The Tortured Path — World War II Zombies Easter Egg Guide

In this guide: full main-quest walkthrough, recommended loadout, side Easter eggs & songs, boss strategy · Very Hard, ~60–100 min.

Open the interactive guide →
World War II · 2017

The Tortured Path

Not a normal round-based map — a linear three-stage survival gauntlet (~11 waves) across a storm village, a U-boat deck and an icy temple. The 'I Have the Power' quest assembles the Sword of Barbarossa to slay the self-healing Guardian.

Released 24 Jul 2018 Wonder Weapon: Tesla Gun variantsBoss: The Guardian3-stage gauntlet
Very HardEst. time60–100 minPlayers1–4 (solo-capable)Updated8 Sep 2026
Documented here12 walkthrough steps · 7 side Easter eggs (incl. 1 free perk) · 3 weapon builds · 5 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 The Tortured Path Easter egg?

It is rated Very Hard and takes about 60–100 min. The run breaks down like this:
  1. Charge the 3 batteries (Waves 1/4/7) → Pack-a-Punch (each stage)
  2. Storm: collect 6 zombie body parts
  3. Storm: two ropes + two rods; align two Wüstlings for the arm-club, jam the windmill
  4. Storm: raise the corpse, escort the revived zombie → the Hilt
  5. Storm: beat the Raketenbrenner (airstrike his shield) → advance
  6. Depths: enter Barracks vision, shoot the 9 fish
  7. Depths: charge 3 Red Herring stations, clear the island gauntlet + cup game → the Pommel
  8. Depths: beat the Stadtjäger boss → advance
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.

What is the Wonder Weapon on The Tortured Path?

Tesla Gun variants. How you get hold of it — the parts, the crafting steps and the upgrade if it has one — is covered step by step in the walkthrough, along with whether it is required for the main quest or simply worth the detour.

Who is the boss on The Tortured Path?

The Guardian. The walkthrough covers the whole encounter: how the fight is structured, where the damage goes, what the arena throws at you between phases, and the loadout worth bringing before you commit to it.

How long does the The Tortured Path Easter egg take?

About 60–100 min for a run that already knows the steps, and we rate it Very 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 The Tortured Path Easter egg solo?

Players: 1–4 (solo-capable). It is solo-capable. Co-op mainly helps with the timed steps, where a second player can hold a zombie or cover a second position, and it makes the ending far more forgiving.

What are the main areas on The Tortured Path?

5 are documented: Into the Storm (Stage 1), Across the Depths (Stage 2), Beneath the Ice (Stage 3), Waffenbox & B.A.T. drops and Blitz machines. 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 The Tortured Path?

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

When was The Tortured Path released?

24 Jul 2018.

Key areas

Into the Storm (Stage 1)

A storm-lashed windmill village — charge a corpse on the windmill blade to earn the sword Hilt.

Across the Depths (Stage 2)

A U-boat / ship deck — the fish tasks and a shell game yield the Pommel.

Beneath the Ice (Stage 3)

An icy ritual chamber — rune-door puzzles and sacrificial pads yield the Blade, then the Guardian fight.

Waffenbox & B.A.T. drops

Type-based weapon boxes (AR/shotgun after wave 3, sniper/LMG after wave 6) replace the Mystery Box; objective waves drop B.A.T. Ordinance care packages (the Tesla Gun variants come from these).

Blitz machines

WWII's perk machines — the Hilt grants all Blitz perks, and the Pommel grants all perks and becomes your tactical grenade.

Steps at a glance

  1. Charge the 3 batteries (Waves 1/4/7) → Pack-a-Punch (each stage)
  2. Storm: collect 6 zombie body parts
  3. Storm: two ropes + two rods; align two Wüstlings for the arm-club, jam the windmill
  4. Storm: raise the corpse, escort the revived zombie → the Hilt
  5. Storm: beat the Raketenbrenner (airstrike his shield) → advance
  6. Depths: enter Barracks vision, shoot the 9 fish
  7. Depths: charge 3 Red Herring stations, clear the island gauntlet + cup game → the Pommel
  8. Depths: beat the Stadtjäger boss → advance
  9. Ice: break the vision battery, solve the rune door, forge the Hilt
  10. Ice: flares into 4 Forge bowls + a 5th ground bowl → a Rune
  11. Ice: four sacrifice pads + final rune door → the Blade
  12. Assemble the Sword of Barbarossa, beat The Guardian
Charge Pack-a-Punch early. On each stage, charge the three batteries (they light up on Waves 1, 4 and 7) by killing zombies beside them until they stop drawing red energy. Save a Hurricane Tesla variant from a B.A.T. Ordinance drop for The Guardian — its orb shreds him during his stun windows.

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.

Items to bring / craft first
  • Charge the three per-stage batteries only on Waves 1, 4 and 7 — don't hunt the next one early; Übersprengen (Pack-a-Punch) only comes online once the third is full on Wave 7. — step 1
Round and timing gates
  • Don't let the Storm chapter's revived zombie die before its carried battery glows green, or you have to restart the whole chapter. — step 4
  • The rune shapes and sequences on Beneath the Ice are randomised each match — read the live symbols, don't rely on a fixed key. — step 9
  • Don't stand on the ship-deck Stadtjäger's landing point — it can instantly down you, and this version is not gated by Zeppelin phases like Shadowed Throne's. — step 8
Solo vs co-op
  • Later boss heals light more pillars at once, so split targets between players in co-op. — step 12

Set aside 60–100 min · 1–4 (solo-capable)

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.

  • “Later heals light more pillars at once, so split targets in co-op.” step 12

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
Each stage

Batteries → Pack-a-Punch

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On every stage, charge the three batteries (they activate on Waves 1, 4 and 7 only — don't hunt the next one early) by killing ~10 zombies beside each until its green top light goes out. Übersprengen (Pack-a-Punch) comes online once the third battery is full on Wave 7; upgrade the boss weapon before Wave 10.

2
Windmill village

Storm — the 6 body parts

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Collect 6 zombie parts (2 arms, 2 legs, torso, head) from randomised spots — under wooden stairs, the wine cellar, the fireplace, etc.

3
Creek · windmill

Storm — jam the windmill

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Shoot the first rope off the tree behind the windmill (Wave 1); on Wave 2, hold-interact the submerged branch at the river left of Double Tap and take the second rope once it rises. Two rods come from the drop pod by the dead cow left of Quick Revive (Wave 3). Keep two Wüstlings alive: line them up with the victim in front, shoot the rear one so its charge kills the front one, and take the dropped arm-club. Jam the club into the windmill gears only when the longest blade points straight down, then load the torso, head, two arms, two legs, both ropes and two rods onto the blade.

4
Windmill

Storm — lightning-charge → the Hilt

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Retrieve the club so the windmill turns, then stop it with the body blade at the top (~20s later). Lightning strikes the corpse and knocks it down: on Wave 6 kill zombies beside it to charge it, on Wave 7 escort the revived zombie as it walks to the broken-house fireplace (Wüstlings ignore Frontline and attack it directly), and on Wave 8 kill zombies near it until the battery it carries glows green. Only then let it die, take the battery and slot it into the Wine Cellar generator — the hidden door opens for the Hilt (all Blitz perks this chapter). If the friendly zombie dies before the battery is green, restart the chapter.

5
Village

Storm — the Brenner boss

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Around Wave 10 the Raketenbrenner arrives behind a gravity shield, so normal fire is wasted. Lead him into the large red airstrike circle and stay near its lighter edge; the bombing strips his shield and staggers him. Throw a Jack away from the team, pop Freefire/Frontline and burst his head, then repeat the cycle until he dies. Extract on Wave 11 and return to the same lobby.

6
Ship deck

Depths — Überschnalle & the fish

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In the back-left Barracks, melee the battery on a box — every player must interact to enter electrical vision (the view widens and some zombies turn invisible). Then shoot all nine spectral fish around the ship while vision is active (re-enter at the Barracks battery if it fades) and end the round by the lower-deck Jeep.

7
Ship deck

Depths — feed the fish → the Pommel

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Follow the airborne Red Herring fish, which drops three charging stations in turn (red-floor room → Barracks → bottom of the Cafeteria stairs). At each, buy the active battery wallbuy for 3,000 Jolts and kill ~8-10 zombies beside the station; fill the third no later than Wave 8. The team teleports into the island gauntlet — clear the Final Reich island (Straub + Wüstling), the Darkest Shore island (Meuchler) and the Shadowed Throne island (Sizzler) — then win the cup game: watch the fish enter a cup and shoot it after the shuffle stops, three rounds. Take the Pommel from the table crate (all perks + it becomes your tactical).

8
Ship deck

Depths — the Stadtjäger boss

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Don't stand on the boss's landing point — it can instantly down you. This Stadtjäger has less health than the Shadowed Throne version and isn't gated by the Zeppelin phases, but it charges and throws electrical sticky projectiles. Open with a Jack, pop Freefire and focus the chest/head while circling the outer deck; break line of sight when stickies build up, and never back into the narrow PaP room with it behind you.

9
Ritual chamber

Ice — rune door & forge

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In the Forge Room, melee the vision battery three times until it breaks — a broken battery grants rune vision every two waves. Sweep the fourteen rune positions for the glowing symbol, record it, and enter the full sequence at the Rune Room wall. A wrong input is cleared by interacting with any rune until all symbols depress and return. On Wave 3, take the Hilt from the ceiling supply crate and place it in the glowing Forge bowl.

Note: the rune shapes and sequences are randomised each match — read the live symbols, don't rely on a fixed key.

10
Ritual room

Ice — flares → a Rune

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Take the flares (they replace your tactical, carried two at a time) from the stairs between spawn and the Forge. Throw one into each of the four stone bowls below the Forge face statues, then into a fifth bowl that appears on the ground near Stamin-Up. The wall left of Stamin-Up opens — mount the revealed rune on the Rune Room wall, re-enter vision and solve the second code (excluding runes already used).

11
Ritual chamber

Ice — sacrificial pads → the Blade

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Place the Pommel (from the next supply crate) in the Forge bowl, then find the four sacrifice pads: every player must stand on an active pad simultaneously and rack up kills without stepping off (listen for the completion cue — there's almost no progress display). Take the rune from the Forge blood pool, solve the third code, then place the Blade from the final crate and interact with the Forge to assemble the Sword of Barbarossa.

12
Blood chamber

Defeat The Guardian

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Start near spawn so the Guardian runs into the open. Damage it while circling; when it retreats to the centre and heals from the red-glowing overhead pillars, destroy every lit pillar (an explosive upgraded pistol or the Hurricane Tesla is ideal) to interrupt the heal and knock it down ~10s — then Jack, Freefire and unload on its head. Later heals light more pillars at once, so split targets in co-op. Kill it, then hold the Wave 11 extraction circle to escape.

Reward: I Have the Power — the escape cutscene and the Sword of Barbarossa.

Side Easter Eggs & extras

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

Free weapon

Tesla Gun & variants

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The wonder weapon — the Tesla Gun and its upgraded variants (Hurricane, Reaper and more) drop from B.A.T. Ordinance care packages awarded for clearing objective waves (no build station on this map).

Free perk

The Hilt & Pommel

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Picking up the Hilt grants all Blitz perks for the game; picking up the Pommel grants all perks and makes the Pommel your tactical grenade — both come from the main quest.

Main-quest step

Red Herring & cup game

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On Across the Depths, charge three Red Herring battery stations (3,000 Jolts each), clear the Final Reich / Darkest Shore / Shadowed Throne island gauntlet, then track the fish through the shuffled cups for three rounds to win the Pommel.

Free weapon

“The Classic” PPSh-41 (Tortured Path)

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After an objective Wave (3, 6 or 9) a flare marks the resupply drop — place 1,750 Jolts on the flare to add The Classic PPSh-41 to the random SMG weapon-station pool (it isn’t delivered directly).

Mechanic

Rune-door puzzles

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On Beneath the Ice, read the runic symbols placed around the map and enter the matching sequence on the door buttons — the code is randomised each match.

Mechanic

Waffenbox & B.A.T. drops

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Type-based weapon boxes (AR/shotgun after wave 3, sniper/LMG after wave 6) replace the Mystery Box; B.A.T. Ordinance drops from objective waves give weapons, Jolts, power-ups and the Tesla variants.

Reward

Darkened Path & Sanguine Skull

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At Shattered Rank 50, activate the red skull at chapter start for The Darkened Path — faster, tougher enemies and harder objectives. Completing the full three-chapter quest on The Darkened Path unlocks the Sanguine Skull weapon charm.

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.

Copied an answer from another guide and it did not work?

Some of this map is randomised per match — the answer you were given was correct for somebody else's game and cannot be correct for yours. Read the value your own game is showing you. There is no fixed answer to look up.

Common The Tortured Path questions

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

How is The Tortured Path different from the other maps?

It is a three-stage gauntlet rather than one map — Into the Storm, Across the Depths and Beneath the Ice — and it has no Mystery Box. Type-based Waffenbox weapon stations replace it, opening ARs and shotguns after wave 3 and snipers and LMGs after wave 6.

How do I get Pack-a-Punch on each stage?

Charge the three batteries. They light up on waves 1, 4 and 7 — kill zombies beside each one until it stops drawing red energy. Do it early on every stage rather than leaving it.

Where does the Tesla Gun come from here?

B.A.T. Ordinance care packages, awarded for clearing objective waves. There is no build station on this map, so the Tesla Gun and its variants are drops rather than crafts.

What should I save for The Guardian?

A Hurricane Tesla variant from a B.A.T. Ordinance drop. Its orb shreds him during his stun windows, and nothing else on the map does comparable damage in that window.

What do the Hilt and Pommel give me?

The Hilt grants every Blitz perk for the rest of the game. The Pommel grants all perks and becomes your tactical grenade. Both come from the main quest rather than a shop.

How does the cup game work?

On Across the Depths, charge three Red Herring battery stations at 3,000 Jolts each, clear the Final Reich, Darkest Shore and Shadowed Throne island gauntlet, then track the fish through the shuffled cups for three rounds. Win and you get the Pommel.

How do the rune doors work?

On Beneath the Ice, read the runic symbols placed around the map and enter the matching sequence on the door buttons. The code is randomised each match, so it has to be read live rather than looked up.

How do I get The Classic PPSh-41 here?

After an objective wave — 3, 6 or 9 — a flare marks the resupply drop. Place 1,750 Jolts on the flare and The Classic is added to the random SMG weapon-station pool. It is not handed to you directly.

What is The Darkened Path?

A harder mode unlocked at Shattered Rank 50 — activate the red skull at the start of a chapter for faster, tougher enemies and harder objectives. Completing all three chapters on it unlocks the Sanguine Skull weapon charm.

Visual guides & sources

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

Map discussion

A shared community board for The Tortured Path — 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.

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Part of the Zombies Easter Egg Codex — step-by-step Call of Duty Zombies Easter egg guides for every map. Open The Tortured Path in the interactive codex for the solvers and map discussion.