The launch of Season Two for Black Ops Cold War and Warzone will see the release of brand-new Zombies mode Outbreak.
The large-scale game mode will see four players join forces to complete a range of objectives spanning across several regions of the Ural Mountains, home to the largest Dark Aether outbreak.
In this article, find everything you need to know about the game mode, including how it works, which objectives can be completed, and more!
Outbreak Mode Background
During Die Maschine and Firebase Z, players quickly find out that the Soviet-led Omega group are leaps and bounds ahead of Requiem when it comes to understanding the Dark Aether and how to harvest Aetherium.
Requiem may finally have the edge after its research teams were able to discover the largest Dark Aether outbreak on the planet, situated in the Ural Mountains.
In a bid to gain the advantage over Omega, Requiem headed to Russia to begin Operation Threshold, a mission involving every single department of Requiem.
It quickly becomes clear that Omega has already begun its investigations into the outbreak zone, and with both sides believing that the Dark Aether holds immense power that could turn the tide of the Cold War, the battle for supremacy against each other and the hordes of the undead is on.
Outbreak Mode Overview
The objective of Outbreak is to search areas of the outbreak zone and the Ural mountains to assist other Requiem departments in their respective investigations.
Once each investigation has been completed, players will be offered the chance to exfiltrate the area or continue into a new region where the likelihood of encountering increasingly powerful opposition becomes far greater.
An Outbreak game begins with all four players dropping into a section of the outbreak zone armed with a fully-equipped weapon and a Field Upgrade. There's no set time on completing any of the investigations, meaning there's plenty of time to explore the areas, search for rewards, and slay plenty of undead opposition.
Outbreak Mode Investigations
The success of the match depends on whether players can complete the main objective. It can be one of four possible scenarios which can be found below.
Defend
The goal of this objective is to defend an analysis machine as it scans a sample of undead genetic material. Obtain an intact sample and place it into the machine. While the study is taking place, the undead will descend onto the location, leaving players having to defend it for a specific period of time.
With the analysis machine being able to appear in numerous locations across the area, several strategies can be utilized in order to complete the objective.
If the machine is indoors, a rapid-fire submachine gun or a shotgun are the perfect weapons of choice to fend off any zombies attempting to halt the progress of the machine but if the machine is located outdoors, a mid-range assault rifle or a light machine gun with a huge magazine could be more appropriate for the task.
Escort
This objective involves protecting a rover to a portal located somewhere within the outbreak zone.
The trick is to stay close to the rover and have each squad member guarding one side of the rover to be able to slay anything that attempts to halt the rover in its tracks.
Retrieve
This particular objective will see players attempt to retrieve Aetherium Canisters from two Aether harvesting vessels that are somewhere within the zone.
Once obtained, players carrying the canisters will be unable to use their weapons, meaning teamwork is essential if the canisters are to reach their intended target of a rocket used to manually extract the canisters.
Eliminate
This objective will see players using a GPS to determine the location of a high-value target to eliminate. The tracker will locate an Elite enemy, one of the strongest opponents from the Zombies universe.
With a variety of strategies and tactics to use in order to take down the target, players must deal enough damage to force it to move to another location in order to successfully complete the task.
Holdout
The holdout objective involves players attempting to outlast a huge horde of opposition as they attempt to destroy an Aether Crystal that is emitting incredible amounts of Dark Aether energy.
Until the crystal is destroyed, players must hold out for a specified length of time until the crystal is dealt with.
Don't forget to board up the windows to slow the Zombies down!
Outbreak Mode Beacon
Once an investigation has been completed, a beacon will appear somewhere within the outbreak zone.
With the beacon activated, numerous machines from round-based Zombies will appear, including a Crafting Table, Arsenal for Armor, Der Wunderfizz Perk dispenser, and the Pack-A-Punch machine.
Once players have made the most of the resources, they must make a decision on whether to call in an Exfil or head through a portal into another region to complete another experiment.
The Exfil works the same way as it does in round-based Zombies. Head to the designated zone, ensure that there are no undead opponents within the area, and the helicopter will make a landing allowing players to leave the area safely. By doing this, players will earn rewards on top of what was obtained during their time in the outbreak zone.
For those that want to continue, heading into the portal begins another, yet more challenging, objective. By heading through the portal, the chances of encountering more dangerous opposition is increased but the chances of obtaining even more rewards is also increased. Is it worth the risk?
Outbreak Mode Rewards
By completing the main objectives, players can earn huge XP rewards alongside three types of Aetherium Crystals that can be used to upgrade everything from weapons to Field Upgrades.
Find a full list of Aetherium Crystals that can be earned below:
- Raw Aetherium Crystals - Used to upgrade skills for weapons, Field Upgrades, Perks, and Ammo Mods.
- Refined Aetherium Crystals - Can be used to upgrade all skills to Tier 4.
- Flawless Aetherium Crystals - Can be used to upgrade all skills to Tier 5.
To celebrate the launch of Outbreak, Treyarch has announced there will be a free week of multiplayer and Outbreak. Find everything you need to know in this article.
