I know a lot of people are going to disagree with this one, but I love this new map. There are so many amazing maps Call of Duty Zombies has graced players with. Der Eisendrache, Origins, Terminus, Kino Der Toten, Nacht Der Untoten, and Buried are all fantastic maps and that’s only naming a few. The latest inclusion into the list, Citadelle Des Morts, at the very least, deserves to stand in the top few on every tier list and ranking system as it is a phenomenal experience.
The map design is superb. It’s a pretty big map for zombies that consists of a variety of slightly open but still tight spaces connected by claustrophobic pathways. There’s lots of good candidates for training spots, but all of them are dangerous. There’s no spots on the map where training will be easy in the later rounds. Running down any hallway without carefully planning when and where you’re going to do so is a big risk especially if zombies are still spawning into the map. The physical layout of the map is really well done, but so is the visual design. The map consists of a small village with a castle overlooking it in the background. When you spawn in, a giant statue of a warrior is staring down at you and you have two paths to choose from: left or right. On the right, there’s what looks to be homes or shops, and there’s a farm like area to the left. Both paths eventually lead you to the castle which must be opened by firing a cannon at the doors. The castle itself is a big complex loop where you can get to any destination by going in any direction but some paths will take longer than others.
Of course, there’s new wonder weapons on this map, and they are very cool. At round ten and beyond, a zombie will spawn with a helmet on his head that must be killed to get a stamp. When the stamp is acquired, you can give it to a knight statue and, in return, it gives you a sword. Just as the base sword, it’s a lot of fun to use, and pairing it with some of the augments to melee macchiato, like the augment that makes your backpedal speed faster after a melee kill, make it even better. There’s more to these swords than meets the eye as they can be upgraded to include elemental attacks and a visual change. The swords are beautifully designed, each with their own theme: Caliburn, the dragon and fire sword, Solais, the lion and light sword, Durendal, the stag and electric sword, and Balmung, the raven and shadow sword. The swords are adorned with their corresponding animal and have a color scheme to match. When upgraded, the swords charge up with each kill until you can eventually unleash a super powerful attack that can take out hordes of zombies. The swords are tons of fun to use and not particularly hard to upgrade, although it will take some research.
The map also brings in a new enemy type called a Doppleghast. This special zombie doesn’t have a ton of health, but is very fast. Once it starts running, it can be on you within seconds, but it doesn’t have to get in close. It also has a ranged attack that shoots spikes from its body and slows you down. It’s fairly easy to dodge however, but turning around to obliterate a horde and seeing this thing suddenly in your face can give the player a pretty satisfying jump scare.
If you’re into the zombies easter eggs, this map is also for you. My wife and I haven’t quite completed it yet, but we’ve been able to get to the final boss. There’s a series of tasks that requires players to use the elemental swords to get an incantation that replaces tactical equipment. Those incantations have to be used for a ritual, there’s codes to decipher and puzzles to solve regarding symbolism, the traps have to be used in a specific order, then there’s another series of challenges associated with each elemental sword. It’s a lot, but we were able to complete it by round 23. The boss is a really cool fight, and it’s definitely challenging as he’s a giant bullet sponge. The only part that I didn’t like was that you have to fight Abominations in the arena which was a bit much.
It’s undeniable that Citadelle Des Morts is a phenomenal zombies map. Maybe I’m wrong and, objectively, it’s not the best zombies map to date, but it’s at least in the top five. The overall layout and visual design of the map is incredible, the wonder weapons are a ton of fun to use and not too complicated to obtain, the upgraded elemental versions are a blast, and the easter egg is perfectly convoluted.
Let me know what you think of Citadelle Des Morts below!