- INTRODUCTION
- SETTING THE STAGE
- ONLY THE CURSED PROVIDE...
- RELIC ROULETTE
- GENERAL GUIDELINES
- BANS & RESTRICTIONS
- GOBBLEGUMS
- THE PRIZE POOL
- SCORING & LEADERBOARDS
- SUBMISSIONS
- CLOSING STATEMENTS
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to my first ever 'Speedrun Gauntlet.' I've wanted to create a competitive event within Call of Duty: Zombies for quite some time, but I've never really had the opportunity to do it. I believe now is the perfect time, and what better way to begin than with a community-wide speedrun competition. No sign-ups, no prior registration, just you and your most impeccable gaming capabilities.
SETTING THE STAGE
With the release of 'Totenreich' just over a week ago, what better place to start the first ever Speedrun Gauntlet than the forgotten, icy village of Eidskallen. Community sentiment around 'Totenreich' has been extremely positive, even with those not necessarily fond of Modern Zombies mechanics. Between its classic setting, nostalgic callbacks, and awe-inspiring visuals, Totenreich has been quickly hailed amongst the community as one of the best Zombies maps in nearly a decade. My goal with this 'Speedrun Gauntlet' is to create the most challenging, yet most fulfilling competition I can possibly make for the whole community. This isn't ZWC, nor is it EE4C, but those are unforgettable events within the Zombies Community's long and complex history - one of which I personally participated in - I wanted to reflect upon when creating the 'Speedrun Gauntlet.'
ONLY THE CURSED PROVIDE...
This Gauntlet won't be as easy as you think. First off, this competition will be taking place within Cursed mode. Secondly, you need to have specific relics across all four released maps as of May 2026, which means you must have completed all four Main Quests in Standard difficulty to fully participate. That includes...
- Ashes of the Damned
- Astra Malorum
- Paradox Junction
- Totenreich
If you haven't completed any one of these four Main Quests yet, I strongly recommend searching for an in-depth guide from either MrRoflWaffles, CodeNamePizza, or other notable Zombies YouTubers before you can properly take part in this competition.
RELIC ROULETTE
As of 'Totenreich' being released, there are currently 24 unique relics to choose from. They range from something as simple as no Mystery Box being active, all the way to completely disabling all Major and Minor Augments from your match. At the time of this blog being posted, 23/24 relics have been discovered. Fortunately, the only undiscovered relic (Wrestling Belt) will have no effect on this competition, so this is the perfect time to hop in to earn whatever missing relics you need for this Gauntlet. For this first rendition of the Speedrun Gauntlet, you will need 10 relics. They are listed as followed, alongside their effects...
- Teddy Bear (Round start delay is cut down by 75%)
- Dragon Wings (Normal Power-Up spawns are disabled)
- Gong (Field Upgrade starts charged, but can only be charged by full power)
- Seed (No Mystery Box)
- Rocket (No Score Streaks)
- Focusing Stone (No Self-Revive kits)
- Spider Fang (Perk costs at machines never decrease)
- Elephant (Health regen delay is increased)
- Bus (Enemy health regenerates)
- Spork (Enemies deal double damage)
If you need quick and easy guides for unlocking these specific - or all - relics, I would highly suggest checking out ZoneX's YouTube channel. I personally selected these relics to fit Totenreich's Main Quest and overall map flow. With the lack of special enemies (with the exception of the Necropincer), I felt it was important to include, for example, the Bus relic to increase the danger of what enemies are present, and keep you on top of taking them out properly. And unlike the prior 3 maps (Ashes of the Damned, Astra Malorum, Paradox Junction), the Spork Relic works extremely well in Totenreich's bossfight; Dravakar. How do I know this? Well, it's because I've already done it myself. I wouldn't have given you this list of relics if I hadn't done this challenge myself. Can you?
GENERAL GUIDELINES
We've got the map setting locked, we've got the relics locked, it's time we have a chat about the rules. To minimize the amount of RNG involved and maximize your skills, I've created a vast set of rules you must follow to validate your runs...
- Your timer will begin as soon as you gain control of your character. Your timer will end once Dravakar's health bar disappears.
- Pausing your game does NOT pause the timer. All games must be timed with RTA (Real-Time Attack).
- High Contrast Mode is NOT ALLOWED.
- You may NOT grab any Mister Peeks eggs that spawn across Totenreich (Bronze, Silver, & Gold Eggs).
- You may NOT trigger any relic trials mid-match to counter active relics (example: you cannot enter a trial to craft a self-revive with the Focusing Stone relic active).
- TEDD Tasks are NOT allowed.
- You may NOT grab any Pack-A-Punch Crystals or Aether Tools that drop from the Die Glocke score streak.
- Shooting free power-ups is allowed, but you may NOT shoot the free Fire Sale power-up.
- All Unique Helmet Side Quests are NOT allowed (you can't Gnome out, sorry about that).
- You may NOT use Olaf's Cod Cranker to fish out extra ARC-XDs, Die Glockes, Wunderbarrages, or Disciple Injections. If you fail any of these steps in the Main Quest with the free score streaks provided for you, you must reset your run.
- You may NOT grab any power-ups within Tyr's head by doing the 'kill coordinate' side quest. Getting kills in a specified coordinate is inevitable, but please avoid the power-ups you get from within Tyr's head.
- You must stay within the Gobblegum limit I have given you (more infomation on them can be found in the 'Gobblegums' section).
I will manually review every submission that cracks the top 5 to ensure these rules are followed. If any of these rules are broken, I will automatically invalidate your run and you must go again. Repeat offenses may disqualify you from this competition, and potential future competitions, entirely. I have the full right to withhold any winnings if I suspect unfair play is in effect. This is a community challenge open to everyone, but I also want it to be fair and honest.
BANS & RESTRICTIONS
I have curated a list of Augments and Equipment to be banned for this Speedrun Gauntlet. This list was created by me after my completion of this challenge. They are listed as followed...
- Mask of Salvation (Wisp Tea)
- Mask of Benevolence (Wisp Tea)
- Free Throw (Mule Kick)
- Multi-Pack (Mule Kick)
- Kick Back (Mule Kick)
- Iron Core (Juggernog)
- Shake It Off (Juggernog)
- Prestidigitation (Speed Cola)
- Equivalent Exchange (Quick Revive)
- Imperil Peach (Elemental Pop)
- Pineapple Blast (Elemental Pop)
- Smell of Death (Vulture-Aid)
- Picky Eater (Vulture-Aid)
- Barista Brawl (Melee Macchiato)
- Double Whammy (PhD Flopper)
- Stuntman (PhD Flopper)
- Sixth Sense (Death Perception)
- Haywire (Tesla Storm)
- All Tyr Secret Room Wall Weapons & Equipment found in them are banned.
- Stim Shots are banned.
- Aether Shroud is banned.
- Shadow SK Shotgun Attachment ONLY on Dravakar's Final Stand is banned. Video footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZ1mbH_6NkU
My goal with this ban list is to remove as much advantageous RNG as possible, remove any cheese-strategies for high rounds, and greatly increase the skill-gap for all players. I've also specifically removed Haywire from Tesla Storm so players cannot cheese the Necropincer mini-boss during the Disciple Injection step of the Main Quest. Stim Shots and Aether Shroud are the only two items that have been fully banned. Stim Shots completely negate the Elephant Relic with the click of a button, while Aether Shroud is a get out of jail free card I don't want present in any form. I'm testing you on all levels. Don't disappoint me.
GOBBLEGUMS
With Cursed, the point system has been reverted back to its classic form, with each hit marker giving you 10 points, and kills giving you 50, 60, 70, 100, and 130 points (depending on where you do the killing). This isn't the case for Pack-A-Punch, however. Normally, it'd cost a measly 5,000 points to upgrade your weapon, but with Cursed Mode, Pack-A-Punch costs, in order, 10,000 points for Tier I, 25,000 points for Tier II, 50,000 points for Tier III, and even 100,000 points for Tier IV. This doesn't even account for the cost of Armor, with it costing, in ascending order, 4,000 points for two plates, 10,000 points for three plates, then 45,000 points for Golden Armor. To combat this, I am giving you the opportunity to use one gum pack throughout your run...
- Wall Power (The next weapon purchased off a wall becomes Pack-A-Punched)
- Cache Back (Activates a Max Ammo Power-Up)
- Dead Drop (Drop rates of Salvage and Equipment are greatly increased)
- Who's Keeping Score (Activates a Double Points Power-Up)
- Temporal Gift (The next time-based Power-Up you activate lasts longer)
However, to balance out the effectiveness of these gums late-game, as well as not completely destroying your gum stocks, I am adding a small restriction to the quantity of gobblegums you can use per match. You may only use each of these gobblegums no more than TWICE in a single match. Any more will automatically disqualify your run. You also have the option to use them once, or you can choose to not use any at all. The choice is yours. And remember, free power-ups linger across Totenreich. Use them wisely. Except the Fire Sale, I'll find you if you use it.
THE PRIZE POOL
It's not a proper competition without everyone's favorite thing; the prize pool! It's what gives events like this life, and gives everyone a common goal to strive for. I want to make a statement with this Speedrun Gauntlet, and give players like you a reason to grind towards perfection. Speedruns have become a main-stream element in the zombies content cycle with Black Ops 7, and this, I believe, is the next step of its evolution: community-wide competition hosted by Speedrunners who understand the sandbox at an elite level. Anyway, enough exposition, it's time to unveil the $2000 prize pool...
- 1st Place: $1000 (and a video with me).
- 2nd Place: $500
- 3rd Place: $250
- 4th Place: $150
- 5th Place: $100
If you are a top 5 winner, you will need to provide me a source of payment, whether that is through PayPal or Venmo. If you don't have access to either, we will work out another way together. Regardless, if you rank in the top 5 by the end of this competition, you will get the money. You have my word.
SCORING & LEADERBOARDS
Completing the run is only half of the goal. This is a "Speedrun" Gauntlet, after all. Your positioning will be based on how fast you complete the Totenreich Main Quest with every rule and restriction we have gone over throughout the course of this blog. It's very simple: the faster your time, the higher your position. Lowest time by the end of the competition takes home the $1000. The full leaderboards can be found here on CODZombiesTracker. You must first create a free CODZombiesTracker account in order to submit your games. Huge shoutout to Raymie, Raspperz, and the entire CODZombiesTracker team for this fantastic opportunity to provide leaderboards for you all! Leaderboards will be updated over the course of the entire competition. You can find times as they are submitted. All runs will be reviewed.
SUBMISSIONS
As I stated before, submit your completed runs through CODZombiesTracker, or through my Discord Server by using the "#gauntlet-submissions" channel. I will also ask that you provide both your relic menu and list of Augments before the run starts as to verify you have followed the rules properly. Please also use #SpeedrunGauntlet in your video's description to formally submit your run to make it easier for me to find on YouTube as needed. You can submit as many runs as you wish, so long as they're PBs and not slower times than you've previously sent in. IMPORTANT: If you are submitting a top 5 time, YOU MUST ALSO SEND IN YOUR PROOF OF RESETS! Since these top 5 spots will win a cash prize, I must also receive your proof of resets to fully verify you are not cheating, splicing, or using any other exploitation as a means to jeopardize this competition. I may also get in contact with high ranking CODTracker and/or ZWR staff, who are also prominent speedrunners and high rounders in the community to help verify that these runs are legitimate and follow all the rules within this blog.
CLOSING STATEMENTS
So now you're all caught up on the first ever 'Speedrun Gauntlet.' Thank you all for reading through and hopefully you now have a better understanding of what the objective is, what's at stake, and all that smooth jazz. But, I'm forgetting one vital detail... when exactly does this competition begin? The Speedrun Gauntlet will officially begin on May 16 and end June 16. This will give you all one week from today (May 9) to complete any Main Quests you still need to do, unlock any missing relics, or both. And if you want to get some practice runs in, this will be your chance to do so. Once May 16 hits, you may begin submitting your completed runs. And I can't believe I have to say this, but any practice run that takes place before May 16 will not count on the official leaderboard. With all that said, best of luck to all of you. Dravakar stands ready for your arrival. Kingman This event is not sponsored by Treyarch, Activision, or anyone involved with the Call of Duty brand. Alll cash-prize winnings come directly from my pocket.