We know we were waiting a long time for round-based Zombies to return to Call of Duty Vanguard, but now we have a completely brand new map to explore – and a brand new Vanguard Zombies The Archon easter egg to complete on said map. The final battle against Kortifex the Deathless is here, following the secrets uncovered through the Vanguard Zombies Shi No Numa easter egg, and it’s time to use all you have learned to finally deal with whatever lurks in the shadows of the Dark Aether.
But, as wonderfully rewarding as that all sounds, completing the newly-added Vanguard Zombies The Archon easter egg isn’t going to be a walk in the park – far from it, in fact. This Call of Duty Zombies map is going to whisk players away from the heat of a cursed desert to the heart of the Dark Aether itself in a battle that the Call of Duty Blog has described as “larger-than-life” – and we’re inclined to agree with this description.
If you like the sound of all that, but you don’t want to spend several hours running around holding the interact button on inanimate objects, we have everything you need to know about getting through this huge finale and finally giving Kortifex what-for. Well, if you survive, anyway.
Vanguard Zombies The Archon easter egg guide
Okay, zombie-slayers. If you’re locked, loaded, and ready to start taking the fight to the Dark Aether, we have everything you need to know about how you can complete the Vanguard Zombies The Archon easter egg:
- Follow onscreen objectives to Retrieve Machine Parts for Pack-a-Punch;
- Find a shovel;
- Derailment area train cars are a guaranteed spawn;
- Complete Pack-a-Punch activation ritual;
- Place Relic Mirror on podium in front of Pack-a-Punch machine;
- Go through the red portal into the Dark Aether and kill enemies;
- You’re meant to get downed, so don’t worry;
- Complete all three Obelisk Trials;
- You can find these at Merchant Road (will spawn by searching dig sites in area around Obelisk), Derailment (will spawn after lighting three torches in the area using Molotov Cocktails), and Debris Field (will spawn after shooting red Dark Aether crystals out of bounds in area);
- Prepare for final boss fight by upgrading weapons and perks;
- Go back through red Dark Aether portal near Pack-a-Punch;
- Complete Phase One of Kortifex the Deathless boss battle;
- Damage can be dealt by shooting the Dark Aether crystal in his forehead;
- Complete Phase Two of Kortifex the Deathless boss battle;
- Shield can be broken by throwing Corrupted Crystal Shards at floating pillars;
- Throwing Crystal Shard from red Dark Aether crystals into purple plants will corrupt them;
- Complete Phase Three of Kortifex the Deathless boss battle;
- This can be completed in the same way as Phase Two;
When you finish Phase Three of the Kortifex the Deathless boss battle, that’s it! Thanks to MrDalekJD, a Call of Duty Zombies expert, we know that there’s no final cutscene for this easter egg. Once Kortifex is dead, he’s dead, and that’s the end of that.
We don’t know whether this means the Dark Aether storyline is complete or not, but it’s certainly the end of Call of Duty Zombies in Vanguard. Still, there will be more to look forward to in the future, we expect. If you’re looking to jump into the battle royale, though, after all that, then you should check out our recommendations for the best Warzone guns and the best Warzone loadouts right here.