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The Necrofluid Gauntlet is a guaranteed reward for completing the Klaus, Aether Barrel and symbol-cube sequence in the Ashes of the Damned Zombies map. You can also find the weapon randomly in the Mystery Box, but the Easter egg gives you a deterministic route.
Reach Ashwood, Vandorn Farm, Zarya Cosmodrome, Blackwater Lake and Janus Towers Plaza through the directed setup, then free Klaus, scan and charge the Aether Barrel, read the three randomized rooftop symbols, and enter them into the basement cube. Claiming the Gauntlet starts a lockdown trial that you must clear before the weapon is fully secured.
What you need before starting
The Gauntlet step is tied to Klaus and the Aether Barrel, but you still need enough progress in the Ashes of the Damned directed setup to move between the relevant areas. Make sure your route can reach Ashwood, Vandorn Farm, Zarya Cosmodrome, Blackwater Lake and Janus Towers Plaza. The broader Easter egg also expects Ol’ Tessie and her upgrades, although those upgrades are not the trigger for the Gauntlet itself.
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Route and requirement checklist
| Requirement | What it is used for |
|---|---|
| Access to Ashwood | Free Klaus from his cell and later visit one of the Power Pumps. |
| Access to Janus Towers Plaza | Find the Uber Klaus spawn area and use the jump pad route for the rooftop symbols. |
| Access to Zarya Cosmodrome | Scan the Aether Barrel at Support Systems. |
| Access to Blackwater Lake | Charge the barrel at a Power Pump. |
| Access to Vandorn Farm | Use the final Power Pump, deliver the filled barrel to the basement, and operate the cube. |
| A stun grenade | Wake Klaus after inserting his Stabilizer Chip into the cell panel. |
| A way to record three symbols | The symbols are randomized each match, so write them down or capture them while riding the jump pad. |
There is no published authoritative average completion time or success rate for this sequence. Treat the order below as the fixed logic of the quest, while allowing for randomized symbols, randomized later key locations and changes introduced by seasonal patches.
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1. Free Klaus after Round 8
Klaus cannot be rescued at the start of the match. The Uber Klaus elite appears only after you have passed Round 8. Before that point, searching for the chip wastes time because the required elite has not spawned.
Defeat the Uber Klaus elite
- Continue the match until you are beyond Round 8.
- Go to the area behind a truck northwest of Janus Towers Plaza.
- Defeat the Uber Klaus elite that appears there.
- Pick up the Stabilizer Chip it drops.
The chip is the item that lets you open Klaus’s cell. If the elite is not present, check the round requirement first rather than abandoning the quest route.
Open the cell and activate Klaus
- Take the Stabilizer Chip to Klaus’s cell in Ashwood.
- Insert the chip into the gate panel.
- Throw a stun grenade at Klaus’s head.
- Wait for Klaus to leave the cell. He is then available as a controllable ally.
The stun grenade is part of the activation sequence; inserting the chip alone does not complete the rescue. Once Klaus is free, keep him with you because he is needed at Support Systems for the barrel scan.
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2. Scan the Aether Barrel at Support Systems
Find Klaus outside his cell and direct him to the broken wall panel at Support Systems in Zarya Cosmodrome. The scan is performed at that panel, not at a pump.
- Bring Klaus to Support Systems in Zarya Cosmodrome.
- Locate the broken wall panel.
- Stand inside the red circle.
- Remain there until the scan completes.
The red circle is the scan area. Leaving it before completion interrupts the attempt. If the scan fails, start the next round and try again; the documented recovery is to advance the round rather than repeatedly forcing the same failed attempt.
3. Fill the barrel at all three Power Pumps
After the scan, carry the Aether Barrel to the three Power Pumps. The required locations are Blackwater Lake, Ashwood and Vandorn Farm. At each pump, insert the barrel, defend against the extraction waves, and wait for that pump’s portion of the process to finish.
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Recommended delivery order
- Take the scanned barrel to the Power Pump at Blackwater Lake.
- Defend the extraction waves until the pump step completes.
- Move to the Power Pump in Ashwood and repeat the insertion and defense.
- Use the Power Pump at Vandorn Farm for the final charge.
- Carry the now-filled barrel to the basement room at Vandorn Farm.
Vandorn Farm should be your final pump and final delivery. The filled barrel is taken to the basement room there, where it is placed in the cube. Planning the route around that last delivery avoids carrying the charged item away from the puzzle location.
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Manage the charge while travelling
The barrel’s contents decay while you travel between locations. Treat every transition as a race: clear a practical path before inserting the barrel, avoid unnecessary detours, and move directly to the next pump once a defense wave ends. The quest does not provide a permanent charge that can be safely carried indefinitely.
At each pump, expect a combat hold. The defense waves are the part of the step that can be disrupted by a down or by abandoning the pump area. In co-op, one player can concentrate on the barrel carrier while others control the wave; in solo, prepare your equipment and escape route before starting the pump interaction.
4. Read the randomized rooftop symbols
The cube in the Vandorn Farm basement requires three symbols. They are not fixed from match to match. You must read the glowing red symbols on rooftops while riding the jump pad between Vandorn Farm and Janus Towers Plaza.
Capture all three symbols
- Use the jump pad route linking Vandorn Farm and Janus Towers Plaza.
- Watch the rooftops during the ride for three glowing red symbols.
- Memorize the symbols or record them in order on paper, a phone or a screenshot.
- Return to the Vandorn Farm basement.
Do not rely on a symbol sequence from another match. The three symbols are randomized for each game. The order in which you enter the correct symbols does not matter, but all three cube faces must display the matching set.
Enter the symbols in the cube
- Place the filled Aether Barrel in the cube in the Vandorn Farm basement.
- Interact with the cube’s eye to open the symbol interface.
- Set one of the recorded symbols on each of the cube’s three green-circle faces.
- Check that every face shows one of the three rooftop symbols.
- Interact with the eye again to submit the solution.
The green circles identify the three input faces. You are matching the symbols you observed, not solving a mathematical sequence. If the cube does not accept the entry, recheck each face against your own rooftop notes; entering the symbols in a different order is not the issue because entry order is irrelevant.
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5. Survive the Gauntlet lockdown
Submitting the cube starts an immediate trial in the basement. Zombies enter the room and colored orbs appear. The Gauntlet’s spike-recall mechanic is the key to clearing this lockdown.
- Stay in the basement after activating the cube and prepare for the zombie spawn.
- Use the Gauntlet’s spike to shoot each colored orb.
- Reload or recall the spike after the shot so the spike returns and destroys the orb.
- Repeat the shot-and-recall action for every orb.
- Clear the remaining zombies and leave the lockdown when the trial ends.
Simply damaging an orb is not enough. The spike must be recalled to complete the destruction. Keep track of which orbs have been removed so that you do not spend the lockdown circling a target that has already been cleared.
When every orb is destroyed and the lockdown is over, the Necrofluid Gauntlet unlock is confirmed. This is the immediate reward sequence for the Klaus and Aether Barrel quest, separate from the rewards for finishing the entire Ashes of the Damned Easter egg.
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The Gauntlet is not just an optional Wonder Weapon once the basement trial is complete. Later objectives require it to interact with several randomized or quest-specific objects.
Pull the three map keys
Use the Gauntlet to pull the Nightbird, Bruin and Terrapin keys from their randomized map spawns. Because the spawn locations vary, search according to the locations shown in your match rather than following a fixed universal route.
Activate the mirror step
After Wisp Tea activates the mirror, shoot the mirror with the Gauntlet. This is a required interaction in the later sequence.
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Power the four-location challenge
The weapon also powers the later challenge sequence that visits four locations. Completing those objectives advances the broader quest toward the Veytharion fight.
Serum ingredients
The six documented serum ingredients are:
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- Human Bones
- Ravager Eyes
- Hoard Husk Chunks
- Mysterious Limb
These ingredients belong to the full Ashes of the Damned progression; they are not substitutes for the Stabilizer Chip, barrel scan or cube-symbol solution.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Solo and co-op planning
The quest logic is the same for every team size, but the dangerous portions place different demands on the players. No controlled source establishes a completion-rate advantage for solo or co-op, so choose the approach that matches your ability to move the barrel and control crowds.
| Challenge | Solo focus | Co-op focus |
|---|---|---|
| Defending each Power Pump | Start with a stocked loadout and a clear retreat path. The barrel cannot be left indefinitely while you handle the wave. | Have one player stay responsible for the barrel while teammates split the incoming enemies and revive if necessary. |
| Barrel decay during travel | Plan the direct route before starting a pump and avoid side objectives between locations. | Let the carrier move immediately while the other players clear only the enemies that threaten the route. |
| Finding rooftop symbols | Record every symbol during the jump-pad ride so you do not need repeated passes. | Assign one player to call out symbols while another confirms them, then agree on the set before returning to the cube. |
| Basement lockdown | Keep a clear line to each orb and use the spike recall deliberately instead of firing without a return. | Divide attention between orb positions and the zombie flow, but communicate which orbs are already destroyed. |
| Later key pulls | Search randomized spawns methodically and avoid carrying a key through an uncontrolled crowd. | Use one player as the key carrier and have the rest protect that player during each relocation. |
Troubleshooting the sequence
Uber Klaus does not appear
Verify that you have passed Round 8. The elite is gated behind that point in the match. Once the gate is satisfied, check behind the truck northwest of Janus Towers Plaza before moving on.
The Stabilizer Chip does not open the cell
Confirm that you inserted the chip into the gate panel in Ashwood and then used a stun grenade on Klaus’s head. Both interactions belong to the rescue sequence.
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Return to the broken wall panel at Support Systems in Zarya Cosmodrome, bring Klaus to it, and stand inside the red circle for the full scan. If the attempt still fails, begin the next round and retry.
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The barrel loses charge before the next pump
The decay is expected while travelling. Reduce the distance between interactions, remove avoidable detours, and leave the pump as soon as its defense wave is complete. If the charge has already decayed, return to the relevant objective and repeat the pump process according to the state shown in your match.
The cube rejects the symbols
Use the symbols from your own jump-pad ride. They are randomized each match. Confirm that all three green-circle faces contain the three observed symbols, then interact with the cube’s eye again. Changing the order is unnecessary because the order of entry does not matter.
The lockdown will not finish
Look for an orb that was damaged but not destroyed. Shoot it with the spike and perform the reload or recall action so the spike returns and removes it. Continue until every colored orb is gone, then complete the remaining lockdown.
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The Klaus, Aether Barrel and cube route guarantees the Necrofluid Gauntlet once the lockdown is cleared. The alternative is a random Mystery Box appearance, which is not deterministic.
For the full Ashes of the Damned Easter egg, the reported rewards are the Oorah! Operator skin for Dempsey, 10,000 XP and a map-themed Calling Card. Those rewards are tied to completing the broader quest and should not be confused with the Gauntlet obtained from the basement trial.
Round gates, randomized key and symbol locations, and seasonal patches can change execution details. If a current update changes a spawn, interaction prompt or control, follow the prompt shown by your platform while preserving the quest logic: free Klaus, scan and charge the barrel, enter the three symbols, and clear the orb lockdown.
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