In Call of Duty Zombies, reaching Round 100 has always been a big achievement for players.
With Black Ops 6 and its new map, The Tomb, speedrunning to Round 100 has become not only possible but incredibly fast and efficient.
This article will explain the strategy we used to reach Round 100 in just 1 hour and 36 minutes, showing how powerful the Ice Staff is and how clever use of game mechanics can help.
Setting Up for Success
The key to this speedrun is in the initial setup. We started by using the “Raindrops” gobblegum to get the Ice Staff from the Mystery Box early on.
This lucky draw saves a lot of time that would otherwise be spent making the staff manually. Then, we used a Perkaholic to get all perks instantly and starts upgrading the Ice Staff.
The upgrade process involves shooting specific lights, collecting the Dark Aether Lantern, and solving symbols in the Dark Aether realm.
While this might seem time-consuming, it’s crucial for the strategy to work. The upgraded Ice Staff, called the Ooze Arrow, is the most important part of this speedrun.
The Golden Armor Challenge
Another essential part of the strategy is getting the Golden Armor. This is done by activating a blood sacrifice and defeating waves of zombies.
While risky, especially with the Rampage Inducer active (which makes zombies spawn faster and move quicker), the Golden Armor provides crucial protection for the high-round strategy.
The High Round Strategy
Once fully set up, I positioned myself in the Shrine of the Hierophants.
This location is key to the speedrun’s success because of its excellent zombie spawns and manageable space.
The strategy revolves around using charged shots from the upgraded Ice Staff to freeze and shatter large groups of zombies quickly.
The Hand Cannon Trick
A crucial element of this strategy is using the Hand Cannon wonder weapon. By holding out the Hand Cannon while firing a charged Ice Staff shot, I could deal massive damage to elite enemies.
This trick becomes more powerful as the rounds progress, eventually dealing over 200,000 damage per shot to bosses at higher rounds.
Round Progression and Efficiency
The efficiency of this strategy is remarkable. Early rounds (30-50) take about 1 minute each, with later rounds (50-100) taking only slightly longer at around 1.5 minutes each.
Vermin rounds (special rounds with smaller, faster enemies) can be completed in as little as 20-30 seconds with proper technique.
Challenges and Adaptations
Despite how effective the strategy is overall, there are challenges to overcome:
- EMP Mimics: These enemies spawn frequently and can disrupt the player’s rhythm by stunning them.
- Elite spawns: As rounds progress, more elite enemies spawn, requiring quick reflexes to eliminate them with the Hand Cannon trick.
- Ammo management: While the Ice Staff generally has plenty of ammo, occasional reloads can create tense moments.
The player adapts to these challenges by using equipment like monkey bombs to create space when needed and relying on the Golden Armor for protection during vulnerable moments.
Breaking Down the Time
We reached significant milestones as follows:
- Round 50: 47 minutes
- Round 75: 1 hour 9 minutes
- Round 100: 1 hour 36 minutes
This progression shows how consistent the strategy is, with rounds becoming only slightly longer in the later stages.
Comparative Speed
This strategy for reaching Round 100 on The Tomb is notably faster than most other maps in Call of Duty Zombies history.
Typical Round 100 runs on other maps often take 2 hours or more, making this nearly half the usual time.
Post-Round 100 Challenge
After reaching Round 100, the strategy’s effectiveness is demonstrated by completing the map’s main Easter Egg quest.
This includes several challenges and a boss fight, all completed relatively easily thanks to how overpowered the Hand Cannon trick is at such high rounds.
Key Components of the Speedrun
- Early Game Luck: Getting the Ice Staff from the Mystery Box saves crucial time.
- Efficient Upgrade Process: Quickly upgrading the Ice Staff to its Ooze Arrow form.
- Golden Armor: Provides necessary protection for high-round survival.
- Optimal Training Spot: The Shrine of the Hierophants offers ideal zombie spawns and space management.
- Hand Cannon Trick: Exploiting game mechanics to deal massive damage to elites and bosses.
- Consistent Strategy: Maintaining the same approach throughout all 100 rounds.
Tips for Replication
For players looking to replicate this speedrun, consider the following advice:
- Practice the early game setup to minimize time spent before reaching the main strategy location.
- Master the timing of the Ice Staff’s charged shots, as missed shots can lead to dangerous situations.
- Familiarize yourself with elite enemy spawns and prioritize eliminating them quickly.
- Use equipment wisely to create space when needed, especially during reload times.
- Don’t be discouraged by downs; the strategy is forgiving enough to recover from mistakes.
Potential for Improvement
While this run is impressively fast, there’s always room for optimization in speedrunning. Potential areas for improvement include:
- Perfecting the early game setup to shave off a few minutes.
- Optimizing Vermin round strategies for even faster clear times.
- Minimizing unnecessary movements to maintain maximum zombie spawn efficiency.
The Impact on the Zombies Community
This speedrun strategy has significant implications for the Call of Duty Zombies community:
- Accessibility: It makes reaching Round 100 more achievable for a broader range of players.
- Competitive Speedrunning: Opens up new categories for speedruns, potentially revitalizing interest in high-round attempts.
- Strategy Development: Encourages players to find similar strategies on other maps, potentially leading to new discoveries.
Conclusion
The Round 100 speedrun on The Tomb in Black Ops 6 Zombies represents a peak efficiency in high-round strategies. By combining luck, skill, and clever use of game mechanics, you can now reach this once-daunting milestone in just over 1.5 hours.
This strategy not only showcases the potential of the Ice Staff and the map design but also opens up new possibilities for the Zombies community in terms of speedrunning and high-round attempts.
As with any strategy in gaming, it’s likely that this method will evolve as players continue to optimize and discover new techniques.
That’s all for now. If you found this guide to speedrun 100 rounds in Bo6 Zombies, feel free to share it with players who would like to repeat this.
