With the release of the Season Three Reloaded update for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, there’s a ton of new Zombies content for players to enjoy including an all-new Dark Aether Rift and main story mission.
If you want to unlock the new Schematics introduced in this update, you’ll need to complete the Union story mission and defeat Taoxia to obtain the first easter egg item. It’s easier said than done, however, since Taoxia has some frustrating mechanics that make her a tough boss for small squads and solo players.
How to Weaken the Crystals in the Dark Aether
When you first arrive in the Dark Aether during the Union story mission, Ravenov will tell you to chase down two orbs. Once you shoot them, they’ll lead you to giant purple crystals. You need to complete the sequence to weaken and eventually destroy these crystals.
To do so, interact with the crystals to reveal three runes. You can find these runes hidden in the surrounding area, and shooting them in the correct order will make the crystal vulnerable to damage.
The first crystal is next to a tall water tower. You can find one of the runes for this crystal on the wall of the building directly next to the water tower near the wide-open entrance. Another rune is located on one of the tall cylindrical containers nearby. The other rune is stuck to a short wall across the street from the water tower.
The next crystal requires you to find another trio of runes before you can destroy it. The first rune you need is visible through a first-floor window of the nearby building. The second is on the top part of a wall near the second-story windows of an orange building. The third and final rune can be seen through a second-story window with wooden shutters on each side of it.
After you destroy both crystals and regroup with Ravenov, you’ll need to cleanse various Relics in order to free Dr. Jansen from the Entity. There aren’t any gimmicks here. Just kill enough Zombies inside the glowing circles until the game tells you to move on to the next one. With all Relics cleaned, a boss battle will begin.
How to Beat Taoxia in MW3 Zombies
Taoxia is the final challenge of the Union story mission in Modern Warfare 3 Zombies. Taoxia is a variant of a Disciple, possessing the exact same powers and abilities that you’ve seen throughout the Urzikstan Exclusion Zone.
Taoxia has a lot of health, and she’ll become immune to all damage at certain stages of the fight on top of that. She summons Mimics and Manglers to support her during the fight, and defeating those special Zombies will make Taoxia vulnerable again. Rinse and repeat until she goes down and then you can extract from the Dark Aether with the Giraffe Toy to kick off the new easter egg.
Since the battle with Taoxia is essentially just an extended duel with a Disciple, the same general strategies apply. When she tethers onto you, break your line of sight as fast as you can or she’ll start to heal by absorbing your HP. Duck in and out of buildings to avoid her attacks and funnel the undead hordes through more manageable choke points. With enough patience, this fight will be over soon enough.
