The Gramophone relic is a Grim tier relic on Kowakujo, and it is one of the quickest relics on the map to unlock. Its effect is straight out of an old perk: bullets deal increased damage, but each shot eats 2 bullets instead of 1. To get it you grab two drumsticks, beat a Simon Says puzzle on a pair of drums, then clear a short sniper-only trial. You can do the whole thing on any Cursed tier and at almost any round.
- Map: Kowakujo, any Cursed tier, main Easter egg already done once
- Grab 2 drumsticks: Gatehouse near Speed Cola, and the Workshop near Pack-a-Punch
- Find the 2 drums by the kitchen stairs, interact with the glowing one, repeat the Simon Says order 3 times
- A green portal spawns. The trial only lets snipers deal damage (use the XR3 Ion)
- Effect: bullets deal more damage but consume 2 rounds per shot, like Double Tap
This one was solved early by the ZoneX relic-hunting community, and the method below comes straight from their notes. We will cover the drumstick spots, how to beat the drums without losing the sequence, the sniper trial, and whether the effect is actually worth running.
What the Gramophone Relic Does
With Gramophone equipped, your bullets deal increased damage, but every shot consumes 2 bullets from the magazine instead of 1. If that sounds familiar, it is basically the classic Double Tap effect from older Zombies. You hit harder, but your mag empties twice as fast and you burn through reserve ammo at double the rate.
Whether that helps or hurts comes down to your weapon. On a sniper or a hard-hitting semi-auto, the extra damage per shot is great and you barely notice the ammo cost. On a full-auto that already chews through mags, you will be reloading and buying ammo constantly.
More damage per shot, 2 bullets spent per shot. Treat it like Double Tap: brilliant on snipers and burst weapons, rough on spray-and-pray full-autos.
Requirements
There is almost no setup for this relic, which is part of why it is rated so beginner friendly. The one thing you cannot skip is the main quest.
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Map | Kowakujo |
| Relic Tier | Grim (easiest tier) |
| Cursed Tier Needed | Any Cursed tier works |
| Round | Almost 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 Gramophone.
Step 1: Grab Both Drumsticks
The trigger for this relic is playing the drums, and for that you need two drumsticks. Both have fixed locations, so they are in the same spot every game.
- Drumstick 1: in the Gatehouse, in the room right next to Speed Cola. It sits on the window ledge.
- Drumstick 2: in the Workshop near the Pack-a-Punch and the crafting table, sitting on the shelf.
When you pick up both, a drumming sound kicks in to confirm you are ready for the next step.
Step 2: Play the Drums (Simon Says)
Now head into the building with the kitchen, coming up from the flower garden. By the stairs you will find two large drums. Interact with the drum that is glowing and it plays a sequence. You then copy that sequence back by meleeing or shooting the drums in the same order.
You have to do this three times, and the pattern gets longer each round. The first two are easy. The third is long enough that it trips people up.
Solo players: pause the game right after the sequence plays and write it down or screen record it, then unpause and copy it. In co-op, have one teammate train zombies while another reads the pattern out. If you input the wrong order, it just resets and you retry on the next round, so there is no real punishment for a miss.
Once you complete the third sequence, a green portal spawns right next to the drums in the Kitchens.
Step 3: Survive the Sniper Trial
The trial has one rule that decides everything: only sniper rifles deal damage to enemies. Anything else does nothing, so you need a sniper before you walk in. The only sniper wall buy on Kowakujo is the XR3 Ion, which sits across the room from the Pack-a-Punch machine. Buy it, Pack-a-Punch it, and get set up before you start.
The trial runs four waves, and two of them are HVT waves. The HVTs are the only real threat, so save your big gobblegums for them. Insta-Kill makes the last couple of HVTs trivial, and a damage gobblegum like Free Fire helps you melt them with the Ion. Clear all four waves and the Gramophone relic is yours.
Plain Pack-a-Punched Ion shots are enough to finish the trial, so you do not need anything fancy. It is one of the easier relic trials on the map.
Is It Worth Equipping?
It depends entirely on how you play, and you have to build your loadout around it to get real value. If you are going for high rounds, yes. If you burst down bosses, yes. The catch is ammo: some guns do not carry much, and once you Pack-a-Punch them, refilling gets expensive, which can be a real issue. If you are a spray and pray player, leave it alone. But if you are killing mini bosses with the right ammo mod, it can be genuinely overpowered.
Since it is a Grim relic with a fast unlock, Gramophone is also one of the cheapest ways to start banking relic completions toward the secret relic-completion camo.
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 | This guide |
| Druid Stone | Grim | No bleedout bar, and self-revive instantly revives you | Coming soon |
| Valkyrie Helmet | Sinister | Areas you linger in spawn electric fields that damage you | Coming soon |
| Film Reel | Sinister | You can only carry one Pack-a-Punch weapon | Read 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.
- The drumsticks never move. Gatehouse by Speed Cola, then the Workshop by Pack-a-Punch.
- Screen record or pause on the third Simon Says pattern. It is the only part people fail.
- Buy and Pack-a-Punch the XR3 Ion before entering the trial. It is the only sniper wall buy.
- Keep Insta-Kill or Free Fire for the two HVT waves and the trial is easy.
- Run Gramophone on a sniper or a strong ammo mod build to actually feel the upside. Full-autos burn through the doubled ammo too fast.
- Want a stronger setup for relic hunting? See our best BO7 Zombies loadout guide and our Cursed mode explainer. If you still need the map’s side quests, the Takeo side Easter egg on Kowakujo uses the same Path of Sorrows katana you will see in other relics here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the Gramophone relic do in BO7 Zombies?
The Gramophone relic makes your bullets deal increased damage, but every shot consumes 2 bullets from the magazine instead of 1. It works like the classic Double Tap perk. The trade is more damage per shot for a much faster drain on your ammo, so it shines on snipers and burst weapons and hurts full-auto sprayers.
How do you unlock the Gramophone relic on Kowakujo?
Play Kowakujo in any Cursed tier, pick up the two drumsticks (one in the Gatehouse near Speed Cola, one in the Workshop near Pack-a-Punch), then go to the two drums by the kitchen stairs. Interact with the glowing drum to start a Simon Says sequence and repeat it back 3 times. A green portal spawns, and you clear a sniper-only trial to earn the relic.
What tier is the Gramophone relic in BO7?
Gramophone is a Grim tier relic, the easiest of the three relic tiers on Kowakujo. The unlock is short and you can start it on any Cursed tier and at almost any round, which makes it one of the most beginner-friendly relics on the map.
Do you need to finish the Kowakujo Easter egg to get the Gramophone relic?
Yes. You have to complete the Kowakujo main Easter egg at least once before any relic on the map becomes available, including Gramophone. After that first completion you can hunt relics freely in Cursed mode.
Which sniper do you use for the Gramophone relic trial?
The trial only lets you damage enemies with sniper rifles, and the XR3 Ion is the one sniper wall buy on Kowakujo. It sits across the room from the Pack-a-Punch machine. Pack-a-Punch it before you start, and bring Insta-Kill or a damage gobblegum for the two HVT waves.
What happens if you fail the Simon Says drums?
Nothing breaks. If you input the wrong order, the sequence resets and you simply try again on the next round. Because the patterns get longer each time, most solo players pause the game and write down or screen record the sequence so they do not lose it.
Is the Gramophone relic worth equipping in BO7?
It depends on your playstyle. For high rounds and bursting down bosses or mini bosses with the right ammo mod, it can be excellent. For spray and pray players it drains magazines too fast, and packed ammo gets expensive to refill. It is a strong pick for snipers and a poor one for full-auto.
Big thanks to the ZoneX relic-hunting community, who cracked this one and shared the method. Creators including AC OMEGA, Apollo Ascended, and Typhonz have walkthroughs that match the steps above.
Hunting the rest of the Kowakujo relics or need a co-op partner for a 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.
