Call Of Duty Zombies has a ton of history, with stories spanning multiple universes. Before Cold War, the stars of the show were Dempsey, Nikolai, Takeo, and Richtofen, who were also the characters people played as throughout the series. There are two separate versions of the characters, Primis and Ultimis.
Ultimis was the first rendition of the characters, first appearing in World At War’s Shi No Numa before taking their exit in Tag der Toten along with their Primis counterparts. Ultimis was playable on nearly every map created before Black Ops 2, as well as appearing on a few select Black Ops 4 maps.
10 Alpha Omega
Alpha Omega was the last map both Primis and Ultimis were playable on, and one of the weakest maps in the series. Released in Black Ops 4, it was a re-imagined version of Black Ops 2’s Nuketown zombies.
The map fell flat, and felt incredibly bland, from the bland Wonder Weapons to forgettable boss zombies. The lackluster aspects of Black Ops 4’s engine highlight all the negatives about Alpha Omega. The fact it was the last time fans got to play as any of these characters felt like an extra kick in the gut.
9 Shangri-La
Shangri-La takes the cake for the prettiest zombies map, but the praise dries up there. The two boss zombies of the map are incredibly annoying to deal with, especially in the narrow spaces it forces you into. The Easter egg quest of the map is a nightmare to deal with as well.
While Shangri-La does have one of the strongest Wonder Weapons of all time, the map remains one of the hardest due to its layout, making it difficult to find any reason to keep coming back to it.
8 Nacht Der Untoten
Nacht der Untoten holds the record for appearing in the most Zombies games, appearing in every game except Black Ops 4. It was the first Zombies map ever as well. While Ultimis didn’t appear on it initially, it became an Ultimis map with the Black Ops 1 and 3 versions.
The map is as basic as basic can be, though that is to be expected. Nacht der Untoten is by no means a bad map, but its simplicity does work against it in some ways. The replayability value is weak due to the lack of Pack-A-Punch, making high rounds incredibly difficult and tedious.
7 Verruckt
Verruckt was the first DLC map that came to Zombies, and the first time both Perks and Traps appeared. Despite how long Zombies has been going on, Verruckt remains the hardest map by a fair mile.
This both helps and hurts the enjoyability of Verruckt. It’s fun to challenge yourself to push for as high of a round as you can; however, in turn, it makes it hard to relax and have a good time with friends. Once again, the lack of Pack-A-Punch makes it harder to make it to high rounds, but the Traps help by offering a source of infinite damage.
6 Shi No Numa
Shi No Numa was the introduction to the Ultimis Crew and the start of the official Zombies storyline. It was also the introduction of infinite damage Wonder Weapons with the introduction of the iconic Wunderwaffe DG-2.
Featuring four different areas splitting off from the center, Shi No Numa also has random Perk spawns, something that’s either loved or loathed by the playerbase. Shi No Numa kept the innovation coming with Zombies, making for a solid map, but it is bogged down by the swamp areas being a nightmare to move around in.
5 Moon
Moon was the finale to the original Black Ops, having you blow up the Earth to transition into Black Ops 2 Zombies’ story. The Easter egg quest is the main draw to Moon, with perhaps the most engaging one ever as Richtofen’s Grand Scheme comes to fruition.
The map itself has plenty to like with its gameplay. The Wave Guns are incredibly fun to use, and the Gersh Devices making a return make it easier to get around the map. The only downsides to the map are the Excavators and the tedious process of getting Juggernog and Speed Cola back at Groom Lake.
4 Classified
Classified is the best re-imagined map. A remake of Five, Classified fixes all the issues that Five had at the trade-off of losing its iconic cast for Ultimis. It was the first time Ultimis had appeared on a new map since Moon.
Classified features the return of the Winter’s Howl, though the wonder weapon is still as lackluster as ever. The Pentagon Thief is nowhere in sight either, replaced with Hellhounds which is a welcome trade-off. The best part about Classified is knowing where you are going to teleport when you go through a teleporter, something Five was lacking.
3 Ascension
The first DLC of Black Ops 1, Ascension continued the trend of fantastic maps that kickstarted with Der Riese. It came with two new fan-favorite Perks with Stampin-Up and Ph.D. Flopper. The Thundergun made a return with Gersh Devices making their debut.
Ascension is one of the easiest maps in Zombies, though its ease can be balanced out by making your own difficulty. The monkeys make it difficult to keep all your Perks, especially in Solo and Two-Player games. It adds a nice layer of challenge needed in a map like Ascension.
2 Kino Der Toten
Perhaps the most iconic map of all time, Kino der Toten was many people’s introduction to Zombies, and it was a fantastic map to start on. Kino der Toten has a simple layout, making it easy to play on but difficult to master. It was the introduction of one of the most iconic Wonder Weapons of all time in the Thundergun.
The theater setting worked for the mode incredibly well, with Nova Crawlers being constant threats. Kino der Toten has so many memorable aspects to it, from the rooms you teleport to when you finish Pack-A-Punch to “115,” one of, if not the most iconic Zombies Easter egg song of all time.
1 Der Riese
Der Riese was when Zombies truly went from a side mode that was a nice bonus into the behemoth it is today. The introduction of Pack-A-Punch was a game-changer, and it was the first map ever to feature an Easter egg quest.
Countless hours were spent camping on the catwalk while tearing through the undead horde. Der Riese innovated more than any other map, cementing Zombies with its own dedicated story and introducing features that would become mainstays. The finale of World At War Zombies led the mode down an incredibly long streak of great maps that cemented Zombies as perhaps the best part of Treyarch’s Call of Duty.
