The Vril Sphere is a Sinister tier relic on Ashes of the Damned that limits you to 4 perks at a time. Unlocking it means finishing off a Doppelghast with a jump pad, then surviving a 5-wave trial at Zarya Cosmodrome where every purchase is disabled. It is worth 2 relic points and sits among the more manageable Sinister relics, since the perk cap is easy to work around. The name is a nod to the classic Vril Device from older Zombies maps.
- Cursed mode, Tier I or higher, round 40+, main Easter egg done
- Kill a Doppelghast with a jump pad launch, no need to weaken it first (any pad works)
- Enter the orange portal at Zarya Cosmodrome, on the wall by the rocket
- Survive 5 waves with all purchases disabled (two are HVT waves)
- Relic effect: caps you at 4 perks, but the cap is easy to bypass
We unlocked this relic ourselves and documented every step below. Creators like ZoneX and his community, plus TheGamingRevolution and MrDalekJD, covered the trial early on YouTube. Our run confirmed the wave structure, the orange portal, and the jump pad method firsthand.
Requirements
Get these sorted before you go hunting for the Vril Sphere trial.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Map | Ashes of the Damned |
| Relic Tier | Sinister (2 relic points) |
| Cursed Tier Needed | Tier I or higher. You need earlier Grim relics equipped to raise the Cursed mode tier. |
| Round 40+ | Sinister relic trials only activate from round 40 onward. |
| Main Easter Egg | Must have completed the Ashes of the Damned main Easter egg (defeat Veytharion). |
| Loadout | Set up perks, ammo, and GobbleGums first. All purchases are disabled once the trial starts. |
Step 1: Jump Pad Doppelghast Kill
From round 40, a Doppelghast spawns roughly once per round. You cannot trigger the relic by killing it normally, it has to die to a jump pad. You do not need to damage it first either. The launch kills a Doppelghast from full health, so skip the shooting and just lure it onto a pad. Any jump pad works, they all deal the same launch damage, so use whichever is closest. Our mod ran it from the Blackwater Lake pad across to Janus Towers Plaza.
Lead the Doppelghast onto the pad and let the launch finish it. The pad throws it up and it explodes on landing. A Mr. Peeks laugh confirms the trigger worked. It can take multiple attempts to line up cleanly.
The Mr Peeks laugh (your confirmation sound)
This laugh confirms the Doppelghast launch trigger worked. It can take multiple tries to line up cleanly.
Once the pad launch lands, the Doppelghast bursts and leaves blood across the ground, your cue that the trigger fired.
The pad kill is the fiddliest part, but not because of health management. The launch kills the Doppelghast from full, so the only real trick is luring it onto the pad and letting the launch connect. If it walks off before you line it up, just retry on the next round.
Step 2: Enter the Portal
After the pad kills the Doppelghast, head to Zarya Cosmodrome. An orange portal spawns on the wall near the base of the rocket. It is orange because this is a Sinister trial, not green like the Grim relic portals.
Walk up to the portal to open the Relic Trial prompt. It spells out both rules up front: all relics are disabled during the trial, and all purchases are disabled. That second rule is the one that catches people out. You cannot buy ammo, perks, or wall weapons once the fight starts, so get everything ready before you press start.
Step 3: Survive the Trial (5 Waves)
| Wave | Objective | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wave 1 | Kill zombies (fill the bar) | Warmup, save ammo where you can |
| Wave 2 | Kill all HVTs | First HVT wave, ammo starts getting tight |
| Wave 3 | Kill zombies (fill the bar) | Standard horde, keep training |
| Wave 4 | Kill zombies (fill the bar) | More zombies, watch your reserves |
| Wave 5 | Kill all HVT Doppelghasts | Final push, this is where runs fall apart |
Two of the five waves are HVT waves where you have to down every Doppelghast, and those are where the no-purchase rule bites hardest. Ammo gets scarce fast because you cannot top up mid-fight.
The fix is preparation, not skill. Bring Vulture Aid for the extra ammo drops and a Max Ammo style GobbleGum for the HVT waves. Combat axes shred the Doppelghasts if you want to save bullets, and a Pack-a-Punch Tier 3 weapon carries the zombie waves. Our mod called the rule brutal but manageable with a good team.
Clear all five waves and the trial complete banner drops. The Vril Sphere is permanently unlocked for Ashes of the Damned and shows up in your relic loadout for future Cursed runs.
Relic Effect
With the Vril Sphere equipped, you can hold a maximum of 4 perks at once instead of an unlimited number. Buy a fifth from a machine while capped and it replaces the perk you have held longest, with one exception: Quick Revive can never be replaced.
The catch is softer than it sounds. That cap only counts perks bought from machines. You can still climb past 4 with a Random Perk power-up, Mystery Perk, free-perk easter eggs, T.E.D.D. trials, or GobbleGums. One of our mods simply popped an Ultra GobbleGum to grab every perk and effectively ignored the limit for the rest of the run.
All Ashes of the Damned Relics
Ashes of the Damned has 9 relics total, the most of any map. For a full breakdown of the relic system and tier rewards, see our What Is Cursed Mode guide. And if you hear music mid-round with no radio nearby, that is Mr Peeks, worth the detour for his egg.
| 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
- Set up your full loadout before starting: a Pack-a-Punch Tier 3 weapon, every perk, and full ammo. Nothing is buyable during the trial.
- Bring Vulture Aid for extra ammo drops and a Max Ammo style GobbleGum. Ammo is the real constraint, not health.
- Combat axes melt the HVT Doppelghasts on waves 2 and 5. Keep a melee option if you are running a Ray Gun.
- Any jump pad kills the Doppelghast, they all deal the same launch damage, so use whichever one is closest when it spawns.
- The portal is orange, not green, and sits on the wall by the rocket at Zarya Cosmodrome.
- The 4-perk cap is easy to bypass, so this is one of the safer Sinister relics to equip, especially solo.
- Need a loadout for reaching round 40 comfortably? Check our best BO7 Zombies loadout guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Vril Sphere relic do in BO7 Zombies?
The Vril Sphere is a Sinister tier relic on Ashes of the Damned worth 2 relic points. When equipped, it caps you at 4 perks at once instead of the usual unlimited amount. The cap only applies to perks bought from machines. You can still push past it with a Random Perk power-up, Mystery Perk, free-perk easter eggs, T.E.D.D. trials, or GobbleGums.
How do you unlock the Vril Sphere relic on Ashes of the Damned?
Beat the Ashes of the Damned main Easter egg first, then run a Tier I or higher Cursed match. From round 40, a Doppelghast spawns each round. Lure one onto a jump pad, which kills it from full health and spawns an orange portal at Zarya Cosmodrome. Enter the portal and survive the 5-wave trial while all purchases are disabled.
Where does the Vril Sphere portal spawn?
The portal appears at Zarya Cosmodrome, on the wall near the base of the rocket. It is orange, not green like the Grim (tier one) relic trials. You only trigger it after killing a Doppelghast with a jump pad from round 40 onward.
Can you bypass the 4-perk limit on the Vril Sphere relic?
Yes. The cap only counts perks bought from a machine. Random Perk power-ups, Mystery Perk, GobbleGums, and free-perk easter eggs all let you go past 4. One of our mods just popped an Ultra GobbleGum to grab every perk. If you buy a fifth machine perk while capped, it replaces the perk you have held longest, except Quick Revive, which cannot be replaced.
Is the Vril Sphere relic worth equipping in BO7?
It is one of the more manageable Sinister relics because the perk cap is so easy to work around. Many players call it the safer solo Sinister pick over Focusing Stone, which disables self-revives. The only real downside is that rebuilding a full perk setup after a down takes longer.
Can you unlock the Vril Sphere relic solo?
Yes, but the 5-wave trial with two HVT waves and no purchases is tough alone. Co-op helps because teammates can revive you. Our team found it brutal but manageable with a full loadout, Vulture Aid, and a Max Ammo GobbleGum set up before entering the portal.
Stuck on the jump pad kill or after a squad for the round 40 Cursed grind? Join 50,000+ players in the COD Central Discord. Our Zombies channels run relic trials daily, and the team that unlocked this one is in there to help.
