Bye-Bye, Dark Aether is the Main Quest and associated achievement for the map Liberty Falls in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. It involves the Rapid Response Team Alpha of the Project Janus security forces to assess the situation at Liberty Falls and to locate and aid any surviving science personnel relating to Project Janus. In turn, also finding out if Project Janus was technically involved in starting the outbreak within the town itself and if possible, stopping it.
Step Zero[]
Alpha Squad is instructed to search the town for any survivors, with the three science members stationed within the town being top priority. During the search, two members of the science team can be found dead. Dr. Kyle Moline can be found within Olly's Comics, his body found within the centre of the store. Whilst Dr. Annette Pelletier can be found on-top of a carrier van beside the Speed Cola machine on Washing Ave. The third member of the team and the only member to make it out alive is Dr. Pericles Panos, who can be found within the church.
The internals of the church have become intertwined with the Dark Aether due to the work of Project Janus. Interacting with the Simultaneous Dimensional Gateway device beside the Ammo Cache will start the Main Quest proper and have Panos connect with Alpha Squad, temporarily disrupting communications with Blanchard.
Step One[]
Due to the situation that Panos has found himself in, after slightly mocking the "rapid" response nature of Team Alpha, he reveals that he is unable to actually leave this pocket of the Dark Aether. But with Alpha Team, it could be entirely possible to scavenge the parts to create a device to help free him from this. He specifically notes a particular device beside him trapped in a "null-gravity field" that could be used but simply needs some ingenuity to be taken. With enough scavenged components, a working Limited Transdimensional Gateway Device could be made.
At this point the Thrustodyne Aeronautics Model 23 is required to continue. If the players had already acquired the Thrustodyne Model 23 prior to this step, the next step can be skipped.
Step Two[]
Each of the scientists has a part nearby them that could be used for the LTG. All which require the primary fire of the Thrustodyne to access.
- Panos's item is said device trapped in the null-gravity field.
- Moline's item can be found within the roof of Olly's Comics, in a hole that is above where his corpse is.
- Pelletier's item can be found within an open window across from where her body is, within the window of the Buzz Cuts barber shop.
With all these, Panos will happily remark that the device can be made. Which a crafting table for that sits on "The Alamo".
Step Three[]
With the newly crafted LTG, Alpha Team can now effectively summon a High-Value Target zombie to leech the life force out of for power for the machine from an Aether Storm. Whilst the other Doctors were able to manage to fill a single canister before their demise, the machine still requires more. Blanchard then wonders on the current fate of Director Richtofen, whilst Panos simply pans the question off, either remarking that survival sometime is about the friends you make or that disappearing doesn't always mean gone. However, an unknown entity causes him to remark to ignore that and state that it's simply a rhetorical question.
The Aether Storms can be found within the Cemetery or within Riverside. A platform specifically for the LTG can be found under the storm. Upon placing the device, it will instantly activate and cause a portal to open up and Panos orders Team Alpha to depend it, lest it collapses. Defending it takes a minute and zombies with glowing purple eyes will spawn to directly suicidaly charge into it to damage it. These zombies only award 10% of the point reward standard zombies offer. Alongside these, Heavy Zombies and Manglers also spawn to attack Team Alpha.
If the defence gets fully interrupted, after the current wave has been completed, it'll become interactable once more and the defence can be restarted for another attempt.
Upon the completed defence of a portal, the portal will surge and a High-Value Target will be forced through. This can either be a Mangler or a Abomination. Both Panos and Blanchard will order Team Alpha to damage the HVT enough to capture the energy from it. With Panos chiming to remind Team Alpha if they have a Aether Canister. One of these can be found within the SDG machine in the Church, however whomever picks this up is now restricted to walking speed.
At around approximately 20% health remaining, the HVT will start to produce a energy from itself. Panos will remark on this and tells the team to lure it to a point where it the essence can be captured.
A device that can be used as a make-shift transferal device is the Dark Aether Field Generator traps placed at sections of the map. By placing the Aether Canister on the pad where the Field itself is generated and luring the HVT onto the pad, killing it on here will extract their life force and filter it into the Canister. Which then can be transported back to the Church. However, the energy itself is not stable and will dissipate after around 1 minute and 30 seconds.
If the HVT dies or the canister loses all the energy. Another HVT can be summoned from the LTG after the wave that the HVT died on has been concluded. Interacting with the LTG will then re-open the portal and summon another HVT.
Step Four[]
Panos now notes to find the last remaining Aether Canister, Alpha Team will require a device known as a Strauss Counter, so named after the undisputed authority of Dark Aether energy research, Oskar Strauss. One of these devices will be dispensed from the machine holding the Aether Canisters and takes up the Tactical slots.
Around the map there are three projectors that project "Light Elemental Particles", with the Strauss Counter, it is possible to recalibrate these projectors to disrupt the energy around the canister, making it safe to interact with.
The projectors can be found at:
- Behind Fuller's Liberty Lanes, on the grass section of the Hilltop Stairway up to the Church.
- Within the backyard of the Groundskeeper's Yard, near the drop to Hill Street.
- On the Yummy Freeze rooftop, accessed by dropping from "The Alamo".
Recalibration is done by interacting with the projector to turn them on and then pulling out the Strauss Counter. The Strauss Counter should showcase one of three colours. If the Counter is showing red nearby to the projector, swap the projector to have the top light of it shows green. If the Counter is showing Yellow, swap the projector to yellow. And if the Counter is showing green, swap the projector to red. When all are correctly calibrated, after a moment, they should all reposition their targeting towards the Pump & Pay Gas Station and to the device holding the Canister. Which can be now taken from it.
Step Five[]
The LTG can also be retrieved from it's prior position and taken to the remaining Aether Storm to repeat the process with the remaining canister. The LTG can be moved and placed prior to the canister being unlocked.
Upon returning returning the canister to the SDG machine, no dialogue will be triggered. As interacting with the machine will lock Team Alpha into the Dark Aether for a holdout, as such, this is classed as a point of no return.
Step Six[]
Upon interacting with the Simultaneous Dimensional Gateway, both routes into the church close and a orb will appear above the device. Whilst Blanchard is hesitant on if it'll work, Panos is sure that the SDG will work, producing a neutralizing wave and in his own words "And it's then "Bye-Bye, Dark Aether." Within this, any Support options that require interaction from the outside aren't able to be called in due to Aether Interference.
Within this effective defence, every few kill sends energy to the ball above the SDG, which empowers the device. During this, Armored Zombies, Heavy Zombies and Vermin and Manglers will start to spawn.
A swarm of Manglers will spawn in as an effective wave end boss.
On the defeat of the Manglers, a Max Armor power-up will spawn while Panos communicates with an unknown entity about how the device is functioning as exactly as they described it would. After a small delay from this, a HVT Mangler will spawn.
After the HVT Mangler is killed, alongside any stragglers, a Max Ammo power-up will spawn. A few more standard zombie waves are killed, which now include an infrequent Mangler spawn, a HVT Abomination will spawn in.
When the HVT Abomination is killed, Panos remarks that the end is nigh and while the SDG fires... It simply downs Team Alpha, without any ability to self-revive. Whilst Blanchard attempts to communicate with the Team, Panos simply cuts off the ability to do so before channeling an energy beam into Team Alpha and becoming whole once more. Panos thanks them for volunteering for taking his place within the Dark Aether before leaving as he has some scores to apparently settle. He then leaves while simply stating, "Bye-Bye, Dark Aether."
Post Main Quest[]
If the option to stay within the game is chosen, the Team is respawned on top of the Pump & Gas Gas Station, alongside a multitude of rewards, such as Bonus Points power-ups, Aether Tools, Aetherium Crystals, Random Weaponry, Salvage and a Ray Gun.
Trivia[]
- After activating the Main Quest and during specific sections of the Main Quest, Panos can be heard talking to an unknown entity.
- During Waves, going back to the Dark Aether, Panos can be heard talking to said unknown entity about various topics, including things like how technically the SRG Machine was built in tandem with both of them, how his sanity is waning due to being in the Dark Aether for a day compared to their unknown time and Panos commenting that potentially the entity doesn't hate a specific person as much as they think.
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