Launch day has arrived! Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is now available globally for Xbox with a new Campaign, amazing Multiplayer, and a new open world Zombies experience that is sure to take a bite out of our lives.

In Multiplayer, we’ll see the return of all 16 launch maps of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2009), now modernized including Afghan, Derail, Rust, and more. You’ll also get to experience a wide variety of modes, like Domination, Kill Confirmed, Gun Game, in addition to large 32×32 modes like Ground War and Invasion, and new modes such as the new 3v3v3 mode, Cutthroat. Modern Warfare III will also launch with 37 different weapons — complementing the 77 from Modern Warfare II – bringing the total number of weapons available at launch to staggering 114. You can get a full breakdown on all the exciting Multiplayer features here on the official Call of Duty Blog.

Last week we gave you an overview of the new Open Combat Missions for Modern Warfare III’s single-player campaign mode. Today, we’re going to get you a healthy dose of the undead as we dive into the new Zombies mode, how it works, and how you can get started playing today.

Welcome to Operation Deadbolt

Modern Warfare Zombies is the latest iteration of developer Treyarch’s mode, putting you in Operation Deadbolt. Embark on a supernatural encounter with Zakhaev and the evil Terminus Outcomes group in the largest Call of Duty® Zombies map ever.

This player-versus-environment (PvE) mode features a massive open-world to explore alongside your online squad, as you complete unique story-based missions, challenges, and more. New for this version of Zombies will have you facing off against enemies both living and undead – the living armies will be in the form of Terminus Outcomes, a private military company hired by Zakhaev. The undead are… well… undead. And they will be a major obstacle at nearly every turn leading all the way up to your climatic extraction to safety.

Your task, aside from having to survive hordes of zombies and Zakhaev’s goons, is to explore this massive open world and complete Contracts to earn Essence, collect Acquisitions, and clear Missions to discover what is really happening in the EZ.

Ready Up

When you’re ready to jump into Modern Warfare Zombies, you first must recruit an Operator for your online Strike Team. Note: Any Operators you’ve unlocked from Modern Warfare II and Modern Warfare III are available to use, while the two newest Operators, Ripper and Scorch, can be unlocked after completing specific objectives within the Zombies mode.

Each Operator comes with five different customizable Equipment Slots — any gear you find during your missions will be accessible from here. That includes Killstreaks, Armor, Gas Masks, and Medical items.

You’ll also have access to a Rucksack to fill with Acquisitions that you find on the battlefield, or craft via Schematics. You only have five slots (for the small Rucksack) to hold any items that you find during your mission.

In addition, you can choose either two primary or a primary and secondary weapon to bring with you as well as Lethal, Tactical, and Field Upgrades. Your weapons can largely be put into two categories: Insured and Contraband.

Insured Weapons: All Modern Warfare II and Modern Warfare III weapons are available to use in the Zombies mode. If you have Insured your weapon (leveled up or added attachments to) and you fail to extract from the EZ, it won’t become available again until after a cooldown period. You can have up to three Insured slots; two unlocked after completing Zombies missions.

Contraband Weapons: This counts as any weapon you’ve found during your mission and exfiltrated with – if left behind they’re lost, permanently. You can keep a stash of up to 20 of these weapons.

You can also select a Tactical item like Stun Grenade, Smoke Grenade, Scatter Mines, as well as a Lethal items such as Frag Grenade, Claymore, Throwing Knife, and others. And lastly, Field Upgrades are completely different to the equipment available to Operators. There are a total of six Field Upgrades, five of which are unlocked as you progress through your Military Player Ranks. These upgrades are unique to the mode and support different roles for the players.

Acquisitions and Schematics

After you get a couple of Missions under your belt, you’ll be able to put the Acquisitions into your Rucksack for use during upcoming missions. You’ll also be able to craft your own Acquisitions at the Schematic Crafting location between deployments.

Acquisitions are single use items that help give you an advantage while on mission, and any that you find and extract within your Rucksack, can be added to your Acquisition Stash. Whereas Schematics are plans that allow you to craft Acquisitions to put in your Rucksack. Heads up, these have a cooldown period after they’re used.

The following types of Acquisitions can be found and used, or crafted if the Schematics are located. Note: Aetherium Crystals can be used in conjunction with crafting Schematics to improve your weapons.

Perk-A-Cola: The Vest, Gloves, Boots, and Gear Perk system is not available in Zombie. Instead, you can boost various in-game attributes by finding (or crafting) Perk-a-Cola.

Ammo Mods: The weapon you’re currently holding can be further augmented with an Ammo modification. Some of the unique types of mods are Brain Rot, Cryo Freeze, Dead Wire, Napalm Burst, and Shatter Blast.

Wonder Weapons: Locate the necessary (and difficult to find) schematics and you’ll be able to craft some super powerful weapons. Specific details remain classified…

Enter the Urzikstan Exclusion Zone

The storyline with Modern Warfare Zombies is a multi-layered epic that focuses on tiered missions across three acts — not every mission is accessible right away, and completion rewards (like Acquisitions, cosmetic items, and Double XP tokens) are also visible prior to your mission selection.

Each Zombies mission can involve…

Completing Contracts: These allow you to earn Essence (in-game currency) and obtain Acquisitions.

Upgrade to Progress: Spend Essence at machines across the map and upgrade your weapons and gear.

Extraction: Successful extractions allow you to keep Acquisitions, given you a head start on your next deployment.

Also, unique to Modern Warfare Zombies will be new items showing up on your Tac-Map – some of the more important ones to know are listed below:

Buy Stations: Where you can purchase Killstreaks, Gas Masks, and other essentials.

Perk-a-Cola Machine: Buy beverages that increase your talents.

Pack-a-Punch Machine: This upgrades your current weapon for a price.

Wall Buys: Outlines of weaponry can be found on the walls of various buildings throughout the Exclusion Zone. Interact and purchase the weapon, as needed.

Mystery Boxes: These offer an exciting randomly generated prize; likely a weapon of varying rarity, and occasionally, a Wonder Weapon!

Stay Frosty

Now you’re ready to jump in and start playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III and Modern Warfare Zombies today on Xbox! You can pick up a digital version of Modern Warfare III on the Xbox Store in two versions: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III – Cross-Gen Bundle includes Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S versions of the game, the Soap Operator Pack and Zombie Ghost Operator Skin and the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III – Vault Edition includes  all the benefits from the Cross-Gen Bundle as well as 4 Operators Skins for Makarov, Warden, Price, and Ghost, 2 Weapon Vaults, BlackCell Battle Pass, 30 Tier Skips, 1,100 CP, and more! Check it out here on Xbox.com.

For a full breakdown of all the exciting new modes, weapons, and more, make sure you check out the official Call of Duty Blog here.