Top 10 Best Call of Duty: Nazi Zombies Maps
You've mowed down waves of the undead. You've turned cranks, flipped switches, fed cursed artifacts, and probably yelled "REVIVE ME" into your mic more times than you'd like to admit. This is the list for you. The top 10 best Call of Duty Zombies maps, ranked by players who've spent more hours in the foggy ruins of undead nightmares than they have in actual daylight.
From the OG Black Ops days to the chaotic lore-laced labyrinths of later entries, this is where the true legends are sorted.
Some maps had you clinging to survival with a pitiful pistol and a prayer. Others handed you laser guns and mechanical giants and told you to go wild. But it's not just about the firepower or gimmicks. It's about the vibe. The layout that kept you guessing. The Easter eggs that made you Google how to upgrade staff at 3 AM. The panic of running a train in tight quarters with the last quick revive drained and the round number looking like a retirement age.
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Der Riese
This map had everyone on the edge of their seats when they saw its trailer. It goes back to World at War, when Zombies just started developing a story.
It introduced teleporters and the Pack-a-Punch, and it continued previous favorites like perks and two wonder weapons (the Wunderwaffe DG-2 and the Ray Gun). It also added all the new guns that could be upgraded using Pack-a-Punch.
The new strategies and map layout made Der Riese unique. It was so good it was brought back for Black Ops, along with the other great World at War maps. It will also be included in Black Ops III as a bonus map, as seen in a trailer released by Treyarch. That is why Der Riese is the best Zombie map ever.
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Kino der Toten
Kino is almost the perfect zombies map. There are lots of places for players to train zombies without going too far from one another and making it possible to always pick your friends back up after being downed.
There are all the necessary perk machines to make it to late rounds, plus there is Mule Kick to help players out even more. Pack-a-Punching weapons is not too hard on this map either because you are safe in a room overlooking the hordes after teleporting. The only downside to this map, in my opinion, are the crawlers that explode. However, compared to other zombie maps, the crawlers are really not that bad.
This is by far the best Zombies map in my opinion. Although the Easter egg is very simple and doesn't add much finesse to the story, it's still fun to complete. When you play the song "115," it gets you and everyone in the lobby pumped up.
I've played all the zombie maps, and this one remains my favorite, far above Der Riese. It's also the best map to run trains on, which is always fun. This is a great starter map that teaches you how to become a great Zombies player overall. I was terrible at Zombies until I constantly played this map.
The best Easter eggs are usually on the last DLC maps like Der Riese, Moon, and Origins. So for a map that is free, this one beats all the others, including the DLC maps.
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Ascension
Best map to rack up points and get soda perks while working your way up to pack-a-punch. With four people using carbines, you can get up to 5,000 points without even unlocking the first door!
It has big open paths that let you escape swarms or places to jump out of. Then you can whip around, empty clips, or throw grenades against walls as you go past. The launch pads destroy zombies in their radius and give you convenient transport or escape.
Great guns on the walls, like the AK-74 or M-16, so you won't run out of ammo on perked weapons past level 20. There are decent places to camp where you'll only get attacked head-on. Use machine guns to rack up points, and you'll go far.
Monkeys are fun. Just put down mines around your perks or each take one to guard. I hate Call of the Dead. George is annoying, and everything is so spread out that even with the zip lines, it's a huge pain to navigate. Plus, you always have a joker who keeps angering him. The boat is a labyrinth full of dead ends too. My friend loves it, so I have to play it. The only one I like less is the horrible Transit maps from Ops 2, which was a total misfire.
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Origins
Great way to finish off the zombies game mode. Although it wasn't the best map, it was certainly satisfying enough.
There are four great staffs, allowing each player to have a different wonder weapon for the first time. The giants are balanced, although there should be some very difficult way to take them down. The boss zombie is a great challenge, but not hard enough to be annoying.
The tank is cool. I love how it allows you to quickly get around the map, yet it isn't as much of a necessity as the bus in Tranzit. It brings back the two-paths layout that was abandoned after Moon, thus allowing you to once again make choices about how you want to play the game, rather than following one big loop like the previous maps.
What I believe is the feature of this map that makes it so much more successful than the others is the fact that they have added loads of new features without making them 100% essential to use, allowing you to choose the game that you want to play and preventing the map from quickly getting boring (unlike the bus and turbine in Tranzit, Tramplesteam in Die Rise, Leroy in Buried, etc).
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Mob of the Dead
This map is creepy, fun, and challenging. What more can you ask for in a Zombies map? The creepy and fear factor is not something all Zombie maps have, making it rare. Just the feeling of being trapped on Alcatraz while fighting the endless horror horde is intense.
Its Wonder Weapon is also awesome. I forgot the name of it off the top of my head, but the Wunderwaffe Shotgun shredded everything and was incredible. Of course, like everything, it has its drawbacks, but that actually makes it better.
Now, onto the fear. The fear factor is the most intense I've experienced. The claustrophobic indoors don't give much breathing room from the barbed-wire and blood-covered zombies. Even the outdoors, in its own way, feels claustrophobic by trapping you in a surprisingly small area, making you feel either cornered or freaked out. Running trains is only for the absolute pros, as you get swarmed quickly everywhere.
And then there's the setting - it could inspire horror movies. A destroyed, barbed-wire-infested, burning prison doesn't sound safe at all. Add to that the flashes, flame flickers, dog spawns, and lightning, and it becomes creepy as hell.
Oh, and did I mention we got dogs? The part of the game everyone either loved or hated - personally, I love it. It adds another element of gameplay, and sometimes you even look forward to the dog round just to get the Max Ammo at the end. I just love this map!
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Call of the Dead
This map was epic. I loved the iconic characters that you played as and how the zombies would zip-line when chasing after you. PhD Flopper was extremely effective because there were so many places to dolphin dive from, and running from an angry George Romero was always nerve-wracking. Best intro movie, in my opinion, as well.
Everyone complains about George, but handling him is easy. The layout and surroundings are incredibly fun when you get to know them, and as you play more, it gets better and better. People just see George, dislike it, and don't give it a chance!
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Moon
Because it is the most detailed map with the mystery of the hardest Easter egg with Samantha, and you can get all perks. It is not the best at rounds 1, 6, or 7, but once you get far, it is probably the best map, not the worst.
Now the newest, biggest, and baddest map of all. The physics are great fun, thanks to Area 52 you can now get Jugga Nog before round 1 and it has an awesome and lengthy Easter egg in which you blow up Earth. Oh, and if that isn't enough, you get the new Wonder Weapon, the Wave Gun. Like a Thunder Gun that can change into two mini Wunda Waffes plus it looks around 20 times cooler. It also has, in my opinion, the best loading screen and music. MOON for the win!
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Nacht der Untoten
The smallest map and the easiest to get around in. You can get to very high rounds, especially with friends.
Just fight through some zombie rounds, and go to the mystery box by unlocking the door with "Help" written on it.
(Do not unlock the staircase in the first room you spawn in. It backfires later on.) Then all of you grab power weapons (preferably machine guns) and then clear the staircase right next to the mystery box. After that, go to the area with the grenades and camp there. You should also have a player or two buy the grenades and throw them at the door where most of the zombies come from. Grenades are unlimited.
(Some zombies will come through the barricaded window right next to the door.) But if you unlock the staircase in the room you first spawn in, it leads directly to the room with grenades. It will be much harder to survive if you unlock that staircase, but if you don't, no zombies will come through there.
Conserve your ammo and money. Every few rounds, one of you will need to go back to the mystery box to get a new weapon. Be quick, though. Zombies get faster and stronger each round, so there is no time to waste. Conserve your ammo in very powerful weapons like the Ray Gun and powerful machine guns.
If you end up with a bad weapon from the mystery box, take it if you are running low on ammo in your current weapon, but try and get a good machine gun. This might take a few tries since the mystery box is random.
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Shi No Numa
Classic map. Great setting with entertaining characters. Very simple, which is what I like. I dislike the complexity of later maps. Also, it had great spots to hold down with your friends, or you could run around and stay alive. This map is what sold me on Zombies. By far the best for me.
One of the first maps, this one introduces Hellhounds, the Flogger, and zombies that spawn randomly. A load of fun once you memorize each section of the map!
This map is amazing for those that don't remember it. You need to go back and play it. It's right up there with Der Riese. If it had Pack A Punch, it would be in the top 3.
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Verrückt
The challenge was really fun. It required a massive amount of communication and teamwork, and was almost impossible to create a reproducible high-round strategy. The dual starting room was a fantastic creative twist that I really wanted to see return in a future map.
The Perk-a-Colas were a great unique addition to the game mode. I never would have expected them to become as regular of a feature as they did, but I'm glad they did because they were brilliant.
Verruckt is my favorite zombie map of all time! The tight spaces just make it more challenging, and the fact that it is set in an asylum is a perfect place for a zombies map. Easily the creepiest zombie map out there, and that is what makes Verruckt so great!
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Dead of the Night
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Ancient Evil
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Buried
Buried is the perfect map because you can obtain seven perks without having to do anything super hard. It's easy for beginners but presents a good challenge when played the right way.
When people mention the ghost stealing your money and the Pack-a-Punch being far away, some may find it too annoying, but it actually adds more challenge as you have to set up before going in. This setup can be really easy and quick or quite difficult, taking you until round 20.
Additionally, the Remington New Model Army is the perfect handgun, superior to the Ray Gun and the Ray Gun Mark II (also introduced in this map). All in all, it is the ideal map for any experienced player seeking a challenge or any newcomer looking for an easy map to boast about reaching a high round on.
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Nuketown Zombies
The map is awesome, and suited for the average survivor looking for a challenge. The cars and trash scattered around make it hard to move, but it becomes simple once you get the hang of it.
PROS:
No lava!
The map can be surprising, considering that you never know when - or what perk will fall from the sky.
You can jump out of windows and into the sky! (But also the ground.)
Creepy and surprising clock that makes a creepy sound every 100 kills! (We need some horror, guys!)
The shed that has a free power up!
CONS:
No major Easter eggs.
Maybe if you could remove the War Machine grenade launcher, it would be better.
More game modes.
One last con, the perks take too long to fall. For example, one time it took 7 rounds to wait until the quick revive perk fell.
IDEAS:
A major Easter egg, yo!
Perk-A-Colas should have a certain, and not random, round to land on the ground.
How about more game modes?
Overall, the map is awesome!
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TranZit
TranZit isn't necessarily a bad map. It was literally my first map, which is why I kind of like it deep inside.
I would say it's more fun in multiplayer because playing with people means you can cover the ground. The things that ruin this map for me are the denizens and the jet gun. The jet gun also has infinite damage unlike the paralyzer which is basically jet gun 2.0. You can fly with the jet gun too, but what kills the jet gun is its 15 second duration and its 24-hour cooldown time.
If the jet gun did actually have no breakdown, it would have been decent. TranZit is pretty decent when you have more than one player, and I say this mostly because I have nostalgia for this being my first zombies map ever.
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Shangri-La
I don't know why people hate this map. It has a shrink ray gun (sorry, I forgot its name. I like to call it the midget maker). It also features a mine cart for quick and fun escapes and a waterfall slide for double the fun. Additionally, it includes boss zombies, like the napalm and screamer zombies, which aren't too hard to handle.
The darn monkeys are always stealing your power-ups, but if you're like me, you'll handle them with no problem. The map also brings back the monkey bombs. YAY! Plus, the geysers are a savior to me. It features tight corridors for extreme fun and spike mores, an upgrade to the claymores. However, a couple of things that annoy me are the mud pit and how difficult it is to pack-a-punch. Personally, I think it's the hardest map other than Five and Verruckt. But those reasons aren't enough to detract from its overall quality. Does it?
I think Shangri-La is one of the best maps for killing zombies. WHO AGREES? Please don't diss this map for unknown reasons. It's a colorful, fun map with lots of awesome stuff. It's like Indiana Jones... BUT WITH ZOMBIES... SHANGRI-LA TO THE MAX.
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Die Rise
Apart from the possibility of falling to your death quite regularly, this is probably the easiest map to set yourself up on. The AN94 on the wall just makes things so much easier straight away, and you don't need to hit the box until the higher rounds as a result. There are so many camping spots, made even easier with the trampolsteam to block zombies coming out of windows behind you.
Waiting for perks to arrive is just part of the challenge of the map for me, and it isn't an issue at all. You can get to the bank and gun locker right at the start of the map if you wanted to, giving you an even easier head start. The only downside is that you can die quite often from falling. If you're paying attention, it's not bad, but when you're on the run from a horde of zombies, or simply want to get around quickly, sometimes you don't hit the run/jump button quite hard enough, and you just fall off the edge, completely undoing all of your hard work in the most anticlimactic fashion.
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Gorod Krovi
Gorod Krovi uses principles of Mob of the Dead and weapons from older elements and combines them in a way that just makes it the greatest map. It's a simple map with chores to do in order to get Pack-a-Punch, just like in MOTD, and you get to ride a dragon! Just like in MOTD, there are challenges that reward you with a weapon such as the Gauntlet of Siegfried. We also have the fan favorite PPSH-41 brought back after 7 years!
The brand new Mark 3 is super fun to use and the new awesome shield can be used as a weapon. Additionally, the time challenges reward you with swords. Let's not forget the interesting mysteries that have been solved, such as Peter McCain and Sophie in the computer, as well as the best boss fight yet, Nikolai 1.0 in a deadly robot machine! The content and simplicity, as well as the climate that Gorod Krovi brings, is so perfect for co-op and that's why Gorod Krovi will be one of the most played maps in Zombies. Therefore, making it one of the greatest maps in Call of Duty Zombies.
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Shadows of Evil
This is a very interesting map. It has some very good wall guns and, unlike the other maps, the mystery box isn't completely filled with poor-quality guns. This map is also one of the more difficult ones, so it takes more skill to survive.
The theme of the map is very cool, and the song matches perfectly with the theme.
I thought this map was terrible, but then I learned all the stuff you can do, and it is awesome. It's not the best map, in my opinion - the best map is Origins - but Shadows is a great map with a lot of cool new features, and it is really fun and interesting. This map also introduced Widow's Wine, which is a great new perk.
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"Five"
Five is, in my opinion, the best and most exciting map. I'm a guy who loves challenges. It's so tight, and everything is so random. Teleporting is very cool because you never know where you'll land. You have to be very quick and be concentrated if you're playing this map properly. The Thief makes it interesting. Who cares if he suddenly takes away your Ray Gun? It makes it even more exciting, wishing for a better gun in the box if you can't keep up with him.
I have all maps except Call of the Dead, Ascension, Shangri-La, and Moon. Five is still the best. Second place would be Die Rise.
This map is great, very original, and offers a challenge to the experienced Zombies player. Playing as JFK is always entertaining, and the elevators are dope. The Pentagon Thief is so cool and my personal favorite boss zombie.
This map gets criticized because it's hard if you don't know what you're doing. With good friends and a solid strategy, you can easily get to round 25 or 30 on this map.
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Revelations
The map is a little bit sloppy on the movement and how to get around. They could have brought back more maps and done a little bit better of a job on it. The Easter egg was pretty weak as well. They could have done a lot worse though. They included fun wonder weapons and made it not too difficult to get set up on the map. All in all, it's a great map.
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The Giant
What makes it better than Der Riese is that the perks randomize, the box randomizes, the Wunderwaffe DG-2 isn't overpowered, and the Stamin-Up/Deadshot Easter egg is one of my favorites. Also, the Fly Trap Easter egg changed a bit and gives you a reward in the end. This is the perfect zombies map. They made Der Riese harder, which is one of their greatest accomplishments.
Just got The Giant, and I haven't played Shadows of Evil since. This could be one of my favorite maps and, in my opinion, better than the original.
Great remake of Der Riese, and the Annihilator is cool.
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Der Eisendrache
Definitely one of my top 5 favourite maps. I had a LOT of fun doing the Easter egg (a number of attempts were required, but that was part of the fun).
This map has an almost perfect balance of giving you something to do that isn't too complicated or boring, doesn't take too long, and that most players will have figured out by their second or third go. The concepts for the bows are excellent and really suit the environment of the spooky castle.
The setting and atmosphere of this map are just awesome. There were many times where I just stopped and looked around for a few moments, taking in all the detail and piecing together the story told by your surroundings.
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Zetsubou no Shima
Decent map. So far the worst in the BO3 series, but it's fun and brings a lot of new things into Zombies. The wonder weapon is great, and the Thrashers are not the hardest to kill.
Solid map, right up there with the best DLC maps. A lot of content, well thought out, great Easter egg. A few strange glitches at the moment, however.
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Voyage of Despair
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Rave in the Redwoods
Great characters and scenery, love the crossbows, charms, perks, and rave mode, very innovative with the challenge stations, and love the Pack-a-Punch island!
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Infection