How to start Act 4 in MW3 Zombies

Modern Warfare 3 Zombies is getting some new goodies with season one. The new Act Four spearheads the changes alongside Dark Aether Rifts, and fans have been wondering if they needed to run the story so far to engage with the new content.

And while doubt had been growing for some time, the MWZ season one patch notes put the issue to a final rest—and with good news for players who weren’t all caught up in the story.

Do you need to finish Act Three to start Act Four in Zombies?

Players don’t have to finish the main story or reach the end of Act Three to kick off the new story. Act Four and its new story mission will be “immediately available for players at the start of season one,” according to the season one patch notes.

Having such a low barrier of entry is a good jumping point for players who want to take on the new season. The apparent lack of requirements means all players can take on the quests at the same time. You can squad up with friends who are far ahead or far behind you without needing to worry about synchronizing your missions and completing them in a specific order to make sure you’re on the same page.

It’s unclear how this act will tie into the story, especially since it doesn’t require completing previous missions. A player who has just rescued Dr. Jansen and another one who has beaten the final mission will see the same story, though they may have different understandings of what’s happened due to how much information they’ve received.

How to start Act Four in Zombies

Act Four will be available from the missions screen once you boot up MWZ. The new act is called Contact and when you launch the game, you’ll only see one mission in it: Bad Signal. This quest requires you to investigate the Anomaly and escape the Dark Aether, kicking off the preparations for the new additions coming with season one.

Act Four and Dark Aether Rifts

Act Four is also essential if you want to engage with Dark Aether Rifts, the new endgame content coming with season one. Apparently, heading into this new activity isn’t just a matter of finding the largest, most glowing portal in the Exclusion Zone and heading in.

If you want a chance at Dark Aether Rifts, you have to wrap up the season one story mission before unlocking a “hidden quest,” the notes say. Completing this secret objective will open up the new activity, letting you take on some of the hardest challenges in Urzikstan.