Treyarch is no stranger to continuing their Zombies’ story through the maps of the game, with the excitement of an “Easter Egg Hunt” bringing the community together to find the sequence of events to help progress the story of Zombies. From World at War to Black Ops 1, 2, 3, and even 4. A continuous story has unfolded throughout the games. However, with the end of the Aether story in Black Ops 4, Cold War has started a continuation titled “Dark Aether.” This story has currently spanned between Die Maschine, Firebase Z, and now, Outbreak. Here’s a handy guide to help you get through the main Outbreak quest and see where the Zombies storyline will take players next in Cold War.

Each objective in the map has to be done in a specific order, as the game will not continue until the current objective is completed. Here’s how you complete the main quest.

The one thing that separates Outbreak from the normal mode is that the maps are more of an endless round until players complete the main objective on each map, with the five in the current rotation being: Ruka, Golova, Duga, Alpine, and Sanatorium. Players will start on one of them. Each map has some main objective that the characters must complete before advancing to the next “round,” whether it’s escorting a rover into the Dark Aether, holding out in a single room, defending a zombie’s head, or fighting a boss enemy. Once the objective is completed, players will have to find the anomaly (which will spawn in the Wunderfizz, Pack-a-Punch, and crafting tables) to help players gear up for the next encounter. Regarding the main quest for Outbreak, players need to advance to “round” 3 before the main quest becomes available to players.

As each location in the Outbreak is different, players will have to locate a special radio signal from Maxis to officially start the main quest. The radio always appears in one area per locale, so once you know all five, finding it will not be an issue. It’s recommended, however, that players turn on subtitles, as the game considers the static emitting from the radio to be part of the script for the game. However, other radios around the map will award players with music from previous entries in the Zombies universe. The difference between the music side quest radios and Maxis’ radio is that hers does not appear on the minimap when nearby. For my playthrough, I was in Sanatorium, and Maxis’ radio was located under the main building at the foot of the tall statue.

The locations are different for every map, so I’ve provided an Imgur album made by Reddit User u/TehPurplePanda & GavinIRL#4154 that holds the locations of every radio for players to look at. Once finding the radio and interacting with it, it will emit a feedback loop, which will spawn a large number of zombies, so be prepared. After the horde of zombies has been dispatched, players will get a small greeting from maxis, as well as a sound. This sound needs to be played from 3 smaller signal boosters around the main radio. Finding them is easy as they emit a loud static, and they are not far from the location of the radio and won’t be located much higher up than it. In Sanitorium, they were always at ground level and never upstairs inside the building. Subtitles are recommended for this as well, as the sound is given a number in the captions like “Active Static 1.” Once players locate the three radio signal boosters, they will have to tune the radio to the same signal emitting from the main radio players interacted with previously. Tuning the radio will cycle through the sounds but will sometimes cause the same feedback loop from the main radio, causing more zombies to spawn. After dispatching the zombies and tuning the first signal booster, Maxis will continue her dialogue. This process must be completed on all three radios. Once complete, head back to the main radio and listen to the full signal. Maxis will give the player a Beacon Communications Device and tell the player more once they call her back.

After completing the main objective for whatever map the player is on, heading to the anomaly and spawning the beacon is the next thing to do; doing so will give you a third option when interacting with the beacon. Instead of the option to warp to a new map and Exfil, the option to call Maxis will appear. Interacting with that will lock the player into the easter egg, and maxis will pick up the phone to continue your previous conversation. According to her, Ravenov is out in the field looking for Omega Group’s next project, and he has found It.

After the dialogue between the player and Maxis is complete, warp to the next location. This will start another dialogue with Maxis, who says she cannot help Ravenov during this time, as she’s being observed after the events of Firebase Z, where she was stuck in the Aether for an indeterminate amount of time. Now it’s up to players to help her find what Ravenov has uncovered. Maxis continues her conversation, telling the player to locate a dead drop that Ravenov has left somewhere on the map for them to find. This part of the main quest requires some running around. What players are looking to locate this time is statues of monkey bombs, one of which will contain the dead drop Ravenov left for Maxis. Each map has four locations where the monkey bomb statues will be. The Imgur album will be helpful for this step as well. As there are only four monkey locations per map, players will have a one in four chance to get the dead drop on their first try. Although, if it isn’t the correct monkey, the consolation prize is a free monkey bomb, which can prove helpful in sticky situations. Finding the right monkey will not drop a monkey bomb but a small roll of microfilm slides. Once players pick up the slides, Maxis will contact the player again, telling them that they need a way to view the slides.

This step can be done on the same map that the previous step was completed on, as well as doing the step as early as possible will ensure that the players will have an easier time fighting the hordes of the undead.  Around each map is a single location where a projector is at. Again, refer to the Imgur album to find the location for whatever map you’re playing on. Approaching the projector, bring all players in for a slide show, as the zombies will not bother players while viewing the slides. Interacting with the slides reveals a shocking revelation: the missile silo in the map Ruka contains massive warheads covered in Tempests, one of the boss zombies in Outbreak. Their electrical powers combined with the warhead can open an outbreak zone anywhere in the world. The effects of the warhead could be devastating to humanity as a whole. Maxis tells the players that Ravenov is in Ruka and is waiting for them. Be sure to view all the slides to progress the story. After the dialogue exchange between Maxis and the players has ended, they must complete the main objective for the map if they haven’t done so yet and choose to warp to the next location.

In my playthrough of the main quest, I was warped straight to Ruka. I do not know what happens if players are already at Ruka at the projector step or if the game sends the players to Ruka automatically if players complete the projector step before moving to the next map. Regardless, players must make their way to Ruka, and doing so will change the main objective to the Main quest, rather than an objective from Weaver. It is highly recommended that players stock up on high-powered weapons before attempting to continue the main quest, as there is a WunderFizz & Pack-a-Punch in the objective area. However, the points awarded for killing zombies diminishes, meaning that players will have to kill more zombies to upgrade. There are three side objectives added to each map to help players up their arsenal while fighting the undead. A few new additions to the mode that can help players get better weapons is the Orda, the boss from Firebase Z, which is wandering around the map. Killing him will net the players a lot of orange and purple variant weapons, which can be helpful if players lack in damage. Another new objective is the red dark aether crystals. When shooting one, multiple will light up around the area surrounding the first crystal. Shooting all of them will drop an aether tool on the final one. This tool can upgrade the rarity of a weapon by one tier, making it do more damage if players have a purple weapon. The three side objectives will be shown with orange icons on the map screen. Once Players are geared up and ready to continue the easter egg, all players must head to the missile silo, where a door that was previously closed has been blasted open. When all players enter the elevator, one player must start it, where the elevator will continue its descent into the depths of the missile silo.

Once entered, players will have to make their way to one of the missile silos and lift the lockdown, then traverse up to the top of Silo A where Ravenov is, starting a cutscene. Ravenov will mention that he’s taken control of the missile silo and plans to get rid of the rockets. Maxis will then mention dumping them in the middle of the pacific ocean, and Ravenov will start the preparations. Players will then have to locate Three Launch Keys to get the rockets out of the silo and out of the hands of Omega.

After Ravenov disappears behind a door and the cutscene ends, Ravenov will join the radio conversation and tell the players to find the launch keys to launch the rockets. There are three small side quests to finding the keys for the rocket. Here’s how to find them.

Players have to travel to the main room between all three missile silos, where many Mimics will spawn. Shooting them all is the only option and will net players a good number of points. After the Mimics are dispatched, players will then have to find Hallway C, which is marked on the walls. Continuing down Hallway C, there will be a single dead body lying on the ground, holding the key. Interacting with it will spawn a larger Red Mimic, which does not die as easily as its smaller comrades. Killing the Mimic will net you the first key for the launch sequence.

The next key is located in Silo B, going to the bottom of Silo B, there will be a red canister similar to the objective where players have to move canisters to a rocket for Weaver. Interacting with this canister will purge it of all its atherium. Next, Players will have to shoot as many atherium crystals as possible, which Silo B is in no short supply of, the crystals will respawn, but players just need 20 of the smaller crystals that drop from the ones players shoot. Once players have gotten their hands on the 20 atherium crystals, go back to the red container and hold interact, as it will deposit them into the container. Once the container is filled with all 20 Crystals, players will then have to make their way to Silo D, where a giant atherium jellyfish is. To get its attention, players will have to use the atherium blast from the container, which is used by pressing the field upgrade button. Doing so, the jellyfish will pick the player up, allowing them to get their hands on the second key.

The Third key is a bit tricky. In Silo A, a ghost monkey will be seen  hiding in the vents, getting close to it will make it disappear. To capture the monkey, there is a tunnel on the bottom floor of Silo A, where a essence trap from Firebase Z is. It has a banana taped to it as well. It Doesn’t have a glow or a tag to tell you to pick it up, so it’s easy to miss. Players will have to place the trap on the ground below the vent where the monkey resides. Throwing it too high, or scaring off the monkey while shooting it will send it back into the inventory, letting the player try again. Once the monkey is nearby the trap, double-tap the interact button to capture it, and interact with the trap once more to pick up the last key. Do not, however, throw the trap onto the wall and capture the monkey, as the trap will become stuck on the wall, and players will have to find a way to get close enough to interact with the trap. On my playthrough, I made this mistake, and while I was still able to get the trap through a crafty placement of my parachute, I could have softlocked the game and made it unable to progress.

Once all three keys have been obtained, players must now travel to the top of each silo and find the location of the keyholes for the launch keys. They’re located on a set of launch controls at the top of each silo, including where Ravenov is hiding. Pay attention to the green and red lights just below the keyhole where it is located. The keys must be inserted in a specific order, indicated by the three lights under the keyhole. The game also has a 90-second timer, and inserting the keys in the wrong order will result in them being closed out until the timer cools down. Once all three keys have been inserted, head upwards from the main room connecting the silos and to the door with all players. Interacting with the door will start Outbreak’s Final Boss.

Once players exit the silos, they’ll notice a large mass of Dark Aether energy circling the area. A giant Tempest named “Legion” will appear as it reaches it’s maximum, starting a boss fight with it. Players have 9 minutes to defeat the boss; otherwise, the game will end, as the rockets, which will launch in 9 minutes, are trapped within the silo due to massive crystals created by Legion.

To defeat Legion, the players must shoot at their chest, which is covered by armor. While it may seem like players are not damaging Legion due to its ridiculous amount of armor, this is normal, as breaking its armor will result in it slumping over and being unable to move. Out of Legion, three orbs will appear, and players need to shoot at one to destroy it; doing so will take one-third of its health away, and the boss fight will continue. Once all three orbs have been destroyed, the battle with Legion will have ended, and the players will be treated to the final cutscene showing them leaving the area via the Exfil helicopter.

With that, players will have beaten the main quest for Cold War’s Outbreak Mode, which continues the story of Maxis and Crew as they defeat Omega Group once again.