Black Ops Cold War offers a brand new zombies experience: Zombies Onslaught. Zombies Onslaught brings a fresh and new take on the survival formula and give the players a unique experience.
This article will detail everything you need to know about Zombies Onslaught.
What is Zombies Onslaught?

Zombies Onslaught is a duos zombies survival gamemode where players must kill hordes of enemies while following the Dark Aether Orb. If you are caught outside the orb, you will slowly take damage.
You can also play solo in private matches.
The orb will move when you have charged it with the necessary energy required. This varies with every surge.
Surges replace the normal round based system. A surge consists of being contained in a particular area and killing enemies to charge the orb.
Once the orb is charged, the Surge is complete. The orb will move to a different spot on the map and you will progress to the next surge.
Unlike regular zombies, Zombies Onslaught is played on all multiplayer maps in Black Ops Cold War.
Zombies Onslaught is a 1 year exclusive gamemode for Playstation users. Xbox and PC will get the gamemode on November 1st, 2021.
Chalices

As players progress through Zombies Onslaught, they earn chalices.
Chalices are rewards earned based on the number of Elite enemies you have killed. In case you didn't know, Megatons are the Elite enemies.
You are also rewarded with XP with every Chalice you earn
You can earn either a bronze, silver, or gold chalice the following ways:
- Bronze + 2500 XP = 3 Elite eliminations
- Silver + 5000 XP = 5 Elite eliminations
- Gold + 7500 XP = 8 Elite eliminations
Even after you have earned all three Chalices in your game, the game will continue to go on forever just like regular zombies.
Gameplay Features

The gameplay of Zombies Onslaught is unlike anything we have seen from Call of Duty zombies.
There are no perk machines, mystery box, wall buys, doors to open, or even the Pack-A-Punch.
You start with your loadout weapon and Field Upgrade just like Die Maschine, but you still have the chance to earn other weapons. As you kill Elite enemies, they will drop random weapons and even scorestreaks for you to use.
With each Elite elimination, you are rewarded with weapons, armor plates, ammo, and a free randomized perk.
As you kill regular zombies and plaguehounds, they will drop equipment, armor, and ammo.
All enemies from Die Maschine appear in Zombies Onslaught, so there is no difference between the enemy types.
Zombies will spawn in from every direction, there are no window barriers for them crawl out of or to repair.
Plaguehounds will eventually spawn in after your first couple of surges.
Other In-Game Rewards

As you play Zombies Onslaught, you will have the chance to earn other rewards for your efforts. These are Feature Challenges.
As of now, the only rewards for you to earn from Featured Challenges are weapon blueprints.
The challenges you have to complete for each weapon blueprint can vary from killing a certain amount of Elite enemies to earning a certain number of Chalices.
Unfortunately for zombies fans who like to upgrade their skills and earn Raw Aetherium Crystals, there are no ways to earn them in Zombies Onslaught.
Conclusion
Zombies Onslaught is a very casual experience for those wo want to relax and have a fun time playing with their friend.
If Zombies Onslaught isn't your thing and you want to play Die Maschine instead, check out some of our other guides to help you in your next zombies game:
- How to Pack-A-Punch on Die Maschine
- How to Use the Arsenal on Die Maschine
- How to Use the Crafting Table on Die Maschine
- How to Exfil on Die Maschine
- How to do the Easter Egg on Die Maschine
- How to get the D.I.E. Shockwave and upgrade it on Die Maschine
- How to play the Easter Egg Song "Alone" on Die Maschine
- Best Weapons to Use in Die Maschine