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Black Ops 6 Zombiesbrings a further challenge to the beloved mode by adding Special and Elite zombie types. These Special and Elite zombies inBlack Ops 6can be overwhelming and deadly, and players might want to hunt them for specificzombie camo challengesor XP quests. Or, they just want to get rid of them fast.
Luckily, there are a few ways to take care of Special and Elite zombies, as well as knowing where exactly to find them. These zombie types all have their strengths, but more importantly, their weaknesses, which will allow players to exploit them for super effective gains to kill them fast.
Updated on July 16, 2025, by Jake Fillery:With the release of The Tomb, players now have a multitude of special and elite enemies in Black Ops 6 to worry about, with further horrifying zombie creations that will seek to destroy easter egg runs and high-round plays. There are 2 elite zombie variants and 3 special zombie variants in Black Ops 6, and players will need to know how to effectively kill them all to survive.
Special Zombie – Mangler (& How to Beat Them)
TheMangler is the only Special Zombie type and it can be found only on Terminus and Liberty Falls. Manglers willbegin to spawn on Round 11and will continue to spawn usually every round or two. As players reach higher rounds, Manglers will grow in numbers, to the point where some players might experience 6 or even 10 Manglers in their game at once.
Manglers have a few attack methods, with the most common being the Mangler Cannon, which is attached to their right arm. The Mangler Cannon can track players, causing a slowing and damaging blast. It’s hard to avoid, so try to turn corners or even shoot at the cannon arm to disrupt the charging shot. Manglers can also become enraged if their arm or helmet is shot off, and they will outpace zombies and begin to charge so that they can hit players with their lethal sword arm.
Manglers do have an interesting weakness, as bullets fired with the Napalm Burst Ammo Mod will deal more damage against Manglers. On top of that, Manglers have two crit spots worth targeting. The first and most important is the Mangler Cannon arm. If players lay down consistent fire, then the arm cannon will be destroyed, and the Mangler will take a chunk of extra damage. However, players canstick to the trusted sourceof headshots aided by Deadshot Daiquiri, but they will have to shoot through the armor on their helmet first.
The best way to kill a Mangler is to use an SMG, Assault Rifle, or Sniper Rifle, as getting too close with the Jet Gun ora Pack-a-Punched melee weaponmight be a tad too risky. With something with more range, players can watch out for the Mangler Cannon blast and quickly shoot it off while also dealing more headshot damage that explosives wouldn’t be capable of.
Special Zombie – Doppelghast (& How to Beat Them)
Doppelghasts are Special Zombies that are found on Citadelle des Morts and The Tomb. Doppelghasts will begin spawning every other round after Round 11, but one can be forced to spawn in Citadelle des Morts by activating Pack-a-Punch. There are usually 2 Doppelghasts that spawn at once in the later rounds, but Doppelghasts can also be manually created if players have a Parasite and a standard zombie and decide to ignore them. This will see the Parasite pick up the zombie and transform into a Doppelghast.
Doppelghasts are extremely fast, and they use their intense speed to try and catch up to players as if they have a super sprint of their own. They are fast, agile, and love to dodge out of the way of attacks by quickly strafing left or right. Despite their great speed and stalker-like behaviour, the Doppelghast is relatively weak compared to other Special Zombies.
As for the Doppelghast’s attack behavior, players will often want to stay far away from it and battle it from a distance, as the Doppelghast will often launch sharp projectiles that will slow players within the vicinity of its launched attack, making them more vulnerable to sprinting hordes of undead. On top of the projectile attack, Doppelghasts try and bite, and will often scream out to influence other zombies to approach. If Doppelghasts are left alive for too long, they will absorb zombies and become an Amalgam.
The best way to kill a Doppelghast is concentrated and fast fire from a rapid-fire gun, or from heavy explosives like the Pack-a-Punched GS45. What really makes the Doppelghast an easy kill is the Light Mend Ammo Mod, as this will act as the Special Zombie’s main weakness, which takes sizeable chunks of its health away. Upon death, a Doppelghast will have a short countdown before it explodes, throwing out slowing shrapnel to players within the vicinity.
Special Zombie – Shock Mimic (& How to Beat Them)
Mimics are Special Zombies that are found in The Tomb.Mimics are a returning enemy type that make their way to The Tomb and will start to spawn from Round 11. However,Mimics work a tad differentlyfrom other enemy variants, as they will not spawn and immediately charge at the player. Instead, Mimics will spawn as an inanimate object that looks like a piece of loot. If players shoot the loot or get too close, the Mimic will abruptly spawn and grab players. Mimics can disguise themselves as anything from Perk-a-Cola cans, and Aetherium Crystals, to Scorestreaks.
Basically, if players see an enticing piece of loot on the floor, shoot at it to verify it’s not a Mimic. If it is a Mimic, then be prepared to run, as they are pretty fast, and can use ranged electric attacks to deactivate player abilities, like Scorestreaks and Field Upgrades, and jam their weapons. The Shock Mimic can also grab players like an Amalgam, leaving them vulnerable to attacks during this attack animation.
Shock Mimics are nearby when players have a static effect on the corners of their screen, but if players feel like hunting them, then the Brain Rot Ammo Mod is the best thing for them since that’s their critical weakness. Shock Mimics can be pretty fast, so to be faster, players are going to want a rapid SMG or Assault Rifle with Brain Rot and plenty of Pack-a-Punch to take them out.
Elite Zombie – Amalgam (& How to Beat Them)
TheAmalgam is the Elite Zombie type found on Terminus, Citadelle des Morts, and The Tomb. Amalgams will begin tospawn on Round 16, and never before then. Amalgams will spawn every 3 or 4 rounds, and usually, there is only one at a time, but sometimes two can spawn. Players will need to be very careful around Amalgams, as although their sprint isn’t the fastest, the damage output they deal can be severe.
The strategy to beat an Amalgam is to keep at a safe distance. Amalgams only have melee attacks, but if players get too close, the Amalgam will grapple the player and pull them inside to its many limbs, where on high rounds, it can nearly insta-kill, which is also made dangerous by the fact that players are swarmed by the Amalgam and a horde of zombies within the train.
Amalgams are weak to Dead Wire and Shadow Rift Ammo Mods, and they will take more damage from weapons using these Ammo Mods. Amalgams also have Crit Spots on the glowing eyes from the heads across their deformed bodies, which can be shot to deal extra damage. It’s worth noting that if the Amalgam gets weaker, it will grab zombies and consume them for health.
The best way to kill an Amalgam is through rapid bursts of gunfire. It’s always best to focus the Amalgam first as its charge can knock down zombies to disrupt trains, and its health pool is rather large, so Pack-a-Punched explosives and other hard-hitting weapons like the mesmerizing alt-fire ofthe DRI-11 Beamsmasher will work great.
Elite Zombie – Abomination (& How to Beat Them)
Abominations are Elite Zombies found exclusively on Liberty Falls. Theyspawn after Round 16and usually only one is present at any given time. This enemy type is definitely worth avoiding because it can shoot electricity attacks from its mouth and charge like a raging bull to stun players and cause them to take plenty of unwanted damage.
The best way to take care of an Abomination is to remain at a distance. Usually, the Abomination is too slow to keep up with the zombie horde, and it will simply growl and try to charge. When it does so, just use omnimovement to get out of its way, and try to wait until there’s a break in the action to take it out, as focusing solely on it witha horde of zombies is a death sentence, and its hide is too thick for bullets to pierce. Abominations also have a ranged attack, where they will ground themselves and open their mouths to shoot a lightning blast from all three mouths. While this attack doesn’t deal the most damage, its continuous fire has quite the range that can easily melt players who are already in a pinch.
Abominations are weak to two Ammo Mods: Napalm Burst and Brain Rot. Players will want to use weapons with these Ammo Mods to shoot into the glowing blue mouth of the Abomination, much like how they would damage the Margwa in Black Ops 3. When the Abomination sustains enough damage to one head, the head will burst like a balloon – further enraging the Abomination to begin charging more often.
Abominations also have a unique weakness where players can throw a piece of lethal equipment, like a Semtex or a Frag, directly into the Abomination’s mouth. Doing so correctly will see the Abomination swallow the grenade, and its head will instantly explode. This is great for high rounds where Abominations have a lot of health, so when it comes to fighting Abominations – bring explosives or rapid-fire SMGs that can sustain quick damage complimented by Deadshot Daiquiri.
