To complete the Ashes of the Damned main Zombies quest, play the quest in Standard Mode, get Ol’ Tessie running, restore power, and use the truck to work through the map’s upgrades, Klaus sequence, Necrofluid Gauntlet, serum ingredients, location puzzles, and final fight against Veytharion. The quest crosses all six areas, so keep the vehicle alive and follow the clues shown in your own match—especially the rooftop symbols, which are not a fixed solution.
Before you start: mode, map, and Ol’ Tessie
This walkthrough follows Standard Mode. PowerPyx notes that the step order can differ in Directed Mode, although both modes unlock the Dust To Dust and I Heard You Like Upgrades achievements. If your Directed Mode objectives appear in a different order, follow the in-game prompts rather than treating a Standard Mode step order as universal.
Ashes of the Damned connects six major areas: Janus Towers Plaza, Vandorn Farm, Blackwater Lake, Ashwood, Exit 115, and Zarya Cosmodrome. The Fog links parts of the map and makes travel hazardous; Activision’s launch blog warns players about hidden threats in it. Ol’ Tessie is the main way to move between quest locations, but enemies and road hazards can damage the vehicle, so watch its health as you drive.
Get Ol’ Tessie running and restore power
- Find T.E.D.D.’s Head. Go to the Server Room in Janus Towers Plaza and pick up the head.
- Install the head on Ol’ Tessie. Bring it to the pickup truck and interact with the vehicle to fit it. You can then use Tessie to travel between areas.
- Clear the power pumps. Find the orange growths covering the pumps and destroy them so the pumps can be used.
- Activate the local switches. Once the pump area is clear, use its power switch. Repeat the process at the other pump locations until power is restored.
The pump and switch locations are spread across the map. Use the area names and on-screen prompts to navigate; don’t assume that clearing one pump powers every location.
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Install Pack-a-Punch and upgrade Ol’ Tessie
Fit Pack-a-Punch at Ashwood
Drive to Ashwood and use the garage and workbench there to install the Pack-a-Punch machine on Ol’ Tessie. This makes the truck part of the quest’s combat progression as well as its transport.
Get the beam upgrade at the diner
Continue to the diner for the Abomination Carcass. Use it in the vehicle-upgrade sequence to add the beam upgrade to Ol’ Tessie. The diner trip is a quest step, not an optional detour: the upgraded vehicle is used in later parts of the main quest.
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Free Klaus at the cosmodrome
- Defeat Uber Klaus. Complete the encounter to obtain the Stabilizer Chip needed for the jail sequence.
- Go to the jail. Bring the Stabilizer Chip and Stun Grenades there and use them as part of the sequence to free Klaus.
- Direct Klaus to the control panel. At Zarya Cosmodrome, guide Klaus to the control panel and start the scan.
- Defend the scan. Hold off the attacking enemies until the scan is complete.
Charge the Aether Barrel and earn the Necrofluid Gauntlet
Charge the barrel at the pumps
Take the Aether Barrel to the three power pumps. Charge it at each one and defend the pump while the charge completes. The barrel must be charged at all three pump locations before you proceed to the symbol puzzle.
Read your Jump Pad symbols, then enter them at Vandorn Farm
- Use the Jump Pad sequence to get a view of the rooftops and observe the red symbols shown during the flight.
- Remember or record the symbols from your own match. Do not rely on a universal symbol order; the clues to use are the ones you see in-game.
- Go to the cellar at Vandorn Farm and enter the observed symbols on the cube.
- Complete the resulting sequence to obtain the Necrofluid Gauntlet, the quest’s Wonder Weapon gate.
Collect the six serum ingredients
The serum requires six ingredients. The route is not just a set of nearby pickups: published walkthroughs describe returns to map locations, defensive encounters, and actions that depend on reaching a round threshold. Use the item names below to track what you still need, and follow the relevant in-game clue when a pickup does not appear immediately.
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Once all six are collected, use the serum-crafting step to prepare the serum before continuing with the location-puzzle sequence. If an ingredient-related interaction is unavailable, check whether its defense or round-gated condition has been met rather than repeatedly searching the same spot.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Work through the location puzzles
With the serum and Gauntlet progression complete, continue through the quest’s puzzle stages. The sequence involves Vandorn Farm, Exit 115, Zarya Cosmodrome, and Blackwater Lake. Treat each area as a separate stage: travel there with Ol’ Tessie, complete the clue or interaction presented at that location, and use the game’s next objective to identify where to go next.
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Vandorn Farm
Complete the farm’s quest interactions, including the cellar cube sequence used to obtain the Necrofluid Gauntlet. The cube solution comes from the red rooftop symbols observed during the Jump Pad sequence, not from a fixed code to copy from another run.
Exit 115 and Zarya Cosmodrome
Follow the objectives for each area in turn. Zarya also hosts the Klaus control-panel scan earlier in the quest; if you have not completed and defended that scan, finish it before expecting the later progression to advance.
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Blackwater Lake and final setup
Complete the Blackwater Lake puzzle stage, then return to the cabin for the wisp-and-Klaus sequence that leads into the final road-wisp collection. The boss encounter begins after this cabin sequence.
Collect the road wisps and fight Veytharion
Gather all 12 road wisps
The final setup calls for 12 road wisps: three on each of the four roads. Drive Ol’ Tessie along the roads and collect the wisps as you find them. Keep the vehicle intact; it is needed for the boss encounter that follows.
Break Veytharion’s shield with Ol’ Tessie
Veytharion’s fight is vehicle-based. Use Ol’ Tessie to collect energy in the arena and use that energy to break the boss’s shield. Once the shield is down, attack Veytharion, then repeat the energy-and-shield process as required by the encounter until the boss is defeated. The walkthrough sequence depends on the truck, so avoid abandoning it or letting its health run out before the fight is over.
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