Outbreak
Outbreak is the first of Advanced Warfare's four Exo Zombies maps — a round-based survival experience set in an Atlas research facility, built around exo-suit mobility (boost jump, dodge and Exo Slam), local room power, the rotating 3D Printer and a Weapon Upgrade Station that raises guns by Mark tiers. Its main quest, Game Over, Man!, recovers a crashed Warbird's Black Box and collects four survivor keycards (Lilith, Decker, Oz and Kahn) to raise every player to clearance 50 and call in the Atlas rescue. A no-down, melee-cards-only run unlocks a hidden gold-statue alternate ending.
Quick answers
Outbreak is the first of Advanced Warfare's four Exo Zombies maps — round-based survival in an Atlas research facility built around exo-suit mobility, per-room power, a roaming 3D Printer, and a Weapon Upgrade Station that raises guns by Mark tiers instead of Pack-a-Punch. Its quest, Game Over, Man!, recovers a downed Warbird's black box and four keycards to call in an Atlas rescue. Rated Medium, 30–50 minutes, solo-capable.
How do you complete the Outbreak Easter egg?
- Round-based survival for 1-4 players, fully solo-capable; the main quest 'Game Over, Man!' ends with an Atlas rescue outro rather than a boss fight.
- Exo systems replace the classic Black Ops economy: an Exo Suit (boost jump/dodge + Exo Slam), per-room local power, the rotating 3D Printer (random weapons + quest gear like the EM1), and a Weapon Upgrade Station that raises a gun one Mark per purchase (standard to Mk20; the post-quest Exo Testing station reaches Mk25).
- New hazards: EMZ / shock enemies whose pulse briefly disables Exo movement (kill them before any jump, narrow route or synchronized step), and infection — a Host attack starts a timer you must clear at a Decontamination Zone.
- The EM1 laser is quest-critical (it prints Lilith's card) but not always the best survival gun — keep a separate conventional primary and one crowd-control option.
- Clearance is a two-stage gate: collect the four named keycards, walk over random dropped access cards until every player personally reaches clearance 49, then each player uses their own character's reader to hit 50.
- Gold-statue alternate ending: no player may go down all match, and every access card used to reach 49 must come from a melee kill (a non-melee card greys the number and permanently invalidates the special ending for that match).
- Special enemies: EMZ shock zombies and infected Hosts; run discipline and setup matter more than puzzle complexity.
What is the Wonder Weapon on Outbreak?
How long does the Outbreak Easter egg take?
Can you do the Outbreak Easter egg solo?
Is there a song Easter egg on Outbreak?
What are the main areas on Outbreak?
How many side Easter eggs are on Outbreak?
When was Outbreak released?
Map & Key areas
The map layout first, then the areas worth knowing by name. Map imagery © Activision, self-hosted.
Courtyard / Spawn
The crashed Warbird and the Black Box; the outro extraction point.
Main Hub
Central loop connecting every wing — the safest training route.
Morgue
The Black Box terminal (starts and completes the rescue chain) and Lilith's reader.
Administration
Kahn's reader, an MP11 wall-buy, an infected keypad and the Ride of the Valkyries wrench.
Holding
Oz's Exo-Slam cell puzzle, Oz's reader and a Valkyries hand tool.
Exo Testing / Exo Training
The experimental Mk21–Mk25 station (post-quest), Decker's reader and a Valkyries bonesaw.
Steps at a glance
- Round-based survival for 1-4 players, fully solo-capable; the main quest 'Game Over, Man!' ends with an Atlas rescue outro rather than a boss fight.
- Exo systems replace the classic Black Ops economy: an Exo Suit (boost jump/dodge + Exo Slam), per-room local power, the rotating 3D Printer (random weapons + quest gear like the EM1), and a Weapon Upgrade Station that raises a gun one Mark per purchase (standard to Mk20; the post-quest Exo Testing station reaches Mk25).
- New hazards: EMZ / shock enemies whose pulse briefly disables Exo movement (kill them before any jump, narrow route or synchronized step), and infection — a Host attack starts a timer you must clear at a Decontamination Zone.
- The EM1 laser is quest-critical (it prints Lilith's card) but not always the best survival gun — keep a separate conventional primary and one crowd-control option.
- Clearance is a two-stage gate: collect the four named keycards, walk over random dropped access cards until every player personally reaches clearance 49, then each player uses their own character's reader to hit 50.
- Gold-statue alternate ending: no player may go down all match, and every access card used to reach 49 must come from a melee kill (a non-melee card greys the number and permanently invalidates the special ending for that match).
- Special enemies: EMZ shock zombies and infected Hosts; run discipline and setup matter more than puzzle complexity.
Before you start
What to have in hand before step 1 — from the loadout notes, from the walkthrough itself, and from the map's own quest documentation where the gate is never stated in a step.
- No Exo Suit at spawn — you fight suitless with a standard knife until the Exo Testing Room is opened. — from the map's own quest documentation
- EMZ shock pulses briefly disable Exo movement, so clear them before any jump, narrow route or synchronised step (like Oz's card). — step 2
- Keep a separate conventional primary and a crowd-control option — the EM1 prints Lilith's card but is not always the best survival gun. — step 2
- For the gold-statue ending, no player may go down all match and every clearance card must come from a melee kill — one non-melee card permanently invalidates the ending. — step 3
- Decker's Incinerator card is soloable (buy the chute, let it close, buy and enter again) or done with two players on two chutes together. — step 2
Set aside 30–50 min · 1–4 (solo-capable)
Full walkthrough
The quest in the order this guide runs it — tap any step to jump to it, and it fills in as you tick steps off.
Recover and place the Black Box
At spawn, take the Black Box from the ground left of the crashed Warbird and carry it to the Morgue terminal (right side of the room). Interact and wait for Angie's confirmation before continuing.
- Black Box collected
- Installed in the Morgue terminal
Collect the four character keycards
Each survivor has a card (the named player takes it if present, otherwise anyone can):
Lilith — get an EM1 from the active 3D Printer, then while buying that printer, fire the EM1 into it; the card ejects. Decker — enter the Incinerator via a trash chute (solo: buy the chute, let it close, buy and enter again; co-op: two players use two chutes together) and shoot the Incinerator floor until the card pops up. Oz — in Holding, shoot the metal bar under the middle cell, then every player Exo Slams the outermost cell roof simultaneously and takes the card from the raised cell. Kahn — during an infected round, get infected and use all four security keypads before cleansing (by Exo Medic; by the decon entrance; end of the red Administration hall; the second-floor balcony left of the MP11), then return to the checkpoint window.
- Lilith — EM1-into-printer card
- Decker — Incinerator chute card
- Oz — synchronized Exo-Slam cell card
- Kahn — four-keypad infected card
Raise every player to clearance 49
Once all four keycards are in, zombies randomly drop access cards. Each player must personally walk over enough drops to bring their own HUD clearance number to 49 — call out drops so one player doesn't hoover them all. Once a player's badge shows 49, further access-card pickups do nothing — the jump to 50 only comes from that player's own character reader — so stop farming cards at 49. For the gold-statue ending, only take cards from melee kills and never go down.
- All four players at clearance 49
Authorize and use the character readers
Interact with the Morgue terminal to activate the readers, then every player uses the reader matching their character to jump from 49 to 50: Lilith — Morgue second floor (between Exo Reload and Exo Training); Decker — Exo Training stairwell, about halfway up; Oz — Holding, left of Exo Health; Kahn — Administration, left of the Morgue door.
- Morgue terminal activated the readers
- Every player scanned their own reader to clearance 50
Complete the rescue authorization
Interact with the Morgue terminal a final time; after the authorization quote, all players simultaneously interact with an Exo Suit Station. Once it registers, return to Courtyard spawn for the outro and the Atlas rescue. The Exo Testing experimental Mk21–Mk25 station is now active.
- Terminal re-authorized
- Synchronized Exo Suit Station interaction
- Returned to spawn — rescue outro (quest complete)
Side Easter Eggs & extras
Everything beyond the main quest. Tap any entry to open the full how-and-where breakdown.
EM1 (laser)
Printed from the 3D Printer; firing it into the printer during a purchase ejects Lilith's card. A precise beam that's strong on specials but ammo-hungry — pair it with a conventional primary rather than relying on it alone.
Gold statue
No downs all match, and every clearance-49 access card taken only from melee kills (a non-melee card greys the HUD number and voids it). Finish the normal clearance-50 route and the special ending auto-completes the match.
“Ride of the Valkyries”
Interact with three hidden tools in any order — the wrench (Administration, right of the Weapon Upgrade Station), the bonesaw (Exo Testing, on a table behind the large doors right of the trash chute) and the hand tool (Holding, on the corpse table left of the Weapon Upgrade Station). The full track starts after the third.
Weapon Upgrade Station (Marks)
Each purchase raises the held weapon one Mark; standard progression reaches Mk20, and the experimental Exo Testing station unlocked after the quest carries a weapon up to Mk25 — the map's real endgame damage.
Exo Suit & Exo upgrades
The suit grants boost jump, boost dodge and Exo Slam (needed for Oz's cell) plus access to per-room Exo upgrades (Exo Health, Exo Reload, Exo Medic). Power a room's local generator before relying on its upgrade or door.
Recommended loadouts
Three strong picks for this map — the map's Wonder Weapon plus reliable box/wall options. These are pre-augment-era games, so the setup is the gun plus Pack-a-Punch and perk synergy.
EM1 (Quantum)
Quest weaponPrinted from the 3D Printer; firing it into the printer during a purchase ejects Lilith's keycard. A directed-energy beam — strong on specials but ammo-hungry — so keep a conventional primary alongside it.
Mk-upgraded primary
WorkhorseNo Pack-a-Punch here: raise a reliable automatic or shotgun at the Weapon Upgrade Station (to Mk20, then Mk25 at the post-quest Exo Testing station). Reserve points for doors, decon and Exo Health.
When it isn't working
The stalls that actually cost people runs on this map, and what to do about each.
My clearance card pickups aren't doing anything
Oz's cell card won't drop
The gold-statue ending didn't trigger even though we finished
Got knocked out of a jump or synced step
Kahn's card never appears
Common Outbreak questions
Direct answers to the specific things players look up mid-game — part locations, puzzle steps and more.
Is there Pack-a-Punch in Exo Zombies?
How do I stop myself turning into a zombie?
Why do I not have an exo suit at the start?
Where is the Mystery Box in Exo Zombies?
Do zombies come through windows?
What is the EM1 for?
How do I get the gold-statue ending?
Are there really scorestreaks in Zombies?
Which order do the Exo Zombies maps go in?
Who caused the outbreak?
Visual guides & sources
Screenshots and exact part locations live in these — open one on a second screen.
Map discussion
A shared community board for Outbreak — posts are public, saved on the server and visible to everyone across devices. Handy for strategies, spawn variations you've noticed, or steps to double-check. Please keep it civil and on-topic.