This year’s Call of Duty pre-release beta isn’t just about multiplayer, for a change. Well, the first day was, but from October 3, Zombies was added to the Black Ops 7 beta with just a taste of what’s to come at launch in November.
You can play one mode — Survival — and one map — Vandorn Farm — but there is a reward to chase. If you reach round 50 in a single match, you’ll unlock a Dark Ops challenge that’s called “Tip of the Spear” and rewards you an exclusive calling card only available in the beta.
If you want to get there, you probably want a Raygun. Yes, it’s back, and there are two ways to get hold of one in the beta. Both require luck, but one is ‘free.’ Here’s what you have to do.
Method 1: Spin the Mystery Box for a chance at a Raygun
If you spin the Mystery Box, you can get a Raygun. Maybe. It definitely works, because I’ve done it, but so far only once, the rest of the time it’s been something far less exciting.
Each spin costs 950 Essence, though if you have the Respin Cycle Gobblegum you can pop it and get a free respin. It’s not guaranteed, but if you spin it enough, eventually it can cough out the Raygun.
You find the Mystery Box inside the building opposite the barn, to the right of the farmhouse. You need enough Essence to open the door first, though. But once you’re in, spin away and hopefully you get lucky.
Method 2: Feed Chompy the trashcan for mostly salvage, but possibly a Raygun
The second location to get a Raygun is from Chompy. He’s a trashcan that you can find between the barn and the farmhouse. Occasionally he’ll give a little jiggle, and if you melee the lid it’ll open, and you can feed Chompy.
You’ll have to surrender either your weapon or your lethals, but in return Chompy will spit out some goodies. Almost always this is Salvage, which is useful to have if you’re going for a high-round run. But occasionally, Chompy will spit out a Raygun.
It’s totally random, you just have to keep going. You can feed Chompy up to three times per round, and surrendering your lethals is the best way to go. Just keep picking up whatever you find to keep feeding the trashcan. If you try enough, you’ll get a Raygun without having to surrender your Essence.
What to do after you get your Raygun
The obvious thing to do with your Raygun is the same thing you’d have done in Black Ops 6 Zombies. It’s strong as it comes, but you’ll want to run it through the Pack-a-Punch machine.
As you get into higher rounds, the standard Raygun won’t be enough to keep up with the health scaling of the enemies. Pack-a-Punch will help you get through that a little better, especially when the special enemies start appearing.
The Pack-a-Punch machine can be found on the top floor of the barn, but you can’t use it until you’ve turned on the power. To do this, you simply have to follow the steps for the ‘quest’ and once it’s on, you can upgrade your weapons.
I’m not one to give you a surefire strategy to get to round 50, because I haven’t done it, and I’m a pretty terrible Zombies player. But, along with Augments, Gobblegums, and a Pack-a-Punched Raygun, there is one other thing to help you get through those more difficult rounds.
The Saw Blade (seen in the image above) is located just outside the barn, and it will make literal mincemeat out of regular zombies. It costs 1,000 Essence, has a cooldown timer, but it’ll make your life easier. Turn it on and stand on top of the car next to it to lure the zombies to their demise.
This allows you to focus on the more difficult enemies with your weapons and hopefully get through unscathed to complete that Dark Ops Challenge.
As a reminder, too, there is a Dark Ops Challenge in multiplayer, too, completed by getting 1,000 eliminations during the beta.
