Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare gets a bad rap. Most people remember it for the "dislike" record on YouTube or the jetpacks that everyone suddenly decided they hated in 2016. But if you actually played the game, you know the Zombies mode was a fever dream of pure creativity. Nowhere is that more obvious than in Attack of the Radioactive Thing. This map is absolutely unhinged. It’s a 1950s creature feature brought to life, complete with a giant radioactive monster looming over a sunny beach town.
Honestly, it's weird. You’re playing as characters trapped in a movie directed by a literal devil-figure named Willard Wyler. You’ve got Elvira—yes, the Mistress of the Dark, Cassandra Peterson herself—hanging out in a DJ booth. It’s bright. It’s colorful. It’s the total opposite of the gritty, mud-brown trenches of Treyarch’s Origins. And yet, beneath that campy exterior is one of the most mechanically complex and frustratingly brilliant maps in the history of the franchise.
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Setting the Scene in 1950s Nowhere
The map takes place in a coastal town in the 1950s. Think The Creature from the Black Lagoon meets The Hills Have Eyes. You start off in a black-and-white world, which is a neat gimmick that eventually fades into technicolor once you turn on the power. It captures that mid-century aesthetic perfectly. From the roadside diners to the military outposts, the detail is incredible.
But you aren't just here to look at the scenery. You’re being hunted by radioactive zombies and these annoying "Croog" creatures that look like a mix between a human and a mutant frog. It's chaotic. The map is huge, which is both a blessing and a curse. You have tons of space to run, but if you go down on the other side of the map from your teammates, you're basically toast. There’s no quick way to get around unless you've mastered the teleporters.
The Chemistry Problem (Yes, Actual Chemistry)
We need to talk about the elephant in the room: the Easter Egg. In most Zombies maps, the main quest involves shooting things in a specific order or finding hidden objects. In Attack of the Radioactive Thing, the Easter Egg involves actual high school-level chemistry. I'm not kidding. You have to find chemical ingredients scattered around the map—things like Methylbenzene, Formaldehyde, and Acetaldehyde—and combine them in a lab.
But here’s the kicker. The recipe changes every single game.
You have to look at a monitor in the back of the supermarket to find a specific number. Then you have to find Elvira's spellbook. Then you have to check various chalkboards around the map to find a mathematical formula. You’re literally doing math. You’re calculating molecular weights. If you mess up the recipe and interact with the chemistry station, the whole thing explodes and you might just die. It’s polarizing. Some people love the complexity; others just wanted to shoot zombies and felt like they were back in a chemistry final they didn't study for.
Elvira and the Celeb Factor
One of the coolest things Infinite Warfare did was bringing in horror icons. Having Elvira in the map isn't just a cameo. She’s your guide. You do a mini-quest to get her a piece of a mirror, and then she can actually join you on the field for a bit. She’s got a custom spellbook and uses her own unique animations. It’s that kind of effort that makes Attack of the Radioactive Thing stand out. It wasn't just a reskin of a generic military base. It felt like a love letter to a very specific era of B-movie horror.
Compare this to modern Zombies experiences. Lately, things have felt a bit... sterilized? In 2024 and 2025, we've seen a shift toward "Dark Aether" themes that are very serious. There’s a lot of purple crystals and talk about dimensional breaches. It’s fine, but it lacks the soul of a map where you’re literally fighting a giant green monster while a 1950s starlet cracks jokes about your aim.
The Boss Fight vs. The Thing
The climax of the map is a confrontation with the "Thing" itself. It’s a massive, multi-stage boss fight that takes place on the beach. You’re dodging radioactive beams, fighting waves of enemies, and eventually, you have to jump inside the monster’s mouth to deliver a bomb. It’s cinematic in a way that few Call of Duty maps are.
It’s also incredibly difficult. The final step involves a "Simon Says" style memory game on a nuclear bomb. If you've ever played the "Chemical" step and then failed at the very end because you forgot which button to press on the bomb, you know a very specific kind of pain. It’s a high-stakes finale that rewards precision and communication. You can't just "wing it" here.
Why It Still Matters
So, why are people still talking about this map years later? It’s because it took risks. It didn’t care about being "tactical." It cared about being a movie. Every time you load into Attack of the Radioactive Thing, you’re reminded of a time when the developers were allowed to be completely absurd.
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If you're going back to play it now, keep these things in mind:
- The M.A.D. Wonder Weapon is a bit of a grind to upgrade, but it’s essential for high rounds. Don't ignore the crank locations.
- Change your settings if the black-and-white filter at the start bothers your eyes. You can actually turn the power on pretty quickly if you know the route through the market.
- Use a guide for the chemistry. Seriously. Unless you have a PhD or a lot of free time, the "Calculator" websites made by the community are your best friend. Don't try to raw-dog the math.
- Watch the Croogs. They are faster than you think and can end a solo run in seconds if you get trapped in the narrow hallways near the power station.
The map represents a peak in "Quest-style" Zombies design. While the community eventually moved toward the more accessible Outbreak or MWZ styles, there is a core group of players who miss the days of complex, atmospheric, and weirdly educational maps like this one. It’s not perfect. The chemistry step is probably too much for a casual Friday night session. But it’s memorable. And in a sea of generic shooters, being memorable is the most important thing a game can be.
If you haven't revisited the Willard Wyler films lately, give this one a shot. Grab a teammate who is good at math, find Elvira, and try not to get stepped on by a radioactive giant. It's a gaming experience you won't find anywhere else.
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Actionable Tips for New Players
- Prioritize the Cleaver: You can find a meat cleaver in the shark at the market. It's a one-hit kill for a long time and helps you save points in the early rounds.
- Learn the "Mana" System: Elvira can be summoned, but you need to fill her vial. Do this early so you have her as a "get out of jail free" card during the mid-round chaos.
- Check the Colors: Pay attention to the color of the liquid in the vials during the chemistry step. If it looks off, it is off. Double-check your numbers before you commit to the mix.
- Save the Last Zombie: This is an old-school rule, but it's vital here. You cannot do the chemistry math while being chased by a full horde. It's impossible.
The legacy of Infinite Warfare Zombies lives on through these maps. While the "jetpack era" might be over, the creativity of Attack of the Radioactive Thing remains a high-water mark for what's possible when developers stop playing it safe and start getting weird.