Understanding GobbleGums in Black Ops 6 Zombies: An Explanation of the “Pay to Win” Mechanic

Black Ops 6 brings back the Zombies mode and reintroduces the GobbleGums system, which hasn’t been featured since Black Ops 3.

Initially launched in Black Ops 3, GobbleGums faced criticism for being expensive, often compelling players to invest in-game currency or grind for specific effects. Although players can now earn GobbleGums for free in Black Ops 6, discussions around pay-to-win mechanics resurfaced when developers announced that these items can also be purchased.

Understanding GobbleGums

GobbleGums act as in-game consumables that provide temporary power-ups. You can obtain them from special Mr. Peeks GobbleGum Machines located throughout the Zombies maps.

Before each match, you can prepare a selection of five different GobbleGums in your loadout. Once the game starts and you encounter a GobbleGum Machine, you can use it to randomly receive one of your selected GobbleGums at no charge.

During gameplay, you can have a maximum of three distinct GobbleGums at any time and can activate any one of them whenever you choose. Keep in mind that each GobbleGum is single-use, but you can continually refill your supply from GobbleGum Machines.

After you interact with the machine to get your GobbleGum, it will enter a cooldown period before you can access another one.

GobbleGum machine in Black Ops 6 — Activision

You can collect GobbleGums from a Mr. Peeks machine.

GobbleGum Rarities and Their Effects

Rarity	GobbleGum	Effect
Rare	Shields Up	Your armor is doubled for three minutes.
Rare	KillJoy	Spawns an Insta-Kill Power-Up.
Rare	Stock Option	Uses ammo from your stockpile instead of your magazine for one minute.
Rare	Anywhere But Here	Instantly teleports you to a random location, creating a concussive blast that pushes away nearby zombies.
Rare	Cache Back	A Max Ammo Power-Up appears.
Rare	Temporal Gift	The next Power-Up you acquire will last longer.
Rare	Arsenal Accelerator	Your Field Upgrade gains charge quicker for five minutes.
Epic	Nowhere But There!	Teleports you to a random downed ally, instantly reviving nearby teammates.
Epic	Who’s Keeping Score?	Spawns a Double Points Power-Up.
Epic	Profit Sharing	Nearby players share essence earned, creating a reciprocal bonus.
Epic	Respin Cycle	Allows you to reroll the Mystery Box after use, guaranteeing another weapon of equal or higher rarity.
Epic	Exit Strategy	Initiates an exfil vote immediately while reducing the number of zombies during exfil.
Epic	Free Fire	Firing your weapons consumes no ammo for the next 60 seconds.
Epic	Soda Fountain	Your next Perk purchase grants an extra random Perk.
Legendary	Idle Eyes	Zombies ignore players and become immobile for 30 seconds.
Legendary	Wall Power	Your next wall purchase will come Pack-A-Punched.
Legendary	Crate Power	The next weapon obtained from the Mystery Box will be Pack-A-Punched.
Legendary	On the House	A Perk Can Power-Up will spawn.
Legendary	Immolation Liquidation	A Fire Sale Power-Up appears.
Legendary	Phoenix Up	Revives all teammates while preserving their perks.
Legendary	Wall-to-Wall Clearance	Wall purchases only cost 10 Essence.
Ultra	Alcoholic	Grants access to all Perk-a-Colas available in the game.
Ultra	Wonderbar!	The next weapon obtained from the Mystery Box will be a Wonder Weapon.
Ultra	Near Death Experience	You can revive or be revived just by being close to other players for three minutes, with revived players retaining their perks.
Ultra	Hidden Power	Your currently equipped weapon is upgraded to Legendary rarity.
Ultra	Reign Drops	All standard Power-Ups will spawn simultaneously.
Whimsical	Indiegestion	Every zombie you kill will experience extreme flatulence.
Whimsical	Newtonian Negation	Zombies killed will float backward for three minutes.

Note that the Whimsical GobbleGums are designed for humor and do not offer any tactical advantages in the game.

Unlocking GobbleGums

You can acquire GobbleGums by playing Zombies in Black Ops 6 and purchasing them in the in-game store.

Players can receive a random GobbleGum after several rounds and will be notified of their acquisition before the next round starts. However, if you prefer quicker access, you can buy more directly from the store.

Additionally, if you purchase the Vault Edition of Black Ops 6, you’ll receive a special GobbleGum Pack, providing you with a head start in your matches.

Black Ops 6 character holding GobbleGum — Activision

Controversy Surrounding GobbleGums

Originally, many believed that GobbleGums would only be obtainable through gameplay, leading to discontent when Treyarch revealed in an October 17 blog post that they could also be acquired via microtransaction purchases.

The ability to pay for advantages in Zombies has sparked concerns about the mode becoming “pay to win,” as players might spend real money to simplify their experience.

It’s important to note that Zombies is a Player versus Environment mode, meaning that those who pay won’t gain a competitive edge against others directly, yet the gameplay will remain substantially easier for those who choose to purchase GobbleGums. Previously, players in Black Ops 3 argued that the availability of GobbleGums made public lobbies excessively simple.

In Black Ops 3, GobbleGums were obtained by spending Liquid Divinium, which players could earn through gameplay but also purchase using CoD Points, thereby establishing a gambling-like mechanic with no guaranteed outcomes.

The specifics of how the system will function in Black Ops 6 remain unclear; however, developers have confirmed that “Additional GobbleGums are earned in various ways, including gameplay achievements and purchases from the Store.”

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