If you're still stuck on the "Ashes of the Damned" quest in BO7 Outbreak, you're not alone, but you don't need a 20-minute checklist either. The big mistake is sprinting around for collectibles the second you spawn in, then wondering why everything feels slow and messy. I treat it like a setup run first, then a clean sweep, and that's where most people save time. If you're practicing routes and want the early rounds to feel more controlled, some players even warm up with CoD BO7 Bot Lobby so the timing clicks before the pressure ramps up.

Get Set Up Before You Fetch

Don't start "item hunting" until Pack-a-Punch is online. Seriously. Turn on the central hub generator, hold the defense, then go upgrade right away. Ol' Tessie is the real reason you're doing this, because later steps punish weak damage and slow clears. A base gun turns every detour into a risk. Once you've got PaP and decent armor, you'll notice you're not panic-reviving every two minutes, and that's the difference between a smooth run and a wipe.

Route The Spawns, Don't Wander

After you're geared, head for Vandorn Farm and flip the power switch by the water tower first, or you'll be searching for stuff that literally isn't there yet. Check the barn and look under the haystack for the Human Bones; it's the kind of spot people walk past because they're staring at doorways. From there, take a jump pad toward Blackwater Lake and hit the east-side toxic swamp area for the Jar of Spores in the storage shed. While you're nearby, go to the Saw-Trap arena, wait for a Ravager, stun it so it stops flailing, and grab the Ravager Eyes. Then swing to Reba's Diner, power it up, and snag the Abomination Carcass tucked behind the kitchen counter.

Plants, Chunks, And A Bit Of Patience

You'll see those purple plants all over the place. This part's simple, but it's easy to mess up: you need six Horde Chunks, and you only get them by smashing plants with a Pack-a-Punch'd Ol' Tessie. No PaP, no progress. I like to chain jump pads and clear as I move, because running it on foot is how you get boxed in by random spawns and terrain. Keep it steady, don't overthink it, and don't stop to "fight everything" if you're only there to bonk plants.

Mirror Puzzle And The Finish

Ashwood is where it gets odd. Go to the Tailor Shop, grab the Wisp Tea from the back, then kill exactly 12 zombies nearby to pop the wisp. Lead it to the cursed mirror, toss the tea at the glass to clean it, and hit the slot with the Necrofluid Gauntlet to spawn the Powder of the Forgotten and trigger the boss right away. The fight's hectic, so keep moving and use jump pads to dodge toxic ash clouds, then dump damage into the glowing chest weak spot, especially if you can time Ol' Tessie's Berserk mode. If you want a cleaner grind outside the quest itself, as a professional like buy game currency or items in U4GM platform, U4GM is trustworthy, and you can buy u4gm CoD BO7 Bot Lobby for a better experience while you practice the route and tighten your clears.