How to Upgrade the Ice Staff in Call of Duty: Black Ops II Zombies

Last Updated: December 3, 2019

The ice staff, officially dubbed the “Staff of Ice” in Call of Duty: Black Ops II Zombies, is a weapon that shoots blasts of ice so that zombies and other objects freeze and break apart. The Staff of Ice can be upgraded to an enhanced weapon called Ull’s Arrow, which functions similarly to the ice staff but has a wider range and stronger impact. The ice staff can be upgraded by completing a series of in-game tasks located in the Crazy Place and near the Excavation Site.

Part 1

Part 1 of 4:

Solving the Crazy Place Puzzle

1
Create a portal in any element mine to access the Crazy Place. The Crazy Place features a riddle that must be solved before you can upgrade the ice staff. Once you arrive at the Crazy Place, you’ll see a series of stone slabs surrounding a blue beam of light, which is your portal.
2
Examine the six panels of stone and ice floating above the portal. Each panel contains a series of symbols that correspond with those on the panels on the stone slabs surrounding the portal. To solve the riddle, you must match the patterns on the ceiling with those on the stone slabs, and shoot each panel in the correct order using the ice staff.

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3
Use your ice staff to shoot each ceiling panel in the correct order. After shooting the correct panel, the stone will flip around. All six panels must be flipped to solve the puzzle.^{[1]
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Research source} After completing the puzzle, you’ll hear Samantha’s voice, and your character will be transported back to the original realm.
- Recruit another player for help with battling zombies as you solve the puzzle if playing multi-player mode. This helps prevent zombies from distracting you and attacking your character as you’re trying to complete the puzzle.

Part 2

Part 2 of 4:

Destroying the Tombstones

1
Navigate to each of the three tombstones that feature water flowing from each stone. Your task is to destroy each tombstone using the ice staff. Each of the three gravestones are located in the following positions: to the right of the MP-40 near Generator 4, between the Excavation Site and a large footprint near Generator 4, and at the top of the small hill on your right when heading left out of the back exit of the bunker next to Generator 2. Each tombstone is light gray in color, and may blend in slightly with the game’s background.
2
Shoot each tombstone using your Staff of Ice. This will freeze each tombstone so they can be destroyed with a weapon.
3
Shoot each tombstone using a bullet weapon. The tombstones will shatter and become destroyed. After destroying all three tombstones, you’ll hear Samantha’s voice and enter the third phase of your mission.

Part 3

Part 3 of 4:

Releasing the Blue Orb

1
Navigate back to the Excavation Site and take the spiral staircase downstairs into the tunnel. You’ll see a series of floating discs near the bottom of the stairs.
2
Pull each of the levers located around the floating discs to light up the blue lights on each disc. Two levers are located on the walkway, and two levers are located on the wood scaffolding. When all four discs are lit up, you’ll see a blue orb floating inside the discs.
3
Navigate to the very bottom of the staircase so the blue orb is located directly above you.
4
Use the ice staff to shoot the blue orb. The orb will fly up into the air, and exit the Excavation Site. Samantha will speak once again, and you’ll be ready for the last phase of the mission.

Part 4

Part 4 of 4:

Upgrading the Ice Staff

1
Navigate back to the Crazy Place. To upgrade the ice staff, you must place the staff inside a blue pedestal located in the Crazy Place.
2
Head over to the blue pedestal, then place your ice staff on top of the pedestal. The ice staff will hover and float above the pedestal.
3
Use a gun to slaughter as many zombies as possible in the Crazy Place. This allows the ice staff to collect souls. You must kill approximately 20 zombies to collect enough souls needed to upgrade the ice staff. When the mission is complete, Samantha will inform you that the power of ice is available, and the ice staff will now be outlined in red.
4
Navigate back to the blue pedestal and grab the staff. The Staff of Ice will now be upgraded to Ull’s Arrow.^{[2]
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