🏯 Kowakujo Easter Egg — Complete Guide

Black Ops 7 Zombies · Main quest, step by step. Based on MrRoflWaffles' No-Nonsense Guide. Tap any screenshot to open that exact moment of the video.

📋 How the quest fits together

The quest is a murder investigation: you collect five sets of evidence, pin them on the evidence board in the meditation room, then deduce the killer and fight the boss. Steps can be done in varying orders, but this guide follows an order that is known to work:

Setup — Activate Pack-a-Punch, grab the toxin note + first two parts (jump)
Cat Grenade & Wonder Weapon — needed for almost everything after (jump)
Suspect evidence — the mask (11 lanterns, kite, mask sequences) (jump)
Accomplice evidence — coin purse → gardener → merchant → nobleman (jump)
Poison evidence — monkshood plant, plum pit, scroll puzzle + pufferfish (jump)
Location evidence — the kintsugi bowl + three defenses (jump)
Final evidence — clock numbers + flag math → medallion crest (jump)
Deduction — ghost traps, painting placements, zodiac wheel (jump)
Boss fight (jump)

🔒 Order requirements (hard gates) The mask evidence must be on the board before the coin purse; the coin purse before gardener/merchant/nobleman; all accomplice evidence before the scroll puzzle & pufferfish; all kintsugi steps before the final clock part. The plum pit and plant steps can be done early.

CASTLE (TENSHU) PhD · STORAGE CENTRAL COURTYARD FLOWER GARDEN KITCHENS TEA GARDEN TRAINING STABLES STAGING GATEHOUSE SPAWN / OUTER WARD

🗺️ Kowakujo at a glance — the same base map repeats through this guide with step markers. Castle to the north, spawn to the south, Kitchens east, Tea Garden/Training west, Stables southwest.

🎒 Loadout recommendations

What to bring for a smooth run (video: 0:00–0:53):

Primary weapon with good range and low recoil — the boss fight punishes inaccurate, high-recoil guns. You don't have to keep the bullet gun all game: Ray Gun Mark I / Mark II are also viable for the boss.
Lethal: Molotov — required to dislodge the statue from the lava (quest step).
Tactical: Decoys — needed for the Nobleman's Hat step (or craft them mid-game at a crafting bench).
GobbleGums — usual boss-fight gums: Near Death Experience, Pop Shocks, Perkaholic if you have one. Standard blue gums work fine too.
Perks picked up during the run: PhD Flopper (required — Wonder Weapon step) and Death Perception (highly recommended — highlights the creaky floorboards).

M34 Novaline armory screen with full weapon model, stats and description — **Primary — M34 Novaline** (2-round-burst marksman rifle: "exceptional damage and range, but low mobility and fire rate"). Note: the video never shows an attachment build — Milo's advice is simply *good range + low recoil*, so run your own accuracy-focused build. Ray Gun Mark I/II also work for the boss.

Voyak KT-3 assault rifle in the armory menu — The Voyak KT-3 full-auto AR — the gun used through most of this run. High damage, excellent handling. (Same note: no attachment build is shown in the video.)

Edit Loadout screen with M34 Novaline, knife, Aether Shroud, Psych Grenade and Molotov — The rest of the loadout: **Aether Shroud** field upgrade, **Molotov** lethal, knife secondary. Use this screen for the accessory slots, not the gun.

Decoy tactical: grenade that simulates footsteps and gunfire sounds — Tactical — take the **Decoy**. You'll need three thrown in fast succession for the Nobleman step.

GobbleGum packs screen with rare and ultra gums — GobbleGum packs: Pack 1 is standard rares (Shields Up, Cache Back, Power Keg…). Pack 2 is the boss-fight pack: Perkaholic, Near Death Experience, Reign Drops, Phoenix Up.

💡 Solo tip Many timed/fiddly steps are easiest at the end of a round with one or two zombies held alive. You'll see this advice repeated — it's the single best habit for this quest.

1️⃣ Setup: Pack-a-Punch, toxin note, first two parts

Your first priority after spawning in (video: 1:25).

1 1 2 3 4

Setup order: 1 capture both wards (left & right sides) → 2 castle: kill the Oni, insert the Hanko → 3 fill the World Seed → 4 Stables: Molotov the statue in the cooled lava.

1.1 Capture the two wards

Open your map: on the left and right sides of the map are two ward defenses. At each one, hold interact on the banner, then stand inside the circle to capture the point.

Recapture the ward - red demon banner in the training area — A ward banner (red demon crest). Hold interact, then defend the circle. Do both sides — objective tracker top-left shows "Recapture Wards 1/2".

Red RECAPTURE banner - regaining the ward in the lava field — Ward areas sit on opposite sides of the map (this one near the Tea Garden side). Expect zombies while capturing.

1.2 Enter the castle, kill the Oni → first part

With both wards done, the wards on the castle entrance can be removed. Head inside and towards the Pack-a-Punch staircase. An Oni (mini-boss) spawns — kill it and it drops your first Easter egg part (a Hanko seal). Pick it up and insert it into the golden door, then go upstairs to the World Seed.

Aiming at the Oni in the war room, Eliminate the Oni objective on screen — The Oni in the war room, near the PaP stairs. Kill it — it drops the first part.

Golden circular Hanko door to the Shogun's Sanctum — Insert the Hanko into this golden door ("Open the Door to the Shogun's Sanctum"), then head upstairs.

🧪 Don't miss: the toxins/poisons note! On the bottom shelf of the wall right next to where the first Oni spawns in, at the bottom of the Pack-a-Punch stairs, sits the toxins note. You will need it for the final deduction. (Straight from Milo's pinned comment; there's a reference picture on kronorium.com.)

1.3 Fill the World Seed → activate Pack-a-Punch

At the World Seed (the big egg), kill the marked zombies near it — their purple souls fill the seed. When it's full, Pack-a-Punch activates.

The purple World Seed egg with marked zombies nearby — The World Seed (purple egg, left). Objective: "Kill the Marked Zombies Near the World Seed".

1.4 Second part: the Twin Brothers statue (Molotov!)

Go to the Stables (left-hand side when leaving spawn) — it's full of lava. Every couple of rounds the lava cools down. When it's solidified, you'll see a little statue stuck in it: the Netsuke of Brothers. Throw a Molotov at it to dislodge it, then pick it up a few meters away.

Stables area with lava field — The Stables area (see minimap top-right). The statue sits in this lava field.

Netsuke of Brothers item marker in the cooled lava — Lava cooled: the Netsuke of Brothers marked in the rock. Molotov it to dislodge.

Picking up the dislodged statue from the cooled lava — After the Molotov, pick the statue up nearby.

🔒 Third part comes much later The final part in this evidence category (the Crest Medallion, from the clock puzzle) only unlocks after ALL other evidence sets are done — see Final evidence. Don't hunt for it yet.

2️⃣ Build the Cat Grenade

Three parts, each with three possible spawns — check them all in your game (video: 3:29). Hold interact to pick each one up.

Map: cat grenade part spawn areas and craft bench

1 1 1 2 2 2 3 C

Spawn areas: 1 cat figurine (Gatehouse / Kitchens ×2) → 2 bell (Stables / Training / Staging) → 3 samurai figure (all three spawns in the PhD–Storage hallway) → C craft bench (Workshop, next to Storage). Markers show the district — the screenshots below pin the exact spots.

2.1 Part 1: Cat figurine (3 spawns)

Gatehouse doorway, cat figurine spawn on barrels — **Spawn A — Gatehouse:** on the barrels by the door (item inset top-left shows the white maneki-neko figurine).

Kitchens area, cat figurine on barrels — **Spawn B — Kitchens:** again on barrels, next to the red karakuri machine.

Opposite side of kitchens, cat figurine on barrel — **Spawn C — opposite side of Kitchens**, on a barrel.

2.2 Part 2: Bell / "Furin" (3 spawns)

Bell hanging on the front door of the submerged house — **Spawn A — Stables:** hanging on the front door of the submerged house.

Bell pinned on the wall in the training area — **Spawn B — Training Area:** to the right of the wall-buy, pinned on the wall.

Bell hanging on wood left of the spawn door staging area — **Spawn C — Staging Area:** left of the spawn door, hanging on the wood.

2.3 Part 3: Samurai figure (3 spawns)

Samurai figure on the ground across from PhD — **Spawn A:** across from the PhD Flopper machine, on the ground (Storage Rooms).

Samurai figure on a table down the hallway — **Spawn B:** down the hallway, on top of the table on the right-hand side.

Samurai figure against the wall further down the hallway — **Spawn C:** further down the hallway, on the floor against the wall (by the wicker basket).

2.4 Craft it

Workbench with Craft Maneki-Neko prompt — Take all three parts to this workbench (Workshop) and hold interact: **"Craft Maneki-Neko"** — that's your Cat Grenade.

💡 Ran out of cat grenades? Come back to this same bench and buy another for salvage. You'll need one again at the end of the paw-print step, so keep one in stock.

3️⃣ Build the Cat Wonder Weapon

(video: 4:51)

3.1 Buy PhD Flopper, knock the cat down

PhD Flopper perk machine, 3000 essence — Buy **PhD Flopper** (3,000 essence) from this machine near Storage Rooms.

Wooden cage with a white cat hanging under a roof eave — This wooden cage with the cat sits under a roof eave. **PhD-flop (dive) near it** — the explosion knocks it down. Then hold interact to pick the cat up.

3.2 Throw the cat into lava, flip the round

Drop Cage prompt at the edge of a lava field — Carry the cage to any patch of **active lava** and drop it in ("kitty wants lava"). Then **go to the next round**.

⚠️ If paw prints never spawn later — you may have missed the lava. The cage might still be sitting on the ground waiting to be picked back up. Also make sure the player hunting paw prints has the cat grenade equipped.

3.3 Check the four gateways for paw prints

During the next round, kill a couple of zombies at each of these four gateway areas until glowing paw prints appear. If ~5 kills in the right spot produce nothing, move to the next gateway.

1 2 3 4

Approximate gateway check order: 1 Kitchens · 2 Training Area · 3 Staging Area · 4 Kitchens steps. Tap the screenshots below for the exact spots.

First gateway area in the kitchens — **Gateway 1** — Kitchens side. Kill a couple of zombies here and watch for prints.

Second gateway in the training area — **Gateway 2** — Training Area gate.

Third gateway by the staging area overlooking lava — **Gateway 3** — Staging Area side, overlooking the lava.

Fourth gateway near the kitchens steps — **Gateway 4** — by the stone steps (Kitchens side). Rumors of a fifth location exist — check the video description if none work.

3.4 Follow the paw prints, close the circle

Glowing orange paw prints on the ground near lava — Glowing paw prints. **Kill zombies standing just in front of where the prints point** — line up the direction, kill ahead of them. Each batch of kills spawns the next set of prints. Repeat until the prints form a small circle.

⚠️ Two ways to fail the throw When the circle forms, throw your cat grenade into the middle. (1) Don't miss — it can bounce. (2) The lava in that area must be active/fiery, not cooled over.

3.5 Kill the Abomination

Abomination mini-boss with nameplate in the stables lava field — An **Abomination** spawns out of the lava. Kill it — it turns into a cat that runs into a wall. **Flip the round before continuing.**

3.6 Find the sleeping cat (creaky floorboards)

Grab Death Perception — it highlights the creaky floorboards you must avoid. Kill to the end of the round and hold one or two zombies.

Death Perception perk machine — The Death Perception machine (near Stables). Strongly recommended for this step.

Creaky floorboards highlighted in orange by Death Perception — With Death Perception, the creaky floorboards glow orange. There are **three floorboard spawn areas** (near Kitchens, Training Area, and Stables) — the cat sleeps at the back of one of them in your game.

The cat sleeping at the back of a room with floorboards — **Crouch** and approach slowly, stepping *between* the boards. Don't shoot, sprint, or use a field upgrade nearby — that startles it. Reach the cat and hold interact to pick it up.

💡 No cat at any spawn? You probably startled it already — go to the next round and check again.

3.7 Corrupt the cat at the World Seed

The corrupted World Seed egg turning dark with blue veins — Bring the cat to the World Seed and hold interact. The cat floats into the egg and becomes **corrupted** — wait for it to start pulsing red.

Red shockwave pulses around the World Seed while meleeing it — **Melee the World Seed several times** — it knocks you back with red pulses, so hit it between pulses. After the animation, pick up the cat: **Cat Wonder Weapon crafted!**

4️⃣ Suspect evidence: the Mask

You need the Cat Wonder Weapon for this whole set (video: 10:37).

4.1 Shoot all 11 lanterns (timed!)

Use the cat weapon to shoot 11 lanterns under time pressure — move fast between them. Here's the full route on the map, then each lantern in order. A sound cue confirms when all 11 are lit.

Map of Kowakujo with all 11 lantern locations numbered in route order — **🗺️ The lantern route.** Start at the Outer Ward south of spawn (1), sweep up the east side (2–5), through the Central Courtyard (6–7), up to the Tenshu entrance (8), then across the west side (9–11: Tea Garden, Training Area, Stables).

Lantern 1 - Outer Ward near the bridge — 1 — Outer Ward, by the bridge south of spawn.

Lantern 2 - Staging Area — 2 — Staging Area, on the yellow machine side.

Lantern 3 - Gatehouse stone lantern — 3 — Gatehouse: the stone lantern by the wall.

Lantern 4 - by the red bridge — 4 — By the red bridge (purple wisps mark it once lit).

Lantern 5 - Kitchens steps — 5 — Kitchens, by the steps of the big house.

Lantern 6 - Central Courtyard green lantern — 6 — Central Courtyard, hanging green lantern by the big tree.

Lantern 7 - north of Central Courtyard — 7 — North of the Central Courtyard, by the rope coil.

Lantern 8 - Tenshu entrance — 8 — Tenshu (castle) entrance, under the iron gate.

Lantern 9 - Tea Garden — 9 — Tea Garden, on the burning house.

Lantern 10 - Training Area lava side — 10 — Training Area, out over the lava side.

Lantern 11 - Stables across the lava — 11 — Stables, across the lava field. Sound cue = done!

4.2 The samurai ghost & the kite ride

Ghostly samurai body on the war room floor — Go to the **War Room** — a samurai's ghostly body lies on the floor. Interact for a short cutscene.

Carp-banner kite on the castle roof — Then up to the **castle roof** and interact with the kite to fly down.

Flying the kite over the rooftops, kitsune mask below — **Push RIGHT on the stick** during the flight and **mash the interact button** — about here you'll snatch the kitsune mask mid-air ("The kitsune mask! Surely a valuable clue…").

4.3 The mask wall memory game

The mask wall near the PhD machine — Take the mask to the **mask wall by the PhD machine** (Storage Rooms) and interact to mount it.

💡 Do this at the end of a round. It's fiddly. In co-op, have a teammate hold the last zombie… away from you.

The five masks labeled: 1 Horns, 2 Nose, 3 Top, 4 Lion, 5 Rey Mysterio — The five masks, in Milo's immortal naming scheme: **1 HORNS · 2 NOSE · 3 TOP · 4 LION · 5 REY MYSTERIO**. Hold interact on the wall mask: a sequence of these lights up. **Memorize the order.**

Written kill order on screen while killing masked zombies — Now kill the **zombies wearing those masks, in that exact order** (write it down like Milo does). Three rounds of this: the sequence grows by one mask each time.

⚠️ Kill the wrong masked zombie and you fail the step — black smoke covers the wall mask and you must wait for the next round to retry. Be very deliberate.

Ghost appearing at the mask wall — After the third correct sequence the wall mask glows — interact for a cutscene ("Now cover your face"). Then the mask **flies away**.

4.4 Shoot the mask down in 3 locations

Shoot it down at each spot (the cat weapon's charged AoE shot makes this easy); each drops an evidence piece to pick up.

First mask location by the barrels — **Location 1:** by the barrels (War Room side). Charged shot → evidence piece 1.

Mask hiding on the roof corner of the collapsed study, drops Takeshi's Pipe — **Location 2:** collapsed study (by where Wunderfizz spawns), back corner near the roof. Drops **Takeshi's Pipe**.

Third mask location above a wooden bar near Elemental Pop — **Location 3:** outside by **Elemental Pop** — look toward the windowsill; the mask sits above a wooden bar. Knock it down → third piece.

4.5 Deposit at the evidence board

The meditation room evidence wall — Upstairs in the **Meditation Room**, hold interact on this wall. With all three suspect pieces deposited, the **first painting** appears (leftmost) — category complete.

💡 Habit to build: come back to this wall and deposit evidence every time you finish pieces — especially if you ever feel stuck.

5️⃣ Accomplice evidence I: the Coin Purse

🔒 Requires all three mask evidence pieces on the board (first painting visible).

(video: 15:10) At the start of your game, one mystery box platform (the platform, not the box) has a small wooden tag on it — that's your target location. Get the box there (move it there naturally, use a Fire Sale, or the Mr. P trick below).

Cat grenade sitting on top of the mystery box — With the box on the tagged platform, **throw the cat grenade on top of the box** — it must sit on top (right next to it also works).

Spinning the mystery box with the cat on it — While the cat sits there, **hold interact to spin the box** as normal.

Blue floating Coin Purse item above the mystery box — Out comes a **blue floating Coin Purse** — interact to grab it. Then go to the **spawn area**, hold interact on the blue floating purse there, and watch the short cutscene.

5.1 All 9 mystery box spawns (find the tag)

Box spawn - spawn area — 1 — Spawn area (Outer Ward).

Box spawn - flower garden side — 2 — Flower Garden side (X on the minimap).

Box spawn - middle of the map by the big tree — 4 — Middle of the map, by the big tree.

Box spawn - tea garden center — 5 — Tea Garden, in the center.

Box spawn - onsen baths — 7 — Castle: inside the Onsen Baths, right-hand side.

Box spawn - opposite PhD stairs — 8 — Castle: instead of going up to PhD, go right.

Box spawn - castle roof — 9 — Castle roof, all the way up.

Mr. P field upgrade spawning the box — **Shortcut:** the **Mr. P field upgrade** with the **P's Favor** minor augment spawns the box wherever you cast it. Throw the cat down, cast Mr. P on the tag, the box spins, grab the purse.

6️⃣ Accomplice evidence II: Gardener, Merchant, Nobleman

🔒 Order matters: all three require the coin purse done first (which required the mask). Milo's order: gardener → merchant → nobleman.

6.1 Gardener — water the flowers (17:33)

Bucket spawn in the tea garden — Grab a **bucket** — Tea Garden spawn…

Bucket spawn at the stables — …or the Stables spawn. (Dropped buckets despawn and reappear at spawn points.)

Filling the bucket at the tea garden water pool — **Fill it at this water pool** (Tea Garden). You'll know it's full because it sloshes as you move.

⚠️ You lose water when zombies hit you or you take fire damage on the way. Each flower drains the bucket — refill at the same puddle as needed.

Now water the three flowers in the Flower Garden (interact with each while holding the filled bucket):

First flower in the flower garden — **Flower 1** — on the rocky path.

Second flower — **Flower 2** — just north, by the path.

Third flower near the red bridge — **Flower 3** — near the red bridge.

Gardener zombie spawning with glowing effects — All three watered → the **Gardener** spawns, immune at first.

Fighting the elite gardener zombie — **Shoot the two orange pots** to remove its immunity, then burn it down (elite health — it's chunky). It drops the **Shears** and a **note**.

6.2 Merchant — the tomato (19:25)

The wicker basket area in the kitchens — **Melee this wicker basket** (Kitchens) to drop a tomato. One tomato per round — if nothing drops, you already used it this round.

A zombie eating the tomato — **Run far away for 60–90 seconds.** When you come back, a zombie will be stuffing its face with the tomato, then chase you with it in its mouth. (Zombie not eating? You weren't far enough or long enough.)

Leading the tomato zombie to the staging area window — Lead that zombie to the **Staging Area** and **kill it near this window** — it drops the tomato again.

The merchant zombie climbing out of the window — The **Merchant** climbs out of the window and ravenously eats the tomatoes. **Kill it while it eats** — big health pool, bring firepower.

Quest items screen showing abacus and note — Pick up **both** drops: the **Abacus** and the **note**. (Round flipped while the merchant lived? Just respawn him with a new tomato.)

6.3 Nobleman — decoys & grenades (21:23)

The training area gatehouse across the lava — You need **3 decoys in fast succession**. Spawn with them, use the Mule Kick augment to hold three, or craft extras at the bench near Memento Kiyoto.

Decoys landed on the boarded windows above the gatehouse — **Throw one decoy onto each boarded-up window** above the little gatehouse (you can see two decoys stuck up there).

Catching and returning the nobleman's grenades — A zombie throws **grenades down at you — throw them back, cooked**, so they explode on top of him. Three times and he dies, dropping the **Nobleman's Hat** + a note.

That's the third accomplice piece → back to the evidence board, hold interact: second painting appears.

7️⃣ Poison evidence: plant, plum pit, pufferfish

(video: 22:28) The plant and plum pit can be done any time; the scroll puzzle and pufferfish need all accomplice evidence on the board first.

7.1 The Monkshood plant

Monkshood flower spawn near the crack in the flower garden — Pick the **monkshood flower** in the Flower Garden — near Wisp Tea, by this crack in the ground (fixed spawn).

The flowerpot on the far left ledge — Plant it in this **flowerpot** (far left-hand side, Tenshu entrance ledge).

Ash pouch in the rafters above the training/tea garden gate — Get the **empty ash pouch**: it hangs in the **rafters above the gate between Training Area and Tea Garden**. Shoot it down with the cat weapon's charged shot, then pick it up.

7.2 Collect volcanic ash at a fissure

Map showing the red fissure icon — Wait for a **fissure**: a red icon on your map — a crack spewing smoke that makes an area ashy. No fissure? Finish the round holding a zombie and wait; do other steps meanwhile.

Standing in the hazy ashy area — **Stand in the ash** and let your health drain **below half** (~55 HP without Jug, ~half with it). Don't take zombie hits. The "Volcanic Ash" pop-up appears on the right of your screen. Then **fertilize the flowerpot**.

7.3 Tree buff + flower power

The glowing cherry tree — Stand under a **glowing cherry tree** a few seconds: you get overhealed (green bar) and a glowy screen. Tree not glowing? **Melee it a couple of times.** Dead tree? Use another.

Cherry tree at the staging area — **Tree 1** — Staging Area (big tree).

Cherry tree at the kitchens — **Tree 2** — Kitchens.

Cherry tree by Melee Macchiato — **Tree 3** — by Melee Macchiato.

Cherry tree up in the castle — **Tree 4** — up in the castle itself.

Flower power burst infusing the plant — With the buff, **run in circles by the plant pot** until you drop a **flower-power speed boost** — it infuses the plant, and you can pick it up. Not dropping? Run *wider* circles, or wait ~30s if you recently dropped one. (Green overhealed bar + ringing sound = buff still active.)

7.4 The Plum Pit (fast & easy)

The box on the shelf in the kitchens — **Melee this box on the shelf** (Kitchens interior).

Green plum on the floor — A green apple-looking thing drops — it's a **plum**.

Plum Pit item pickup after squashing — **Jump on the plum repeatedly** until it squashes → pick up the **Plum Pit**.

7.5 The scroll puzzle

🔒 Requires all accomplice evidence on the wall (second painting visible).

The 3x3 grid of scrolls next to the maneki statue — The **3×3 scroll grid** (Storage Rooms). Meleeing a scroll toggles it **and its adjacent scrolls** in/out — a classic "lights out" logic puzzle. Goal: **all scrolls pushed IN**.

The kronorium.com scroll puzzle solver next to the in-game grid — Don't want to logic it? Use Milo's free **automatic solver on kronorium.com**: click squares to match your in-game state (double-check the tricky perspectives!), hit Solve, and it tells you exactly which scrolls to melee once. Completing it drops the **Pestle** part + a letter.

7.6 The Pufferfish

The bowl on the kitchens table — Hold interact on **this bowl in the Kitchens** (with the Pestle), then…

Feeding souls to the bowl with brain rot kills — …get zombie kills with a **Brain Rot-modded gun** (Arsenal machine) or the **charged cat attack** nearby — souls fill the bowl until the pestle glows blue.

Ghost sequence at the bowl — Hold interact for a short **ghost sequence** — when it ends, turn to your side: the **Pufferfish** is in the cupboard. That's poison piece 3 → **evidence board**, third painting.

8️⃣ Location evidence: the Kintsugi bowl

(video: 30:24) We repair a broken bowl (kintsugi), then use it in three defenses.

8.1 Collect the two ceramic pieces

First ceramic piece on the floor by the PaP stairs — **Piece 1** — on the floor by the **Pack-a-Punch stairs** (available from early game, once the first Oni is dead).

Second ceramic piece attached to the poison painting — **Piece 2** — attached to the **poison painting** in the Meditation Room (only after that painting is revealed).

Tea garden crafting spot — Craft the bowl in the **Tea Garden** (hold interact), then **go to the next round**, hold interact on the bowl again for a ghost cutscene, and pick the bowl up.

8.2 Three defenses, three items

Map: the three bowl defense locations in order

1 2 3

Defense order: 1 Japan-map room (castle, right side) → 2 roof near Wunderfizz → 3 Tea Garden (dog steals the item!).

⚠️ Protect the bowl! Kill zombies from every spawn point or they'll sneak up and destroy it. If it breaks: wait a round, recraft, replace the bowl at the failed spot, and don't let it get hit this time.

The Japan map room in the castle — **Defense 1 — the big Japan-map room** (right-hand side of the castle). Place the bowl on the little tray and defend.

Fighting off zombies during the bowl defense — The defense in progress — watch every doorway.

Horse Statuette item pickup — Success → the **Horse Statuette** pops out (remember it for later!).

Collapsed study route to the roof tray near Wunderfizz — **Defense 2 — roof near the Wunderfizz machine** (via the collapsed study). Same drill: tray, defend…

Calligraphy Brush item pickup — …and collect the **Calligraphy Brush**.

The tray in the tea garden — **Defense 3 — Tea Garden tray.** At the end, a **dog steals the item**!

The hellhound running with the whisk — The dog circles the map — **run the opposite way** to meet it, kill it, take the **Whisk** from its mouth.

Horse, Calligraphy Brush, Whisk → evidence wall → fourth painting. Now the final evidence set unlocks.

9️⃣ Final evidence: the Clock & the Flags

🔒 Requires all Kintsugi/location evidence on the board (fourth painting).

(video: 32:48)

9.1 Read the clock

The clock revealed in the rubble near the PhD machine — Downstairs near the PhD machine, the rubble now reveals a **clock**. Interact: it shows **four numbers in sequence** via the clock hand.

Clock hand pointing at a number — Yes, you need to read an analog clock. Milo's example: **6, 4, 6, 4**. Write your four numbers down. Missed them? Interact again to replay.

9.2 Flag defense round

Assault wave defense with flag zombies — Go to the next round → a **defense round** starts. Kill the **flag-carrying zombies**; their wisps fly to the Staging Area. Finish the defense, then play the following normal round to its end (hold a zombie or two).

9.3 The flag math

A flag with six circle symbols on it — The flags are now in the **Staging Area**. Each flag's value = **how many symbols it shows** (this one is a 6 — as Milo notes, "very obviously").

Four wall locations each show a Japanese numeral (1–4) — the order differs per game. Your job: at location #1, place flags totaling your first clock number; at #2 your second number; and so on.

First numbered wall location — **Location A** — Central Courtyard wall.

Second numbered wall location — **Location B** — Flower Garden, by Wisp Tea.

Third numbered wall location — **Location C** — Outer Ward side.

Fourth numbered wall location with glowing blue numeral — **Location D** — Stables (glowing blue numeral on the gable).

Bamboo shoots at the base of a numbered wall — Plant flags in the **bamboo shoots** next to each blue number. One 6-flag can satisfy a "6"; or combine (3+1 for a 4, etc.).

⚠️ Each flag can only be used once. Repeated clock numbers (like Milo's two 6s) force combinations — a 6 here, a 5+1 there. If the math stops working, reshuffle which flags go where.

Clock face with the correct numbers lit up in blue — **Verify at the clock:** exactly your four clock numbers should be lit. A wrong number lit (e.g. a stray 7) = your totals are off somewhere.

Clock opened revealing the glowing Crest Medallion — Hold interact on the clock — it pops open with the **Crest Medallion**. Place it on the evidence board: **final piece done**. You're close now.

🔎 The Deduction (traps, paintings, wheel)

(video: 37:36) The trickiest step. Take it slow, double-check everything, and remember Milo's advice: if something doesn't match, check the video description & pinned comment for updates.

10.1 Ghost traps: find your accomplice

Three of the four archer traps matter. At each: activate the trap, get 15–20 zombie kills with it during one activation, then look for a ghost facing the wrong way and interact. Turn subtitles on: the ghost either has "nothing to report" (→ try another trap) or names a character: merchant, gardener, or nobleman (sometimes called the courtier). That's your accomplice.

1 2 3

Check the traps in any order until a ghost names someone: 1 near spawn · 2 Flower Garden · 3 by the big tree (Central Courtyard).

Trap near the spawn area — **Trap 1** — near spawn; the ghost appears in the window.

Trap in the flower garden area — **Trap 2** — Flower Garden side.

Trap near the big tree — **Trap 3** — near the big tree; ghost on the back of the wall.

Ghost soldier saying he saw nothing unusual — A ghost with *"nothing unusual"* — move on to the next trap.

💡 Ghost won't spawn? Flip the round, make sure ALL paintings/evidence are deposited, and get the kills within a single trap activation.

10.2 Place the first four items

The five paintings on the meditation room wall — The five paintings, numbered **1–5 left to right**. Each gets an item placed on the shelf in front of it.

Painting	What to place	How you know
1 (leftmost)	Comb	Always.
2	Accomplice's item	Nobleman/courtier → Nobleman's Hat · Gardener → Shears · Merchant → Abacus (the rectangular box)
3	Murder weapon (poison)	See the table in 10.3 below
4	Horse / Calligraphy Pen / Whisk	Look at the painting's background: Mountain → Horse · Bird → Calligraphy Pen · Fish → Whisk
5	Crest Medallion	Always (from the clock).

The evidence shelf with the comb and other items — Grab items from the evidence shelves and place them under the right paintings.

Painting 4 with a mountain in the background — Painting 4 check — "I have mountain!" → place the **Horse**.

⚠️ Before touching painting 3 or the wheel, re-verify paintings 1, 2, 4, 5. One mistake there ruins everything that follows.

10.3 Painting 3: the murder weapon

Court Doctor's Record note with time and cause of death — Read the **Court Doctor's Record** (left-hand note on the wall): note the **cause of death** wording, and the **Time of Death animal** (here: "Hour of the Boar") — you'll need both.

Your accomplice	Doctor's note says…	Place in painting 3
Nobleman (courtier)	"…emesis"	Pufferfish
Nobleman (courtier)	"…noxious plant"	Monkshood Flower
Gardener	"…noxious food, emesis"	Plum Pit
Gardener	"…paralysis"	Monkshood Flower
Merchant	"…noxious plant"	Plum Pit
Merchant	anything else	Likely Pufferfish — but check the video's pinned comment for confirmed info

10.4 The zodiac wheel

Known Toxins note listing each poison's time to take effect — Read the **poison table** (rightmost note): find **your painting-3 poison** and its "takes effect within X hours". **Numbers vary per game!**

The metal zodiac wheel with pointer — The **metal wheel** (left side of the room). Find the doctor's-note **Time-of-Death animal** on it, then rotate the pointer **anticlockwise by X positions** (the poison's hours). Milo: boar, pufferfish = 1 hour → one space anticlockwise from the boar.

Chinese zodiac chart next to the in-game wheel — Trouble identifying the animals? They're the **Chinese zodiac**. Names may differ slightly: a *boar* is the pig, a *stallion* is the horse, etc.

10.5 Light the incense (submit)

The meditation room with wheel on the left and paintings on the right — Hold interact on the incense at the **left AND right sides of the paintings** — that's the submit button. **Careful:** it's easy to accidentally turn the wheel while lighting the left incense.

⚠️ If it fails: a special zombie spawns and you must wait a round to retry. Re-check items 1/2/4/5 first, then your painting-3 poison — and remember: if you swap the poison, you must redo the wheel with that poison's hours. Check the pinned comment for edge cases.

Squad vote to expel the Onryo — Success → a spark flies into the World Seed. Interact to vote and teleport into a **mini-boss fight** (a strong Oni — not the final boss).

Fighting the Onryo mini-boss — Beat the Oni, spawn back, do your final prep. Then hold interact on the **kites** to vote for the boss fight.

🐉 Boss fight: Nyxara

(video: 47:23) In Milo's words: "actually very straightforward… just quite chaotic."

Nyxara the dragon perched on the volcano — Nyxara. The fight is three identical phases, each unlocking a safe damage zone.

11.1 The loop: Oni → flag → capture → damage

Kill the Oni carrying a flag on its back, and run through the flag it drops.
Go to the main area where the flag can be planted, and stand in the zone to capture (you can leave and return — the capture holds).
Stand in the blue immunity area that appears — you're safe from zombies AND the boss.
Pour damage into the glowing yellow weak spots. One third of the boss HP per phase.
Phase 2 needs two Oni flags; phase 3 needs three. Same loop each time.

The armored Oni that carries the flag — The flag-carrying Oni.

Standing in the green capture zone with the planted flag — Flag planted — stand in the circle to charge it.

The blue immunity area — The blue immunity zone — your damage platform.

Shooting Nyxara's glowing weak spot — Melt the glowing weak spots (ranged weapon = why we built the loadout this way).

11.2 Freebies, buffs & survival

Free ammo and armor drops mid-fight — You get a **free Max Ammo and full armor** during the fight — and ammo crates exist if you run dry. Feel free to burn a Kazimir or two between immunity phases.

Shadow Smith buff crate in the arena — Grab **Shadow Smith blessings** around the arena.

Shadow Smith	How to spot him	Buff
Vethorian	"A massive baldy"	Loot (e.g. a Pack-a-Punch crystal)
Dravokahr	Viking braids	Immediate damage circle
Kalpherris	Horns	A "gun buddy" that shoots for you

🔥 When the arena catches fire, get to a safe spot — usually behind a rock; the arena edges are often safe too. Work the boss down phase by phase, and that's the Kowakujo Easter egg done. GG!

🔗 Useful links

📺 The full MrRoflWaffles guide video (check its description & pinned comment for updated info)
🧩 Scroll puzzle automatic solver (kronorium.com)
🧪 Toxins note reference picture
💡 Milo's "Tips to never fail again" video

This guide is a fan-made companion to MrRoflWaffles' video. All footage stills link back to the original video. Guide generated July 2026.