Lighthouse is the second map to be added to Michael's Zombies, released on March 20th, 2022.
Background
Lighthouse is a small, crowded map that takes place on a sole island in the middle of the ocean. Designed to be a different approach to map making, Lighthouse is the first non-Treyarch map to be added to Michael's Zombies. The map is comprised of 3 "sections" due to its small size and lack of any buyable doors that lead to new areas. Lighthouse also holds a new way of turning on the power in the form of a Soul Box, rather than the traditional power lever from The Giant.
Lighthouse is considered to be the hardest of the 4 available multiplayer maps by the Michael's Zombies community due to it's small size, lack of Pack-A-Punch machine and lack of wall weaponry. With the addition of One Window, Lighthouse lost its status as the smallest map in the game.
Lighthouse introduced new concepts and weapons, namely:
- The Oar, a brand new melee weapon
- New weapons: AK74U, AUG A1, MP5, B93 Raffica and Mauser C96
- The ability to escape and "win" the game
Map Analysis
Spawn/Open Area
The outside area of Lighthouse is where all players begin the match. The outside area is made up of the grassy spawn area, the Lighthouse, and the port. Players are required to fill the Soul Box in this area in order to power the Perk Machines and the Electric Trap.
There are 6 points of interest for the players:
- 1 Soul Box (LM) (50 capacity)
- 1 Wallbuy (B93 Raffica)
- 1 Perk (Juggernog)
- 1 Mystery Box location
- 1 Escape Location (60,000)
- 1 Door (10,000)
The House - Downstairs
The downstairs section of the house is home to the only trap in the map, the Electric Trap. While the lower level can be used to train Zombies, it can feel very cramped and requires a lot of skill to navigate at higher rounds.
There are 5 points of interest for the players:
- 1 Perk (Quick Revive)
- 2 Wallbuys (AK74U, Oar)
- 1 Trap (Electric Trap)
- 1 Mystery Box location
The House - Upstairs
The upper level of the house is the more preferred spot for players to stay in, due to its long corridor and the ledge that players can stand on and camp at during high rounds, as well as being able to jump off should they be overwhelmed. The upper level of the house contains the default Mystery Box spawn location.
There are 4 points of interest for the players:
- 1 Wallbuy (MP5)
- 2 Perk Machines (Double Tap, Speed Cola)
- 1 Mystery Box location)
Pack-A-Punch
Lighthouse is the first map in Michael's Zombies to not feature a Pack-A-Punch machine, rather in it's place be a Pack-A-Punch drop. With later maps such as New Map, Hallow's Eve and One Window adopting this method, players must rely on random chance from a zombie kill in order to receive a drop to upgrade their weapon. In turn, the cost of upgrading a players weapon is essentially free. Should a player pick up a Pack-A-Punch drop whilst already holding an upgraded weapon, it will act as a "local" Max Ammo instead, filling the ammo of all the weapons the player holds. You can pick up a Pack-A-Punch drop while downed, however you will not keep it. This is due to the game giving you an M1911 when you go down instead of the map's Mauser C96.
The camo that upgraded weapons receive appear to be a black and grey version of the camo used on The Giant. This camo is unique to Lighthouse.
Escaping Lighthouse
Lighthouse is one of two maps in Michael's Zombies that offer a buyable ending for the player, with the other being Hallow's Eve and New Map [LM]. Players must survive long enough to obtain enough points to pay for the ending. Points are paid in increments of 10,000.
How to Escape
- 1) Fill up the Soul Box at spawn to activate the power.
- 2) Have any player obtain the Ray Gun from the Mystery Box.
- 3) Activate the Electric trap from inside the house.
- 4) Go outside and shoot the satallite dish on the roof of the house.
- 5) Defend for 4-5 minutes until the boat arrives on the port. Make sure to have a total of 60,000 points in order to buy the ending.
Once the 60,000 point payment is made, all players will enter the boat, regardless if they are downed or standing. Players will receive the "Back on Track" badge and be rewarded with an alternate game over cutscene and soundtrack.
Sound tracks
Below is the associated sound tracks in Lighthouse
| Events | Sound track |
|---|---|
| Round End | |
| New Round | |
| Game Over (Death) | |
| Game Over (Escape) |
Trivia
- Lighthouse was deemed the "smallest" playable map by the MZ community. One Window has since taken it's place.
- The Oar melee weapon can be found outside of Lighthouse. You can obtain it on Hallow's Eve.
- Lighthouse was made in place of Hydro Plant. These maps were the first not to be remakes of Treyarch maps, with Michael Barrel following suit.
- Lighthouse holds the single highest door purchase at 10,000 points.