New Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 zombies map is Nuketown but "400% larger"

The big Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Apocalypse Z DLC is out tomorrow, July 9, and it's bringing a zombie invasion with it. Naturally, the game's proper zombies mode is the headlining act, with the big new Alpha Omega DLC and map leading the charge. Treyarch explored the new map during a dev-guided livestreamer earlier today, offering a closer look at its expanded take on Nuketown and its many throwbacks to previous zombies modes. 

"Nuketown's always been a fun map in the zombies story," said lead writer Craig Houston, whose enthusiasm and Scottish accent were handily the highlight of the stream. "While originally it was a very small map, it had elements in it that were hinting at something much bigger." 

Many of those previously teased elements have been fleshed out in Alpha Omega. As game designer Mark Maestas said, this rendition of Nuketown is about "400% larger," with more areas to explore both above and below ground. At the heart of the map is a research facility run by the Broken Arrow organization. It's filled with experimental weapons, including an updated and moddable version of the beloved Ray Gun. 

"We want players to feel the nostalgia of coming back to Nuketown," said senior producer Danny Donaho. "We do that with those original spaces. But there's so much more to experience now that we've added new features, new mechanics, new enemy types." 

New zombie enemies include the Jolting Jack, which teleports and shoots lightning, and the Nova 6 Bomber, which shoots bile from the looks of it. The Ray Gun mk2 aside, you'll have other means of dispatching them, including a new powerup called Blood Wolf Bite that summons a dang wolf. His name is Luna, and he's a good zombie-killin' boy. 

Apocalypze Z will fold in some familiar faces and story elements as well. The Primis and Ultimis crews from previous zombie modes will both be playable in Alpha Omega, with unique interactions between the two. Houston also said the climax of the Aether storyline encased in all this delivers "double the narrative workload." 

"This is one of the biggest maps we've ever done in terms of narrative Easter eggs," Houston said. "There's a lot of ancillary characters that you've met in the past, or if you've not met them you've at least heard about them, and they're gonna pop up in various ways throughout the map." Houston later added that "we're so close to the end now, to wrapping up the story threads. A lot of them are going to come together and coalesce in Alpha Omega. There will be lot of answers, a lot of pain, a lot of joy, and maybe a few tears." 

You can watch the full dev livestream below, and you can catch a teaser of the new zombies content around 35 minutes in. 

For a refresher, here's how to get the Ray Gun in Black Ops 4.