The Film Reel relic is a Sinister tier relic on Kowakujo, and its effect is one of the most restrictive on the map: you can only carry one Pack-a-Punch weapon at a time. The unlock has no round requirement and no tricky timing. You simply need to Pack-a-Punch 10 different weapons, take the portal that opens at Tea Garden, and clear a trial where only your scorestreaks can kill zombies.
- Map: Kowakujo, any Cursed tier, main Easter egg already done once
- Pack-a-Punch 10 different weapons (Pack-a-Punch machine or crystals). Round does not matter
- They must be 10 unique weapons. Duplicates do not count, and the count is shared in co-op
- A portal opens at Tea Garden. The trial: zombies can only die to your scorestreaks
- Effect: you can only ever carry one Pack-a-Punch weapon at a time
This one was cracked by the ZoneX relic-hunting community. RyanXLVI was first to open the portal, and ZoneX members Pork and Mr Peeks figured out the trigger. We have since run the unlock ourselves, and the trigger held up exactly as described: pack ten unique weapons and the portal opens, no surprises. We will cover how to pack 10 weapons fast, the portal location, the scorestreak trial, and whether the effect is actually worth running.
What the Film Reel Relic Does
With Film Reel equipped, you can only ever have one Pack-a-Punch weapon at a time. You still carry two guns, but only one of them can be upgraded. The moment you Pack-a-Punch a second weapon, the first one loses its upgrade. All of your packed damage for the entire run has to live on a single gun.
That changes how you build. Your packed weapon becomes your main damage dealer and ammo sink, while your second slot is stuck as a low-tier crowd-clearer or a tool you swap to for a free reload. It is the kind of restriction that makes you respect every shot.
One Pack-a-Punch weapon, full stop. Pick your packed gun carefully, because it has to carry the whole run on its own.
Requirements
There is no round gate and no hard mechanical skill check here. The cost is time and points, since you have to feed the Pack-a-Punch a lot of different weapons.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Map | Kowakujo |
| Relic Tier | Sinister (middle tier) |
| Cursed Tier Needed | Any Cursed tier (T1 or higher) works |
| Round | Any round. There is no high-round requirement |
| Main Easter Egg | Must have completed the Kowakujo main Easter egg at least once. This applies to every relic on the map |
You cannot hunt any relic on Kowakujo until you have beaten the map’s main Easter egg one time. Once that is done, relics stay available in your Cursed runs. If you still need the main quest, follow a full walkthrough first, then come back for Film Reel.
Step 1: Pack-a-Punch 10 Different Weapons
The trigger is simple to describe and a grind to do: Pack-a-Punch 10 unique weapons. The round does not matter, so you can start whenever you have the points flowing. Both the Pack-a-Punch machine and Pack-a-Punch crystals are confirmed to count.
The key word is unique. Packing the same gun 10 times does nothing. Each of the 10 has to be a different weapon, so you will be buying wall buys, pulling from the Mystery Box, and packing whatever you can get your hands on. In co-op the count is shared across the team, which means your teammates cannot pack weapons you already packed. The squad needs 10 completely different weapons between everyone to open the portal.
Line up wall buys first, since they are guaranteed weapons you can grab in a set order. Fill the gaps with Mystery Box pulls. Track what you have already packed so you do not waste points on a duplicate, and in co-op call out your weapons so nobody double-packs.
Sam’s drawing reportedly also works for packing the weapons, but it will likely be patched, and it still has to give you 10 different guns. Results with multi-pack augments and with gobblegums have been mixed, so treat the Pack-a-Punch machine and crystals as the reliable route.
Step 2: Take the Tea Garden Portal
Once the tenth unique weapon is packed, a portal opens at Tea Garden. It is easy to find, since the orange glow is visible from Central Courtyard, sitting against the shelf wall of the Tea Garden building. Head over and interact with it to start the relic trial. In co-op the trial uses a vote to begin, and a heads up: all relics are disabled for the duration of the trial, so you go in on the weapons and gear you brought, not your equipped relics.
Step 3: Survive the Scorestreak Trial
The trial has one rule that defines the whole fight: zombies can only die to your assigned scorestreaks. Your guns will not finish kills, so the trial is all about keeping streaks active and managing the horde in the gaps between them.
The ZoneX crew originally cleared this with the Support group gobblegum, which spawns in scorestreaks for you. Having run the trial ourselves since, we would skip it. Support group does not come through half the time, and a badly timed spawn can mess you up more than it helps. What worked instead was walking in with around 15,000 salvage and simply buying the scorestreaks we needed, with Dead Drop as the gobblegum of choice to keep the salvage flowing.
A few more things from that run. Throw a monkey bomb when your scorestreak is out, so the zombies chase the toy instead of tearing your streak down. Your weapon choice barely matters in here, since only scorestreak kills count, but running a suppressor beforehand pays off through the extra salvage drops that fund the trial. Player count matters more than gear: the zombies scale up with more players, so the trial is actually easier solo or duo, where each wave needs fewer kills.
If you fail the trial, it lets you try it again, so a bad attempt is not the end of your run. Clear it and the Film Reel relic is yours.
Is It Worth Equipping?
This is a true challenge relic. With a single Pack-a-Punch weapon, a high round run turns into an ammo problem fast. Past round 30 you are already feeding around five mags into a single elite, and by rounds 50 to 60 that one packed gun has to carry the entire fight on its own. There is no second packed weapon to swap to when it runs dry, so every ammo crate and every salvage point goes into keeping that one gun fed.
Where it shines is as a self-imposed test. If you want a run that forces tighter aim, smarter ammo management, and real weapon discipline, Film Reel delivers exactly that. Pair your single packed gun with a strong ammo mod, use the un-packed slot purely for thinning crowds or grabbing a quick reload, and lean on equipment and field upgrades to cover the gaps. As a Sinister relic it also counts toward the relic-completion camo, so even a short run banks progress.
All Kowakujo Relics
Kowakujo has six Cursed mode relics across the three relic tiers. Here is the full set with their effects. We are building a guide for each one and will link them here as they go live.
| Relic | Tier | Effect | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gramophone | Grim | Bullets deal more damage but each shot uses 2 bullets | Read guide |
| Druid Stone | Grim | No bleedout bar, and self-revive instantly revives you | Read guide |
| Valkyrie Helmet | Sinister | Areas you linger in spawn electric fields that damage you | Read guide |
| Film Reel | Sinister | You can only carry one Pack-a-Punch weapon | This guide |
| Mannequin Turret | Wicked | No starting armor, only gold armor from the wall buy | Read guide |
| Dragon Egg | Wicked | Normal-round elites and specials spawn at random | Read guide |
Tips
- Finish the Kowakujo main Easter egg first. No relic on the map triggers without it.
- Pack 10 unique weapons, not the same gun twice. Track what you have packed so you never waste points on a duplicate.
- In co-op the weapon count is shared. Call out your guns so nobody double-packs.
- Stick to the Pack-a-Punch machine and crystals. Sam’s drawing may be patched, and gobblegum results are mixed.
- For the trial, skip the Support group gobblegum. It fails too often. Bring around 15K salvage, buy the scorestreaks you need, and run Dead Drop for refills.
- Throw monkey bombs so zombies leave your scorestreaks alone, and run a suppressor beforehand for the extra salvage drops. The trial also scales with player count, so solo or duo is the easier route.
- Remember relics are disabled during the trial, so plan around your weapons and gear, not your equipped relic.
- Need a stronger base setup? See our best BO7 Zombies loadout guide and our Cursed mode explainer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Film Reel relic do in BO7 Zombies?
The Film Reel relic limits you to one Pack-a-Punch weapon at a time. You can still carry a second gun, but it stays un-packed, so all of your upgraded firepower has to come from a single weapon for the whole run.
How do you unlock the Film Reel relic on Kowakujo?
Play Kowakujo in any Cursed tier, then Pack-a-Punch 10 different weapons using the Pack-a-Punch machine or crystals. The round does not matter. Once you have packed 10 unique weapons a portal opens at Tea Garden, and clearing its scorestreak-only trial earns you the relic.
Do the 10 weapons have to be different for the Film Reel relic?
Yes. It has to be 10 unique weapons, not the same gun packed 10 times. If you pack a duplicate it does not count and you need another weapon. In co-op the whole team shares the count, so your teammates cannot pack the same weapons you already did. You need 10 completely different ones across the squad.
What tier is the Film Reel relic in BO7?
Film Reel is a Sinister tier relic on Kowakujo, the middle of the three relic tiers. The unlock itself is not mechanically hard, but gathering 10 different weapons to Pack-a-Punch takes time and points.
What is the Film Reel relic trial?
The trial rule is that zombies can only die to your assigned scorestreaks. Walk in with around 15,000 salvage so you can buy scorestreaks on demand, run Dead Drop for extra salvage, and throw monkey bombs to keep zombies off your streaks. The trial scales with player count, so it is easier solo or duo. If you fail it lets you try again.
Do you need to finish the Kowakujo Easter egg to get the Film Reel relic?
Yes. You must complete the Kowakujo main Easter egg at least once before any relic on the map unlocks, Film Reel included. After that first clear, relics stay available in your Cursed runs.
Is the Film Reel relic worth equipping in BO7?
It is a challenge relic more than a power one. With a single packed weapon, high rounds turn into an ammo problem fast, since past round 30 a single elite can eat around five mags. It is a fun self-imposed test and counts toward the relic-completion camo, but it is rough for serious high-round attempts.
Big thanks to the ZoneX relic-hunting community, who cracked this relic and shared the method. RyanXLVI opened the first portal, and ZoneX members Pork and Mr Peeks worked out the trigger. AC OMEGA also has a video walkthrough covering the trigger, portal, and trial.
Hunting the rest of the Kowakujo relics or need a co-op partner for the scorestreak trial? 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.
