The latest addition to the Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies mode features a new map called The Tomb, packed with intriguing mysteries. One of the highlights is a cave painting puzzle that might initially blend into the environment. Within the dark corners of The Tomb, you’ll find two murals that are linked to secrets surrounding a special Wonder Weapon. To access this weapon, players must decipher the hidden meanings behind these paintings.
By solving each painting puzzle in The Tomb, you’ll collect components needed to craft the Ice Staff—the sole Wonder Weapon on this new map. The Ice Staff in CoD: Black Ops 6 is a formidable weapon that can freeze zombies and revive teammates. To start the crafting process, you’ll need to defeat a Shock Mimic, a unique enemy that appears beginning in Round 8 and drops a crucial item.
How to Tackle the Bull and Hunter Mural Puzzle
Align the Purple Flames to Uncover a Hidden Message
Upon defeating the Shock Mimic, you can pick up a special item known as The Monocle from its body. With The Monocle in hand, make your way to the area below the Dig Site, where you’ll find the Death Perception Perk-A-Cola machine. In this room, look for the larger mural featuring a bull being hunted by two figures.
To solve the puzzle, begin by shooting the large purple crystal hanging from the ceiling in the room with the mural. When you shoot other crystals around The Tomb, you’ll notice that their purple flames will ignite in different locations as they respawn. Look for torch holders on the walls of the map where a purple crystal may reappear after roughly 30 seconds.
Continue shooting at the purple crystal until it reveals various symbols within the painting. These symbols will shine light green on specific areas of the bull depicted on the wall. While they might appear random at first, they represent Roman Numerals that will guide you toward solving the puzzle.
Be sure to have at least one weapon purchased from a Wall-Buy area in The Tomb. Using a firearm that allows for single shots will make solving these puzzles much more manageable.
To solve the mural puzzle featuring the bull and hunter, you must shoot the Roman Numeral symbols in the correct order. For those unfamiliar with Roman Numerals, the sequence to follow is:
- I
- II
- III
- IV
- V
- VI
- VII
If executed properly, your screen will flash white, signaling the onset of a Lockdown sequence. During this phase, waves of formidable zombies will emerge alongside existing threats in The Tomb. Surviving this Lockdown is crucial, as doing so will complete the puzzle and reward you with a part for the Ice Staff.
How to Locate the Hunter Painting
Discover Other Landmarks in The Tomb
While the mural depicting the bull and hunter is prominent and hard to miss, the other mural is more discreet. The second painting features just a large Hunter, so you might overlook it as you traverse the new Zombies map. The Hunter painting can be found in section D5 of The Tomb, situated near the Deadshot Daquiri Perk-A-Cola machine in CoD: Black Ops 6.
When you approach the southwestern wall where the Hunter painting is located, you’ll find a Workbench nearby. The left pathway from the Deadshot Daquiri machine features another hanging purple crystal holder suspended from the ceiling, hinting at your next steps.
How to Decode the Hunter Painting Puzzle
Light Up Another Puzzle to Discover Its Solution
Similar to the previous puzzle, you need to activate a different purple crystal in the room containing the Hunter painting, which will unveil additional symbols. This time around, there are more symbols than in the bull painting, and you will need to shoot the Roman Numerals in the correct sequence for this puzzle as well.
The order to shoot the Hunter puzzle’s symbols is:
- I
- II
- III
- IV
- V
- VI
- VII
- VIII
- IX
- X
Before initiating another Lockdown by completing the Hunter painting puzzle, consider acquiring Gold Armor in CoD: Black Ops 6, located within The Tomb, to bolster your defense against the forthcoming zombie hordes.
Upon correctly completing the Hunter puzzle, another Lockdown will begin, which poses an even greater challenge. Overcome all waves of zombies, including the Elite variants that will appear near the painting, to secure the Head Piece needed for the Ice Staff weapon.
Gathering these Ice Staff components will enable you to venture into the Dark Aether and fully assemble the weapon. Those looking to uncover every Easter Egg within the new Tomb Zombies map in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 must quickly solve both cave painting puzzles before the relentless waves of undead become overwhelming.
