The CoD Black Ops 7 Zombies easter eggs are a fascinating, convoluted trainwreck

Efforts from fans to unlock the secrets of Call of Duty Black Ops 7 Zombies easter eggs resemble the efforts of frantic scholars. Released with perhaps the most ambitious Zombies map in the history of Call of Duty, ‘Ashes of the Damned’. It’s a massive map, sprawling between various smaller flashpoints that you drive through in an upgradable pick-up truck. 

The Call of Duty Zombies story has been defined by two things: lore so dense that Tolkien would have a heart attack, and a dedication to making the story as hard to find as possible. Each new narrative beat is hidden within the Zombies maps, like the world’s most spiteful escape room, prompting them as ‘easter egg’ hunts.

✓ VideoGamer Summary

• Fans have shed light on the story behind Black Ops 7’s Zombies mode. 
• Call of Duty’s Zombies mode has always been full of a confusing story and elaborately complicated unlocks.
• The method for unlocking Black Ops 7’s Zombies easter egg story is convoluted as ever, but it still didn’t stop the community – frankly, we’re impressed and a little terrified. 
• Progress has been slow, but it has unlocked new game modes for everyone.
• While fun to observe, these overly complicated setpieces make Black Ops 7’s Zombies much more difficult to get into as a new player than would be ideal. 

Call of Duty’s Zombies have always been confusing

We’re currently in the Dark Aether saga of the Zombies universe, introduced in Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War after the collapse of the multiverse in Call of Duty Black Ops 4 (don’t worry about it). 

The story is defined by the attempts of Elder Gods of the Dark Aether (a sinister parallel dimension) to try and enter the real world, the effects of shady government agents to investigate cursed artefacts, and a war between the occult and the technological.

So the story is elaborate and complicated, and its method of delivery matches that energy. Call of Duty Zombies requires absolute commitment, with each new map coming with a hidden ‘main quest’ that requires an elaborate scavenger hunt and macabre puzzle solving before eventually hitting a boss. 

Ever since Call of Duty World at War, the Zombies mode hid little songs and story hints behind puzzles. Since Black Ops 3, these stories have unfolded into hidden ‘quests’, and a bigger reason for playing than just outright survival.

Black Ops 7’s darkest secrets are revealed

Black Ops 7 embraces this awkward treasure hunt with the power of a (zombie) bear hug. The player-made guides to help others light their way through the darkness give the impression of old-school point-and-click logic, and hint at the intensive process required to unlock this forbidden knowledge. 

The Necrofluid Gauntlet is the new Wonder Weapon, shown off in marketing as a fun new feature and a key part of the puzzle process. However, just unlocking the weapon is half the battle.

You’ll have to take an item from a boss that only spawns in round eight at a specific part of a map, trick-throw precisely three stun grenades to awaken a locked-up robot, and go on a cross-map trip to power a power source just to get the chance to unlock the gauntlet.

Once you’ve got the Necrofluid gauntlet, you’ll need to gather various esoteric materials like a leg cut off a hanging zombie. Set the leg on fire, and you can then use it to activate a blood ritual to summon wisps around the map, activating yet more missions.

Launch a rocket, shoot random projector reels, stop some specific clocks floating in the sky, and you’ll eventually unlock the boss. When I say it out loud, it’s all so obvious.

One for all

For all of that effort, there are around four minutes of cutscenes to push the story forward. The ‘mid-story’ cutscene for collecting three keys with your gauntlet showcases an entity you know nothing about, entrusting you with the quest to beat each map’s boss to eventually fight the big bad.

Once you’ve beaten the Ashes of the Damned boss (a floating flesh blob that fires lasers) by hitting it with your car enough, it unlocks the final story beat for the map.

The defeated entity gives a lore drop before your new mysterious benefactor teleports everyone away, ready to set them up for the next map when it unlocks in a few months. It’s all set up and little payoff, as this mystery needs to stretch out over Black Ops 7’s lifespan.

The first completion of this quest unlocked something for every player, not just the intrepid few who unlocked the map’s secrets. The new ‘Cursed’ mode modifies the Black Ops 7 Zombies map, making things even harder with fewer hints and limited weapons. 

Even if you’ve not jumped through the hoops of the main quest, the efforts of just a few mean you can torture yourself in zombie land more than ever before.

Casual players get left in the dust in Call of Duty Zombies

All of this highlights the huge gulf between those already immersed in Call of Duty Zombies and the tourists who want to check out the wacky hijinks for themselves.

Yes, you can now play as a samurai and fight a zombie bear outside a diner, but the investment and level of understanding required to reach this lofty height is less of a learning curve and more of a learning cliff. After all, the esoteric hidden missions are inaccessible by design.

For those who prefer to experience things in single-player, Black Ops 7’s ambitious and dynamic map is also a pain. Several objectives for the story require carrying artefacts that prevent any running at all. This encourages your multiplayer friends to play chauffeur, but leaves you high and dry if you’re playing solo.

Black Ops 7’s Zombies mode continues a story several games in the making, where each new installment requires even more investment to understand. Each time around, the community bands together to slam their heads against a new series of nonsensical puzzles, but those out of the loop are on their own. 

There is no shallow end in the Call of Duty Zombies pool, and most will be scared off just by dipping their toes in. We’ve come a long way from the original ‘Nazi Zombies’ premise. In a world where blasting bears with zombie-car lasers to free an eldritch being from torment is par for the course, it’s easy for outsiders to be left confused and listless.

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