It takes one glance at the two games to recognize that there are very few similarities between Call of Duty Zombies and Destiny 2. Aside from their status as first-person shooters, they have little else in common, with everything from their music to the types of gameplay offered within being different. However, regardless of whether players are going on raids or working through a main quest Easter egg, they likely have a powerful gun in-hand, which is where a crossover or tribute becomes viable.
Destiny 2’s exotic weapons come in many forms, and as the years go on, it could become harder for Bungie to come up with unique ideas for them. Looking to other games for inspiration could be a viable approach to keep adding interesting exotics, and even if an official crossover like the one with Assassin’s Creed does not occur, Bungie could still borrow traits from Call of Duty Zombies’ Wonder Weapons to design some interesting gear.
Call of Duty Zombies’ Thundergun in Destiny 2
Though there is already something a bit similar to Call of Duty Zombies’ beloved Wunderwaffe in Destiny 2 thanks to the Cloudstrike, the Thundergun is another early Wonder Weapon that could serve as a memorable addition to the game. For those unfamiliar with the weapon, it debuted in Kino Der Toten before reappearing in other maps like Ascension, Revelations, and Tag Der Toten. The Thundergun fires a massive blast of air that instantly kills any Zombies in its path, wiping out huge hordes with a single shot and launching them into the sky.
In Destiny 2, it would make sense for the Thundergun to either be an Exotic shotgun or launcher, with the latter option making the most sense given its size and power. If each shot is going to decimate a group of Vex Goblins or Hive Thralls, locking it behind heavy ammo is understandable. While it would not be able to launch giant bosses that are far bigger than Guardians, it could at least knock them back or stagger them, allowing for some interesting new strategies.
The CRBR-S in Destiny 2
Though Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War was criticized for its lack of personality, the one map that stood above the rest and truly felt unique was Mauer Der Toten. Not only was the setting terrific and the final boss battle a proper challenge, but players got to wield the CRBR-S, which was essentially three different Wonder Weapons in one. Every so often, a different attachment would drop, with players switching between energy pistol shots and lasers constantly as they gunned down hordes of the undead.
Crafting an exotic that is essentially multiple guns in one would be no easy task, but Bungie has proven that it is willing to think outside the box when it comes to its exotic weaponry. While the functionality of each variant could be the same or different, a fun gameplay loop could be created by letting players create drops of more powerful weapon variants by killing weaker Fallen or Taken in quick succession. A Destiny 2 Catalyst is easy to imagine, too, as it could make weapon drops come more frequently or let a specific version become more common depending on the subclass players have equipped.
One extra bonus of the CRBR-S that could be captured within Destiny 2 is the talking nature of the Wonder Weapon. In Mauer Der Toten, players that acquired the CRBR-S would hear different Zombies characters like Carver speaking, with the voice assigned to the Wonder Weapon being random. This added a bit of extra personality to the weapon and made it feel slightly different each match, so having different voices to pick from for a Destiny 2 variant could be interesting. While the Vanguard would have been perfect at one point of time, the sad death of Zavalla actor Lance Reddick and in-game death of Cayde-6 limit that option. Still, anyone from Drifter to Failsafe could make for a fun weapon voice, which would be the icing on the cake for a CRBR-S-like exotic.
Call of Duty Zombies’ Staffs and Bows in Destiny 2
Some of Call of Duty Zombies’ strongest Wonder Weapons come from two of the most popular maps in the mode’s history, Origins and Der Eisendrache. The former allowed players to wield four elemental staffs in a World War 1 battlefield, while the latter built off the success of this model to give players four elemental bows to play with inside a medieval castle. Though the Ice Staff was the best of its category, and the Storm Bow was superior to all the others in its lineup, all of them were fun to use and served as some of the strongest Wonder Weapons ever released.
Fortunately for Destiny 2, there are two perfect weapon categories for these Wonder Weapons to be adapted, as the elemental bows can keep their existing form while the staffs are classified as glaives, allowing players to shoot out ghostly wolves and miniature volcanos just like they can in Call of Duty Zombies. With how powerful the new Exotic bow Verglas Curve is, and how viable certain glaives have proven to be, Bungie could surely recapture the magic of these two Wonder Weapon sets.
Call of Duty Zombies’ Wave Gun in Destiny 2
While the Wave Gun itself is unlikely for Destiny 2, as the idea of microwaving enemies until they explode seems a bit too violent for the Destiny universe, its unique trait is what should inspire Bungie. While the main form of the Wave gun cooks hordes of Zombies, it also has a secondary mode that sees the weapon split in half. From there, it becomes a dual wield zap gun, functioning completely different from its original form. Destiny 2 could absolutely pull this off with an exotic, letting players wield a sniper-shotgun or sidearm-SMG hybrid that switches forms when players hold down a button.
Call of Duty Zombies’ Baby Gun in Destiny 2
Lastly, there is the most unlikely Wonder Weapon of all for Destiny 2, but one that would undoubtedly be the most fun. The Baby Gun from Call of Duty: Black Ops’ Shangri-La shrinks down enemies and allows players to kick them away, making for an unforgettable way to take down the undead. It was hilarious to see small versions of Napalm Zombies and Shriekers, and it could prove just as entertaining to see tiny, adorable versions of the Cabal. A potential Fusion Rifle or Trace Rifle, shrinking down foes could make them weaker and make their bullets hurt less. Unfortunately, the weapon would be overpowered if it worked on bosses, making it the least viable option despite its entertaining premise.
Though it would feel different to get weapons like the Thundergun and Bows from engrams and missions instead of the Mystery Box or building them in-game, it is easy to picture the weapons themselves working within Destiny 2. If the crossover was official, the quests required to get the weapons could pay tribute to certain Call of Duty Zombies Easter egg steps. If unofficial, Bungie could come up with unique lore for its version of something like the CRBR-S. Given Destiny 2’s sci-fi aesthetic, other guns like the Ray Gun Mark 2 and RAI K-84 would be good fits as well, meaning that there are plenty of options for Zombies-inspired exotic gear.
Destiny 2 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.