The Teddy Bear relic, or Samantha’s Teddy Bear, is a Grim tier relic on Ashes of the Damned in BO7 Cursed Mode. To unlock it you collect all 10 Mr Peeks hidden around the map with the Aether Shroud active, pulling each one in with the Necrofluid Gauntlet, then clear a short 4-wave trial where every weapon shot costs 100 essence. Once equipped, it cuts your round start delay by 75%, so rounds roll over almost instantly. In 2026 it is still one of the easiest relics on the map to grab.
- Cursed Mode on Ashes of the Damned, main Easter egg done, Tier 1 relic access
- Collect 10 Mr Peeks with the Aether Shroud active: 9 are on the map from the start, the 10th spawns at the Diner on round 20
- Shoot each Mr Peeks with the Necrofluid Gauntlet, then retract the tether to pull him in and pick him up
- After all 10, the trial spawns at Vandorn Farm: survive 4 waves where every weapon shot costs 100 essence, so melee instead
- Relic effect: round start delay cut by 75% (Grim tier, 1 relic point)
Our team unlocked the Teddy Bear on a Cursed run and grabbed screenshots of every Mr Peeks spot through the Aether Shroud, plus the trial and the unlock screen. It is one of the quicker Grim relics once you know the route and the melee trick. Creators like TheGamingRevolution, MrDalekJD, and TAG935 covered it too, and ZoneX maps out every Mr Peeks spot for his community.
Requirements
The Teddy Bear only opens up once you are already set for Cursed relics. Here is what you need in place before you start.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Map | Ashes of the Damned |
| Relic Tier | Grim (1 relic point) |
| Main Easter Egg | Must be completed. Relics only unlock in Cursed after the map’s main quest. |
| Cursed Access | Tier 1, so you need enough relics equipped to reach the first tier. |
| Field Upgrade | Aether Shroud, the only way to see Mr Peeks for the relic. |
| Wonder Weapon | The Necrofluid Gauntlet, to pull each Mr Peeks in and to melee the trial. |
| Round 20 | The final Mr Peeks (at the Diner) does not spawn until round 20. |
New to the mode? Our What Is Cursed Mode guide explains the three tiers and how relic points work. It is worth a read before you go relic hunting, since the whole system gates what you can equip.
Step 1: Collect All 10 Mr Peeks
The Teddy Bear unlock runs through Mr Peeks. There are 10 of them hidden around the map, and you have to collect every one before the trial will spawn. Nine are on the map from the start, so you can start grabbing them as soon as you have the wonder weapon. The 10th, at the Diner, does not appear until round 20, so save that one for last.
Two things make Mr Peeks collectable. The Aether Shroud field upgrade is the only way to see him, so pop the shroud and his glowing marker stands out against the blue haze. Then hit him with the Necrofluid Gauntlet and retract the tether to reel him in and pick him up. No shroud means no Mr Peeks, and no Gauntlet means no way to pull him, so both are hard requirements.
Before you start, spec the Aether Shroud augments if you have them unlocked. Extra Charge gives you an extra use, and Extension makes each shroud last significantly longer, so you get more time to sweep for Mr Peeks per activation. In co-op, Group Shroud cloaks nearby allies too. Those three turn a tight search window into a comfortable one.
Collect the nine early spawns in one loop while you build points, then head to the Diner once you hit round 20 for the last one. You can grab them in any order, so follow whatever route is fastest across the map.
All 10 Mr Peeks Locations
Here is every Mr Peeks spot, caught through the Aether Shroud on our run. Click any shot to enlarge it. The Diner one is the round 20 spawn, so leave it until last.
Click to enlarge Vandorn Farm (on the silo) 
Click to enlarge Terminus Boat (underneath) 
Click to enlarge Janus Towers Plaza 
Click to enlarge Support Systems 
Click to enlarge Cabin (Blackwater Lake) 
Click to enlarge Lost Cabins 
Click to enlarge Ashwood 
Click to enlarge Rabbit Alley 
Click to enlarge Zarya Cosmodrome 
Click to enlarge Exit 115 Diner (round 20) 
The Diner spawn is the fiddly one, since Mr Peeks sits up in the highway signs on the roof. Climb onto the diner roof itself rather than trying to line him up from the street and it is a much easier grab. Full credit to ZoneX and his community, who mapped out every Mr Peeks spot on Ashes of the Damned. For how Mr Peeks works across every Cursed map, our Mr Peeks BO7 guide covers the shared mechanics, and our Mr Peeks Ashes locations guide has more on his egg hunt.
Step 2: Survive the Trial (4 Waves)
Once all 10 Mr Peeks are collected, the trial portal spawns at Vandorn Farm, over on the side of the shed.
Starting the trial drops you into a 4-wave fight with one nasty modifier: every weapon shot costs 100 essence. Fire a full mag and you can burn through thousands of points in seconds. That single rule shapes the entire fight.
The waves mix standard zombie clears with HVT waves, and there are four in total. Here is how the run breaks down.
| Wave | Objective | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clear the wave | Melee only, keep your essence |
| 2 | Kill the HVTs | The one place firing a shot is worth it |
| 3 | Clear the wave | Back to melee and traps |
| 4 | Final push | Finish the last targets to complete it |
The way we cleared it without bleeding points was simple: melee everything. The upgraded Necrofluid Gauntlet chews through the standard waves for free, traps pick up kills without spending a shot, and a War Machine handles the HVT waves when you do need real damage. Firing costs you 100 essence a shot, so knifing the Gauntlet keeps your points intact through the whole trial.
There is a second, blunter approach. If you have points to spare and you are only running the map for the relic, the essence penalty barely matters. Load up something like Mustang and Sally and just power through it. You will drop a chunk of points, but you were not saving them for anything else. Melee is the clean way to do it, brute force is the fast way when your bank is fat.
Clear all four waves and the “Trial Complete” banner drops. The Teddy Bear is permanently unlocked for Ashes of the Damned.
Relic Effect
Equip the Teddy Bear and your round start delay is cut down by 75%. In plain terms, the gap between one round ending and the next starting almost disappears. The horde is on you again the moment the last zombie drops, with no breather in between.
That cuts both ways. For speedrunners and anyone chasing high rounds, less dead time between rounds means a faster, tighter run. The flip side is that the short gap gives you less room to hit the box, buy perks, or Pack-a-Punch between rounds, so you have to do your shopping while zombies are still up rather than waiting for the lull.
Is the Teddy Bear Relic Worth It?
For the unlock, absolutely. Our honest take is that the Teddy Bear is the easiest relic on Ashes and the one we would tell anyone to grab first. The person on our team who ground it out flat out calls it the best relic on the map. The trial is only four waves, the melee strategy sidesteps the essence penalty entirely, and you walk away with a relic point toward the higher Cursed tiers. There is no reason to skip it.
Whether you keep it equipped is more personal. The 75% round delay cut is a pacing tweak, not a power buff like slower enemies or free perks. If you like a fast, aggressive run it is genuinely nice to have. If you lean on the breather between rounds to reset and shop, you might prefer a different Grim relic. Either way, unlock it early for the point and decide later.
Grab the Teddy Bear as one of your first Ashes relics. The trial is short, meleeing the Gauntlet beats the essence penalty, and the relic point is worth it even if the 75% effect is not your style.
All Ashes of the Damned Relics
Ashes of the Damned has 9 relics total, the most of any Cursed map, split across the three tiers. The Teddy Bear is one of the three Grim relics, the entry-level tier. Here is the full set, with the guides we have written linked in the table. For free perks while you grind, our Mr Peeks guide covers the egg drops that hand them out.
| Tier | Relic | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Grim | Dragon Wings | Power-ups do not spawn |
| Grim | Lawyer’s Pen | Mimic props infiltrate the map |
| Grim | Teddy Bear | 75% round delay reduction |
| Sinister | Vril Sphere | Limits you to 4 perks |
| Sinister | Samantha’s Drawing | Weapon swaps each round (gun game) |
| Sinister | Focusing Stone | Self-revives disabled |
| Wicked | Bus | Enemy health regenerates |
| Wicked | Dragon | Ammo caches disabled |
| Wicked | Blood Vials | All augments disabled |
Tips
- Have the Aether Shroud and the Necrofluid Gauntlet ready before you start. You need both to spot and pull each Mr Peeks.
- Grab the nine early Mr Peeks in one loop while you build points, then head to the Diner for the 10th once you hit round 20.
- You can collect the Mr Peeks in any order, so take whatever route across the map is fastest for you.
- Melee the whole trial with the upgraded Gauntlet. Every shot costs 100 essence, so knifing keeps your points.
- Drop a trap for free kills during the standard waves instead of firing into the horde.
- Save your shots for the HVT waves, where a War Machine earns back the essence it costs.
- Fat bank and only after the relic? Ignore the penalty and brute force it with Mustang and Sally.
- It is a Grim relic with a 4-wave trial, so it is a solid first unlock. Need a survival setup to get there? Our best BO7 Zombies loadout guide holds up deep into a run.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Teddy Bear relic do in BO7 Zombies?
The Teddy Bear relic, also called Samantha's Teddy Bear, cuts your round start delay by 75%. The next round begins almost the moment the last zombie dies, so there is barely any downtime between rounds. It is a Grim tier relic on Ashes of the Damned, worth 1 relic point.
How do you unlock the Teddy Bear relic on Ashes of the Damned?
Reach Cursed Mode with the map's main Easter egg done, then collect all 10 Mr Peeks around the map with the Aether Shroud active, hitting each one with the Necrofluid Gauntlet and retracting the tether to pull him in. After all 10, a 4-wave trial spawns at Vandorn Farm where every weapon shot costs 100 essence. Clear all four waves to unlock the relic.
How many Mr Peeks do you need for the Teddy Bear relic in BO7?
You need to collect 10 Mr Peeks. Nine are on the map from the start, so you can grab them as soon as you have the wonder weapon, and the 10th spawns at the Diner on round 20. You can collect them in any order.
Where does Mr Peeks spawn for the Teddy Bear relic in BO7?
Mr Peeks hides at 10 spots across Ashes of the Damned, including Vandorn Farm, the Terminus boat, Janus Towers Plaza, Lost Cabins, Ashwood, Zarya Cosmodrome, and the Diner at Exit 115. You need the Aether Shroud active to see him at any of them.
What is the Teddy Bear relic trial in BO7 Cursed Mode?
It is a 4-wave survival fight with one modifier: every weapon shot costs 100 essence. Standard waves are mixed with HVT waves. The trick is to melee instead of shoot, so you clear the waves without draining your points.
Do you need the Easter egg done for the Teddy Bear relic?
Yes. Relics only unlock in Cursed Mode after you complete the map's main Easter egg, and you need Tier 1 access on top of that. Once you are set up for Cursed relics, the Teddy Bear is one of the easiest to grab.
What tier is the Teddy Bear relic on Ashes of the Damned?
The Teddy Bear is a Grim tier relic, the lowest of the three tiers, worth 1 relic point. Grim relics are the entry-level ones with the simplest trials, which is why the Teddy Bear is a good first relic to unlock on Ashes.
Is the Teddy Bear relic worth it in BO7?
For the unlock, yes. The trial is short and easy, and it hands you a relic point toward higher Cursed tiers. The 75% round delay cut is a quality-of-life effect rather than a power buff, so most players grab it early for the point and keep it on for the faster pacing.
How do you avoid losing essence in the Teddy Bear trial?
Melee everything. The upgraded Necrofluid Gauntlet clears the standard waves for free, traps rack up kills without spending a shot, and you only really need to fire on the HVT waves. If you have points to burn and are only after the relic, you can ignore the penalty and brute force it with something like Mustang and Sally.
Stuck finding Mr Peeks or clearing the trial? Join 50,000+ players in the COD Central Discord. Our Zombies channels are full of people running Cursed relics daily, and someone is usually up for a co-op run through the Ashes trials.
