There are three Dark Aether Rifts located in Urzikstan in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) Zombies. Learn all Dark Aether Rift locations, rewards, and how to enter the Dark Aether Rifts!
List of Contents
- Dark Aether Rift Locations and Rewards
- How to Enter Dark Aether Rift
- Related Guides
Dark Aether Rift Locations and Rewards
3 Dark Aether Rifts as of Season 3 Reloaded
| Location | Possible Rewards |
|---|---|
| ・Elder Sigils ・Golden Mask Filter ・Sergeant's Beret ・Dead Wire Detonators |
| ・ Elder Sigils ・ Mags of Holding ・ Blood Burner Key ・ V-R11 Schematic (Elder Rift) ・ Golden Armor Plate ・ Dog Bone |
| ・ Elder Sigils ・ Dog Bone ・ Golden Armor Plate ・ Aether Blade |
There are Dark Aether Rifts located on Tile F6, Tile G4, and TIle E4 of the Urzikstan Zombies Map, all 3 in the Red Zone and each with different reward pools.
Listed above are the rewards that you can only get from that specific Dark Aether. It doesn't include generic rewards such as Aether Tools and Aetherium, Perks, Ammo Mods, and Killstreak Gear.
Dark Aether Easter Egg Guide: How to Get All Keys
How to Enter Dark Aether Rift
| Jump to a Dark Aether Rift Walkthrough | |
|---|---|
| 3nd Dark Aether Rift (Tile E4) | |
| 2nd Dark Aether Rift(Tile G4) | 1st Dark Aether Rift(Tile F6) |
3rd Dark Aether Rift (Season 3 Reloaded)
- Complete Union Story Mission
- Collect All 4 New Relic Keys
- Upgrade 3 Keys to Gold Before Placing on Pedestals
- Obtain a Sigil and Open the Portal
Complete Union Story Mission
You must first complete the new story mission Union, wherein you must locate Dr. Jansen, defeat a boss, and obtain the golden Giraffe Toy Relic Key.
Union Mission Walkthrough
Collect All 4 New Relic Keys
The first key, the golden Giraffe Toy, will already be in your possession. You will then need to collect the other three keys: the Science Journal, Laptop With Stickers, and Imaginary Friend Drawing.
| Pedestal Keys | How to Get |
|---|---|
| Giraffe Toy | In Reward Rift after completing the Union story mission. |
| Science Journal | Head to the Aether Storm and kill around 50 Zombies until Reward Rift appears. |
| Laptop With Stickers | Head to a Mercenary Camp and kill a Sergeant with a pet dog (Hellhound) until Reward Rift appears. |
| Imaginary Friend Drawing | Head to the main building of Zohoor Ranch with Death Perception active and interact with an object under the bed on the top floor. |
Upgrade 3 Keys to Gold Before Placing on Pedestals
You will need to upgrade the Science Journal, Laptop With Stickers, and Imaginary Friend Drawing from Purple to Gold.
In order to do this, you must head to each upgrade location, stand on the small rune triangle, shoot 3 runes that appear, then find a nearby spot that will enable you to line up the runes so they form a giant triangle.
| Pedestal Key | Upgrade Location |
|---|---|
| Science Journal |
|
| Laptop With Stickers |
|
| Imaginary Friend Drawing |
|
Full guides with images are found on the individual Key pages above.
Obtain a Sigil and Open the Portal
After upgrading all keys to gold, bring them to the Dark Aether Rift in Tile E4 (in the Red Zone) and place them on the pedestals with the corresponding symbols. This will summon the Dark Aether Rift and reward you with a Sigil as well.
| ▶︎ How to Get Sigils | ▶︎ Dark Aether Map | ▶︎ Elder Sigils |
2nd Dark Aether Rift (Season 2 Reloaded)
- Complete Countermeasures Story Mission
- Collect All 4 New Keys from Obelisks in Countermeasures Mission Map
- Upgrade 3 Keys to Gold Before Placing on Pedestals
- Obtain a Sigil and Open the Portal
Complete Countermeasures Story Mission
In order to enter the new Dark Aether Rift, you'll need to complete the Act 4 Story Mission Countermeasures, which takes place in the Dark Aether. In the Reward Rift for beating the boss at the end of this mission, there will be the Drum item. This is one of the 4 keys needed to enter the 2nd Dark Aether Rift.
What to Do With the Drum
Collect All 4 New Keys from Obelisks in Countermeasures Mission Map
The 3 other keys needed to enter the 2nd Dark Aether Rift are all also found within the Countermeasures Mission map. You'll need to locate 3 different obelisks and start their challenge in order to obtain the key afterward.
| Obelisk Location | Obelisk Challenge |
|---|---|
| Melee Kills |
| Headshot Kills |
| Kill zombies with Ammo Mod corresponding to color of the ring |
Note that you'll have to repeat the Countermeasures Mission every time you enter its map—and every time you do, you get the Drum. The Countermeasures Mission is repeatable, so you don't need to get all 4 keys within the time limit, but it's possible to get them all in one go.
Upgrade 3 Keys to Gold Before Placing on Pedestals
After obtaining all 4 keys, you'll have to turn them into gold rarity before using them to enter the Dark Aether Rift. The Drum is already gold rarity, so you'll only need to upgrade the 3 other keys.
| Pedestal Key | How to Upgrade |
|---|---|
| Tattered MMA Gloves |
|
| Perforated Target |
|
| Pristine Mirror |
|
Full guides with images are found on the individual Key pages above.
Obtain a Sigil and Open the Portal
After upgrading all keys to gold, bring them to the Dark Aether Rift in Tile G4 (in the Red Zone) and place them on the pedestals with the corresponding symbols. This will summon the Dark Aether Rift and reward you with a Sigil as well.
Use the Sigil on the south side of the rift in order to activate it. If you're in a squad, the squad members will have to vote to confirm teleporting to the Dark Aether.
| ▶︎ How to Get Sigils | ▶︎ Dark Aether Map | ▶︎ Elder Sigils |
1st Dark Aether Rift (Season 1)
- Complete Bad Signal Story Mission
- Collect All 4 Key Items
- Upgrade Keys to Gold Before Placing on Pedestals
- Obtain a Sigil and Open the Portal
Complete Bad Signal Mission
Before you can enter the Dark Aether Rift, you'll first have to complete the Act 4 Mission, Bad Signal. This mission actually lets you visit the Dark Aether for a short while, however, you won't be able to re-enter the Dark Aether after finishing it until you've done all the necessary steps to open the portal again.
Bad Signal Act 4 Mission Walkthrough
Collect All 4 Key Items
After finishing the Bad Signal mission, you will then have to collect all 4 key items and place them on their corresponding pedestals in front of the Dark Aether Rift entrance. The 4 key items are as follows: Locked Diary, Pill Bottle, Surveillance Camera, and Dog Collar.
Below is a list of where to get all 4 Key items, which are required to open the Dark Aether Rift.
| Key Item | How to Get |
|---|---|
| Locked Diary | Reward from completing Act 4 Mission, Bad Signal |
| Pill Bottle | Shoot a Cyst in Aether Nests with a Brain Rot Ammo Mod equipped. |
| Surveillance Camera | Destroy a Harvester Orb with a Dead Wire Ammo Mod equipped. |
| Dog Collar | Place a Chunk of Flesh and Molotov in a Dog House, then kill the Hellhound that comes out of it. |
How to Get All Keys
Upgrade Keys to Gold Before Placing on Pedestals
After getting each key, you'll have to upgrade them to Gold rarity before you can place them on top of the pedestals. This can be done by going into an Aether Tear while holding a key and parachuting towards a Gold Rift in the sky.
A Purple Bounty Contract will then become available for you to accept somewhere on the map, and you'll have to complete it in order to upgrade a key to its Gold version.
All Aether Tear Locations
Obtain a Sigil and Open the Portal
You can get one Sigil after activating the Dark Aether Rift for the first time. However, succeeding Sigils must be obtained by completing contracts in the High Threat Zone (Red Zone).
To enter the Dark Aether Rift, use a Sigil on the pillar of the entrance to open the portal. Afterwards, all players in a squad must partake in a voting system and reach the required amount of “Yes” votes needed in order to be transported to the Dark Aether Rift.
| ▶︎ How to Get Sigils | ▶︎ Dark Aether Map | ▶︎ Elder Sigils |
Modern Warfare 3 Related Guides
Zombies Mode Walkthrough and Guide
All Zombies Guides
| Zombies Guides and Lists | |
|---|---|
| Zombies Missions | Zombies Season 2 |
| Zombies Season 1 | Zombies Map |
| Zombies Weapons | Crafting Schematics |
| Aetherium | Challenges and Enemies |
| Zombies Perks | Zombies Ammo Mods |
| Zombies Field Upgrades | Zombies Gear |
| Contracts | Zombies Power-Ups |
All Zombies Map Locations
| Dark Aether Map Locations | |
|---|---|
| Dark Aether Rift Locations | Dark Aether Easter Eggs: How to Get All Keys |
| Dark Aether Map | Dark Aether Contract Locations |
| Dark Aether Exfil Locations | - |
| Zombies Map Locations | |
| Legacy Fortress | Portals and Codes |
| Mystery Boxes | Perk Machines |
| Locked Vault | Pawn Transmission |
| Strongholds | Buy Station |
| Merc Camps | Deadbolt Turrets |
| Aether Tear | Redeploy Drones |
| Der Wunderfizz | Red Zone |
| Exfil | Gas Station |
| Bunkers | Audio Logs |
| Bosses | Hidden Caches |
| Doghouses | - |
