“Five”
Set in the Pentagon with JFK, Nixon, Castro and McNamara. No boss quest — but a Pentagon-route systems map: DEFCON-gated Pack-a-Punch, the Pentagon Thief and a hidden song.
Quick answers
How do you complete the “Five” Easter egg?
- Unlock “Five” (finish the campaign, or type 3ARC UNLOCK at the main-menu terminal)
- Descend both elevators to the Labs; turn on power in the room marked “3”
- Flip all four War Room DEFCON switches → DEFCON 5 reroutes every teleporter to the Panic Room
- Teleport to the Panic Room for Pack-a-Punch (5,000, ~30s)
- Handle the Pentagon Thief on his special round for the best rewards
- Hidden song “Won't Back Down”: activate the 3 red phones (one is inside the Panic Room)
Is there a song Easter egg on “Five”?
What are the main areas on “Five”?
How many side Easter eggs are on “Five”?
When was “Five” released?
Key areas
Boardroom
First floor, and where you spawn. Quick Revive, the Olympia and M14 on the wall at 500 each, one of the three red telephones on the conference table, and a teleporter that only works once the power is on. Switching the power on dims the lights in here and moves the spawn points.
Hallway
The only room connecting to the Boardroom, 750 to open. Speed Cola and the MPL are on the wall, and the first elevator down to the War Room is here. The metal detector becomes an Electro-Shock trap once you find its operating mechanism and fit it.
First Elevator
1,000 to clear the barricade, then 250 a trip either way. It is cramped, zombies can get in with you, and a few of them in there is genuinely dangerous.
War Room — top floor
Where the first elevator lets you out. Four windows, the MP5K and PM63 at 1,000 each, and Double Tap Root Beer. This is where most teams come apart — one unwatched window is all it takes.
War Room — lower floor
1,000 to open, then two internal barriers at 1,250 each. Jugger-Nog, Mule Kick, a Stakeout, a teleporter in the centre of the room, and the cargo elevator down to the labs. Two of the four DEFCON switches are on this floor.
Cargo Elevator
The larger of the two lifts, 250 a trip, running between the War Room and the labs. It has a window on each level, so camping inside it works far less well than it looks.
Lab Area
The bottom floor, and the room marked “3” holds the power switch. Turning it on activates the perk machines and teleporters, unlocks the DEFCON panel and opens the route to the Panic Room — and starts Crawler Zombies spawning for as long as anyone is down here. The M16 and AK-74u are on the wall at 1,200 each.
Testing Room
A lab side room with a live pig hung from a crane and human corpses that echo Rebirth. Claymores, a Mystery Box spawn and two windows.
Weapons Testing Room
The display room — a Winter's Howl, Thundergun, Death Machine and Ray Gun behind glass, all unusable. The Bowie Knife is bought here, there is a Mystery Box spawn, and one of the two trap mechanisms sits in a locker.
Small Lab Room
Barely a room: a Mystery Box spawn and M67 frags at 250.
Panic Room
The 115 Clearance Room off the War Room, and the only route to Pack-a-Punch. It opens once the power is on and all four DEFCON switches have taken the level down to 5. Zombies cannot get in, the last of the three telephones is here, and the machine turns back into the wall after a short window — upgrade fast and never leave a gun inside.
What to do
- Unlock “Five” (finish the campaign, or type 3ARC UNLOCK at the main-menu terminal)
- Descend both elevators to the Labs; turn on power in the room marked “3”
- Flip all four War Room DEFCON switches → DEFCON 5 reroutes every teleporter to the Panic Room
- Teleport to the Panic Room for Pack-a-Punch (5,000, ~30s)
- Handle the Pentagon Thief on his special round for the best rewards
- Hidden song “Won't Back Down”: activate the 3 red phones (one is inside the Panic Room)
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.
- Unlock by finishing the Black Ops campaign on any difficulty, or type 3ARC UNLOCK at the main-menu terminal — this also unlocks Dead Ops Arcade.
- No boss quest. Pack-a-Punch is entirely gated behind DEFCON 5: turn on Labs power, then flip all four War Room switches.
- No Zombies Chronicles/Black Ops 3 remaster exists for this map — it is absent from the eight-map Chronicles roster, unlike Kino der Toten.
- Both traps need a found mechanism fitted before they will run, then cost 1,000 each, exactly like an Electro-Shock Defence.
- Hold your least valuable weapon once the Pentagon Thief's round starts — he steals whatever is equipped.
- The Panic Room stays open only while someone is inside; leave, and all four DEFCON switches must be pressed again for another visit.
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.
This map exists in more than one release, and these are the points where they differ. Everything else in this guide applies to both.
- “Five is absent from the eight-map Zombies Chronicles roster — the 2010 Black Ops version is the only one.” No BO3/Chronicles remaster
What changes with your player count. The rest of the guide is the same either way.
- “Tip: This is a solo-oriented plan — in co-op, split coverage of the four War Room windows instead of running one shared loop.” step 9
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.
Unlock and spawn buys
Unlock the map first (see Before you start). You spawn in the Boardroom: Quick Revive, the Olympia and M14 (500 each), and one of the three red telephones are here. A teleporter in this room only works once the power is on.
Push down to the Labs and turn on power
Work down through both elevators to the bottom floor. The power switch is in the room marked 3. Turning it on activates the perk machines and every teleporter, unlocks the DEFCON panel and opens the route to the Panic Room — and starts Crawler Zombies spawning for as long as anyone stays down there.
Quick win: The M16 and AK-74u (1,200 each) are on the Lab Area wall, so arm up on the same trip.
Confirmation cue: Perk machines and teleporters switch on; the DEFCON panel lights up.
Fit both trap mechanisms
Each trap needs its operating mechanism found and carried to the Quick Revive hallway's metal detector before it works. One mechanism sits in the Weapons Testing Room locker; the other is tucked behind the computer terminal closest to the lift down to the Labs. Fit either one to the middle of the metal detector and it runs for 1,000 points.
DEFCON 5: the four War Room switches
With Labs power on, press all four switches in any order. The fourth sets DEFCON 5 and reroutes every teleporter to the sealed Panic Room.
Quick win: Two switches sit on the floor you are already clearing for Jugger-Nog and Mule Kick, so grab them on the same pass.
Pack-a-Punch in the Panic Room
Take the centre War Room teleporter once DEFCON 5 is set — it drops you straight into the sealed Panic Room. Zombies cannot get in, but the window is short: roughly 30 seconds before the doors open and the machine rotates back into the wall. Upgrade fast and never leave a gun inside. Once the last player leaves, the doors shut, and all four switches must be pressed again for another visit.
Tip: Line up your 5,000 points before you press the fourth switch, not after you land.
Confirmation cue: The machine visibly rotates back into the wall when the window closes.
Won't Back Down
Interact with all three, any order: the Boardroom table left of Quick Revive; the desk you face as you flip the Labs power switch; and the side desk in the Panic Room. That last phone means the song cannot finish until power is on and all four DEFCON switches are thrown. Once per match.
Tip: The track is credited to Eminem featuring P!nk in some listings and to Eminem alone in others.
The Pentagon Thief
He targets one player at a time and steals whatever gun they are holding, so carry your least valuable weapon once his round starts. He is faster than a sprinting player, so loop him past Claymores, the Crossbow or a trap rather than outrunning him in a straight line. Only his target sees him clearly; everyone else sees a faint red distortion, which is what to shoot. Lay two Claymores where he spawns in at the end of the previous round, then two more at the start of his own round. A Pack-a-Punched Crossbow kills him in roughly four hits; Winter's Howl slows him so he cannot escape.
Quick win: Kill him before he steals anything for a Bonfire Sale (every teleporter routes to Pack-a-Punch at 1,000 points) plus a Max Ammo. Kill him after a theft and every stolen gun comes back, with a Max Ammo and a Fire Sale. Even if he escapes, a consolation Max Ammo spawns at the last teleporter he entered.
Tip: Don't finish him with a Nuke, Insta-Kill or Death Machine — the Bonfire/Fire Sale rewards will not register.
He never appears within three rounds of his last attack, then has roughly a 50/50 chance of showing up each round after that, and he is not attracted to Monkey Bombs.
Winter's Howl
The freeze-ray wonder weapon, exclusive in Black Ops to Five and Verrückt. It freezes a zombie solid on a clean hit, or slows one that survives the first shot — strong for controlling the Thief. Pack-a-Punched, it becomes the Winter's Fury.
Hold-and-train plan for high rounds
A Steam Community solo guide runs the whole top floor of the War Room without sprinting, keeping every zombie behind before turning to fire, and deliberately leaving the odd crawler for a breather to repair windows or reposition. Loadout: Mustang & Sally (an upgraded M1911, called the best weapon on Five by the guide) as primary, an upgraded Commando (Predator) as secondary, plus Mule Kick for a third slot pulled from the box. Keep Quick Revive and Jugger-Nog running throughout.
Tip: This is a solo-oriented plan — in co-op, split coverage of the four War Room windows instead of running one shared loop.
Side Easter Eggs & extras
Everything beyond the main quest. Tap any entry to open the full how-and-where breakdown.
“Won't Back Down”
Eminem. Interact with the 3 red telephones (any order): the Boardroom conference table left of Quick Revive; the desk directly in front of the Labs power switch (the desk you face as you flip it); and a table by the barrier/window inside the Panic Room — so the song needs power + all four DEFCON switches to finish. Once per match.
- Hold Use on 3 red telephones, one on each floor
- Top floor — on a desk left of Quick Revive, in the hallway by the spawn room
- Bottom floor (Lab) — on the shelf directly behind the power switch
- Panic Room (Pack-a-Punch) — on a side desk; get there by flipping all DEFCON switches and taking the centre teleporter
- 'Won't Back Down' by Eminem plays
DEFCON 5 → Pack-a-Punch
After Labs power, press all four War Room switches (any order): Upper 1 on the catwalk left of the first elevator · Upper 2 across the far side of the upper catwalk · Lower 1 left of the cargo elevator · Lower 2 on the lower floor between the Jugger-Nog and Mule Kick sides. The fourth sets DEFCON 5 and reroutes every teleporter to the sealed Panic Room. Inside, the doors stay shut (no zombies get in) for about 30 seconds — that's your Pack-a-Punch window; once the doors open PaP can't be used, and when the last player leaves the doors close and all four switches must be pressed again for another visit.
The Pentagon Thief
He replaces the Hellhound special rounds and targets one player at a time, stealing the held weapon (hold your least valuable gun). He is FASTER than a sprinting player, so don't try to outrun him in a straight line — loop him past Claymores or the Crossbow, or through a trap. Only the target sees him clearly; the others see a faint red distortion — shoot that. When he steals, he and the victim are both teleported elsewhere. Kill him before any theft for a Bonfire Sale + Max Ammo (all teleporters → Pack-a-Punch at 1,000 points); kill him after a theft to get every stolen gun back plus Max Ammo + Fire Sale. Even if he escapes, a consolation Max Ammo spawns at the last teleporter he entered (though the stolen weapon is lost for that match). Don't finish him with a Nuke, Insta-Kill or Death Machine — let a normal weapon land the kill so the rewards register.
- The Thief appears on a special round every few rounds — no normal zombies spawn, only him; he can't hurt you but steals the weapon you're holding
- End the previous round by laying 2 Claymores where he teleports in (spawn / DEFCON area)
- At the start of his round you get 2 more Claymores — drop them there too to chunk his health
- Hit him with heavy single-target damage (a PaP'd Crossbow kills in ~4 hits; Winter's Howl slows him so he can't escape)
- Kill him before he steals anything for a Bonfire Sale (Pack-a-Punch for 1,000 and reopened access) plus a Max Ammo
- Don't finish him with a Nuke, Insta-Kill or Death Machine — those void the Bonfire Sale
Winter's Howl
The freeze-ray wonder weapon (exclusive to “Five” and Verrückt in BO1) from the Mystery Box — strong for stopping the Pentagon Thief.
Unlock the map
“Five” unlocks by finishing the Black Ops campaign, or instantly by entering 3ARC UNLOCK at the main-menu terminal (which also unlocks Dead Ops Arcade).
No BO3/Chronicles remaster
Five is absent from the eight-map Zombies Chronicles roster — the 2010 Black Ops version is the only one.
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.
Winter's Howl
Map-exclusive freezeBox. Freezes and shatters groups — exclusive to Five (and Verrückt). Great for the Pentagon Thief and choke points.
Ray Gun
All-roundBox. The dependable high-round splash gun; run Jug, Speed Cola, Double Tap.
M14 / MP5 (PaP)
Economy startStrong wall buys to bank points early before you commit to the box.
Common “Five” questions
Direct answers to the specific things players look up mid-game — part locations, puzzle steps and more.
How do I unlock “Five”?
Where is the power switch on “Five”?
How do I open Pack-a-Punch on “Five”?
Why can't I use Pack-a-Punch once I'm in the Panic Room?
How do I handle the Pentagon Thief?
What do I get for killing the Pentagon Thief?
Where are the three red telephones?
Where is the Winter's Howl?
How do I get the traps working on “Five”?
Visual guides & sources
Screenshots and exact part locations live in these — open one on a second screen.
Map discussion
A shared community board for “Five” — 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.