Vanguard Zombies update “Day 115”: Round-based Shi No Numa, new Support weapons, & more

Joseph Pascoulis
vanguard zombies

Vanguard Zombies will be getting a new update on January 11 in anticipation for “Day 115,” which looks to bring some exciting new content for the mode.

In celebration of January 15, which Treyarch and fans are calling 115 Day, the devs are putting out a pretty significant update for Vanguard Season 1 Zombies just prior to the special date.

Those who had hoped the classic survival mode would return just might be in for a treat, as the update sees the return of Shi No Numa. Further, the update will also bring various changes to Artifacts, Pack-a-Punch, and more.

Here are all the details.

Vanguard Zombies “Day 115” update release date

vanguard zombies

The Vanguard Zombies “Day 115” mid-season update will be released at 9 PM PT Jan. 11 / 12 AM ET Jan. 12 / 5 PM GMT Jan 12.

This update is in celebration of January 15 or “Day 115,” which is the number of the element that started the Zombies lore all the way back in World at War.

With lots of content coming for Vanguard Zombies, players will be most excited to hear that this lore-inspired “Day 115” update will also be bringing back a classic way to play on a familiar reimagined map.

Here are the details surrounding the return of Call of Duty: World at War’s Shi No Numa Zombies map.

Round-based Shi No Numa

shi no numa

To add to the nostalgia of Day 115, players will get to revisit Shi No Numa in a new Objective called “Void.” This new objective will be available through unlocking access to Von List’s Office and finding a new portal.

Go through the portal to travel to Shi No Numa, where Treyarch states “you’ll advance through rounds by defeating increasingly difficult endless waves of the undead, just like in traditional Zombies from previous games.”

In this Objective, players will be able to clear wave after wave, advancing through rounds while using the Pack-a-Punch machine to upgrade their weapons. After completing three rounds, players are given the choice to either Flee or Survive. Choosing to survive will mean you’ll earn 5,000 bonus Essence every three rounds you complete, with unique rewards after surviving 12 or more.

Further, “Once the portal to the Void has been opened, it will never close during your match. When you’re ready to head back to Stalingrad to upgrade your Perks and Covenants, you can leave after surviving 3 rounds and return at any time.”

Tome of Rituals

vanguard zombies tome of rituals

You’ll earn a Sacrificial Heart for every three rounds you manage to survive in the Void, which can be spent back in Stalingrad to buff your Dark Aether powers. The new Tome of Rituals in Stalingrad is exactly where players can do that.

Invest your Sacrificial Hearts at the Tome of Rituals to unlock the following upgrades during a match:

Frost Blast

  • Tier I – Freezes normal and Special enemies for 3 seconds once they have been in the Frost Blast zone for 0.5 second.
  • Tier II – Increases the Frost Blast radius by 100%.
  • Tier III – Increases the number of charges from 1 to 3.
  • Tier IV – Frozen normal enemies are insta-killed when damaged.

Energy Mine

  • Tier I – Stuns normal and Special enemies hit by Energy Mine for 3 seconds.
  • Tier II – Explodes 3 times in a row with a 0.75 second delay between explosions.
  • Tier III – Increases the number of charges from 1 to 3.
  • Tier IV – Increases the explosion radius by 66%.

Aether Shroud

  • Tier I – Automatically reload weapons when activated.
  • Tier II – Deal 500% bonus melee damage while active.
  • Tier III – Gain 50% move speed while active. Duration extended from 5 seconds to 8 seconds.
  • Tier IV – Increases the number of charges from 1 to 2.

Ring of Fire

  • Tier I – Normal enemies inside the ring take damage equal to 2% of their max HP every second.
  • Tier II – Players within the ring use ammo from stock.
  • Tier III – Staying within the ring for up to 10 seconds increases the duration from 15 seconds to 20 seconds.
  • Tier IV – Staying within the ring for up to 10 seconds increases your damage bonus from +50% to +75%.

New Pack-a-Punch Camos

operator with pack a punched weapon

This update brings another classic Zombies feature to Vanguard: three new camos will now be available at the Pack-a-Punch machine.

Each time you upgrade your weapon of choice at the Pack-a-Punch, it will be wrapped in a unique camo to visually set it apart from the weapon’s base version. Your camo will change in appearance with each new Pack-a-Punch upgrade up to Tier III, and pre-Packed loot weapons will also display these new camos once you pick them up from the Mystery Box or defeated Sturmkreigers.

New Support weapons

deathmachine in vanguard zombies

Killstreak weapons are joining the Support menu at the Crafting Table. When you need some extra firepower against the undead or you find yourself cornered in the Void, bring out the big guns and cause some carnage.

Once you’ve collected enough Salvage, you’ll be able to build the explosive Warmachine or the devastating Deathmachine at the Crafting Table.

New Mystery Box weapons

vanguard operator with zombies behind

The Day 115 update for Vanguard Zombies sees new items added to the Mystery Box. These include the Combat Shield, Katana, and brand-new Welgun SMG. However, to unlock the Katana and Welgun SMG players will need to complete the following challenges in the new update:

  • Katana: In Zombies, get 5 rapid kills with a Melee weapon during 50 different Portal Objectives.
  • Welgun SMG: In Zombies, get 5 rapid Critical Kills with an SMG during 50 different Portal Objectives.

As for the Combat Shield, it will mitigate a portion of damage from the direction you’re facing when it’s raised, and protect your back from partial rear damage when it’s stowed as an added bonus. The shield can’t break, but you’ll still take some damage when using it, so you’ll need to stay on your toes.

Dedicated server pause

In Black Ops Cold War, players were able to pause the game effortlessly, allowing them to take a break while retaining progress. Unfortunately, as Treyarch has stated in their latest blog, implementing this feature has “taken longer” than expected.

Having said that, they have confirmed that they are working hard at getting the feature implemented into Zombies for an “upcoming update.”

Extended Double-Double Weekend

vanguard operators fighting zombies

In the spirit of 115 Day, Treyarch has decided to kick off a four-day Double-Double Weekend in Black Ops Cold War starting this Friday at 10 AM PT Jan. 14 through 10 AM PT Tuesday, Jan. 18! This includes Double XP and Double Weapon XP in Zombies and will run alongside an extended 2XP weekend in Vanguard and Warzone as well.


That’s all for the Vanguard Zombies “Day 115” mid-season update. For more, check out Vanguard’s most popular weapons.

Image Credits: Activision / Treyarch / Sledgehammer Games

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About The Author

Joseph is a Senior Writer at CharlieIntel specializing in shooters - Call of Duty, Apex Legends, Fortnite, and Overwatch. He also enjoys Souls-likes, the Resident Evil franchise, and Tekken. After writing for KeenGamer, he joined CharlieIntel in 2021. If Joseph isn't writing about games, then he's most likely playing them. You can contact him at [email protected].