Black Ops 3 Zombies introduced Pack-a-Punch perks, special bonuses that are added to guns that have been upgraded two or more times. Which perk your gun will be given is random, though you can choose to Pack-a-Punch repeatedly until you get the perk you’re after.
Not all of these perks are created equally. Their powers range from good to game-changing, with the best of them helping to keep you alive into the high rounds. Here’s every Pack-a-Punch upgrade in Black Ops 3 Zombies, ranked from worst to best.
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5. Thunder Wall
Thunder Wall is by far the worst Pack-a-Punch upgrade in Black Ops 3 Zombies. While its name promises something reminiscent of the legendary Thunder Gun, Thunder Wall delivers a much weaker effect. While Thunder Wall’s shockwave effect deals infinite damage, its hitbox is way too small.
This small area of effect can result in you only taking out one or two zombies with each Thunder Wall blast. Dealing with a massive horde while Thunder Wall fails to blow them away is incredibly frustrating.
4. Fire Works
Fire Works is a decent perk that occasionally causes zombies to spawn a small column of fireworks upon death. Any zombies that touch these firework columns will take splash damage. While these firework explosions are a nice effect on their own, it’s Fire Work’s secondary effect that makes it worth using.
For as long as a firework column is active, a miniature gun will float within it, shooting any enemies it sees. This gun will be a copy of the gun that triggered Fire Works, but with added damage that guarantees that it’ll one-shot zombies.
The one downside of Fire Works is its recharge time, which restricts you to only one activation every 15-20 seconds.
3. Blast Furnace
Blast Furnace is a great Pack-a-Punch perk that causes zombies to explode upon death, dealing splash damage to other zombies around them. While the explosions aren’t very large, they happen often enough to deal major damage to a large horde.
It’s against these hordes that Blast Furnace works best since the zombies will be tightly packed, causing more enemies to be hit by the explosions. Another reason to use Blast Furnace is that it still earns you points and player XP when it triggers.
2. Turned
Turned is the most unique of the Pack-a-Punch upgrades, as it doesn’t directly damage any zombies. Instead, it turns an affected zombie against the horde, causing them to attack other zombies instead of you. Turned zombies kill other undead instantly, and are capable of taking down a full horde by themselves.
The downside to using Turned is that it can stop you from saving zombies at the end of the round. Since there’s no way for you to kill a zombie once it’s turned, it’ll often survive until the end of the round, killing that final zombie you were hoping to save.
This makes using Turned an absolute nightmare for completing easter egg steps that require you to have one zombie left alive.
1. Dead Wire
Dead Wire is easily the best Pack-a-Punch upgrade in Black Ops 3 Zombies. Every time Dead Wire triggers, it will electrocute up to 9 zombies, instantly stopping them in their tracks. This wonder weapon-style effect gives any gun a huge boost. It will often save you in tight situations due to how quickly it works.
Dead Wire also kills incapacitated zombies at any round, thanks to its infinite damage. This means it’s guaranteed to thin any horde that it hits. An added bonus to using Dead Wire is that any kills the electricity gets will contribute to your points and player XP, letting you set up on the map and level up faster.
Best upgrades? Check. Now you need to gear yourself up with the best guns, unlock the pack-a-punch machine, and go for those high rounds:
Black Ops 3 Zombies: The Best Guns To Pack-a-Punch | Black Ops 3 Zombies: How To Level Up Fast | Black Ops 3 Zombies: How To Unlock Pack A Punch in Shadows of Evil
