Drone Labs is one of the easiest side easter eggs Verdansk has had in a while. No zombies, no ten-step ritual, no obscure symbol hunting. Just a recon drone, a rotating password, and a keypad, and you walk away with a driveable JLTV and a couple of weapon charms.
We ran this a few times in casual Verdansk battle royale and it took under a couple of minutes once we knew what we were doing. Here’s exactly how it works, including the timing that trips people up and the difference between running it solo or with a squad.
- Drone Labs is an orange cash zone marked on the map near the quarry, so it’s easy to find blind
- You need a recon drone from crates in the area and have to shoot open a vent every match
- The password rotates every 45 seconds to a minute, giving you roughly 30 seconds to act
- Only track the yellow numbers upstairs, top to bottom, to avoid misreading the code
- Solo is doable, the real limiter is drone battery life, not the timer
- The whole squad gets the JLTV and weapon charm once the code goes in, no need to be nearby
Where to Find Drone Labs
Drone Labs sits near the quarry on Verdansk, marked directly on the map so you don’t have to guess. It shows up as an orange cash zone, which makes it stand out from regular POI labels the second you open your tactical map.
You don’t need to know the building by sight to find it. The orange label does the work. Land near the quarry, follow the marker, and you’ll be looking at the garage within a minute of touching down.
Step 1: Get the Recon Drone and Breach the Vent
First thing you need is a recon drone. It spawns as ground loot in crates around the Drone Labs site, so a quick loot pass through the building usually turns one up.
Next, find the vent or grate on the ground floor and shoot it open. This resets every match. You cannot skip it or rely on a previous session. You have to break it open fresh every time you run the egg. The good news is it’s a soft target and really easy to hit, so this step barely slows you down.
Step 2: Read the Code Upstairs
Head upstairs and you’ll find a console showing columns of code words with numbers next to them. This is where the actual reading happens, and it’s also where people get overwhelmed because there’s a lot on screen.
Ignore most of it. Only track the yellow numbers, and read them top to bottom. Everything else on that screen is noise. Once you’ve got the column memorized or screenshotted, you’re ready to send the drone.
Don’t try to read every number on the upstairs screen. Yellow numbers only, top to bottom. Trying to process the whole board under a 30 second window is how runs fall apart.
Step 3: Fly the Drone and Match the Password
Take the recon drone and fly it through the vent you shot open downstairs. It lands you in front of a laptop in the garage that displays a rotating four-letter password.
Match that password against the column you read upstairs to figure out the six-digit code. The password stays active for about 45 seconds to a minute before it changes. In real terms, once it flips, you have about 30 seconds to act on it before it’s gone again. Move fast or you’ll be waiting for the next rotation.
Solo vs Squad Method
We haven’t tried this solo, but it doesn’t look hard to pull off alone. The real constraint isn’t the timer. It’s the drone’s battery life. Flying it through the vent and back eats into your charge, so you want to be efficient with the flight rather than racing the password itself.
With a squad, split it two ways. One person flies the drone and handles typing the code into the keypad. The other stays back at the upstairs screen and reads out the numbers. That’s the whole system. It avoids the biggest mistake: both people trying to do everything at once and losing track of which column matched.
Rewards: JLTV, Weapon Charm, and Bonus Charm
Get the code right and the garage unlocks a driveable JLTV along with the Getaway Vehicle weapon charm. Everyone in the squad gets it, not just the player who typed the code in. Proximity doesn’t matter either, so you don’t need to be standing next to the keypad when it happens.
Mode Availability and Patch Notes
We’ve only tested this in casual Verdansk, running it in battle royale rather than resurgence or ranked. Everything above reflects that setup.
Worth flagging that the puzzle has changed on us before. The timer, the location details, or the exact flow could shift in a future patch. If something in this guide stops matching what you see in-game, that’s likely why. Treat this as accurate as of our testing rather than a permanent blueprint.
Final Verdict
This is a nice, easy side easter egg for Warzone players. It doesn’t ask much of you, the steps are short, and the payoff is a car you can actually drive around and mess with afterward. If you land anywhere near the quarry, it’s worth the two or three minutes it takes to run.
It’s not a deep puzzle and it’s not trying to be. That’s the point. If you want a quick unlock without committing to a full Zombies easter egg, this is exactly the kind of thing to knock out between drops.
Have questions or want to compare notes on the timing? Join our COD Central Discord where 50,000+ members hang out and share what’s changed since we last tested this.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Drone Labs located on Verdansk?
It's marked directly on the map near the quarry as an orange cash zone, so you don't need to know the building by sight to find it.
Do I need to break open the vent every match?
Yes. The vent has to be shot open fresh every game, but it's a soft target that's really easy to hit, so it barely slows you down.
How long does the password stay active before it changes?
The password rotates roughly every 45 seconds to a minute. Once it flips, you realistically have about 30 seconds to read it and act before it changes again.
What's the best way to read the code without messing it up?
Only track the yellow numbers on the upstairs console and read them top to bottom. Ignore everything else on the screen, since trying to process the whole board under time pressure is what causes mistakes.
Can I do this solo, or do I need a squad?
We haven't tested it solo ourselves, but it doesn't look hard. The real limiter isn't the timer, it's the drone's battery life. With a squad, one person flies the drone and enters the code while the other reads the numbers from the upstairs screen.
Does everyone in the squad get the JLTV and weapon charm?
Yes, everyone gets it once the code is entered, and you don't need to be nearby when it happens for credit.
