infected Strongholds and Mercenaries Strongholds.Larger anddeadlier versions of Aether Nests or Encampments, respectively, strongholds provide a bigger challenge and significantly more loot for players.
Infected strongholds will require players to fight through the horde and the gas-infested building while clearing cysts in thesame fashion as clearing Aether Nests.Players will want to have a gas mask equipped (and an extra one in stow, if possible) as strongholds are significantly larger than nests, often occupying multiple stories, and arelocked up tight with most upstairs windows and doors barred and blocked. With the gas affecting vision,Infected Strongholds can feel like deadly mazes,and getting trapped inside without a mask is a sure way to succumb to the horde.
Similar to nests, players willget an audio indication after a few cysts are destroyed, warning of fresh spawning zombies.If players are completely geared up, it is possible to rush through Infected Strongholds, but it is not recommended asone wrong turn can trap playersin a room with only one exit and a swarm of zombies and hounds preventing passage - players can useAether Shroud or Healing Aura field upgradeswhen in a pinch attempting to take out these strongholds. While more time-consuming, players cansafely eradicate Infected Strongholds by destroying a few cysts, exiting the stronghold when the audio indicator plays, and dealing with the pursuing horde before returning to the stronghold and repeating this processuntil all cysts are destroyed.
Once all the cysts are destroyed, players will receive the activity completed banner, the gas inside the stronghold will disperse and the Aether Mercenary Crates inside will unlock. Players willfind more crates with acquisitionsand loose essence scattered throughout a stronghold compared to a nest, making Infected Strongholds an excellent way to acquire bonus loot and acquisitions.
Mercenary Strongholds are almost identical to strongholds found scattered throughout the various mission areasavailable in Warzone 2.0 DMZ.Players will need to find andacquire a Stronghold Keycardin the zombies mission area to unlock the stronghold and begin to clear out the defending soldiers. Unlike DMZ,players will not be able to extract a keycard in MWZ, so players will need to find a card on deploymentbefore attempting to take on the stronghold.
Players canfind a stronghold keycard by tackling missions that require killing Mercenaries (like the Tier 2mission in Operation Deadbolt, Interceptor) or by clearing out encampments. There is a slight chance of finding keycards in loot boxes scattered around Urzikstan, but if players are struggling to find a keycard,one can be bought from any buy station for 2000 essence.
With the keycard in stow, head to a stronghold and unlock the door. Be prepared forheavy resistance inside, fromshielded mercs to heavily armored shocktroopers. Players will not have to deal with toxic gas or destroying cysts -work through the stronghold eliminating all Mercenaries to gain access to the safeinside. Players will want to plant the drill on the safe and prepare to hold out against the waves of reinforcements inbound.
Mercenaries can be incredibly lethal, be sure tohave a full storage of armor and a solid close-quarters weapon.Havingstun or flash grenades can be useful when dealing with shielded mercs, whileclaymores can be used to safely cover areas near players from advancing recon Mercenaries. Stay close to the safe, and stay behind cover. Havingshotguns or LMGsto push back any advancing mercenaries can be helpful. Players will find many regular and large mercenary crates inside strongholds, making themanexcellent source of equipment and gear,especially when deploying with a new operator.
Once the safe is opened and players access the loot, the stronghold activity will be completed. Players will always find a Fortress Keycard in the stronghold safe, along with other valuable gear.
Fortresses
Players will findone fortress in the medium-threat zone in the northwest quadrant of Urzikstan, Legacy’s Fortress. Heavily guarded by Terminus Outcomes forces, players will need toacquire a Fortress Keycardin order to gain access to the inner levels of the Fortress. Players willfind these keycards in the safe opened while clearing a Mercenary Stronghold,and will be tasked with clearing the fortress in order to complete theAct 3 mission, Storm the Castle.
Players will want tobe fully prepared for an army-sized fight, as the fortress isguarded by all varieties of mercenaries and helicopters will continuously deploy new mercenariesto defend the area. Players will want to upgrade theirPack-a-Punch leveland weapon rarity, and add an ammo modificationbefore considering tackling the fortress. Befully plated and have spare armoravailable before approaching the fortress, thesnipers will begin attempting to pierce and break players' armor the moment players approach their line of sight.
The fortress is alsosurrounded by defending outposts, camouflaged against the hillside and trees.Players will need tokeep their eye out for these outpostsas failing to eliminate the troops guarding the fortress perimeter willallow players to quickly be overwhelmedif they reveal their position. Additionally, the fortress willdeploy an attack helicopter to push players backand if players have not eliminated the perimeter troops, there willbe no safe route to escape or retreat temporarily. If players can quietly eliminate all the surrounding troops, and ifan LMG or launcheris brought to deal with the helicopter,players will set themselves up to safely retreat without losing progress in attempting to infiltrate the fortress.
One of the hardest challenges players can face, players willfind the Warlord of Urzikstan inside the fortress,one of the bosses of the map. If players can fight through the defending forces andeliminate the Warlord, Legacy, they will receive a huge experience bonus and be able to pick up Legacy’s weapon, a unique contraband weapon that can be exfiled and used on future deployments.
