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MW3 Zombies: Complete Beginners Guide with Wonder Weapons, Portals, Missions & More

Published: Nov. 10, 2023
Updated: Nov. 11, 2023

German English

Welcome to my ultimate guide on Modern Warfare 3 Zombies, where I reveal everything you need to know as a beginner in the game mode:

Contents of the Guide:

  • Menu, Equipment, Perks & Insurance
  • Missions, Tasks & Zones Explained
  • Guides for Each Zone in MWZ
  • Exfiltration from Modern Warfare 3 Zombies
  • FAQ about Flying Bullets, Bosses & Portals

MWZ: How Equipment, Backpack, Perks & Co. Work

In the Modern Warfare 3 Zombies menu, you'll find an overview of all your equipment, including your weapons, perks, gear like vests & backpacks, and your missions. Here you can also invite friends via the Social tab.

The weapons in Modern Warfare 3 Zombies fall into two categories: Contraband and Insured Weapons. Contraband weapons are those you find during the game. You can't customize them, so you should consider them disposable. Your insured slots, of which you initially have only one unlocked, contain your personal weapons. Easy to remember:

  • Contraband: Weapons you find in a match & can't customize.
  • Insured Weapons: Weapons you choose yourself and whose attachments you can select.

At the start of your journey through Urzikstan's zombie world, you have only one insurance slot. More will be added as you progress in the story.

But be careful: If you die in a match, you lose everything. Your insured weapon is then locked for an hour – but only one of three slots.

Don't forget, your backpack is also an essential part of your equipment. Here you can store various perks or upgrades like level improvements that make your weapon more effective in combat.

mw3 zombies loadout

Loadouts in MW3

How do Missions Work in Modern Warfare Zombies?

Missions are even simpler to handle than in MWZ's predecessor DMZ, as in Zombies there are no different factions for which you complete tasks. Instead, you try to uncover the mystery behind the zombie disaster and fight against the sinister organization X. Missions are processed linearly, and you can view them in the main menu.

Missions are divided into tiers, each representing a story section. Once you complete all missions of a tier/act, a linear story mission follows, complete with cinematic interludes and extensive exposition on the story.

mw3 missions-zombies

Mission Select in Zombies

MWZ: Spawn, Tasks & Rewards Explained

The game begins with your random spawn on the edge of the map. We're still checking where they all are and will provide you with a map today!

When you look at the map, you'll see three different zones: white, orange, and red, representing difficulty. Each zone has increasingly strong enemies and bosses. Therefore, I advise you to prepare. Not for nothing have I died more than once in the orange zone in MWZ without knowing why – until now.

MWZ Zones on the map

MWZ Zones

As a beginner, you should first complete the missions you selected before the start of the game. You can view these by opening the map with the 'M' key. In addition, it's worth focusing on the tasks in the game, marked as a blue phone on the map. The missions include:

  • Eliminating a strong Super-Zombie (HVT)
  • Delivering a vehicle to a cargo point (Cargo)
  • Defending a research station from mercenaries (Stand your Ground)
  • Defending a clearing of zombie crystals in an area (Outlast)
  • And several more.

Upon completing these missions, you receive XP, plenty of essences, and a RIFT, in which you can find items or weapons as a reward. From here, your actual journey really starts.

Zone 1 Guide: Preparation, Weapon Upgrades & Collecting Essence

In the first zone, you can buy weapons from the walls or receive random weapons in Mystery Boxes using the essence you've won, which serves as a substitute for dollars. Also, you should definitely upgrade your current weapon at Pack-A-Punch Stations or add new bonuses like frost or fire damage at beverage vending machines.

The Pack-A-Punch Stations are the most important. With their help, you can improve key attributes like damage or magazine size. In the first zone, you can only upgrade each weapon once for 5,000 essence. And these upgrades are mandatory if you want to survive in the second (orange) zone!

pack a punch machine in mwz

pack a punch Maschiene in mwz

Zone 2 Guide: Stronger Enemies, Camps & Fortresses

In Zone 2, you'll encounter strong zombie enemies, hellhounds & elite mercenaries of the X group. Missions in later story acts will lead you here more often, so you should be prepared. Enter this zone only if you could set aside at least 10,000 essence. For these 10,000 essences, you can upgrade one of your two weapons at the nearest Pack-A-Punch Station.

Again, the upgrade is mandatory because, at the latest when trying to enter Zone 3, the big boss Avrilakk awaits you. In over 20 solo rounds, I couldn't defeat boss Arivlakk when transitioning from Zone 2 to 3. The best tip against Avrilakk is to lure the boss out of the red zone and into the orange zone, where he takes more damage.

mw3-zombies boss-arivlakk in action

Boss Avrilakk

Zone 3 Guide: Boss Fights, Wonder Weapons & Teamplay

In Zone 3, you'll find the best loot on the entire Urzikstan map. Not only do enemies drop better equipment here, but the loot stashes and missions also reward you with better gear. In return, the zone is teeming with strong boss enemies. You should not venture here without a team of at least 3 players and a vehicle.

Each team member should enter this zone with upgraded weapons and 15,000 essence in their backpack. With the 15k essence, you can then upgrade your weapon to the highest level.

How to Get a Wonder Weapon in MWZ

With only 20 minutes left, your chance of getting a legendary weapon from the Mystery Box in this zone skyrockets, and almost every drop is gold (Legendary). Also, the chance of getting a wonder weapon is drastically increased in Zone 3 and towards the end of a match.

Wonder Weapons in MWZ

Wonder Weapons in MWZ

How to End a Round of Modern Warfare Zombies? Exfil Explained

Exfils are your escape routes from the chaos. When you open the map, you'll see the various Exfils, marked by a blue figure running through a door. Before the timer reaches 0, you can use these. After the timer hits 0, a deadly storm starts, spreading and eventually engulfing the entire map.

Exfil Storm in MWZ

Gray zone represents the storm.

If an Exfil is within the storm, you can't use it anymore. If all Exfils are swallowed, a final Exfil appears. If you fail to reach this Exfil, you will lose everything you found in the round and carried with you from the start of the round.



FAQ about Modern Warfare 3 Zombies — Portals, Flying Bullets & Final Boss

What are those Flying Balls in MWZ?

The purple flying bullets are a kind of Loot Goblin, packed with essence. If you damage the bullet, it drops essence. If you eliminate it, you'll find plenty of essence as well as perks or weapons.

What are the "Zero Point Interdimensional" Portals in Modern Warfare Zombies?

In the MWZ game world, you may come across door-shaped rune stones that open a portal when you shoot the correct stones. These portals transport you to a random other location in the game world when you walk through them. Using the portal costs 1,000 essence.

Update: Around Urzikstan you can find runes written on the wall. These runes mark the location they are located at. If you shoot those runes in the right order at the portal itself, the portal will open a gateway to the location the runes are from. If you find all runes, you can unlock a fasttravel network. (We are currently on it to find all runes, come back later, we will link all of them here!)

mw3-zombies-portal

Opened Portal

When Does the Final Boss Fight in Modern Warfare Zombies Occur?

The very last boss in MWZ appears in the final story mission. As you've learned above, you must first play through all acts of Modern Warfare 3 Zombies to unlock the various acts. There are three acts in total, and at the end of the last act, you'll encounter the final boss in the game.

These are all the tips I can give you for the zombie mode in Modern Warfare 3. If you have any more tips or questions, then leave a comment or contact us directly via Discord server (via Linktr.ee).

Every tip mentioned in this guide has been practically tested by our team to ensure you receive reliable and accurate information.
The interest in digging deep into the gaming industry stems from the DayZ Mod for Arma 2 in 2012. Kevin started working in the gaming industry in 2016. First as a trainee at Survivethis, the biggest German Survival-Games-Site at that time. Only half a year later, he got accepted at Gamestar and later MeinMMO. Now, on Guided.news he implements all his Knowledge to deliver comprehensive news, guides, interviews and more unique topics.
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