Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold WarZombies saw the launch of the new map “Firebase Z” last week, and apart from a few unfortunate bugs, the map has been well-received by fans. Prioritizing quality gameplay over everything else, the map introduces fun newconcepts like Assault Roundsand the Mimic mini boss. Like other Zombies maps, there is a main easter egg quest too, and it boasts some interesting connections to past maps if players look closely enough.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warfans that have completed Firebase Z’s easter egg should notice callbacks to previous Zombies quests, though there are just as many things that make the map’s core objective standout. As such, comparing the Firebase Z quest to older Zombies easter eggs can help reveal returning story themes and design decisions, while also spotlighting the fully original aspects of the quest. Through this mixture of old and new tricks, Treyarch has created a strong-but-short easter egg for Firebase Z, with the quest holding up well when compared to past maps’ easter eggs.
RELATED:Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombies Firebase Z Has Major Omission
Call of Duty: Black Ops
ThoughCall of Duty: World at Warintroduced the world toCall of DutyZombies, its easter eggs were limited to hidden songs and the fly trap easter egg on Der Riese. As such,Call of Duty: Black Opswas the first game to introduce proper easter egg quests, with the first one appearing in the game’s first DLC map Ascension. With thefan favorite map Kino Der Totenand the bonus map “Five”" not boasting quests of their own, there are only four easter eggs to compare Firebase Z to.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2Zombies was an interesting beast, as the mode featured some of the best and worst moments in Zombies history. While Origins and Mob of the Dead are still regarded as the peak of the mode’s map design,the launch map TranZitwas limited by the technology of the time and arguably stands out as the worst Treyarch Zombies map released thus far. With a popular side mode called Grief being matched with a confusing, poorly explained ranking system, every good thing aboutBlack Ops 2’s Zombies offering was offset by something bad. Still, its bright spots manage to offer some similarities and differences to the Firebase Z quest.
RELATED:Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Update Addresses Tombstone Soda Bugs and More
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3is viewed by many as the peak of Zombies, with it being hard to top the sheer value offered by the mode. Not only did modern classics like Shadows of Evil, Der Eisendrache, and Gorod Krovi make their debut in the third Black Ops game, butthe Zombies Chronicles expansionrebuilt eight fan favorites from the ground up. With Origins joiningCall of Duty: World at War’s maps as well asCall of Duty: Black Ops 1’s lineup, Zombies players had no shortage of content to play inBlack Ops 3. Much like with previous games, the main easter egg quests were included with most boasting emotional scenes featuring the Primis cast.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 4
The final game beforeCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold Warsaw Zombies players enduring a rough launch, as crashes duringCall of Duty: Black Ops 4’s main easter eggs were extremely prevalent. With some controversial changes to the perk system and an overuse of map remakes to close out the Aether storyline, the game certainly went through some growing pains. Still, even with its many problems,Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s Chaos storyproduced some excellent maps like IX and Ancient Evil. Further, most of the Aether maps' easter eggs excelled despite reused assets, telling strong stories that wrapped up loose ends.
While Firebase Z does not reinvent the concept ofCall of DutyZombies’ main quests, it is a solid addition to the mode’s lengthy history of easter eggs. Pulling themes and mechanics from certain quests while shying away from others, Firebase Z shows that Treyarch has not forgotten its history. With it also boasting a short completion timelike Die Maschine’s quest, it will be interesting to see ifCall of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s future easter eggs remain on the shorter side, too. Regardless of whether Treyarch keeps making the main quests manageable for players of all skill levels, though, so far it seems like they will remain just as fun as they always have.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold Waris available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
MORE:Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Update Adds More League Play Restrictions, Addresses Firebase Z
