How to complete the Holdout mission in MW3 Zombies

Modern Warfare 3 Zombies’ missions only get harder as you complete them, with Act Three’s set list some of the most difficult—at least, that’s what you’d think.

Fortunately, it appears the Call of Duty developers might have accidentally given us a little freebie with the Holdout mission, but at the outset, it may not be clear just how you actually finish the quest. Here’s how to complete the Holdout mission in MW3 Zombies and unlock the schematics for the Wunderwaffe DG-2.

Completing the Holdout mission in MW3 Zombies, a guide

Holdout is a Tier Four mission in Act Three of MW3 Zombies and requires you to kill zombies during an Outlast contract and successfully exfil the Wunderwaffe DG-2 Plans from the Rewards Rift.

It’s a very simple mission for what is otherwise a challenging Act Three, which has left me wondering if the devs meant for this mission to be completed in a high-tier zone. Fortunately for us, any Outlast contract will do and a quick exfil after means a very simple mission.

1) Starting an Outlast contract

Begin by dropping into Urzikstan and heading for an Outlast contract. These can be identified on your Tactical Map by a blue icon with a satellite dish. Once you find the contract phone, simply interact with it and you’ll be sent to a nearby PND.

Again, use your Tactical Map as after you accept the contract you’ll be directed to a building with purple crystals and a PND, which looks a bit like a broken-down Pack-a-Punch machine. Make sure you’ve got plenty of ammo at this point because the fun begins after you interact with the PND.

2) Kill 50 zombies inside the corrupted space

After the PND is triggered, you’ll need to protect it from the zombie horde. Fortunately, that’s exactly what you need to do for the Holdout mission—eliminate 50 zombies from within the Outlast corrupted zone, which includes any enemies around the purple crystals.

I actually needed to run two Outlast contracts because I left the corrupted zone halfway through to eliminate some zombies thinking they would count. As such, I recommend standing right next to the PND and killing any enemies after they enter the building. It’s also possible I shot one or two before they entered the corrupted space, so be patient.

You should be able to get 50 by the time the mission is complete; otherwise, grab a vehicle and head straight for another Outlast contract.

3) Extract the Wunderwaffe DG-2 Plans

After completing the contract, if you’ve got the Holdout mission active, the Reward Rift will contain the plans for the Wunderwaffe DG-2, a Wonder weapon in MW3 Zombies. The final part of the Holdout mission is to extract the plans without dying.

Ideally, you’ll have completed this mission in the tier-one zone, which means there’s bound to be a safe extract nearby. Open your Tactical Map and look for the extract icon—a blue door with a character exiting. Head to the extract zone, call in the exfil chopper and defend the area until the chopper lands. Board it, and you’ll have completed the Holdout mission.

You’ll be rewarded with the Ray Gun Acquisition—the best Wonder Weapon, in my opinion—as well as a 2,500 XP for your Battle Pass and weapons.