How to Build and Upgrade the Ice Staff for High Rounds in BO2 Zombies Origins

The Ice Staff (and its upgrade) is the strongest staff option you can build in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Black Ops 3 Zombies—specifically in Origins. If you want the best Wonder Weapon for pushing high rounds (or continuing an Easter egg route), you’ll need to know exactly where the required parts are, how to assemble the staff, and how to upgrade it into its overpowered form. Below is a complete, step-by-step guide to both building and upgrading the Ice Staff, plus where each piece is located.

Whether you’re running solo or teaming up, this is also the kind of walkthrough you can use to complete the “Little Lost Girl” Easter egg in Origins, since the process is laid out one step at a time.

How to Build the Ice Staff in Origins

Step #1: Obtain the Blue Disc

• Found on the first table with the 115 rocks in Generator 2’s Tank Station.
• Found on a shelf to the right of the Mystery Box in Generator 2’s Tank Station.
• Found on a shelf opposite the G-Strike tablets in Generator 2’s Tank Station.

Step #2: Acquire the Three Ice Staff Parts

To get the Ice Staff components, you’ll have to wait for the map to begin snowing. Snow doesn’t happen at a fixed moment; it arrives randomly after a few rounds, so keep progressing until it starts to fall. Once you see snow in the air, use the shovel you picked up from the spawn area to dig up the Ice Staff dig sites—small dirt mounds with bones sticking out of them.

1. The first part can be dug up from the trenches at Generator 2 and Generator 3.
2. The second part can be dug up in No Man’s Land, around Generator 5 and Generator 4.
3. The third part can be dug up outside and around the Church—either before entering or by going through near Generator 6.

Step #3: Get the Ice Staff Crystal & Build the Staff

After you collect all three Ice Staff parts and the Blue Disc, head to the Ice Tunnel. It’s positioned opposite Generator 6 near the Church. Go down the tunnel and use the gramophone on the table to enter the Crazy Place. From there, move toward the blue podium to claim the blue crystal.

Now that you have the blue crystal and every Ice Staff part, exit the Crazy Place and head back to the Excavation Site. Enter the lower area to find four statues. When you interact with the middle-left statue, you’ll be able to build the Ice Staff. Once it’s assembled, the next goal is upgrading it into the OP version.

How to Upgrade the Ice Staff in Origins

Step #1: Solve the Ice Chamber Puzzle in the Crazy Place

With your newly built Ice Staff in hand, return to the Crazy Place. Go to the ice section where you’ll see blue symbols both on the wall and on the ceiling. Your task is to use the Ice Staff to shoot the ceiling symbols—but you first need to figure out what each symbol means.

Look up the reference map of symbols (shown in the area) so you can match the wall symbol to the correct ceiling symbol. Then it’s straightforward: check your wall mark, translate it to the matching ceiling mark, shoot that ceiling symbol, and continue until there are no remaining symbols to hit.

Step #2: Freeze and Destroy the Headstones

After the puzzle, three headstones will appear around the map. Shoot each one with the Ice Staff to freeze it, then follow up with any standard bullet weapon to shatter and destroy it:

1. When facing the Excavation Site from Generator 4.
2. To the right of the wall-buy at Generator 4.
3. To the left of the destroyed Giant Robot’s hand at the back of Generator 2’s Tank Station.

When all three tombstones are destroyed, a beam of light will rise from the Excavation Site—then you’ll need to return to that location.

Step #3: Shoot the Blue Orb

Head back to the Excavation Site and go down the stairs past Pack-a-Punch to the statue area where you originally built the Ice Staff. Here you’ll find a setup with dials and a blue orb beneath them. Interact with the levers on the scaffolding to adjust the dials until they all display a blue symbol. After that, fire the Ice Staff at the blue orb to send it back to the Crazy Place.

Step #4: Feed the Ice Staff Zombie Souls

Finally, return to the Crazy Place again. Place the Ice Staff into the blue podium, then focus on survival and zombie kills—your goal is to get 20 zombie kills, which feeds the staff the souls of the undead. Once it has enough souls, pick the Ice Staff back up to claim the upgraded Ull’s Arrow.

Is the Ice Staff the Best Staff in Origins?

Yes—the Ice Staff is widely considered the best staff in Origins. It can deal infinite damage up to Round 112. Even if you plan to push beyond that point, you can still charge the Ice Staff to freeze zombies, making them vulnerable to one-shot kills with essentially any other weapon you’re using.

If you want something even better, the only real alternative is personal taste—some players prefer the Wind Staff. Between the two top options, the Ice Staff also has the bigger ammo pool (99 total), making it easier to camp effectively. A common strategy is to fire a charged shot and simply watch the blizzard clear the surrounding zombies while you hold a position.

Since Origins offers four elemental staffs to build and upgrade in Black Ops 2 and Black Ops 3, you may also want guides for the other staff types:

• How to Build the Fire Staff
• How to Build the Ice Staff (You are here!)
• How to Build the Wind Staff
• How to Build the Lightning Staff

Call of Duty: Black Ops II

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