How to get Essence fast in MW3 Zombies

Essence is all around you in CoD MW3 Zombies. There is plenty of it, but with time not on your side, we thought we’d share with you our best tips to gather Essence fast.

We’re for a good time, not a long time. This is applicable when it comes to MW3‘s Zombies as games don’t last all that long until you eventually need to exfil in MWZ.

With missions to complete and Contracts to tick off, you’ll want to add weapons to your arsenal, maybe buy 3-Plate Vests, and more. So without further ado, here are our top Essence-farming tips.

Best ways to get Essence in MW3 Zombies

During your MW3 Zombies travels, I highly recommend you stick to the same few methods of getting Essence: Quick and easy Contracts, keep an eye out for Essence Canisters, exfil Zombie training, Aether Nests, and Infested Strongholds.

Contracts

I found the same couple of Contracts furthered my cause in MW3 Zombies: Raid Weapon Stash and Eliminate the Bounty.

Raid Weapon Stash is Zombies-only and it’s just an easy “defend the objective” Contract. It’s not hard, you get lots of Essence just for killing the Zombies, and then you get a nice Essence payout for completing the objective. On top of all of this, you can pick up some extra Gear to sell at a Buy Station.

Whereas a Bounty, especially once you have a Level 1 Pack-A-Punch weapon, is self-explanatory, and can be done in mere seconds. It doesn’t matter if it’s a Mimic or a Mangler, an upgraded weapon can finish an Elite enemy off in seconds, scoring easy Essence.

Essence Canisters

When I’m out and about in the world of Urzikstan, I’m constantly surveying the area for Essence Canisters, like an eagle-eye hunter licking his chops looking for his next prize. When you consider that the bigger Canisters can give you upwards of 500 Essence, then acquiring them becomes paramount.

Now, if it’s on a roof and will take considerable effort to get a hold of, then common sense should prevail. But if it’s only slightly off the beaten path, then make sure you mop it up. The same goes for smaller canisters too—remember, every little helps.

Exfil farming

Easily the most dense and volumous Zombie groups appear during exfil attempts. By utilizing the classic Zombies training technique, you can easily pocket a thick horde of the undead and mow them down with a feast of critical kills for extra Essence.

Unlike MW2‘s DMZ mode, if you fail an exfil, the helicopter will return—so you’ll never run out of escape opportunities. So, in theory, you can keep running exfils as it’s also a great way of farming to level up your guns fast too—especially if you throw on a Double XP token for good measure.

Aether Nests

Plentiful, quick, and easy. You’ll struggle to move around the map without bumping into your fair share of Aether Nests along the way. Some of them are dead easy, pun intended, to do as well. Literally, get in, sniff out the handful of cysts, and you’ll get Essence and more handy rewards that will help you out.

Infested Strongholds

Finally, in my own experience, I found it better to ignore Mercenary Strongholds and fix your sights on Infested Strongholds. Why? They don’t require Stronghold Keycards. Plus, hunting down a keycard costs time and resources, whereas Infested Strongholds are open from the get-go.

In Essence, pun intended—again, they are bigger Aether Nests. You already know the name of the game, and they are usually rife with Essence Canisters and Large Caches.