How to get free Pack-A-Punch with Cold War Outbreak Zombies Black Chest

Andrew Highton
Black Ops Cold War Black Chest

Black Ops Cold War Season 5 Reloaded brings a new world event for the Outbreak mode in Zombies that features a new Black Chest that might save your life. See what it does, and how to get a Pack-A-Punch upgrade from it.

Since its launch, Treyarch has continually expanded its new take on Zombies – Outbreak – by adding cool new stuff. Cold War’s innovative variation of Zombies has opened up new possibilities for the franchise and made it even more fun with hilarious Easter Eggs and even fishing.

Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Season 5 Reloaded has once again added more areas to the game mode and also included a fun new activity – the Black Chest. It acts as another source of resources, essence, and even a free Pack-A-Punch upgrade too.

How to use Black Chest for free Pack-A-Punch upgrade in Cold War’s Outbreak Zombies

cold war outbreak black chest event

The Black Chest event is completely random, so it could turn up in Round 1 or in Round 3, there is no set way to make this side quest pop early.

Once it does turn up though, then you’ll want to act on it quickly and make it your first priority. Just a quick heads-up, the upgrade will grant you a free Pack-A-Punch upgrade to Level 1 and no higher.

So if you complete it with the hope of upgrading your Level 1 Pack-A-Punched weapon to Level 2, then we regret to inform you that it doesn’t work like that.

chalice in cold war outbreak zombies

Here’s how to get a free Level 1 Pack-A-Punch upgrade in Outbreak Zombies:

  1. Head into a game of Outbreak – Solo or otherwise
  2. Keep playing until you come across the Black Chest side quest – distinguishable by its symbol consisting of an orange diamond and an open black chest
  3. Find it, stand in front of the chest, and press the action button to “Unlock” it
  4. Now, shoot the flying orbs until they disappear
  5. Once they have been destroyed, approach the Black Chest, and press the action button to “Open” the chest
  6. It will spit out a series of rewards for you to claim, one of which will be a Chalice
  7. Before you collect the chalice, make sure you have the weapon you want to be Pack-A-Punched equipped
  8. Acquire the Chalice, and your weapon will automatically become a Level 1 Pack-A-Punched gun

If you play this smart, you can use the 5,000 points that it would’ve taken to upgrade the weapon to Level 1 to speed up the process of getting it to Level 2.

Cold War Outbreak Black Chest Spirit

black ops cold war outbreak zombies

Players who complete the Cold War Black Chest event will “form a pact with a spirit that will be summoned against enemies when you’re low on health in your current Region,” according to the Season 5 Reloaded patch notes.

This ability works on a cooldown system, and its effect is shared with your teammates, so there is no doubt that it could be beneficial to your Outbreak success.

It seems the new Cold War Black Chest World Event will offer players a new way to continue the fight and survive when facing hoards of Zombies, as it looks to provide a very powerful ability as well, as not only does it come back for players to use again, it is also shared with teammates giving them extra aid in difficult situations as well.


For more guides on Black Ops Cold War’s Outbreak mode check here, and also keep up-to-date with news and guides concerning Call of Duty: Vanguard.

Image Credits and Source: Activision / Treyarch Studios / Call of Duty