Onslaught & Dead Ops Arcade III
Cold War shipped two self-contained bonus modes with no boss Easter Egg to chase. Zombies Onslaught is a PlayStation-timed two-player survival loop built around the Dark Aether Orb, while Dead Ops Arcade 3: Rise of the Mamaback is a top-down twin-stick arcade run stretching to round 64 and beyond.
What to do
- Onslaught is a two-player co-op mode played on Multiplayer maps, timed-exclusive to PlayStation until 2 November 2021.
- A purple Dark Aether Orb creates a safe zone; kills charge its meter and, once a Surge completes, it relocates and you follow it.
- Standing outside the Orb inflicts fast-rising Dark Aether damage, so the whole fight is a moving hold-and-rotate.
- Every third Surge is an Elite Surge: an Elite (Megaton, Mangler, Mimic, Krasny Soldat, or Abomination) spawns, and killing it instantly fills the Orb to 100%.
- There is no Mystery Box, perk machine, Pack-a-Punch, or Crafting economy — progress runs entirely on Elite drops: random perks, armour, Aether Tools, and Weapon Chalices.
- Dead Ops Arcade 3 is a 1–4 player top-down twin-stick survival mode where movement and firing are independent — you orbit the horde and never stop shooting.
- Its Mamaback Trail runs through 16 four-round arena families to round 64, then the Mamaback boss, after which play loops into a harder run.
- The Room of Fate, reached via The Wild, grants permanent run-long Fates — up to two after the final update — from six options like Firepower and Divine Chalice.
Side Easter Eggs & extras
Everything beyond the main quest. Tap any entry to open the full how-and-where breakdown.
Dark Aether Orb (Onslaught)
Stay in the purple zone, kill to fill the Surge meter, then follow the Orb when it moves; every 3rd Surge is an Elite Surge.
Elite drops (Onslaught)
Perks, armour/gear, Aether Tools (raise weapon rarity), and Weapon Chalices (apply Pack-a-Punch Tier I–III) — no normal buy economy.
Dark Aether Chalices (Onslaught)
Bronze for 3 Elite Surges in a run, Silver for 5, Gold for 8; plus map-by-map Elite challenges.
Onslaught variants
Beyond the standard 19-map roster, rotating rule variants change the loop — Containment (a stationary Orb on Gunfight maps), Mystery Munitions (weapons swap every Surge), Accelerated (the Orb never stops), Diminishing Light (a shrinking safe zone) and Elite (an Elite every Surge).
Twin-stick arcade (DOA3)
Top-down 1–4 player run through 16 arena families (4 rounds each) to round 64, with Standard, First Person, and Solo Advanced Start presentations.
The Mamaback (DOA3)
Fought after round 64 while zombies keep spawning; watch the charge stance and avoid her yellow Banana Bomb slowing cloud — nukes clear the horde but don't damage her.
DOA3 — reaching The Wild & the loop
Enter The Wild through a secret exit hidden in specific arenas (a concealed edge or destructible you walk into instead of taking the normal door) — it's the route to the Room of Fate keys. Watch for Silverback bonus rounds (a gorilla enemy whose defeat showers power-ups/points) and grab hidden pickups and side rooms as you sweep each arena. After the Mamaback boss the run loops at a higher difficulty with the same secrets available — keep collecting Fates on each pass.
Room of Fate (DOA3)
Reached through The Wild via keys (a portal opens after round 4, with later re-entry windows ~36 and ~60). Pick from six permanent Fates — Fortune (multiplier), Friendship (golden Chicken), Firepower (Death Machine), Furious Feet (speed), Divine Shield (nukes/protection) and Divine Chalice (lives/revives) — and a second Fate after the final update.
Chicken companion & the loop
A friendly Chicken gives companion fire support (buff it with the Friendship Fate's permanent golden Chicken); nukes clear the horde but never damage Mamaback, and once she falls the run loops on into a harder round 65+.
Visual guides & sources
Screenshots and exact part locations live in these — open one on a second screen.