The Power Switch is a utility found in most Zombies maps in the Black Ops series, in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Exo Zombies and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Zombies mode, labelled as a Generator. It turns on the power, which in turn is used to use the Pack-a-Punch Machine, Perk-a-Cola machines and other utilities that are found within the map.
Locations
The Power Switch can be found and activated in various different means. The following is how to activate it in each respective map:
Verrückt
It is located on the complete opposite side of the map from the starting room. The switch is on the opposite side of the room of the Mystery Box. Using it opens the door dividing the two starting rooms. The hand can be seen holding the power switch.
Der Riese and The Giant
The switch can be found in the courtyard attached to a giant generator. Using it lowers a bridge that connects the second floor of the two sides and also opens two doors, letting players move from the courtyard to this area directly instead of going through whichever side they unlocked. Additionally, it also lets the player(s) use the teleporters.
Kino der Toten
The switch is backstage, next to the M16. Using it draws back the curtain, opens the door in the lobby and activates the projector. It also lets Crawler Zombies spawn from then on. It then allows the player(s) to link and use the teleporter.
"Five"
It is found in the central room in the basement. Using it unlocks the teleporters and the DEFCON Switches. It also lets the Pentagon Thief and the Nova Crawlers spawn.
Ascension
Located on the top floor of the main building. Using it activates the Lunar Landers and changes the game from black and white to color. It also allows Space Monkeys to spawn.
Call of the Dead
It is located in the uppermost part of the ship. It lets the players use the Flinger and start the Original Characters Trapped Easter egg. It also allows Pack-A-Punch to begin spawning.
Shangri-La
Two power switches are located underground near the Bowie Knife where the water falls from the ceiling to turn the turbines. These power switches activate the water (each switch activating each side) and the power won't turn on until both switches are pulled. Because the switches are associated with water flow, the Water Slide can't be used without them pulled. Turning on the power also lets the player(s) use the Mine Cart.
Moon
The power switch is located in the center of the map by the pyramid and Stakeout. In addition to its basic functions, it restores oxygen and gravity to certain areas of the map and allows the Excavators to start breaching the base.
TranZit
The separate maps do not require a power switch, but Tranzit does. It is located at the Power Plant and needs to be built from three parts.
Power Board
- In the first hallway upon buying the door to the reactor, against a wall or lying on the floor, opposite the zombie barrier.
Lever
- Scattered around the reactor, varying from lying near a railing, the pipes, or either set of stairs, to laying near boxes at the bottom of the stairs or the one-way ramp.
Zombie Arm
- In the same room as the workbench, on the computers to the left and right of the workbench, or in a corner to the right of the zombie barrier.
Turning on the power will set the Avogadro free and it will roam the map from then on as a thunderstorm. The power will turn on green streetlights scattered at or between the bus stops that can be used to make portals from the Denizens. It will also open the exit door to Tombstone Soda, the workbench for the Electric Trap, and the spool-and-wires piece for the Jet Gun. For the first time in Zombies, the power can be turned off after it has been turned on. This option is required to go forward with Maxis' path in the Tower of Babble Easter egg.
There is a rare glitch making the zombie hand impossible to pick up thus making it impossible to turn on the power.
Die Rise
It is located on the second floor of the second building in a sewing room. Using it will activate the Elevators which contain the Perk-a-Cola machines and the Pack-a-Punch Machine inside them and can help the players go up and down floors.
Buried
It is located on the second floor of the Candy Shop, and it can also be turned on by round 1.
Der Eisendrache
The Power Switch can be found in the Armory next to a bunch of generators.
Zetsubou No Shima
Turning on the power in Zetsubou No Shima works differently than previous maps. Before the player(s) can access the main Power Switch, they must first pick up a Bucket (see respective page for locations). Once the player has a Bucket, fill it with water from any one of the ponds infected with Element 115, and use it to fill the two water-based power switches, one inside Lab A, and one inside Lab B. This temporarily turns on Power for a couple of minutes for purposes of raising/lowering cages, but Perk Machines remain inactive until the main Power Switch is turned on.
The main Power Switch is located inside the Bunker, with the overhead cables visibly feeding current into it. Both Lab A and Lab B must have temporary power turned on to open the large Bunker door, which does not cost Points when interacted with. Opening the Bunker reveals several zombies and a mutating zombie that quickly turns into a Thrasher if not killed. Even if temporary power turns off at this point, the Bunker front door will remain open for the rest of the game.
After the player(s) enters the Bunker, straight ahead past the Gobblegum Machine, turn left. There will be an area with a regular Power Switch that can be accessed through a door that costs 1250 Points solo, and 1500 Points in co-op. Three out of four of the lights above the switch will be green, the remaining one flashing red. The player must dive underwater inside this room where the turbines are, and interact with the spiderwebs to slash them off Turbine #3.
Doing so begins an endurance wave where zombies spawn, which locks down the entrance. Under normal circumstances, all of them must be killed to reopen the exit leading back to the Power Switch. The player will also need to occasionally resurface above water/pop the spore in the back for additional air to avoid going down. When playing solo, 12 zombies spawn this way.
- These Zombies do not reward players with Points, but can be made to reward Points with the Anywhere But Here! GobbleGum.
- Since the Anywhere But Here! GobbleGum is required for the Seeds of Doubt Easter Egg, if players use this GobbleGum when the lockdown begins, they will be teleported outside of the lockdown, instantly completing the event if no other players are left inside, and making the Power Switch available without needing to kill any of the additional zombies.
- If Anywhere But Here! is used, this adds all of the zombies spawned during the lockdown to the current round, and they will be able to give players Points as normal when killed instead of no Points. This is a great way to open up more of the map much quicker than normal.
- After killing all zombies that spawned underwater, a Part for draining the water at the Pack-a-Punch will be on the grate in front of the now clear Turbine #3.
Gorod Krovi
Going back to simpler power methods, in Gorod Krovi, the power switch is located past the entrance of the Dragon Command Center.
Blood of the Dead
Similar to Shangri-La, there are two power switches. However, they are at the separate location. The first power switch is at the left side in the Power House. Turning it on will unlock the gate to the Catwalk. The second power switch is located in Building 64 in the room to the right. Turning it on will open the doors to the Showers and Warden's office, it will also allow the players to activate the Underground Passages fast travel.
Die Maschine
Located behind the cyclotron area, in the same room as the Elemental Pop perk machine.
Mauer der Toten
Located in the underground portion of the map next to Elemental Pop, past the Mule Kick machine. After attempting to turn power on for the first time, the player(s) will break the fuses and must retrieve new ones from Tempests located on the East Berlin Streets and the underground area. After repairing the Power Switch with the new fuses, the player can turn the power on.
Reckoning
Located in the sublevel area, within the control room. After turning it on, the player(s) must destroy 12 Aetherium crystals near the particle accelerator in order to spawn the Pack-a-Punch Machine.
Ashes of the Damned
Similarly to Terminus, there are three separate locations with respective power that can be activated at each area. In order to activate them, the player(s) must progress to Blackwater Lake, Vandorn Farm, and Ashwood to turn on the power at their respective locations by clearing off the infestations on the individual Power Pumps and flipping their corresponding Power Switches. For each infestation at the Power Pumps, the player(s) must shoot off all the orange nodes within 30 seconds while zombies occasionally spawn. If the player(s) do not clear it fast enough, the Power Pump will go on cooldown to regenerate the infestation. Only two, either the power at Blackwater Lake or Vandorn Farm, will need to be activated in order to acquire the Pack-a-Punch Machine upgrade for Ol' Tessie in Ashwood.
At Vandorn Farm, the Power Switch can be located upstairs in the barn. At Blackwater Lake, the Power Switch can be located upstairs in the cabin to the left of the Arsenal. At Ashwood, the Power Switch is located on a stand near the Power Pump on the bridge.
Vandorn Farm
Exactly like the initial location in Ashes of the Damned, the player(s) can activate the power by first clearing off the infestation on the Power Pump and buying the door to the barn. The player can then head to the second floor where the Power Switch can be flipped.
Exo Zombies
In Exo Zombies, power switches function much differently. There are multiple power switches spread throughout the map, and each one, when activated, will give the player access to certain features requiring power to be accessed. A power switch will give 100 credits to the player who activated it.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Zombies
In Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Zombies, power switches are labelled as Generators and only power certain sections of the map, or in the case of Rave in the Redwoods and Attack of the Radioactive Thing, they power the entire map.
Zombies in Spaceland
- The Power Switch for the starting area is located in the room to the right of the Lost & Found.
- The Power Switch for the Journey into Space area is located in the small corridor between the Star Mission trap and the Bumper Cars.
- The Power Switch for the Astrocade is located next to a barrier to the left of the Portal.
- The Power Switch for the Polar Peak area is located next to the Magic Wheel outside the Roller Coaster utility.
- The Power Switch for the Keplar System area is located next to a Magic Wheel spawn, in the Moonlight Cafe area.
Rave in the Redwoods
Located underneath the spawn cabin, accessible via the mines. The power switch will open up access to several ziplines, Tuff 'Nuff, Mule Munchies, a boat part and the rest of the top floor of the cabin, as well as an entrance from the mines to the main cabin.
Shaolin Shuffle
- The Power Switch for the spawn area is located on a supporting column in the same area the player spawns.
- The Power Switch for the rooftops is located in the small square park area near Deadeye Dewdrops and a Volk wallbuy.
- The Power Switch for the disco is located on the roof of the disco, next to Quickies.
- The Power Switch for the second subway station is located on the platform opposite Bang Bangs, near the power door.
Once the player has turned on all the power switches, they will gain access to the Chi abilities as well as Tuff 'Nuff and the Rat King's lair.
Attack of the Radioactive Thing
To turn on the power, the player must first obtain the power switch handle located on the beach by the OSA wallbuy, being held by a zombie arm. The power switch is located at the respective power station to the right of the spawn location, behind the market.
Gallery
Trivia
- In "Five", Ascension, Call of the Dead, Shangri-La, and Moon, below the power switch there is text in German that says "Hochspannung Vorsicht! Lebensgefahr!" ("Danger! High Voltage!").
- There is an unusable power switch found in the building near the ice cave in Discovery.
- Even though there is no power switch in Shi No Numa, a sign on the zipline next to the starting area says "Switch on power to activate", indicating that electricity was originally going to appear.
- The hand on the power switch is a theme that some maps follow and some ignore. The hand is thought to belong to Peter McCain.
- In Ashes of the Damned, the Power Switch present at the cabin in Blackwater Lake is the one from Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare Zombies rather than the Black Ops Universe. This is a nod to Willard Wyler, the antagonist of Infinite Warfare Zombies, though the actual film director who inhabited the cabin is established to have been a different character, Dean Roth.
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