Season 1 Reload for Black Ops 7 finally landed, and I went straight into the Fallout stuff because that's where the update actually feels different. If you're just trying to learn the new flow without getting stomped for an hour, it helps to warm up first, and I've seen people pair that with a CoD BO7 Bot Lobby to get their settings and weapon feel locked in before the chaos starts. The crossover isn't just "put a skin on it" either. The limited-time rules genuinely change how Zombies plays, and you notice it fast.

Directed Mode and the new survival space

If you've ever bounced off a main quest because it turned into a guessing game, Astra Malorum Directed Mode is a big win. It nudges you along instead of leaving you alt-tabbing to a guide every five minutes, and the completion reward feels worth the time. Then there's Zarya Cosmodrome, the new survival map, and yeah—it's cramped. Doors and corners matter again. Rotations get messy, and if your team's the type to split up "just to look," you'll pay for it by round 20, not round 40.

Project RADS changes the basics

Project RADS is the mode that actually rewires your habits. No auto health regen, so you're suddenly playing like it's an older title. You heal by scavenging food, but food bumps your radiation, so every bite feels like a deal with the devil. Let your Rad level climb and you'll feel it: at higher tiers your Field Upgrade locks up, and at max you move like you're underwater with basically no margin left. Bottle Caps replacing Essence also shifts the early game—people waste caps on comfort buys, then wonder why they can't recover when the run turns.

The trap everyone falls for

Here's the funniest "gotcha" in the whole collab: the Nuke power-up. In standard Zombies it's a sigh of relief. In this mode it's a punishment. Grab it and you trigger Extreme Exposure, which can strip your perks and leave you standing there like an idiot in front of a fresh wave. You'll see it happen a lot in public matches—someone panic-grabs it, then the whole squad spirals. Play it smarter: keep an eye out for Rad-X vials, manage your meter, and treat Nukes like they're cursed.

Summoning the Irradiated Deathclaw

If you're chasing the real bragging rights, the hidden boss is the Irradiated Deathclaw, and it's available on both maps. Step one is simple but annoying: collect 10 Fallout Boy trophies. On Astra Malorum, check obvious "dev hiding spots" like near Quick Revive pillars or tucked around the Mars arena set pieces. On Ashes of the Damned, look at spawn clutter like the top of the vending machine, then sweep spots like the farmhouse interior. Once you've got all ten, it spawns and it does not melt—bring a Pack-a-Punched gun and start the fight with low radiation, because you don't want to be limping when it closes distance. If you're planning to grind attempts or help friends learn the route, having CoD BO7 Bot Lobbies for sale in mind can make practice runs feel less like a coin flip and more like progress.