Pack-a-Punch is the backbone of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Zombies, but the first upgrade, costing 5,000 Essence, slows down early runs. On Ashes of the Damned, there is a repeatable trick that converts one field upgrade into a free Pack-a-Punch tier for the gun in your hands, without touching your Essence.
What the free Pack-a-Punch trick does
The interaction hinges on three moving parts:
| Piece | What it is | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Toxic Growth | A Zombies field upgrade unlocked at player level 29. | Rapidly accelerates a special plant’s growth when placed on top of it. |
| Fumigator | A handheld sprayer found around Ashes of the Damned (small tank with a hose). | Lets you interact with dormant green plants scattered in grassy areas. |
| Green plants | Small, orb-like bulbs on the ground, especially around farm-style areas. | Can grow into loot plants; with Toxic Growth they can drop Raw Aetherium Crystals. |
When you combine all three at the right time, a single plant can spit out a Raw Aetherium Crystal that instantly applies a Pack-a-Punch tier to the weapon you are holding — no Essence cost. The result is functionally identical to paying for a Tier I Pack-a-Punch on that gun, and very rarely can even be higher tier.
Step 1: Unlock and equip Toxic Growth
Toxic Growth is a field upgrade, not a tactical grenade or perk, so it must be set in your Zombies loadout before you start a match.
| Requirement | Detail |
|---|---|
| Player level | Reach level 29 to unlock Toxic Growth. |
| Loadout slot | Select Toxic Growth in the Field Upgrade slot of your Zombies loadout. |
| Mode support | Works in Ashes of the Damned’s main map and its survival variants. |
Once in a match, Toxic Growth charges the same way as other field upgrades: killing zombies, dealing damage, and surviving rounds. Expect it to be ready around round five if you are playing normally and staying active.
Step 2: Find and pick up a fumigator
The fumigator is a small device that looks like a tank with a hose attached. It sits as a world pickup in several locations on Ashes of the Damned, including inside the barn at Vandorn Farm near the power switch. When you walk up to one and interact, your character picks it up as a permanent key item for that session.
| Fumigator behavior | Notes |
|---|---|
| Item persistence | Stays with you after pickup; you don’t need to regrab it every round. |
| Per-player | Each player must grab their own fumigator if they want to grow plants themselves. |
| Spawn pattern | Multiple fumigators are placed around the map; if you miss one, another is likely nearby in a building you unlock. |
The fumigator’s only job here is to enable interaction with the strange green bulbs in the grass. Before you pick one up, those plants cannot be used; afterward, they gain an interact prompt.
Step 3: Locate the green plants
Ashes of the Damned hides many small green plants in its outdoor spaces. They are low to the ground and resemble smooth, green spheres or bulbs nestled in the grass. On the survival slice of the map, for example, several common spots include:
- Near hay bales close to spawn.
- In long grass beside the barn, in the area where Chompy stands.
- Other grassy edges around farm buildings and open fields.
On the full Ashes map, similar plants appear throughout grassy zones, especially around Vandorn Farm and other rural-style locations. You do not need to memorize spawns; once you know their appearance, you will notice them naturally while moving between objectives.
Early in a match, these bulbs do nothing, even with a fumigator. They only become useful after power is on and you have the fumigator equipped.
Step 4: Turn on power so plants become usable
The plant trick assumes you have at least one power switch active. On Ashes of the Damned, that means driving Ol’ Tessie out of spawn, clearing fungus from a Power Pump on either Vandorn Farm or Blackwater Lake, and flipping the switch in the barn or cabin.
| Area | Objective | Power switch location |
|---|---|---|
| Vandorn Farm | Clear fungus from the Power Pump within a 30-second timer window. | Upstairs inside the barn after buying the door. |
| Blackwater Lake | Clear similar fungus growths from a Power Pump, also on a 30-second timer. | Upstairs in the lakeside cabin, behind a paid door. |
Once one of these switches is on and you have picked up a fumigator, you can start interacting with green plants. Power also helps because it opens perk machines, wallbuys, and better space to manage zombies while you protect the plant.
Step 5: Charge Toxic Growth before starting the plant
The timing of the field upgrade matters more than the timing of the fumigator. You want Toxic Growth charged and ready before you begin growing a plant; otherwise, the plant will grow slowly and likely get hit by zombies, downgrading its reward.
Plan to:
- Play normally until your Toxic Growth meter is full (roughly five in a typical solo game).
- Keep one or two zombies alive at the end of a round or finish a special round so you have breathing room.
- Only then, walk up to a plant with your fumigator and start the sequence.
Step 6: Grow a plant with Toxic Growth for a Raw Aetherium Crystal
With power on, a fumigator in your inventory, and Toxic Growth charged, you can finally convert one of the bulbs into a Pack-a-Punch tier.
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Interact with a green plant while holding a fumigator | The bulb becomes an active growth plant, starting to sprout over time. |
| Immediately place Toxic Growth directly on top of the plant | Growth speed increases dramatically, and special purple-eyed zombies spawn to attack it. |
| Defend the plant until it reaches full size | When fully grown and undamaged, it can drop a Raw Aetherium Crystal. |
The Toxic Growth patch needs to sit literally over the plant’s position — think of it as covering the bulb. When active, the plant will jump through growth stages in seconds instead of slowly maturing over several rounds. At the same time, several marked zombies with purple eyes will spawn in and path to the plant, trying to hit it.
Your tasks during this window are simple:
- Stay close to the plant.
- Kill any zombie that approaches the Toxic Growth patch.
- Avoid dragging a full round’s horde through the area while the plant is vulnerable.
If you keep zombies off it until it reaches maximum size, the plant will spit out loot. The key drop you are looking for is the Raw Aetherium Crystal: a floating crystal shard that, when picked up, immediately applies a Pack-a-Punch tier to whatever weapon you are holding at that moment.
How the Raw Aetherium Crystal upgrade works
The Raw Aetherium Crystal from this interaction behaves like a direct Pack-a-Punch purchase for your current gun.
| Property | Behavior |
|---|---|
| Upgrade target | Only the weapon in your hands when you pick up the crystal gets upgraded. |
| Tier | Typically grants a Tier I Pack-a-Punch; rarely, a higher-tier crystal can appear. |
| Essence cost | Zero Essence; the upgrade is completely free. |
| Stacking | Stacks with later paid Pack-a-Punch upgrades and normal rarity upgrades. |
Because the crystal only affects the weapon you are holding, you should decide in advance which gun you want to receive the free tier. Many runs will benefit from applying it to a strong early weapon you plan to keep long term — a reliable AR, LMG, or shotgun — or even to your melee weapon if you want a one-hit knife for farming points and salvage in the early rounds.
Failure states and RNG
The interaction is not guaranteed every time; both your defense and some randomness affect the outcome.
| Scenario | Outcome |
|---|---|
| Plant takes any zombie hit before full growth | Growth stops prematurely; loot is downgraded to lesser items such as grenades or tools instead of a crystal. |
| Plant grows fully and remains untouched | Plant drops high-tier loot, with a chance for a Raw Aetherium Crystal. |
| Fully grown, untouched plant but bad roll | No crystal drops; you get other useful loot, but no free Pack-a-Punch. |
There is genuine RNG here. Even when you defend perfectly, and the plant reaches maximum size without being hit, it may not give you a crystal on that attempt. However, the interaction is repeatable:
- Plants regrow over time and across rounds.
- You can repeat the sequence on other bulbs once your Toxic Growth is recharged.
- A single match can contain multiple chances at a crystal if you are disciplined about timing.
Why this is strong in early Ashes of the Damned runs
A normal Pack-a-Punch path on Ashes of the Damned asks you to:
- Install T.E.D.D.’s head in Ol’ Tessie.
- Turn on the power at either Vandorn Farm or Blackwater Lake.
- Turn on the power again at Ashwood via Ashwood Bridge’s Power Pump.
- Drive Tessie into the Ashwood garage to bolt the Pack-a-Punch machine to the truck bed.
That path is still required for mid-game and for upgrading multiple guns, but it forces you to spend both time and Essence on doors and objectives before a single weapon gets upgraded. The plant trick works earlier in that curve and lets you redirect your first 5,000 Essence into perks, additional doors, or a second weapon instead of your first Pack-a-Punch purchase.
In practice, an efficient early sequence on Ashes of the Damned often looks like this:
- Spawn in, build points with melee and headshots.
- Progress toward power and grab a fumigator along the way.
- Ensure Toxic Growth is in your field upgrade slot and let it charge.
- Once power is on and Toxic Growth is ready, isolate a plant between rounds and grow it for a crystal.
- Use the free Pack-a-Punch tier on the gun you plan to rely on through mid-game.
You still need the mobile Pack-a-Punch on Ol’ Tessie for multiple tiers and other weapons, but starting with one gun already upgraded fundamentally changes how safe it feels to navigate the map’s driving segments and timed infestation objectives.
The free Pack-a-Punch trick in Black Ops 7 Zombies is not a cheat; it simply rewards planning around a single field upgrade and a quiet moment between rounds. Once Toxic Growth is unlocked at level 29, building early games around one or two plant attempts quickly becomes a natural part of efficient Ashes of the Damned runs.
