Collecting the Aether Canister is one of the last steps to completing the Liberty Falls Easter Egg, unlocking a special cutscene in return. Since it’s the puzzle’s final step, it proves to be the most difficult challenge yet.
To help you with this feat, here’s how to find and use the Aether Canister in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Zombies.
How to get Aether Canister in Black Ops 6 Zombies
You must obtain the Jet Gun and craft the LTG Device to unlock the Aether Canister in BO6 Zombies. The Jet Gun can be crafted by locating its corresponding pieces or unlocking it through the Mystery Box. Then, you can use it to suck up the parts for the LTG pieces across the map. For a complete overview of how to get these items, check out our guides on the Jet Gun and the LTG part locations.
Using the LTG Device to unlock the Aether Canister
Once you’ve acquired the LTG Device, you must place it on an item below the Dark Aether Storm areas. They’re easily noticeable with their purple-colored skies near the Church or Olly’s Comics. It doesn’t matter which one you go to first, so choose any place you please.
For this guide, we’re starting with the one at Olly’s Comics at the H4 coordinates.
Hold the ‘Interact/Reload’ button near the item on the ground to place the LTG device down.
You must protect the portal here for one minute. Just make sure not to let any zombies get sucked up in the portal, or it will cause damage to it. I find using the Jet Gun or the Energy Mine Field Upgrade extremely beneficial here. These two items cover a wide range, which will help you out significantly with this stage. But if the portal takes in too much damage, you must trigger the next round to begin this process again.
Those who protect the portal will spawn an Elite Mangler or an Abomination (it will glow gold). They’ll have different names than standard mini-bosses to help you tell the difference. For instance, my Abomination was labeled “Tigholt,” while the Mangler was known as “Idori.”
You must inflict enough damage to these Elite Zombies without killing them. Keep shooting at the enemy until you see black smoke around them. The game will also notify you that it has been heavily injured. At this point, you must then go to the Church at the C6 coordinates (leave the Elite Zombie alone for now).
Interact with the machine inside (next to Pack-a-Punch) to acquire the Aether Canister.
How to use Aether Canister in Black Ops 6 Zombies
Now that you have the Aether Canister, you can use it by placing it near a Dark Aether Field Generator trap. I recommend using the one at the E4 coordinates (pathway to Church) to help you out later on. When you have the Aether Canister on hand, you won’t be able to sprint, so make sure to watch out for enemies.
Press the interaction to place the canister down by the trap (the device that connects to the generator.)
Lure over the Elite Zombie to the trap and try to eliminate it with the Dark Aether energy on the ground (it costs 1,000 Essence to activate). I highly suggest getting the enemy’s health down as low as possible first, just so they die quickly.
You’ll know when you’ve done it right when you see a glowing energy source transfer to the Aether Canister. It’ll look like a moving glowing line:
Grab the Aether Canister with the enemy’s life source inside and place it in the Church machine in under one minute and 30 seconds (hence why you used the trap near here). You’ll likely have to repeat the process all over again if you fail to do so.
Next, pick up the Strauss Counter from the machine. The device leads you to three projectors around the map, marking itself as ‘High’ when you’re close to your target.
Black Ops 6 Zombies Strauss Counter guide: All projector locations
You can use the Strauss Counter by holding the Tactical Equipment button. It features three colors: red, green, and yellow. This appearance correlates to the projector’s colors, which you’ll need to change based on what the Strauss Counter shows. The projector’s color must be the opposite of the Strauss Counter’s.
So, if the device displays red, you must change the projector to green. Here’s a list of changes you need to do:
- When Strauss Counter is red: Change projector to green
- When Strauss Counter is green: Change projector to red
- When Strauss Counter is yellow: Change projector to yellow
Now that you know what to do, let’s break down all of the Strauss Counter projector locations in Black Ops 6 Zombies.
Location 1
The first Strauss Counter is located at the coordinates E6. It’ll be on top of a hill, next to Liberty Lanes.
Location 2
The next projector will be near the bank’s roof where you first crafted the LTG Device. At one of the corners, you’ll find a wooden board at the coordinates G5. Open this area for 500 Essence and drop down to the new area.
You’ll find the projector on the lower building:
Location 3
The last Strauss Counter projector will be at the E4 coordinates, near the toolshed. It’ll be right next to a house:
After you’ve interacted with all three projectors, return to the initial spawn point at H5.
You’ll find the Aether Canister here, which you must fill up once again with an Elite Zombie’s energy source.
This time, go the graveyard at the C5 coordinates.
You should see the Dark Aether Storm near there. Approach it and place down the Aether Canister below, similar to the first time.
Repeat the same procedure of protecting the portal for a short duration, and then capturing the Elite Zombie’s life energy with the Aether Canister. Return it to the Church machine to trigger the Final Counter challenge.
How to complete the Final Encounter in Black Ops 6 Zombies Liberty Falls
The final act of the Liberty Falls Easter Egg is finally here. You’ll now see an option to activate SDG (Start the Final Encounter) on the Church Machine. It’s best to prepare beforehand with Perk a Colas and a Tier 3 Pack-a-Punched weapon, as this will be the point of no return. The Jet Gun also proves beneficial here, given that it helps clear out hordes of zombies. I recommend picking up the Mutant Injection perk as well, allowing you to turn into a Mangler. It’s possible to do this challenge solo, but having a team will make it much more accessible.
When beginning the Final Encounter in Black Ops 6 Zombies, you’ll need to survive the following phases:
- Phase 1: Spawns Elite Manglers and zombies
- Phase 2: Spawns zombies with faster movements and more formidable Manglers
- Phase 3: Spawns Vermins, Manglers, and Abominations
As long as you come prepared with the items I mentioned beforehand, you should be able to survive through the match. Once all the enemies are defeated, all players will be downed. Don’t worry; this all a part of the storyline, so you’ll still live to see another day. A cutscene will commence shortly after, where you’ll have the decision to continue playing through the match to pick up rewards or simply exit the round. For the best outcome, continue playing the round to grab gifts like the Ray Gun, Legendary weapons, and many more.
