A Complete Black Ops 7 Zombies Guide: How to Stop Dying and Actually Get Good
Welcome to the meat grinder. If you're new to Zombies, you're getting swarmed. Here's your survival bible.
Black Ops 7 Zombies is here, and it's a hell of a ride. This isn't the simple, round-based survival you might remember. The new launch map, "Ashes of the Damned," is massive, confusing, and absolutely crawling with the undead.
Between "Fumigators," a talking truck named "Ol' Tessie," and a dozen new mechanics, it's easy to get overwhelmed and die before you even buy your first perk.
I've been through the wringer, and I'm here to give you the full breakdown. This is the difference between being a pro and just being food.
The First 5 Minutes: Your Core Priorities
Your first few rounds set the tone for the entire match. Don't waste them.
Melee for Money (Essence)
This is a classic for a reason. For the first handful of rounds, use your melee attack. It saves precious ammo and gives you a good starting pool of Essence (the in-game currency) before the zombies start running.
Armor Is Your God Now
This is the most critical tip for new players. Buy Tier 2 Armor before you buy perks.
Your Essence is the lifeblood of Zombies, so don't waste it. That armor on the wall? It costs around 4,000 Essence, and it's a far better investment than any single perk in the early game. Tier 2 Armor lets you tank more hits than even Jugger-Nog. As the rounds progress, zombies hit harder. This is how you survive those hits.
Grab All the Salvage
As you kill zombies, they'll drop Salvage. Pick it up. All of it. This isn't optional; it's essential for your mid-game damage.
Building Your God-Tier Loadout
Okay, you've got armor and some starting Essence. Now it's time to get powerful.
The Crutch Perks (Your Shopping List)
After you have armor, you buy perks. The price increases with each perk you buy, so you must get the "crutch perks" first. Here's your shopping list:
Jugger-Nog: More health. You need it. Find it at Ashwood in The Ruby Rabbit.
Stamin-Up: Sprint faster and longer. This is your get-out-of-jail-free card. It's at the Farmhouse.
Speed Cola: Faster reload and, crucially, faster armor plating. It's upstairs in the Cabin at Blackwater Lake.
Quick Revive: Faster health regeneration. You'll find it in the Server Room of Janus Tower Plaza.
The Arsenal: Your Other Damage Stat
Pack-a-Punch isn't the only way to upgrade your guns. You must use The Arsenal machine (it's the one screaming at you like a drill sergeant).
This is where you spend that Salvage you've been collecting. Use it to upgrade your weapon's rarity (e.g., from Common to Rare). A high-rarity weapon is just as important as a Pack-a-Punch.
Ammo Mods
The Arsenal is also where you buy Ammo Mods. These add powerful effects to your bullets. A pro-tip: Napalm Burst is extremely effective against the new Zursa zombie bears.
Weapon Choice & Strategy
You need something for hordes. Assault Rifles and Shotguns are your best bet. The M10 Breacher, MXR-17, and M15 are all solid starting points.
Don't rely on one gun. Get two preferred weapons and Pack-a-Punch both. Swapping to your secondary is always faster than getting caught reloading in a horde.
Mastering the Map: Ashes of the Damned
This map is built around a new core feature: your car.
Meet Ol' Tessie (Your New Best Friend)
You can't survive this map without the "Wonder Vehicle". You'll find Ol' Tessie in the spawn area, Janus Towers Plaza.
How to Activate It
To get it running, you need T.E.D.D.'s Head. You can find it in the Server Room (the same place as Quick Revive). You'll need to melee the floor to get it, then interact with Ol' Tessie to install it.
How to Pack-a-Punch
Ol' Tessie is your Pack-a-Punch machine. Once it's active, you have to drive it to Ashwood and install the Pack-a-Punch machine onto the back of it. You can then PaP your guns up to Tier 3, with each tier costing more Essence. The "power" for the map is also in this area, up at the barn.
Ol' Tessie's Rules
This truck is your key to the whole map. The areas between landmarks are a no man's land with infinitely-spawning, super-strong zombies. You must drive through these zones; don't try to run.
Zombies will attack the truck, but it auto-repairs if you leave it alone. If it gets destroyed or you lose it, you can head to Ashwood and respawn it for about 1,000 Essence.
Free Loot: Fumigators & Plants
This is a fantastic way to get free loot in the early game. Look for orange canisters (Fumigators) around the map.
Grab one. Now, find one of the weird green Aether Plants (they're common in the spawn area and Ashwood). Interact with it to spray it.
As soon as you do, zombies will ignore you and attack the plant. Defend it. It will grow, turn purple, and then explode with free loot, Essence, Salvage, and even weapons.
The Real Skill: How to Not Get Eaten
This is what separates the pros from the noobs.
Stop. Killing. Zombies. (One by One)
This is the biggest mistake beginners make. Don't kill zombies as they spawn. You'll get swarmed from all sides, get trapped, and die.
Learn to Train
Run around a large, open area. Weave between them in a line pattern like the classic Snake game. Let them all spawn and group up into one massive, tight horde behind you. You're the shepherd; they're your sheep.
Once they're in a ball, now you turn around and unleash hell. This conserves ammo, charges your abilities, and keeps you 100% safe. This is the only way to survive high rounds.
Use Your Movement
This isn't old-school Zombies. You have Omnimovement and Wall Jumps. Use them to reposition, dodge, escape corners, and get to vantage points.
Use Traps
Don't waste ammo when you don't have to. The map is full of environmental traps, like the Saw Blade. Lure your horde into one and activate it for a ton of free kills while it recharges.
Don't Waste the Nuke
It's tempting, but don't grab that Nuke power-up mid-round. You get 500 points, but you get zero XP for the zombies it kills. Save it for an emergency or to end the round instantly when you're ready.
The "Outside the Match" Grind
The game doesn't stop when the match ends.
Augments (permanent Upgrades)
Before you even load in, go to the Augment Research page in your menu. As you earn XP, you can research permanent upgrades for your Perks, Ammo Mods, and Field Upgrades. For example, you can get a Jugger-Nog augment so that hits from behind only damage your shield. This is how you get really powerful.
Overclocking
This is a new feature. You can level up your equipment through repeated use to make it even stronger. Zombies is the perfect mode to grind this, as you get a ton of XP.
That's the briefing. It's a lot to take in, but these tips will keep you alive past Round 10. Good luck.