Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War fans have been waiting patiently to see what Outbreak’s main quest would bring to the table, and now they finally know the answer. Fortunately, Outbreak’s main quest does a lot right, with some interesting story setup, fun objectives, and a challenging boss fight. Treyarch takes full advantage of the map’s open-world setting, adding some sprawling objectives to complete across several regions. A new area is opened as well, making the quest much more memorable.
Before Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War fans begin the quest, though, they should equip a ranged weapon in their loadouts – with the M16 being a popular choice. This will help greatly with the final boss, as the fight will mostly take place at range. As such, go-to weapons like the Hauer are not as strong as they are normally, with shotguns lacking the distance needed to injure the boss. While field upgrades like Ring of Fire deal damage, and Aether Shroud provide an escape, Frenzied Guard’s slowing ability and armor refills make it the best fit for the final fight. With a ranged weapon and Frenzied Guard equipped, Zombies fans should be ready to jump into Outbreak.
Starting Outbreak’s Main Quest
Before Outbreak players can start the main quest, they need to progress until the third World Tier. While they can use the World Tier skip trick to reach this tier quickly, it is best to loot the areas normally so that weapons are stronger and armor is upgraded. Players should take this time to acquire their perks as well. Once on World Tier 3, players will want to track down a radio in their current region.
The process is similar to Outbreak’s radio side quest, as it sees players activating three amplifiers to match the main radio. Players will know if this is the main quest start point if they hear Samantha Maxis talking upon the radio’s activation. Subtitles will help track down the radio, as they give a cue when the radio is near. They also provide players with clear info on which frequency they need to hit. Once all frequencies are matched, players can head back to the original radio to get the first beacon part. The radios can be found in the following locations:
- Sanatorium: The radio is found by the statue beneath the Sanatorium itself. The amplifiers are found in one of the staircases, by the podium at the bottom of the Sanatorium, and on a stone ledge near the Sanatorium barricade.
- Alpine: The radio itself is found on the Steep Grove next to some oil tanks. For context, it is to the right of the hillside cabins and close to the Wunderfizz machine. The amplifiers are nearby, with one in a shack near some tools, another on a cliff by the ski slopes, and the third on another cliff by Upper Run 3.
- Golova: The radio is on some palettes near an outhouse on the Lower Farmstead. It is near the map’s bridge. One of the amplifiers is outside a nearby shack, another is inside a shack, and the third is by a concrete barrier shaped like a right angle.
- Ruka: Ruka’s radio is easy to find, as it is in the tent nearest the Old Farm location that houses the Pack-A-Punch machine. The first amplifier is in the tiny house on the outside of the Old Farm, while the second is propped against some hay in a shack outside Pack-A-Punch. The final amplifier is on the top floor of the Old Farm’s main house.
- Duga: On some barrels at Duga’s SAM site location, the final radio spot is found. The SAM Site’s sniper tower houses the first amplifier, while the second is up against the concrete barriers next to one of the large hangers. A green shack at the SAM site’s exit houses the last amplifier spot.
Once this step is done and the Beacon piece is collected, players need to finish the region’s objective and head to the exfil Beacon as normal.
Finding The Monkey Bomb Statues
Once at the Beacon, players will need to choose the option to call Samantha Maxis. Once the dialogue plays out, they can teleport to the next region. Now on world tier 4, players will want to find one of four stone monkey bomb statues left by Ravenov, Sam’s ally from the Firebase Z map. Specifically, they want to find the monkey with a white M next to it, as it will drop a projector reel once shot. Each map has its own monkey spots, and they are as follows.
- Alpine: Near the edge of the map by the First Aid Station, players will find the first monkey propped up against a generator that sits next to a metal fence. The second monkey is on the second floor of the building that sits next to the Bathhouse. The third monkey is on the second-floor balcony of a Base Suite house. When looking at the houses from the jump pad, it is in the second house. The final monkey spot is in the right Hillside Cabin, and players should see it on a cabinet as soon as they walk in the front door.
- Ruka: Right outside of the Missile Silos area, players can find the first monkey in a brick building with a large metal door. In the Gorge area where players go for Outbreak’s Defend objective, players can find a monkey against a crashed car. The third monkey is right below the huge Train Trestle bridge, and players can find it on the very edge of the map. In the center of the Cargo Platform, players can find the final monkey behind some wooden pallets.
- Sanatorium: Under Sanatorium’s bridge and right by the water rests the first monkey. The second is found in the Bathhouse rafters, while the third is found in the Administration building’s main office. The right room has wooden walls, and a monkey is on its shelf. A shack in the Carved Hills houses the final spot, and for those looking on the map, it is near the empty bit of land with two lines drawn. A jump pad is found to the south of the shack.
- Golova: The first monkey can be found at the top of the church, and players should see it as soon as they have climbed the ladder. The second monkey is on the left side of the map, and it can be found in the large Train Loading shack. Golova’s Industrial Park location, which houses a jump pad and Fury Crystal spot, also has the third monkey. It is in the building with a jump pad on its roof. Finally, the large House Ranch right next to the bridge hides the final monkey in its rafters.
- Duga: At Duga’s base entrance, which is marked by a large overpass and a road with a roundabout, the first monkey is seen on a small building’s roof. The next monkey is found in Duga’s fourth bunker. The third monkey is up against the low brick wall that lines the Bus Depot, while the final monkey is at the Hilly Clearing to the right of Duga’s oil tanks. It is on top of the small building with Russian propaganda on its back end.
Projector Spots And The Point Of No Return
Once players have found the right monkey and picked up the reel, they will need to find a projector. Players can find a projector spot in every Outbreak region besides Ruka, as that map serves as the final area for the easter egg quest. As such, if gamers are on Ruka, they should progress to the next World Tier so that this step can be complete. The projector locations are as follows.
- Alpine: On the top right of the massive Lodge that houses Pack-a-Punch, this projector rests next to a bed.
- Sanatorium: In the Administration building where players found one of the monkey bomb statues. It is in a meeting room with a long wooden table.
- Duga: On the top floor of the Admin Offices, players can find a projector spot in one of the side rooms. The right room has two doors for access and a ladder outside of it.
- Golova: In the police station where players can purchase armor, they will find the projector. If players look at the armor stand and turn around, it will be on their top left.
After playing the slides on the projector, Samantha Maxis will talk to the player. They will need to activate the projector after every piece of dialogue is exhausted, she will tell players they need to head to Ruka. From there, they can head to the beacon to teleport to Ruka and enter the point of no return.
Finding Ravenov And The Three Keys
Once in Ruka, the objective marker will lead players straight to where they need to go, which is a bunker inside of the Missile Silos. Once all players assemble into the elevator, they will head below ground. The goal will be to find Ravenov, which players can do by turning off the lockdown sequence in the bunker. To do this, they will want to explore until they find an area with a large green map and several terminals. From there, Call of Duty Zombies fans can press a button on one of the terminals to deactivate the lockdown. A cutscene will then play, and gamers will be told to find three keys. Several Mimics will also spawn, giving players a tough fight.
- Key #1 - The Red Mimic: The first key will be found on the body of a guard that rests against a blue door. Once it is grabbed, though, a red Mimic mini boss will attack players, though it has the same attacks. The main difference is its beefed-up health bar, meaning that the Brain Rot ammo type may be helpful. Once dead, players can loot the real key.
- Key #2 - The Monkey Trap: Players will then need to head to the area labeled A, which is a tough task due to the map being scrambled. Once found, they can find a circular hallway that leads to a version of Firebase Z's Essence Trap with a banana attached. Once grabbed, players will need to track down a spectral monkey, which can be best done by listening for its noises. It will be inside a vent, and once found, players need to toss the Essence Trap below it. Once done, players need to back away so that the monkey takes the bait. Once done, players can trigger the trap to get the second key.
- Key #3 - Crystal Collection: Players then want to head to area B, activating a red canister that sits between two terminals. Once done, players need to search the areas for purple Aetherium Crystals. Shattering them should drop smaller shards that can be picked up, and players will need to gather 20 of these. The inventory is shared, making the process easier. Once gathered and deposited, a player can take the filled canister to area D. Once here, they want to locate a massive Dark Aether Jellyfish. They can then head down a nearby grassy staircase to get close, and from there they should use the special ability of the canister. Once done, they will float into the jellyfish to pick up the third key.
With all the keys acquired, players will need to activate three machines. They are white with eye scanner-like devices. Once the first is hit, players will be on a 45 second time to reach the second and third. The order is randomized, though the one that seems to work most is A to D to B. Once all three are hit, a countdown will begin, and players will need to head to the main hub and go upstairs. Once they open the door, the final boss fight will begin, so having the strongest Zombies weapons equipped would be wise.
The Boss Fight
The last boss fight of the Outbreak main quest is a genuine challenge, as it sees players taking on a massive Tempest named Legion. To beat the boss, players will need to break its armor. It takes a lot of damage to do this, however, and enemies will be spawning in to distract players. As such, weapons like the Ray Gun and monkey bombs should help, as players need to focus on both Legion and the undead.
After its armor is finally broken, it will enter a stunned state, and three balls will appear above its head. Players can focus fire on one of these balls, breaking it to take a third of Legion’s health away. From there, they can repeat this two more times to defeat this boss. With this being a tough fight and players having a time limit, it will likely take many tries.
Once Legion is finally dead, players can pick up a piece of Zombies intel from their fallen foe. With a full replay required to get this intel, players should make sure to pick it up as soon as the boss is dead. Once Legion has been defeated, though, players have finished the easter egg and watch the final cutscene.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
