With the Season 3 Reloaded update in Call of Duty: MW3 Zombies, players have a new Dark Aether Rift to explore and more story beats to uncover. This time around, there are a lot of interesting events that allude to deeper connections with the past – and many implications for the future.

It may be a good idea to complete the new story mission as soon as you can, as it unlocks a lot of Easter eggs and items that you will need to unlock the new Aether Rifts to get your hands on gear like the Dead Wire Detonators or the Sergeant’s Beret. It’s time to dive in!

Those Crystals Aren’t Going to Shatter Themselves

The mission begins with Dr. Jansen entering the Aether Rift and not coming back out. This upsets Ravenov, who requests your assistance in going in to extract her. After selecting the mission from your Zombies home menu, you will find the marker for it at coordinates E4.

SUGGESTED: How to Get Sergeant’s Beret Schematic in MW3 Zombies

While Ravenov does accompany you on this mission, it is recommended that you bring at least three more players along to make things easier. The zombies in this mission are at Tier 2, making one Pack-A-Punch weapon at this tier or higher a must for the mission. The boss fight you find here is no slouch either.

It’s time to dive into the Union Mission and get to the bottom of Dr. Jansen’s mysterious connection with the Dark Aether.

How to Complete Union Act 4 Mission in MW3 Zombies

After you enter the Dark Aether from the mission marker on your map, simply follow Ravenov until your first encounter with Dr. Jansen. After her exit, you will see two distinct orbs heading in different directions. Shoot them down to find that they crash into the ground, forming mysterious crystals when they do.

When approaching each crystal, you will notice that it has strange runic markings on it. You will soon find these markings on nearby walls or corners. They may be hard to find at first, but it becomes quite easy to spot them once you take down a few. Your objective is to destroy them in the order that they appear on the crystals. Doing so shatters the crystal in question, and you will need to take both of them down.

SUGGESTED: How to Get Golden Mask Filter Schematic in MW3 Zombies

Next, head back to Ravenov and find that you now have to activate three Seals in the area. Head over to each seal to activate it and fight off the zombies that spawn in order to shatter it. Rinse and repeat this activity for the other two seals to shatter them and activate a Summoning Circle.

Interacting with it summons a variant of the Disciple called Taoxia. This is a tricky encounter, as the entity often summons other zombie types like Mimics and Manglers to aid its cause. However, it shouldn’t pose too much of a threat to a well-equipped squad with the right weapons. Remember that it is immune to damage when any of its summoned zombies are in the field. Take them out to continue damaging Taoxia.

Taking down this entity rewards you with the Giraffe Toy, an important item to unlock special gear and content from the new season update. You will simply need to follow Dr. Jansen for the rest of the mission, dealing with any zombies that are unfortunate enough to be in the way of completing the mission.

Aside from the Easter egg item from the Taoxia, you also get 10,000 XP and the Fabulous Flames Charm from this mission, making it a rewarding effort. What’s more, you can now begin to complete Easter eggs and Aether Rifts to pick up gear like the Dead Wire Detonators, which give you a distinct edge in Call of Duty: MW3 Zombies.

For more help with bringing down zombies or finding the best gear to do so, our Call of Duty: MW3 Zombies guides can help you stand your ground against the undead horde.