Dead Ops Arcade is a chaotic, top-down zombie shooter hidden within Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops. More than just a fun distraction, it’s a challenging experience filled with secrets, power-ups, and relentless hordes of the undead. But beyond the endless waves of zombies and frantic gameplay, lie hidden rooms packed with advantages that can significantly boost your survival odds and high score. This guide will arm you with everything you need to know to find and exploit these secret rooms.

Unlock Dead Ops Arcade: Enter the DOA

Before you can even think about those enticing secret rooms, you need to access Dead Ops Arcade. Initially, you have to earn your way in. In the main menu of Black Ops, you’ll find yourself in a torture chamber. Break free from the restraints, approach the terminal, and type “DOA.” This will unlock the arcade. After your first play, Dead Ops Arcade becomes conveniently available in the Zombie Mode menu once you’ve completed the single-player campaign. Alternatively, using the cheat code “3ARC UNLOCK” unlocks Dead Ops multiplayer, as well as the “Five” zombie map in Zombie Mode, offering even more content to explore.

Master the Basics: Survive the Zombie Onslaught

The core gameplay of Dead Ops Arcade is simple: survive. Eliminate all the zombies on each level to progress. You will become intimately familiar with nukes, dash attacks via the Lightning Kick power-up, special weapons, and various pickups along the way. Learning how to maximize these assets means more points, and more power when you need it most.

  • Objective: Clear each level of zombies to advance.
  • Key Elements: Nukes, Lightning Kick, weapons, pickups, multipliers, armories, bonus rounds, bonus rooms, and the final boss.

Rack Up Points: Build Your Score and Earn Extra Lives

Points are the lifeblood of your Dead Ops Arcade journey. Not only do they reflect your skill and progress, but they also translate into extra lives. You earn points by killing zombies and collecting treasure scattered throughout the maps.

  • Treasure: Gold/Silver Stacks, Bricks, Medallions, Coins - each worth 125 points.
  • Gems: Blue, Red, White - increase the points multiplier. Small gems are worth more than standard treasure, while big gems instantly upgrade you to the next multiplier level.

Consider this your motivation for treasure hunting. A higher score multiplier means faster progression! Just remember that this multiplier resets to 1x upon death. Collect enough points, roughly every 200,000, to earn valuable extra lives.

Arm Yourself: Master the Weapon Pickups

Knowing which weapon to grab is crucial for survival in Dead Ops Arcade. Each weapon has its strengths and weaknesses, so experiment and find what suits your playstyle. Here is a brief overview.

  • M60 (Primary): Infinite ammo, high fire rate, accurate, but less effective against large groups.
  • Death Machine: High damage, blazing fire rate, but consumes ammo rapidly.
  • SPAS-12: Wide arc, great for crowd control at close range, but requires you to get up close and personal.
  • Ray Gun: High damage, shots bounce, powerful but can be tricky to aim.
  • RPG-7: Pierces hordes, good explosive area, effective against large targets.
  • China Lake: Grenade launcher, excels at area-of-effect damage.
  • M2 Flamethrower: Moderate initial damage, but applies significant burning damage over time, also obscures your vision.

Harness Power-Ups and Special Attacks

Beyond weapons, Dead Ops Arcade offers a range of power-ups and special attacks that can dramatically alter the course of a game. Learning to strategically deploy these abilities is essential for surviving the later rounds.

  • Tactical Grenade (Nuke): Clears the entire map of zombies instantly. A lifesaver when you’re overwhelmed.
  • Lightning Kick: A dash attack that kills any zombie in its path. Use it to escape tight spots or clear a path.
  • Tank / Helicopter: Temporary vehicles that make you invincible and armed with powerful weapons.
  • Chicken: A flying buddy that mirrors your weapon upgrades. An invaluable ally.
  • Electric Orbs / Barrels: Rotating defenses that fry or crush nearby zombies.
  • Teddy Bear: Grants a wide shield that protects you from zombies.
  • Monkey Bomb: Attracts zombies before exploding, creating an opening for escape or attack.
  • Sentry Gun: A stationary minigun that helps thin out the hordes.
  • Boots: Significantly increase your movement speed. Crucial for dodging and weaving.
  • Soldier Statue: Instantly grants you an extra life.

Dead Ops Arcade features a diverse series of maps, each with its own unique challenges and enemy types. Understanding the layout and hazards of each map is crucial for survival. Here’s a quick rundown:

  • Island (lv 1-4): The starting point, featuring basic zombies.
  • Courtyard (lv 5-8): A central fountain and the introduction of electric posts.
  • Prison (lv 9-12): A multi-level map with catwalks and stronger “Prisoner Zombies.”
  • Cave (lv 13-16): A dark map with Crawlers and the Room of Fate between levels.
  • Marketplace (lv 17-20): A large, open area where bulls charge across the map.
  • Urban (lv 21-24): Cramped rooftops and ground floors with Rainmen.
  • Street (lv 25-28): Features a central enclosure and exploding barrels dropping from above.
  • Bunker (lv 29-32): Snowy conditions, Abominable Martyrs, and Sasquatch.
  • Forest (lv 32-36): Trees line the top, introducing Hellhounds.
  • Jungle (lv 37-40): A smaller version of the Forest, leading to the final boss fight.

Overcome Hazards: Electric Posts and Charging Bulls

Beyond the relentless zombies, Dead Ops Arcade throws a few environmental hazards your way.

  • Electric Post: Electrocutes anything that touches it.
  • Bulls: Charge across the Marketplace, flinging zombies and dropping jewels when golden.
  • Exploding Barrels: Fall from rooftops in the Street levels, detonating after a short delay.

Face the Enemies: From Nazi Zombies to Hellhounds

Of course, the primary threat in Dead Ops Arcade comes from the variety of enemies that try to overwhelm you. Knowing their strengths and weaknesses is key to adapting your strategy.

  • Nazi Zombies: The standard foe, growing stronger and more numerous over time.
  • Prisoner Zombies: Stronger, faster, and longer-ranged than the Nazi Zombies, eventually replaced by Sasquatch on level 30.
  • Crawlers: Fast-moving, low to the ground, high health, and attack with a lunge.
  • Rainmen: Big, slow brutes that drop from the sky and become fast and deadly when damaged.
  • Golems (Abominable Martyrs): Large, red, explosive monsters.
  • Sasquatch: Replaces Prisoner Zombies on level 30.
  • Hellhounds: Extremely fast and high-health dogs.

Challenge Rounds

Be prepared for special “challenge” rounds that throw waves of new or enhanced zombie types at you in overwhelming numbers.

Defeat the Cosmic Silverback

The final boss of Dead Ops Arcade, the Cosmic Silverback, appears periodically to steal treasure and generally make your life miserable. He has very high health (possibly infinite). Level 40 culminates in a showdown against the Silverback and waves of regular zombies.