5 Steps: 2025 COD Zombies Reckoning Easter Egg Solution
Your complete, step-by-step guide to solving the main Easter Egg on the new COD Zombies map, Reckoning. Conquer the Chronos Anomaly in 5 steps today!
Alex ‘Zombspert’ Carter
A seasoned zombie slayer and Easter Egg hunter since the days of Kino der Toten.
The race is over, slayers. After days of frantic searching, cryptic cipher-solving, and countless downed matches, the code has been cracked. The main Easter Egg for Call of Duty: Black Ops Requiem’s launch map, Reckoning, has finally been solved! Dubbed “The Chronos Anomaly” by the community, this quest is a masterclass in design, blending frantic combat with some truly mind-bending puzzles.
If you’ve been struggling to piece together the fragmented clues found within the derelict Baikonur Cosmodrome, you’re in the right place. Grab your squad, down a Jugger-Nog, and let’s walk through the definitive 5-step solution to conquer the Reckoning.
Step 1: Awakening the Machine
Your first priority, as always, is to get the facility online. On Reckoning, this means activating the Pack-a-Punch machine, but it’s not as simple as flipping a few switches. You need to stabilize the power grid by activating three Aetherium Reactors scattered across the map.
- Reactor Alpha: Located in the Mission Control Center.
- Reactor Bravo: Found deep within the underground Silo Maintenance tunnels.
- Reactor Charlie: Situated in the exterior Launchpad area, near the gantry.
Activating each reactor costs a few thousand points and initiates a defense sequence. You’ll be swarmed by zombies, but the real threat here is a new mini-boss: the Phase Stalker. This spectral hound flickers in and out of our dimension, making it immune to damage for short periods.
Pro-Tip: Time your shots for when the Stalker solidifies to attack. Equipment like C4 and Semtex are great for dealing guaranteed damage the moment it becomes vulnerable. Once you’ve defended all three reactors, the power will stabilize, and the Pack-a-Punch machine will materialize in the main Aetherium Anomaly at the heart of the map.
Step 2: Whispers of the Cosmos
With the power on, it’s time for the first real puzzle. Head to the Research & Development Wing and locate the massive, dormant Celestial Orrery. Your task is to find three missing components to get it working again.
Orrery Part Locations:
- Gyro-Stabilizer: This part is a random drop from a Megaton Blaster (the split half). You'll likely encounter one naturally by round 15, or you can force a spawn by shooting a specific cluster of Aetherium crystals in the Particle Accelerator chamber.
- Focusing Lens: Go to the Observation Deck overlooking the launchpad. A spectral cosmonaut will be floating outside the window. You need to use the Aetheric Lens Wonder Weapon’s primary fire to “pull” the lens from his helmet. If you don’t have the Wonder Weapon yet, you can get it from the Mystery Box or by completing trials.
- Aetherium Power Core: This requires you to get kills near three unlit Aetherium lamps with the Brain Rot ammo mod. As turned zombies get kills, they will charge the lamps. Once all three are lit, a secret compartment in the cosmonaut barracks will open, revealing the power core.
Once you’ve installed all three parts, the Orrery will whir to life. Now, you must align the planets. Look around the map for three chalkboards with star charts. Each chart has a symbol (a rocket, a skull, a star) next to a specific planetary alignment. Using the Aetheric Lens’s alternate fire mode, you can reveal hidden symbols on the floor around the Orrery. Match the planetary alignment on the Orrery to the one on the chalkboard that corresponds to the symbol currently showing on the floor. Do this for all three symbols to complete the step.
Step 3: The Aetheric Lockdown
Calibrating the Orrery has a... side effect. It triggers a massive surge of Dark Aether energy, putting the entire facility into lockdown. A spectral echo of a Russian scientist, Dr. Volkov, will appear and guide you through the process, dropping critical story lore along the way.
You must defend three Aetheric Converters from relentless waves of super-charged zombies. The key here isn't just survival; it's strategy. Each converter is vulnerable to a specific type of elite, and you need to kill that elite near the converter using a specific ammo mod to charge it.
| Converter Location | Required Elite | Required Ammo Mod |
|---|---|---|
| Mission Control | Manglers | Napalm Burst |
| Silo Maintenance | Mimics | Dead Wire |
| Launchpad | Krasny Soldats | Cryofreeze |
This is a true team challenge. Coordinate with your squad to ensure everyone has the right ammo mod and is covering the right location. Once all three converters are fully charged, the lockdown will end, and a singularity will tear open above the launchpad’s rocket silo.
Step 4: Journey into the Singularity
Prepare for a trip. The singularity is your gateway into a zero-gravity Dark Aether pocket dimension—a shattered, floating version of the cosmodrome. Your goal is to collect five Temporal Fragments that are drifting through the void.
There are two catches. First, your oxygen is limited, forcing you to move quickly. Second, you’re being hunted by the Warden, an invincible entity that will relentlessly pursue you. You can’t kill it, but you can temporarily stun it with the Aetheric Lens or by luring it into floating pockets of energy.
This step is all about communication and movement. Call out fragment locations to your team, manage your oxygen by moving between small replenishment zones, and always keep an eye out for the Warden. Once you have all five fragments, a portal will open, leading you back to the cosmodrome for the final showdown.
Step 5: The Final Reckoning
Placing the Temporal Fragments on the launch gantry stabilizes the anomaly, but it also summons the architect of your misery: Kravchenko’s Echo. This isn’t the man you know, but a corrupted, spectral being merged with a grotesque, three-headed Aetherium beast.
The boss fight has three phases:
Phase One: Sever the Heads
The beast is invulnerable. To damage it, you must first destroy the glowing Aetherium crystals on each of its three heads. Each head has a different attack: one spews fire, one launches cryo-shards, and the third unleashes a disorienting sonic blast. Focus fire with your team on one head at a time while dodging adds and environmental attacks.
Phase Two: Expose the Core
With the heads destroyed, the beast will collapse, exposing Kravchenko’s Echo at its core. He is vulnerable, but he’ll be protected by a rotating shield. One player needs to use the Aetheric Lens’s alternate fire to temporarily disable the shield, allowing the rest of the team to pour damage into Kravchenko. All while this is happening, he'll be summoning elite enemies to distract you.
Phase Three: Total Annihilation
When his health gets low, Kravchenko will become desperate. He’ll reanimate the beast for one last stand, combining all of its previous attacks. The entire launchpad becomes a bullet hell. Your only goal is to survive the onslaught and unload everything you have into Kravchenko's exposed form. Use your specialist weapons, your scorestreaks—everything.
Defeat him, and you’ve done it. The beast will dissipate, the anomaly will close, and you’ll be treated to one of the most satisfying cutscenes in Zombies history.
Congratulations, you have conquered the Chronos Anomaly! The journey is tough, but the reward—and the bragging rights—are well worth it. Now go out there, help your fellow slayers, and get ready for whatever horrors Treyarch throws at us next.