🚙 1. Restore power, Pack-a-Punch & Ol’ Tessie

Follow the opening objectives through the major locations to restore the map’s systems and get Ol’ Tessie, the drivable truck that connects Ashes of the Damned’s huge regions. Pack-a-Punch eventually rides on Tessie, making the truck a central part of the entire quest rather than just transportation.

While you’re traveling, it’s worth learning the six major regions now: Janus Towers Plaza, Vandorn Farm, Blackwater Lake, Ashwood, Exit 115, and Zarya Cosmodrome. You’re going to be visiting basically all of them repeatedly.

🤖 2. WAKE UP KLAUS

Wait until Round 8.

At Janus Towers Plaza, near the gate toward Blackwater Lake, an:

🤖 UBER KLAUS

appears from a vehicle.

Defeat him and collect the:

🔧 STABILIZER CHIP.

Take it to the Sheriff’s Office in Ashwood, where regular Klaus is locked in a jail cell.

Install the chip into his door panel until it displays:

UPDATE REQUIRES RESTART.

Use the required in-game stun effect on Klaus twice in quick succession.

⚡ KLAUS ONLINE.

You’ll know it worked when the stun-ring effect appears around his head.

Apparently even in the Dark Aether:

“Have you tried turning Klaus off and back on again?” 😂

🚙 3. UPGRADE OL’ TESSIE

Go to:

🍽️ EXIT 115.

Wait for the special zombie called:

👨‍🍳 THE COOK.

Defeating him gives you a:

🔑 FREEZER KEY.

Use it inside the Diner to open the freezer and collect the:

👹 ABOMINATION CARCASS.

Bring that back to the Garage in Ashwood and install the upgrade on Ol’ Tessie.

Tessie gains her:

⚡ BEAM ATTACK.

This ability is required for several later quest items.

🧤 4. START THE NECROFLUID GAUNTLET QUEST

Head to:

🚀 ZARYA COSMODROME.

Call Klaus into the underground Support Systems area.

Between the staircases is a sparking panel with a red light.

Order Klaus over to it.

He repairs the machine.

Interact with it and you’ll begin a roughly:

⏱️ ONE-MINUTE SCANNER LOCKDOWN.

Stay inside the marked scanning area until it finishes.

Afterward you can collect:

🛢️ AETHER BARREL.

⚡ 5. CHARGE THE AETHER BARREL

The barrel must visit the three Power Pumps around the map.

The order technically isn’t fixed, but an efficient route is:

Ashwood → Blackwater Lake → Vandorn Farm.

Once the first charge begins, subsequent deliveries are timed; the detailed guide lists about 1:45 to reach the next generator.

After charging the barrel at Vandorn Farm, carry it underground into the:

🏚️ CELLAR.

Place its energy into the strange cube.

👁️ 6. SOLVE THE VANDORN CUBE

The cube wants:

THREE SYMBOLS.

Use Vandorn Farm’s Jump Pad and look across the rooftops while you’re airborne.

You’ll spot three red symbols.

WRITE THEM DOWN.

Return to the Cellar.

Cycle the cube’s green sides until you’ve entered the three symbols you saw.

Interact with the eyeball to confirm them.

If correct:

🧤 NECROFLUID GAUNTLET APPEARS.

Take it.

🟢 7. COMPLETE THE GAUNTLET LOCKDOWN

A lockdown begins immediately.

Green energy orbs appear.

Use the Necrofluid Gauntlet on the orbs, then use its recall mechanic to pull the energy back.

Clear every orb.

🧤 NECROFLUID GAUNTLET — ACQUIRED.

And now things get weird.

Actually—

things were already weird.

THEY GET WEIRDER. 😂

🪞 8. GET THE POWDER OF THE FORGOTTEN

Make sure you have:

✨ WISP TEA.

Go to the:

🧵 TAILOR SHOP — ASHWOOD.

Find the mirror.

Activate Wisp Tea near it.

The Wisp interacts with the mirror and reveals the prism.

Use the Necrofluid Gauntlet on the mirror.

It breaks and drops:

✨ POWDER OF THE FORGOTTEN.

Take it to:

🧪 YURI’S LAB — ZARYA COSMODROME.

Interact with the powder on the table.

A:

🔤 PIGPEN CIPHER

appears on the wall.

🧪 9. READ YOUR RANDOM SERUM RECIPE

The Pigpen Cipher gives you three ingredients, in order.

Your possible ingredients are:

🦴 Human Bones
🟣 Hoard Husk Chunks
🏮 Widow’s Lantern
👁️ Ravager Eyes
🦾 Mysterious Limb

But—

⚠️ YOU DON’T NEED ALL FIVE.

Your match chooses three.

And the top-to-bottom order matters when you later create the serum.

🏮 10. WIDOW’S LANTERN

At Blackwater Lake, check underneath the stove in the Cabin kitchen for:

🫙 JAR OF SPORES.

Take it to the horse carcass outside Vandorn Farm.

Plant the spores.

Wait:

TWO FULL ROUNDS.

Return and collect:

🏮 WIDOW’S LANTERN.

👁️ 11. RAVAGER EYES

This ingredient comes from defeating a Ravager using one of the map’s Saw Blade Traps.

Successfully doing so drops:

👁️ RAVAGER EYES.

🟣 12. HOARD HUSK CHUNKS

Drive Ol’ Tessie through the Fog.

Look for the huge:

🟣 OVERGROWN HOARD HUSKS.

Use Tessie’s Beam Attack on one.

Destroying it drops:

🟣 HOARD HUSK CHUNKS.

🦴 13. HUMAN BONES

The Human Bones ingredient comes from the hanging remains in the Vandorn Farm Barn and requires completing its small environmental puzzle.

Finish that sequence and collect:

🦴 HUMAN BONES.

🦾 14. MYSTERIOUS LIMB

This one is round-gated.

Wait until roughly:

ROUND 16

for a:

🐻 ZURSA.

Bring its health down and finish the special objective using Ol’ Tessie’s Beam Attack.

It drops:

🦾 MYSTERIOUS LIMB.

Again, only collect whichever three ingredients your Pigpen Cipher actually requested.

🧪 15. CRAFT THE SERUM

Return to Yuri’s Lab.

Add your three ingredients in the exact:

TOP → MIDDLE → BOTTOM

order shown by your cipher.

If you’ve got it right, you’ll receive:

ADD BLOOD.

Interact.

And—

🚨 LOCKDOWN.

During this event your health is restricted, and the Necrofluid Gauntlet’s special healing interaction becomes important for sustaining yourself until the sequence ends.

Survive.

🧪 SERUM COMPLETE.

🔑 16. FIND THE THREE CURSED KEYS

Now we’re going treasure hunting in the Fog.

There are three:

🟢 Terrapin Key

🔴 Nightbird Key

🟡 Bruin Key

Each has three possible spawn positions, so their exact spots vary between games.

Use the Necrofluid Gauntlet’s special interaction to knock each key loose.

And each key gives you a different annoying curse.

Because apparently:

NORMAL KEYS WERE TOO EASY.

😂

🐢 17. TERRAPIN KEY

Search:

🚢 GROUNDED SHIP.

Its possible positions include locations around the blue containers and underneath the ship.

Picking up Terrapin:

🐌 GREATLY REDUCES YOUR MOVEMENT SPEED.

So park Ol’ Tessie nearby before taking it.

Drive the key back to:

🐇 RABBIT ALLEY — ASHWOOD.

Put it into the locked Prism.

🐦 18. NIGHTBIRD KEY

Search:

🦖 ORDA GRAVEYARD.

Possible locations include the large skull structures and the Project Janus truck area.

Nightbird’s curse:

❤️ REDUCED HEALTH.

Get it back to Rabbit Alley and unlock another Prism seal.

🐻 19. BRUIN KEY

Search:

🚀 CRASHED ROCKET.

Possible positions include the cliff, pylon, and radar-building ledge.

Bruin’s curse forces your:

🥊 DEDICATED MELEE SLOT.

Return it to the Prism.

🔓 THIRD LOCK REMOVED.

⚡ 20. GET THE DG-2 TURRET

With all three keys inserted:

🎬 MID-QUEST CUTSCENE.

Afterward, collect the:

⚡ DG-2 TURRET

from the Prism.

Take it to the Ashwood Garage.

Install it onto:

🚙 OL’ TESSIE.

Our car now has Pack-a-Punch, an Aether Beam, AND a DG-2 turret.

At this point Tessie isn’t transportation.

TESSIE IS A PARTY MEMBER. 😂

🕰️ 21. CHARGE THE AETHER CLOCK

Look above Ashwood.

You’ll see the enormous floating:

🕰️ AETHER CLOCK TOWER.

Use Tessie’s DG-2 Turret to charge it.

Three of its four clock faces freeze.

Now use the Necrofluid Gauntlet’s shoot-and-recall ability on one of the frozen faces.

Your character becomes:

🟣 AETHER-INFUSED.

This energy is needed for the next four challenges. If it runs out, return to the Clock Tower and obtain another charge.

🏚️ 22. VANDORN FARM CHALLENGE

Enter the Farmhouse while infused.

Check the clock beside the dining table.

Read its:

🕐 HOUR HAND.

Roman numerals surround the dinner table like a clock.

Stand on the Roman numeral corresponding to the hour.

Example:

Clock = 8 → stand on VIII.

Look toward the figure at the head of the table.

Its head slowly turns toward you.

When its eyes glow red, use the infused Gauntlet interaction on it.

🧸 23. FIND THE FOUR FAMILY ARTIFACTS

Now collect:

😋 Tasty-Face — upstairs Farmhouse bunk

🏆 Ma’s Chalice — Cellar

🔪 Pa’s Pigsticker — Garage

🙂 Junior’s Fun-Face — upstairs Barn

Place each item onto its matching red symbol outside.

The symbols turn:

🟡 GOLD.

Interact again.

🚨 DEFEND THE FOUR SYMBOLS.

Complete the defense.

✅ VANDORN FARM CHALLENGE COMPLETE.

🚀 24. ZARYA COSMODROME CHALLENGE

Get Aether-infused again.

At Zarya, use the infused Gauntlet interaction on both giant:

📡 ROTATING RADARS.

They slow down.

Go inside the Control Room.

Two monitors flash pairs of:

🔤 PIGPEN SYMBOLS.

These identify one of four possible words:

LAUNCH

ROCKET

WEAPON

ENGINE

Decode which word your symbols represent.

🔢 25. ENTER THE LAUNCH CODE

Six monitors around the room cycle numbers.

You need to stop each monitor on the correct number corresponding to your decoded word.

Enter all six correctly from:

LEFT → RIGHT.

When successful—

🚀 ROCKET LAUNCH!

✅ ZARYA CHALLENGE COMPLETE.

⏰ 26. EXIT 115 — FREEZE TIME

Head to:

⛽ EXIT 115.

Wait until colored lightning begins appearing.

While Aether-infused, hit the clock on top of the Service Station with the Necrofluid Gauntlet.

⏰ TIME FREEZES FOR ONE MINUTE.

Now we need three special characters:

👩 Waitress

🚛 Trucker

🔧 Mechanic

Each belongs to a specific colored lightning strike.

👩 27. REVIVE THE WAITRESS

Inside the Diner is the cash register.

Use the required Gauntlet interaction on it.

The:

👩 WAITRESS

appears.

Lead her onto the roof and into:

🔵 BLUE LIGHTNING.

🚛 28. REVIVE THE TRUCKER

Use Ol’ Tessie on the back of the large truck carrying the red container.

This reveals:

🚛 TRUCKER.

Lead him onto the Gas Station roof.

Bring him into:

🩷 PINK LIGHTNING.

🔧 29. REVIVE THE MECHANIC

Inside the Service Station:

Call:

🤖 KLAUS.

Direct Klaus to the Mechanic’s location.

Klaus revives him.

Lead the Mechanic onto the roof and into:

🟠 ORANGE LIGHTNING.

You don’t necessarily have to finish all three during one freeze on solo; the challenge includes a method for restarting the time-freeze setup using Tessie’s DG-2 and the sparking light posts around Exit 115.

Once all three are complete:

✅ EXIT 115 CHALLENGE COMPLETE.

🌊 30. BLACKWATER LAKE CHALLENGE

Get infused again.

Go behind the Blackwater Lake Cabin.

Interact with the:

✨ WISP ON THE DOCK.

Enter the Cabin’s:

🎥 PROJECTOR ROOM.

Use the infused Gauntlet interaction on the projector.

It flashes four images in a randomized sequence:

🚤 Boathouse

🛠️ Toolshed

🏠 Front of Cabin

🏡 Side of Cabin

WRITE DOWN THE ORDER.

🎞️ 31. HIT THE FOUR PROJECTOR REELS

Each image corresponds to a reel hidden at that location.

Follow the exact order your projector showed.

Complete all four correctly.

Then go upstairs inside the Cabin.

A box at the foot of the bed begins glowing with:

✨ WISP ENERGY.

Call:

🤖 KLAUS.

Direct him to the box.

Klaus retrieves what’s inside.

✅ BLACKWATER LAKE CHALLENGE COMPLETE.

🚨 32. BOSS PREP

That’s all four:

🏚️ VANDORN FARM ✅

🚀 ZARYA COSMODROME ✅

⛽ EXIT 115 ✅

🌊 BLACKWATER LAKE ✅

At this point, prepare before interacting with Klaus at the Blackwater dock. The final fight revolves heavily around Ol’ Tessie, so the truck and its DG-2 Turret matter enormously.

And now…

⚠️ POINT OF NO RETURN.

🚙💨 33. THE WISP ROAD RACE

Interact with Klaus near the Blackwater Lake dock.

Get into:

🚙 OL’ TESSIE.

Wait briefly for the first Wisp to appear.

Now drive the giant loop around the map while collecting:

✨ THREE WISPS PER FOG SECTION.

The route runs from Blackwater Lake through the other major regions and eventually loops back around. One especially important detail: when you reach the Grounded Ship, make the required hard-right route across it instead of following the normal drive-through path.

Collect every Wisp.

And—

🌌 TELEPORT.

Boss arena.

😈 34. MEET VEYTHARION

Say hello to:

😈 VEYTHARION.

And this is one of the strangest Zombies boss fights we’ve had because your primary boss-fighting tool is:

🚙 OL’ TESSIE.

That’s right.

The final boss mechanic is essentially:

HIT THE DEMON WITH THE CAR.

😂

🚙 35. VEYTHARION — PHASE ONE

Keep Tessie moving while Veytharion attacks the arena.

When Veytharion moves into the center:

🚙💨 BOOST INTO HIM.

This exposes his major vulnerable area.

Line Tessie up again and:

BOOST INTO THE WEAK POINT.

That causes huge boss damage.

Repeat until Veytharion becomes immune.

🟣 36. SUPERCHARGE TESSIE

During the transition, Veytharion begins spinning while immune.

He eventually creates a:

🟣 PURPLE ENERGY BEAM.

Drive Tessie through it.

⚡ TESSIE SUPERCHARGED.

Now boost Tessie into Veytharion.

That breaks his shield and temporarily staggers him.

⚡ 37. DG-2 DAMAGE WINDOW

Once Veytharion is staggered, a:

🟡 GOLDEN WEAK POINT

appears underneath him.

Get Tessie positioned.

Switch to the:

⚡ DG-2 TURRET.

Use that damage window on the golden weak point.

When Veytharion recovers:

🚙 BACK TO DRIVING.

🔧 38. KEEP TESSIE ALIVE

Veytharion can disable Ol’ Tessie.

If that happens:

🔧 REPAIR THE CAR.

You need Tessie for the encounter mechanics, so don’t abandon her.

Get her operational and resume the cycle.

I cannot believe we’re saying:

“The car is down! Save the car!”

during the climax of a Zombies storyline.

😂

🟣 39. PHASE THREE — THE BIG LASER

Later, Veytharion gains a devastating:

🟣 PURPLE LASER ATTACK.

When he begins charging it, you have two main options:

Use cover

or

🚙💨 BOOST TESSIE INTO HIS CHARGING MOUTH.

Successfully interrupting the charge also gives you major damage opportunities.

💥 40. FINISH VEYTHARION

The overall late-fight cycle becomes:

🚙 Keep Tessie moving

→ 😈 Watch Veytharion’s attacks

→ 🟣 Interrupt the giant laser

→ 🚙 Boost into vulnerable points

→ ⚡ Break shield

→ 🟡 Golden weak point appears

→ ⚡ DG-2 damage window

→ 🔧 Repair Tessie when necessary

→ REPEAT.

Eventually—

💥💥💥

😈 VEYTHARION DEFEATED.

The ending cinematic triggers and:

🏆 DUST TO DUST — COMPLETE.

🎁 41. ONE IMPORTANT POST-QUEST STEP

If this is your first Main Quest completion, choose CONTINUE afterward.

Return to the dock at Blackwater Lake and interact with the floating artifact there.

That unlocks the ability to equip:

🗿 RELICS IN CURSED MODE.

Don’t finish this monster of an Easter Egg and then accidentally skip the extra unlock. 😂