MW3 Zombies: How to activate Pack-a-Punch weapons

MW3 Zombies’ portion marks a subtle shift to how Zombies works, although some classic features return. Here’s what you need to know about Pack-a-Punching in MWZ.

Despite MW3 coming from the team at Sledgehammer Games, Treyarch has lent a hand with the Zombies portion of the title. That said, MW3 Zombies, or MWZ, has a different spin on the classic experience.

Operation Deadbolt is a new twist on Zombies, throwing players into Urzikstan, the new Warzone map coming in Season 1 of MW3. It ditches the traditional round-based survival for an extraction-based mode a la MW2’s DMZ. However, it does retain a few classic features, such as Perks and the Pack-a-Punch machine.

Speaking of, Pack-a-Punch works differently this time around. Here’s what you need to know.

Activision

How to get Pack-a-Punch in MW3 Zombies

To Pack-a-Punch a weapon in zombies, you simply need to find one of the machines scattered around the map.

In previous iterations of Zombies, you needed to activate the power, find the machine, and then spend points to upgrade weapons. You no longer need to turn on the power; you only need to find the machine and spend the points known as Essence.

How does Pack-a-Punch work

However, there are a few caveats to know of. Since MWZ is inspired by the DMZ, you’ll navigate through various zones that increase in difficulty. This impacts Pack-a-Punching weapons, as you can only Pack-a-Punch a weapon one time per zone.

There are three zones in the mode, meaning you’ll need to travel deeper into the map to access higher-level upgrades.

As you progress, the cost of upgrading also rises:

• Zone 1 (Clear Zone): 5000 Essence
• Zone 2 (Orange Zone): 10,000 Essence
• Zone 3 (Red Zone): 15,000 Essence

You earn Essence by killing zombies, completing contracts, finding purple Essence containers around the map, or selling items found during a match.

Can you exfil with Pack-a-Punch weapons?

Unfortunately, you cannot exfil with Pack-a-Punch weapons, meaning it’s a one-and-done deal. You also can’t exfil with your Essence, so you might as well use it while you can.

That’s all you need to know about how Pack-a-Punch works in MW3’s Zombies mode. Check out the rest of our MW3 guides for more tips and tricks.

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