The Dark Aether offers more for players to explore and contend with in Call of Duty: MW3 Zombies. We show you the path to get to it.
The Zombies mode in Call of Duty: MW3 got updated in Season 1, giving Operators access to the Dark Aether. The alternate world offers many secrets and tasks to do. However, getting there isn’t so straightforward. Fortunately, we have all the details on how to gain entrance to the Dark Aether in Call of Duty: MW3 Zombies, which can be found below.
How to Enter the Dark Aether in Call of Duty: MW3 Zombies
To enter the Dark Aether in MW3 Zombies, players must collect four items, upgrade them, place them on pedestals, defeat a Mega Abomination, and finally place a Sigil on the Dark Aether Portal to open it. All of these must be don after completing the Act 4 mission, Bad Signal. Below is a full breakdown of how you enter the Dark Aether:
1. Acquire All Four Items
Players must collect four unique items, earned through unique mini-tasks, to open up the gateway to the Dark Aether. They are:
- Locked Diary: Earned automatically by completing the “Bad Signal” Act 4 mission
- Surveillance Camera: Destroy a Harvester Orb using the Dead Wire ammo mod
- Pill Bottle: Destroy a cyst in an Infected Stronghold or Aether Nest with the Brain Rot ammo mod
- Dog Collar: Insert a chunk of flesh and Molotov into a Dog House (spawns randomly on the map), and a hellhound will appear outside it and die, dropping the Dog Collar
2. Upgrade the Items
Once players have acquired all four times, they must upgrade each to prepare for the Aether Gate’s opening. While the process isn’t fully tricky, finding the first step can be as it tends to be random. The following is what must be done:
- Locate an Aether Tear: These randomly spawn around the map, so players must search for them. They are most commonly found on the perimeter road of the map. They are identifiable by their purple portals on the ground level.
- Enter the Aether Tear: Head into the Tear and ensure the Key Item is in your rucksack.
- Glide to the Gold-Yellow Rift: After being teleported into the area, ahead of your location but just lower, there should be a yellow-golden rift; glide into it.
- Complete the new Contract: Upon going through the portals, a Contract will be seen on the purple map. Complete it to upgrade the item.
3. Item Placement
Players must now head to the coordinates of F6 on the map, a small island between Tier 2 and Tier 3 that houses the Dark Aether portal. There are four individual pedestals that players must place the items on; they must be placed on specific ones according to the Ammo Mod symbols to work. The order is as follows:
- Cyro Freeze – Locked Diary
- Brain Rot – Pill Bottle
- Dead Wire – Surveillance Camera
- Napalm Burst – Dog Collar
The items are a one-use place, meaning they will have to be reacquired once slotted, so make sure to place them correctly. Prepare for a challenging boss fight after inserting all of the Key Items.
4. Mega Abomination Boss Fight
After the Aether Portal opens, a Mega Abomination will walk through it, and players must take it down to progress into the Dark Aether. The grotesque monster is brutal, and therefore, players should prepare for this fight by acquiring the following:
- Perks for each team member
- Juggernaut Suit (Purchaseble for 10,000 Essence from a Buy Station in Tier-3)
- Sentry Turrets
- Level 3 Pack-A-Punched Weapons
- Purple Rarity Weapons (Minimum)
- Decoy Grenades (to alleviate pressure from the zombies during the fight)
To deal as much damage to the Mega Abomination as possible, shoot at the glowing spot when its mouth is open; this is an optimal critical spot. Also, never try to hide as you will get swarmed or the boss will down you. Once the monster is beaten, a reward rift spawns, and upon interacting with it, you will find an item called “Sigil.” This is your key to opening the Dark Aether Portal.
5. Placing The Sigil & Unlocking the Dark Aether Portal
Once a Sigil has been earned, players can head to the left side of the portal, and an interaction will pop up, letting players know that they can insert the Sigil. Once this occurs, the Portal will activate, and players can initiate a vote for all team members to head inside the Dark Aether. Players must be fully prepared and stocked up, as all enemies in the new zone are Tier-4. Make sure your loadout is fine-tuned before deploying in. As a note, players can also earn Sigils by completing Tier-3 Contracts.
That is everything to know about how to enter the Dark Aether in Call of Duty: MW3 Zombies. If you like this guide and want to see more, make sure to head to our Guide Hub.