Black Ops Zombies Ascension Guide: Prevent Space Monkeys From Breaking Perks
The Ascension map in Call of Duty: Black Ops Zombies adds a chaotic new threat in the form of Space Monkeys. These primates don’t hunt you down directly—instead, they set their sights on your perks. Their job is to knock out Perk Machines by destroying them, forcing you to buy perks again. The good news: there’s a reliable setup that reduces how much damage they can do, lets you collect all six Perks, and prevents Space Monkeys from stealing any of them.
Space Monkeys as a “Max Ammo” round on Ascension
Space Monkeys function like their own special Max Ammo event, similar in spirit to how Hellhounds work. They won’t appear immediately; they only spawn after you’ve purchased your first Perk, which typically happens on the following round.
When they spawn, Space Monkeys will target one of the Perk Machines you’ve bought and attempt to destroy it. If they succeed—or even manage to deal damage—you’re pushed back into repurchasing the perk to restore your setup.
- Space Monkeys operate as a dedicated Max Ammo round.
- They only spawn once you’ve bought your first Perk (usually starting the next round).
- They focus on destroying Perk Machines you already own.
Damage rules and how the round is decided
Each Perk Machine on Ascension has 100 HP. Space Monkey damage depends on distance:
- If you’re far from the targeted Perk Machine, Space Monkeys deal 1 HP worth of damage.
- If you’re close to the targeted Perk Machine, Space Monkeys deal 8 HP worth of damage.
That means the goal isn’t just survival—it’s timing and positioning. You want to reach the Perk Machine and eliminate the Space Monkeys before they destroy it, because destruction forces you to rebuy the perk.
If you kill all Space Monkeys before they ever damage a Perk Machine, you receive a free Random Perk Power-Up and a Max Ammo. If they manage to hit the machine even a single time, you only get Max Ammo instead of the Random Perk reward.
It’s also important to know the limits of the mechanic: there can be no more than 6 active Space Monkeys at once, and they only try to attack 2 active Perk Machines—not every perk machine on the map at the same time.
Step-by-step: stop Space Monkeys and secure all six perks
This strategy is designed for solo play and aims to remove the most vulnerable Perk Machine from the equation early—then build up your perk roster while Space Monkey rounds occur.
Early game setup (Quick Revive first)
Start by obtaining Quick Revive. Then repeatedly down yourself until the Quick Revive machine disappears. You’ll still retain Quick Revive, but with the machine gone, Space Monkeys can’t destroy it.
Route to Power Switch and point farming
Avoid the doors to JuggerNog and travel to the Power Switch through the large room outside. Spin the Mystery Box, but don’t buy any Perks (other than Quick Revive) until you’ve earned around 12,000 Points.
When you hit that point threshold, purchase PhD Flopper. Your next round should be a Space Monkey round.
Build to four Perks and prepare the end game
Defend PhD Flopper, because it’s the only active Perk Machine on the map at this stage. From there, you can kill all Space Monkeys except the last one. Lead toward Mule Kick and Speed Cola and buy both perks, bringing your total to four:
- Quick Revive
- PhD Flopper
- Mule Kick
- Speed Cola
Now, kill the final Space Monkey to receive the Random Perk Power-Up. That reward will grant either Stamin-Up or JuggerNog. Whichever you don’t get yet, wait for the next Space Monkey round and begin at the trap near Pack-a-Punch that connects to Speed Cola and Mule Kick.
When no Space Monkeys are spawned, activate the trap and defend PhD Flopper. This is meant to keep the perk machines safe so you can claim your final Random Perk Power-Up.
Close off JuggerNog and finish the last piece
At this stage, open the route to Stamin-Up to pick up your final Lunar Lander, which can be used to unlock Pack-a-Punch. Keep the JuggerNog area closed so Space Monkeys never reach that location.
Black Ops 1 vs Black Ops 3 perk options (and Der Wunderfizz)
On Call of Duty: Black Ops 1, Ascension only includes these Perks: Quick Revive, Stamin-Up, JuggerNog, PhD Flopper, Speed Cola, and Mule Kick. The same approach works in Black Ops 3, with one extra option: there’s a Der Wunderfizz that can also be used.
If you’re playing Ascension on the OG Black Ops, you may also want to look up other Zombies guides:
- Call of the Dead Easter Egg
- Shangri-La Easter Egg
- Moon Easter Egg
