Black Ops 3: Der Eisendrache Zombies Easter Egg Guide
By Dalton Cooper 26 January 2016
As expected, the new Zombies map Der Eisendrache for Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 has an Easter Egg for players to conquer, and this guide goes through it step by step.
It’s no secret that Treyarch enjoys stuffing Call of Duty games with Easter Eggs, and Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is no exception. The base game has numerous Nuketown Easter Eggs, in addition to an extensive Zombies Easter Egg as well. Now that the first expansion is available to download for PS4 owners, there’s yet another Easter Egg to discover and complete in the game – and it may just be the most complicated one to date.
This Easter Egg is featured in the Der Eisendrache Zombies map that is added to Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 as part of the Awakening DLC expansion. It is tied to the secret trophy called “My Brother’s Keeper”, and those that complete it will be rewarded with a cutscene that sets up the future of the Zombies mode very well.
However, completing the Der Eisendrache Easter Egg is easier said than done. Luckily, this guide is designed to walk players through step by step, so that they may complete the Easter Egg without too much difficulty. This Easter Egg can be completed solo or in co-op, so while there may be slight differences, the steps are by and large the same for either method.
For those that would rather use a video, check out this excellent Der Eisendrache Easter Egg guide from the talented YouTuber MrRoflWaffles:
1. Pyramid Room
First on the agenda is activating the pyramid. To reach the pyramid, switch on the power and head underground. Stand on each of the four blue squares surrounding the pyramid until they light up, and that will in turn switch on the pyramid. Turning on the pyramid causes a zero gravity effect, but just let it run its course for now. We will be returning to the pyramid multiple times throughout this process.
2. Feeding the Dragons
With the pyramid on, it’s time to feed the three dragons on the map in order to obtain the Wrath of the Ancients, a powerful bow that is required for completing the Easter Egg. Veteran Zombies players should recall a familiar mechanic used in the Mob of the Dead DLC for Black Ops 2, where players fed large Cerberus dog heads on the wall. It’s the same concept here, except with dragons instead of dogs.
The first dragon head is located in the courtyard. Simply kill zombies while chilling out by it, and it will come to life. The dragon will then start eating zombies. When it’s done, it will turn back to stone, and then it’s time to move on to the next dragon head.
The second dragon head is located in the research lab area. Follow the same method as before to the feed the dragon. Finally, return to the pyramid room to find the third and final dragon head. Again, follow the same method as before until the dragon reverts back to stone.
3. Upgrading the Bow
With the dragon heads sufficiently fed, the bow called the Wrath of the Ancients will spawn. It spawns in the room with the knight’s tomb, located directly up the stairs from the pyramid area. Collect it, and now begins the bow upgrading process.
This step will be much different depending on how many people are playing. If playing solo, players only need to upgrade to the electric bow. If playing cooperatively, everyone on the team will need an upgraded bow. This step alone makes “My Brother’s Keeper” one of the most difficult to obtain out of all of Black Ops 3‘s trophies, so buckle up.
Electric Bow
First, there is the electric bow. This will upgrade the bow to be electrically charged, and it is the recommended upgrade for anyone playing solo. To begin the upgrade process, shoot the weathervane located outside near the death ray machine. A purple item will fall to the ground; collect it.
The next step is to activate the bonfires. There are three bonfires in total, and all are located outside of the map. The goal is to shoot arrows at the burning log piles in order to spark the fire. One bonfire is located off the map to the right of the spawn location. Another is on the mountainside visible from the rocket ship. The third and final bonfire is in the distance near the area where the death ray machine and clock tower are located.
With the bonfires ignited, return to the pyramid room. Activate zero gravity again and jump on the wall. Sprint over each blue icon on the wall without falling off. With that done, the next step is to fill urns with zombie souls by killing zombies near them.
Go to the room that is to the left of the death ray room to find the first urn. Kill zombies until the urn is full, and then stand near the urn and hold down the right trigger. Do this until the bow is charged, and then head to one of the bonfire locations from earlier. Shoot the bonfire until it is imbued with electricity.
The next urn is near the rocket ship launch site. Repeat the process, shooting a different bonfire this time once the bow is charged. Finally, the third urn is in the clock tower. Again, kill the zombies, charge the bow, and then shoot the only bonfire that should be left.
Return to the weather vane to collect the electric arrow. Place it on the chest in the pyramid room and, yet again, kill zombies near it. When it’s fully charged, players are able to collect it and have at their disposal a much more powerful electric bow.
If playing solo, feel free to skip to step 4. If not, get ready to collect more bow upgrades.
Fire Bow
To begin the Fire Bow quest, go to the clock tower. Shoot the red circle on the wall inside, and a red item will spawn. Grab it, and then head to the rocket ship launch site. Once the countdown for the rocket launch begins, go to the teleporter room, and wait for the doors to open again. Rush back to the rocket ship area and shoot the fire ball that emits from it with the bow.
In this same area of the castle are launch pads that players can utilize to fling themselves around the map. Take note of the ritual circles that glow on the ground in this area. Shoot one with the bow, and then go to it. Charge the circle by killing zombies within its radius. Repeat this with the other two ritual circles. When this is done, return to the clock tower and interact with the clock’s cogs.
Now it’s time to find the fireplace. There are three possible areas where the fireplace can spawn: Edward’s room, the research lab, or near the Double Tap perk machine. Find the fireplace and the glowing red circle near it, and then shoot four arrows to reach the fireplace proper. Then shoot the symbol in the fireplace and interact with it to complete this part of the process.
With that done, go to the death ray. Interact with the glowing red ball until it explodes. Then go to the pyramid room, place the arrow on the chest, and charge it just like before by killing zombies near it. When enough zombies have been killed, the Fire Bow is yours to collect.
Shadow Bow
To start the Shadow Bow upgrade quest, head to the courtyard gatehouse and shoot the symbol on the ceiling. Afterwards, head to the lowest level of the clock tower. With the bow equipped, melee kill a zombie near the purple symbol on the floor, which will cause a large urn to appear.
Now there are six skulls to collect. First, go to the top of the courtyard area. The first skull is sitting on a window ledge here. The second skull is on the wall near Mule Kick. On the window ledge near the Double Tap perk is the third skull, and in Samantha’s toy box (located in her room), the fourth skull can be found. The fifth skull is located in the teleporter room’s sink, and the sixth and final skull is in the back of the truck parked near the rocket launch site.
With the six skulls in tow, return to the room with the floating urn. Make six crawlers for this step, which is accomplished by throwing grenades at the feet of zombies. The souls of the crawlers will be absorbed into the urn. After this happens, shoot the urn with the bow, and listen to the three words that are spoken by an unseen entity. These are different every time, so it is imperative to pay attention. It may be a good idea to jot them down before continuing.
When ready, go to the death ray area and kill zombies to collect purple orbs. Upon possessing six purple orbs, go to the armory, where various knight statues are located. Look for the knights that correspond with the words that were heard moments earlier. Place the purple orbs in the knights, and then interact with them. Each time this is done, a symbol will appear. Jot down each symbol so you don’t forget them.
Return to the urn room. Shoot the symbols that appeared near the knights with the bow. Then go to the pyramid room and do the usual zombie killing process. When this is done, the Shadow Bow (also referred to as the Skull Bow by some) will be available.
Wolf Bow
The final bow to collect is the Wolf Bow. The first step to this is finding the four paintings that have wolf symbols on them. There are two in the clock tower: a painting of a knight with a shield, and then on the lower floor, a painting of a flaming sword and shield. Outside of Samantha’s room is a painting of a knight carrying a flag. And finally, in the research lab, there is a painting of a knight holding a shield. The catch is that the paintings have to be activated in a specific order. This order is random, but luckily the game will make a buzzing sound if the wrong painting is selected.
Completing the painting puzzle will trigger the quest item to spawn behind the pyramid. Collect it and then go to the rocket launch site. On the mountainside beyond and to the right of the rocket is a flag. Shoot the flag with an arrow to cause a skull to fall to the ground. Grab the school and return to the pyramid room with it. Place the skull in the chest to make a wolf spawn.
Follow the wolf around Der Eisendrache. He will pause and dig in certain areas, which is the cue to start killing zombies around the wolf to charge it with souls. When the wolf is fully charged, it will return to the pyramid room and stare at a crack on the wall. Activate the pyramid’s zero gravity like before, and run on the wall like we did for the Electric Bow. Shoot an arrow through the crack on the wall.
This will cause a new platform to spawn. Interact with it and then grab the arrow. Place it on the chest and charge it by killing zombies. When it is fully charged with souls, the Wolf Bow will be available.
4. Ragnarok DG-4
With the bow(s) upgraded, the next major step is to acquire the Ragnarok DG-4. This is a device that must be built using a workbench, and requires three separate parts. To get the first part, head to the rocket launch site. When the countdown begins, run over to the lever with the red light. Pull the lever and then rush to the safety of the teleporter room. The lights on the control panel here will turn green. Interact with the control panel to make the first part of the device appear in the teleporter.
For the second part, go to the death ray machine and activate it. When it’s done, the second part will be floating in the air. Use the launch pad to snag it in mid-air. For the third part, killing the Panzersoldat is necessary. This is a special boss-like enemy in the vein of ones seen in previous Zombies maps like in the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare – Ascendance DLC expansion pack.
The Panzersoldat typically appears every 12 rounds or so. Killing it will make it drop the third and final part necessary to build the Ragnarok DG-4. Once it’s been built, plant the Ragnarok DG-4 behind the clock in the clock tower, and then approach the lever near the computer screen. Keep pulling the lever until the clock says 9:35. An audio cue will confirm when this has been done properly.
5. Wisps
An important thing to keep in mind when doing this step is to leave a couple of crawlers, and to avoid killing them at the end of this step. It will make the next step in the Easter Egg much easier to complete. To begin hunting for wisps, shoot the prongs that stick out of the teleporter with the bow, which will cause four wisps to spawn at eight possible locations on the map. It’s similar in concept to how the meat spawned in the Ascendance Zombies Easter Egg back in Advanced Warfare, so just be sure to check each location.
The locations are as follows: the radio near the Speed Cola perk machine; the clock above the command center; the clock in the hall that leads to the clock tower; the phone near the power switch; the globe in the room next to Samantha’s bedroom; a box in the room above the Double Tap perk machine; on a tire near the abandoned car by the Double Tap perk machine; and on the phone near the starting point.
6. Time Travel
The teleporter will now be glowing purple. Step inside and travel back in time. Collect the soul canister and the blue fuse, and watch what code Dr. Groph puts into the safe. Like the words from earlier, it’s probably a good idea to jot down the code somewhere just to be safe, as the code is different for each playthrough. The code will also change if the game advances to the next round, so be weary of that danger as well.
Back at Der Eisendrache proper, go to the death ray machine. Use the blue fuse on it and switch it to “Protect” mode. Go to the computer terminal at the clock tower next, and enter the same code into the terminal that Groph used to open the safe in the past. Return to the teleporter room and from the now-open safe, collect the following items: two Tesla Coils and one floppy disk.
7. Death Ray Machine
Place the Tesla Coils into the death ray machine, and then switch it back to “Destroy” mode. Activate the machine on and insert the floppy disk into the terminal. This will cause the terminals outside of the clock tower and near the rocket launch site to basically become games of Simon Says.
Complete the Simon Says routine on both the clock tower terminal and the rocket launch site terminal. Once this has been successfully completed, return to the death ray machine. Flip the death ray machine back on and that will cause Dempsey’s pod to crash land. Visit the crash site to collect the golden rod.
8. Keeper Tablet
With that accomplished, it’s time to return to the past. Repeat step 5 to trigger the teleporter, and then grab the Keeper Tablet from the box labeled 935. Return to present time and place the golden rod inside the slot in the knight’s tomb. Place the keeper tablet in the empty space near the Double Tap perk machine.
Ritual circles will then appear, and each one requires a different bow type, unless playing solo or with less than four people. The screen will glow with a tint that corresponds with the color of each bow, so use that bow while in the circle to kill zombies.
9. Keeper Boss Fight
With that done, it is now time to face off against this map’s boss. Return to the pyramid and place the soul canisters in each corner. Then place the Ragnarok DG-4 on one of the zero gravity activation squares (if playing in co-op, each player has to put down a Ragnarok DG-4). Doing this will cause players to be teleported to the boss fight.
This is a more traditional boss fight, like the one seen in Call of Duty Advanced Warfare‘s Carrier Zombies map. The boss here is much more powerful, however, and can be somewhat frustrating to take on. The trick is to stun it using the Ragnarok DG-4, and then fire arrows into the exposed white light that appears when it’s stunned. The best way to avoid taking damage from the boss during this battle is to run in a circle shape around the area, and to hide behind pillars when it is doing its electrical attack.
10. Ending
When the boss is successfully defeated, players will be transported back to the pyramid room. A summoning key will spawn on the side of the pyramid, so snag it. Return to the clock tower terminal and use the summoning key.
At that point, the final cut-scene will play:
Hopefully this guide has proven useful to anyone trying to complete the exhausting Der Eisendrache Zombies Easter Egg in Call of Duty: Black Ops 3‘s Awakening expansion pack. It will be interesting to see where the Zombies maps go from here, and how Treyarch will top this Easter Egg in the next few expansions that are planned for Black Ops 3‘s season pass.
Call of Duty: Black Ops 3 is available for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. Currently, the Awakening expansion pack is only available for the PS4 version of the game.
Source: Accelerated Ideas, MrRoflWaffles
