The Aether Blade in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies’ Reckoning map is one of the most exciting side Easter Egg rewards you can get. First appeared in Modern Warfare Zombies, this deadly throwing blade shreds through undead, instantly killing up to three zombies per throw, and then comes back to you after a short cooldown.
But it’s impossible for now to get the Aether Blade in Black Ops 6 Zombies because it requires the Mister Peeks Field Upgrade, which only became available with the 90s Action Heroes event coming August 21. It’s not physically available in the game, but a time gate event until the new upgrade arrives, so it’s a little strange Easter Egg for now. Though we are here with this guide to tell you everything to claim this powerful weapon in Reckoning in BO6 Zombies.
How to Get the Reckoning Aether Blade in Black Ops 6 Zombies
First, you have to turn on the power and activate the Pack-a-Punch. Once it’s up and running, track down the three special paintings hidden around the map. You’ll need to collect them one at a time and return each to its spot in the Director’s Office.
Collect the Three Paintings
The paintings aren’t too far apart, but they’re scattered across different areas of Reckoning’s towers, and you can only obtain one painting at a time so you have to collect them in separate turns.
- Painting #1 – Check Project Janus Reception (Tier 1). Behind the left door, in the same room with the teleporter to Pack-a-Punch, you’ll spot it on the wall. Take it to the Director’s Office and place it in the empty frame nearest the Arsenal machine.
- Painting #2 – Head to Sub-Level 10 (Tier 2). In the northeast edge near the yellow railing of the Particle Accelerator, closer to the GobbleGum machine. Place this in the middle slot on the Director’s Office wall.
- Painting #3 – Make your way to the top of Android Assembly (Tier 2). Look behind a pillar surrounded by yellow wet floor signs in the room with the teleporter to go from Anti-Gravity Launcher to T1 Mutant Research. This one goes on the last empty slot on the left wall from the Assembly machine in the Director’s Office.
Craft the ARC-XD and Retrieve the Safe Key
This step takes you into Dark Entity Containment. Find a Crafting Table (there’s one right in this area) and build an ARC-XD for 1,000 Salvage.
From there:
- Take the ARC-XD down the stairs into the containment area.
- Drive it through the small fencing gap near the left stairs.
- Follow the path from the back of The Forsaken until you reach a Dark Aether crystal. Detonate next to it.
- A stream of energy will move upwards, spawning some more Dark Aether crystals.
- Destroy every crystal that appears, and the final one drops the Safe Key you’ll need later.
Reveal the Safe with Mister Peeks
In the Director’s Office, there’s a painting near the teleporter to Pack-a-Punch. Once Mister Peeks is in the game, activate the Field Upgrade in front of it. The painting will fall, revealing a hidden safe.
Survive the Lockdown and Get the Aether Blade
With the safe revealed, use the Safe Key to open it. This triggers a short lockdown where you’ll face an elite Disciple backed up by swarms of zombies, parasites, and vermin. You’re not physically trapped in the room, but stay close as the fight is easiest if you don’t let the spawns scatter. Once the Disciple is defeated, your screen will flash, and the safe will have the Aether Blade, along with some intel items.
Black Ops 6 Aether Blade Stats and Abilities
When equipped, the Aether Blade takes place of your Lethal slot with a throwing knife that locks onto targets and kills up to three zombies per throw, no matter how much health or round they have. After a 5-second cooldown, it’s ready to use again. It’s a boomerang of doom, returning to you after each throw.
While it’s been toned down from its MW Zombies days (when it hit 5 targets per toss), it’s still one of the best side-Easter egg rewards in the Zombies mode. However, only one player can get it from the safe, but the use of Picky Eater on Vulture Aid will duplicate the weapon for teammates. Furthermore, you can use this terminus calculator to solve the math puzzle in the Research Office in Black Ops 6 Zombies.
