Exo Zombies

"A new breed of zombies"

- Teaser

Exo Zombies is a game mode in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. It was first released on January 27th on Xbox consoles, February 26th on PlayStation consoles, and PC on March 3ʳᵈ as part of the Havoc DLC. On March 31st for Xbox consoles and April 30th on other consoles, the second installment in the Exo Zombies game mode was released as part of the Ascendance DLC. On June 2nd for Xbox consoles and July 2nd on other platforms, the third installment in the game mode was released in the Supremacy DLC.

It first appeared on the map Riot in Exo Survival as a bonus round, but not as an actual standalone game mode. In the pre-rendered cutscene, the surviving player character escapes, and jumps aboard a helicopter. Gideon, who is present on the helicopter, checks on the survivor, but gets attacked by an Exo Zombie and is presumably killed.

The game initially stars four main characters: Oz (John Malkovich), Lilith Swann (Rose McGowan), Jim Decker (Jon Bernthal), and Kahn (Bill Paxton). A new character, Lennox (Bruce Campbell), appears as a supporting character in the map Infection, and replaces Oz in the map Carrier.

Gameplay
Exo Zombies is similar in style to the traditional Zombies mode. The game is based on rounds, with difficulty increasing per round. Players earn credits by killing zombies, activating Power and ATMs, and reviving other players. Weapons can be purchased from wall mounted 3D Printers around the map (the equivalent of chalk weapon outlines), which feature a holographic image of a weapon. The weapon is printed on the spot when purchased. In addition, there is a random 3D Printer that features changing weapon holograms (the equivalent to the Mystery Box). Doors and traps can be activated using credits. Exo Upgrades take the place of Perk-a-Colas, providing the players with perk-like abilities. Enemies also drop power-ups similar to those in the original Zombies. Zombie Dogs are introduced, taking a similar role to Hellhounds.

The game mode has some changes from the original Zombies mode. Zombies deal lower damage, so players can take more hits before going down. There are also no barriers on Zombie entrances. Exo Suits are also present for both players and zombies. They provide the players with more freedom in movement, as well as more dangerous zombies. Exo Zombies have more freedom in movement, and allows for mantling and jumping to higher ledges. Care Packages are also dropped on occasion, offering scorestreaks such as the Remote Turret or bonus credits. Exo Zombies does not feature a Pack-a-Punch Machine, but rather an Upgrade Station. For 2,500 credits, the player can upgrade their current weapon to a higher level, up to level 20 (completing Outbreak's easter egg allows one more upgrade to level 25). Upgraded weapons become slightly more powerful each level, gain a a new camouflage each level and sometimes gain attachments. The level the weapon is can be seen in the weapon name. Players can also be infected with the zombie virus if they are attacked by Host zombies. They have 60 seconds to reach a decontamination unit or they will become a zombie, with every additional hit from a Host speeds up the countdown in the meantime. At 0, the player essentially dies and becomes a spectator, but their character becomes a zombie and will act as a regular enemy, chasing down the remaining players.

Players begin with an Atlas 45 and four Frag Grenades. The Exo Suit is not available right away, and the melee attack uses the standard knife. Exo Suits must be found, which allows for Exo Boosts, a more powerful melee (one hit kill up to round 5), and the ability to purchase Exo Upgrades.

Outbreak


"Atlas's new pet broke out of the lab and infested an entire compound. Fight with up to 4 players to survive against endless waves of mutant zombies!"

- Outbreak In-game Description

Outbreak is the first (chronologically the second) Exo Zombies map featured in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. This map takes place in an Atlas facility that has been overrun by zombies. In Outbreak, the player first starts out with no exo suit, an Atlas 45, and four frag grenades. They must open doors to get to the Exo Testing Room to obtain Exo Suits. Most areas of the map have a power switch that needs to be activated in order to turn on the Exo Upgrade stations, which are similar to Perk-a-Colas from Treyarch's Zombie mode. The randomized 3D Printer has five locations, but only one is active at a time. There are two Upgrade Stations that allow weapons to be upgraded up to 20 times (21 after completing the easter egg). There is also a Decontamination Zone, which will cure players that have been infected. The starting area features a Bulldog and MK14 printer for 500 credits each, similar to the starting weapons in Call of Duty: Black Ops and Call of Duty: Black Ops II.

Infection


"The infection has spread to rural America, and everyone's favorite burger joint! Fight with up to 4 players to survive against endless waves of mutant zombies!"

- Infection In-game Description

Infection is the second (chronologically the third) Exo Zombies map featured in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. This map takes place in a Burger Town restaurant now turned into an Atlas Command Center with other businesses acting as supply rooms. New features include an objective round where players have to rescue civilians and lead them to extraction, toxic zones that can contaminate players during certain rounds, and new zombie types such as the Goliath Exo Zombie.

Carrier


"The source of contagion has infected Atlas's prized super-carrier! Fight with up to 4 players to survive against endless waves of mutant zombies!"

- Level description

Carrier is the third (chronologically the fourth) Exo Zombies map featured in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. It is set at an Atlas aircraft carrier somewhere off the coast. This is the first Exo Zombies map that features dual spawn points, similarly to Verruckt. It is also the first (chronologically the second) Exo Zombies map in which the players can survive. Two new utilities (both of which are key to the main easter egg), the Grenade Disposal Machine and the Weapon Disposal Machine along with a new Exo Upgrade, Exo Stockpile are introduced. Since Oz was killed, he was replaced by Lennox. Three new types of enemies are introduced, Teleporting Zombies, a reworked Goliath Exo Zombie, and Atlas Strike Teams. Objective rounds now feature Gas Bombs that have to be defused, otherwise the area will be filled with toxic gas.

Descent


"The hunt for Oz leads to a climatic showdown in Atlas's underwater city. Fight with up to 4 players to survive against endless waves of mutant zombies!"

- Level description

Descent is the fourth (chronologically the first) Exo Zombies map featured in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare. Not a lot is currently known about this map yet, as it is soon to be released in the Reckoning DLC. However, we do know that it is to be set in Atlas's "underwater city".

Story
Four Atlas soldiers are sent in to contain a prison riot in New Baghdad that had escalated into a full-out war. However, in the midst of the battle, the Atlas Corporation deployed massive amounts of the Manticore bio-weapon, intending to end the battle. Instead, the deceased rioters reanimated into mindless creatures, and attacked the soldiers. Gideon arrives in a Warbird to rescue the stranded soldiers; however, the Warbird is overrun by zombies, and Gideon is presumably killed by the horde.

Following the outbreak at the prison, the Atlas Corporation sent in three platoons to contain "their new pet"; two of them returned in body bags. Unbeknownst to any employees' knowledge, several zombies were contained and taken in secret to an Atlas research lab for further studies. The zombies were hidden away in the secret Sublevel 6 of the facility. However, the zombies escaped containment, and a massive outbreak ravaged the facility before anyone knew what was happening. Only four Atlas employees - Oz the maintenance worker/janitor, Lilith the I.T. specialist, Decker the security guard, and Kahn the executive - remained.

Oz witnessed the initial outbreak, and was able to escape to safety early, as he was able to gain access to Sublevel 6 to clean the floors. After an emergency signal is sent out through the facility, Lilith learns of the outbreak while watching security monitors. Kahn instantly realizes what has happened when he is notified of the emergency and takes action. Joined by Decker, who managed to outrun the horde, the four survivors expect to be rescued by Atlas support, only to find the incoming rescue Warbird attacked by zombies and crash right before their eyes. The four untrained survivors found themselves trapped in the facility, and are forced to fight their way out.

After deciding that the Atlas Corporation isn't going to send anyone for them (although they curiously seem to silently watch from afar and send assistance via Orbital Drops), the four attempt to send out their own rescue signal, using a communication box from the fallen Warbird. While attempting to gain clearance to surpass the security system via An-G's instructions, it becomes increasingly apparent to the survivors that someone has set them up and is testing them to see if they can escape. When the security is finally bypassed, a prerecorded voice message tells the survivors that they have passed Stage One, and have twenty four hours to reach the rendezvous point for Stage Two. A rescue signal is sent out, and a new Warbird is called in. However, as the new Warbird approaches the facility, it is shot down by an orbital drop, leaving the four survivors stranded once again.

With the infection now across the entire facility and with no hopes of escape, the four survivors are swarmed and overwhelmed by zombies. However, an Atlas VTOL arrives in the nick of time, and Atlas employees in hazmat suits transport the survivors in stasis bags in the back of a truck to a shopping district at an unknown location. Over an unknown period of time, the infection spreads to rural America, and Atlas sets up a base around the shopping district, trapping the survivors in Burger Town.

The survivors wake, and are immediately tasked with rescuing civilians trapped within the vicinity of Burger Town by a Warbird operator, going by the callsign Eagle One, who refuses to evacuate the survivors, as well as cleaning up the zombie horde infesting the area. They discover that the Burger Town mascot, Bubby, is a highly sophisticated robot. An encrypted data card that is found is decrypted inside of the Burger Town burger tower, resulting in a missile being launched from the tower, and enabling Bubby to come to life and aide them in battle.

After the group obeys Eagle One's commands to rescue several dozen survivors, Sentinel Forces arrive and clean up the last of the undead, but hold the survivors at gunpoint. Sentinel captain Lennox, who used the Eagle One moniker to communicate with the group earlier, claims to have been watching them for a long time, and declares that one of them "has to go." Oz is then executed by Lennox, who insists that he is the source of the infection. Kahn denies this, but Lennox explains to them that they once were dead before having them sedated. Just before Lilith was sedated, a group of zombies break through the Sentinels, forcing Lennox to fight back. After killing the zombies, Lilith is sedated when the Sentinels gain word that Atlas is five miles out, much to Lennox's dismay, claiming that they're "early". After loading the four up, Atlas begins chasing the Sentinels to a secret aircraft carrier. However, Oz's body then reanimates inside a Sentinel Razorback, bringing Oz back to life, but now zombified.

Upon arriving on the ship, Lennox, Kahn, Lilith and Decker fend off against the undead forces, as well as Atlas Strike Teams who attempt to plant Gas Bombs and contaminate the ship. While fighting, they discover several diagrams depicting Oz as "Patient Zero", hinting at a possibility of Oz having been experimented on by the Atlas Corporation in the past. Lennox reveals that Oz was a Sentinel operative in the past, as well as the fact Oz was thought to be zombified during the Manticore outbreak at the New Baghdad prison, further prompting the question of whether Atlas made Oz human again. It then becomes apparent to them that Atlas somehow brainwashed Oz into thinking he works as a janitor at Kahn's facility, and the outbreak was caused by none other than Oz, with Atlas having planned this the entire time. Lennox also claims that Lilith, Kahn and Decker all have something in their blood that allows them to cure themselves from the infection, making them the solution to ending the zombie outbreak. While navigating through the ship, the group also hears Oz somehow communicating with them through the ship's AI system, but Lennox believes it is due to the GS7 gas, a compound within the Manticore bomb which causes hallucination.

Eventually, they find a vault door, which leads into the engine room, where they can set the ship to self-destruct. However, the door is locked, and requires four data tablets containing the access codes. The group then finds four data tablets, and learns through "Oz" the story of the ship's former captain, DJ, who went missing after refusing to give the access codes of the ship to the crew members. The group enters the engine room, and proceeds to rig the ship. After Lilith succeeds in doing so, the group then heads toward an emergency pod for extraction. As they prepare to escape, however, they discover Oz, who has fully reanimated as a zombie, while somehow still able to call out to Lilith for help.

Exo Launcher
Exo Launcher projectiles regenerate one per round. Unlike Zombies, the secondary or tactical launcher will also regenerate one projectile per round.
 * Fragmentation Grenade
 * Nano Swarm Grenade
 * Contact Grenade
 * Explosive Drone
 * Distraction Drone
 * Teleport Grenade

Exo Upgrades
Exo Upgrades function very similarly to perks from Treyarch's Zombie Mode. One significant difference is that their functionality is tied directly to the power of the Exo Suit, regardless of the player already having purchased the "perk".
 * Exo Health (2500 Credits)
 * Exo Medic (1500 Credits, 500 on Solo)
 * Exo Slam (2000 Credits)
 * Exo Soldier (1750 Credits)
 * Exo Reload (2000 Credits)
 * Exo Stockpile (2000 Credits)

Additional Features

 * Weapon Upgrade Station
 * Decontamination Zone
 * Orbital Care Package
 * Credit Dispenser
 * Trash Chute
 * Security Traps
 * Experimental Weapon Upgrade Station (can Upgrade Mk 20 weapons to Mk 25 weapons, requires completion of the map's easter egg)
 * Grenade Disposal Machine

Outbreak

 * I'm Alive! (10) - Survive until round 10.
 * Survivor (25) - Survive until round 25.
 * 20/20 (40) - Upgrade 2 weapons to level 20.
 * Moneybags (25) - Have 15000 credits in the bank.
 * Cheapskate (15) - Acquire the exo suit without spending any money.
 * Burgle Burgle Burgle (15) - Steal 10 kills from a teammate.
 * Game Over, Man! (50) - Call in a rescue.
 * Come On and... (25) - Slam 10 zombies at once.
 * PC Load Letter (30) - Use the 3D Printer 15 times in a single match.
 * Do you even EXO? (15) - Exo Melee kill 10 zombies in 30 seconds.

Infection

 * Alright, Alright (10) - Survive until round 10 in Infection.
 * Climbing the Corporate Ladder (20) - Survive until round 25 in Infection.
 * One Man's Poison... (25) - Use the cure station to kill 5 host zombies at once in Infection.
 * Indirect Fire (25) - Kill 100 zombies with traps in Infection.
 * Burgertown Escort Service (15) - Rescue 1 survivor in Infection.
 * Abandon All Hope (40) - Rescue 4 survivors in a single game in Infection.
 * Blood-Spattered Savior (20) -Rescue a total 20 survivors in Infection.
 * Love Tap (25) - Kill a Goliath with a melee attack in Infection.
 * Popcorn (15) - Cook 50 zombies with the Magnetron in Infection.
 * MEAT IS MURDER (50) Activate Bubby in Infection.

Carrier

 * Ensign (10) - Reach round 10 in Carrier.
 * Admiral (50) - Reach round 30 in Carrier.
 * Slot Jockey (20) - Use the Grenade Disposable Machine 30 times in a single match in Carrier.
 * Right of First Defusal (20) - Defuse 5 gas bombs in a single match in Carrier.
 * Take Off, Hoser! (20) - Ride Chompy for 5 minutes in a single match in Carrier.
 * Telefragathon (20) - Telefrag 50 enemies in a single match in Carrier.
 * How Low Can You Go? (20) - Hit 18 enemies with a single shot of the LZ-52 Limbo in Carrier.
 * Hugs! (20) - Kill 20 enemies in a single burst of the Explosive Touch in Carrier.
 * Mad Hops (20) - Jump over 4 live sharks in 10 seconds in Carrier.
 * Flotsam & Jetsam (50) - Sink the boat in Carrier.