Call of the Dead Solo Easter Egg Guide — Stand-in (Black Ops 1 Zombies on PS5)

Overview

Call of the Dead stars George A. Romero as a raging boss zombie and a celebrity cast stranded in a frozen Siberian shipwreck. Behind a steel door under the lighthouse, the original crew (Richtofen, Dempsey, Nikolai, Takeo) is trapped — and helping them is the map's main quest.

Can you do the Call of the Dead easter egg solo? ✅ Yes. This map has a dedicated solo version of the quest called "Stand-in", with fewer steps than the co-op version ("Ensemble Cast", 2+ players). Both reward you with the Wunderwaffe DG-2 — the only way to use it in Black Ops 1.

You'll need: power on, explosives or decent guns for the generators, and the V-R11 wonder weapon from the Mystery Box.

Solo Walkthrough — "Stand-in"

Step 1: Find the Trapped Crew

Go to the bottom of the lighthouse, past the MP5K, down the stairs below PhD Flopper. There's a steel door — approach it and the trapped crew begins talking. Richtofen explains the door is jammed.

Step 2: The Fuse

The crew needs a fuse to fix the door mechanism. It spawns in one of three places near the door:

• On the table next to PhD Flopper.
• On the table against the opposite wall.
• In the corner between the cabinet and the wall.

Grab it and place it in the fusebox to the right of the door.

Step 3: Destroy the 4 Security Generators

The door is protected by a security system — four devices marked by glowing red lights around the lighthouse area. Destroy all four (grenades and explosives work well; guns also do the job). When the fourth breaks, the security system goes down and the crew confirms progress.

Step 4: The V-R11 & the Golden Rod

This is the signature step:

1. Get the V-R11 from the Mystery Box — it turns zombies back into humans.
2. Near the lighthouse, shoot a zombie with the V-R11. Instead of running for the water like usual, the human will run into the base of the lighthouse and start floating up the green light beam.
3. Kill him before he reaches the top of the lighthouse — track him up the beam and shoot him mid-air.
4. Done right, the Golden Rod comes down the beam — the item the crew needs.

Step 5: Fix the Fusebox

Return to the steel door and knife the fusebox. The mechanism engages, the crew grabs the Golden Rod and Richtofen's Vril energy does the rest.

Reward: the crew teleports out, and a Wunderwaffe DG-2 power-up drops for you — pick it up to wield the legendary lightning gun (ammo cannot be refilled, so make it count). The "Stand-in" trophy unlocks.

Co-op Version — "Ensemble Cast" (2+ Players)

The co-op quest follows the same skeleton with extra steps, including the famous vodka step:

• A frozen vodka bottle hangs on a railing; one player melees it loose while another stands below to catch it before it shatters.
• The crew also has players work the ship's radios and foghorn to signal in Morse code before the V-R11 step.

The finale is identical (Golden Rod + fusebox), the reward is the same Wunderwaffe drop, and the trophy is "Ensemble Cast". Completing this co-op version is also what carries the Golden Rod forward for Moon's Big Bang Theory easter egg.

Musical Easter Egg — "Not Ready to Die" (✅ Solo)

Find and hold the interact button on the three glowing Element 115 meteor fragments hidden around the ship and shore areas. Activating all three plays Not Ready to Die by Avenged Sevenfold — written specifically for this map.

FAQ

Can you do the Call of the Dead easter egg solo? Yes — "Stand-in" is the official solo version, and it's one of the most solo-friendly easter eggs in Black Ops 1.

What's the reward for the easter egg? A free Wunderwaffe DG-2 power-up (solo and co-op), plus the trophy. It's the only map in BO1 where the Wunderwaffe is obtainable.

How do I deal with George Romero while doing the steps? Lead him into deep water to calm him, or just avoid aggroing him — don't shoot him near the lighthouse while working the V-R11 step.

Tips

• Do the fuse and generator steps early (rounds 4–8) while zombie pressure is low.
• Keep the V-R11 zombie step for the start of a round — fewer zombies means a cleaner shot up the beam.
• The Wunderwaffe's ammo is finite: save it for emergencies or a George Romero kill (which drops a Death Machine and a perk bottle).
• Buy PhD Flopper before the generator step if you're using explosives.