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The subject of this article appears in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War The subject of this article appeared in Zombies mode This article was previously featured
For the seasonal event, see The Outbreak Event.
For the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Exo Zombies map, see Outbreak.

"This is Operation Threshold: Requiem's ongoing mission deep behind enemy lines in the world's largest Outbreak Zone. Complete your objectives. Combat the horde. Fight, explore, scavenge, loot, survive. The Aetherium Arms Race is on."
— Mission Briefing

Outbreak is a large-scale Zombies experience featured in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War that was released on February 25th, 2021 as part of the Season Two of content for the game. Taking place mostly in the Ural Mountains, sharing several Fireteam and Combined Arms maps, Outbreak features new enemies with rewards and intel for completing objectives and World Events.

On March 30th, with Season Two Reloaded, a night version of Sanatorium was added into Outbreak with a new objective, World Event, rewards and intel as well as a new vehicle, the Dirtbike. With Season Three, a new map Duga was added into Outbreak as well as new World Event, reward and intel. On May 20th, with Season Three Reloaded, the first Main Quest as well as a new World Event and intel were added into Outbreak. On June 17th, with Season Four, a new map, Zoo, was added into Outbreak as well as the second Main Quest and new rewards and intel. On August 13th, with Season Five, Collateral was added to Outbreak with a new objective, World Event, equipment, enemy, reward and intel as well as a new vehicle, the T-72. On September 9th, with Season Five Reloaded, Armada was added to Outbreak with a new World Event, rewards, intel as well as three exclusive vehicles, the Gunboat, Wakerunner and Raft. On September 21st, a limited-time mode Outbreak Survival was released. With the Haunting event during Season Six, a new limited-time mode Hallows' Eve Outbreak was released. On April 25th, 2022, the Abomination was added along Hallows' Eve Outbreak renamed Outbreak Collapse.

Overview[]

At the start of Outbreak, players will spawn on a map, callede "Region", and will be tasked to complete an objective. Like traditional round-based Zombies experiences, there is a limited number of zombies roaming the map, and some of them only emerge when the player gets close. There is no time limit to start the primary objective. Vehicles are also available to travel faster throughout the map.

After an objective is completed, an anomaly triggering a beacon will appear somewhere on the map. Once the beacon is activated, the Pack-a-Punch Machine, Der Wunderfizz, Arsenal and Crafting Table will spawn around it. These utilities are also available around the map. At the beacon, players will have two choices: exfiltrating to safety or warping to the next Region where the difficulty will be increased.

Players can also complete secondary objectives, called "World Events", available in each Region.

While exploring the map, players can encounter small, medium or large loot chests which offer loot such as weapons, ammo, equipment, Salvage, Body Armor, Armor Plates, Perks and Ammo Mods. Mimics can also disguise as large loot chests and very rarely, medium chests. Uncommon Salvage stockpiles, each worth 200 Salvage, can be encountered around a Region. Small Aetherium crystals can also be found and destroyed for loot.

Outbreak introduces two new enemies, Krasny Soldats and Tempests. Starting from the second Region, a Demented Echo can also be found in specific locations within a Region.

With Season Three, several Phase Wall Tears can be found around the Regions' borders which allow players to teleport and drop somewhere else within the same Region, while also receiving a random Power-Up. With Season Three Reloaded, fishing spots were added into the different Regions. The spots feature a corpse wearing a bucket hat with a fishing rod and a radio next to it. When close by, the spots are identified by a fishing rod on the minimap. The fishing spots allow players to fish various items 4 times per spot. Items include Essence, normal and wonder weapons, Aether Tool, Ammo Mods, Perks, Body Armor and Armor Plates as well as a boot which can turn into a Mimic.

Regions[]

Survival[]

"The most hardcore Outbreak experience! Start with only a 1911 pistol. Health regen, map, compass, enemy damage numbers and health bars are turned off. Scavenge for food to recover health with completing Objectives."
— Mission Briefing
Outbreak Survival SelectionScreen BOCW

The selection screen for Outbreak Survival.

Outbreak Survival is a variant of Outbreak that was originally available as a limited-time mode between September 21st and October 6th, 2021 and returned on October 14th, 2021. The mode changes or removes some features from the standard version. The minimap and overhead map are disabled while the health bars and floating damage numbers are removed if they were enabled. All players start with the 1911.

Player's health regeneration is disabled. Instead, special Food items will be available to replenish health. They are available as loot, notably from killed enemies or chests, and comes in four categories:

  • Uncommon (50 HP): Bananas, Cauliflower
  • Rare (100 HP): Chocolate Chip Cookie, Cheddar Cheese Wedge, Canned Corn, Potato Chips
  • Epic (150 HP): Chicken Soup, Croissant, Slice of Pizza
  • Legendary (200 HP): Cheeseburger, Full Pepperoni Pizza, Poutine

Collapse[]

"The horde is nonstop. Stay alive for 10 minutes and escape."
— Mission Briefing

Outbreak Collapse is a variant of Outbreak that was originally available as a limited-time mode called Hallows' Eve Outbreak and available between October 19th and November 2nd, 2021 as part of The Haunting before returning on April 25th, 2022. When in the lobby, players can vote between two random Regions on which to be played, regardless of whether it's a public or private match.

Within a match of Collapse, players have to survive 10 minutes in the same Region. The Region's difficulty increases every two minutes, respawning all the enemies within the Region. Exfil will not be available until the players have managed to survive the 10 minutes, reaching Region difficulty 6 in the process. Three anomalies are available across the Region, each triggering a beacon that'll only last for 2 minutes before self-destruction. An Orda was also present in the Region, serving as the only World Event of the match. Like with normal Outbreak, Orda will be patrolling a specific area before the players come to spook it.

Objectives[]

There are seven objectives available in Outbreak.

Defend[]

Defend Objective Icon Outbreak Zombies BOCW

One of Doctor Elizabeth Grey's research teams has been overrun trying to sample an undead specimen within a Dark Aether Specimen Analyzer, or "DASA". Players are tasked with recovering the specimen's head and placing it in the analyzer, which will trigger a three minute defense. Players must protect the analyzer from surging hordes until the process is complete.

Holdout[]

Holdout Objective Icon Outbreak Zombies BOCW

Major Mackenzie Carver has identified a large Aetherium growth causing a rapid surge of unnatural Aetherium terraforming in the area and tasks players with destroying it. Upon placing explosives on the growth however, players are sucked into the Dark Aether and placed in a small building on the map, where they must survive a lockdown for 3 minutes and 20 seconds against the undead while a mysterious voice taunts them. After surviving the lockdown, players will be teleported out of the Dark Aether and watch as the crystal growth is destroyed.

Retrieve[]

Retrieve Objective Icon Outbreak Zombies BOCW

A team sent to deliver Aetherium to Doctor Oskar Strauss has been eliminated. Players are tasked with reaching a rocket transport system and locating two Aetherium containment units nearby, which Strauss asks to be brought to the rocket within five minutes before the samples within them are lost. Holding a unit will slow the player's movement and slowly damage vehicles the player enters, though the player's Field Upgrade will be replaced with a unique ability that will kill all nearby enemies once the device is charged. Delivering both units and loading them into the rocket will launch the rocket to Strauss.

Escort[]

Escort Objective Icon Outbreak Zombies BOCW

Grey has deployed a Requiem recon rover in the area to scan for stable rifts into the Dark Aether and deliver the rover's contents to the dimension. Players must deploy the rover from its transport unit and escort it through the map while it performs its tasks, all while defending it from the undead. After a couple of failed searches, either deeming the rift unusable, or attempting to enter but failing and being ejected, the rover will come across a large portal guarded by one or several Special zombies and a small zombie horde. Upon reaching the third rift, the rover will travel into it, sending itself and its cargo into the Dark Aether for experimentation.

Eliminate[]

Eliminate Objective Icon Outbreak Zombies BOCW

Carver tasks players to remotely activate Requiem's orbital Dimensional Disruptor, which will forcefully bring out a Dark Aether HVT into reality. Players are tasked with killing the HVT, which will take on the form of an Elite or Special enemy with increased health, a unique name and a mostly red appearance. Every time the HVT loses a third of its health, it will warp to another nearby location, forcing players to give chase. The objective will be completed upon killing the HVT.

Secure[]

Secure Objective Icon Outbreak Zombies BOCW

Players are tasked by Strauss to collect zombie essence after remotely launching two Essence Conversion Modules from orbit. Once a module has landed, it will draw a plasma field around itself and the players will have to kill zombies in the circle to collect their essence, all while neither of the ECMs gets destroyed. Once a module is full, it will reward the players with an item which can be Essence, Power-Ups, weapons or even Scorestreaks.

Transport[]

Transport Objective Icon Outbreak Zombies BOCW

A Mobile Harvester Team tasked by Strauss to procure samples of a rare "primordial" type of Aetherium created by Dark Aether Vortexes has been eliminated. Players will be tasked with transporting a modified Cargo Truck fitted with Aetherium Containment Units to two Dark Aether vortexes within a set timer. When transported to the vortex, the Cargo Truck will become temporarily immobilized while the Containment Unit collects a sample. Upon collection of a sample, the vortex will collapse and the Cargo Truck will regain its mobility while a new timer starts. With both samples collected, they must be delivered to a rocket transport system in time, much in the same vein of the "Retrieve" Objective as the Aetherium Containment Units will produce Aether Canisters when collected from the truck for transport.

World Events[]

In addition to the primary objectives, there are up to nine World Events available for the player to do to help build up supplies. These events, with the exception of "Aethereal Orb" and "Unknown Signal", can be located on the overhead map by the use of unique symbols.

Distress Call / Horde Patrol[]

HordePatrol Icon Outbreak Zombies BOCW

Another Requiem Task Force has been slaughtered by a powerful group of enemies, with one soldier leaving behind their final words on a radio. Upon hearing the recording, Weaver, seeking vengeance for the fallen soldiers, orders the players to track down and eliminate the group of enemies that killed the task force. The players must locate and kill the group of enemies, which will comprise of a sometimes named Elite or Special enemy and a group of other enemies. Killing the last enemy of the group will reward players with a Random Perk power-up.

Dragon Relic[]

DragonRelic Icon Outbreak Zombies BOCW

A mysterious rocket containing the head of a Dragon is being prepped, requiring a large quantity of Aetherium to launch. For 500 Essence, interacting with the rocket will cause the Dragon to emerge from its nook in the rocket, followed by a ring similar to the Ring of Fire Field Upgrade to manifest below it. Players must now kill enemies within the ring to allow the Dragon to harvest the undead and absorb the Aetherium contained within them. After a certain amount of time, the Dragon will return to its nook and the rocket will blast off into a portal, leaving behind a chest for the players to open if they've completed the minimum objective. The number of zombies absorbed in the timeframe will decide the quality of the chest's contents.

Locked Golden Chest[]

Locked Golden Chest Minimap Icon BOCW

A Dark Aether portal forms in the sky and deposits a golden chest on the ground, seeking to test the worth of the players who seek to obtain its contents. Interacting with the chest will summon a horde of enemies for the player to kill. After killing the enemies, the chest can be opened, which will dump out items on the ground and leave a Full Power power-up in the chest for the players to pick up. This event is marked by an icon depicting the spire that delivers the golden chest to the map.

Aethereal Orb[]

A faint Dark Aether orb can sometimes be found randomly in a map, and can be identified by the sound of children's laughter when approached. Shooting the orb will cause vials of Essence to drop from it before it will relocate to another part of the map. This process can be repeated two more times; the last attempt will destroy the orb, rewarding the player with weapons, Scorestreaks, Salvage and Essence. When seen on the minimap when close by, this event is marked by an icon depicting the orb itself.

Unknown Signal[]

Unknown Signal Ping BOCW

A radio can sometimes be found randomly in a map. When activated, the radio will ring, attracting a horde of zombies. Once the zombies are killed, the radio will emit a specific sound. The players will then have to find three amplifiers around the area and cycle between different sounds to find the correct one emitted by the radio. If the players find a ringing sound, zombies will be attracted. Once all three amplifiers emit the same signal as the radio, the players will need to go back to the radio to listen to the full signal rewarding players with 800 essences and a song which becomes available in the Music Player. When seen on the minimap when close by, this event is marked by an icon depicting an antenna.

Songs unlocked from Unknown Signal

Fury Crystal[]

Dark Aether Crystal Ping BOCW

An orange Aetherium crystal appears somewhere on the map. When a player destroys the crystal, a horde of zombies will continuously spawn as the player will need to find and destroy six more orange crystals nearby in a short amount of time. Once all the crystals are destroyed before the time runs out, the player will be awarded with the Aether Tool which upgrades the rarity of the weapon they are holding. When seen on the minimap, this event is marked by an icon depicting a crystal.

Orda[]

Orda Ping Icon BOCW

An Orda can be seen patrolling an area followed by several zombies. When attacked, a simili-boss fight will trigger with more zombies spawning. Orda will pursue the players trying to step on them or strike them with its arm. Orda can also fire out two swarms of flaming flies that will track and attack players or a mortar-like shot that will spawn an exploding Hellhound upon impact. If the player gets away from the Orda, it'll bury its hand on the ground healing itself, approaching the Orda will interrupt the healing. Killing the Orda can reward the player with a Max Ammo power-up, high-rarity weapons, wonder weapons, Perks, Ammo Mods and more. When seen on the minimap, this event is marked by an icon depicting Orda.

Omega Supply Crate[]

An Omega helicopter can be spotted on the ground which will start flying off the map as a player approaches. Once the helicopter is destroyed, it will drop a large supply crate containing several Salvage stockpiles: 10 Legendary High-Grade Salvage Stockpiles, each worth 25 High-Grade Salvage for a total of 250 High-Grade Salvage; and 5 Epic Salvage Stockpiles, each worth 300 Salvage for a total of 1500 Salvage. The crate also contains high-end rewards such as Scorestreaks. When seen on the minimap, this event is marked by an icon depicting a top-down view of a helicopter.

Black Chest[]

BlackChest Ping Icon BOCW

A Black Chest can be found with a mysterious lost soul asking players to free them. When a player interacts with the chest, three Dark Aether swarms will spawn out of the chest and travel to different locations. The player will need to destroy the swarms to unlock the chest. If the player attacks the swarm or gets too close, it'll start flying and attack the players as hordes of zombies will also spawn in.

Destroying all three swarms will allow the chest to be unlocked. Once opened, the purple spirit will appear and thank the players for freeing them and promise to help them. The chest will dump loot including Body Armor, Salvage, Ammo, as well as a Bronze, Silver or Gold Chalice, giving a Level I, Level II or Level III Pack-a-Punch upgrade to the player's held weapon respectively. When seen on the minimap, this event is marked by an icon depicting a black chest.

If at some point afterwards, within the same Region, the player's health falls below 50 HP, the lost soul will appear and stun all the enemies around the players before killing them.

Easter Eggs[]

Main Quests[]

Main article: Ravenov Implications

The first main quest for Outbreak, titled Ravenov Implications in the Dark Ops, tasks Requiem operators to contact Samantha Maxis and locate Sergei Ravenov to help him launch the Omega Group's Reality Inversion Warheads away from the West.

Main article: Entrapment

The second main quest for Outbreak, titled Entrapment in the Dark Ops, tasks Requiem operators to locate and extract the defecting Omega Group scientists before they exfil.

Main article: The Pact

A special quest, titled The Pact in Dark Ops, sees Requiem operators make a dark pact with an otherworldly entity.

Miscellaneous Easter Eggs[]

  • A unique zombie called "Ronald Raygun" wearing a leather jacket with pins on it as well as having a pink mohawk was introduced in Outbreak with Season Three and can be found within a Region. Upon being killed, the zombie drops a Ray Gun as reward.
  • After a warp has been indicated, if players attack the Beacon, the Beacon itself will become damaged and send the Strike Team two Warp tiers ahead rather than the standard one. This process can be repeated on any Beacon, regardless of Warp tier, however the Beacon itself also gains increased health with each subsequent warp, making this process harder in later tiers.

Cutscenes[]

Ravenov Implications[]

Penultimate Cutscene Transcript

Inside the Ruka missile facility, the Requiem strike team ascends to the control room where they find Sergei Ravenov fighting off and eliminating three Omega soldiers.

Ravenov: Requiem! Where is... Maxis?

Maxis: (via radio) I'm here... still being held by Requiem. They don't want me in the field.

Ravenov: They do not trust you - But we do know what is at stake? Yes?

Ravenov picks two of the soldiers up and put their face in front of the eye scanner.

Ravenov: Somehow - Peck found a way to supercharge the crystals' power for his warheads - by using those 'crystalline' creatures.

Maxis: If the warheads at this facility were to detonate, they would trigger an Inversion in this reality - creating Outbreak Zones wherever Omega chooses...

Ravenov picks the last soldiers and put his face in front of the eye scanner.

Ravenov: (to the strike team) It is no use I can't launch the missiles from here - I need you to find the keys - That is the only way we can put an end to Operatsiya Inversiya.

Ravenov returns to the control screen showing a map of the world with the US East Coast highlighted as target.

Ravenov: Maxis - Is there anywhere in particular you want to see destroyed?

Maxis: This power is too dangerous for either Omega or Requiem to possess - so I say we dump them in the middle of the Pacific.

Ravenov changes the coordinates of the target, now pointing to the Pacific ocean, south of Japan.

Ravenov: Sounds like a plan.

Ravenov locks the target.

Ravenov: (to the strike team) Go - find the launch keys. I will prep the missiles.

As the Requiem strike team leaves, Ravenov enters the missile silos.

Outro Cutscene Transcript

Missile silos in Ruka start opening as an alarm rings. The Requiem strike team witnesses three Reality Inversion warheads being launched. Soon after, Raptor-1 arrives in the area.

Raptor-1: So - according to Agent Maxis - Y'all need a ride outta here. I reckon Weaver's pretty pissed at her goin' behind his back an' all, but...

Raptor-1 lands

Raptor-1: There weren't no way I was gonna leave y'all hanging...

The strike team enters the helicopter, signaling Raptor-1 he can take off and leave the area.

Entrapment[]

Outro Cutscene Transcript

In Sanatorium, the Requiem strike team enters the helicopter piloted by Raptor-1.

Weaver: Okay, Strike Team. Time to come home.

The helicopter takes off but is immediately shot down by a missile.

Raptor-1: SHIT! We're going down!

Kravchenko: Sadly, Weaver - Them coming 'home' is not part of the plan.

The helicopter crashes and the strike team is seen lying on the ground next to the burning remains. Omega soldiers arrive and drag the body of Raptor-1 out of the helicopter. Kravchenko arrives shortly after.

Kravchenko: Surrender now...

Weaver: Kravchenko?!

Kravchenko: ...and you will be allowed to live.

Kravchenko crouches in front of the strike team.

Weaver: You son of a fucking bitch.

Kravchenko: Requiem belongs to me now...

Kravchenko stands up and leaves as the Omega soldiers are pointing their rifles to the strike team.

Intel[]

Main article: Outbreak (Cold War)/Intel

There are currently 266 pieces of intel in Outbreak.

Gallery[]

Teasers[]

Videos[]

Trivia[]

References[]

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