"High in the Austrian Alps, a village sits in the shadow of Griffin Castle, and has become a battle ground between the forces of good and evil."

Guten tag, Call of Duty community!

Der Schatten, one of three maps released for Black Ops Pass holders during Call of Duty: Black Ops 4’s Operation Apocalypse Z, brings us back in time for a Multiplayer map with a Zombies twist. Though undead won’t claw at you here, you do have to watch out for enemy players throughout the landscape.

Here’s what lurks in The Shadow — Der Schatten:

The Lay of the Land:

Long ago, the Zombies Primis crew battled for survival and more at a secret research facility – “Der Eisendrache”.

When dropping into Der Schatten, you’ll be brought right back to the moment when the Primis crew where fighting the good fight, but fortunately, you won’t have to deal with any zombies or hellhounds here.

Instead, you’ll be fighting in the shadow of “Der Eisendrache” — hence the map’s title, Der Schatten. Specifically, you and the rest of the lobby arrive through a portal to the sleepy little Austrian village that saw a giant robot crash through its church.

From the wreckage, the mystical Element 115 has spilled out, causing objects to float and the air to be polluted with its wondrous blue sparks. These bright blue bursts act like lights amid the snowy cobblestone streets decorated for the winter holiday. There are some undead lurking about, but fortunately behind impenetrable barriers. You’ll only be battling other players, not zombies.

On the North side of the map, near the gondola station in the Northeast, a statue of a warrior sits as a monument almost as if it’s guarding the city. The plaque below it reads the following:

“Der groke Vernichter von Madensäcken. Wenn grokes Übel die Menschheit befállt, kehrt er zurück, die Bösen zu zerschmettern.”

We’ll leave you to translate that and decipher its meaning.

General Strategy:

Der Schatten has plenty of short and mid-range engagement opportunities from the cobblestone streets to the church and even the guts of the fallen robot. Under the cover of night, and with plenty of environment pieces to flank around in this quaint village setting, running and gunning through tight spaces may be a strategy worth considering.

Sharpshooters may find solace on long sightlines that exists from the gondola station, through the middle of town under the giant robot, and over to a house on the far side of the street.

Here, one could use either end of this long road as a sniping perch, with the Hotel Eisendrache, the central yellow building across from the church, also providing a counter position against someone on the gondola station’s second floor.

Those who want to hold a more defensive position and lockdown some of the Eastern sides of the map, could hole up in the robot’s head. Here, a single eye slit provides just enough room for a sniper to poke out or grenade to be thrown through. Plus, players can trigger the robot’s finger to smash unsuspecting enemies.

Der Schatten has more elevation changes like steps, slopes, and even fallen robots that cater to hybrid gameplay. Players can use the alleys and buildings to run and gun, but also find long sightlines and elevated advantges as well as they make their way across the map. Consider combining multiple tactics to hopefully find success wherever you may land on the map.

Objective Tips and Tricks:

When playing the Map Pack Moshpit playlist, which includes Der Schatten among other Black Ops Pass maps released with Operation Apocalypse Z, you may find yourself playing a bit of Domination.

The team who spawns on the A side has the giant robot on their side, while those on the C side have the alleyways and buildings to play with and lock down. No matter what side you spawn in on, all traffic will most likely be towards the church where the B flag sits.

With three main points of entry here, it may be wise to divide and conquer; rushing into one entrance may result in an easy defeat courtesy of Reaper’s deadly Scythe or Battery’s War Machine. However, if you have a Sensor Dart handy consider using that to know which entrance is best to take the B flag.

Alternatively, on defense, think about throwing down Specialist-specific tech – like Torque’s Razor Wire to prevent any unfortunate flanks or Reaper’s Shroud to conceal your team’s position. Use your arsenal to cover the interiors of the church both from the high and low points. Staying close to B could be a good strategy to stop any attacker that makes a rush for the objective. Or players can choose to spread a wider net leaving B unguarded. If you take this approach work to determine likely paths enemy forces may take and set up chokepoints to eliminate players before they even reach the church.

For attackers, the north side of the map offers opportunities for long flanks on the opposite side through the gondola station. Consider coordinating with teammates to pinch opponents by mounting an assault from both sides.  Or, if breaking open B proves to be tough, think about utilizing the elevation that exists in the church to simultaneously attack from on the ground and up above to clear out the opposition.

Whether you are dropping in for the first time or looking for the best strategies after your 100th game, the ultimate tip we have for this map, and every map in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, is to have fun.

We’ll see you online.

For more intel about Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, be sure to visit CallofDuty.com/blackops4 and follow @CallofDuty and @Treyarch on Twitter.