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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →The Astra Malorum main quest is a multi-stage Black Ops 7 Zombies Easter egg: restore the observatory, use three traps against O.S.C.A.R. to earn the LGM-1, solve clues that change between runs, and follow the crew to Mars for the Caltheris fight. Keep a note of the planet, direction, coordinate and symbol clues you find in your own match; fixed codes and sequences from another run may not work.
Before you start
Astra Malorum is a round-based Zombies map set in an observatory drifting among Saturn’s rings. Activision describes the crew’s journey as part of its search for another Shadowsmith. The detailed steps below follow the third-party Zombies Codex walkthrough, reviewed September 10, 2026; Activision’s public map guide introduces the setting but does not publish a complete quest route.
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- Difficulty and time: Zombies Codex rates the quest Hard and says it is solo-capable. Its estimated 50–85 minutes is a guide estimate, not a measured completion average or guarantee.
- Quest guidance: The guide reports that Standard mode displays step prompts, while Cursed mode does not. If you are learning the route, Standard provides more in-game direction.
- Preparation: Gather the LGM-1 components and three Absolute Zero shards before relying on the traps. Keep points available for ammunition rebuys; the guide reports limited ammo drops during the boss sequence.
- Run-specific clues: Record what your own game shows. The recording’s planet order and the planet-direction notes can vary, and the Mars coordinates must be read from the current match’s telescope display.
How to complete the Astra Malorum main quest
1. Restore the Harmonic Oculus and bring in Pack-a-Punch
- Open your route toward the Observatory Dome and interact with the Harmonic Oculus.
- Find its two missing components: one in Machina Astralis and one in the Luminarium.
- Return both components to the Harmonic Oculus in the Dome.
- Survive the brief defense that follows. Pack-a-Punch arrives when the defense is complete.
PCGamesN’s December 5, 2025 walkthrough also describes opening Pack-a-Punch through the Oculus components and the Luminarium trap sequence. The exact component pickup instructions are not detailed in the route information summarized here, so use the on-screen prompts and area names to locate them rather than relying on an unverified pickup position.
2. Prepare the traps and earn the LGM-1
You need three qualifying trap kills on O.S.C.A.R., the recurring sentinel. The quest advances through trapping him; do not treat these encounters as a conventional attempt to kill him permanently. The third qualifying trap kill awards the LGM-1 Wonder Weapon, according to Zombies Codex.
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- Museum rocket trap: Apply Cryofreeze to a weapon, shoot the relevant purple Aether Crystals, and collect three Absolute Zero shards. Use the shards to load the Museum rocket before using this trap on O.S.C.A.R.
- Laser trap: Assemble the required UFO disc, wiring and car battery, then use the laser trap on O.S.C.A.R.
- Sunbeam sequence: Work through the observatory organ and vents, then aim the telescope at the Sun to set up the sunbeam trap against O.S.C.A.R.
The guide recommends collecting the Wonder Weapon components as part of this preparation. Keep track of how many qualifying trap kills you have completed; the LGM-1 is tied to the third one, not simply to reaching a particular round.
3. Follow O.S.C.A.R. and decode the Elimination 20 recording
- After the trap sequence, follow O.S.C.A.R. to the Elimination 20 recording.
- Listen for the planets named in the recording and write them down in the order spoken.
- Translate each planet into its position from the Sun, then enter those positions in the recording’s order at the keypad.
The clue is run-dependent. Do not copy a planet sequence or keypad code from another player’s run; derive the order from the recording you collected.
Rank #2
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4. Open the cryo chamber and retrieve the brain
- Use the keypad result to obtain the cryo key.
- Take the bone saw from the Museum.
- Go to the cryopod in Machina Astralis and use the key to open it.
- Extract the brain. O.S.C.A.R. attacks during this interaction.
- Carry the brain through the ensuing defense sequence, then use it at the next machine as prompted by the quest.
5. Read the Mars coordinates and solve the library busts
- At the observatory telescope, point it at Mars and read the displayed DEC coordinates.
- Convert the displayed coordinates into the resulting four-digit code and enter that code at the machine in Machina Astralis.
- Before touching the library busts, read Dr. Thurston’s reading-list clue and count how many of the listed books belong to each of the three busts.
- Turn each bust by its corresponding count. The guide describes this as time-sensitive, so finish the counting before starting the interactions.
- Collect the Neptune planet when the hatch opens.
Use the DEC value displayed in your game for the code. A code posted for a different match cannot substitute for your telescope reading.
6. Align the planets and survive the machine lockdown
- Find the three planet-and-compass-direction notes in their map locations and record each planet’s direction.
- In the solar-system room, use the chandelier compass to orient each of the three planets according to your notes.
- Activate the brain machine and survive the lockdown.
- During the sequence, shoot down incoming UFO attacks. O.S.C.A.R. is immune during this part, according to the guide, so focus on the required attacks rather than trying to damage him.
The directions randomize by game. The notes you found—not a memorized alignment from another run—are the reference for setting the planets.
Rank #3
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7. Retrieve the Ascendant Eye on Mars
- Once the quest takes you to Mars, retrieve the brain canister and place it into the machine.
- Listen for the audio cue, then shoot the distant pillars in the sequence indicated by the guide’s puzzle instructions.
- Collect the Ascendant Eye and return it to its device.
- Wait for and confirm the in-game cue before leaving this stage.
8. Copy the organ’s symbols to the Mars pillars
- Return to the observatory organ and record its five-symbol sequence, including the static or blank position.
- On Mars, use the LGM-1 to activate the pillar antennae.
- Enter the organ’s sequence at the bases of the pillars, preserving the order and the blank position.
The blank symbol is part of the elimination clue, not a symbol to ignore. Zombies Codex warns that mistakes can cost time until the next round, so verify the full sequence before entering it.
9. Defeat Caltheris
The final encounter has four phases. The core pattern is to complete the phase objective that exposes the boss, then damage the exposed weak point. Exact weapon and loadout suggestions are guide advice rather than official requirements.
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- Race across five massive overworlcl islands, each with their own unique action-platforming challenges and hidden secrets to uncover
- Blaze a trail as you see fit and discover side quests, solve puzzles, scale enormous structures, go fishing, and encounter a firendly face or two along the way
- Unlock Cyber Space levels featuring signature 3D platforming at Sonic speeds and a variety of challenges to test your skills like never before
- Use the all-new battle system and skill tree upgrades, combining moves such as dodges, parries, counters, combos, and the new Cyloop ability to take down mysterious foes
- Become Sonic and journey to uncover the mysteries of the remains of an ancient civilization plagued by robotic hordes
- Phase one: Charge the pylon soul-boxes. This enables the brain laser; use the opening it creates to damage Caltheris.
- Later phases: Strip away Caltheris’s armor, then attack the exposed weak point. Repeat the armor-and-damage cycle as the fight advances through its phases.
- Final phase: Watch for rock impacts and avoid the purple electricity pools they leave behind while continuing the armor and weak-point cycle.
Keep enough points for ammunition purchases as the fight goes on. Activision’s Season 01 announcement identifies the LGM-1, O.S.C.A.R. and the quest’s rewards as part of Astra Malorum’s Zombies content; Blizzard’s update confirms the story outcome, in which freeing Caltheris pulls the crew down into the sands of Mars.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What changes between runs—and what to do if a step stalls
- The recording keypad: If the code does not work, check that you used the planets from your Elimination 20 recording in the spoken order and converted each to its position from the Sun.
- The Mars code: Recheck the telescope’s DEC reading and the four-digit conversion before entering the code in Machina Astralis.
- The planet alignment: Revisit the three notes and verify each direction against the chandelier compass. Directions are randomized.
- The organ-to-pillar puzzle: Check that you recorded all five positions, including static/blank, and entered them in the same order at the pillar bases.
- A trap has not advanced the quest: Confirm that O.S.C.A.R. was caught in the intended trap and count qualifying trap kills. The LGM-1 is reported to arrive after the third qualifying kill.
Activision’s public guide leaves many Zombies secrets undisclosed, so the sequence details above rely on Zombies Codex’s route, with PCGamesN providing additional corroboration for the Pack-a-Punch opening and Luminarium trap sequence.
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