Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies is the start of a new Dark Aether story chapter called Der Anfang

Call of Duty: Vanguard is getting a Zombies mode from developer Treyarch, and it’s a new chapter for the wave-based survival experience. Treyarch is kicking off a new chapter of the Dark Aether story arc focused on the occult.

In our first look at Zombies, creative specialist Miles Lesley says that the studio “is pulling out all the stops to tell a new, brutal story that expands and explores the unsettling world of the Dark Aether.” This jumps off from Black Ops Cold War’s final Zombies map, Forsaken, in which the Dark Aether gateway was opened at Projekt Endstation.

Related: Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies trailer reveals magic weapons and monsters

Vanguard will continue the Dark Aether saga, starting with Der Anfang — that’s German for “the beginning.” It’s a fitting title for the start of a whole new storyline. The Operatives will wield magic weapons as events unfold, battling the forces of Kortifex the Deathless, an evil entity from within the aether. Kortifex is bonded with antagonist Oberführer Wolfram von List, who has raised the titular zombie army. It’s certainly an occult-heavy premise and quite a turn from the pseudo-science of the previous Zombies storyline.

You can dive into the Dark Aether saga when Call of Duty: Vanguard releases on November 5. It’s coming to PC, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X/S, and Xbox One. Activision’s new Ricochet anti-cheat system will launch the same day, although we wouldn’t blame you for looking for extra help against Kortifex and von List’s magically enhanced undead army.