The release of Black Ops 6 Season 4 is right around the corner, and Activision has revealed all the new content players can expect. On the Zombies front, it looks like the long-rumored Janus Towers map will not be arriving alongside the new season. Fortunately, there are other new additions such as GobbleGums and Zombies-specific LTMs to keep players occupied, along with the highly-awaited return of Grief. So if you’re wondering what it’s all about, here’s everything to know about the Grief mode in Black Ops 6 Zombies.

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Grief is a classic Zombie mode that last appeared in Black Ops 2. It pits two teams of four players against each other in a Zombie game, with the primary objective of out-surviving the other team.

Unlike virtually every other PvP mode in the game, players cannot damage enemies using their weapons and must rely on the zombie hordes to finish them. Additionally, each team has to pledge its allegiance to either S.A.M. or Director Richtofen, with their choice reflected in the handler comms they receive throughout the match. Certain items are restricted in the Grief mode. These include Wonder Weapons, the Idle Eyes, the Wonderbar, Time Out, and Flavor Hex GobbleGums.

Grief matches are set on the five available Zombies maps within specific locations known as Grief Arenas. These open environments are clearly defined areas where any critical doors have already been opened, and the power is already turned on. All other Door Buys are inactive, and both teams spawn on opposite sides of the Arena, each in a group of four. After the mode’s release, 11 Grief Arenas will be available in the game:

    Liberty Falls Arena 1: Pump & Pay, Motor Lodge, and Fuller’s Liberty Lanes
    Liberty Falls Arena 2: Dark Aether Church, Cemetery, Hilltop
    Terminus Arena 1: Bio Lab
    Terminus Arena 2: Crab Island 
    Citadelle des Morts Arena: Courtyard, Ramparts, and Entrance Hall
    The Tomb Arena 1: Dig Site, Mausoleum
    The Tomb Arena 2: Dark Aether Nexus
    Shattered Veil Arena 1: Garden Pond, Lower Terrace
    Shattered Veil Arena 2: Upper Terrace, Shem’s Henge, Motor Court
    Shattered Veil Arena 3: Mansion Foyer, Overlook, East Foyer, Library
    Shattered Veil Arena 4: West Hallways, Southwest Balcony, Bottlery

As mentioned earlier, Grief matches are all about forcing, trapping, or nudging the enemy team into getting killed by Zombies. And since weapon damage is not allowed, you’ll need to use tactics like body blocking, slowing opponents down using projectiles, or using debuffs. To get these debuffs, your team has to stand within a Capture Zone and take down zombies to meet a kill count.

Capture Zones appear at a regular cadence throughout a Grief match and are highlighted via a glowing perimeter. Both teams will have a chance to capture these zones, with the debuff applied to the losing team. It’s important to note that if both teams fail to complete the Capture Zone objective, the debuff is shared between them.

As for debuffs themselves, these gameplay penalties are also known as ‘Griefs‘. Depending on the type of Grief, the penalised team could suffer from an excessive ammo drain to a weapon nerf, among other things. The point of debuffs is to make survival harder for the enemy teams, which could eventually cause them to get overrun by zombies. Check out all the debuffs or ‘Griefs’ below:

    Weapon Nerf: The affected players inflict considerably reduced damage to zombies.
    Ammo Drain: All ammo-based weapons, including those stowed, receive an ammo drain, with bullets or shells constantly removed while the Grief is active.
    Zombie Ambush: An Elite zombie is summoned, and it solely focuses its killing power on the enemy team until either the Elite or the team is defeated, or the timer runs out.
    Weapon Carousel: The rival players’ weapons are randomly swapped every few seconds.
    Frozen: This Grief reduces the enemy players’ movement and frost and ice coating the characters.

Grief Arenas are sub-sections within pre-existing Zombies maps, but they come with their list of features and rules. Here’s an overview of them all:

    Player Respawning: Any team members who are downed can be revived at any time if at least one of their teammates is still alive. However, rival teams, undead enemies, and Shock Charges can hamper this action. Additionally, a Wave Respawner triggers every third round, automatically reviving any eliminated teammates from both teams.
    Join In Progress: Any player not in the game can join up until Round 10 has been completed. They are also given a small grace period to orient themselves before zombies swarm them. Additionally, join-in-progress is not available if a team has won back-to-back Capture Zones.
    Essence and Salvage: Unlike standard Zombies matches, Salvage pickups in Grief are worth 100 Salvage, and can only be picked up by the first player to grab them.
       Core Mechanics:  The Arsenal, Pack-a-Punch, Mystery Box, Crafting Tables, Perk machines, GobbleGum machine (barring restricted items), Armor Wall Buys, and Der Wunderfizz machine are available in a Grief Arena where they are typically placed, or in a new location if they don’t usually exist in this portion of their respective maps.

That wraps up our guide on the Grief mode in Black Ops 6 Zombies. Was this article helpful?