Terminus Vs Liberty Falls: Which Black Ops 6 Zombies Map is Better (& Why)

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The return of the Zombies game mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has been received well by many players, and has been praised as a return to form for the fan favorite mode. The tight gunplay, omni-movement system, and solo save files have been acclaimed as the best features since the highs of Black Ops 3. After the letdown with bizarre open-world attempts in Modern Warfare 3's Zombies, Black Ops 6 returns to the traditional round-based Zombies, which has been the structure of the mode since its inception in World at War.

Black Ops 6 launched on 25 October with two Zombies maps: Terminus and Liberty Falls. The former is set in a laboratory on an island in the Phillipines, while the latter is based in a small town in West Virginia. While both of these maps have been generally well received by longtime fans and newcomers alike, there has been some constructive criticism of them. Taking into account their main Easter egg questlines, the level design, and whether it's better for newcomers or Zombies veterans, will help identify which could be considered better.

Pros & Cons Of The Liberty Falls Map

Perfect For Zombies Beginners

Liberty Falls has been noted as being a perfect map for newcomers to Zombies. Getting from one point of the map to the other is easy and traversal benefits greatly from taking zip lines and scaling rooftops. Due to the simplicity of the map, gathering zombies in a queue for slaughter (or "training" them) is efficient and forgiving. The Jet Gun Wonder Weapon for the map is superb in assisting with this too, making for a great combination.

Liberty Falls' main Easter Egg questline is also great for newcomers. After a bit of luck in getting a specific ability to drop, the steps are relatively straightforward thereafter, and there's no real boss fight - instead featuring several mini-boss fights. The map is littered with lots of other secrets and Easter Eggs to reward the player, which shows that a lot of care and attention has gone into compelling Zombies enthusiasts to explore every inch of the West Virginian town.

Liberty Falls can be considered as being too straightforward for Zombies veterans.

Despite Liberty Falls having some nice spots, such as the bowling alley and the comic bookshop, the design of the level is quite generic. The small town that's been ruined due to a horrifically violent event feels like it's been done hundreds of times before in Call of Duty multiplayer maps. It's visually uncompelling when considering the remarkably vibrant designs of previous Zombies maps, such as Shadows of Evil or Shangri-La.

Although the simplicity of interacting with the map is a positive for newcomers to the series, Liberty Falls can be considered as being too straightforward for Zombies veterans. Sophisticated map designs and intricate Easter egg questlines are synonymous with the game mode, so old players may find Liberty Falls' undemanding layout to be stale. The aforementioned questline can be completed fairly quickly if the player has access to high level power-ups too, which isn't comparable to the complex Easter egg steps of older Zombies maps.

Pros & Cons Of The Terminus Map

An Intricate Experience

Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Terminus Zombies map

Terminus is a step-up in complexity compared to Liberty Falls. The player can explore the overground, a massive underground laboratory, and other islands dotted around the huge map. The tight, claustrophobic corridors in the lab combined with the vast open island areas makes for a great contrast. The addition of a boat to explore the whole map is an excellent feature, both as a quick getaway and to traverse the map safely. The omni-movement system shines in this map too, as there are plenty of tight corners and ledges to vault over, making every move feel risky.

The complexity in the level design is comparable to the intricate Easter egg questline in Terminus. There are unique codes to remember, difficult boss fights, and challenging area defenses. The quest is reminiscent of vintage maps, meaning that veteran Zombies players will have a blast at deducing and completing it. Additionally, there are several smaller secrets to find and solve, which greatly reward players. The Beam Smasher Wonder Weapon in Terminus is incredibly powerful too, with both main moves being useful to fight off waves of enemies.

Terminus features a great design of the laboratory and the thundering sea, but the level suffers from poor lighting. There are often parts of the map which have very low levels of visibility, unless the brightness is turned up very high. This can prove to be frustrating at times, especially when looking in specific corners of the map for items. Additionally, it can take a little bit of time to fully understand the map's layout, requiring an extra few runs to truly find bearings. This may leave some Zombies newcomers to feel irritated, especially if this is the first experience with the game mode.

Which Map Is Better & Why

Both Are Superb In Their Own Ways

Both Terminus and Liberty Falls have been great additions to the Zombies catalog, thanks to the new features in Black Ops 6. They feature brilliant Wonder Weapons, rewarding Easter egg questlines, and benefit greatly from the new movement system to traverse the map in unique ways. In order to truly identify which map is better, it is important to reflect on the two main types of Zombies players: newcomers and veterans.

A Black Ops 6 zombie with glowing orange eyes.

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As an introduction to Zombies, Liberty Falls is an excellent way to start. The basic systems are shown to players in a very clear way, the level design is uncomplicated, and the Easter egg questline is relatively simple. Terminus benefits from a complex portrayal of all the previous aspects, making it more suitable for the veterans. Therefore, the better map truly depends on the skill level and awareness of Zombies for the player. However, in terms of unique level design, and enjoyability of the quest, Terminus can be considered as the slightly superior map for most players.

Despite Terminus being the overall better map, Liberty Falls is still an outstanding experience. The future of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies is looking bright, and players can look forward to what is next.

Source: Call of Duty/YouTube