Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 launched with two Zombies maps, and now Season 1 is adding the new Citadelle des Morts DLC next month. This is more than just a brand-new map for Zombies in Black Ops 6, as Citadelle des Morts represents a key development in the ongoing Zombies narrative, as it merges some of the existing Treyarch storylines that had previously been unconnected. Here’s what you need to know before the map arrives on December 5.
The final storyline cutscene for the Terminus map throws a bunch of names at you, and if you haven’t played Black Ops 4 or Vanguard Zombies, these mentions may not mean anything to you, but for longtime fans this connects all of the stories in an intriguing way.
Some spoilers ahead: The final Terminus cinematics reveals that Edward Richtofen has been seeking Prima Materia and the Sentinel Artifacts, which are the main elements of Treyarch’s Chaos storyline.
In 2018, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 introduced a completely new set of Zombies characters for the Chaos storyline, which, until now, has been unconnected to the Aether storyline that involves the original Zombies cast of Edward Richtofen, Takeo Masaki, Tank Dempsey, and Nikolai Belinsk. Black Ops 4’s cast of Chaos characters chased down Sentinel Artifacts, which were relics created by an Earth-mined substance known as Prima Materia.
In Black Ops 4, Prima Materia is revealed as a substance that brought so much power that it corrupted and destroyed whole civilizations. It’s no shock that Richtofen is seeking this kind of power, but it could have a catastrophic outcome if he gains possession of a Sentinel Artifact. It’s also revealed that a Sentinel Artifact might be able to harness the power needed to bring back Samantha Maxis from the Dark Aether. Samantha Maxis sacrificed herself in the final cutscene for Black Ops Cold War Zombies in order to seal the Dark Aether breach and stop the Zombies boss called the Forsaken.
Additionally, the Terminus cutscene also tells us that Richtofen hired a French syndicate to help him find a Sentinel Artifact. This syndicate is led by Franco Moreau, and he has employed the help of Sergei Ravenov, who has abducted a man named Gabriel Krafft to interrogate for knowledge on the artifacts.
This part of the cutscene drops some interesting names, yet it’s also a little confusing. Chronologically, Sergei Ravenov was last seen helping members of the Terminus crew stop the Outbreak incursions in Black Ops Cold War. Gabriel Krafft, on the other hand, was a demonologist in Vanguard Zombies who studied these Sentinel Artifacts. He was shown as a very old man during the time of World War II, so it will be interesting to see how the story explains he is sill alive in 1991. Treyarch even teases this for the trailer reveal, referring to Krafft as “the man who should not be alive.” Maybe Kraftt has resorted to using some kind of relic for himself.
The mystery of Kraftt’s survival and the chase for a Sentinel Artifact makes Season 1 of Black Ops an exciting time to be a Zombies fan. We’ll now be playing as the Terminus crew, who are headed to a castle in Europe to rescue Vanguard’s Gabriel Krafft from a dangerous syndicate in order to help locate Black Ops 4’s Sentinel Artifact before the powerful relic gets in the hands of Edward Richtofen. The Terminus crew not only wants to stop Richtofen, but now they’re looking to use the power for themselves in order to bring Samantha Maxis back.
The first cinematic trailer for Citadelle des Morts can be viewed here, which shows the Terminus crew have now fled the prison island, and they’ve reconnected with Sergei Ravenov. They ask him to turn against the French syndicate, explaining to him that Krafft might know how to bring Samantha back.
We’ll likely learn more story and map details closer to launch. In addition to Citadelle des Morts, the big Zombies update will include Perk-a-Cola, a new field upgrade, a new ammo mod, and more Augments to unlock. The map’s main story quest will also go live simultaneously with the launch.
