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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsTo complete The Tomb’s Main Quest, open the Dark Aether Nexus, build and upgrade the Staff of Ice into Ull’s Arrow, finish four creature trials, then cross the bridge and destroy the Sentinel Artifact. The quest is solo-capable and supports squad play. The steps below follow the quest sequence; current symbols in the staff puzzle can vary by match.
Choose a mode and know what to expect
Directed Mode guides you from objective to objective and caps rounds at 15, repeating round 15 until the quest is complete. It can ease round pressure while you follow the objectives, but you will still need to solve the staff puzzles and complete the trials. Standard Mode is the unguided option. Activision’s official map guide covers map layout and Directed Mode, but it is not a full Main Quest walkthrough.
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The quest supports solo play as well as squads. There is no established evidence that a particular player count makes it easier, so choose the format you prefer.
Open the Dark Aether Nexus
Follow the on-screen objectives to open the gateway to the Dark Aether Nexus. The Main Quest cannot proceed until this gateway is open.
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Build the Staff of Ice
You need the Staff of Ice for the trials and its upgrade, Ull’s Arrow, for later quest steps. Build it from the Monocle and two pieces found through lantern-and-symbol puzzles.
- Get the Monocle: At round 8, kill the Shock Mimic and collect the Monocle.
- Find the first staff piece: Move the Dark Aether Lantern in the Neolithic Catacombs to the Roman numeral wall. Shoot the illuminated symbols in numerical order, then survive the lockdown and collect the piece.
- Find the second staff piece: Repeat the lantern-and-symbol sequence at the bull mural in the Tombs. This puzzle uses eight symbols. Survive the lockdown and collect the piece.
- Assemble the staff: Bring all three components to the structure in the Dark Aether Nexus and defend the construction site during its lockdown. When the defense is complete, interact with the structure to collect the Staff of Ice.
If the construction defense fails, the walkthrough says you can try again on a later round. A Wonderbar! GobbleGum is an optional, chance-based way to obtain the staff from the Mystery Box; it is not a guaranteed shortcut.
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Upgrade the staff to Ull’s Arrow
- Freeze three lanterns: Use the Staff of Ice to freeze three Dark Aether Lanterns in different areas within 10 seconds. You can reposition lanterns first by shooting them with a bullet weapon, making the sequence more manageable.
- Record the three runes: In the Nexus, shoot the three floating rocks that bear symbols and note the symbols shown in your match.
- Open the matching gateway: Find the blocked gateway on the main map and shoot the three matching runes. The symbols can vary between matches, so use the ones displayed on your rocks rather than a memorized combination.
- Escort the orb: Re-enter the Nexus through the opened gateway and interact with the purple orb. Stay near it as it travels around the Nexus, killing zombies along the way. When it reaches the central structure, interact with it to upgrade the staff to Ull’s Arrow.
Complete the four creature trials
Each trial uses the same energy loop: activate its crystal statue in the Nexus with Ull’s Arrow’s Sekhmet’s Vigor healing shot, carry the energy to the matching statue elsewhere on the map, complete the trial, then return the refined energy to its matching Nexus statue. Avoid taking too much damage while carrying energy; it can be lost.
| Trial | Where to take the energy | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Vermin | Dig Site | Survive a 60-second Vermin lockdown. |
| Parasite | Shrine of the Hierophants | During a 90-second lockdown, kill the purple-glowing Parasites and return their dropped orbs to refine the energy. |
| Doppelghast | Ossuary | Survive the Doppelghast lockdown, reported as 90 seconds in the quest walkthrough. |
| Amalgam | Deep Excavation | Complete the Amalgam trial. A specialist guide describes removing the tethered armored zombie to break the Amalgam’s bubble shield before continuing to damage it. |
After returning all four refined energies to their Nexus statues, the route to the boss becomes available.
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Prepare before you trigger the boss encounter
Once you interact with the pedestal at the rear of the Nexus to extend the bridge, you are committing to the arena encounter. The quest walkthrough recommends entering with a Legendary-rarity, Tier III Pack-a-Punched bullet weapon, Tier III armor and all perks; it also recommends saving a Mutant Injection for later in the fight. These are recommendations, not quest requirements.
- Bring conventional bullet damage: The walkthrough says the Sentinel Artifact takes damage from bullet weapons, not Ull’s Arrow, other Wonder Weapons or explosives. Save a high-capacity firearm for its vulnerability windows.
- Keep Ull’s Arrow for control: Use the staff to manage enemies and stay alive rather than spending time trying to damage the Artifact with it.
- Keep ammunition available: The later windows are short, so avoid using your Artifact-damage weapon’s ammunition on explosives or unnecessary targets.
Defeat the Sentinel Artifact
- Start the fight: At the rear of the Nexus, interact with the pedestal to extend the bridge. Cross it and interact with the Sentinel Artifact.
- Avoid the lasers: The Artifact rotates and fires a laser. Keep moving around the arena or use cover. Later, multiple projections can fire lasers, so watch the arena rather than focusing only on your target.
- Shoot during vulnerability windows: When the Artifact becomes vulnerable, attack it with your bullet weapon. Do not waste the window on the staff or explosives.
- Handle the carrier phase: Later phases add special or elite enemies carrying an Artifact. Clear supporting enemies, kill the carrier, then shoot the Artifact it drops promptly. If you miss the damage window, the phase may need to be repeated.
- Finish the final phase: The last phase requires quickly destroying a singled-out central Artifact. Failing to do so triggers a wipe mechanic. After the fight, interact with the Artifact in the center to trigger the ending.
What rewards does the Main Quest give?
Activision Blizzard’s Season 02 announcement listed 5,000 XP and the “X91 Ice-Pike” Wonder Weapon Skin for completing The Tomb Main Quest. It also said a unique Calling Card was awarded to players who completed the quest before Directed Mode released for The Tomb. That Calling Card condition is historical, not a promise of present-day eligibility. The announcement states that the quest launched with the map on January 28, 2025.
Quick Recap
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