Call of Duty: Ghosts

Awakening, once you get the hang of things, is one of the easier Extinction maps in preparation for the final chapter. Using a well rounded group, this can be speed ran in less than 30 minutes. That being said, expect your initial runs to range between 45-60 minutes until you get a hold of things.

Like all Extinction Maps, sharing is caring and this is a team based gametype. The abundance of money you get from it is absurd so don't be stingy. If you're ever just sitting on a full wallet, you're doing something wrong.

The hardest part of Awakening is the opening sequence when you get the ball rolling. A syncronized team can awaken the mammoths from the start to get an ARK attachment, but I would strongly recommend waiting until a few obelisks have been completed to get skills and guns ready for them. Coordinating with your team early on who will be providing ammo and armor is essential.

Mammoths are one of the "new" enemies in Awakening, along with the Bombers, and Gargoyles.

Mammoths are Blue Rhinos. Imagine them as the love child between a Rhino and a Phantom. They don't quite "teleport," but they do burrow underground and reappear beside players. If that wasn't bad enough, if you take too long to kill them they will call for reinforcements and summon a pack of 3-5 Hunters by their side. They are also immune to Hypno Traps and the Hypno-Knife a Rhino armory ability.

Bombers are the new Seekers. They are fast, obnoxious, and they can fly. They dive bomb into you and detonate. They are an iridescent green color and leave a smoke trail behind them so they are pretty easy to spot. Majority of the time a random player will announce "Bombers Incoming!" as an additional cue.

Gargoyles are the new Seeders. They too can fly, and are just as annoying as their predecessor. The only difference is that a Gargoyle doesn't need to spawn turrets on the map, it just shoots the barbs directly from its' tail as it hovers above you in the air. These either need to be handled fast or avoided using the various caves as cover. These are also immune to Hypno-Knives/Traps.

In Awakening, you aren't destroying Hives like in previous chapters. You are in the Central Hive scanning the obelisks using a modified drill. After which you must use a Vanguard to destroy the obelisks. You will rinse and repeat this process 2 times before a third set of obelisks that only needs to be scanned and then finally getting to the end gauntlet and the final escape.

During the gauntlet, there are 4 beacons you must protect, much like the gas valves in Mayday. Unlike in Mayday, however, they can be repaired once destroyed. You must maintain all 4 active for an extended amount of time to pass this part.

During the escape, a player must carry the Cortex the entire way, which effectively leaves you a man down until you reach each barrier where you need to deploy it to take down the barrier, while fighting off hordes of enemies. Similar to that of the Point of Contact escape sequence. Again, teamwork is key, making sure to deploy Feral Instincts for increased run speed and watching out for the Cortex carrier.