SHADOWS OF EVIL — APOCALYPSE AVERTED

⚠️ 4-PLAYER WARNING: In the original Black Ops III Shadows of Evil, you can do most of the Easter Egg with fewer players, including defeating the Shadowman. However, you need FOUR PLAYERS to complete the final step and finish the full “Apocalypse Averted” Easter Egg.

🎒 What you’ll need

Before the later steps, your team should work toward Pack-a-Punch, the Apothicon Servant, Apothicon Swords upgraded to Reborn Swords, and ideally strong Pack-a-Punched weapons.

1. 👹 Complete the Four Rituals

There are four districts, each associated with one of the characters. You need to collect a ritual item and take it to its corresponding ritual room.

🖋️ Nero — Lawyer’s Pen

At Junction, enter Beast Mode and shock the crane control. The crane drops the Lawyer’s Pen.

Take it upstairs to Nero’s ritual room above the spawn/Junction area.

Place the pen on the table and survive the ritual.

🥊 Floyd — Championship Belt

Go to the Waterfront District.

Use Beast Mode to activate the necessary electrical box and knock down/access the Championship Belt.

Take it to the boxing gym and perform the ritual.

🎩 Jackie — Detective’s Badge

Go to the Canals.

Use Beast Mode to access the area containing the Detective’s Badge.

Take it to the Ruby Rabbit and perform the ritual.

💇 Jessica — Producer’s Toupee

Go to the Footlight District.

Use Beast Mode to obtain the Producer’s Toupee.

Take it to the Burlesque/Black Lace ritual room and complete the ritual.

Every completed ritual gives you a:

🪱 GATEWORM

You need four Gateworms total.

2. 🧱 Open Pack-a-Punch

Go underground into the Rift.

You’ll find a wall covered in symbols.

Enter Beast Mode and shock the symbols to reveal the entrance to the ritual chamber.

Inside are four pedestals.

Place one Gateworm on each.

Then approach the altar and begin the final ritual.

Survive until it finishes.

The Shadowman appears and speaks to you.

The wall opens and:

🔫 PACK-A-PUNCH IS AVAILABLE.

3. 🗡️ Get the Apothicon Sword

Each player needs their own sword.

First, ride the train and look out the windows for three glowing red symbols around the districts.

Write them down.

Go underground near the sword wall.

Enter Beast Mode and shock the three matching symbols.

The wall opens and reveals the sword eggs.

Each player picks up an Apothicon Egg.

Place your egg into the statues around the map and kill zombies nearby to charge it.

You’ll need to charge it at the required statues.

When finished, return underground and exchange the egg for:

🗡️ APOTHICON SWORD

4. ⚔️ Upgrade to the Reborn Sword

Take your sword to your character’s ritual room.

Interact with the Keeper there.

You’ll receive an Arch-Ovum.

Take it to the red ritual circles around Morg City.

Place it down and survive the Keeper encounter.

Repeat for all required locations.

Return to your character’s Keeper after completing them.

You’ll receive:

⚔️ REBORN SWORD

For the full quest, all four players should have their upgraded swords.

5. 🐙 Get the Apothicon Servant

You’ll also want the Apothicon Servant.

It requires three components obtained from special enemies/events around the map, including Margwas and Parasites.

Take the components to a crafting table and build:

🐙 APOTHICON SERVANT

This thing creates a black hole that pulls enemies into it, making it extremely useful during the later survival sections.

6. 🚩 Start the Flag Step

Go underground and locate the Keeper/flag associated with the quest.

Pick up the flag.

You’re going to carry it to specific locations around Morg City.

At each location:

Place flag → defend it.

Shadow creatures continuously attack it.

The Apothicon Servant is extremely useful here.

If the flag takes too much damage, the attempt fails and you’ll need to try again.

7. 👻 Bring the Flag to the Keepers

After successfully defending the flag at the required locations in a district, take it to that district’s ritual room.

Place it near the Keeper.

You’ll hear story dialogue.

Repeat the process across:

Canals
Waterfront
Footlight
Junction

Eventually you’ve completed all the Keeper/flag sequences.

8. 🐙 THE SHADOWMAN BOSS FIGHT

Return underground to the Pack-a-Punch room.

The Shadowman appears.

Now you’re fighting him directly.

You’ll need to survive enemies while attacking the Shadowman whenever he’s vulnerable.

Keep damaging him and forcing him backward toward the ritual table.

Eventually you’ll push him all the way over the table.

Activate the interaction at the correct moment and:

🔥 THE SHADOWMAN IS CAPTURED.

But…

⚠️ YOU ARE NOT DONE.

This is the point that causes confusion.

With fewer than four players, you can defeat the Shadowman, but you cannot complete the full final Easter Egg sequence.

🚨 9. FOUR PLAYERS REQUIRED FROM HERE 🚨

👥 YOU NEED ALL FOUR PLAYERS.

After defeating the Shadowman, giant Gateworms appear around Morg City.

The city becomes overrun, and the final puzzle begins.

You need to coordinate your team across the map.

10. 🪱 Electrify the Gateworms

Players need to use Beast Mode to shock the giant Gateworms.

Timing matters because the team needs to coordinate the electrical interactions around the districts.

Communication makes this dramatically easier.

11. 🚋 Use the Tram

One player needs to be positioned around the tram while the others handle their assigned electrical/Beast Mode positions.

The goal is to electrify the required infrastructure while the tram travels through the city.

The tram becomes part of a giant electrical circuit.

You’ll know you’re progressing when the electrical effects activate around Morg City.

12. ⚡ FINAL ELECTRICAL STRIKE

Coordinate the four players:

Players at Beast Mode locations → shock the required electrical boxes/Gateworms

while the other part of the sequence involving the tram is happening.

When timed correctly, the electrical system sends a massive charge through Morg City.

⚡⚡⚡

The energy hits the giant Gateworm.

The final sequence triggers.

🏆 APOCALYPSE AVERTED

The ending plays, and Dr. Monty appears.

He takes the Summoning Key, setting up the events that continue through BO3 Zombies.

You receive: