If you’ve been pushing through Black Ops 7 lately, you probably already know how stubborn Cursed Mode on Ashes of the Damned can be, and grabbing the Dragon Relic isn’t something the game hands out easily. Before you jump in, you really want to sort your setup, and that’s where the CoD BO7 Bot Lobby prep can make a big difference because a Tier 2 Relic Loadout with solid perks like Golden Armor and better weapon rarity upgrades keeps you from getting shredded once the rounds start climbing.
Main Story Push
You’ve got to work your way through the entire Easter Egg path first. There’s no shortcut here. Players often try to sprint through it, but the mode won’t let you off that easy. You’ll need to make real progress until you reach the fight inside the Veytharion's Sepulcher, and by then you’re usually sitting somewhere around Round 60. It’s a long haul, and yeah, losing deep into a run like that stings more than anyone wants to admit.
Watching for the Audio Cue
Once you’re in that boss arena, the real waiting game begins. Keep your headset on and pay attention to every weird sound because you’re listening for that creepy laugh that tells you the Relic Trial has unlocked. As soon as you hear it, don’t waste time—head over to Blackwater Lake. Most players go straight to the boathouse area since the stone you need to interact with is tucked right there.
Starting the Dragon Trial
When you activate the stone, the trial kicks off immediately. The rules sound simple, but they’re harsher than they look. You’re locked into using explosive weapons only, and anything else might as well be a water gun. A Ray Gun or the Necrofluid Gauntlet from the Easter Egg steps is almost essential here. They’re not just strong; they clear space around you when everything starts closing in.
Handling the Waves
Ammo becomes the thing you think about the most during this challenge. Even with strong explosive gear, you burn through shots way faster than you expect. A lot of players end up panicking halfway through the waves when they realise they’ve been firing a bit too freely. Keeping each shot intentional makes the fight way calmer, or at least as calm as a Cursed Mode trial ever gets.
The Relic and the Trade-Off
Once you survive the full trial, you finally get the Dragon Relic. It looks great, but the moment you equip it in Cursed Mode, every ammo crate on the map shuts down. That twist forces you to rethink almost everything about how you play, and it’s a challenge that plenty of hardcore fans actually enjoy—especially if they’ve been experimenting with CoD BO7 Bot Lobbies to polish their runs.
