What is Grief in Black Ops 6 Zombies? New 4v4 mode explained

Grief is a returning mode in Black Ops 6 Zombies as part of the Season 4 update. Last seen in Black Ops 2, this mode was popular within the community due to its unique mechanics. Although it's a PvP mode, the key highlight is that you can't directly kill or damage the rival team, instead, you must outlast them by surviving longer in the match.

Several mechanics are designed to give one team an edge over the other. While you can't directly damage or eliminate them, you can sabotage them through certain actions.

This article provides an in-depth explanation of the Grief mode in Black Ops 6 Zombies.

Grief mode in Black Ops 6 Zombies explained

Grief is a 4v4 Zombies mode where two teams compete to outlast each other, with the winning criteria being to survive longer than the opposing team.

Here, players can't directly damage or kill members of the rival team—it's an indirect PvP experience. However, you can sabotage opponents by body-blocking in narrow pathways or slow them down using certain actions like melee attacks, firearms, or projectiles.

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The mode is available on all maps, each featuring unique arenas. Round progression is faster, and players will face significantly more zombies. During matches, Capture Zones appear at regular intervals. These zones are marked by glowing perimeters, and teams must secure them by meeting specific criteria while remaining within the area.

Any one of the following may be the Capture Zone objective:

Gather the required number of zombie kills
Gather the required critical kills
Required Support and Equipment kills
Required Melee kills

Capturing a zone activates a Grief Phase, which inflicts one of the following penalties on the rival team:

Weapon Nerf: The affected players inflict considerably reduced damage to zombie enemies.
Ammo Drain: All ammo-based weapons, including those stowed, receive an ammo drain with bullets or shells being removed constantly while the Grief is active.
Zombie Ambush: An Elite zombie is summoned, and it solely focuses its killing power on the enemy team until either the Elite or the team are defeated, or the timer runs out.
Weapon Carousel: The rival players’ weapons are randomly swapped every few seconds.
Frozen: This Grief reduces the enemy players’ movement, along with frost and ice coating the characters.

If neither team completes the objective in a Capture Zone, both teams are subjected to the Grief phase.

Reviving is also a key mechanic. As long as at least one teammate is alive, they can revive downed allies at any time. However, this can be disrupted by enemy interference, zombies, or Shock Charges. Additionally, every three rounds, a respawn wave automatically revives all eliminated players.

Salvage drops here are worth 100 units, but they’re visible to all players, and the first to grab them gets them.

There are also restrictions on certain GobbleGums, including Exit Strategy, Idle Eyes, Wonderbar!, Time Out, and Flavor Hex. Wonder Weapons are also restricted in this mode.

The core mechanics remain available in the Grief arena from the very beginning. These include the Arsenal, Pack-a-Punch, Mystery Box, Crafting Tables, Perk Machines, GobbleGum Machine, Armor Wall Buys, and the Der Wunderfizz machine.

Finally, players can earn new score types related to Griefs and Capture Zones, such as:

Capture Zone Kill: Awarded to a player who defeated a zombie type during a successful Capture Zone completion.
Capture Zone Win: Awarded to all players on a team who successfully commandeer a Capture Zone.
Capture Zone Elite Kill: Awarded to a player who slays an Elite spawned in a Capture Zone.

Also read: How to unlock Stitch in Warzone and Black Ops 6

There are 11 Grief Arenas available in this mode. Below is a list of the arenas, along with the points of interest each covers:

Liberty Falls Arena 1: Pump & Pay, Motor Lodge, and Fuller’s Liberty Lanes
Liberty Falls Arena 2: Dark Aether Church, Cemetery, Hilltop
Terminus Arena 1: Bio Lab
Terminus Arena 2: Crab Island
Citadelle des Morts Arena: Courtyard, Ramparts, and Entrance Hall
The Tomb Arena 1: Dig Site, Mausoleum
The Tomb Arena 2: Dark Aether Nexus
Shattered Veil Arena 1: Garden Pond, Lower Terrace
Shattered Veil Arena 2: Upper Terrace, Shem’s Henge, Motor Court
Shattered Veil Arena 3: Mansion Foyer, Overlook, East Foyer, Library
Shattered Veil Arena 4: West Hallways, Southwest Balcony, Bottlery

Also read: All weapon balancing changes in Black Ops 6 Season 4 (Multiplayer and Zombies)

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About the author

Animesh has been a Call of Duty writer at Sportskeeda for close to two years. A fervent enthusiast of the iconic Mario Bros. franchise and several first-person shooter games, his love for gaming pushed him to merge his passion and profession, and eventually land a writing job in the genre. When creating content, he prioritizes quality and accuracy over speed, verifying multiple official sources. This has helped his meticulous first-person shooter guides garner over two million reads.

Although Animesh holds a Master’s degree in Commerce, he would willingly go back to school; just as long as the school is Hogwarts, so he can jump into the world of spell-casting and fly on broomsticks. He admires gamers Shroud and Beaulo, and would recommend story-driven games like Red Dead Redemption, Skyrim, and Far Cry 3 for their captivating narratives and deep player engagement.

Animesh also enjoys multiplayer games such as Valorant, Apex Legends, and Warzone. When he keeps his controller aside, he plays football and badminton, reads books, and cooks.

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Edited by Animesh Talukdar