Battlezone

**Battlezone** is a Ranked Gamemode that allows the player to extract XP and Shards.

## Overview

A unique gamemode, Battlezone puts up to 8 players into either Overgrown, Sandstorm, or Downturn. The main gimmick is the ability to loot Shards and XP from drops. The player (or party) with the most loot gets to keep it.

Before one can enter a Battlezone match, they must first pay 1 Shard for an Access Pass that lasts 1 hour. Unlike regular Ranked modes, other players are highlighted in yellow for neutral, instead of red. Friendly fire can be avoided by playing in a party.

After spawning into a match, there will always be 1 Shard Crate, 1 crate of 25,000 XP, and 2 crates containing weapons and equipment. Weapons in crates will always have only one spare magazine.

Additionally, unlike regular Ranked modes, death is heavily penalised - each player by default have 3 respawns. Upon death, they will drop a green duffel bag containing their looted XP and Shards, as well as their weapons and equipment. They will however keep any killstreaks they have looted.

## Enemies

### Zombies

During the first 5 minutes of the game, Zombies will spawn at either end of the map every 30 seconds. Zombies will not loot Crates nor bodies, but instead actively try to attack Players and Mercenaries. They always know the locations of Players, and will not stop attacking, unless another player or Mercenary is nearby.

Generally, Zombies pose a severe threat as they will actively hunt down Players, with some even carrying Melee weapons such as Hatchets, knives, Machetes and even Katanas. This is very common on Fat Zombies, but regular Sprinters and typical Zombies can also carry Melee weapons.

Additionally, Zombies with Melee weapons are significantly faster than their unarmed counterparts, being most noticeable on typical Zombies. Typical Zombies with Melee weapons are also slighter stronger than their unarmed counterparts, having one more block of health.

Zombies carrying bladed weapons like knives and the Katana will make a distinctive sound of the drawn blade when they get off of Ladders, which can alert players to their presence. Zombies carrying Hatchets and Shovels make no such draw sound, making players prone to ambush.

Sprinters carrying Melee weapons are by far the most dangerous, as they can close the gap and force players to flee.

However, after the 5 minute mark, Zombies spawn significantly more frequently, at staggering 10 second intervals.

This makes collecting loot a dangerous task, as Mutated Zombies are thrown into the fray as well, and have better movement speed, health and attacks compared to their normal counterparts.

A good way to survive them is to simply try and avoid fighting them directly - let them take on the Mercenaries instead. If they ignore the Mercenaries and rush for the player, the Stopping Power perk is an excellent way to stop them in their tracks for a short while, and seek other shelter while they're slowed down.

### Infestors

These are much rarer and may spawn together with zombies. They are significantly more dangerous and likewise will engage mercenaries and players. They notably have significant resistance to melee attacks.

There is also a 0.001% chance for a King Infestor to spawn every 30 seconds. They pose a very significant threat to players, as they are stubbornly resilient to attacks, and can kill a player without the Juggernaut perk in just 2 hits, and are very fast. They can be identified from their unique groans, which are separate from their smaller counterparts. Their large size also means it is possible for them to become stuck on ladders, making them vulnerable to being picked off by Mercenary helicopters.

### Mercenaries

Every 1 minute, a hostile Osprey will enter the level to drop off a small, but dangerous squad of AI-controlled mercenaries. Mercenaries are Spetsnaz soldiers who will patrol the field, engaging other players and zombies in combat, and each squad can range from 3 to 5 Mercenaries.

Mercenaries will also collect Shard crates, XP crates, weapons on the ground, as well as respawn, killstreak and perk crates.

Mercenaries are extremely dangerous, especially when in numbers. Ospreys can also drop down either a SAM turret or Sentry Gun, the latter of which can be problematic to non-Cold-Blooded users.

Mercenaries typically wander the level and may collect loot, fighting any Zombies or Players in their path. A good way to kill them is to simply let the zombies do the job, with the player collecting their loot afterwards. Mercenaries' AI are also set to the Insane difficulty for the first 5 minutes, but upgrade to God difficulty after that.

Overall, Mercenaries are already very dangerous, as their high AI difficulty means that they will aggressively open fire on the player, killing them in a matter of seconds. They should be avoided at all costs, with fighting best done when they're climbing up, or in Melee range.

To make matters worse, **Claymore technicians** will be deployed as part of a team. Claymore technicians can be identified from their scarfs, and are highly dangerous even with their USP .45's, but even more so are their claymores, which can be hidden among a pile of weapons or in Sandbags. Tread with caution and watch out for their red proximity lasers. The SitRep perk also reveals hidden Claymores in sandbags.

Notably, if an Osprey is destroyed before it can drop off any Mercenaries, 1 claymore technician will always escape the crash alive, but will easily die to zombies. His claymores still pose a threat, so kill him fast.

**Rocketiers** wearing a distinct red beret may also spawn with either an M202, MATADOR or RPG-7. All of them are highly dangerous and can kill you from half across the map - Specialist is recommended to avoid being blown to pieces by them.

**Riot Shields** are another unit that can be deployed - they primarily block gunfire for their comrades, but are highly susceptible to melee and explosive attacks.

**Melee Mercenaries** can be identified from their white ballistic mask and lack of vest, and make a beeline towards their targets, before slashing them with a deadly Machete. More problematic is his larger health bar, allowing him to soak up significantly more damage before dying. Melees should be engaged from range, but in close quarters, it is better to run away, before drawing a gun at a safe distance and killing them.

**Crossbow Mercenaries** always spawn with a Crossbow, which is capable of one-shotting any player regardless of perks. Extra care should be taken when engaging these, you should let them be killed by zombies.

Finally, armoured Mercenaries can be identified from their Altyn helmet - they have a much higher health pool and sport powerful weapons like the Ultimax MK5, SG550, and PDR.

### Air Support

During the first minute and sixth minute, a random Helicopter will accompany the Osprey of Mercenaries to provide air support to the Mercenaries on the ground. They are very dangerous, and like Mercenaries, kill enemies very easily. Cold-Blooded, however, will cause Helicopters to ignore the player, but does not stop the player from being shot if there is a Zombie behind them.

After the fifth minute, one Dragonfire drone will also join the fray every 1 minute. Alone they already pose a high threat from their minigun, but multiple Dragonfires and Helicopters can easily turn Zombies into Swiss cheese with their combined firepower.

### Juggernauts

By far the most dangerous of all enemies, Juggernauts will be dispatched to the field in the last minute of the match in 2 Ospreys. They may either be human Juggernauts with automatic weapons and Riot Shields, or zombie Juggernauts with a lethal Katana and fast speed. They primarily hunt down the top player, but **not** other party members.

Juggernauts are highly dangerous and should **almost never** be engaged unless you have a large team and they are attacking zombies. The best way of evading Juggernauts is to destroy their transports with a looted EMP. A more risky tactic is to use turrets and launchers to destroy the Ospreys, which is best achieved with the use of Cold-Blooded as otherwise the Ospreys will fire at the player.

If all else fails, use Stun Grenades, Flashbangs, Napalm, or LMGs with preferrably Stopping Power to slow down the Juggernauts. This is best when combined with the zombie Juggernauts as they are otherwise extremely fast with their Katana and can kill in one hit. If one is available, a Barrett M82 or Intervention are both great for taking down Juggernauts. Again, Stopping Power can help in timing shots to headshot them.

## Strategy

Players get bonus damage resistance to enemy attacks, meaning that it is possible to survive one slash from a zombie's blade. However, Rocketier Mercenaries can still one-hit kill if they have the RPG-7 or MATADOR, and Crossbow Mercenaries will one-hit kill with their crossbows.

During the first grace period minute, search the area for Shards and weapons. Hollow Point rounds are best if one can aim at the head. However, note that these looted weapons have completely random attachments, so it is better to use starting equipment.

Buy the Battlezone custom class, as it will allow players to take weapons and perks of their choice. Cold-Blooded is vital as it always prevents Helicopters from targetting the player, while Aggression significantly improves the viability of Melee weapons. Vampire is also a good choice as it will reduce use of Stim Shots, if equipped. Stopping Power, if equipped, will slow down enemies you hit, allowing you to escape from otherwise fast zombies and mercenaries.

The number one rule of survival on any map of Battlezone, is to allow the Mercenaries, helicopters, and Zombies to engage each other. If you are being pursued by Zombies, running past a squad of Mercenaries will usually make the Zombies target the Mercenaries instead. If you have the Cold-Blooded perk, Mercenary helicopters are essentially free protection against zombies, however exercise caution as they can still kill you by danger close.

Melee weapons with Speed and Flamethrowers are generally considered to be the best weapons to bring into a Battlezone match, but you can use any weapon you'd like, preferably one with solid mobility and ammo capacity/reliability.

With the new large maps, there are a few locations on the map which are indoors and have only one ladder entrance. These "safe zones" can be fortified with Sentry Guns, SAM turrets and/or manual turrets (Remote Sentry, Ballistic Turret, Grenade Turret) to provide an actually safe location to await extraction after collecting loot. However, these are risky as nearby drones and helicopters will be aware of your location, and Fat Zombies can tear down the whole fortification if not repelled by use of Grenade Turrets and Ballistic Turrets.

Playing in a party removes the risk of friendly fire. Note that if one leaves a Battlezone match, then rejoins, they will lose friendly-fire protection.