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Black Ops 6 Zombies: Perks, Field Upgrades & Mods Explained

Last Updated: October 26, 2025

Black Ops 6 Zombies gameplay featuring perks, field upgrades, and ammo mods.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has arrived, and with it, Treyarch has unleashed the next chapter of its iconic round-based Zombies saga. Players are now diving into the undead hordes on the launch maps of Terminus and Liberty Falls, and at the core of the experience is a deep, refined system of perks, field upgrades, and ammo mods.

Building on the fan-favorite foundation of Black Ops Cold War, the latest iteration offers a comprehensive suite of tools for survival, customization, and strategic depth, promising an unprecedented level of control in the fight against the zombie apocalypse.

The Core of Survival: All Perks and Upgrades

The foundation of any successful Zombies run is the Perk-a-Cola machine, and Black Ops 6 brings back a roster of beloved classics alongside a robust permanent upgrade system. By earning Aetherium Crystals, players can invest in skill tiers that permanently enhance the base effects and abilities of each perk, providing powerful bonuses that carry over into every match. This system rewards long-term play and allows for deep strategic specialization.

The full list of launch perks includes:

  • Jugger-Nog: The essential survival perk. Increases your maximum health.
  • Speed Cola: Reduces weapon reload time and the recharge delay for Field Upgrades.
  • Quick Revive: Halves the time it takes to revive a downed ally and to regenerate your own health.
  • Stamin-Up: Increases run and sprint speed.
  • Deadshot Daiquiri: Aiming down sights automatically snaps to an enemy's critical spot. Also removes scope sway and increases critical damage.
  • Elemental Pop: Grants a chance for any of your bullets to apply a random base Ammo Mod effect.
  • PhD Slider: Sliding into enemies triggers an explosion. Provides immunity to self-inflicted explosive damage and fall damage.
  • Mule Kick: Allows you to carry a third primary weapon.

Tactical Advantage: All Field Upgrades

Beyond passive perks, Field Upgrades in Black Ops 6 Zombies provide game-changing active abilities that can turn the tide of battle. These powerful tools, which recharge over time, can clear a path, save a teammate, or amplify damage during critical moments. Like perks, each Field Upgrade features multiple upgrade tiers that can be unlocked with Aetherium Crystals to improve its duration, add charges, or grant new properties.

The confirmed Field Upgrades available at launch are:

  • Aether Shroud: Phases you into the Dark Aether for a short duration, making you invisible to zombies and increasing movement speed. Ideal for escaping tight spots or reviving teammates safely.
  • Ring of Fire: Creates a large ring of ethereal flame that boosts player and weapon damage for anyone standing inside it. It also ignites and damages any zombies that enter.
  • Healing Aura: Unleashes a burst of energy that instantly heals you and all allies in the vicinity to full health. It can also revive downed players from a distance.
  • Frost Blast: Emits a freezing blast of cryo energy that slows enemies caught in its path and damages them over time.
  • Energy Mine: Deploys a proximity mine that detonates when enemies get near, dealing significant explosive damage.

Customizing Your Arsenal: All Ammo Mods

No Zombies experience is complete without customizing your firepower, and Black Ops 6 delivers with a full suite of Ammo Mods. Applied via the Pack-a-Punch machine, these modifications imbue your weapons with unique elemental properties, fundamentally altering their combat effectiveness. Each mod offers distinct advantages against different zombie types or in specific crowd-control scenarios and can be permanently upgraded to increase its potency and activation chance.

The available Ammo Mods include:

  • Cryo Freeze: Has a chance to slow and eventually freeze zombies, making them vulnerable and stationary.
  • Napalm Burst: Can ignite zombies, causing them to burn and take significant damage over time while also damaging nearby enemies.
  • Dead Wire: May electrocute a zombie, stunning it and chaining electricity to other nearby targets.
  • Shatter Blast: Gives bullets a chance to deal explosive damage, excellent for breaking the armor on heavy enemies and clearing groups.
  • Brain Rot: Has a chance to turn a zombie into an ally, causing it to fight for you for a brief period before exploding.

A New Era of Strategic Depth

The comprehensive systems in Black Ops 6 Zombies point toward an experience rich in strategic depth and replayability. By building upon the successful progression model of Cold War, Treyarch has empowered players to experiment with countless combinations, fostering diverse build strategies that cater to every playstyle. Whether a player prioritizes raw damage output, unparalleled survivability, or tactical support, the tools are at their disposal from day one. This level of detail ensures that each match feels fresh as players constantly discover new synergies and optimal loadouts. The emphasis on upgrading and augmenting these systems encourages long-term engagement, solidifying Black Ops 6's position as a definitive entry in the Zombies saga.