Die Rise — Black Ops 2 Zombies Easter Egg Guide

In this guide: full main-quest walkthrough, recommended loadout, interactive solvers, side Easter eggs & songs, boss strategy · Hard, ~40–70 min.

Open the interactive guide →
Black Ops 2 · 2012

Die Rise

A collapsed Chinese skyscraper complex. Activate a second Pylon for Maxis (red) or Richtofen (blue). Both sides need four players.

Released 29 Jan 2013 High MaintenancePick a side4 players
HardEst. time40–70 minPlayers4 (original BO2)Updated7 Sep 2026
Documented here8 walkthrough steps · 6 side Easter eggs (incl. 1 song, 1 free perk) · 1 interactive solver · 3 weapon builds · 8 named areas · 2 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 Die Rise Easter egg?

It is rated Hard and takes about 40–70 min. The run breaks down like this:
  1. Shared — power, Trample Steam, link the elevators
  2. Step on the 4 floor symbols in the right order
  3. Shoot the dragon orbs, charge them, place on Trample Steams
  4. Place 4 Trample Steams on the zombie seals
  5. Read the Mahjong tiles for the tower order
  6. Punch the tower corners with Galvaknuckles → done
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 Die Rise Easter egg take?

About 40–70 min for a run that already knows the steps, and we rate it Hard. 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 Die Rise Easter egg solo?

Players: 4 (original BO2).

Is there a song Easter egg on Die Rise?

Yes — “We All Fall Down”. Kevin Sherwood ft. Elena Siegman. Hold interact on the 3 teddy bears: by the SVU-AS on the dragon-roof / escalator approach, in the upside-down Buddha building near the broiler route, and in the Power Building room by the power switch. Once Full trigger steps for it are in the side Easter eggs section.

What are the main areas on Die Rise?

8 are documented: Rooftop Spawn (Tower 1), Elevator shafts & key elevators, Upside-down Buddha room, Power Room, Freight elevator route, Dragon signs / sniper balls, Radio tower (Pylon roof) and Trample Steam benches / AN-94 floors. 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 Die Rise?

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

Are there solvers for the Die Rise puzzles?

Yes. Die Rise has randomised puzzles whose answer changes every match, so there is nothing to look up — this guide ships 1 interactive solver that take what your own game is showing you and return the answer for that run. They are embedded at the step that needs them and listed together in the solvers section.

When was Die Rise released?

29 Jan 2013.

Key areas

Rooftop Spawn (Tower 1)

Start on the roof; the crashing elevator shortcut down, passing the PhD tease floor; SVU wall-buy and teddy #1 nearby.

Elevator shafts & key elevators

Perk machines and PaP ride randomised elevators; shafts are the map's arteries.

Upside-down Buddha room

The wedged, inverted building section: Buddha statue room, central EE arena, teddy #2 at its edge.

Power Room

Power switch, Sliquifier bench, teddy #3 in the back corner; Bank showers + weapon-locker fridge one gap-jump away.

Freight elevator route

Freight elevator connecting power area to upper floors — the route the wiki cites for reaching Bank/locker.

Dragon signs / sniper balls

Rooftop dragon mouths holding balls shot with sniper rifles for High Maintenance.

Radio tower (Pylon roof)

Roof of the second tower with the Pylon/tower struck with Galvaknuckles in the quest.

Trample Steam benches / AN-94 floors

Workbench floors between towers where Trample Steams are built and placed. Only one guide lists this — worth checking in game.

Steps at a glance

  1. Shared — power, Trample Steam, link the elevators
  2. Step on the 4 floor symbols in the right order
  3. Shoot the dragon orbs, charge them, place on Trample Steams
  4. Place 4 Trample Steams on the zombie seals
  5. Read the Mahjong tiles for the tower order
  6. Punch the tower corners with Galvaknuckles → done
Original difficulty, 4 players. Maxis = red tower, Richtofen = blue. The Sliquifier is the map's wonder weapon; keep a crawler for the puzzle steps.

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.

Gates on this quest
  • High Maintenance only runs on Original difficulty.
  • Both sides need four players.
  • Build the NAV table before starting the symbol steps, or they can fail to register.

Set aside 40–70 min · 4 (original BO2)

Where your run will differ

Gathered here so you meet them before they cost you a run rather than after — quoted word for word from the guide below, or researched from the map's own quest documentation.

Solo or co-op

What changes with your player count. The rest of the guide is the same either way.

  • Both sides hard-require four players — the elevator rings and the simultaneous steps have no smaller version.

Full walkthrough

0% complete

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.

1
Shared

Setup

+

Reach the Power Building and flip the power switch by the sewing machines. Build four Trample Steams (parts in the spawn building — one per player) and the NAV table on the dragon roof (meteorite, radio, board, electrical box). Grab the elevator key off a stopped car's roof to call cars, and only step on an elevator roof while it is stationary.

2
Four elevator shafts

Elevator-roof symbols

+

Four elevators carry gold roof symbols — the Quick Revive shaft, the car by the Trample bench, the car by the power switch and the car by the MP5. All four players stand on the four marked roofs at once (cars stationary) until every symbol lights. Warning: an elevator car kills anyone standing on its roof as it reaches the top floor — that's the death players hit on this step, so only board a stationary car and step off before it rises.

3
Around the map

Floor symbols

+

Stand on the four gold floor symbols (in front of Quick Revive, atop the Power Building, the cafeteria/kitchen, and outside the bank-shower room) in the correct order — random each game, so trial and error; a correct one stays lit, a wrong touch resets the sequence.

4
Dragon roof

Dragon-mouth spheres

+

Buy the SVU-AS sniper on the dragon roof (a box DSR also works) and shoot the black sphere in each of the two dragon-statue mouths to dislodge both. Maxis and Richtofen then give route-specific instructions for what to do with the spheres — pick your side before placing any Trample Steams.

M
Buddha room · lion symbols

Maxis route (red)

+

In the Buddha room, get 15 kills with none outside the room to build energy (success quote: “Reincarnation will reveal the way forward”). Pack-a-Punch a Ballistic Knife into the Krauss Refibrillator and simply fire it in the Buddha room (at a zombie entering the room) — no teammate down or revive is required. Then set four Trample Steams on the four lion symbols aimed at the tower, place the two spheres on the spawn-room and bottom-escalator Trample Steams, and launch. The bottom of the Pylon glows orange — after the two spheres fling orange wisps between the buildings — as the Maxis-side confirmation.

R
Spawn-room lions · zombie symbols

Richtofen route (blue)

+

Build the Sliquifier in the Power Building and fire it into the black orbs beneath the two lion statues in the spawn room — roughly 20 shots each until they spin rapidly, at which point Richtofen requests a “Blood Sacrifice.” Then set four Trample Steams on the four zombie symbols aimed at the tower and launch zombies/players into them until the bottom of the Pylon glows blue.

5
Around the map

Mahjong tiles

+

Find the Mahjong tiles (8 tiles across 11 possible spots). Photograph them and pair each numbered tile with its same-family direction tile — the numbers 1-4 give the order and the direction character (N/E/S/W) says which tower face. The tile at the tower base sets north.

Helper: Mahjong Solver

Mahjong Tower Order Solver

Die Rise — radio tower

Colour links a Wind tile (a corner) to a number tile (its position). Set the colour of each — the corner-punch order updates live. Leave one direction and one number blank and they fill by elimination.

What this is based onBuilt from the sources listed on this page · 2 sources cross-checked · guide last reviewed 7 Sep 2026.Not matching your game? It answers from the inputs you give it — re-check those against your screen, then see the walkthrough step.
6
Radio tower

Punch the tower

+

Buy Galvaknuckles (upside-down building) and punch the four tower faces in the decoded order — one hit per face, one attempt per round (a mistake means advancing a round and redoing the whole order). On completion the whole pylon surges in your side's colour (orange for Maxis, blue for Richtofen) → High Maintenance + all perks.

Side Easter Eggs & extras

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

Song

“We All Fall Down”

+

Kevin Sherwood ft. Elena Siegman. Hold interact on the 3 teddy bears: by the SVU-AS on the dragon-roof / escalator approach, in the upside-down Buddha building near the broiler route, and in the Power Building room by the power switch. Once per match.

  1. Hold Use on 3 teddy bears, in any order
  2. Floor below the spawn room — on a shelf in the shop, by the SVU-AS
  3. Buddha room (upturned restaurant) — on a ledge in the corner of the tilted floor
  4. Power room — on a sewing machine
  5. 'We All Fall Down' by Kevin Sherwood plays
Free perk

Jumping Jacks reward

+

On Jumping Jack (jumping zombie) special rounds, wipe the round with 100% accuracy — melee or Trample Steam are safest — and the last kill drops a free random perk bottle for each survivor.

  1. Jumping Jacks are leaping crawler enemies that first appear around rounds 5-7 and return every ~4-5 rounds
  2. They teleport short distances and swarm to surround you
  3. Kill an entire Jumping Jacks round with 100% accuracy — easiest by using only melee or the Trample Steam so you fire no shots
  4. The last one then drops a random perk bottle plus a Max Ammo
  5. (Who's Who is the map's self-revive perk — down while owning it to spawn a clone that revives your body)
Free weapon

Sliquifier

+

The buildable wonder weapon (Power Building parts) — its goo chains kills down slopes and is what charges the spheres on the Richtofen route.

Mechanic

Who's Who

+

A Die Rise-exclusive perk from a circulating elevator — when downed you spawn as a pistol-only doppelgänger who can revive your own body.

Mechanic

Bank, fridge & NAV table

+

The shower-room bank and the weapon fridge persist across TranZit / Die Rise / Buried; the dragon-roof NAV table is part of the Victis Navcard chain, not required for High Maintenance.

Mechanic

Trample Steam & elevators

+

Build four Trample Steams (they launch zombies at the pylon and double as shortcuts); ride only stationary elevator cars and grab the roof key to call one in an emergency.

Interactive solvers

Every solver for Die Rise, in the order you meet them. Each also appears inside its step in the walkthrough above — use whichever is handier. Browse every Zombies solver →

Mahjong Tower Order Solver

Die Rise — radio tower

Colour links a Wind tile (a corner) to a number tile (its position). Set the colour of each — the corner-punch order updates live. Leave one direction and one number blank and they fill by elimination.

What this is based onBuilt from the sources listed on this page · 2 sources cross-checked · guide last reviewed 7 Sep 2026.Not matching your game? It answers from the inputs you give it — re-check those against your screen, then see the walkthrough step.

When it isn't working

The stalls that actually cost people runs on this map, and what to do about each.

TroubleshootingEach of these is quoted from the step it belongs to, derived from a gate the guide already states, or researched from the map's own quest documentation — nothing here is guesswork about what might be going wrong.

The symbol/elevator steps do nothing

Two hard gates: the quest requires Original difficulty and 'requires four players for both' paths; and 'building the NAV table is required to start the Easter Egg or standing on the symbols may not work'.

Floor-symbol order wrong every time

The four gold floor symbols (M14, above AK-74u, roof by Semtex, past SVU) light in a per-game random order — there is no method beyond trial — the order changes per game, so it is mostly guessing. Wrong entries just reset the lights.

Tower punched in the right order but nothing happened

Known glitch, quoted: 'when the tower is punched even in the correct order, the step will not complete'. The documented workaround: let the tower deactivate, next round punch each corner once in any order avoiding the 1st-position corner, then input the true Mahjong order. Also: only one order attempt per round.

Can't read the Mahjong tiles

Four directional tiles + four numbered bamboo tiles, colour-paired (red/blue/green/black); the '1' tile is a bird, 'commonly mistaken for a directional tile'. North = the corner with its own tile facing the Trample Steam room; West faces the sun.

Trample Steam step won't confirm

All four zombie-symbol pads must have a Trample Steam facing the radio tower and each must activate at least once — you must hear Richtofen's quote at all four ('make sure that they have heard all four or they will not be able to move on').

Common Die Rise questions

Direct answers to the specific things players look up mid-game — part locations, puzzle steps and more.

Where is the power switch on Die Rise?

In the Power Building, by the sewing machines.

Where is Pack-a-Punch on Die Rise?

It rides the lifts. Pack-a-Punch and the perk machines move between randomised elevator cars, which is why the shafts are the map's arteries. Grab the elevator key off a stopped car's roof so you can call a car when you need one.

Why do I keep dying on the elevator roofs?

Because a car kills anyone standing on its roof the moment it reaches the top floor. Only board a stationary car, and step off before it starts to rise. That one mistake ends more Die Rise runs than anything else on the map.

How do I build the Sliquifier?

All the parts are in the Power Building. It is the map's wonder weapon — the goo chains kills down slopes and stairwells — and it is what charges the orbs on the Richtofen route.

What is Who's Who?

A Die Rise-exclusive perk, sold from one of the circulating elevators. When you go down you respawn as a pistol-only doppelgänger who can revive your own body, which is the only self-revive this map offers in co-op.

How do I read the Mahjong tiles?

Eight tiles are hidden across eleven possible spots. Photograph them, then pair each numbered tile with the direction tile from the same family — the numbers 1 to 4 give the order, and the direction character (north, east, south or west) says which face of the tower it belongs to. The tile at the tower base sets which way counts as north.

How many attempts do I get at punching the tower?

One per round, one hit per face. Get the order wrong and you have to advance a whole round and redo the sequence from the start, so decode the tiles properly before you start swinging.

How do I get the free perk from Jumping Jacks?

On a Jumping Jack round, wipe the entire round with 100% accuracy — melee or a Trample Steam are the safest ways to manage it — and the last kill drops a free random perk bottle for every survivor.

Where are the three teddy bears?

By the SVU-AS on the dragon-roof escalator approach, in the upside-down Buddha building near the broiler route, and in the Power Building room by the power switch.

Does the NAV table matter for High Maintenance?

No. The dragon-roof NAV table belongs to the Victis Navcard chain that runs across TranZit, Die Rise and Buried — it is a separate thread from this map's own quest.

Visual guides & sources

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

Map discussion

A shared community board for Die Rise — 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.

No discussion points yet — start one.
Part of the Zombies Easter Egg Codex — step-by-step Call of Duty Zombies Easter egg guides for every map. Open Die Rise in the interactive codex for the solvers and map discussion.