The hidden Easter egg ending of Astro Malorum has sent shockwaves through the Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 Zombies community. Packed with mysterious imagery, cryptic dialogue, and returning characters, it teases that the next Zombies map—DLC 2—will take the story in a far darker direction than players expect. Players looking to train or explore maps before the next update can buy a CoD BO7 Bot Lobby cheap and practice safely without the pressure of live matches.

Calira’s Fall and the Entity’s Retreat
The ending picks up after the defeat of Calira, who returns to her Shadow-Smith form once freed from the Warden’s control. The Entity, a recurring cosmic being in the Dark Aether storyline, tries to restore the souls of Nikolai and Gray. But something goes wrong. Instead of completing the process, the Entity hesitates and escapes through a red portal filled with smoke and lightning.

Through that fleeting portal, a faint new location is revealed—a strange cosmic landscape that may be DLC 2’s setting. It looks like a swirling mix of stars, gas, and shadow, leaving fans wondering whether the crew is about to enter a new, more dangerous corner of the Dark Aether.

The Warden’s Return
Moments later, the Warden reappears, declaring the group has “earned a time-out.” His arrival ends any hope of rescue. From beneath the ground, demonic creatures known as Ravagers rise and drag the team into a pit of fire—a clear image of hell.

This fiery descent recalls the hellish environments from Mob of the Dead and Blood of the Dead, two classic maps connected to the Warden’s legacy. Some fans believe this “time-out” refers to a pocket dimension outside normal time, similar to those past maps within the Dark Aether realm.

Three Theories for Zombies DLC 2
The Easter egg ending has sparked three major theories about where DLC 2 might take players:

1. A Return to Alcatraz – The flames, demonic imagery, and the Warden’s presence strongly hint at a revisit to Alcatraz. It could be a reimagining of Mob or Blood of the Dead, both iconic parts of Zombies history.

2. An Alpha Omega Remake – A secret in Astro Malorum lets players trigger the Alpha Omega game-over theme by placing gramophones in the Luminarium. This precise callback suggests the Dark Aether could bring back that location in a corrupted form.

3. A New Volcano Map Focused on Takio – Lava visuals and recent concept leaks suggest the next map might be set around a Japanese volcano, centered on Takio Masaki. The theme fits both visually and narratively, deepening Takio’s spiritual and elemental connections.

Breaking the Old Formula
So far, each Black Ops 7 Zombies map has restored the souls of two major characters. But the Warden’s interference in Astro Malorum seems to break that rhythm, hinting that the Dark Aether story could expand beyond the expected four-map cycle. Leaks even suggest there could be five Zombies maps this season instead of four.

Notably, Takio receives the most focus during the ending. While all are dragged into the fire, he resists the hardest, symbolically framing him as the possible main character of the next chapter.

The Darkest Phase of the Storyline
The Warden now stands as the most dangerous threat in the Dark Aether arc. No longer just a prison guard of the underworld, he controls the flow of time, space, and fate. His dominance shows that even with the Entity’s help, the characters are far from safe.

Looking Ahead to DLC 2
The Astro Malorum Easter egg sets the tone for a more sinister and unpredictable stage of Black Ops 7 Zombies. Whether players descend into a fiery Alcatraz, a corrupted version of Alpha Omega, or a volcanic underworld tied to Takio, one thing is certain—the Dark Aether story is about to grow deadlier than ever.

DLC 2 promises higher stakes, deeper lore, and a return to the mysterious, theory-driven storytelling that made Zombies so compelling in the first place.