How to open The Vault doors in MW3 Zombies

Go on a chess board hunt to unlock The Vault doors in MW3 Zombies and reap all the rewards.

With four transmissions to send and mini bosses to find, the race is on to beat your fellow Operators and open those Vault doors for massive rewards. Here is our full guide on where to find each chess piece to unlock The Vault in Deadbolt Operation’s Urzikstan for MWZ.

Where is The Vault in MW3 Zombies?

Head to Shahin Manor (H7) on the south-east corner of Urzikstan. Go to this POI (point of interest) and enter the manor via the front doors. Immediately turn left, past the stairwell and walk to the far left wall of the front room. You’ll find a rappel rope: use it to enter the manor’s basement. In this Fallout-looking area, The Vault is locked behind two doors. You’ll see a chess board that is the core component to unlock The Vault’s doors.  

How to open the Vault doors: Chess board puzzle solution

The chess board correlates directly to four mini bosses around Urzikstan. You need to find and exterminate them to power the four light switches above The Vault door. Each chess piece corresponds to a part of Urzikstan. Here is where you can find each chess piece and the boss it represents:

• The Knight (no specific coordinates) – Patrols Urzikstan in a counter-clockwise pattern following the main roads and resides at the back of the Armored Truck that you can always see on your tac-map.
• The Bishop (DI) – Found in the tunnels of Popov Power. The Bishop will use melee attacks through the smoke, so keep a safe distance and wait for him to run at you.
• The Rook (C5) – Enter the Hotel Café Bar and climb the far back staircase from the entrance. Destroy or get past the Sentry Gun in the corridor by entering the first room on the right where the Rook resides.

After killing each chess piece boss in Urzikstan, you must pick up the Transmission Device the bosses drop. The final transmission is sent via the television inside the small building off the docks in I1. A Disciple typically spawns here after sending this transmission.

Head back to Shahin Manor and unlock The Vault now that all four lights are lit above the locked doors. Enjoy the rewards from the large loot caches, but by mindful as opening one of these will spawn the final Vault boss, the Mimic King. Remember, The Vault can be unlocked at any time, and a transmission can be sent by other Operators around the map. So check the chess board if you cannot find one of the chess pieces in Urzikstan in case another player has defeated this boss for you.