When you drop into Black Ops 7 Zombies for the first time, it does not take long before you realise that knowing when to pull out can be just as important as smashing through waves of undead. The exfil system is back in play, mixing the old-school round-based fight-for-survival with a modern way to bank your hard-earned rewards. It is all about choice – do you risk another round for more loot or play it safe and get out alive? If you have ever dipped into a CoD BO7 Bot Lobby, you will know how much strategy comes into deciding that moment to escape, and in Zombies there are two main ways to make it happen.

The first is the standard route, which most squads will use by default. It opens up after Round 10, meaning you can try for an extraction during Round 11. Miss it, and it is fine – you will see another window every five rounds after that: Round 16, Round 21, Round 26, and so on. You will get a clear on-screen notice when it is time, often with a radio crackle calling in your chance to leave. The catch? There is a timer ticking down. You have got just a short burst of time to hit the marked exfil zone. On maps like Ashes of the Damned, it might be an eerie telephone booth; on others, maybe a rooftop flare or glowing portal in a courtyard. Triggering it starts a last stand where the game throws everything at you – it is panic, noise, and a ton of undead in your face until your ride shows up.

Then there is the clutch option – pulling the Exit Strategy Gobblegum. Yep, Gobblegums are back, and this one is basically your emergency lever. Manage to grab it from the machine, and you can call in an exfil instantly, no matter the round. It is perfect for those moments when ammo’s gone, your mates are down, and sticking it out just is not going to happen. Pop it, and you start the same frantic defense as the regular method, but you control when it begins. It is not a free pass – the fight still happens – but being able to choose the timing can flip a doomed run into a win.

Deciding to exfil is not just about surviving that match. It is about locking in your Aetherium Crystals, weapon XP, and the other stuff that makes your next attempt stronger. Sometimes the smartest move is not pushing to the bitter end but recognising when to cash out. In Black Ops 7 Zombies, living to fight another day is a skill in itself – and any seasoned player will tell you, whether it is strategy in the main game or testing yourself in CoD BO7 Bot Lobbies, knowing your exit is half the battle.