The Spider Fang is a Sinister tier relic on Astra Malorum, and its effect is simple: perk machine prices never decrease. To unlock it you have to reach round 40 in Cursed mode, then land a melee kill on an O.S.C.A.R. elite at the exact moment your Wisp Tea companion is attacking him. That timing is why the community calls it the most frustrating relic in Black Ops 7. One player on Reddit said it took 10 hours and around 33 gobblegums before it finally registered.
- Map: Astra Malorum, Cursed Tier 1 or higher, main Easter egg already done
- Reach round 40, summon Wisp Tea with a damaging augment
- Get the wisp attacking an O.S.C.A.R. elite, then melee the killing blow yourself
- Mr. Peeks laughs, portal spawns in the Archive of Orbis
- Clear the 5-wave no-perks trial. Effect: perk prices never drop back down
We collected first-hand notes from our COD Central Zombies team after they unlocked this one, and their takeaway flips the usual narrative. The unlock is a grind, but the relic itself is better than its reputation. We will cover the exact method, the augment setup, the save-and-quit bug to avoid, and whether it is actually worth running.
What the Spider Fang Relic Does
Spider Fang locks your perk prices so they only ever climb. In a normal Cursed run, the cost to rebuy a perk you lost after going down eases back down as the match goes on. With Spider Fang active, that never happens. Once a price goes up, repurchasing always costs the highest amount you previously paid.
This is the part most players get wrong. A lot of people equip it, see no obvious change, and assume it does nothing. On Reddit, players openly argue about when perk prices ever decrease in the first place. The honest answer from our team: it only stings if you go down repeatedly. As our mod put it, “it only punishes you if you go down a lot, so if you never go down you’ll be completely fine.” Creators like VermillionIchor break the effect down the same way.
Perk prices never come back down. If you rarely go down, Spider Fang is one of the least intrusive Sinister relics you can run.
Requirements
Get these sorted before you start grinding round 40. Missing the main Easter egg requirement is the most common reason players cannot get the relic to trigger at all.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Map | Astra Malorum |
| Relic Tier | Sinister (middle tier) |
| Cursed Tier Needed | Tier 1 or higher. Our mod runs Tier 3 for better weapons and upgrades, but Tier 1 is enough. |
| Main Easter Egg | Must have completed the Astra Malorum main Easter egg at least once. This applies to every relic on the map. |
| Round | Round 40+ for the O.S.C.A.R. step. |
| Wisp Tea | Unlocked and slotted with a damaging augment (see below). |
The relic O.S.C.A.R. kill is not the same as the main Easter egg O.S.C.A.R. fight. The main quest has you defeat O.S.C.A.R. using map traps for the LGM-1. The Spider Fang step is a single melee kill with Wisp Tea on round 40. Do not confuse the two.
Step 1: Set Up Wisp Tea
Wisp Tea summons a companion wisp that attacks enemies after your kills. For this relic, the augment you pick matters. You need one that actually deals damage, because the wisp has to be attacking the O.S.C.A.R. for your melee kill to count.
| Slot | Pick | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Major | A damaging augment (Mask of Wrath works) | The wisp must attack and stay on the O.S.C.A.R. |
| Avoid | Mask of Benevolence, Mask of Distraction | These do not deal damage, so the kill will not register. |
| Minor | Extension and Haste | Wisp lasts longer and recharges faster between summons. |
Our mod ran full duration and haste augments every time and used a guaranteed Mr. Peeks gobblegum laugh to line up the wisp. After the wisp despawns there is a short cooldown, and then you need to kill roughly 30 zombies to summon it again, so do not waste a window.
Step 2: Kill O.S.C.A.R. With Your Melee
This is the step that breaks people. On round 40 or later, an O.S.C.A.R. elite spawns. You have to land the final hit on him with your melee weapon while Wisp Tea is actively attacking him. The wisp needs to be on him, not just floating nearby.
Here is the exact routine our mod used, and they say they have never failed it:
- Go in with an Insta-Kill gobblegum and the Idle Eyes augment to make the challenge easier and keep O.S.C.A.R. still.
- Pack-a-Punch your knife to the highest tier (our mod ran an Ultra rarity knife at PaP 4) so the melee lands the kill cleanly.
- Follow behind O.S.C.A.R. and wait for your wisp to appear.
- Pop your gobblegum, get the wisp attacking him, then knife him while the wisp is on him.
When the wisp is active it sits on O.S.C.A.R. for a few seconds, then hops off for two to three seconds. That gives you roughly three or four knife hits per pass. Our mod called it “not as tricky as it is tedious.” Keep the first O.S.C.A.R. of the match alive up to round 40 so his health stays low and the knife finishes him faster.
When it works, you hear Mr. Peeks laugh. That laugh is your confirmation that the kill counted. Big creators like AC OMEGA and Mama Kay have covered the same method. Credit also to ZoneX, whose community helped document the Wisp Tea timing for this relic.
Do not save and quit after you hit round 40. Multiple players have reported the save-and-quit bug breaking the unlock so the portal never spawns, even after a clean kill. If you need to take a break, do it before round 40 or after the relic is unlocked.
Step 3: Enter the Portal
After the kill registers, the trial portal spawns in the Archive of Orbis. Creators name this room inconsistently, but our mod confirmed the exact spot: when their wisp was attacking O.S.C.A.R. and they landed the final blow, the portal appeared in the Archive of Orbis. Head there and interact with it to start the trial.
Step 4: Survive the Trial
The Sinister trial strips all your perks and you cannot buy perks during it. It runs 5 waves, with HVT waves (including an Uber Klaus and a final O.S.C.A.R.) and mimics mixed in between. Despite the no-perks rule, almost everyone agrees the trial is the easy part.
Our mod’s advice is to lean on the environment. “The traps are very useful against HVT enemies, war machines are good too.” Position yourself near a map trap, funnel the HVTs into it, and let the trap do the heavy lifting while you stay mobile.
There is also a trick that makes the no-perks rule almost meaningless. The trial does not remove eternal perks. If you bank perma perks before entering, you keep them through the whole trial.
Our mod noted that in Cursed mode you pick up Mr. Peeks eggs along the way, and a bronze egg alone guarantees three perma perks. Those eternal perks carry into the trial even though it says “no perks.” Combined with the trap strategy, the HVT waves go down fast.
Clear all 5 waves and the relic is yours. Our mod did it in a single attempt with all their internal perks transferred in, and finished with points to spare.
Is It Worth Equipping?
This is where our team disagrees with the popular take. Most players write Spider Fang off, but our mod thinks they are misreading it: “the people that use it don’t understand the usefulness of it, because I’d rather have that than not have a self-revive, or be limited to four perks only which forces you to use a gum to get all perks.”
Compared to other Sinister relics on Astra Malorum, that logic holds up. A relic that disables self-revive or caps your perks changes how you play every round. Spider Fang only matters when you go down repeatedly, and even then the cost increase is modest. If you play clean, you barely notice it while still earning the Sinister tier points toward golden armor and the higher Cursed rewards.
”Overall very easy to get, and I believe it is one of the best relics to get. I’d rather have that than be limited to four perks only.” Our COD Central Zombies mod, after unlocking Spider Fang on Tier 3.
Tips
- Finish the Astra Malorum main Easter egg first. No relic on the map unlocks without it.
- Keep the first O.S.C.A.R. of the match alive until round 40 so his health stays low and your knife finishes him faster.
- Bring an Insta-Kill gobblegum and Idle Eyes to keep O.S.C.A.R. still and make the timing window easier.
- Pack-a-Punch your melee to the highest tier you can. Our mod used an Ultra rarity knife at PaP 4.
- Run Extension and Haste on Wisp Tea so the wisp lasts longer and comes back faster.
- Never save and quit between round 40 and the portal. The bug can wipe your progress.
- Bank eternal perks from Mr. Peeks eggs before the trial. They carry through the no-perks rule.
- Need a stronger setup for the round 40 grind? See our best BO7 Zombies loadout guide, and the Nikolai side Easter egg on Astra Malorum if you still need the map’s side quests.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Spider Fang relic do in BO7 Zombies?
The Spider Fang relic makes perk machine prices never decrease. Normally, after you go down and lose perks, the cost to rebuy them eases back over time. With Spider Fang equipped, the price only ever goes up and stays at the highest amount you paid. If you never go down, it barely affects you, which is why our team rates it as one of the better Sinister relics.
How do you unlock the Spider Fang relic on Astra Malorum?
Run Cursed mode (Tier 1 or higher) on Astra Malorum and reach round 40. Summon Wisp Tea with a damaging augment, get the wisp to attack an O.S.C.A.R. elite, and land the killing blow on that O.S.C.A.R. with your melee while the wisp is on him. You hear Mr. Peeks laugh, then a trial portal spawns in the Archive of Orbis. Clear the 5-wave trial to unlock it.
Why is the Spider Fang relic so hard to unlock?
The unlock is not mechanically hard, it is tedious and inconsistent. The killing blow must come from your melee at the exact moment Wisp Tea is attacking the O.S.C.A.R. If the wisp lands the kill, or your melee lands while the wisp is off him, it does not count. Players have reported spending 10 hours and dozens of gobblegums before it registered.
Do you need to complete the main Easter egg for the Spider Fang relic?
Yes. To earn any relic on a given map you must have completed that map's main Easter egg at least once. Our mod confirmed this for Astra Malorum. You only need to be on Cursed Tier 1 for the relic itself, but the main quest has to be done first.
Which Wisp Tea augment do you need for the Spider Fang relic?
You need a damaging or targeting Wisp Tea augment so the wisp actually attacks the O.S.C.A.R. Mask of Benevolence and Mask of Distraction do not work because they do not deal damage. For the minor slot, Extension and Haste help the wisp last longer and recharge faster.
Is the Spider Fang relic trial hard?
No, most players find the trial easy compared to the unlock. It is a 5-wave Sinister trial with no perks, including HVT waves and mimics. Map traps and a wonder weapon like the LGM-1 melt the HVTs fast. Our mod cleared it on the first attempt and never failed it.
Is the Spider Fang relic worth equipping in BO7?
Yes, if you play carefully. The downside only punishes you when you go down a lot, and the price increase is modest. Our team would rather run Spider Fang than relics that disable self-revive or cap you at four perks. Many players underrate it because they misunderstand the effect.
Why is my Spider Fang relic portal not spawning?
The most common cause is the save-and-quit bug. Do not save and quit after reaching round 40, as it can break the unlock and stop the portal from spawning. If your melee kill on the O.S.C.A.R. did not trigger Mr. Peeks' laugh, the wisp was not attacking him at the moment of the kill, so it did not register.
Stuck on the Wisp Tea timing or hunting for a co-op partner for the round 40 grind? Join 50,000+ players in the COD Central Discord. Our Zombies channels run relic trials daily and the team that wrote this guide is in there to help.
