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The subject of this article appeared in Call of Duty: Black Ops III. The subject of this article appeared in Zombies mode
For the predecessors of this weapon, see Ray Gun and Ray Gun Mark II.

"Mission log entry forty five: I am over the site looking down through the open door. I can see a weird distortion below me like a localized Aurora Borealis. I would normally cancel the operation, but we don't have time. Luckily, I have taken experimental weaponry version three that no one has seen before from my previous mission. Never say never, Peter."
— Cipher on Der Eisendrache

The GKZ-45 Mk3 is a dual-wielded Wonder Weapon that appears in the Zombies map Gorod Krovi of Call of Duty: Black Ops III.

Overview[]

The weapon consists of the GKZ-45 on the left, which shoots yellow clouds of energy that slows down zombies, and the Ray Gun Mark lll on the right, which shoots thin versions of the standard Ray Gun projectile and high headshot multiplier, with a piercing effect that can hit multiple zombies in one shot. Unlike the Ray Gun, this weapon will not deal any damage to players, allowing it to be used safely in close quarters.

There is a third attack of this weapon. Shooting the yellow cloud created by the GKZ-45 with the Ray Gun Mark III will cause the cloud to become a black hole, similar to the ones created by the Gersh Device and the Apothicon Servant, but with much lower damage (one-shot kill until round 29), smaller range, and shorter duration. Due to this weapon's area of effect nature with the black hole, it is ineligible for incubating the Dragon Egg used to obtain the Gauntlet of Siegfried during the challenge that requires multiple kills in a single shot, even when only the Ray Gun Mark III is used.

Despite these downsides, this weapon is very valuable to a player's arsenal due to the map mechanics on Gorod Krovi of infinitely spawning in zombies during certain events, regardless of normal amounts of zombies per round. This occurs during Groph Pod defenses, Lockdown events such as for acquiring the Dragon Strike/Draconite Controller, as well as during all six tasks requested by S.O.P.H.I.A. during the Easter Egg, Love and War.

Due to these map mechanics, players can mitigate the constant onslaught of zombies by slowing them down, as only 24 zombies can ever be spawned on the map at the same time. Therefore, the primary function players will want to use is the yellow clouds from the GKZ-45 that simply slow down zombies, dealing very little damage. If needed, fire Ray Gun Mark III projectiles at stray zombies not being slowed down, and then at an active cloud if surrounded or needing to defend an objective that requires kills, such as Groph Pods or Lockdown events.

It is additionally worth noting that the GKZ-45 specifically at long distances is not actually a straight firing projectile, but follows an arc similar to throwing a grenade, unlike the Ray Gun Mark III. This is most noticeable if using this weapon during the special Groph Pod Defense task during the Easter Egg which spawns outside of the map.

Maelstrom of Eris[]

When upgraded in the Pack-A-Punch, it becomes the Maelstrom of Eris. The weapon carries five rounds in the GKZ-45, 30 rounds in the Mark III, and initially 210 in reserve, although it will receive 215 when the player receives a Max Ammo. The upgrade appears red and jet black, provides additional ammo, and increases the duration, range, and damage including the black hole effect, compensating for many of the initial weapon's downsides. The Ray Gun Mark III upgraded will fire red beams similar to its predecessors, but the GKZ-45 continues to fire yellow balls of energy.

GKZ-45 Mk3 vs. Maelstrom of Eris[]

GKZ-45 Mk3 Maelstrom of Eris
GKZ-45 Mk3 BOIII Maelstrom of Eris BOIII
Damage 500 (GKZ-45)
~7,500 (Mk3)
6,000 (Black Hole)
1,000 (GKZ-45)
~11,000 (Mk3)
30,000 (Black Hole)
Multiplier x5 Head (Mk3) x5 Head (Mk3)
Fire mode Semi-automatic (GKZ-45)
Automatic (Mk3)
Semi-automatic (GKZ-45)
Automatic (Mk3)
Rate of fire 140 RPM (GKZ-45)
250 RPM (Mk3)
140 RPM (GKZ-45)
250 RPM (Mk3)
Magazine size 3 (GKZ-45)
15 (Mk3)
5 (GKZ-45)
30 (Mk3)
Max ammo 3+15/161 5+30/215
Reload 2s (GKZ-45)
3s (Mk3)
2s (GKZ-45)
3s (Mk3)
Mobility High High
Extras Higher damage, longer duration, larger radius, more reserve ammo, larger magazines


Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • The GKZ-45 has a red soviet star on the right side, and the Ray Gun Mark III has a raised star on the back of the weapon in between the four yellow coils.
  • The Ray Gun Mark III has iron sights, but the GKZ-45 does not.
  • In the trailer for Gorod Krovi, when the box is used, two Ray Gun Mark IIIs can be seen instead of a single Ray Gun Mark III and the GKZ-45.
  • The reserve ammo of the un-upgraded weapon, both starting and after a Max Ammo, is not divisible by the magazine size of either the GKZ-45 or the Ray Gun Mark III. The initial reserve ammo count of the Maelstorm of Eris is divisible by both weapons, but is only divisible by the GKZ-45 when the player receives a Max Ammo.
  • The GKZ-45 Mk3 is one of the very few weapons in the entirety of Treyarch Zombies that does not recieve the map's typical Pack-a-Punch camo when upgraded.
  • The GKZ-45 is referenced in the map Firebase Z from Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War where it is called Generator Khaosa Zavoyski-45 (Russian for Chaos Generator Zavoyski-45) and is part of the Reactorniy Avtomat-Izluchatel Kuhlklay-84.
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