How to upgrade D.I.E Shockwave Wonder Weapon in Cold War Zombies

Andrew Highton
die shockwave wonder weapon

Black Ops Cold War continues to deliver one of the most complete and compelling Zombies experiences in the Call of Duty franchise. One of its main tools is the D.I.E Shockwave Wonder Weapon, so here’s how to get it, upgrade it, and an explanation of its improvements.

One of the most satisfying elements of CoD Zombies is when you obtain one of the game’s OP weapons. Ray Gun wonder weapons are a staple of the game mode. As the years have gone by, Zombie-killing hardware has become more advanced and entertaining.

Cold War may have been superseded by Vanguard, but the troubled launch and lack of support for Zombies have sent players back to Treyarch’s previous effort. As such, there are still opportunities for players to find and obtain exciting Wonder Weapons. The D.I.E Shockwave is one of them, and here’s everything you need to know about it.


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How to get D.I.E Shockwave Wonder Weapon in Cold War Zombies

player using die shockwave wonder weapon
It remains one of Cold War’s best weapons.

Before you can even think about upgrades, you need to get a hold of the D.I.E Shockwave itself in Black Ops Cold War. To do that, you’ll need to do one of two different things: get it from the Mystery Box, or build it.

The Mystery Box method is entirely up to luck and you may end up wasting a lot of valuable points in trying to get it. So we’d recommend assembling the gun, and here’s how you can do it:

  1. Turn on the Pack-A-Punch machine
  2. Wait for the first Megaton enemy and pick up the keycard from it once you’ve killed the creature
  3. Make your way to the ‘Weapons Lab‘ and use the card on the ‘Weapons Locker
  4. Acquire the D.I.E Remote and go to the ‘Living Room
  5. Activate the trap, and start killing Zombies near the vacuum so that they get sucked in
  6. After you’ve done enough, grab the now unlocked D.I.E Shockwave

How to upgrade D.I.E Shockwave Wonder Weapon: All Upgrades & locations

zombies crowding together in die maschine
The D.I.E Shockwave is great for clearing out huge groups of enemies.

With the powerful weapon now in your possession, it’s time to tinker with its tricks. The D.I.E Shockwave has 4 potential forms to transmogrify into. Each has a unique twist on the gun’s base form, and we’ll detail them all below for you.

Cryo-Emitter upgrade

die shockwave cryo-emitter

In Die Maschine:

  1. Head to the roof of Die Maschine and shoot the box near the mushroom tree
  2. Dash over to it once it’s fallen and pick up the flask
  3. Now, attract a Megaton boss to the tree with the fungus growing from it – near the Quick Revive Perk machine
  4. Stand next to the fungus and let the Megaton boss fire at you, and make sure it hits the fungus
  5. If you’re successful, the fungus will turn purple
  6. Now you need to place the flask underneath the mushroom on the tree and guard it for two minutes whilst it fills up
  7. Once done, hop on over to the ‘Medical Bay‘ and place it on the Weapon Crate that leads into the center room
  8. The grounded crate asks you to “pour out the cryogenic liquid,” now, open the box for the Cryo-Emitter upgrade

In Outbreak:

  1. The Cryo-Emitter upgrade is in the Alpine region
  2. It contains three frozen ponds altogether
  3. The upgrade is found on a small frozen pond located south of Alpine
  4. Walk over to it and open up the chest to get it

Electrobolt upgrade

die shockwave electrobolt upgrade

In Die Maschine:

  1. Enter the Dark Aether realm via the Pack-a-Punch machine location by the stairs
  2. In the Dark Aether realm, you’ll need three orange crystals, located around the map
  3. They all spawn in the same locations and must be gathered one at a time
  4. When you acquire a crystal, take it to the Particle Accelerator area and shoot the box to the right of the workbench
  5. Here is each crystal location: To the left of the Jugger-nog machine, in the ‘Penthouse’ section, in the Pond area

In Outbreak:

  1. The Electrobolt upgrade is located in the Duga region
  2. Go to the giant array tower and run to the end, near the Pack-A-Punch machine
  3. Electrobolt is in a crate to the side

Nova-5 upgrade

die shockwave wonder weapon

In Die Maschine:

  1. Go to the ‘Mezzanine‘ area
  2. There will be a glowing cannister out of reach here that you’ll need to suck towards you using the D.I.E Shockwave
  3. Grab it and head to the Deadshot Daiquiri Perk room
  4. Place the canister in the corner and select the “install the empty canister” here option
  5. You’ll need several Plaguehounds to spawn and you’ll need to kill them whilst they’re next to the canister
  6. Once filled, take it to the ‘Crash Site’
  7. Near the crashed plane is a Weapon Crate, place the canister there and melee the box open
  8. Pick up the Nova-5 upgrade

In Outbreak:

  1. The Electrobolt upgrade is located in the Duga region
  2. This upgrade is at the train loading dock on the west side of the map
  3. You’ll find it situated on top of the pipes there

Thermophasic upgrade

die shockwave thermophasic

In Die Maschine:

  1. Enter the Dark Aether from the Pond area and then circle back to the Deadshot Daiquiri Perk room
  2. Find the plasma cutter and place the fuse on the device (If the plasma cutter doesn’t work, it’s because you don’t have the fuse or failed to access the realm from the pond)
  3. Once you’re back in reality, head to the pond area and find a truck with another Weapon Crate
  4. Interact with it to get the Thermophasic upgrade

In Outbreak:

  1. The Thermophasic upgrade is located in the Ruka region
  2. You can find it found in the remains of the scorched forest
  3. The upgrader is on the southeast area of the map, and it’s fixed firmly on the border of the map’s imaginary out of bounds line

For more Call of Duty Zombies guides, check out these below:

How to play splitscreen in Black Ops Cold War Zombies | How to get free Juggernog in Cold War Zombies | PhD Slider all tiers and upgrades | Best Outbreak loadouts for Cold War Zombies