Call of Duty Black Ops 3 Zombies: Der Eisendrache Review

The latest edition of the Black Ops storyline is finally here! So how is it? And what is it all about?

I’ll give my opinions and include some tips to get you started.

Story and Setting:

Richtofen, Nikolai, Takeo and Dempsey have arrived at a medieval Austrian castle during World War II. The castle is said to be an old research facility, which has witnessed extreme horrors. A version of Dempsey from another timeline has been sent to the moon via a giant rocket, and Richtofen vaguely explains it’s of the upmost importance that they return the rocket back to Earth.

The castle is a perfect zombie setting and massive map to navigate, so expect to take some time to explore and memorize important locations.

You’ll even be able to spawn a free power-up where you start—or later if you choose—by using the tram and the provided tram fuse. Zombies randomly drop tram fuses so you can obtain them multiple times at random.

Simply grab the glowing blue fuse and activate the nearby tram controls to call the gondola back to you with a power-up inside.

Death Machine and Panzer Soldat Return:

The death machine has returned as a random power-up dropped by zombies. It's limited by time and not ammo count, so make sure to put it to good use quickly.

Also making a return is the Panzer Soldat from Black Ops 2’s Origin map. And no, he's still not friendly. If you're lucky, you'll have the death machine in hand when the Panzar drops in.

Perks:

The perk machines do not move around in this instalment of BO3 Zombies, so you don’t need to worry about the location of your favourite perks. You also can use the help of Wonderfizz which will allow you to purchase a random perkacola for 1500.

Wonderspheres

A new method of transportation, the Wonderspheres, can get you around the map a little quicker if you’re stuck in a sticky situation. Simply stand on one the large spheres located around the map, and launch yourself to another area. Make sure you find the circles on the castle floor which allow you to push Square to interact and activate the pads. You can’t jump with the Wondersphere if the jump pads aren’t active!

Pack-a-Punch:

One of the biggest complaints for Shadows of Evil was the overwhelming list of steps required to unlock Pack-a-Punch. While Pack-a-Punch isn’t assembled and ready to go, you can obtain this necessity pretty early on.

You’ll find three Pack-a-Punch locations on the map with parts that must be teleported by simply interacting with them. You can get the pieces in any order.

One location is at the Bastion, at the top of the castle. Another in the Undercroft downstairs near the awesome pyramid. And a third requires teleportation to the rocket testing area, with the Pack-a-Punch part located at the back of the rocket launch pad.

Once you reach the third piece location, the Pack-a-Punch will build itself and be ready for use at the consistently hefty cost of 5,000 points.

Ancient Bow Easter Egg:

Three dragons can be fed zombies to receive an ancient bow which appears to be a part of a much larger Easter Egg. This is very similar to the Cerberus portion of the Easter Egg in Black Ops 2’s Mob of the Dead. 

Overall Review:

Overall, Der Eisendrache is a challenging map with surprises still waiting to be uncovered. The winding staircases and tight corridors within the walls of the castle can become a death trap, so Dr. Monty’s Gobblegum comes in handy. The Panzar Soldat drops in on occasion to keep you on your toes, and the entire environment has a classic zombies vibe.

I personally feel it’s great to have the original crew back together as we put more pieces of the storyline together. With the death machine and the powerful ancient bow added in, Treyarch really did a fantastic job of making this zombie experience even more exciting and fun to play than the last. I can’t wait to finish the Easter Egg and see how the story unfolds. 

Keep up to date with all the latest gaming and eSports news via our Twitter: @Gfinity.