u/UsefulChildhood9605

Like the title suggests. Bored and tired always hunting for this relic and low-key wanna help newer players complete any quests on any of the maps and maybe help with teaching newer players as well.

I can give you some advice or teach you some things if your new and wanna learn how to play the mode. All for free for you, maybe it will be just content on YT if it’s good.

Just reply and I’ll get to you.

(FYI I am not going to do relics for you, you can join Zonex server on discord and find LFG groups with people who wants to complete it too)

THIS IS A LONG ONE, TLDR AT THE END.

Let me start off with some clarifications first. Yes I won’t say it is as goated as the DE’s, Origins, SOE’s or Ancient Evil but for modern zombies or old zombies, this map is really just a reminder that Treyarch CAN.

I have played this map a lot now already and I can’t give a specific figure but I just know it’s a lot. I hunted the main quest on launch. Completed it the following morning. Then hunted for side EEs, I watched the speed runners and attempted to get the main quest done under an hour for maybe there is a dark ops ( there wasn’t 😭). That was probably 10+ games in its own to optimize the runs etc.

I then helped friends complete the quest. Attempted the quest in cursed with different weapons. Completed the quest in cursed. Started playing pubs to help people that don’t know how to do the quest(still fun to see players excited when you beat the quest). Meanwhile I was still helping over at ZoneX discord to solve and hunt for the relics and those are tens upon tens of games themselves especially if you know how the progress is going over there. Plus completing them myself when we finally understood them(including failed attempts). Belt relic…… mag………

Now that you have an idea of what my experiences look like, I can genuinely say I have experienced the map a lot and what it has to offer. It’s just brilliant.

People were starting to complain about the lack of side quests that give crystals and tools etc but I can say thank you Treyarch for not doing that because now I have an appreciation for the level of the map. The other maps gave us a nice early setup consistently and it’s good for those maps and I wouldn’t want it to change for them but for this map I can appreciate it. Why? Well it kinda has that old zombies level design feel to it. What are your plans? What gums are you planning to use? The route? The weapon etc. all plays together again.

Let’s clarify first, yes you can use gobblegums and simplify the complexity of the map and it will be a breeze, but run it with no op gobbles, then you notice. The map has certain skill check points again. Do you want to build the WW? Okay. Bear check in RD 11. Amazing quest to build it btw. Top 5.

You don’t want to build the WW. Okay? Necropincer RD 12. Great mini boss as well. So easy to deal with if you have setup. But no PaP or lack of perks or just the pure lack of planning he will be a challenge.

Special round. God I miss this. A special round that you dread but you don’t hate it. It’s a challenge. You can skill check it by staying outside and survive it but make a small mistake and the snowstorm that the specials make catch you, you will DOWN. I have downed so many times by just playing them out too casually. That lingering frost does tons of damage. But activate trap, stay inside, if you have the WW you can simplify the round easily. (Clarify they more of a challenge early game)

The map layout in itself, the main quest is amazing and very easy to remember. No need for insane cheat sheets. The side EE’s are really unique and really fun if you actually go on to do them and use them. The fishing helmet gives great loot, can drop 500 salvage. I think one round I farmed 3500 salvage with the helmet. The gnome, great side EE. The power up helmet. Great for high rounds. The map specific score streaks and traps are unique and you can feel it coincides with the map. Nothing feels out of place. Like with some maps where you like this doesn’t feel like it should be in the environment. I can go on and on but genuinely, well done Treyarch, chefs kiss.

Side note: The wildfire field upgrade works brilliantly with the map. And I don’t mean it just by what we already know. Yeah it keeps you warm in special rounds, but it’s also counters the frost effect that those specials do on you, I have downed a million times with aether shroud with the frost lingering but wild fire just interacts great with the map as well and seems to fit as a better “aether shroud”, in solo at least.

TLDR;

This map genuinely reminded me that Treyarch still has it. It rewards planning, routing, weapon choice and skill instead of handing players free setup. The WW quest, Necropincer, and special rounds all feel like proper skill checks again without being unfair. The map design, side EEs, traps and scorestreaks all fit naturally into the environment and make the map feel complete. Even small things like Wildfire interacting with the frost mechanics show real care in the design. After dozens of runs, quest completions, relic hunts and helping randoms, I can confidently say this is one of the best modern Zombies maps Treyarch has made.

Just like the title says. What’s the meta to go about it fast and efficiently ?

So with the arrow seemingly out of the loot pool and the XR3 Ion being the out right meta with warband, bulldozer and eagle eye as the skills, I need some other weapons and skills tracks that are highly feasible.

XR 3 is doing numbers on the Totenreich boss in zombies as well so I wonder when the eventual nerf is coming as well.

I have tried some other builds by myself but they came out very disappointing (disclaimer I think the damage is almost setup one-one with the zombies mode, could be wrong and that’s where I was stupid lol). Some of these builds just sucked in the link forger glitch boss fight and with nerfs maybe in the horizon and plus just having FUN variety because with the Arrow out I feel very forced to start with the arrow or XR 3 Ion because they the only ones that you can solo or feel like completing any sponge bullets bosses.

Any builds you guys have found that are fun and viable?? Please let me know I like to make a build for the operators especially going for the camos you can unlock doing the ACTS and glitch bosses.

On my 2nd operator I can’t find an arrow launcher, I have done a million contracts and assignments plus guild bosses etc.

I just basically almost get the arc, havoc and some other random.

Really need help, I am TWEAKING