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Two kinds of gear decide how deep a Black Ops 4 Zombies run goes. Wonder Weapons are earned inside a match by finding, building or upgrading them, and several are mandatory for a map's main quest. Talismans are chosen before the match from Create a Class and burn out when it ends. This guide explains how both systems work and points to the two full pages: Wonder Weapons Locations and Talismans and What They Do.
Wonder Weapons: how they work
Higher rounds punish ordinary guns, so every map hides at least one weapon that outclasses anything on the walls or in the Mystery Box. Most are built from parts. A part spawns in one of three possible spots, but those spots sit close together, so a quick sweep of one area is usually enough. A few break the pattern: the Kraken comes straight out of any Mystery Box on Voyage of Despair, and the Acidgat's parts on Blood of the Dead always sit in the same three places. The table lists every Wonder Weapon our pages cover, the map it belongs to and how you earn it.
| Wonder Weapon | Map | How you get it | Upgrade path |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hell's Retriever | Blood of the Dead | Kill ten zombies beside the three Cerberus heads in New Industries, the centre of the prison and Eagle Plaza, then pay 500 points to enter the Citadel tunnel and grab the tomahawk | Hell's Redeemer, covered in the Blood of the Dead quest |
| Spectral Shield | Blood of the Dead, Classified, IX, Voyage of Despair | Three parts per map assembled at a workbench. On Blood of the Dead that is the Shield Plate near the Citadel Tunnel or in China Alley, the Afterlife Essence on a red fuse box, and the Warden's Electric Key dropped by Brutus | No upgrade. It drains zombie essence for Spirit Blasts that charge the fuse meters used in the quests |
| Acidgat | Blood of the Dead | Pull the Blundergat from the Mystery Box, then collect the three fixed parts: the Transverse Tunnel, the gate in the Warden's Office and the Infirmary cabinet, the last two opened with the Warden's Key | Pack-a-Punch it into the Vitriolic Withering, feed it in the Warden's House fireplace, then press it in New Industries for the Magmagat |
| Gold Spork | Blood of the Dead | Needs the Retriever, the shield and the Acidgat. Read three numbers in the Warden's Office, open the Citadel cages, energise the Docks gauge, fetch the Spoon, fill the Infirmary bathtub with Roof kills and hit the water tower's middle pipe | None. It replaces your melee with a one-hit kill and our page warns it can take around 30 rounds |
| Kraken | Voyage of Despair | Any Mystery Box on the map | Chamber, Barrel and Metal Tubing parts, an Acid, Fire, Ice or Lightning element from mini-boss drops, and 6,000 points at the Engine Room workbench for the Elemental Kraken |
| Death of Orion | IX | Activate Pack-a-Punch, build the Acid Trap with three pieces of gear, drop a tower's Statue Head into it for the Scorpion Key, fill the Gold Vase with poison in the arena and poison the Mystery Box | Serket's Kiss, part of the IX quest |
| Alistair's Folly | Dead of the Night | Mystery Box, or free from the safe once you find the four coloured letters that spawn around the mansion | Chaos Theory, then Alistair's Annihilator |
| Hand of Charon | Ancient Evil | Find a Dormant Hand using the Oracle's clue, place it on the Shrine of Charon in Python Pass and survive inside the barrier | Redeemed and Exalted forms, with the other three God Hands, on the Ancient Evil Wonder Weapons page |
| Chakrams of Vengeance | Voyage of Despair | Specialist weapon | Three levels: Flawless Vision, Velocity and Lacerating Whirlwind |
| Hammer of Valhalla | Voyage of Despair, IX, Dead of the Night, Ancient Evil | Specialist weapon on the Chaos story maps | Three levels: Lightning Strike, Storm Barrier and Lightning Bolt |
| Overkill | All maps | The Death Machine power-up under its Black Ops 4 name, a blue-glowing pickup that gives 30 seconds of unlimited ammo | None |
Ancient Evil is the outlier with four gauntlets instead of one gun. Charon, Ouranos, Hemera and Gaia each start as a Dormant Hand, each has a Redeemed and an Exalted upgrade, and all four are needed to finish the map's quest, so they have a page of their own alongside the bonus Apollo's Will. Blood of the Dead is the other extreme, where four Wonder Weapons chain into each other and the Gold Spork sits at the end of the chain.
Talismans: a one-time edge you choose before the match
Talismans sit next to Elixirs as the consumables of Black Ops 4 Zombies. You earn them in the laboratory by spending Nebulium Plasma: 30 or 45 bottles gives a decent chance of one, and 75 bottles guarantees it. Equip a Talisman from Create a Class, one per class. It lasts until the match ends, it is used up whether you win or wipe, and it works offline. Rarity runs Common, Rare, Legendary, Epic, and the stronger the effect, the rarer the drop.
| Rarity | What the tier gives you | Talismans in it |
|---|---|---|
| Common | Small savings and extra charges | Charm of the Miser (cheaper Pack-a-Punch), Frugal Fetish (cheaper shield), Dimensional Pocket Frag, Claymore, Acid Bomb and Wraith Fire (one extra charge each), Minor Amulets of the 1st to 4th Circle (a cheaper Danu or Brew, Ra or Cola, Zeus or Soda, Odin or Tonic perk), Minor Token of Superiority (start with an SMG), Minor Virtuoso's Charm (a box-only weapon on the first pull), Charm of Impatience (respawn at the end of the round, or after 100 kills while dead), Coagulated Crystal (longer Last Stand), Energized Amulet (more experience from special weapons) |
| Rare | Start the match already ahead | Major Amulets of the 1st to 4th Circle (begin with that perk), Major Token of Superiority (start with an assault rifle), Major Virtuoso's Charm (an LMG on the first box pull), Minor Reinforced Charm (a more durable shield), Dimensional Pocket Sentry (the sentry spends only half its charge) |
| Legendary | Keep what you buy | Grand Amulets of the 1st to 4th Circle (that perk can never be lost), Charged Crystal (start with a level 2 weapon), Major Reinforced Charm (a much stronger shield) |
| Epic | The strongest openers | Grand Token of Superiority (start with an LMG), Supercharged Crystal (start with a level 3 Special weapon), Sigil of the 4th Circle (the Odin or Tonic modifier the moment you buy the perk) |
Because every Talisman is single use, spend the rare ones where a wipe costs the most: a high-round attempt or a full main quest run. The Grand Amulets are the safest pick for quest runs, since losing a perk mid-fight is what usually ends them, and they pair naturally with the four perks you lock in before the match on the Zombies Perks page. The Tokens of Superiority and the Crystals shorten the early rounds instead, which matters most on maps whose quests start with a long build order.
How the two fit together
Every main quest in the maps guide leans on at least one Wonder Weapon, so read the weapon's row above before you start a quest, then pick a Talisman that covers the weak point of that map: a perk-keeping Amulet for the long Blood of the Dead chain, or a Crystal for maps where the first rounds are the danger. The perks and modifiers that round out a loadout are in the mechanics guide.