You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here
Looking for perks in MW3 Zombies? These overpowered buffs from the franchise are back in Modern Warfare 3. Perks let you mow through hordes like blades of grass.
And while earlier CoD titles took your perks away when you get knocked down, MW3 changes that. Get revived and you’ll still be an unstoppable killing machine. If you’re finding the hordes challenging, check out our MW3 Zombies tips and tricks. This will help you progress along the MW3 Zombies Act 1 missions.
List of perks in MW3 Zombies explained
Perks can be purchased at vending machines scattered across the MW3 Zombies map. You can also find them in loot caches and enemy drops. While Perk machine locations remain the same, they offer different perks on each playthrough. Think of them like slots machines. Some mission rewards also offer these cans.
Perks don’t make you invincible
While you might not have to be as careful as before, you can still die from a zombie or mercenary while having perks. Dying takes active perks away from you.
Below is our list of all the perks in MW3 zombies:
- Deadshot Daiquiri – Aiming down your sight focuses on critical hit locations automatically. You also deal increased critical damage against enemies. It’s perfect for that pesky mercenary convoy in MW3 Zombies.
- Death Perception – Enemies, chests, resources, and other items are marked with a red outline. They are also visible through walls and objects. If you’re obsessed with loot and finding exotic gear, this is the drink for you.
- Elemental Pop – Every bullet you fire has a chance to gain a random Ammo Mod effect—Brain Rot, Cyro Freeze, Dead Wire, Napalm Burst, or Shatter Blast. As someone who pushes his luck, I’d pick this up in a heartbeat.
- Jugger-Nog – Increases maximum health. But you’ll still have to be careful in higher threat levels.
- PHD Flopper – You gain immunity from AOE damage from weapons and fall damage when diving. And when you dive to prone, it results in an explosion. The higher the fall, the larger the explosion. Start finding tall buildings to sweep entire hordes off the map.
- Quick Revive – Reduce health regeneration delay by 50 percent so that you’re back in combat quicker. Also, reviving allies is 50 percent quicker with this can.
- Speed Cola – A faster reload time and re-plating armor more quickly are benefits best felt right as a zombie rips through your armor. Being able to relate armor faster enhances survivability.
- Stamin-Up – Offered as a reward in some missions, this can offers an increased run and sprint speed.
- Tombstone Soda – I wish this was a default game mechanic. Dying after drinking this creates a tombstone stash with your backpack inventory. You’ll have the chance to go and pick it up next time.
Best MW3 Zombies perks tier list
Now that you know what each perk does, here’s our tier list based on our experience with the Zombies mode.
Tier | Perk |
S-Tier | Stamin-Up, Deadshot Daquiri, and Speed Cola |
A-Tier | Quick Revive and Jugger-Nog |
B-Tier | Death Perception, Elemental Pop, and Tombstone Soda |
C-Tier | PHD Flopper |
Here’s how we ranked all of MW3 Zombies’ nine tiers. We picked these based on how effective they were in helping us survive the zombie onslaught. Note that you’ll also be going up against mercenaries who have weapons and can be armored.
S-Tier picks for the best perks
Stamin-Up was an easy S-tier pick as movement is one of the biggest pillars of Call of Duty itself, especially Zombies. While the game has open spaces, you do get into tight corridors while clearing strongholds for reward caches. This is where an enhanced speed shines. Speed Cola ties into the same effect, with a rapid reload for offense and quick armor refresh as a defensive bonus.
Leaning into this need for speed means that we also prioritize the Deadshot Daquiri’s focus on critical hits. Hitting enemies at a critical location lets you whittle them down without losing too much ammo. Pairing these with Ammo Mods like Cryo Freeze let you pack some serious heat. To create these, here’s where you can find Schematics in MW3 Zombies.
A-Tier options for solid perks
While health is also essential in Zombies, being able to regenerate it makes it less of a concern. Armor plates are also a sponge against surprise attacks. So once movement is taken care of, Quick Revive lets you get yourself or your squadmates back in action quickly. Reducing health regeneration delay time is another nice bonus. And for a massive health boost, Jugger-Nog is great. It lets you enter dangerous zones with a little less fear.
B-Tier options that are reliable perks
These options are a mixed bag. Like I mentioned, I like Elemental Pop solely for the chance of special effects. While some players are into this, others may prefer the simpler route of just using Ammo Mods. Death Perception is another useful tool but only if you’re having a hard time spotting cysts in Aether Nests or loot caches. Usually, they’re fairly visible.
As for Tombstone Soda, it helped me only when I tackled high-threat areas as the starting stages are usually simple enough to leave. And if you die in a dangerous situation, you’re gonna have to survive the same thing without your old gear in order to retrieve it. The next game might not be as favorable with Wonder Weapons or item drops of poor rarity, making it an uphill battle with only a small chance of success.
C-Tier options for perks that aren’t worth the effort
I might get some flak for this but PHD Flopper is too situational for most players to avidly hunt and find useful. Fall damage isn’t much of an issue in Call of Duty games so immunity is a moot point. As for the explosive damage from diving, this makes you reliant on that sort of playstyle. Diving to prone triggers these attacks so it’ll quickly become a knee-jerk reaction. It isn’t all-powerful in high-threat areas unless you’re constantly jumping from heights for this area-of-effect damage.
That covers all the perks in MW3 Zombies. Use these to gain an upper hand against the mode’s zombies and mercenaries. Once you get enough loot, here’s how to exfil in MW3 Zombies. Assault rifle fans should consider this MCW loadout in MW3 if you’re considering stepping up your kills in multiplayer. Try these cans out on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
How many perks are there in MW3 Zombies?
There are nine perks in the latest Zombies mode in Modern Warfare 3.
Can you get perks for free in MW3 Zombies?
Perform specific actions at certain locations and you can get free perks from Reward Rifts in Zombies mode.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 (2023)
- Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series S/X, Xbox Series X
- Genre(s): Action, Shooter