The Firebase Z zombies map has finally arrived. After having some fun on the Die Maschine map, all I could think about was how the next map would turn out. There were so many things I was wondering about while waiting for the new map to come, such as what improvements they could make and how long it could take to finish the main Easter Egg.
As well as other quests there were to complete, what kind of steps needed to be taken, how long it would take to finish them, and also how difficult they would be. I was also thinking about what the wonder weapon would look like and how it would perform. I was especially hoping Firebase Z would have included more perks, as the Die Maschine map had a relatively weak number of them. Plus, a couple of these had virtually no use for my play style.
The Firebase Z map was released on February 4, 2021, and is free as part of the Black Ops: Cold War Season One content. It is set in 1984 and is located in a research facility in the jungles of Vietnam. It starts with the return of the tombstone soda perk and is divided into two sections.
One is Outpost 25, a huge firebase, and the other is a village with a group of buildings for scientists. The map also features the return of Hellhounds and Russian mangler soldiers. Some new enemies are included in this game, called ‘mimics,’ and their ability entails putting on a disguise to become collectible items. The great old mystery box has made its way into Firebase.
After playing this map for many hours, I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed it much more than I did with Die Maschine. The Firebase Z map reminds me a lot of the Gorod Krovi map from Black Ops 3 due to its similar colors, some similarly styled buildings and items, and the Russian mangler soldiers.
This is far from an exaggeration, but the main Easter Egg is one of the best Easter Eggs I have ever completed in a Call of Duty game. I decided to complete it with three of my friends to get the best experience out of the quest. Every single step needed to complete the Easter egg was very simple.
However, there are a few steps that can be tricky at times, such as having to capture the mimics. Especially when a surrounding of zombies accidentally traps you. Even the boss fight was simplistic, even though it did take a fairly long time for the crew and me to defeat it. It’s fair to say that you could even complete the Easter Egg on your own without many problems.
I was happy to see that Treyarch has added an ending cutscene for the main Easter Egg. In Die Maschine, I was disappointed that there isn’t an ending cutscene of the main quest, but with Firebase Z, there is one featured. Plus, it’s a nice cutscene that provides crucial hints and clues of future DLC zombie maps.
Firebase Z is a pretty huge map, as it has some great areas where you can train zombies very comfortably. If you are a zombie player who likes to train zombies in high-round attempts, then you shouldn’t have any problems with this map. However, mimics and Russian manglers can be extremely difficult to train at times. Therefore, it is ideal to wait until you either have a huge train of zombies or simply finish off those kinds of enemies first.
The wonder weapon is a massive upgrade to the one in Die Maschine. Treyarch has even given the weapon a nice and catchy name called the ‘Rai-k 84’. The steps that needed to be followed to build the weapon were pretty simple. Although you could say, the most challenging step is interacting with the computer, which displays patterns that you must memorize.
If your memory isn’t that great, the best way to do this step is to simply use your smartphone camera. The weapon has an alternate fire, which allows you to shoot some sort of an orb with a disc surrounding it, and if you shoot the orb, you’d be able to wipe out a large group of zombies, or the weapon can shoot bullets that behave like vaporizers. This weapon won’t be as effective as the rounds go, so you can upgrade or pack a punch of the weapon, or both.
The surprise with the wonder weapon is that you can acquire it in four different ways. One, of course, to build it by following the steps, the mystery box, trials, or by doing the loot box Easter Egg. However, the only guaranteed way of getting the weapon is to build it yourself, which isn’t too hard to achieve.
Only one perk has been added to the game, called ‘Tombstone Cola.’ This perk has made its return, as the last time it was featured was in Black Ops 2. This perk was significantly helpful as it allows you to go into the dark aether and revive yourself after being downed. This is also useful when your friends are in situations that would prevent them from helping you themselves.
The Wunderfizz is also on the new map so that you can possess all perks, which is incredibly useful in high rounds and Easter Egg boss fights. However, there are still other perks that would greatly benefit my playstyle that are still not in the Cold War. One of them was a mule kick, which would allow me to acquire three weapons.
When it comes to Firebase Z, the one criticism I have is the selection of perks. The perk selection is better than the previous map, but certain perks would be helpful for certain players who weren’t featured. Hopefully, the next DLC map improves on this.
Nonetheless, this map has almost everything you would need for a great zombie experience. Large map, phenomenal Easter Egg quests, a powerful wonder weapon, and so on. This map would also benefit even the most casual zombie players, as certain large areas on the map can aid them in training zombies much more easily—a huge improvement to the Die Maschine map.
