Der Riese — World at War Zombies Easter Egg Guide

In this guide: map layout, recommended loadout, side Easter eggs & songs, boss strategy.

Open the interactive guide →
World at War · 2008

Der Riese

Group 935's factory — “The Giant” — and the map that set the template for everything after. Pack-a-Punch debuts here, unlocked by linking three teleporters to the spawn mainframe. The Fly Trap is the series' first real side Easter egg, the Bowie Knife and Monkey Bombs arrive, and “Beauty of Annihilation” plays from three specimen jars.

Released WaW · 6 Aug 2009 Pack-a-Punch debutsTeleporters + Fly TrapThe first side Easter egg
Last reviewed 15 Jul 2026
Documented here10 side Easter eggs (incl. 1 song) · 3 weapon builds · 4 named areas · 3 sources cross-checkedCounted from this page, not estimated. We publish what is documented rather than a percentage of what might exist — nobody can honestly claim to know the full list.

Quick answers

How do you complete the Der Riese Easter egg?

The run breaks down like this:
  1. Open to the rear courtyard and throw the power switch by the generator
  2. Buy Jugger-Nog, then link Teleporters A, B and C to the spawn mainframe one at a time (~30s each)
  3. With all three linked, Pack-a-Punch opens in spawn (5,000 per upgrade)
  4. Fly Trap: PaP a bullet gun, shoot the distant red panel from the animal-lab alley, then shoot the three hidden toys
  5. Sing “Beauty of Annihilation” at the three green specimen jars; collect the seven lore radios
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.

Is there a song Easter egg on Der Riese?

Yes — “Beauty of Annihilation”. Kevin Sherwood ft. Elena Siegman. Interact with three green specimen jars (brain/spine) — two in the Animal Labs, one on the Teleporter B approach. Full steps below. Full trigger steps for it are in the side Easter eggs section.

What are the main areas on Der Riese?

4 are documented: Spawn / Mainframe, Animal Testing Labs (Teleporter A), Furnace room (Teleporter B) and Power courtyard & Teleporter C. 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 Der Riese?

10 are documented here — mechanic, side quest, free weapon, song, collectible and version. Each one has its own steps rather than a one-line mention, so they can be followed mid-game.

When was Der Riese released?

6 Aug 2009, in the WaW content drop.

Map & Key areas

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

Der Riese — Layout
Layout

Spawn / Mainframe

Holds the mainframe pad and the sealed Pack-a-Punch. Link all three teleporters here to open it.

Animal Testing Labs (Teleporter A)

The lab wing beyond the Trench Gun and cages — Teleporter A, two of the song jars, and the Fly Trap cage teddy. The Fly Trap panel is sighted from the alley here.

Furnace room (Teleporter B)

The cremation building — Teleporter B, the Fly Trap furnace monkey, and the Thompson wall-buy (Mule Kick nearby in the Black Ops version).

Power courtyard & Teleporter C

The rear courtyard power switch, the bridge/Jug side, and Teleporter C behind the initial Box-side factory route.

What to do

  1. Open to the rear courtyard and throw the power switch by the generator
  2. Buy Jugger-Nog, then link Teleporters A, B and C to the spawn mainframe one at a time (~30s each)
  3. With all three linked, Pack-a-Punch opens in spawn (5,000 per upgrade)
  4. Fly Trap: PaP a bullet gun, shoot the distant red panel from the animal-lab alley, then shoot the three hidden toys
  5. Sing “Beauty of Annihilation” at the three green specimen jars; collect the seven lore radios
Where Pack-a-Punch and side Easter eggs were born. There's still no achievement quest, but the completion route is real: power → link the three teleporters → Pack-a-Punch → the Fly Trap toy hunt → the song. In the 2008 original the Fly Trap ends with Samantha's dialogue and nothing else — the Annihilator and free-perk chain people show are from the Black Ops 3 remake, The Giant (a separate map in this codex).

Side Easter Eggs & extras

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

Mechanic

Teleporter link → Pack-a-Punch

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The first Pack-a-Punch. After power, activate each teleporter at its pad (a ~30-second link window opens) and run to the spawn mainframe to complete it before the timer expires. Do all three, in any order — then the PaP shutters open for the rest of the match. Full steps below.

  1. Turn on power at the rear-courtyard switch by the big generator — that enables the teleporters and the mainframe.
  2. Enter one teleporter room and hold Use on its pad — it opens a ~30-second link window (a countdown clock appears at the top-left of the screen) and tells you to link it to the mainframe.
  3. Sprint to the spawn mainframe pad and interact before the clock runs out; a beam and a completed indicator confirm that teleporter. Watch the mainframe door — it lowers a little with each completed link, so you can read your progress at a glance. If the timer expires, just re-activate that pad — completed links stay completed.
  4. Repeat for the other two (Teleporter A = Animal Labs side, B = furnace side, C = behind the initial Box route) — order doesn't matter.
  5. After the third link the mainframe door is fully open and the Pack-a-Punch shutters at spawn open with it; PaP stays usable at 5,000 per upgrade for the rest of the match. A linked teleporter also gives a point-cost trip to spawn and may drop a power-up.
Side quest

Fly Trap (the first side Easter egg)

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Pack-a-Punch a bullet weapon, shoot the distant red control panel from the M1A1 Carbine alley to wake the trap (this unlocks the Elevate Your Senses achievement), then shoot the three hidden toys for Samantha's completion line. In the 2008 original there's no item reward — the achievement and story dialogue are the payoff, and there is no Annihilator. Full steps below.

  1. Pack-a-Punch a reliable bullet weapon — a precise upgraded rifle, SMG, LMG, pistol or shotgun, not a wonder weapon or explosive.
  2. Go to the M1A1 Carbine side alley (the right-hand route from the mainframe toward the animal-testing side) and face through the barrier toward the distant factory.
  3. Shoot the small red control panel on the far pillar once with the PaP'd gun (single shots; aim at the panel, not the pillar). Objects glow green and rise, Samantha announces hide-and-seek, and the Elevate Your Senses achievement unlocks. Don't shoot the toys before this.
  4. Object 1 — teddy bear: high in the broken window above the M1A1 Carbine wall-buy, over the courtyard. Back into the courtyard and shoot it up high.
  5. Object 2 — Monkey Bomb (holding a stick grenade and a Molotov): inside the large open furnace in the Thompson/furnace room on the Teleporter B side; look into the furnace mouth and hit it.
  6. Object 3 — teddy bear holding a Juggernog bottle and an upgraded M1911: in the lower cage beside the M1897 Trench Gun wall-buy in the animal-testing area; aim through the bars.
  7. Damage the three in any order — a bullet, a melee hit or a grenade all count, so a toy in an awkward spot can be finished with a grenade if you're out of ammo (only the distant panel needs the Pack-a-Punched gun). Wait for Samantha after each; after the third she concedes and screams — the chain is complete. The lasting reward is the achievement (earned at activation) and the story dialogue; there is no Annihilator or item in the 2008 version.
Free weapon

Bowie Knife & Monkey Bombs

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Both debut on Der Riese: the Bowie Knife (a one-hit melee wall-buy, huge for early points) and Monkey Bombs from the Mystery Box (throw one to gather the horde for a revive or a Box run).

Song

“Beauty of Annihilation”

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Kevin Sherwood ft. Elena Siegman. Interact with three green specimen jars (brain/spine) — two in the Animal Labs, one on the Teleporter B approach. Full steps below.

  1. Hold Use on 3 glowing green brain/spine jars, in any order
  2. Animal Testing Lab — on top of a shelf
  3. Animal Testing Lab — just behind the first, on a cupboard
  4. Teleporter Z-B room — through the boiler/vat room into the side room, on a desk
  5. 'Beauty of Annihilation' (Giant remix) by Kevin Sherwood & Elena Siegman plays — once per game
Collectible

Story archive — 4 radios + 3 phonographs

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Seven accessible World at War recordings tell the Group 935 story — four handheld radios and three phonograph logs (the phonographs play an ordered experiment narrative whatever order you use them in). No reward; a fifth radio listed online is mobile/unused content and is excluded. Full locations below.

  1. Radio 1 — underground passage off Teleporter C, behind the Mystery Box: Maxis's funding request (DG-2 progress and the Element 115 shortage).
  2. Radio 2 — spawn, beside a barrel on the right of the descending stairs: a failed attempt to command a zombie test subject.
  3. Radio 3 — across from the Trench Gun, above a door to the right of a Mystery Box position: Maxis discussing Fluffy and her puppies with Samantha.
  4. Radio 4 — Teleporter B room, low near the left tank/ladder: Porter's final message during the outbreak.
  5. Phonograph 1 — shelf near the stairs in the Teleporter C room, behind the initial Mystery Box: matter-transference test 3 fails.
  6. Phonograph 2 — tilted filing cabinet in the room above the main furnace: test 5 makes the dog disappear.
  7. Phonograph 3 — empty furnace beneath Teleporter A: test 6, Fluffy, the Samantha/Maxis betrayal and Richtofen's trap.
  8. Some units respond better to a shot than a press. Hold one zombie and let each finish — independent lore, not needed for the Fly Trap or Pack-a-Punch; there's no in-game counter, so track them yourself.
Mechanic

Electric traps & the catwalk hold

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Electric-trap switches (1,000, ~30s) are your infinite damage; the catwalk by Teleporter B is a strong team hold with the window and stairs covered. Save the Wunderwaffe or PaP'd gun for stair collapses.

Collectible

Screaming Monkey furnace

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Once you have Monkey Bombs from the Box, throw a live one into the large open furnace behind the Thompson room — it screams as it burns and Samantha scolds you for being cruel to “Mister Monkey.” A small comedic secret.

Collectible

Hidden note behind the Thompson bricks

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By the Thompson wall-buy, inspect the pile of bricks for a smaller discoloured brick — aim closely and interact, and it sinks to reveal a hidden written message (a scoped weapon makes the small writing easier to read).

Mechanic

Loose change under perk machines

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Go prone directly in front of a perk machine for a small one-time points bonus (around 25, give or take World at War's point rounding) — once per machine, per match. A quirky original-WaW freebie.

Version

Not in the original

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Mule Kick (Thompson/furnace side) and the Thundergun in the Box are Black Ops additions. The Annihilator, the snowfly trap and the laser free-perk chain are The Giant / Black Ops 3 — the original Fly Trap gives no item, only Samantha's final line.

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 Der Riese in the interactive codex for the solvers and map discussion.