Message to Zombies Team on Special Enemies

Dear Treyarch Zombies Team,

Black Ops 6 has managed to create an amazing COD Zombies launch and has kept that momentum with the first dlc map. This hasn’t been done since Black Ops 1. You have also listened to feedback more than in any other game. All three current maps feel like unique and different experiences for the most part. There is a pattern that worries me, one that lot of people have noticed too. Special enemies are being overused.

This has been an issue since Black Ops 4. When special enemies are reused in multiple maps (especially back-to-back) they feel less special the more we see them. This also makes the maps feel less special. Playing a new map and thinking “these guys again” hurts my enjoyment of the new map but it also hurts the previous maps as well. Special enemies are part of a map’s identity for better and for worse (Panzers on Origins, Denizens on Tranzit). I’m sure you already know this post is in regards to Vermin, Parasites and Amalgams in Black Ops 6. As of now there’s enough difference in how they’re handled that it’s excusable that they’re in all 3 maps (probably The Tomb as well but, as of writing this,that hasn’t been revealed yet). Terminus has Parasite rounds and both they and Vermin spawn normally along with Amalgams. Liberty Falls has Vermin spawning in normal rounds as well as their own rounds. Parasites spawn only in rare cases in Liberty Falls via Vermin. Citadelle Des Morts has Parasites and Vermin both spawning in special rounds as well as normal. Amalgams spawn normally too but the Doogleghast bridges the gap between these enemies.

This makes it so there is some difference in how/when we encounter them but you’re running out of options. It is nice to see the evolution from Zombie - Vermin - Parasite - Doppleghast - Amalgam. And I’m sure a new enemy may be planned to further that evolution. However, while their evolution is explored, the players’ interest in them is devolving. If it’s too late for The Tomb, well hopefully you’ve done something interesting to keep it fresh or the rest of the map makes up for it. But these 3 enemies need to take a rest until the next game at least (Doppgleghasts as well since they are connected to the other 3). And it’s not just them. Manglers were ok to come back in Liberty Falls but we’re still recovering from Mangler spam in Cold War and MW3. They need to stay in Liberty Falls. Show them mercy please..

Instead, spend time making new enemies. If time/resources are an issue, remember this hasn’t stopped you before. Nova crawlers were introduced in Black Ops 1 in Kino and Five. You brought them back in the same game with Moon, but gave them the teleporting ability. Then you brought them back in Die Rise and had them bounce off the walls. And later brought them back in Black Ops 4 (original coming back in a remake is ok) and had them shoot lighting and green gunk. I bring this up because I know you’ve been dying to pull the trigger on Disciples and Mimics. They’re in the campaign, you just used them in MW3, it’s so tempting. I can’t stop you but I ask you to change things up. I’ve included some examples to get my point across. These aren’t necessarily good ideas but just to point out that you can have fun with making tweaks tp old enemies that keep them fresh instead of stale.

Mimics: The normal Mimics should not return as they have been.They should be a risk a player takes for the chance at loot. Making them spawn every round normally keeps them as just another enemy and takes away their individuality. Random loot on the floor isn’t going to fool us anymore either. We know they’re there. Therefore there should be a risk a player takes. I want to feel nervous about choosing between possible good loot or a mimic. Maybe incorporate this with a special round or map feature? Make a mimic round/event where we have to find it (the opposite of Five’s Pentagon Thief round where he chased us). Or flip things around, Mimic prop hunt where we hide from them.

Disciples: give them different powers. Maybe an AOE healing or give them an important role in the map. They defend or attack something. Make them walk or create portals. Or have us create/indoctrinate them to help us temporarily (like the Shadows of Evil Civil Protector).

Abominations: The regular Abomination should stay in Liberty Falls. It was good to return since Forsaken but 3 times would be too much. However I actually want the Mega variant from Operation Deadbolt to return because we haven’t experienced them in round based maps yet. But they’re too powerful to be normally spawning. Have one guard a specific area (would work with their cerberus vibe). It can spawn with a shit ton of health right at the start of the game and it’s role is to lock down a high value area. This will give us a new goal while progressing through rarities and pack 3. Imagine the “Let’s kick his ass” feeling when we’re finally ready to take him down. Then killing him gives us this whole area to ourselves (and the zombies) and maybe some other reward. Throw a important part in the area it guards so we have a reason to go there before we’re ready.

Hellhounds: You don’t need to change them but they shouldn’t appear in more than 2 maps. If they appear twice then it should be in different ways. Like how Black Ops 1 had dogs in special rounds for Kino but they were area specific in Moon. Don’t reuse them over and over like Black Ops 4 did.

Kranzys/Panzers: It’s risky to bring these back. Too much of a good thing can be bad. If you do then change up their abilities. Also, if we can become a mangler I don’t see why we can’t get into a Kranzy.Panzer mech. Might be cool

Tempests: This one is actually ok to bring back as is imo. But only once. Alternatively, maybe Janus used the idea of them being on warheads and now a wonder weapon uses minI Tempests as ammo. Seeing their little faces yelling while we pop them into the weapon would be adorable 😍

The point is that we should interact with them differently and feel refreshed every time we play a different map. Even though Doppleghasts are fun in Citadelle, if they come back every map then Citadelle will feel less special when we go back to play it. When enemies are specific to a map it adds to the experience during and after gameplay. The map should interact with these enemies too (Pentagon Thief using the teleporters or George calming down with the ice). Lore tie-ins are even better. Right now we don’t have too many interactions with the enemies and the map itself.

One final note, the final map does not need to have every enemy type in it. Look at Origins. It had one new enemy (Panzer) and a unique different special round (normal round but templars attacked the generators). Origins didn’t have Brutus, Avagadro, ghosts, etc all packed into it. If it did it would not have the same love it does today. Look at Beast from Beyond as an example of a map where throwing every enemy into hurt the flow. Sometimes just zombies and one other enemy is ok sometimes. Taking enemies from Terminus, Liberty Falls, and Citadelle Des Morts, and the rest of the dlc cycle and putting them into the final map will make all of the maps worse. Regardless, I’m looking forward to The Tomb and the rest of the Black Ops 6 zombies season

Tldr: message to 3arch they wont see about special enemkes. Reusing special enemies makes both the new maps and previous maps worse experiences. There are lots of options to address this even with time/budget constraints.