============================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- ============================================================================= ***AAAAAAA SSSSSSS CCCCCCC EEEEEEE NN NN SSSSSSS IIIIIII OOOOOOO NN NN*** ***AA AA SS CC EE NNN NN SS III OO OO NNN NN*** ***AAAAAAA SSSSSSS CC EEEEEEE NN N NN SSSSSSS III OO OO NN N NN*** ***AA AA SS CC EE NN NNN SS III OO OO NN NNN*** ***AA AA SSSSSSS CCCCCCC EEEEEEE NN NN SSSSSSS IIIIIII OOOOOOO NN NN*** =================================== -ASCENSION GUIDE BY Flamedtechno- -Helping you survive against the undead- =================================== If you wish to go to certain section, press Ctrl+F and search the code next to the section title. Be sure to include the brackets. (For example, if you want to go to the Strategies Mid rounds section, search the code "[007B]") -*-*-*-*-*-*-* Guide History *-*-*-*-*-*-*- - March 17, 2011: Started on the guide. Ver0.00 - March 31, 2011: Guide is half-way done. Ver0.50 - April 23, 2011: First draft of the guide is finished after much procrastinating. Ver1.00 Submitted to GameFAQs. - April 26, 2011: Guide was submitted but rejected because I didn't know that I was supposed to submit it to CoD: BO - First Strike. Now that it's up, I found some errors as well as some unintentional line breaks on the Perks Section. Fixed that up. Ver1.10 _____________________________________________________________________ -----------------------------\ Table of Contents ======================================= -----------------------------/ _____________________________________________________________________ Intro [001] - Ascension [001A] - What's new [001B] * No Colour * Russian Zombies * Space Monkeys * PhD Flopper and Stamin-up * Gersch Device and Matryoshka Dolls * Lunar Landers * Sickle Weapons [002] - Weapons that don't appear [002A] - All weapons and Pack-a-Punch effects[002B] * Handguns * Light Machine Guns * Assault Rifles * Submachine Guns * Shotguns * Sniper Rifles * Launchers * Special Weapons * Wonder Weapons * Other Perks [003] Power-ups [004] General Rules [005] - Solo [005A] - Multiplayer [005B] Knowing the Map [006] - Spawn Room [006A] * Stairway * Lunar Lander D - Power Room [006B] * Power Room Acess - Landers and Pack-a-Punch [006C] * Lunar Lander B Access (Launch Pad Access) * Lunar Lander B * Lunar Lander F Access * Lunar Lander F * Launch Pad Strategies [007] - Early rounds [007A] - Mid rounds [007B] - Late rounds [007C] - Space Monkeys [007D] Easter Eggs [008] Kassimir Mechanism [009] Little tidbits [010] Copyright/Legal stuff and other stuff [011] ================ Intro [001]----- ================ This guide will not only help you navigate through the map (after all, it doesn't really take long to know the map), but it will also provide you with strategies and small details that you may not have known of. --------------------- Ascension [001A]----- --------------------- Ascension is a zombie map that comes with Black Op's first map pack: First Strike. It is the eight zombie map in the Call of Duty series. Ascension takes place in an abandoned Soviet Cosmodrome. It features more intelligent zombies, two new perks, two new weapons, and a new enemy. This zombie map is currently the largest of the eight, and it is filled with many Easter Eggs. Its largeness also gives many places to run and gun, as well as accomodate many different strategies. It has also been confirmed by Treyarch that Ascension takes place at the same time as "Five." This can be proven by the Telephone Easter Egg. ---------------------- What's new [001B]----- ---------------------- With each new zombie map comes new obstacles and new ways of killing zombies. Verruckt spawned intelligent and more aggressive zombies that can attack through windows. It is also the first map to feature Perk-a-Cola Machines, a power switch, electrical traps and multiple Mystery Box locations. Shi No Numa introduced Japanese Zombies, the Wunderwaffe-DG2, and Hellhounds. There were also the zip-line, random Perk-a-Cola Machines, and the Flogger. Der Riese brought about teleporters, the Pack-a-Punch Machine, the Carpenter Power-up, and the Bowie Knife. Kino Der Toten gave us the Thunder Gun, Fire Sale Power-up, and Nova Gas Zombies. "Five" provided us with American Zombies, the Winter's Howl, the Pentagon Thief, Bonfire Sale, Death Machine Power-up, DefCon levels, and elevators. Ascension gives us the following: ********** No Colour ********** The colour filter is turned off until the power is turned on, making everything black and white. I kind of like this minor feature, since it helps set the atmosphere. **************** Russian Zombies **************** The zombies in Ascension are quite more advanced than the previous maps. First off, the soldier zombies will actually stumble to the right to try and dodge your bullets, and they do it quite effectively, as I've found, especially when using the Ray Gun. Second, the soldier zombies will also sometimes do a roll, though this isn't as bad as stumbling to their right, since it take them some time to get back up. Thirdly, some zombies (I'm not sure if only the scientists can do this) can not only jump down from ledges (such as the upper level in the spawn room), but they can actually jump up them. This can be surprising for new players. ********************************* Space Monkeys and a new Power-up ********************************* Replacing Hellhounds and the Pentagon Thief are Space Monkeys. Space Monkeys will only appear after a player obtains a perk. You will easily notice when a Monkey round occurs when the screen turns red, shakes, and a loud buzzing noise and a security warning is heard, much like at the start of a Pentagon Thief round in "Five." During a Monkey Round, Space Monkeys will respawn via crashing Lunar Landers. Their sole purpose is to steal your perks by destroying the Perk-a-Cola Machines. While the machines are their primary target, they will attack you if you get too close. They attack by jumping and creating a small explosion around them when they land. Their attack is significantly more powerful than Hellhounds. It also has quite a wide range. If one of the Perk-a-Cola Machines is being attacked, and you happen to have that perk, the perk icon on the bottom left of your screen will being to "ping." Also, your character will notify you that the monkeys are stealing a specific drink. If all perks have been stolen, then the monkeys will focus on attacking the players. As with the Hellhounds and Pentagon Thief, killing the last monkey in a Monkey Round will drop a Max Ammo. But if all the monkeys were killed before any of the Perk-a-Cola Machine were attacked, then the last monkey will drop a Bottle Power-up, which gives each player a random perk. ************************** PhD Flopper and Stamin-up ************************** Two different perks are introduced in Ascension: PhD Flopper and Stamin-up. Each of them costs 2000 points. PhD Flopper makes you immune to your own explosives and splash damage from the Ray Gun, as well as negating falling damage. Also, if you dolphin dive from a height that would normally damage you, you will emit a wide, powerful explosive capable to killing zombies up to rounds 18-20. After that, it will begin to make crawlers. Stamin-up give you the effects of Lightweight and Marathon from multiplayer. This is more useful than it sounds, since Ascension is a large map and it is very helpful when running to revive a teammate who is far away or defending the Perk-a-Cola Machines during a Monkey Round. *********************************** Gersch Device and Matryoshka Dolls *********************************** The Monkey Bombs are gone in this map and replaced by these two. Both of these take up the tactical grenade slot. They both have a maximum capacity of three, and they can only be replenished by picking up a Max Ammo or by swapping it out for the other and then getting it back again from the Mystery Box. The Gersch Device acts much like the Monkey Bomb, except more powerful. It is a black hole device that when thrown, will create a portal that will suck in zombies and instantly kill them, rewarding the player with 50 points per zombies. Also, if a player jumps into the portal, he will be teleported to a random area in the map. Unlike the the Monkey Bombs, where they are useless against Hellhounds or the Pentagon thief, the Gersch Device does help somewhat against the Space Monkeys. Although the Gersch Device does not kill them, the monkeys will willingly jump into it, teleporting them, but not damaging them whatsoever (seeing as how the Gersch Device was desgined specifically to transport humans, and monkeys are closely related). Though it does not harm them, it can be used to distract them and give your team some time to recover if a Perk-a-Cola machine is in danger. The Matryoshka Dolls are like a cluster bomb, exploding four times. From my experience, each explosion is always an instant kill. Do note that due to the randomness of its explosions, it can be risky to use near you, as you can severly damage yourself. However, this can be remedied by having PhD Flopper, as it negates all explosive damage done to yourself. ............................... According to Call of Duty Wiki: - When throwing a doll, one of the 4 characters' dolls will pop out of the first one. - Space Monkeys can throw back Matryoshka Dolls, as well as Frag Grenades. - After the second Matryoshka explodes it will start to chase the closest zombie. ............................... If you already have the Gersch Device, then the Matryoshka Doll will replace it an vice-versa. There is no limit to how many players can have them, so each player can have them. ************** Lunar Landers ************** Lunar Landers are the new quick escape method in Ascension. Using a Lander costs 250 points, and what it does is that it will take you and anyone else on it when it is activated to another Lunar Lander Station. There are four Lunar Landers in the map: one in the spawn room, one near PhD Flopper, one in the room after Stamin-up, and one behind the Speed Cola and next to the Bowie Knife. In order to use these, the power must first be turned on. The Lunar Lander is initially in the spawn room. It can be called to any station for free. It only costs 250 if you are activating the Lunar Lander. When the Lander is not in the spawn room, taking it will take you to the spawn room. If you take the Lander from the spawn room, it will take you to one of the three stations. I am not sure yet if there is a pattern that decides which station it will go to or if it is random. The Lunar Landers are required to access the Pack-a-Punch machine. In order to reach the Pack-a-Punch Machine, the Lander must be taken from each of the three stations to the spawn room. After that, a you must go to the power room and launch the rocket using the button there. Once the rocket has been launched, the door to the launch pad will open, and it will lead to the room the holds the wonderful Pack-a-Punch machine. ******* Sickle ******* The Sickle is simply the Bowie Knife of Ascension. It is a Sickle, what more needs to be said about it, except that it does significantly more damage than the regular knife? It is pretty much the Bowie Knife in every aspect except for appearance. Like the Bowie Knife, it costs 3000 points, and even if you die, you will still keep it after you respawn. ================== Weapons [002]----- ================== Well, we need them to kill zombies, right? Luckily, there are many weapons in Ascension, much like the other two Black Ops zombie maps. There are weapons that you can buy off the wall and weapons you can get from the Mystery Box. The advantages of having a wall weapon is that you can always get more ammo, even after upgrading it. The downside is that they tend to be weaker than the Wonder Weapons, which can only be acquired from the Mystery Box. The Mystery Box costs 950 points, as always. You can be lucky and get a light machine gun or even a Wonder Weapon, or get unlucky and end up with a sniper rifle. ------------------------------------- Weapons that don't appear [002A]----- ------------------------------------- In Ascension, there are a few weapons from previous zombie maps that didn't quite make it in: Wunderwaffe-DG2 Winter's Howl Monkey Bombs MP40 Seeing as how the Thunder Gun is in this map, it could be understandable that the Wunderwaffe and the Winter's Howl weren't included. The Monkey Bombs were replaced by the Gersch Device and the Matryoshka Dolls. Not sure why the MP40 was excluded. ----------------------- All weapons [002B]----- ----------------------- Below is a list of all the weapons in Ascension and their Pack-a-punched (PaP'd) counterparts. Format: Weapon name |Clip size/Max Ammo| |Where it's found|Cost| Upgrade weapon's name |Clip size/Max Ammo| |Pack-a-punch effects| ********* Handguns ********* M1911 |8/80| (Starting ammo is 8/32) |Starting weapon, received when player dies and respawns the next round| Upgrades into: Mustang and Sally |12/50| |Gains Dual Wield. Both pistols fire grenades that deal heavy damage| (In single player, if the player has Quick Revive and is downed, the player will have the Mustang and Sally while being revived so long as the player doesn't have a Ray Gun or any other handgun) --------------------------------------------------------------------- CZ75 |15/125| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: Calamity |20/240| |Higher damage, larger clip size, more spare ammo (nearly double), and becomes fully automatic| --------------------------------------------------------------------- CZ75 (Dual Wield) |24/228| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: Calamity and Jane |40/320| |More damage, larger clip size, more spare ammo, and becomes fully automatic| --------------------------------------------------------------------- Python |6/84| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: Cobra |12/96| |Higher damage, double clip size, more spare ammo, and gains Speed Reloader| ******************* Light Machine Guns ******************* HK21 |125/500| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: H115 Oscillator |150/750| |Higher damage, larger clip size, more spare ammo| --------------------------------------------------------------------- RPK |100/400| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: R115 Resonator |125/500| |Higher damage, larger clip size, more spare ammo| *************** Assault Rifles *************** AUG (Swarovski Scope) |30/270| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: AUG-50M3 |30/390| |Higher damage, more spare ammo, and gains a Masterkey attachment that reloads 2 shells at atime| --------------------------------------------------------------------- Commando |30/270| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: Predator |40/360| |Higher damage, larger clip size, more spare ammo, and gains Dual Mags| --------------------------------------------------------------------- Famas |30/150| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: G16-GL35 |45/225| |Higher damage, larger clip size, more spare ammo, and gets a Red dot sight| --------------------------------------------------------------------- FN FAL |20/180| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: EPC WN |30/360| |Higher damage, larger clip size, more spare ammo, gets a Reflex sight and goes from semi-automatic to 3-round burst| --------------------------------------------------------------------- G11 (Low Power Scope) |48/144| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: G115 Generator |48/288| |Higher damage, more spare ammo, goes from 3-round burst to fully automatic, and no more sway on the Low Power Scope| --------------------------------------------------------------------- Galil |35/315| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: Lamentation |35/490| |Higher damage, more spare ammo, and gains a Red dot sight| --------------------------------------------------------------------- M14 |8/96| |Centrifuge, First Floor|Costs 500 points| Upgrades into: M-nesia |16/192| |Higher damage (almost doubled), double clip size, double spare ammo, and gains a Grip attachment| --------------------------------------------------------------------- M16 |30/120| |Lunar Lander B, near the Speed Cola|Costs 1200 points| Upgrades into: Skullcrusher |30/270| |Higher damage, more spare ammo, becomes fully automatic, and gains a Grenade Launcher Underbarrel| **************** Submachine Guns **************** AK-74u |20/160| |To the left after opening the upstairs door in the Centrifuge room, past the buyable door, and on the way to Stamin-up|Costs 1200 points| Upgrades into: AK-74fu2 |40/280| |Higher damage, double clip size, more spare ammo, and gains a Red dot sight. --------------------------------------------------------------------- MP5k |30/120| |Next to the buyable gate near Lunar Lander D|Costs 1000 points| Upgrades into: MP115 Kollider |40/200| |Higher damage, larger clip size, more spare ammo| --------------------------------------------------------------------- MPL |24/120| |Stairway, first floor, below Jugger-nog|Costs 1000 points| Upgrades into: MPL-LF |40/200| |Higher damage, larger clip size, more spare ammo, gains a Red dot sight| --------------------------------------------------------------------- PM63 |20/100| |Stairway, second floor, near Jugger-nog|Costs 1000 points| Upgrades into: Tokyo and Rose |50/225| |Higher damage, larger clip size, more spare ammo, and gains Dual Wield| --------------------------------------------------------------------- Spectre |30/120| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: Phantom |45/225| |Higher damage, larger clip size, more spare ammo, gains Reflex sight, and faster ADS| ********* Shotguns ********* Olympia |2/38| |Centrifuge, second floor, next to the teddy bear with the Sickle|Costs 500 points| Upgrades into: Hades |2/60| |Higher damage, faster reload, more spare ammo, and gains incendiary rounds, like Dragon's Breath, dealing fire damage| --------------------------------------------------------------------- Stakeout |6/54| |The floor below the power room|Costs 1500 points| Upgrades into: Raid |10/60| |Higher damage, farther range, larger clip size, more spare ammo, and reloads two shells at a time, and gain a Grip attachment| --------------------------------------------------------------------- SPAS-12 |8/32| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: SPAZ-24 |24/72| |Higher damage, larger clip size (three times larger), more spare ammo (more than double), reloads full clip in one shell, and becomes fully automatic| --------------------------------------------------------------------- HS-10 |6/36| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: Typhoid and Mary |16/80| |Higher damage, larger clip size (more than double), more spare ammo, and gains Dual Wield| ************** Sniper Rifles ************** Dragunov |10/40| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: D115 Disassembler |10/80| |Higher damage (more than three times), double spare ammo, and gains a Variable Zoom attachment| --------------------------------------------------------------------- L96A1 |5/45| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: L115 Isolator |8/72| |Higher damage, larger clip size, more spare ammo, gains a Variable zoom attachment| ********** Launchers ********** M72 LAW |1/20| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: M72 Anarchy |10/40| |Higher damage, larger clip size, double spare ammo, becomes semi-automatic, higher mobility, and does not need to ADS when firing| --------------------------------------------------------------------- China Lake |2/20| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: China Beach |5/40| |Higher damage, larger clip size, double spare ammo, reloads all grenades at once, higher mobility, faster pump-action, and does not need to ADS when |firing **************** Special Weapons **************** Ballistic Knife |1/4| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: The Krauss Refibrillator |1/9| |Higher damage, farther melee range, more than double spare ammo, faster reload, and fired shots will instantly revive a downed teammate| --------------------------------------------------------------------- Crossbow |1/12| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: Awful Lawton |1/12| |More damage, explosive bolts take longer to detonate, and bolts attract zombies, much like Monkey Bombs| *************** Wonder Weapons *************** Ray Gun |20/160| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: Porter's X2 Ray Gun |40/200| |Higher damage through multipliers, double clip size, more spare ammo, and the Sight turns to green, red, yellow, or blue| --------------------------------------------------------------------- Thunder Gun |2/12| |Mystery Box|Costs 950 points| Upgrades into: Zeus Cannon |4/24| |Larger area affected when fired, double clip size and double spare ammo| ****** Other ****** Sickle: found next to Lunar Lander B for 3000 points. It replaces the regular knife for the melee attack, and can be used with the Ballistic Knife. The Sickle is pretty much the same as the Bowie Knife, giving the player a much stronger melee attack. The only difference is the appearance. Grenades: found next to Lunar Lander D (near PhD Flopper) for 250 points. Refills the player's frag grenade stock. Claymores: found near Lunar Lander F for 1000 points. The player gets two of them, and they will replenish automatically after picking up a Max Ammo or at the start of the next round. When placed, it will cause an explosion if a zombie trips over the lasers. Matryoshka Dolls: found in the Mystery Box for 950 points. Maximum capacity of 3 and takes up the player's Tactical Grenade slot. The player throws a doll that explodes 4 times. It is always an instant kill. Gersch Device: found in the Mystery Box for 950 points. Maximum capacity of 3 and takes up the player's Tactical Grenade slot. The player throws a portal device that sucks in zombies for around 10 seconds. And zombies that gets sucked into the black hole is killed instantly. Also, players can jump into the black hole to be teleported to anywhere in the map at random. ================ Perks [003]----- ================ In all zombies maps since Verruckt, perks have been included to aid the player against the zombies. What makes Ascension different is that there are five different perks available, two of them making their debut on the map. Double Tap Root Beer does not appear on this map. Quick Revive: as usual, it differs between solo and multiplayer. In solo, it costs 500 points and the power does not need to be turned on. If you have Quick Revive and you get downed, you will go into last stand with the Mustang and Sally with 12 spare ammo. You will then be revived on your own, allowing you to kick some more zombie ass. In solo, you can only use it 3 times. After that, the Quick Revive machine will go away... bye, bye. Do note that if it gets taken away from you during a Space Monkey Round, it DOES count as a use, so you will only be able to obtain it only two more times. In multiplayer, it costs 1500 and can only be gotten after the power has been turned on. Its effect allows you to revive downed teammates significantly faster. This can be useful in tight situations, and you can even successfully and safely revive a downed teammate if you have a horde of zombies chasing you. The Quick Revive machine is located in the spawn room (the Centrifuge room), to the right of the buyable door on the first floor. Jugger-nog: costs 2500 points. This is, without doubt, the most important perk out of all of them. Jugger-nog allows you to take up to 5 hits before being downed, which is necessary when you're piling up zombies. The Jugger-nog machine is located on the second floor of the Stairway, after opening the buyable door on the first floor and going up the first set of stairs. Speed Cola: costs 3000 points. As useful as this is, I've found it not to be worth it, unless you know you can trust your teammates to watch the Speed Cola machineduring a Monkey Round. Speed Cola, as usual, acts like Sleight of Hand, allowing you to reload significantly faster. It also speeds up the process of repairing barricades. The Speed Cola machine is found on the way to Lunar Lander B. PhD Flopper: costs 2000 points. PhD Flopper, first of all, makes the player absorb explosive damage, as well as splashback damage from the Ray Gun. This means that you are immune to your own grenades or other explosions. You can even cook a grenade until it explodes in your hand and it won't hurt you at all. Secondly, it negates any falling damage, much like Lightweight Pro. Thirdly, when dolphin diving from a higher level (dolphin diving from a height that would normally damage you), you will emit a large explosion capable of killing zombies up to and including round 19. After that, it will begin to make crawlers. Kills with the PhD Flopper explosion gives you 50 points per zombie. The PhD Flopper machine is found near Lunar Lander D, in the small hallway next to the landing pad. Stamin-up: costs 2000 points. Stamin-up acts like the Lightweight and Marathon perks in multiplayer mode, allowing you to run faster and for longer durations. I've found this quite useful in solo when trying to defend more than two perk machines during a Monkey Round. Also, since Ascension is a large map, it can be useful to reach a downed teammate and revive them if they are on the other side of the map from where you are. The Stamin-up machine is found in the room before Lunar Lander F, after opening the buyable gate and past the AK-74u. Each player can only have a limit of 4 perks at anytime, with the exception of already having 4 perks and picking up a Bottle Power-up, granting the player all 5 perks in the map. ==================== Power-ups [004]----- ==================== Power-ups are special items dropped by random zombies. They aid in the player(s) in a number of ways, helping them to survive against the legions of the undead. There are a total of eight Power-ups in Ascension: Max Ammo: replenishes all tactical and frag grendades, claymores, and all reserve ammunition for all players. However, please note that Max Ammo does NOT replenish ammunition in your current clip/magazine, so it is always best to reload and to give your teammates time to reload if possible before picking one up. It is also advisable to throw all your Gersch Device before grabbing it, since you will get them back anyways. However, be wary of other players picking up the Max Ammo as you are throwing your Gersch Devices. Max Ammo is always dropped by the last Space Monkey in a Monkey Round. Max Ammo Power-ups take the appearance of an ammunition box with an ammunition belt coming out of it. Double Points: doubles the amount of points you get. EG: shooting a zombie with a bullet will give you 20 points instead of 20, etc. Double Points will double the amount of points received from a Nuke or Carpenter, so long as it is still active at the time the points are given. Double Points Power-ups take the appearance of a "X2." Insta-kill: makes all players' attacks deal infinite damage, killing zombies instantly. It is advisable to knife as many zombies as you can while this is active, since you still get 130 points for a knife kill during Insta-kill. However, it is not recommended to knife zombies in a horde, since you can easily be swarmed. Insta-kill Power-ups take the appearance of a skull. Nuke: kills all the zombies that have already spawned in the map. There is a delay between the picking up the Nuke and the zombies dying. However, they will not attack you; they will merely stand next to you and shake their heads until they die from the fiery explosion. If any zombies were killed by the Nuke, all players are awarded 400 points. This Power-up will not affect zombies that respawn subsequently. Nuke Power-ups take the appearance of a "Fat Man" bomb. Carpenter: repairs all windows and barricades in the map, giving all players 200 points if any of them were repaired. Like the Nuke, there is a delay between picking it up and the windows being boarded up. Carpenter Power-ups take the appearance of a hammer. Bottle: grants all players a random perk. This can only be obtained during a Monkey Round after the last monkey is killed before any damage has been done to any of the Perk-a-Cola machines. Do note that it will not give a player a perk if the player is downed at the time of its pickup. If a player gets a perk from the Bottle Power-up, but the area to the Perk-a- Cola machine has not yet been opened, the Space Monkeys cannot attack that machine. Bottle Power-ups take the form of a bottle (big surprise, right?) Fire Sale: spawns the Mystery Box in all possible Mystery Box locations in the map and reduces the price of it to 10 points. Player should keep in mind not to go "OMG FIRE SALE!" and go suicidal to grab it or to hit a Mystery Box. If you really need to hit the box, it is recommended to throw a Gersch Device or to fire a PaP'd Crossbow Bolt to buy yourself some time. The Fire Sale lasts long enough for a box to be used twice if the player does not swap out a weapon with it on both tries. Fire Sale Power-ups take the appearance of a giant "SALE" tag. Death Machine: grants the player who picked it up a Death Machine for 30 seconds. It has infinite ammo, so the player does not need to worry about running out. So long as a player has a Death Machine, the player cannot revive teammates, use the Mystery Box, or buy a Perk-a-Cola. The player can still open doors and rebuild barriers. Players should keep in mind that there is a dely between picking up the Power-up and getting the Death Machine out. There is also a brief warm up time before the first bullet is fired after pressing the fire button. Death Machine Power-ups take the appearance of a bunch of small bullets. All Power-ups are dropped randomly by zombies. The last monkey in a Monkey round will always drop a Max Ammo and a Bottle only if none of the Perk-a- Cola machines were harmed during the round. ======================== General Rules [005]----- ======================== There are many simple rules to playing zombies. It will not only help you to survive, but it can really make the game less of a hassle for you and others. You should try to keep these in mind when playing. - Jugger-nog is "fuel for honour." It will be your best friend, and you should try to get it as soon as you can once you have a decent gun. - Try as best as you can to always have at least 4000 points. This way, if you get downed or even die, you can easily buy Jugger-nog and a weapon. - Reload before grabbing a Max Ammo. If possible, let your teammates reload as well. It's also useful to throw all your Gersch Devices before picking up a Max Ammo. - Leave a crawler at the end of each round if needed. This can be done by throwing a grenade at a zombie. - Don't hesitate to use the traps or Landers, especially during the later rounds. - In multiplayer, STICK TO YOUR OWN WINDOW!!! No matter how many times this is stressed by player, there are still many people who think it's okay to run over to other players' windows and steal their zombies. It's not going to help your teammates if you won't let them get any points. - Don't take chances. If you get hit, back away from the zombies until the red hitmark completely disappears. - Learn to repair windows and knife/shoot at the same time. I usually do this by using my index finger to hold the square button and using my thumb to knife and my middle finger to shoot. - If you hold square, you will automatically reload after firing off a single bullet. However, if you hold press and hold square while the "Press and hold square to repair barrier" is up, you will not reload. I remember screwing up because my character kept reloading while I was trying to repair barriers, and it took me a while to figure out how it works. - If a teammate gets downed, weigh the risks before acting. Can you revive them quickly and safely? Having one teammate taken down is bad, but it's a lot worse if two are downed. - Running and gunning is you best tactic. There are several places to do this, which will be covered later in this guide. - The Thunder Gun is the most useful weapon in zombies. It clears a path for you without any splashback damage, and unlike the Wunderwaffe DG-2, you do not need to hit a zombie. However, converse your ammo, since it is has very little, and it should only be used on a pile of zombies or if you find that you cannot kite around a couple of zombies that are in your way. - In most cases, especially with the Thunder Gun and Ray Gun, you shouldn't PaP in unless it is out of ammo. Even if your weapon isn't doing much to kill the zombies, it's better to unload all your bullets onto them and gain points before PaP'ing it. ========================== Knowing the Map [006]----- ========================== Now let's get to the main part of the guide (yay!): the map layout. Ascension is, without doubt, the largest map in zombies so far. However, with enough time spent on it and with enough practice, you'll soon know where everything is. ---------------------- Spawn Room [006A]----- ---------------------- Or called the Centrifuge Room because of the giant centrifuge in the middle of the room that occassionally centrifuges, killing any zombies within its radius and dealing lots of damage to your character if you don't have Jugger- nog *GASP* That was a mouthful. You'll notice that as the game starts, you and your teammates (if you have any) will be taken to the landing pad from the Lunar Lander. This room contains two floors. You'll see the big centrifuge in the middle of the first floor. You'll hear a warning sound before it begins spinning, so it'd be advisable to play with your volume setting on if you plan on hanging around it, or at least crouch, since the centrifuge can't hit anything below zombie or character height. There are four windows in this room: - one across the Lunar Lander, past the centrifuge. - one next to the stairs to the second floor. - one on the second floor, to the right after taking the stairs. - and one on the other side of the second floor, just in front of the buyable door. Weapons: - M14 can be bought for 500 points, and it is right next to the Lunar Lander's control panel. - Olympia can be bought for 500 points, to the left of the window on the second floor (the window not close to the buyable door) Doors: - on the first floor, from the Lunar Lander, go forwards and then left. The door costs 750 points to open. - on the second floor, next to the window on the left side of the walkway. This door also costs 750 points. Mystery Box spawn: right in front of the buyable door on the first floor. The Quick Revive is in this room, to the right of the first floor door. Other things: - One of the Sickle Teddy Bears is in this room, on the second floor, past the Olympia. Press and hold square to activate it. - There are two broken railings on the second floor, one near the buyable door and one on the other end of the walkway, just past the Teddy Bear. - the centrifuge will activate every once a while, giving all players near it a loud warning sound before spinning. - one of the telephones like the ones from "Five" is right next to the Lunar Lander; after the game begins, look to your right. ********* Stairway ********* The Stairway is accessed if the door on the first floor is opened. The Stairway consists of almost three floors. It is not advisable to stay in this room for too long because of the tight space in the first and second floor. There are three windows in this room: - after opening the door, there will be a window on the left wall. - on the second floor, there is a window right in front of the stairs after taking the first flight. - the third window is right across the second window, on the second floor. Weapons: - The MPL can be bought for 1000 points on the first floor, right across you after opening the door. - PM63 is on the second floor, which can be bought for 1000 points. Doors: - the door that leads to the Centrifuge Room costs 750 points if you accessed this room from the upstairs. - after the second set of stairs, there is a door that can be opened for 1250 points, which leads you closer to the Power Room. Mystery Box spawn: N/A The Jugger-nog machine is in this room, on the second floor, in the mini- hallway. It can be bought for 2500 poitns after the power has been turned on. Other things: - nothing, as far as I can tell. This room scares me, since I find it too small of a room to stay in. *************** Lunar Lander D *************** The Lunar Lander D area is accessed by opening the door on the second floor in the Centrifuge Room for 750 points. I prefer to go this way because of the wide open area, which allows for easy zombie kiting. There are five windows in this room, and one zombie spawn point: - right after opening the door, there's a large window right in front of you. - there is a window boarded up with metal bars after going up the stairs and turning to the right. - one window is near the buyable gate and the MP5k. - up on the Lunar Lander landing pad, there is a small hallway. At the end of this is a window. - on the other side of the landing pad is a small set of stairs that leads to a catwalk. There is a window here, as well as a section of the railing that is broken, allowing you to jump off. - zombies will spawn from the ground in the corner before reaching the second window. Weapons: - the MP5k can be bought for 1000 points. It is right next to the buyable gate closer to the landing pad. - on the landing pad, near the spot the Lunar Lander lands on, there are frag grenades that can be bought for 250 points. Doors: - the door that leads to the spawn room costs 750 points if you accessed this room from the other side. - there is a gate near the MP5k. This gate costs 1250 points to open and leads you closer to the Power Room. - near the door that leads to the spawn room, there is a gate that costs 1250 points. This leads to the Lunar Lander F access, which is the Stamin-up Room. Mystery Box spawn: on the landing pad, near the stairs. The PhD Flopper is in the mini-hallway that branches from the landing pad. It can be bought for 2000 points. Other things: - Lunar Lander D is in this room. - a Turret can be activated by paying 1500 points after turning on the power. It is to the right, after opening the door from the Centrifuge Room. - a Matryoshka Doll representing Takeo can be found on a shelf next to the PhD Flopper machine. - near the window near the MP5k, there are debris that blocks you from exiting the map. If you look beyond this, you can see a generator that is emitting a loud humming noise and pulsing a faint light. This is part of the Kassimir Mechanism Easter Egg. - to the right of PhD Flopper, there is a "Five" telephone. ************ Up or Down? ************ Before continuing the guide to the map, I should really tell you the advantages and disadvantages of opening the top or bottom door. Bottom door: Pros + open the room with Jugger-nog sooner. + can defend Jugger-nog and Quick Revive easily. Cons - if monkeys go after the Jugger-nog machine, they will come from both the bottom floor and the top, if you opened both. - harder to survive in this room. Top door: Pros + access Lunar Lander D sooner. + easier to survive in this room Cons - have to open an extra door to get to Jugger-nog. - when monkeys come and you want/need to keep Quick Revive, you'll need to open the bottom door as well. What I find to be a great strategy is to take the top door all the way to the Power Room. Once the power had been turned on, leave a crawler at the end of a round, go back to the Centrifuge Room and open the bottom door to access Jugger-nog. This way, during a Space Monkey Round, you can easily defend boht Quick Revive and Jugger-nog, since the only way the monkeys can get to Jugger-nog is by going through the door next to Quick Revive. Also, it costs less points, since the door from the Centrifuge Room costs 750 points, while opening the door from above costs 1250 points. The disadvantage to doing this, however, is that it can be troublesome to rebuy Jugger-nog if you lose it. Since you'll most likely have a lot of zombies after you when you get downed and after you get revived, you'll need to open both the top and the bottom doors in the Jugger-nog room. ****************** Power Room Access ****************** This is the room before the Power Room. There are three windows in this room, and one zombie spawn point: - there is a window near the Fire Trap door. - inside the building, there is a window in the middle of the room. - inside the building, go up the stairs. There is a zombie window next to the stairs. - zombies spawn from the ground right next to the gate that leads to Lunar Lander D. Weapons: - the Stakeout can be bought for 1500 points after going up the stairs in the building. Doors: - the gate that leads to Lunar Lander D costs 1250 points. - in the building, there is a door that costs 1250 points to open. This leads to the Stairway, where the Jugger-nog is. - upstairs, past the Stakeout, and up the stairs again, there is a door that costs 1000 points at the top. This leads to the Power Room. Mystery Box spawn: N/A There are no Perk-a-Cola machines in this room. Other things: - a Richtofen Matryoshka Doll is on a large table in the corner, in the room below the Stakeout. - the Fire Trap can only be activated if the door has been opened. ---------------------- Power Room [006B]----- ---------------------- Yes, the Power Room. Turning on the power is vital for survival in this map. Unlike the previous two maps, Kino Der Toten and "Five," there is no downside to turning on the power, much like Der Reise. (In Kino, turning on the power opens the stage curtains, creating many entry points for zombies, as well as spawning Nova Gas Zombies. In "Five," turning on the power spawned Nova Gas Zombies if there is a player in the Lab area and also allowed the Pentagon Thief to enter the map). In Ascension, there are no Nova Gas Zombies, and Space Monkeys will only appear after buying a perk, so there really isn't a reason to not activate the power if you get to the Power Room. Also, turning on the power brings back the colours! Yay! There is only one window in this room, but there is also a non-barricaded entry point for zombies: - in the middle of the Power Room, the window will be clearly visible. - to the left of the Mystery Box spawn point, zombies will jump down from the ledge. Weapons: N/A Doors: - the door that leads to the Power Room Access costs 1000 points. - the door that leads to the Launch Pad costs 1250 points, and it is right across the 1000 point door. Mystery Box spawn: - at the back of the Power Room, directly across the Power Switch and the Launch Switch. There are no Perk-a-Cola machines in this room. Other things: - the power can be turned on here (obviously) - the Launch Switch is also here. It is used to launch the rocket when certain requirements are met and it us used to access the Pack-a-Punch machine. - the Mystery Box will always spawn initially in this room. ------------------------------------ Landers and Pack-a-Punch [006C]----- ------------------------------------ So now the power's turned on and the pretty colours have been restored. Killing zombies will be much easier now (or at least, it should be). Now it's time to explain the rest of the map and the Lunar Landers and Pack- a-Punch machine. Having access to the Pack-a-Punch machine is a must if you wish to survive in the later rounds, since it makes your shooty things more stronger. We've already covered Lunar Lander D (the one near PhD Flopper), so I'll start off with: ****************************************** Lunar Lander B Access (Launch Pad Access) ****************************************** This is a rather large room, covering both the room before Lunar Lander B and the room before the Launch Pad. As you may notice, the big door to the Launch Pad is closed. To get this to magically open and access the Pack-a-Punch machine, you must first ride each Lunar Lander from the stations back to the Centrifuge Room. In the building leads to Lunar Lander B. There are four windows in this room: - from the stairs that leads to the Power Room, there will be a window after going down it and turning to the right, across the Mystery Box spawn. - from the stairs that leads to the Power Room, after going down the stairs, the window will be on the right, across the room, next to the stairs leading to the Launch Pad. - outside, after going down the stairs, the window will be to the right. - outside, jump down the ledge and the window will be right next to you. Weapons: N/A Doors: - the gate that leads to the Power Room costs 1250 points. - the Fire Trap door costs 1250 points. This leads you to the Power Room Access. - the door that leads to Lunar Lander B is on top of the stairs inside the building. It costs 1250 points. Mystery Box spawn: - near the stairs that connects this room to the Power Room. - outside, go down the large ramp, and there will be a spawn point at the bottom of it. There are no Perk-a-Cola machines in this room. Other things: - the door to the Launch Pad will open after the rocket has been launched. - there is a "Five" telephone next to the Mystery Box spawn inside the building. - in front of the stairs leading from the Power Room, there is an opening on the wall, from which you can jump down off to the Power Room Access. - a Turret can be activated for 1500 points. The Turret can be found in front of the Launch Pad door. - the Fire Trap can only be used after opening the door that connects this room to the Power Room Access. It costs 1000 points to activate. *************** Lunar Lander B *************** This room can only be accessed from the Lunar Lander B Access room for 1250 points. This is the Lunar Lander with the Sickle in it. I find that it is wise to avoid camping in this room, because of the lack of space in the room. However, if you have four people, you can have one person watch each window and two people watch the entrance. If any of the three points have a zombie breach, everyone can easily escape with the Lunar Lander. Now, onto the stuff regarding the room: There are three windows in this room: - after opening the door from Lunar Lander B Access, there is a window right in front of you. - one window to the right of the Lunar Lander station. - one window to the left of the Lunar Lander station. Weapons: - the M16 costs 1200 points, and it is on the wall near Speed Cola. - the Sickle costs 3000 and it is right next to the Lunar Lander station. Doors: - only the door that leads to the Lunar Lander B Access, which costs 1250 points, is here. Mystery Box spawn: - the box can spawn in front of the Lunar Lander station, near the window. The Speed Cola is in this room, and it is in the area before the Lunar Lander station. It costs 3000 points. Other things: - a Matryoshka Doll representing Nikolai can be found next to the Speed Cola. - a Teddy Bear holding a Sickle can be found in this room. After entering the Lunar Lander station, turn to the right. The Teddy Bear will be on top of the wall. ********************** Lunar Lander F Access ********************** Let's backtrack all the way back to Lunar Lander D, which is the room with the PhD Flopper. From there, go to the buyable door that leads to the Centrifuge Room. Near that door, there will be a buyable gate that costs 1000 points. There are three windows in this room: - At the end of the U-bend is a window. - in the middle of the Stamin-up area, there is a window near the AK74u. - there is a window in the farthest corner of the room, to the right of the Mystery Box spawn. Weapons: - the AK74u costs 1200 points. It is found after the U-bend, right across the Fire Trap. Doors: - the gate that leads to Lunar Lander D, which costs 1000 points. - across the window near the AK74u, the door costs 1250, which leads to Lunar Lander F. Mystery Box spawn: - right beside Stamin-up. Stamin-up can be bought for 2000 points, and it is in the corner of the room, across the corner window. Other things: - the Fire Trap can be activated for 1000 points. - there is a large puddle in this room. Like the swamp in Shi No Numa, it slow you down, but leaves zombies undeterred. - this room is also where the final part of the Kassimir Mechanism Easter Eggs takes place. *************** Lunar Lander F *************** This is the Lunar Lander where the Claymores are. It is also where to activate the first node in the Kassimir Mechanism Easter Egg. This room is another good place to snowball zombies. (Snowballing zombies means to run around and circles to pile up zombies into one big group). However, due to the amount of debris and other stuff scattered in this room, it is slightly harder to dodge zombies than the PhD Flopper Room. There are two windows in this room: - one window near the landing pad. - one window on the top of the small set of stairs, above the terminal that activates the first node. Weapons: - Claymores can be bought in this room, near the entrance/exit. Doors: - the door that leads to Lunar Lander F Access that cost 1260 points. Mystery Box spawn: - spawns near the landing pad. There are no Perk-a-Cola machines in this room. Other things: - the terminal that starts the Kassimir Mechanism Easter Egg is in this room. It can only be used after completing the first part, which is using the Gersch Device on the generator. - a Matryoshka Doll representing Tank Dempsey is found on the barrel, to the left of Claymores. - the last Teddy Bear is in this room. There is a gate near the Mystery Box spawn. The Teddy Bear is barely visible, as it it on the other side of it, but it can still be used by pressing and holding the square button. *********** Launch Pad *********** Once you have ridden each of the Landers back to the Centrifuge Room for 250 points each, you will be able to launch the rocket. To launch it, you must go back to the Power Room and hit the button the Launch Switch. When the rocket takes off, the door to the Launch Pad will be opened. Go back to the Lunar Lander B Access and enter the Launch Pad from there. This room is also another good place to snowball zombies. The Launch Pad is pretty empty; all there really is in this room are windows and the Pack-a-Punch machine. There are four windows in this room: - two are in the actual Launch Pad where the rocket took off. - two are in the Pack-a-Punch machine room. Weapons: N/A Doors: N/A Mystery Box spawn: N/A There are no Perk-a-Colas in this room. Other things: - if enough damage is done to the rocket while it is taking off, it will explode, leaving behind a Double Points Power-up in the Launch Pad. Weapons like the Ray Gun or the Crossbow can destroy it. (It takes two Crossbow bolts to destroy it) - while doing the Kassimir Mechanism Easter Egg, after a certain point, there will be a clock in the Launch Pad, which is part of the puzzle. ===================== Strategies [007]----- ===================== This next section will give you some strategies for Ascension. I'll try to go through this briefly and just give you basic outlines of what to do, or what you should be doing. ------------------------ Early rounds [007A]----- ------------------------ In zombies, the early rounds are pretty much the same: maximizing your points. Knifing zombies gives you 130 points, and in the beginning rounds, it takes only a few hits to kill a zombie, so it's useful to keep that in mind. In round 1, you should be letting zombies in so that they can drop any Power- ups. If a zombie drops a Nuke, don't grab it unless there's only one zombie left. Otherwise, they're a waste in the first 5 or 6 rounds. In the second round, you should keep things boarded up, unless you're confident you can knife them all without dying. You can also shoot an entire clip into them with your pistol, and then knife them, since you get 10 points for each bullet that hits a zombie. Also, try going for collaterals (shooting multiple zombies with only one bullet) to increase your income. The weapons in the Centrifuge Room shouldn't be bought at all during these rounds, unless things somehow get out of hand and you're being swarmed by zombies and some of your teammates have been downed. Also, keep in mind that any zombies killed by the centrifuge will not give you points. In solo, you should be out of that room by round 4. Until then, it's pretty easy to defend all four windows with nothing but your knife and pistol. Just keep running around and watch all the windows. If you begin to get overwhelmed, open a door. Buy Quick Revive as soon as the game starts, as well, since you won't need your 500 points for the weapons. In multiplayer, you can stay in that room until round 5 or 6. Just make sure that each player has one window and to not take anyone else's zombies. If you are playing with two people, you should have two windows each (one person takes the two on the second floor, and one person takes the bottom ones). With 3 people, one window should be shared by everyone. Usually, I prefer to open the top door, since it's easier to remain in that room than in the Stairway. If you open the bottom door, then make sure you're able to defend yourself against the zombies. It can be difficult due to the tighter space. Make sure you have a significant about of points when you reach the Power Room. You should have enough to buy Jugger-nog. You can choose to hit the Mystery Box or just stick with an off-wall weapon. However, after turning on the power, try to get Jugger-nog as soon as possible. At around these rounds (6-10), everyone should be camping on the landing pad for Lunar Lander D (near PhD Flopper). It shouldn't be too difficult to do this even with the MP5k. ---------------------- Mid rounds [007B]----- ---------------------- You should start using the Lunar Landers to open the Launch Pad by now. If not, you should at least start opening doors so that you can split up and access the places where you can snowball zombies. If you're playing solo, then you should definitely start activating the Lunar Landers. First, here are the locations once again of where to snowball zombies: - Centrifuge Room (be careful of the pipes that block your way) - Lunar Lander D (the most common, and easiest one to survive in from my experience. This is the Lunar Lander near PhD FLopper) - Launch Pad (almost just as good as Lunar Lander D, and a Turret and the Pack-a-Punch machine is nearby, as well) - Lunar Lander F (the one where the Claymores are. Be careful of the debris) What I like to do is to rack up points by running around and gun and use those points to open the doors, etc. Once the Lunar Landers have all been taken back to the Centrifuge Room, launch the rocket so you can upgrade your weapons. This part is pretty simple. Just stay alive and leave a crawler at the end of each round to call the landers, etc. Usually, by now, I try to get the Thunder Gun and maybe the Gersch Device. If you have the Thunder Gun, you should have it equipped while you're running around. That way, in case you get cornered, you can quickly fire off a shot and clear a path. Only use the Thunder Gun for emergencies. The Gersch Device can also be used if you need to buy sometime, like if you need to rebuy your perks because you got downed or if you get a Fire Sale. Note: with PhD Flopper, the upgraded M72 LAW can be quite useful in place of the Thunder Gun (if you don't have it yet or if a teammate already has it). Since you are immune to your own explosives, the M72 Anarchy can clear an area around you without hurting yourself. Once all the rooms have been opened, you should all split up. If you're playing solo, then find a spot to snowball the zombies and keep doing this until the later rounds. Also, remember this: if a teammate gets downed and he's somewhere far away, weigh the risks before choosing to go revive him. If you have Quick Revive/ the Krauss Refibrillator and the Thunder Gun or Gersch Device, then you should be able to revive your downed teammate safely. But remember to always be careful when going to rescue a teammate. If you get downed, it makes things 10 times worse. In most cases, I leave my teammate be and save myself unless I'm sure I can fully make the revive safely. And don't hesistate to use traps if necessary. ----------------------- Late Rounds [007C]----- ----------------------- So you've made it this far. The zombies have such high health now that even your upgraded LMGs won't do much against the swarms of zombies. There are still ways you can keep going now: - if you have the Thunder Gun, you can try snowballing zombies and killing them with your other weapon. If you run out of ammo for that weapon, then pile up all the zombies and obliterate them with a shot from the Thunder Gun. Most of the time, when I have the Thunder Gun, I usually never have to Pack- a-Punch it. The reason being is that I only upgrade it if I'm almost out of ammo. But I usually end up going into a Monkey Round, so I end up getting a Max Ammo. Save your Thunder Gun ammunition and use it till the end if your other weapon is out of ammo. - one I've never really tried often is to have PhD Flopper and use only grenades to kill the zombies. Since you can always buy more near the Lunar Lander, you'll be able to hold up against the zombies. However, this method is rather boring and time-consuming and I wouldn't recommend it. You can try grabbing an off-wall weapons and run laps. - use traps. Seriously, this is what you should be doing. Even if you have the Thunder Gun, this can be a good tactic. What I like to do is have a SMG, like the ones in the Stairway. I run around the map and shoot the zombies to get points. I use these points to activate traps to kill the zombies. I haven't tried out this tactic enough times to determine a good route to take, but the one I've found effective is Centrifuge>Lunar Lander D>Power Room Access>Stairway>Centrifuge Even in multiplayer, I was able to run around this route safely. I would rack up points, then use Turrets or Fire Traps to kill the zombies (I make sure that I get more points than the amount I spend on more ammo and on the traps) I usually lure the zombies to the launch pad and use the Fire Trap and Turret there. Then I run a couple of laps around the Launch Pad to pile up the zombies, then go back to the route and repeat the process. You can also do this in Lunar Lander F (the Claymore area), since it is also a good place to run around and kite zombies before running around the map again. Whatever you do, just make sure that you don't get cut off my newly spawned zombies while you're running laps around the map. ------------------------- Space Monkeys [007D]----- ------------------------- Now let's get to killing the new enemies in Ascension, shall we? Space Monkeys, without a doubt, are just as annoying as the Pentagon Thief, if not more. Unlinke Hellhounds, in which in the later rounds, are simply a way to get Max Ammo, Space Monkeys will actually give you a run for your money (somewhat literally, too). As you should know by now, Space Monkeys will steal your perks by attacking and destroying the Perk-a-Cola machines. The largeness of the maps, the distance between the Perk-a-Cola machines, the size of the monkeys, and the monkeys' powers and capabilities make them quite a difficult obstacle to overcome. But, they can be stopped. First off, you'll know when a monkey round begins when the screen turns red, a loud buzzing noise and a warning message is heard, and when the screen vibrates. The Space Monkeys will land in the map via crashing Lunar Landers. They can only spawn outside or in the Power Room. I'm pretty sure that they can spawn in the Centrifuge Room, however, I am not 100% sure; I only know that they can get to the Quick Revive if the top door isn't opened and without going past Jugger-nog. Anyways, if you're playing solo, then you should focus on protecting Jugger- nog and Quick Revive. Jugger-nog is definitely the most important perk for obvious reasons, but it's also very useful because of how much damage Space Monkeys deal. If playing solo, it would be a good idea to open the top and bottom door in the Centrifuge Room, but not the top door in the Stairway. That way, you can defend both Quick Revive and Jugger-nog easily since the only way the monkeys can get to Jugger-nog is by going through the door right next to Quick Revive. Monkeys will go towards the Perk-a-Cola machines, but they will attack a player if he gets too close or if he attacks a monkey, so keep that in mind. Monkeys attack by jumping up and emitting an explosion around them when they land, kind of like a mini-explosion from the PhD Flopper. They deal almost as much damage as zombies in close range and leave you dazed if you are just within range of their explosions. Now, for actually killing the monkeys. The Ray Gun is definitely the best weapon to use, due to its accuracy and high damage output. Otherwise, I just use an LMG or any other automatic guns. The monkeys are REALLY small, so it's actually quite difficult to shoot them. A Thunder Gun can be useful against them, but they seem to have a resistance to it. However, they will die after a second shot from it. In the first monkey round, you should knife them, since it only takes one knife attack to kill them. If you're playing multiplayer, however, the amount of knife attacks it takes to kill a monkey in the first round is equivalent to how many players there are. EG: if you are playing two players, it will take two knife attacks to kill a monkey in the first round, and so on. If you're playing multiplayer and you have the Ballistic Knife and/or Sickle, you can try using it even in the later rounds. But just be careful that you don't get combo'd by a group of monkeys while you're knifing them. Some things to take a note of: - monkeys can throw back frag grenades and Matryoshka Dolls. - monkeys can detonate Claymores safely. They cannot do this, however, if the Claymore is not level with them, so a good place to use Claymores against monkeys would be on a set of stairs. - if a player throws a Gerch Device, the monkeys will not get sucked into it. However, they will willingly jump into a black hole, but they will only be teleported to a random place in the map without harming them. This can be a useful thing to know if you're being overwhelmed and you need to buy some time. You can shoot the monkeys while they're running towards the black hole. - if a Perk-a-Cola machine is being attacked by a monkey and you have that perk, the perk icon on the bottom left corner of your screen will start pulsing. As mentioned earlier, defending Jugger-nog should be your top priority during a monkey round. If you're playing multiplayer and your teammates want to defend the other perks, makes sure that you leave someone (or some people) who can successfully defend Jugger-nog. Losing Jugger-nog means that you and your teammates are more vulnerable to the monkeys, making defending the other perks difficult. After killing the last monkey before any of the Perk-a-Cola machines have been touched by the monkeys, the monkey will drop a Max Ammo and a Bottle Power-up, which gives every non-downed, non-dead players a random perk. Remember that for the last monkey to drop the Bottle Power-up, no damage must have been done to any of the machines. That means that even if a monkey reaches a machine, but you kill it before taking away your perk, you will still not be given a Bottle Power-up, only a Max Ammo. Difficult if you have multiple perks, right? Last words: - you can only have a maximum of four perks at anytime unless you already have four perks and you pick up a Bottle Power-up. - if you get a perk from the Bottle Power-up, but the room where the Perk-a- Cola machine hasn't been opened yet, the monkeys will not attack that machine during the next round. - a monkey round will only start after at least one player has at least one perk. ====================== Easter Eggs [008]----- ====================== Ascension has many Easter Eggs, just like previous zombie maps. The difference that I see in Ascension is that they don't pertain to the zombie storyline, unlike the other maps, where they slowly reveal where the zombies came form. -----Hidden Song----- Like every other zombie maps, Ascension has a hidden song. To activate it, you need to "use" (press and hold the square button) the three Teddy Bears that are holding Sickles. 1) The first Teddy Bear is in the Centrifuge Room. Go up the stairs, turn right, go past the Olympia, and go to the end of the catwalk. 2) In Lunar Lander B (near the Speed Cola), the Teddy Bear is behind the Sickle, to the left of the exit. It is standing on top of the wall. 3) In Lunar Lander F (near Stamin-up), there is a gate near the landing pad. The Teddy Bear is on the other side of it, on the ground. Once all three Teddy Bears have been activated, the song, "Abracadavre" by Elena Siegman, will play. -----Matryoshka Dolls----- There are four Matryoshka Dolls that resemble the four player characters in Ascension. Using the action button on any of them will make the doll say something to the player. The dialogue is different depending on which character activates them. 1) Tank Dempsey's doll is in Lunar Lander F, on top of some flaming barrels, to the left of Claymores. 2) Nikolai Belinski's doll is on the shelf next to Speed Cola. 3) Takeo Masaki's doll is on the shelf next to PhD Flopper. 4) Edward Richtofen's doll is in Power Room Access, one floor above Jugger- nog. It is on the table near the exit of the building. -----Telephones----- Three red telephones, like the ones in the zombie map "Five," are present in Ascension. When one of these telephones ring, a player can use the action button on it to answer it. The player will then hear a character from "Five" (John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, or Fidel Castro) saying a line through the telephone. It has been confirmed that "Five" and Ascension takes place at the same time. In order to make the telephones ring, certain events need to occur first. I'm still a little sketchy on how to make the telephones ring, since the source I'm using sometimes differ from what actually happens when I play the map. Either something's wrong with the information I found or I'm just doing something wrong. If you have any useful information or details on this, please let me know. 1) One of the telephones is near the Lunar Lander landing pad in the Centrifuge Room. This telephone rings after the hidden song Easter Egg has been activated or (in solo) if the player gets ten kills. If a player answers this phone, the player will hear JFK say "Need some beans for the chowder here!" In "Five," he says this when he runs out of ammo. 2) In the room below the Power Room, on the way to the Speed Cola, there is a telephone next to the Mystery Box spawn point. This telephone rings during a Fire Sale Power-up. If a player answers this phone, the player will hear Richard Nixon howl like a wolf while firing the FN FAL. He does this in "Five" when he kills a bunch of zombies. 3) The third telephone is next to PhD Flopper. This telephone rings when a player obtains a Ray Gun from the Mystery Box. (I'm not sure if any player can get the Ray Gun for this to work or if the telephone rings only for the person who has the Ray Gun). When answered, the player will hear Fidel Castro say, "Come to me; the revolution dies without Fidel Castro!" He says this in "Five" when he is downed by the zombies. -----Exploding Rocket----- After riding the Lunar Lander back to the Centrifuge Room from all the stations, the rocket can be launched. However, the rocket can be destroyed by using a high damage weapon (like the Ray Gun or the Crossbow) on it after it has taken off. Remember that the rocket needs to already be in the air for the player to be able to destroy it. Destroying the rocket will award the player(s) with a brilliant, fiery explosion that showers the launch pad with flaming debris. The rocket will also drop a Double Points Power-up on the centre of the Launch Pad. But to me, it's blowing up the rocket that gives the satisfaction. -----Dolphin Dive On Top of a Player Who is in Prone----- Yeah, I couldn't think of what else to call this. Like in Kino Der Toten and "Five," if a player goes prone and another player Dolphin Dives on top on the player who is in prone, both of them will be downed and all the players will hear a little girl (Samantha, a central character in the zombies storyline) laugh. Take note that this should be done with at least 3 players, otherwise the game will end, since both players will be downed. I'm not sure if this does anything, but I've heard rumors that it increases the likelihood of zombies dropping Power-ups, but I'm not quite 100% sure. -----Loading screen Easter Egg----- In the loading screen image, the shadows of the three rockets form the number "115," which is a reference to Element 115, the element that caused the creation of the zombies. -----I can hear the voices in my head----- If playing as Richtofen, it is possible for the player to hear the voices in his head. ============================= Kassimir Mechanism [009]----- ============================= This is the biggest Easter Egg in the map. I thought that it deserved its own section due to the complexity, difficulty, and length of it. At the beginning of a zombies match, the player(s) will hear a man saying that "the mechanism must be repaired" and to "hurry" because "she is coming." This is the beginning of the Kassimir Mechanism Easter Egg, which is a series of puzzle to activate nodes to free Gersch. Most of this section was taken from http://callofduty.wikia.com/wiki/Kassimir_Mechanism To complete all the nodes, you will need 4 players in total. Furthermore, there needs to be: - 1 player with the Gersch Device - 1 player with the Matryoshka Dolls - 1 player with the Porter's X2 Ray Gun - 1 player with the Zeus Cannon - 1 player with the Awful Lawton - co-operation a strong communication amongst the team For the most part, it is advisable to do each node at the end of each round while leaving at least 1 slow crawler alive. -----Node 1----- Required: - Gersch Device This node is easy to accomplish. In Lunar Lander D (the one with the MP5K), go to the window near the MP5K. To the left, there will be some rubble, and if a player looks beyond the rubble, the player will see a generator glowing a white light. A player will need to throw a Gersch Device near it so that the generator is sucked into the black hole. Gersch will then tell the player to hurry, since "she is coming." A player will then need to go to Lunar Lander F (the one with the Claymores). At the corner of the room, where there is a puddle, there will be a terminal. Go to the terminal and press and hold the square button to activate it. The screen will then show the Illuminati symbol. -----Node 2----- Required: - 4 players alive - Space Monkey round - access to all the Perk-a-Cola machines This node can only be done during a Space Monkey round. During these rounds, a button will appear near every perk machine except Quick Revive. Here are the locations of each button: - at Jugger-nog, the button will be directly across it. - facing PhD Flopper, the button is on the wall to the left. - at Speed Cola, the button is on the other side of the door frame leading to the Lunar Lander. - at Stamin-up, it is located to the left of it. Each player must go to the button and press and hold the square button at the same time. The players do not have to press the button at the same time; they merely need to have the button held simulaneously. If done successfully, each player will hear a beeping sound and the second light on the pod will be lit up. -----Node 3----- Required: - rocket must have been launched; access to Launch Pad - all players alive - at least 1 slow crawler at the end of a round This node takes 2 minutes to complete. At the end of a round, leave at least 1 slow crawler alive. Make sure that the only zombies left are slow crawlers. Take the crawler(s) as far away from the Launch Pad as possible, which would probably be at Lunar Lander F. It is also advisable that the player luring the crawler away from the Launch Pad have Stamin-up to get to the Launch Pad quickly. Once the crawler is far from the players, all the players must face the clock in the Launch Pad. The clock will show the time 12:00. This will start a 2- minute countdown. During the countdown, all players must stand still on the pressure plate. The players can turn and shoot and throw grenades, but they must stand still. After the 2 minutes have elapsed, there will be an explosion, killing the remaining zombies and ending the round. There should now be three lights activated on the pod. -----Node 4----- Required: - at least 2 players alive - access to all Lunar Landers (which you should have by now) - recommended to have crawlers at the end of the round - have the player calling the Lunar Lander have Stamin-up if you're impatient Gersch says the word "LUNA" at the end of node 3. For node 4, the players need to collect the letters that are floating above. Specific letters must be collected in order; the players must collect the letters that spell "LUNA" in that order. To start, have the Lunar Lander at the Centrifuge Room. One player must stay in the Lunar Lander while another player calls it to another station to obtain the floating letters. To make this part short, this is the order in which the lander must be called and at which station: Centrifuge >>> Stamin-up >>> Centrifuge >>> Speed Cola >>> Stamin-up The player on the lander will collect the letters L, U, N, and A in that order, thus completing the fourth node. -----Node 5----- Required: - 1 player with the Gersch Device - 1 player with the Matryoshka Dolls - 1 player with the Porter's X2 Ray Gun - 1 player with the Zeus Cannon - 1 player with the Awful Lawton At the Lunar Lander near Stamin-up, you will find that the pod now has all four lights on. The pod is found next to the Claymores. On the ground, the player will see a glowing orb. What needs to be done is to supply Gersch with enough power to run the Kassimir Mechanism. To do this, have the player with the Gersch Device throw one on the glowing orb. Gersch will say that he needs more power. What needs to be done now is for the player with the Gersch Device to throw another one near the glowing orb. While the black hole is open, it must be fired with: - several shots from the Porter's X2 Ray Gun - 2 shots from the Zeus Cannon - 1 Awful Lawton Shot - a couple of Matryoshka Dolls After that, Gersch will be freed and he will thank the players for freeing him. Each player will then be granted a Death Machine Power-up that lasts for 90 seconds. Also, the screen will then turn to black and white as Samantha screams, and after she finishes screaming, the screen will return to colour and the final node will be completed. While Samantha is screaming, the players can hear her say "Come and find me." ========================= Little Tidbits [010]----- ========================= These are just a few things I thought were worth noting. I guess some of these are kinda like the Zombie Data Guide, but the following are things I have experienced and figured were worth sharing with other zombie players. If you wish to add to this list, then feel free to contact me, but be sure to include who you are so that I can give you credit. - Sometimes, when I have Insta-kill on, and there are way too many zombies for me to knife, I simply cook a grenade in my hand and let it explode, killing any zombies caught in the explosion. Obviously, PhD Flopper is required. - Zombies will automatically die after spending a set amount of time in the map. However, this will not count as a kill and new zombies will respawn to take their place, so it is not possible to end a round by letting the zombies die on their own. - With the PhD Flopper, if you dolphin dive on a spot that doesn't activate the explosion, but in the process of doing so, you slip off a ledge, the explosion will still activate when you land if the height you dropped from would normally activate it. For example: let's say that you were on the catwalk near PhD Flopper. If you have PhD Flopper and you try to dolphin dive off the edge, but you miss the explosion will not activate. However, if you happen to land on the very edge of the railing, and then slip off WITHOUT moving, then the explosion will activate upon landing. - The dolphin dive explosion from PhD Flopper will not activate if the player lands on a zombie. - As mentioned before, the Gersch Device can be used during a Monkey round to buy some time. - It seems that a monkey is quicker to steal Jugger-nog when they reach it than the other perks. In other words, the Jugger-nog machine seems to be more vulnerable than the other Perk-a-Cola machines. But this is just based on my experience. ================================================ Copyright/Legal stuff and other stuff [011]----- ================================================ This Guide is Copyright 2011 flamedtechno and may not be used in any website other than Gamefaqs and its associates. This guide may also be used on: - www.neoseeker.com If you wish to contact me for any reason whatsoever (spelling or factual errors I've made, want to add something, etc.), you can reach me at [email protected] Be sure to add your Gamefaqs username so I can give you credit. Thanks to: - Sony for making the awesome PS3 console. - Treyarch for making the Call of Duty series. - Me for creating this guide. - callofduty.wikia.com for info on the weapons and other such things. - George Romero for making zombies a pop culture success. - Steve Blum, Fred Tatasciore, Tom Kane, and Nolan North for voicing Tank Dempsey, Nikolai Belinkski, Takeo Masaki, and Doctor Edward Richtofen, respectively. If it weren't for their dialogues, zombie mode would not be as fun and entertaining.