Terminus Research Facility Guide
Power routing, bunker access, and elite spawn control for Terminus.
Facility Overview
Terminus is a multi-tier research bunker anchored by a central reactor core. Three concentric hallways circle the core and connect to laboratories, cargo bays, and data vaults. Elevators, ladders, and maintenance ducts create countless shortcuts—but also invite zombies to flank. Mastering Terminus requires an understanding of vertical flow, power routing, and elite spawn manipulation.
Key Districts
- Central Reactor: Houses Pack-a-Punch, coolant rails, and the main storyline objectives.
- Engineering Wing: Contains the primary breakers, forge upgrades, and a workshop with a guaranteed plate box.
- Cargo Bay: Two-story arena ideal for training. Also hosts rare salvage drops every eight rounds.
- Data Archive: Tight corridors filled with console interactions for side quests.
- Observation Deck: Highest vantage point; perfect for snipers and elite hunters.
Power Routing and Reactor Access
- Engineering Breakers: Flip three breakers inside the engineering bay. Each sits behind a locked grate; open them in the order numbered on the wall. Completing the sequence within two minutes prevents the overload patrol event.
- Cargo Remote Fuse: While breakers run, send a teammate to the cargo bay to activate a remote fuse. This keeps elevators online.
- Reactor Boot Sequence: Once power flows, interact with the reactor console and defend it from a short elite push. Use the catwalk to kite and drop energy mines on the lower level.
Timeline Goal: Have Pack-a-Punch and elevators active by 6:30 game time.
Vertical Traversal Tips
- Elevators: Two main elevators run opposite each other. Call both up before a defense event so no one gets stranded.
- Maintenance Ladders: Hidden behind yellow grates. Cut travel time by 50% and help you escape mangler charges.
- Vent Crawlspaces: Perfect for solo resets. Slide through, and zombies must reroute, buying 5–7 seconds.
Elite Spawn Control
Terminus spawns elites from specific doors depending on round counts.
| Elite | Spawn Doors | Counter |
|---|---|---|
| Mangler | Reactor catwalk + Engineering stairs | Assign two players to catwalk and use Shatter Blast |
| Disciple | Data archive vents | Drop Cryo mines before rounds start |
| Mega Abomination | Cargo bay hangar | Keep Ring of Fire charges ready and clear adds first |
Split Assignments
Assign two players to the top catwalk and two to the lower lab. Focus fire spawn windows as soon as the round starts and you will erase manglers before they reach mid, preventing chain explosions.
Contract and Side Quest Routing
- Bounty Contracts: Spawn in the cargo bay and lower labs. Clear them early to prevent elites from stacking.
- Escort Contracts: Typically start in the engineering hallways—prepare claymores along the robot’s route.
- Data Recovery Quest: Activate consoles in the archive to collect encrypted drives. Turning them in rewards self-revives and schematics.
- Containment Drill: Optional event triggered from the reactor console for bonus salvage; best attempted once you have tier 2 armor.
Wonder Weapon Tie-In
Terminus feeds into the Chrono-Lens and Dragon Cannon side quests. During runs, note the following:
- Look for Temporal Echoes (glowing anomalies) along the observation deck for Chrono-Lens parts.
- Use heated coolant from engineering to supercharge the dragon egg if you’re cross-progressing Ashes objectives.
- Elite kills inside the core drop Stasis Modules that enhance the Chrono-Lens beam—grab them before they disappear.
Training Routes
- Cargo Figure-Eight: Loop around the two cargo cranes, drop to the lower level, and mantle back up. Perfect for 4-player games.
- Reactor Ring: Circle the upper catwalk, jump through maintenance ladders to reset, and rejoin the loop. Works best for high-round duos.
- Archive Circuit: Run laps through the data archive, sliding under consoles to avoid grabs. Great for solo salvage farming.
Loot Highlights
- East Lab Safe: Requires a randomly dropping keycard from escort contracts. Contains schematics or blueprint mods.
- South Cargo Hatch: Every eight rounds the hatch opens, spitting out a scorestreak. Rotate back frequently.
- Observation Deck Locker: Houses rare ammo mods after round 20; unlock by shooting the three glowing panels along the deck.
Troubleshooting
-
Problem: Elevators lock during elite waves.
Fix: Keep at least one player stationed near the elevator call buttons. Use the maintenance ladder if power surges freeze the system. -
Problem: Reactor defense wipes the squad.
Fix: Plant claymores on the lower stairs before starting, then have one player dedicated to clearing disciples while the others focus on manglers. -
Problem: Contract timers overlap.
Fix: Complete them in strict clockwise order—Reactor → Data Archive → Cargo. If two spawn simultaneously, ping one and finish the other; they don’t despawn for five minutes.
Extraction Strategy
Terminus looks intimidating, but once you learn the concentric layout and vertical shortcuts the map becomes a controllable grind. Keep power flowing, own the catwalks, and the North Atlantic facility will turn into your most efficient salvage farm.
When you are ready to leave, trigger the Helipad Extraction above the observation deck. Call the beacon right after a dog wave so ammo is full and elite spawns are delayed. Assign one player to monitor the elevator while the others hold the helipad corners. Drop a Tesla turret near the beacon, rotate clockwise, and report elite spawns immediately. If two players go red, cancel the exfil, restock plates, and try again the next round—dying in the elevator costs more salvage than a short delay.