Origins Eternal Evils: What They Are and How to Handle Them
Eternal Evils first appear on round 25 of the Origins Zombies map in Black Ops 3. After that, they show up every 25 rounds—round 50, 75, and so on—alongside the standard round 46 boss wave. The game generates one to three Eternal Evil variants per wave depending on difficulty and player count. They look like normal zombies but hit significantly harder, have more health, and move with purpose rather than wandering around randomly. The core Eternal Evil types you will encounter include the Wraith, which teleports short distances to close gaps, the Grenadier that throws explosives at players, the Stalker with increased movement speed and directional awareness, and the Crawler which can climb walls and reach players from unexpected angles. Each variant requires different positioning and weapon choices to deal with efficiently. Positioning matters more than raw firepower here. Against the Wraith, holding corners and doorways minimizes the usefulness of its teleport mechanic because there is nowhere for it to teleport to if you control the choke points. I spent a lot of time learning this the hard way during a solo run when I got kited around the courtyard and took more damage than I should have from a single Wraith. The fix was simpler than I expected—I just stopped running between areas and held one spot, letting the teleporters waste their mobility against walls.
The Grenadier is the easiest to counter if you have a proper setup. Keep distance. Any weapon with decent damage output works, but the Trumfa or the Claw from the Der Leiter easter egg makes short work of them because you can chip health from safety. I had a group once where two players were standing too close together and the Grenadier's explosive hit both of them, downing one instantly. Spread out even in co-op. For the Stalker, movement is the enemy. It tracks you faster than normal zombies and will close distance quickly if you stay still. Counter this by moving erratically or using the Pack-a-Punch weapons which have the fire rate to put them down before they get within melee range. The Thundergun is particularly effective here since the initial blast does massive damage even if the secondary pellets miss. One thing most guides don't mention is that Eternal Evils scale differently based on player count. In solo, a single Wraith on round 50 can one-shot you with pack-a-punched weapons if you are not careful. In four-player mode, the same Wraith becomes considerably less threatening because the aggregate damage output is higher. This scaling means your strategy should shift depending on whether you are running solo or with a team. Solo requires more patience and resource management. Teams can afford to be more aggressive.
The Crawler deserves special attention because it is the most unpredictable. It spawns on the roof areas and drops down on players below. If you are holding the bottom floor near the electric box or the ammo cache, you will get Crawler damage you did not see coming. The workaround is to periodically check the upper ledges and rooftops. I usually clear the catwalks above the courtyard before engaging anything below. It takes maybe ten seconds and saves you from a surprise death. Perks play a bigger role than people give them credit for. Juggernog lets you survive one extra hit from an Eternal Evil, which is the difference between standing your ground and having to retreat. Speed Cola helps if you are using weapons with slower fire rates because the extra reload speed keeps pressure on the variants. Deadshot Daiquiri is situational—it helps against the fast-moving Stalker since the aim assist makes landing shots easier when you are moving. Weapon choice is the other major factor. The M8A1 from the Der Weisse Ghost quest is solid against all variants because it is accurate and has decent stopping power. The Claw from the easter egg is arguably the best option if you have completed it, as it does consistent area damage. For players who have not started the easter egg, the Trumfa and the Auger are reliable choices. Avoid weapons with low fire rates like the Bolt Sniper unless you are confident in your accuracy under pressure.
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There are some edge cases where the standard advice breaks down. On very high difficulties like 9999 or above, Eternal Evils gain additional health and damage buffs that make the normal strategies insufficient. At that point, you need max-level Perk-a-Cola setups, fully pack-a-punched weapons, and preferably the easter egg gear. I ran into this when a friend and I attempted a high-round challenge and kept dying around round 60 because the Wraiths were hitting like trucks. The workaround was switching to a holding pattern near the spawn area where we could funnel them through a narrow path instead of fighting them in open space. Another practical tip that most people overlook: the round announcement for Eternal Evils gives you a few seconds of warning. Use that time to reposition rather than to panic. When the voice says "The Eternal Evils have awakened," check your ammo, verify your positioning, and make sure you are not standing in the open. That two-second window is valuable if you use it properly. The main downside of relying on Eternal Evil strategies is that they assume you have access to upgraded weaponry and perks. If you are playing early rounds or with limited resources, the advice about holding corners and using high-damage weapons is less applicable. In those cases, the best approach is to avoid engagement entirely and let the normal zombie horde thin out before dealing with the variants. Kiting is a legitimate strategy when you cannot win a direct fight.
Eternal Evils are manageable once you understand what each type does. The Wraith needs confined spaces neutralized, the Grenadier needs distance, the Stalker needs movement to counter, and the Crawler needs vertical awareness. Stick to those principles and you should be able to handle them on any round without major issues.
