Black Ops 6 Zombies timeline, Dark Aether story & setting explained

Black Ops 6 brings back round-based Zombies, and it also ties into the Dark Aether storyline that first started in Black Ops Cold War.

Call of Duty Zombies has a complex timeline that spans over a decade, originating with the Aether storyline. After Richtofen managed to break the malicious cycle the original crew were stuck in, Black Ops Cold War brought a new story for players to sink their teeth into.

With that said, here are all the events and story details you need to know ahead of Black Ops 6 Zombies.

What happened in Cold War Zombies?

The Aether storyline that spanned from World at War to Black Ops 4 ended with the collapse of the multiverse and the banishment of evil into the Dark Aether. Samantha Maxis and Edward Richtofen leave the Aether universe and enter a new one, which is where the Black Ops Cold War and Black Ops 6 story takes place.

This new timeline is known as the Dark Aether story, and it began in Black Ops Cold War. To summarise the events in Cold War Zombies, a CIA-backed faction known as Requiem is tasked with stopping the outbreak while also dealing with Soviet Union rivals – Omega Group.

Omega Group’s lead scientist is Dr. William Peck, who’s in competition with Requiem to find and capture The Forsaken, a dangerous Dark Aether entity. Peck and the Omega group release The Forsaken from the Dark Aether, a grand mistake that sees Peck disassociate himself from the Russian group.

He then helps Requiem build the Aetherium Neutralizer to help capture The Forsaken but is caught in an explosion in the process.

Requiem’s Strike Team led by Grigori Weaver managed to trap The Forsaken with the help of Samantha Maxis, who has been trained to use her Dark Aether abilities that she gained after being trapped in the parallel dimension during the events of Cold War Zombies.

This sees Samantha sacrifice herself, as the only way to trap the Dark Aether entity was by entering the gateway again, trapping her in the Dark Aether.

The Director of Requiem then orders the arrest of the Strike Team and is revealed as none of than Edward Richtofen.

Dark Aether timeline from Cold War to Black Ops 6

• November 13, 1983: Die Maschine – Requiem shut down cyclotron and close rift.
• January 18, 1984: Apocalypse –  Dark Aether breach in Laos cleaned up by Omega task force led by Ravenov.
• June 15, 1984: Firebase Z – Requiem Strike Team get Samantha out of Dark Aether.
• February 2, 1985: Mauer Der Toten – Requiem defeat Valentina and Maxis saves the Strike Team and Raptor One.
• June 4, 1985: Forsaken – Requiem and Samantha Maxis trap The Forsaken, closing all dimensional breaches across the globe. Maixs sacrifices herself to weak The Forsaken and locked away in the Dark Aether. Director of Requiem revealed as Edward Richtofen, who then terminates Requiem and orders the arrest of all senior members, including the Strike Team.
• Date unknown, 1990: Peck travels to Japan and rents a boat to head to the prison island known as Terminus.
• 1991: Liberty Falls & Terminus – William Peck, accompanied by Maya Aguinaldo, free Weaver, Dr. Grey, Carver, Raptor One, and Oskar Strauss who are locked up in Terminus to hunt and kill Richtofen. Meanwhile, an outbreak has occurred in Liberty Falls, a West Virginian town in USA.

Black Ops 6 Zombies timeline explained

Black Ops 6 Zombies continues the Dark Aether storyline, continuing on from Cold War with the Requiem Strike team locked up in Terminus, which is one of the launch maps for the game. The events take place at the same time as the BO6 campaign, in 1991.

Dr. William Peck has surprisingly survived the explosion from Cold War’s ending and located the arrested Requiem members on the prison island in the Pacific Ocean. Peck aims to help them escape and unite under a common goal – to kill Edward Richtofen, who has angered them all.

Although it’s not officially been confirmed, the theory is that Samantha Maxis and Grigori Weaver were tasked with killing Edward Richtofen by the CIA before the events of Cold War Zombies. This led to the accidental deaths of Richtofen’s wife and son, hence his betrayal of them and order to lock Weaver and the rest of the Strike Team away.

With extensive knowledge of Zombies and the Dark Aether, perhaps Richtofen is aiming to bring his wife and son back through the parallel dimension, which could spark a dramatic return for Samantha Maxis who’s currently trapped there.

Once Black Ops 6 is released, we’ll know more about the story and where things will go. We’ll find out even more about Black Ops 6 during CoD Next, as more details regarding the Liberty Falls map.