Quick Revive is not present in this map due to the Afterlife System, which acts like Quick Revive. They are able to return to Alcatraz by using the Electric Chairs. 'Escaping' Alcatraz After building 'Icarus', players are able to fly to the Golden Gate Bridge, where Pack-a-Punch is located. Several side quests are also available for the player to complete, with the main one being to construct a plane to escape the island. Though, there is a time limit in the afterlife, once the blue meter has depleted, the player will be sent out of the afterlife. In the Afterlife mode you can shock and levitate, new areas and objectives will become available for the player to complete such as turning on the power and specifically activating utilities such as cell doors with power ups in them and the Perk Machines throughout the map. Mob of the Dead also introduces the new Afterlife Mode, a form of gameplay that the player spawns in and enters upon death. He will also appear randomly throughout various hordes. Additionally, the Warden will spawn inside the map if the player(s) spend too much money investing in the mystery box. Instead, he appears alongside other zombies, similarly to George A. He can be killed, but does not appear during his own round. Reactivating them requires 2000 points, though the cost scales up by 2000 with each utility disabled in a single round.

Mob of the Dead features a new boss zombie, known as the Warden or Brutus, that can disable perk machines, workbenches used to craft buildable items, and the mystery box. Only the Tower trap can be upgraded once upgraded the trap will fire rockets instead of sniper rounds. There is also a Tower Trap, which assists the player by shooting zombies with sniper rounds. A new utility is also introduced, the Gondola, which transports players between the main prison and another part of the island, similarly to the Zipline in Shi No Numa/ Call of the Dead. The map features three new traps, the Fan Trap, the Acid Trap and the Tower Trap. Purchasable traps also return, last appearing in Ascension. In addition, holding down the throw button for a few seconds will allow the player to throw the tomahawk a further distance. These tomahawks can be thrown at power-ups and retrieve them for the player. It takes about three seconds to recharge before it can be thrown again. The weapon can pierce through multiple zombies and will return back to the player. There is also a unique tomahawk-like weapon called Hell's Retriever, with a red aura.

There is a new Wonder Weapon featured, the Blundergat, a cross between a Blunderbuss and a Gatling Gun. Also returning from Nuketown Zombies is the Fire Sale power up. The LSAT is also featured, having only appeared in the zombie variant of Nuketown. The Death Machine is now a standard box weapon, and no longer a powerup. The Uzi and the AK-47 make their debut in Zombies, as well as the M1927.

The map features several additions to the players' arsenal. This map also introduces Guard and Prisoner Zombies on the island.

Zombies on the island have red eyes, and the mystery box has a different look with a red glow. The four playable characters are Michael Madsen as Finn O'Leary, Joe Pantoliano as Albert Arlington, Chazz Palminteri as Salvatore DeLuca, and Ray Liotta as Billy Handsome, all of whom are Gangsters who have been locked up on Alcatraz and were planning an escape on the night of the outbreak. Mob of the Dead is located on Alcatraz Island during the Prohibition-Era of American history and is the biggest map in Zombies history to date.

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