Black Ops 7 launches Season 2 with a new mode for Zombies players with Starting Room. In Starting Room, players are thrown into the spawn area of either Ashes of the Damned or Astra Malorum and forced to survive for as long as possible in waves of endless rounds, armed with nothing but their wit and resilience.
With special rewards for those who manage to reach Round 10, 25, and 50 across both maps, players might be struggling without a useful selection of Starting Room tips for Black Ops 7 Zombies. Below, you'll find the tips we used that helped us to reach Round 50 and above.
How to Get All Relics in Astra Malorum's Cursed Mode (Black Ops 7 Zombies)
Astra Malorum introduces 6 more Relics for Cursed Mode for Black Ops 7 Zombies. Here's a step-by-step guide on where you can find all of them.
Know the Layout of Your Chosen Map
The Best Training Spot Ensures You Won't Get Trapped
It might seem simple, but one effective tip is to know the layout of the map you're on. Ashes of the Damned and Astra Malorum both have extremely unique starting rooms, equipped with open areas and tight spaces that might get you killed. Open up the Tac Map and see what you have to work with, and learn the area you feel most comfortable running around in.
For Ashes of the Damned, we liked to train zombies in a long line across the roads that led to the locked doors of Vandorn Farm and Blackwater Lake. For Astra Malorum, we liked running around Ol' Tessie, as you can vault over the car to avoid incoming hordes, and still have plenty of space to fight as you navigate up the steps.
There's No Pack-a-Punch, Der Wunderfizz, Armor Wall-Buys, T.E.D.D. Tasks, Crafting Tables, or Elite Enemies
Know What to Expect (& What Not to)
It's essential to come prepared to Starting Room, and with that preparation comes an acceptance of what is and isn't on the map. The good news is that there are no Elite Enemies to worry about. That means that no Uber Klaus, Zursa Bears, and O.S.C.A.R.S will spawn on Round 16 and above. With no Elite Enemies to fear, things might seem a little easier with each passing round, since you're not going to be running like a headless chicken with underpowered weapons against overpowered enemies.
Sadly, that's where the good news ends. In Starting Room, there's no Pack-a-Punch, Der Wunderifzz, or Armor Tier upgrades. This means that you're on your own, with no way to Pack-a-Punch your guns the old-fashioned way, no way to grab perks without GobbleGums, and no way to craft more items with Salvage. Even on Round 25+, there are no surprises to reward you for getting this far.
The Mystery Box Rewards High Rarity Upgrades and Wonder Weapons
Spin to Win
While your initial weapons will start to get weak rather quickly, there is a way to upgrade them without GobbleGums, but it's only a minor upgrade. Each Spawn Room has a Mystery Box that's guaranteed to arrive and stay from Round 1 onwards. Spinning the Mystery Box for 950 Essence will reward you with a random item that might just be a Rarity Tool to upgrade your weapon from common all the way to orange (legendary).
Outside of upgrading your weapons, you should be spending all your Essence on the Mystery Box for a chance to get a Wonder Weapon. All Wonder Weapons serve a great purpose in their chosen maps, but to avoid splash damage killing you, we recommend spinning for the Ray Gun Mark 2. This Wonder Weapon shoots fast, hits hard, has no splash damage, and allows you to keep sprinting. Just remember that you'll need 10,000 Essence each time you want to purchase ammo from the Ammo Crate.
You can also get the Necrofluid Gauntlet in Ashes of the Damned and the LGM-1 on Astra Malorum. These are super rare from the Mystery Box, but highly recommended!
Dying Wish for Quick Revive is a Temporary Save
Quick Revive is Your First and Only Perk
Dying Wish is an Augment that you can use on Quick Revive before you enter the Starting Room map, and it's one we highly recommend. Dying Wish might be a late-level Augment, but it's essential for all games, not just Starting Room. Within Starting Room, the only perk that's going to be available to purchase is Quick Revive. While the faster health regeneration comes in clutch when zombies start to deal more damage, it's Dying Wish that acts as your protector.
Since you will only have one Self-Revive Kit (with no way of crafting more), Dying Wish will essentially provide you with 3 extra lives. Each time you get put on 1 HP, you have temporary immunity at the cost of Quick Revive, meaning you will have to buy it again, but it will stop you from going down on an otherwise assured demise.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Use GobbleGums if You Really Want to Win
Certain Gums Provide Perks and Weapon Upgrades That Are Otherwise Unobtainable
While Armor, Pack-a-Punch, and Perks are all unavailable in the Starting Room, there is a way to force them in through GobbleGums. Each Starting Room has a GobbleGum machine, and you can use them in this mode to grab what you need if you're desperate for those Round 50 rewards.
With On The House and Perkaholic, you'll be able to get Perks without machines. With Arnor Gettin', you'll have a 3-Plate Armor Vest to mitigate those pesky zombie strikes. With Crate Power, the next weapon you will get from the Mystery Box comes Pack-a-Punched. These are all Legendary GobbleGums, and they can all help if you really need them. After all, why horde them instead of using them?
Power-Ups Are Your Lifeline
Nukes, Max Ammos, and Insta-Kills Will Help You Fight to Another Round
Power-Ups are randomly acquired through killing zombies, and in high rounds for normal survival, they're pretty useless and never worth going out of the way for. However, in Starting Room, you'll eventually hit a round where you are desperate for a Power-Up to save your life, which is why they should be a priority when they drop.
Nukes will wipe out entire hordes to reduce the number of zombies left in the round, or completely end it. With Max Ammo, you won't have to struggle to get to the Ammo Crate or waste 10,000 Essence on a Wonder Weapon's ammo. With Insta-Kill, you can use any weak weapon to instantly kill all the enemies for 30 seconds. These are essential drops that will help you pass the rounds in no time.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 65 /100 Critics Rec: 34%
- Released
- November 14, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch, Raven Software
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
