Carrier — Advanced Warfare Zombies Easter Egg Guide

In this guide: full main-quest walkthrough, map layout, recommended loadout, side Easter eggs & songs, boss strategy · Medium, ~35–55 min.

Open the interactive guide →
Advanced Warfare · 2014

Carrier

Carrier is the third Exo Zombies map (Supremacy DLC) — a stricken Atlas aircraft carrier where the crew begins in a split spawn and must reconnect through Cargo. Its long, RNG-heavy main quest Flotsam & Jetsam powers a hidden Chompy generator, builds a fishing pole, then collects four tablets — a grenade-disposal sequence, a drunk laser maze, a teleporter-island dig and Captain DJ's shark-eye locker — before feeding C4 into the completed vault to sink the ship.

Released 5 Aug 2015 Main quest: Flotsam & JetsamFour tablets + shark cageSink the ship (C4)
MediumEst. time35–55 minPlayers1–4 (solo-capable)Updated15 Jul 2026

Quick answers

How do you complete the Carrier Easter egg?

It is rated Medium and takes about 35–55 min. The run breaks down like this:
  1. Round-based survival for 1-4 players, fully solo-capable; a high-difficulty, RNG-heavy quest (60–90 min) that ends by sinking the ship rather than a boss fight.
  2. Same Exo systems as the other maps (Exo Suit, local power, 3D Printer, Mark upgrade station, EMZ, infection/decon) plus Carrier-specific ones below.
  3. Two disposal machines run the quest: the Weapon Disposal Machine consumes your held weapon and returns random items (fishing parts, the bottle, C4), and the Grenade Disposal takes grenade types in a set sequence for tablet 1 — always swap to a cheap Printer weapon before feeding disposal, never a Mk-upgraded primary.
  4. Setup gate: buy Teleport Grenades in the Armory, open the Chompy room and power its hidden generator (this activates both disposal machines), then build the fishing pole from three Weapon-Disposal parts on the Gun Deck rail (each cast then costs 100 points).
  5. Four tablets install in a central vault; once all four are in, feed disposal until C4 appears, plant it on the vault and the ship sinks.
  6. Map-specific hazards: split spawn (reconnect through Cargo early), teleporting enemies, Atlas strike teams and toxic gas bombs that interrupt rounds — plus the Chompy lane and the shark, which kill carelessly.
  7. Several items are random (fishing parts, shovel, red fish, C4), so preserve points and expect repeated attempts; the laser maze is voided by touching a beam, so isolate the route rooms in co-op.
Each stage is written out in full — with the exact locations, the order things must be done in and what to do when a step refuses to trigger — in the walkthrough below.

How long does the Carrier Easter egg take?

About 35–55 min for a run that already knows the steps, and we rate it Medium. A first attempt takes considerably longer — almost all of the time goes on setup rather than the finale, so knowing the order in advance is what shortens a run.

Can you do the Carrier Easter egg solo?

Players: 1–4 (solo-capable). It is solo-capable. Co-op mainly helps with the timed steps, where a second player can hold a zombie or cover a second position, and it makes the ending far more forgiving.

Is there a song Easter egg on Carrier?

Yes — “Mars”. Interact with three mini shark toys — atop the elevator outside Cargo (above the shark containers), in the Hangar above Captain DJ's locker, and the Hangar upper corridor reached by Exo-jumping above the power switch toward Gun Deck. The th Full trigger steps for it are in the side Easter eggs section.

What are the main areas on Carrier?

6 are documented: Gun Deck, Armory, Cargo / Chompy, Bio Lab, Lift / Moon Pool and Hangar. Knowing the names matters more than it sounds — most guides, including this one, describe locations by area name rather than by direction.

How many side Easter eggs are on Carrier?

5 are documented here — quest tool, song, mechanic and loadout. Each one has its own steps rather than a one-line mention, so they can be followed mid-game.

When was Carrier released?

5 Aug 2015.

Map & Key areas

The map layout first, then the areas worth knowing by name. Map imagery © Activision, self-hosted.

Carrier — Layout
Layout

Gun Deck

A split-spawn side; the fishing-pole build on the rail and mini-shark song tools.

Armory

Teleport Grenades (required for the Chompy room).

Cargo / Chompy

The Chompy machine, its hidden generator room and the Grenade & Weapon Disposal machines.

Bio Lab

The lower teleporter (charged with fragments for the island route).

Lift / Moon Pool

The laser-maze route; the shark cage, chum grates and drone-lever box.

Hangar

Captain DJ's retina cabinet/locker, the island-teleporter exit and mini-shark song tools.

Steps at a glance

  1. Round-based survival for 1-4 players, fully solo-capable; a high-difficulty, RNG-heavy quest (60–90 min) that ends by sinking the ship rather than a boss fight.
  2. Same Exo systems as the other maps (Exo Suit, local power, 3D Printer, Mark upgrade station, EMZ, infection/decon) plus Carrier-specific ones below.
  3. Two disposal machines run the quest: the Weapon Disposal Machine consumes your held weapon and returns random items (fishing parts, the bottle, C4), and the Grenade Disposal takes grenade types in a set sequence for tablet 1 — always swap to a cheap Printer weapon before feeding disposal, never a Mk-upgraded primary.
  4. Setup gate: buy Teleport Grenades in the Armory, open the Chompy room and power its hidden generator (this activates both disposal machines), then build the fishing pole from three Weapon-Disposal parts on the Gun Deck rail (each cast then costs 100 points).
  5. Four tablets install in a central vault; once all four are in, feed disposal until C4 appears, plant it on the vault and the ship sinks.
  6. Map-specific hazards: split spawn (reconnect through Cargo early), teleporting enemies, Atlas strike teams and toxic gas bombs that interrupt rounds — plus the Chompy lane and the shark, which kill carelessly.
  7. Several items are random (fishing parts, shovel, red fish, C4), so preserve points and expect repeated attempts; the laser maze is voided by touching a beam, so isolate the route rooms in co-op.
Guard your loadout from the disposal machine. Weapon Disposal eats whatever gun you're holding — swap to an expendable Printer weapon before every interaction, or you'll lose a Mk-upgraded primary to RNG. And the laser-maze tablet voids if any beam is touched or another player enters the route rooms, so park teammates outside Cargo/Lift/Moon Pool/Hangar until the runner has the tablet.

Full walkthrough

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1
Armory → Cargo/Chompy → Gun Deck

Power Chompy and build the fishing pole

+

Buy Teleport Grenades in the Armory. Activate Chompy in Cargo and throw a Teleport Grenade through the opening into its room to reach and power the hidden generator (this activates both disposal machines). Then feed expendable Printer weapons into Weapon Disposal until it returns the reel, line and hook, and build the fishing pole on the Gun Deck rail.

  • Teleport Grenades bought
  • Chompy hidden generator powered
  • Fishing pole built (3 parts) on Gun Deck
2
Chompy room

Tablet 1 — Grenade Disposal sequence

+

Put a Teleport Grenade in the top slot, then throw the indicated grenade as each icon lights, completing three rows in order (waiting for each registration): Row 1 Distraction Drone → Frag/Contact; Row 2 Explosive Drone → Distraction Drone → Explosive Drone → Frag/Contact; Row 3 Explosive Drone → Nano Swarm → Explosive Drone → Distraction Drone → Explosive Drone → Frag/Contact. Three green lights confirm — take the tablet to the vault.

  • Three grenade rows completed
  • Tablet 1 installed in the vault
3
Cargo → Lift → Moon Pool → Hangar

Tablet 2 — drunk laser maze

+

Feed Weapon Disposal until it returns a bottle; pick it up to enter the drunk movement state. While drunk you can only Exo Jump and Slide (normal running/aiming is disabled) — that restriction is what makes the route hard. Press the green keypad (Bio Lab/Cargo route) and cross Cargo → Lift → Moon Pool → Hangar without touching any laser beam. The tablet is on the floor by the Hangar teleporter — take it to the vault.

  • Bottle drunk (movement state)
  • Laser route crossed clean
  • Tablet 2 installed
4
Bio Lab → island

Tablet 3 — teleporter island dig

+

Collect teleporter fragments from teleporting zombies/dogs and feed roughly twenty into the inactive lower Bio Lab teleporter until it glows steady blue. Fish from the Gun Deck pole until you catch a shovel, then use the teleporter to reach the small island and dig the sand search points for the briefcase tablet.

  • Bio Lab teleporter charged (~20 fragments)
  • Shovel caught
  • Island briefcase dug — Tablet 3 installed
5
Hangar → Moon Pool → cage

Tablet 4 — shark eye & Captain DJ

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Interact with Captain DJ's locked cabinet (Hangar) to trigger the retina route. Destroy the empty drone of the linked pair and install its dropped lever in the Moon Pool wall box. Fish for the red fish, then chum the water by killing zombies over the Moon Pool grates until the shark appears. Enter the cage holding the red fish, interact with the shark's mouth during its bite to trade the fish for the eyeball, then use the eye on the Hangar retina scanner to open the locker and take tablet 4.

  • Retina route triggered + drone lever installed
  • Red fish caught, water chummed, shark spawned
  • Shark eye taken → Tablet 4 installed
6
Weapon Disposal → vault

Finale — sink the ship with C4

+

With all four tablets in the vault, keep feeding expendable Printer weapons to Weapon Disposal until C4 appears. Plant it on the completed vault — the destruction sequence begins, the ship sinks, and Flotsam & Jetsam completes when the state registers.

  • C4 obtained from Weapon Disposal
  • C4 planted — ship sinks (quest complete)

Side Easter Eggs & extras

Everything beyond the main quest. Tap any entry to open the full how-and-where breakdown.

Quest tool

Fishing pole

+

Built from three Weapon-Disposal parts on the Gun Deck rail; each 100-point cast can return the shovel and the red fish needed for tablets 3 and 4. A quest tool, not a weapon.

Quest tool

Teleport Grenades

+

Bought in the Armory — mandatory to reach the Chompy generator room and start the grenade-disposal sequence, and handy to rescue a blocked player mid-round.

Song

“Mars”

+

Interact with three mini shark toys — atop the elevator outside Cargo (above the shark containers), in the Hangar above Captain DJ's locker, and the Hangar upper corridor reached by Exo-jumping above the power switch toward Gun Deck. The third starts the full track.

Mechanic

Weapon & Grenade Disposal

+

Two machines fed from the powered Chompy generator: Weapon Disposal consumes your held gun for random returns (fishing parts, bottle, C4); Grenade Disposal takes the tablet-1 grenade sequence. Only ever feed cheap, expendable weapons.

Loadout

LZ-52 Limbo

+

A strong line-damage weapon for the carrier's crowded corridors — a good survival primary to keep upgrading while cheap Printer guns are sacrificed to the disposal machines.

Visual guides & sources

Screenshots and exact part locations live in these — open one on a second screen.

Part of the Zombies Easter Egg Codex — step-by-step Call of Duty Zombies Easter egg guides for every map. Open Carrier in the interactive codex for the solvers and map discussion.