The Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombies community has been having a blast with Firebase Z, as there has been no shortage of side easter eggs to discover while fighting off the endless hordes of Zombies, Mimics, and Manglers. While there is a lot to love about this new addition to Call of Duty Zombies’ extensive history of maps, there is one thing that Treyarch forgot to include as part of the map’s release.
While the feature in question may be an afterthought for many Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War players, some would see it differently. Included in every post-launch map since the mode first made its debut in Call of Duty: World at War, this feature has been integral to the mode’s history, making it a fairly large omission on Treyarch’s end. While it is possible that a post-launch patch will add the content into the game, it seems likelier that Firebase Z will go without this mechanic for the entirety of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s life cycle.
Unlike Die Maschine’s noteworthy role in the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War trophy list, Firebase Z has no DLC trophies or achievements available for players to unlock. While there are several in-game challenges that would be perfect fits for DLC trophies, no achievements can be obtained from carrying out these tasks. Completing Firebase Z’s creepy bunny easter egg would be a nice candidate for a bronze trophy or low-Gamerscore achievement, while collecting all the intel in the map would be a good contender for a silver trophy. With RAI K-84 kills and Assault Round completions good candidates for trophies as well, there is plenty that could have been done with a trophy list for Firebase Z.
For many, though, the biggest omission that comes with the lack of a trophy list is the lack of a trophy for completing Firebase Z’s main easter egg quest. Ever since the original Call of Duty: Black Ops brought in main quests for players to complete, players have been given a shiny silver trophy as an award for carrying out these quests. With Die Maschine following a similar format, players assumed this tradition would be continued with Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Zombies’ future DLC maps. Instead, Firebase Z bucks this trend, and it is confusing as to why trophies were not included.
One possibility is that Treyarch simply did not have the time to add a trophy list for the map. With Firebase Z arriving earlier than expected, Treyarch may have needed to push the map out quickly to help ease Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s content drought — cutting out a minor feature like a trophy list to help get the map out quicker. Another possibility is that Treyarch did not want to spoil the map and its main quest. However, with Firebase Z marketed as being the rescue of Samantha, and this being exactly what happened in the map, this would not make much sense. A final possibility is that Treyarch simply did not feel like a trophy list was necessary for the map, as in-game challenges and the map’s core gameplay may have been seen as intriguing enough already.
Regardless of the reasoning for the omission, though, leaving trophies out of Firebase Z is a mistake. Aside from trophy lists giving trophy hunters a reason to be excited about the map, they have been a great way for Zombies fans to make their mark and show how long they have been fans of the mode. These badges of honor show which Zombies fans saw Earth be destroyed in Moon’s easter egg, as well as which players witnessed Richtofen’s heartbreaking death in Blood of the Dead. While trophies and achievements are meaningless for some, to other Zombies fans they show the legacy of the mode and the players within it, making them a feature that should have been used in Firebase Z.
Call of Duty Zombies has evolved plenty over the years, but one thing that has remained the same is its use of trophies and achievements to acknowledge the accomplishments of its players. With even non-Treyarch modes like Exo Zombies and Infinite Warfare Zombies rewarding players for their work with trophies, it is puzzling to see them not included in Firebase Z. For those unfamiliar with how long trophies have been synonymous with Zombies modes, though, here are examples of how Treyarch has used them in its previous games:
- Call of Duty: World At War – The debut game for the Call of Duty Zombies mode itself, 2008’s Call of Duty: World at War started the tradition of trophy unlocks for Zombies fans. While the launch map Nacht Der Untoten lacked the feature, as Treyarch was unsure if the mode would catch the interest of fans, this was rectified in the DLC. Verrukt, Shi No Numa, and Der Riese all featured trophies, with simple objectives like getting a certain amount of points or getting the Ray Gun, Wunderwaffe DG-2, and Monkey Bombs in one game.
- Call of Duty: Black Ops – With the Zombies story finally getting fleshed out in Der Riese, it makes sense that the next Treyarch game would introduce main quest easter eggs. While Ascension’s main quest gave no trophy for completion, Call of the Dead kickstarted this tradition, with Moon even offering different trophies for the first and second half of its easter egg quest. While the original Black Ops is remembered fondly for its campaign and multiplayer, its Zombies offering was just as strong, and the mode started an approach to trophies that would become the standard for Treyarch going forward.
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 – While the launch map TranZit was not the best start for Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Zombies, the release of all-time greats like Mob of the Dead and Origins served as a great way to right the ship and help players look back on the mode fondly. The game’s Zombies trophies saw players awarded for miscellaneous objectives and completing the easter egg, with players needing to build Wonder Weapons and get different types of revives in order to achieve 100% completion for each map.
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 – Widely regarded as the ultimate Zombies experience, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 features the most Zombies maps out of any game due to the release of Zombies Chronicles following a full DLC season. Featuring a great mix of classic maps updated to boast gorgeous visuals instead of outdated textures, as well as bold and original creations like Der Eisendrache, it is easy to see why this game was so loved by Zombies fans. Its trophies continued the tradition started in the first Black Ops, being awarded to players for completing the main quest and miscellaneous tasks.
- Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 – With no campaign included, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 featured a trophy list comprised almost entirely of Zombies trophies. Easter egg completions and side objectives like killing Hellhounds from certain areas made up the list. While Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 Zombies was buggy at launch and made some questionable decisions that the community was not fond of, like relying too much on Zombies map remakes, it delivered in terms of its trophies. With this continuing throughout the DLC, the difference between Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War’s Zombies trophies is as noticeable as the gameplay changes.
With trophies expanding with the popularity of Zombies, seeing them abandoned in Firebase Z is a bit disappointing. While the map is still extremely entertaining without them, offering some fun new mechanics and characters to meet, it is a shame to see them abandoned entirely with no reason given as to why this decision was made. With Treyarch already listening to community feedback regarding camo unlocks in Firebase Z, it would be great to see the developer listen to fan requests for a trophy list, too. Like every DLC release that has come before, Firebase Z and future Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War maps deserve their own trophy sets.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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