How to Upgrade the Staff of Ice Wonder Weapon - Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Guide - IGN (2025)

Now that you have successfully crafted the Staff of Ice, it's time to give the Staff of Ice a powerful upgrade, which is required to complete The Tomb's main Easter Egg. This upgraded version processes new Ice-themed abilities and powerful healing capabilities that make reviving downed team members much easier, especially as rounds become more hectic to survive.

This BO6 Zombies guide explains everything you need to know about upgrading the Staff of Ice on The Tomb.

Prefer a more visual guide? Our Main Easter Egg video guide above has been set to automatically start right at the upgrade stage of the Easter Egg!

How to Upgrade the Staff of Ice

Now that you have crafted the Staff of Ice, it's time to upgrade it, which requires you to complete the following four steps in order:

• Freeze the Dark Aether Lanterns
• Find the Floating Symbols in the Dark Aether Nexus
• Activate Symbols on the Closed Gateway
• Escort the Orb Through the Dark Aether Nexus
• Upgrade the Staff of Ice

Freeze the Dark Aether Lanterns

After obtaining the Staff of Ice, leave the Dark Aether Nexus via any exit. Upon returning to the map, it's time to shoot any three purple-glowing Dark Aether lanterns that are scattered around the map. You'll need to shoot these all within a span of 10 seconds with the Staff of Ice--these are the same lanterns we shot in the previous steps.

Having a team member train Zombies during the following two steps will make things much more managable.

Shooting all three purple lanterns in a quick concession can be very difficult, so it's important to plan your approach before beginning. We highly recommend strategically moving the dark aether lanterns until they are positioned somewhat close together.

For us, we positioned our lanterns in the Subterranean Temple, Shrine of the Hierophants, and Tombs.

A lantern can be moved by shooting it with a regular weapon. After a few moments, the lantern will move to another nearby location.

The Staff of Ice also has a rather long damage range, so you can shoot the lanterns from a distance to make the timed task just a little bit easier.

When you're ready, equip the Staff of Ice and shoot three lanterns within 10 seconds. You'll know you've succeeded when Archibald says over comms, "Extinguished the flames, froze the crystals..."

Should you fail to shoot the three lanterns within the timeframe, you'll need to shoot all three unlit lanterns you targeted with a regular weapon to have them respawn. Unfortunately, they won't respawn in the same locations, so you'll be forced to reposition the lanterns as needed.

Find the Floating Symbols in the Dark Aether Nexus

Once you've successfully frozen the Dark Aether lanterns, make your way into the Dark Aether Nexus, where you'll want to search for three glowing symbols that can be found on the edge of the floating rocks near the center of the map.

If you're having trouble viewing the symbols because they appear pixelated, try lowering your Field of View. This should make them more crisp and easier to see.

When you have found all three symbols on the floating rocks, note them, as you'll need them for the next step. Whilst the symbols will be random each game, we've included a handy table below that allows you to track which symbols you have received.

Once noted, shoot each of the three symbols on the floating rocks with the Staff of Ice. You'll know you've done this right if Archibald appears over comms and compliments your "damn fine shooting" abilities.

Activate Symbols on the Closed Gateway

Now that you've activated the three symbols look around the outskirts of the Dark Aether Nexus and work out which one of the four gateways has been deactivated. This will differ for every game.

Once you've found the deactivated gateway—ours was the blue gateway—leave the Dark Aether Nexus via any exit and go to the deactivated gateway in its corresponding room in the main world. You'll find a stone door covered in symbols when reaching the deactivated gateway.

Using the Staff of Ice, shoot the three corresponding symbols that matched those in the Dark Aether Nexus. These symbols can be shot in any order. After shooting the three symbols, the door will activate, and you can enter.

Another lockdown is about to occur, so before entering, be sure you're equip and ready to fight.

If you input the correct combination of symbols, you'll land on a floating rock and find a glowing purple orb near the edge. Carefully move towards it and interact with it, which will activate another lockdown.

If you enter the gateway and immediately fall off the edge of the floating rock without moving, you've entered the wrong combination of symbols. You'll need to repeat the steps above and input the correct symbols to land on the rock successfully.

Escort the Orb Through the Dark Aether Nexus

Once the lockdown has been activated, jump off the floating rock and look for the purple glowing orb, which will now move south towards the red gateway.

Now, it's crucial that you immediately follow the purple orb and very closely stick with it as it moves continually around the map--almost completing a loop around the outskirts.

As the orb travels around the Dark Aether Nexus, it'll spawn portals along the way that'll see regular, armored, and multiple elite Zombies charging toward you. You must take down these Zombies while moving with the orb, as it acts as a soulbox and requires souls to progress with the step.

If you're playing with a group, it's important that all members follow the orb and do not stray more than a few meters away. Otherwise, the lockdown will fail.

If you fail to follow the purple orb and fill it with souls along the way, the lockdown will end, and you'll need to repeat the steps of Activating the Symbols on the Closed Gateway to try again. However, if yousucceed, the purple orb will eventually reach the structure in the middle of the map, and the lockdown will end.

Upgrade the Staff of Ice

If you were successful in following the purple orb, the stone structure in the middle of the map will be glowing purple. Approach the hole in the center and interact with it to upgrade the Staff of Ice.

If you're playing on PlayStation, you can utilize the Staff of Ice's new abilities with the following controls:

• Press [R2] to shoot Ice Blast.
• Hold [R2] to charge Ice Storm.
• Press [Left Arrow] to switch to Sekhmet's Vigor.
• Press [R2] to shoot Healing Orb.