Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Zombies Ashes of the Damned — The Only Easter Egg Guide You Need

Black Ops 7 Zombies is here, and the new map Ashes of the Damned is massive. Biggest round-based layout the series has done. Also: the main Easter Egg is a long, messy gauntlet of puzzles, weird rituals, and vehicle shenanigans. If you got lost three steps ago or just want a clean path to the finish line, I’ve got you.

Before you start: gear up

I’d bring the Akita shotgun to delete anything that gets in your face. For Field Upgrades, Aether Shroud and Frenzied Guard both pull their weight. GobbleGums aren’t required, but Perkaholic, Raindrops, Near-Death Experience, or Aftertaste will make the grind less painful.

One note on names: the game/players throw around Vandorn/Vandom/Vandorm Farm interchangeably. It’s the same farm area. I’ll call it Vandorn Farm and point out alternates when it matters.

The full Ashes of the Damned Easter Egg walkthrough

1. Open the map and get Pack-a-Punch online. Grab Ted’s head, mount it on Ol' Tessie, then clear the infestation at either Blackwater Lake or Vandorn/Vandom Farm to power the pump and activate Pack-a-Punch.
2. Snag your first 'Human Bones' item at Vandorn Farm. Bring a Tomahawk. Find the body hanging from the ceiling with a bloody foot. Throw the Tomahawk to slice the foot off, then toss a Molotov onto it. You’ll get the item called 'Human Bones'. Yes, the item name is a choice.
3. Power more zones and upgrade Tessie. Clear the infestation and power Blackwater Lake. Head into Ashwood, take either zipline, open through to the Ashwood bridge, destroy the spore infestation, turn on power, then install Pack-a-Punch on the back of Ol' Tessie. Push on to Exit 115.
4. Two quick grabs at Exit 115. On a Ravager round, activate the Saw Trap and let it kill a Ravager to drop 'Ravager Eyes'. Also, look for a zombie called the Cook; he drops a key for the Freezer. Open it to get the Abomination Carcass. Return to Ashwood and mount the Carcass on the front of Ol' Tessie.
5. Pop purple rocks in the fog, prep for Uber Klaus. Drive Tessie into the fog and find three purple-glowing rocks. Use Tessie’s R1 Beam to destroy each and pick up 'Horde Husk Chunks'. When round 8 starts, be at Janice Tower Plaza spawn; an Uber Klaus pops out of a container. Kill it.
6. Wake Klaus at the Ashwood Sheriff’s Office. Take the left zip in Ashwood up toward Market Square, then hug left to the Sheriff’s Office. You’ll see Klaus in a cell and a panel for a Stabilization Chip. Craft three stun grenades at a workbench. Back at the cell, stand on the left side and toss all three stuns quickly at Klaus. The player who does this gets control of Klaus via the Tactical Grenade button.
7. Use Klaus at Zarya Cosmodrome. Go to the Cosmodrome, down to 'Support Systems'. Aim Klaus at the keypad with your Tactical button. He’ll stomp, the machine will start a scan, and the player who activated it must stand in the red circle while you fend off zombies. When the scan completes, pick up the Aether Barrel.
8. Fill the Aether Barrel at all three Power Plants. Take the barrel to Ashwood’s power generators (the original spore site), slot it in the center, and wait for refined energy extraction. Pick it back up and repeat at Blackwater Lake’s Power Plant, then finish at the Farm’s Power Plant.
9. Solve the symbol box in the Vandorn Farm cellar. On the bottom floor, place the Aether Barrel in the box with three green dials. Use the jump pad to Janice Tower Plaza, scan the tops of buildings for three matching symbols, and set those on the box dials.
10. Claim the Necro Fluid Gauntlet. If the symbols are correct, interact with the box and grab the Gauntlet Wonder Weapon. You’ll be locked in a quick tutorial: shoot every green orb in front of you, left and right, to proceed.
11. Do the Wisp Tea mirror trick in Ashwood. Make sure you’ve bought the Wisp Tea perk (Zarya Cosmodrome sells it, or get it via GobbleGum). In Ashwood’s Tailor shop, shoot a zombie in front of the mirror to trigger Wisp Tea. The mirror reveals an image; shoot the mirror with the Gauntlet to drop 'Power of the Forgotten'.
12. Start the Serum collection with spores. In your menu you’ll see you’re nearly set for the Serum. Grab the serum bottle in the Blackwater Lake kitchen to get a Jar of spores. Go to Vandorn Farm. Outside, there’s a dead horse covered in mushroom spores. Place the Jar and progress two full rounds for it to mature.
13. Crack Yuri’s Lab cipher. At Zarya Cosmodrome, open Yuri’s Lab. At the chemistry table, interact with the powder you picked up earlier; a cipher appears on the chalkboard. Check the first three letters and match them with your collected items. You’ll still be missing two items; one of them, 'Widow’s Lantern', can be taken from the dead horse location.
14. Round 16: hunt the Zursa Bear. On round 16, a Zursa Bear spawns. Use Ol' Tessie’s beam to kill it and grab the 'Mysterious Limb'. Return to Yuri’s Lab and activate your items. You’ll get a prompt to add blood to the flask. Whoever does this is locked to 75 HP with no regen during this step, so be ready.
15. Survive the lab lockdown and fetch three fog keys. Hold the ~90-second lockdown; a brief purple gas wave follows. Four main POIs now have Wisps circling, each its own mini-step you can do in any order. Before you chase those, collect these keys in the fog and break chains on the black cube (pyramid) at Ashwood’s Rabbit Alley: - Bruin Key: Between Ashwood and Zarya Cosmodrome. Common spawns include the fallen radio tower (shoot it with the Gauntlet) or the edge of the building as you exit the Cosmodrome into the Crashed Rocket area. - Nightbird Key: Between Ashwood and Exit 115 in Order Graveyard. Check the bottom right of the T. Rex skull on the mountain; if not there, the second T. Rex skull on the ground further back. - Terrapin Key: Between Ashwood and Vandorn/Vandom Farm. Look under the grounded ship between barrels, or on top of the ship by the window.
16. Mid-game cutscene, then upgrade Tessie. After the keys and cube, a cinematic plays. When you regain control, pick up the DG-2 Turret Barrel and mount it on Ol' Tessie. Drive toward the entrance to the grounded ship and shoot the floating clock tower above Ashwood Bridge. Each round, shoot to stop the clock’s time and then hit all four sides with the Gauntlet; press your reload/recall to turn the Gauntlet purple and stack power amps.
17. Exit 115 Diner: the colored lightning sequence. During the round, lightning cycles colors. First, shoot the rooftop clock with your purple Gauntlet to freeze the lightning. Then handle each color’s task: - Yellow: Call Klaus and lead him into the yellow lightning. - Red: Ram the nearby truck with Ol' Tessie to knock the trucker out; get him standing in the red lightning. - Blue: Herd the diner woman into the blue lightning.
18. Charge up again, then Cosmodrome satellites. Back to Ashwood to juice the Gauntlet via the clock. At Zarya Cosmodrome, shoot satellites with the Wonder Weapon to slow their movement. In the control room, monitors cycle letter pairs that form a code word. Convert letters using B=1, C=2, and so on. When you’ve got the right word, hit the blast button.
19. Vandorn Farm time/rituals. At the farmhouse, note the time on the wall clock. On the floor, stand on the Roman numerals matching that time. Look at the table and shoot the skull when its eyes glow red. Now collect four items: - Teddy Bear: Upstairs on the bunkbed. - Chalice: Next to the underground bathtub. - Face Mask: Second floor of the barn. - Pa’s Pigsticker: Under the table in the garage. Interact with the four ritual circles that appear on the ground around the farm and hold out during the lockdown.
20. Blackwater docks film reel order. Recharge the Gauntlet at the Ashwood clock again, then go to Blackwater. A blue light glows within the docks. Inside, shoot the projector; it shows four sections of the map in a specific order. Memorize them, then go shoot the films in those areas in that exact order. If you did it right, Klaus appears on the upper floor. Interact with the box, and he’ll head back to the dock. Meet him there to kick off the finale.
21. Boss fight. Drive Ol' Tessie around the marked route to collect Wisps in each zone. After clearing the four POIs, you’ll teleport into the boss arena. Keep driving until you’ve got boost, then ram the boss to expose weak points in its mouth. Shoot those with the DG-2 turret. When the boss goes immune, drive into the blue beam and ram it again to strip the immunity. Repeat the loop until it drops.

Rewards (and yes, they’re light)

Finishing Ashes of the Damned’s main Easter Egg nets you 10,000 XP, a map-themed calling card, and the Oorah! Operator skin. Given how long and demanding this run is, the payout feels pretty meh. But if you made it through, you’ve beaten one of the hardest challenges in Black Ops 7 Zombies, so bragging rights are definitely part of the prize.