The Passionate Player‘s Guide to Downloading COD Zombies Legally

As a hardcore COD zombies fanatic myself, I totally get the urge to jump right into slaying the undead hordes on your personal computer. But we have to resist the dark side temptation for illegal downloads!

Fortunately, with the right info, you can access iconic maps like Nacht der Untoten 100% legally. This comprehensive guide will walk you through your official COD Zombies downloading options, with tips from a long-time expert player (yours truly!) sprinkled throughout.

Purchase Your Zombie-Slaying COD Title

Let‘s start by outlining some stellar COD games available with Zombies mode on PC platforms like Battle.net and Steam:

I can personally vouch for the absolute madness that is Black Ops 3‘s Zombies Chronicles DLC – those 8 classic remasters like Origins and Moon are a blood-soaked blast.

For casual zombie slayers on a budget though, Black Ops Cold War balances quality and quantity. Outbreak mode also shakes up the formula by taking Zombies to expansive regions across the Ural Mountains in a spin I think fans will dig.

Okay, purchasing part done! Now let‘s get these horrors shuffled onto your PC…

Download & Install Your Zombie-Centric COD

Downloading and accessing your Zombies DLC plays out a bit differently across Battle.net and Steam. But don‘t fret zombie chow – I‘ll be your Player 2 in this boss battle against baffling game clients!

Step 1: Download the Battle.net / Steam Game Client

If you haven‘t already, download the platform your COD game belongs to:

• Battle.net Desktop App – For new COD titles like Black Ops Cold War
• Steam Client – For most older COD titles and remasters

These are your gateways to buying and launching games on PC.

Step 2: Buy / Pre-Load Your COD Game

Next, purchase your COD game of choice on either Battle.net or Steam store.

Once bought, pre-loading will start automatically so the full 100GB+ game is ready to rip & tear on launch day. Tip: adjust your bandwidth caps beforehand so the zombie horde doesn‘t eat up your entire month‘s data!

Bonus: Pre-order and you might get neat extras like weapon blueprints or XP boosts to level up faster. Because we will be grinding for Dark Aether camo before anyone else!

Step 3: Locate Your Installed Zombies DLC

This is where things differ depending on platform.

For Battle.net, your Zombies DLC will be included automatically with the base download. Just look for the terrifying Z icon on your game‘s menu screen, often under "Additional Content".

But on Steam, you may need to manually check any Zombies DLC packs under the DLC tab and install them separately. Otherwise only the main game will download initially.

And that‘s it! Time to ready your zombie response teams for deployment.

Beginner Tips from a Seasoned Survivor

Alright new recruits – Jack your jolts, pack your punches, and pray RNGesus blesses this run! Before embarking, some hard-earned tips from my years battling the endless dead:

• Learn the map layouts. Knowing zone exits, weapon caches and the Power switch location is key to quick adaptation.
• Pack weapons ASAP. Squad up to build Points faster and upgrade via Pack-A-Punch machines.
• Communicate constantly. Mark locations of items, special enemies and your kiting path to avoid friendly fire.
• Max Ammo > Revive. During hectic moments, a Max Ammo to re-arm is more valuable than a failed ally rescue.
• Protect the medic. Make room for any teammate with Insta-Kill to prevent full squad wipes (lookin‘ at you, Nikolai Belinski)

Follow those and even first-timers can escape to at least Round 15. Maybe. Possibly. Okay probably not but we‘ll go out in a revived-spammed blaze of glory!

Now onto the main attraction: an inside look at the absolute best Zombies maps awaiting new recruits. These are my personal top picks after years of obsessive Easter egg hunting and high round attempts!

All Aboard the Hype Train of Legendary Maps

You ain‘t seen undead chaos until you‘ve fought hellhounds on the moon or battled an ancient scarab beetle boss emerging from a three-story-tall pyramid.

Let‘s highlight some iconic Zombies maps that in my expert opinion, are must-play showstoppers:

Kino der Toten (Black Ops 1)

The OG Zombies intro map that started it all. Kino‘s blend of simplicity and eerie Cold War atmosphere is a masterclass in tension-building level design. Sprinting circles around that central lava pit area with 3 pals brings back such memories!

Also contains one of the creepiest musical Easter eggs to reveal what sounds like an orphan girl singing a haunting German folk song. Shivers.

Mob of the Dead (Black Ops 2)

Set in a fictional 1930‘s prison, Mob goes hard on the horror element with ghostly apparitions, acid-spewing zombies and larger-than-life boss spiders. Finding all six song fragments to build the plane escape vehicle made escaping this Alcatraz-style island an actual survival challenge.

Plus, playing as Ray Liotta or Joe Pantoliano? Too good.

Der Eisendrache (Black Ops 3)

Ah, the majestic medieval castle perched atop a snowy Austrian cliffside. Such a welcome backdrop…for battling a flamethrowing mechanical dragon freed from centuries-long captivity!

Activating flyable Gauntlets around the courtyard to clip the beast‘s wings mid-flight with Lightning Bolts made for cinematic showdowns. And few Zombies moments top the exhilaration of a multi-Lockdown Rocket Shield juggle.

Ancient Evil (Black Ops 4)

Greece gets the undead treatment with this mythical map. Its main boss fight against vicious bathhouse harpies and the elephantine Homunculus still ranks among the most complex in all Zombies.

Each step to unlocking the epic Pegasus Strike is deeply woven into the map‘s lore and environment. Like realizing those symbol-marked hands correspond to destroying various cyclops statues! HOW did anyone even decode this initially??

I could gush for hours about these remarkable maps and others. But until you experience their shocking twists and turns yourself, no words would do them justice.

Now then, what other options exist if pinched pennies make purchasing one of these COD titles impractical? Let‘s discuss…

Other Zombie Games Worth Trying

Beyond Call of Duty, more zombie shooters await across various platforms. These won‘t have the AAA polish of Treyarch Zombies but still deliver infectious undead action:

• Killing Floor 2 (PC/PS4/Xbox One) – 6-player co-op FPS against gruesome "zed" specimen. Diverse class system withmicrotransaction model.

• World War Z (Epic Games Store) – Frenetic third-person swarmer focused on massive zombie crowds. Also available via Xbox Game Pass.

• 7 Days to Die (PC/PS4/Xbox One) – Survival sandbox with base building and crafting depth . Early access but under active development.

• Fortnite: Save the World (PC/PS/Xbox) – Retro neon zombies visuals meet Fortnite signature art style and shooting. Only mode that isn‘t free-to-play however.

• Dead Island (PC/PS/Xbox) – Reminiscent of classic beachfront zombie films. Melee combat and co-op emphasized . Several installments to try.

• Left 4 Dead 2 (Steam) – The granddaddy that started modern zombie co-op shooters. Constant updates and enormous modding scene.

I‘d strongly vouch for Left 4 Dead 2 as the best bang-for-buck zombies times on PC. But ultimately there‘s viable options for all zombie fanatics, whether looking for Animation-Richtofen levels of complex Easter eggs or just slaughtering waves of the undead with rocket launchers in your underwear.

To wrap up, let‘s quickly hit a FAQ section before sending you out to crush some skulls!

Frequently Asked Downloading Questions

Let‘s machine gun through some common questions:

Do I need internet to play solo Zombies?

Nope! Solo play is fully supported offline.

How big is the Zombies DLC / update size?

Anywhere from 15GB for a single zombies map pack to 50+GB for Black Ops 3‘s Zombies Chronicles mega bundle. Clear 200GB+ for a full Modern Warfare 2 & Warzone install as an example.

Can I earn skins and weapon camos in Zombies?

You sure can! Grind weapon levels and complete challenges to earn badass Dark Aether skins for your full loadout.

Which games have crossplay with PC?

Call of Duty games from Modern Warfare (2019) onwards feature crossplay, so you can squad up with pals on console too.

The Horde Hungers…Are You Ready?

Alright soldiers. Debriefing done. You now possess the battle plans for tackling any Zombies maps legally on PC platforms such as Steam or Battle.net. All that‘s left is to pick your loadout weapon of choice to start mowing down the undead!

I may be biased as a long-time fan, but Call of Duty Zombies is some of the most outrageous co-op madness you‘ll find in gaming. So buy in with the next COD sale to experience these living works of art yourself.

Just be sure to avoid the lure of illegal downloads! Owning games legally means we fans get to keep enjoying new Zombies maps and content drops for years to come.

Now who‘s ready to crack some 115-infused skulls? Ray gun me, Nikolai! See you on round 100 (in our unrealistic zombie-slaying dreams).