Vanguard Zombies has been a bit of a disappointment, but 115 Day is definitely going to be a big boost.
In celebration of January 15, which Treyarch and fans are calling 115 Day, the devs are putting out a pretty significant update for Vanguard Season 1 Zombies just prior to the special date.
Those who had hoped the classic survival mode would return just might be in for a treat, as the update sees the return of Shi No Numa. Further, the update will also bring various changes to Artifacts, Pack-a-Punch, and more.
Here are the details according to the latest Treyarch blog.
Vanguard Zombies “Day 115” update release date
The Vanguard Zombies “Day 115” mid-season update will be released at 9 PM PT Jan. 11 / 12 AM ET Jan. 12 / 5 PM GMT Jan 12.
This update is in celebration of January 15 or “Day 115,” which is the number of the element that started the Zombies lore all the way back in World at War.
Players will be excited to hear that this lore-inspired update will also be bringing back a classic way to play on a classic reimagined map.
Round-based Shi No Numa
To add to the nostalgia of Day 115, players will get to revisit Shi No Numa in a new Objective called “Void.” This new objective will be available through unlocking access to Von List’s Office and finding a new portal.
Go through the portal to travel to Shi No Numa, where Treyarch state “you’ll advance through rounds by defeating increasingly difficult endless waves of the undead, just like in traditional Zombies from previous games.”
In this Objective, players will be able to clear wave after wave, advancing through rounds while using the Pack-a-Punch machine to upgrade their weapons. Afte completing three rounds, players are given the choice to either Flee or Survive. Choosing to survive will mean you’ll earn 5,000 bonus Essence every three rounds you complete, with unique rewards after surviving 12 or more.
Further, “Once the portal to the Void has been opened, it will never close during your match. When you’re ready to head back to Stalingrad to upgrade your Perks and Covenants, you can leave after surviving 3 rounds and return at any time.”
Tome of Rituals
You’ll earn a Sacrificial Heart for every three rounds you manage to survive in the Void, which can be spent back in Stalingrad to buff your Dark Aether powers. The new Tome of Rituals in Stalingrad are exactly where players can do that.
Invest your Sacrificial Hearts at the Tome of Rituals to unlock the following upgrades during a match:
Frost Blast
- Tier I – Freezes normal and Special enemies for 3 seconds once they have been in the Frost Blast zone for 0.5 second.
- Tier II – Increases the Frost Blast radius by 100%.
- Tier III – Increases the number of charges from 1 to 3.
- Tier IV – Frozen normal enemies are insta-killed when damaged.
Energy Mine
- Tier I – Stuns normal and Special enemies hit by Energy Mine for 3 seconds.
- Tier II – Explodes 3 times in a row with a 0.75 second delay between explosions.
- Tier III – Increases the number of charges from 1 to 3.
- Tier IV – Increases the explosion radius by 66%.
Aether Shroud
- Tier I – Automatically reload weapons when activated.
- Tier II – Deal 500% bonus melee damage while active.
- Tier III – Gain 50% move speed while active. Duration extended from 5 seconds to 8 seconds.
- Tier IV – Increases the number of charges from 1 to 2.
Ring of Fire
- Tier I – Normal enemies inside the ring take damage equal to 2% of their max HP every second.
- Tier II – Players within the ring use ammo from stock.
- Tier III – Staying within the ring for up to 10 seconds increases the duration from 15 seconds to 20 seconds.
- Tier IV – Staying within the ring for up to 10 seconds increases your damage bonus from +50% to +75%.
NEW PACK-A-PUNCH CAMOS
This update brings another classic Zombies feature to Vanguard:three new camos will now be available at the Pack-a-Punch machine.
Each time you upgrade your weapon of choice at the Pack-a-Punch, it will be wrapped in a unique camo to visually set it apart from the weapon’s base version. Your camo will change in appearance with each new Pack-a-Punch upgrade up to Tier III, and pre-Packed loot weapons will also display these new camos once you pick them up from the Mystery Box or defeated Sturmkreigers.
NEW SUPPORT WEAPONS
Killstreak weapons are joining the Support menu at the Crafting Table! When you need some extra firepower against the undead or you find yourself cornered in the Void, bring out the big guns and cause some carnage.
Once you’ve collected enough Salvage, you’ll be able to build the explosive Warmachine or the devastating Deathmachine at the Crafting Table. We know players have been eagerly awaiting additional Support options since launch, and we’re excited to deliver these alongside new content during Season One. Get out there and do some damage.
EXPAND YOUR ARSENAL
We’re bringing some protective gear to your loadouts and the Mystery Box this week, along with two more weapons unlockable through in-game challenges. Get ready to add the Combat Shield, Katana, and brand-new Welgun SMG to your collection with this week’s update!
In Zombies, the Combat Shield will mitigate a portion of damage from the direction you’re facing when it’s raised, and protect your back from partial rear damage when it’s stowed as an added bonus. The shield can’t break, but you’ll still take some damage when using it, so you’ll need to stay on your toes. Paired with the right Covenants, the Combat Shield just might become your new favorite weapon to help you out of some sticky situations.
You’ll also be able to unlock the Katana melee weapon and the new Welgun SMG for your loadouts via two new Zombies weapon unlock challenges in this update:
- Katana: In Zombies, get 5 rapid kills with a Melee weapon during 50 different Portal Objectives.
- Welgun SMG: In Zombies, get 5 rapid Critical Kills with an SMG during 50 different Portal Objectives.
DEDICATED SERVER PAUSE INCOMING
Let’s be honest… moving Zombies to an infrastructure hosted entirely on dedicated servers for the first time in a new engine hasn’t been a seamless experience.
In the past, traditional Zombies lobbies ran on player-hosted servers, which were often prone to a myriad of issues, depending on the player’s connection and several other factors. While the gameplay experience should now be smoother across the board for matches of all sizes on dedicated servers in Vanguard, the process of pausing said servers for Solo and single-player Private matches isn’t as simple as flipping a switch.
Like all of you, we wanted Dedicated Server Pause for solo players to be included sooner, and the amount of work required to get it right has frankly taken longer than we would’ve liked. Thanks for your patience while we wrap up its implementation in an upcoming update.
LOOKING AHEAD…
If you’ve been paying attention to the narrative intel and conversations between our Dark Aether entities in Season One, you might have an idea of where we’re headed in Season Two. In addition to a new hub map located elsewhere on the globe, we’ll be taking players to multiple arenas, including the Dark Aether itself in a completely original location crafted for Vanguard Zombies.
There’s plenty more in the works for Season Two, including multiple Wonder Weapons, more survival gameplay, a new story quest, the introduction of a new Dark Aether entity, a new enemy type, new Objective gameplay, and more. We’re also already working on future Zombies content, and we’re not even done updating our roster of Operators in Black Ops Cold War…
Until then, we hope you enjoy this week’s mid-season Zombies update in Vanguard, and we can’t wait to jump into the Void with everyone!
EXTENDED DOUBLE-DOUBLE WEEKEND
In the spirit of 115 Day, we’re kicking off a four-day Double-Double Weekend in Black Ops Cold War starting this Friday at 10AM PT Jan. 14 through 10AM PT Tuesday, Jan. 18! This includes Double XP and Double Weapon XP in Zombies, and will run alongside an extended 2XP weekend in Vanguard and Warzone as well.
As a reminder, you’ll continue to earn player progression and Battle Pass progress across titles as you play, whether you’re slaying the undead in Black Ops or Vanguard Zombies this weekend. Have fun out there, and we’ll see you online.