Top 10 Best Zombies Maps - Call of Duty, Black Ops, WaW

Posted in black ops 2

As we wait for news on Black Ops 3, what better time to consider the best zombie maps for Call of Duty! Stretching over 5 years, Call of Duty zombies has become a phenomenon in itself. Ranging from the original mini-game Nacht der Untoten right through to the epic Origins map - zombie fans have been really spoilt by Treyarch.

Excluding the irrelevant Dead Ops Arcade, there are 16 zombie maps included in Call of Duty. 4 of which make an appearance in World at War, 6 more in Black Ops and then another 6 in Black Ops 2.

List of All Zombie Maps

The list below shows each of the zombie maps and which game they appeared in:







Ok..it's time to run through the top 10. Number 1 being the best map..

10. Shi No Numa

Originally included in DLC 2 for WaW, Shi No Numa or "Swamp of Death" in English, consisted of 5 out buildings with a swamp area surrounding them. Although Shi No Numa didn't include Nazi zombies it was the first map to really provide a backstory to the characters.

Shi No Numa was a real old school zombies map. It had no power switch, a zipline utility, hellhounds and a manual trap. It was also the first zombie map (before Black Ops reintroduced Verruckt) to feature a Wonder Weapon called the Wunderwaffe DG-2 (an electricity gun with immense power).

9. Verrückt

Verrückt was the first 'true' zombie map for Call of Duty. Included in DLC 1, Treyarch made some great improvements to the zombies experience including adding traps, perk drinks and bouncing betties. Zombie really felt like its own game with Verrückt.

Comprising of 10 rooms connected by unlockable point barriers, the map was the first to include a power switch which activated the perks machines.

If you've played BLOPS and BLOPS 2, Verrückt sadly looks dated. But you've got to give it another try to go back to that authentic zombies experience.

8. Call of the Dead

Included in the Black Ops Escalation DLC, Call of the Dead was the first map to feature real life celebrities as the playable characters. Many fans were sceptical how this map would turn out but thanks to its murky Siberian setting and the inclusion of two excellent wonder weapons, the V-R11 (turned zombies to humans) and the Scavenger (an explosive weapon to take out groups of zombies), the map was very popular.

The map also included ziplines and the Flinger for moving faster round the map. It also featured its own Easter Egg, which became a regular feature in Black Ops and then later with Black Ops 2 maps.

7. Kino der Toten

Played to death by all Black Ops fans, Kino der Toten was the first zombie map included with Black Ops. Originally meant to be DLC 5 for World of War, the map was shifted into Black Ops along with Five.

A beautifully crafted, open map, Kino der Toten is considered by many as the ultimate train map because of its long circular pathways. It's possible to stack up hundreds of zombies simply by completing circuits round the map.

Many features from other WaW maps were included in Kino der Toten including hellhounds, teleporters, pack-a-punch machine and monkey bombs. Kino der Toten did have its own unique Wonder Weapon called the Thundergun, which blasted zombies out of the way with highly compressed air. The Thundergun was one hell of a lot of fun and this idea was later adopted for the Air Staff in Origins.

6. Shangri-La

Included in the Annihilation DLC for Black Ops, Shangri-La (along with Moon) is considered by many as the pinnacle of the zombies experience.

Treyarch pulled out all the stops to add many new features and a special Easter Egg to this map. Zombie variations were added; Napalm Zombies, Shrieker Zombies and Zombie Monkeys. There were also new utilities such as the Mine Cart, Geser and Water Slide.

Adding even more to the mix, Treyarch supplemented the map with new equipment; the Spikemore (like claymores) and the 31-79 JGb2 Wonder Weapon (for shrinking zombies).

Shangri-La is an exotic environment with so many features that its impossible not to love it.

5. Mob of the Dead

Included in the Uprising DLC for Black Ops 2, Mob of the Dead was based on an exact replica of Alcatraz Island and featured 4 new characters. It was a large map with players needing to build a plane to reach the Pack-a-Punch machine.

Mob of the Dead introduced the Blundergat Wonder Weapon, an explosive acid shotgun with precision and devastation combined. The map was also bolstered with other unique features including Hells Retriever, Electric Cherry and Brutus the boss zombie. 3 new traps mixed things up a little; Fan Trap, Acid Showers and the Watch Tower.

Thanks to the forgiving Afterlife feature (multiple free revives), the map was one of the easiest in the entire zombies collection.

4. Ascension

Based on an abandoned Soviet Cosmodrome, Ascension has been a fan favourite for a long time. It was the first map to include the PHD Flopper and Stamin-Up perks. Two new wonder weapons make an appearance - the Gersch Device and Matryoshka Dolls.

One of the reasons Ascension is a fan favourite is because it advanced the zombies story considerably. The Kassimir Mechanism Easter Egg revealed the true identify of Samantha as a demonic being. With each new DLC, the story was becoming more engrossing and fans came to expect Easter Eggs with every DLC thereafter.

3. Der Riese

It was amazing how quickly the zombies game progressed during thr WaW era. Der Riese, also known as The Giant, was the final DLC for WaW and Treyarch really pushed gameplay to the next level. Located in a secret Nazi facility, the map was dark and authentic.

The Giant was the first of its kind to feature the Pack-a-Punch machine, a device for upgrading your weapons ammo, firepower and fire rate - something which became a symbol of the zombies series.

Zombie AI had been greatly improved with zombies being able to climb over areas and even jump down to surprise you. Perk machines made there reappearance along with 5 new items - Teleporters, Monkey Bombs, Bowie Knife, Fly Trap and the Carpenter bonus.

Along with the Pack-a-Punch, Monkey Bombs and the Bowie Knife also become regular additions in future zombie maps.

2. Moon

A very close call, Moon is our second most favourite map. Part of the final Rezzurection DLC for Black Ops, Moon was crammed with new features and probably one of the best Easter Eggs of the series.

Two new wonder weapons; the Wave Gun and the Quantum Entanglement Device; were introduced in Moon along with the P.E.S and Hacker equipment, Phasing zombies and astronaut zombies spiced things up a little along with Crawler zombies and the familiar Hellhounds.

Even though the map didn't include any traps it did have the new utility called the Launch Pad. Mule Kick also provided players with the chance to carry 3 weapons simultaneously for the first time.

The real gem in Moon was the Easter Egg - Richtofen's Grand Scheme where players would destroy Earth and Samantha would promise her revenge on Richtofen for taking her daddy away..

1. Origins

The majority of zombie maps included in Black Ops 2 were bad, let's be honest. With the exception of Mob of the Dead; which helped save the series; the other maps such as Green Run, Die Rise and especially Buried almost killed fans interest.

So the pressure was really on for Treyarch to make some monumental map when it came to the final DCL for Black Ops 2. Hats off, those guys really smashed it with Origins!

If you think of all the things you love about past zombie maps and tried to combine them together, you'd end up with Origins.

Just some of the reason we love Origins:

• A large, well designed map - open spaces, multiple rooms, nested tunnels
• Quick starter - no messing around waiting for spawn
• Several wonder weapons (Staffs) with upgradable options
• Multiple Easter Eggs and mini Achievements
• Creative (but not annoying) obstacles - Panzer Soldat, Robots
• Utilities - Tank, Tactical Monkey Bombs, Thunderfists
• Access to all perks including PhD Flopper
• Great buildables - Maxis Drone, Zombie Shield

If you feel like reminiscing through some old zombie maps, don't forget you can still buy all the old DLC for PS3, Xbox and PC (through Steam). If you haven't tried any of the zombie maps from Black Ops in particular, then you're really missing out!

Hope you've enjoyed our top 10...leave a comment with your top 10 below..