Best Field Upgrades in Modern Warfare Zombies (MWZ), ranked

While the campaign of Modern Warfare 3 felt rushed, luckily, there’s still plenty more to do. Thankfully the zombie mode in MW3 seems to be more fleshed out than its campaign. There are new mechanics in Modern Warfare Zombies (MWZ), like Field Upgrades, and we’ll rank the best of them. 

Modern Warfare Zombies (MWZ): Best Field Upgrades – Ranked

First, let’s go over what these Field Upgrades are. Unlike Field Upgrades in other multiplayer modes and the campaign, which are more traditional, the ones in Zombies give you boosts with things like your health or armor. The upgrades can help you be more strategic when fighting the hordes of the undead. To earn them, you have to level up your Military Player Rank. 

According to a blog post by Activision, each Field Upgrade does something different. Depending on how you’re playing, not all are important. This list should help you figure out which ones you want to use. 

Related: Best visual settings in Modern Warfare 3

Field Upgrades ranked worst to best

• Aether Shroud – Makes you invincible to zombies: To start, I don’t think this perk is as important as the others. The whole goal of Zombies is to lower the number of undead. While Aether Shroud can get you out of sticky situations, it seems like this Field Upgrade is effective in specific stations like getting out of the way if you’re low health. It also has a medium recharge time, so you may have to be strategic when using it. 

• Frenzied Guard – Your armor gets repaired and all enemies will attack just you for ten seconds. Plus each time you kill a zombie, your armor gets repaired: This Field upgrade is great for adding breathing room for the squad. When there’s too much going on, a teammate could alleviate the pressure making it easier to fend off enemies. However, it does have a slow recharge time, so I would suggest using it when you can’t fight back as hard. Meaning the best bet to use it would be in the later waves.

• Tesla Storm – Creates lighting that connects other players for 10 seconds, stunning and damaging normal zombies: This is a solid crowd control perk. Just like Frenzied Gaurd, if things get out of hand, pop this upgrade on. Just be careful, as Tesla Storm has a slow recharge time.

• Energy Mine – Make an explosive mine that deals a lot of damage to the zombies that step on it: Since it has a medium recharge time, the Energy Mine could be used at different parts of the match. It helps if you want to keep the pressure at bay during the initial moments of Zombies. I recommend using them as part of your setup plan. Additionally, if other players have used their Field Upgrades, and you still have the Energy Mines, place them to create much-needed space. 

• Frost Blast – First damages, then slows zombies plus anyone else caught in the blast zone: Its medium recharge time, and the fact that it can slow down enemies, means Frost Blast is easily one of the best Field Upgrades you can get. If you can do crowd control and give yourself breathing room, you’ve won half the battle. While it does have a somewhat fast recharge time, it’s best used on the tougher zombies. So use it sparingly. 

• Healing Aura – Heals all players and even in the last stand: I can’t tell you how many times I’ve died in Zombies in situations where having Healing Aura would have kept me in the game. Healing Aura is probably the most important upgrade you can get. It has a slow recharge time, so my advice would be to only use it when you absolutely need to. 

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