Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Guide | Hard Mode – Dark Ops

Here’s how you can acquire the Hard Mode Dark Ops.

Game Guide by Joyramen on Dec 05, 2025

The Hard Mode Dark Ops in Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Zombies - Ashes of the Damned can be an intimidating Dark Ops to collect first because of its relic requirement and boss fight with added nerfs.

Even with its drastic difficulty, with the correct setup, it is definitely attainable. This guide will explain everything you need to know to unlock the dark ops and complete the challenge effectively.

The hard mode dark ops only becomes accessible once you have collected all of the tier 3 relics, which are in the Wicked tier. The relics are The Bus, Dragon, and Blood Vials Relic.

The tricky part is that you'll need to equip all three relics before heading into a cursed match for the dark ops, and you'll need to complete the entire Easter egg, which consists of the Veytharion boss.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Assassin's Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory, Hard Mode – Dark Ops , PC, Screenshot, Gameplay, NoobFeed, PC, Screenshot, Gameplay, NoobFeed

When you have all of these three relics equipped, you will pretty much have all of your augments disabled during the run. Disabling a lot of the power boosts that you normally acquire. The zombies will also gain significant health regeneration, making the entire match feel demanding round after round.

You'll want to progress through the Easter egg normally by restoring the power in important locations, such as Blackwater Lake and Ashwood. It's also important that you upgrade Ol' Tessie and get your hands on the Necrofluid Gauntlet and craft a special serum in Yuri's lab. It's also important that you have Pack-a-Punch installed before heading to the boss fight.

The boss fight can especially be tedious. But it can be manageable with the proper use of the Ol’ Tessie. I would also recommend doing the challenge in co-op and having a few friends help out as you drive around. That would make a massive difference in taking down the boss.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, Assassin's Creed Mirage: Valley of Memory, Hard Mode – Dark Ops , PC, Screenshot, Gameplay, NoobFeed, PC, Screenshot, Gameplay, NoobFeed

Utilizing high damage weapons and staying consistently mobile around the arena does a good job at keeping the fight under control. A friend using the turret on the Ol’ Tessie can make the entire encounter manageable, especially if it's coordinated.

Being aggressive by constantly ramming Veytharion with Ol' Tessie deals a lot of damage, and during the phase where the beams appear, you'll want to be careful, but at the same time deal consistent damage using the Necrofluid Gauntlet or other wonder weapons.

The Hard Mode Dark Ops is one of the toughest challenges in Black Ops 7 Zombies, but with the correct setup and utilization of the Ol’ Tessie, the challenge is very doable.

Also, check out our Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Review, and other guides below: