Raygun Return in Black Ops 7 Zombies Beta: How to Get It on Vandorn Farm

The Raygun is back in Black Ops 7’s Zombies beta — and getting one is both a matter of luck and of knowing where to press your luck. In the Vandorn Farm Survival slice that Treyarch opened in the beta, players can chase a classic wonder-weapon through two clear, repeatable paths: spinning the Mystery Box or feeding the new “Chompy” trashcan. Both methods are RNG-driven, but each has practical trade‑offs (cost, resource type, and risk to your current gear), and both are worth understanding if you want to push for round 50 and the beta-only Dark Ops reward tied to that endurance milestone.

Background / Overview​

Black Ops 7’s beta includes a limited Zombies preview: Survival on Vandorn Farm, a compact map designed to give players a concentrated taste of the full Ashes of the Damned experience. The beta’s Survival mode keeps many of the core systems — Essence currency, Der Wunderfizz/derivative machines, GobbleGums, and a Mystery Box — while moving some interactions and traps into a tighter footprint so you can test high‑round endurance without the full open‑world trappings. Treyarch and the publisher have explicitly positioned the beta as a small but meaningful sandbox for Zombies systems testing; as part of that, the Raygun can appear in the beta, albeit in limited ways.
Why this matters: Treyarch tucked a Beta-only Dark Ops-style calling card behind a round-based challenge — survive to round 50 in a single match to unlock the “Tip of the Spear” challenge and the associated calling card during the beta — which gives players a direct incentive to learn the fastest and safest ways to obtain high-damage tools like the Raygun. Because round 50 is a long grind even on a compact map, the Raygun — and the tools that let you upgrade and preserve it — are highly valuable in practice.

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How to get the Raygun in the Vandorn Farm beta​

Two confirmed methods are in play in the beta: spinning the Mystery Box and feeding the map’s trashcan nicknamed Chompy. Both are RNG-based, so neither guarantees the Raygun on the spot, but each has strategic implications for resources and survivability.

Method 1 — Spin the Mystery Box (the classic approach)​

• What it is: The Mystery Box is a randomized weapon-draw machine that can award standard weapons, rare map-specific gear, and the Raygun as a Wonder Weapon drop.
• Cost and mechanics: Each spin currently costs 950 Essence in the Zombies loop (the same staple cost seen across recent entries in the series). That amount can be dramatically reduced during a Fire Sale, and certain GobbleGums — notably Respin Cycle and the Wonderbar-style consumables — interact with the box to respin or increase the chance of a Wonder Weapon. These GobbleGums (or beta equivalents offered as complimentary items) change the risk profile of boxing runs.

Why this is effective: The Mystery Box is the most straightforward route because it doesn’t require you to give up existing gear or lethals. If you have a decent Essence reserve and you’re willing to accept RNG, you can keep churning spins until you land the Raygun — or rely on GobbleGums to tip odds in your favor. The downside is plain: hundreds or even thousands of Essence can evaporate before the box coughs up the gun.
Tactical notes:

• Use a Respin Cycle (or the beta-equivalent) if you want a safety net after a bad spin. It doesn’t make the initial spin free; it gives a second chance for the same spin without reopening the box.
• Consider saving spins for later rounds; many players report higher effective yields for high‑round spins (the game’s loot pools often skew rarer at higher rounds), although Treyarch does not publish exact drop rates. Treat this as community-observed behavior rather than a verified guarantee.

Method 2 — Feed Chompy (the trashcan one)​

• What it is: On Vandorn Farm there is a sentient trashcan nicknamed Chompy located between the barn and the farmhouse. Chompy is interactable: melee its lid to open it and feed it by surrendering a lethal or your current weapon.
• Rewards: Most of the time, Chompy returns Salvage (the map’s alternative economy/resource) or small consumables useful for sustaining a run. On rare occasions — and this is the key — Chompy will spit out a Raygun. You can feed Chompy up to three times per round, meaning you have multiple independent chances every cycle to convert throwaway lethals or unwanted weapons into high-value loot. Community reports from early beta sessions corroborate the behavior; Reddit players have already posted successful Raygun pulls from Chompy during the beta.

Why this is attractive: Chompy’s mechanic is effectively a soft-RNG exchange that uses expendable items (lethals, weapons) instead of Essence. If you prefer not to burn Essence on box spins — or if you’re running low on Essence while still trying to get the Raygun — Chompy is the practical “mostly free” route. The trade-off is immediate: you surrender gear or explosives that might have tactical value in the short term.
Tactical notes:

• Feed your lethals first. Because lethals are commonly replenished (or cheaper to carry than a powerful weapon), sacrificing them minimizes the cost of chasing RNG.
• Pick up any dropped lethals or weapons on the ground to fuel future feeds — this lets you chain attempts without losing momentum.
• If you get a dicey drop (low salvage), accept and move on — the goal is to maximize attempts over time rather than squeeze the last Essence point from every round.

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What to do once you have a Raygun — practical upgrade and survival strategy​

The Raygun is a high-value, high-payoff tool in the Zombies arsenal, but raw power is not enough to carry you to round 50 alone. There are four supporting systems you should prioritize immediately.

1) Seek Pack‑a‑Punch (PAP) as soon as feasible​

The Raygun scales dramatically when packed. On Vandorn Farm the Pack‑a‑Punch machine appears on the top floor of the barn in Survival mode, but you can only use it after you’ve restored power — a map ‘quest’ step that unlocks machine functionality. Upgrading the Raygun increases its damage and ammo pool enough to remain relevant as enemy health climbs. If you pull a Raygun early, plan your route to turn on power and PAP it as soon as the objective allows.

2) Run Augments and GobbleGum/consumable synergies​

• Augments that increase weapon damage, critical chance, or ammo economy pair exceptionally well with the Raygun.
• Beta GobbleGums that reduce Mystery Box cost, grant a respin, or guarantee a Wonder Weapon should be used judiciously; these are limited and powerful. If you have a crate or consumable that can auto‑PAP a weapon, use it to maximize the Raygun’s impact out of the box.

3) Use the Saw Blade trap for crowd control​

The Vandorn Farm beta includes a Saw Blade trap placed just outside the barn that chews through regular zombies for an Essence cost (reported in early beta coverage as around 1,000 Essence, with a cooldown). Running the Saw Blade on rotation turns incoming hordes into disposable targets, letting your Raygun and teammates focus on special enemies as rounds escalate. Positioning matters: stand atop the nearby car or a raised surface and pull zombies into the blade for continuous cleanup. This reduces ammo consumption and preserves PAP charges for heavy targets.

4) Protect and rotate​

• Team play matters: revive priorities, ammo sharing, and having a second DPS option (a Pack‑a‑Punched kinetic weapon with heavy damage vs. armored enemies) will keep your Raygun effective in later rounds.
• When specials spawn, designate roles: one player manages the Saw Blade and crowd control, another targets heavies with kinetic weapons, and your Raygun handles density. This is a classic Zombies triage approach, re-tooled for the Vandorn Farm resource economy.

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The math you should and shouldn’t trust (RNG, costs, and unverified odds)​

There’s a strong temptation to assign concrete percentages to drops, but Treyarch does not publish exact Mystery Box odds or Chompy output ratios. Community testing across previous Black Ops entries suggests the Raygun is rare — often treated as an Ultra/Legendary-tier Wonder Weapon — but exact probabilities vary by map and round. Empirical notes:

• The Mystery Box spin cost of 950 Essence is consistent with multiple entries in the series and is reported in beta coverage and community guides. Treat that number as stable for the beta, but subject to change before launch.
• The Respin Cycle respin and Wonderbar-style GobbleGum interactions significantly alter effective odds; those consumables are limited and often scarce in early beta pools. Their presence empowers targeted players but does not remove RNG entirely.
• Chompy’s Raygun output is community‑verified in early beta posts and social media clips, but Treyarch has not published official drop tables for the trashcan. Expect rarity and prepare accordingly.

Flag: Any claim about specific drop percentages or guaranteed yields outside of documented GobbleGum effects should be treated as unverified unless Treyarch publishes official numbers. Community testing and sample sizes can approximate odds, but they are not authoritative.

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Why the Raygun still matters in 2025 — design, balance, and playstyle implications​

The Raygun is more than nostalgia; it is a design anchor in Zombies for several reasons:

• Area-of-effect crowd control: The Raygun’s explosive/splash profile makes it uniquely efficient at thinning dense hordes without requiring precise headshots every time, especially useful on maps with tight geometry like Vandorn Farm.
• Economy leverage: In a mode that leans on Essence and Salvage tradeoffs, picking a weapon that preserves ammo and kills multiple targets per shot improves long-run resource math.
• Team utility: A single Raygun can change how a team handles special spawns, allowing one player to control density while others target high-HP threats.
• Meta continuity: Familiar weapons create a common language for the player base, reducing the cognitive overhead for teams trying to coordinate high-round strategies across different map pieces and modes.

But balance remains an open question. Historically, wonder-weapons demand careful tuning — too strong and they trivialize challenges, too weak and they become pointless rarities. Treyarch’s decision to keep Raygun acquisition stochastic and to require Pack‑a‑Punch to access late-round utility is an intentional balance lever: it preserves the weapon’s punch while making it a resource decision rather than an auto-win button.

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Risks, limitations, and beta caveats​

There are several practical caveats to bear in mind when you chase the Raygun in the beta.

• Beta constraints: The Vandorn Farm preview is intentionally limited. Not all mechanics, side quests, or Easter Eggs from the full Ashes of the Damned map are present in the beta. That means some Raygun acquisition paths that may exist at launch aren’t available in the beta test loop. Treat the beta as a representative but incomplete slice of the final product.
• RNG fatigue and time investment: You can reasonably spend the entire match’s earnings on Mystery Box spins without getting the Raygun. Chompy reduces that Essence exposure, but it can still be a long grind. Decide early whether you’re chasing the weapon for fun, practice, or to complete the beta-only Dark Ops reward.
• System changes before launch: Pricing, trap cooldowns, and even the physical location of machines can change between beta and launch. If you’re aiming for long-term strategy, treat beta-specific tactics as provisional until final patch notes confirm them.
• Anti‑cheat and PC barriers: The beta enforces firmware-level anti‑cheat checks (TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot) on PC. This is unrelated to Raygun mechanics but is operationally important: players who can’t pass preflight checks can’t play the beta to chase any of these rewards.

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Practical checklists and short plays for players chasing the Raygun​

Use the following concise routines to improve your odds and your survival odds while you grind.

• Pre-match checklist:
• Confirm access and that Zombies is enabled in the beta client.
• Set a GobbleGum/consumables loadout that includes a Respin Cycle or Wonderbar equivalent if you have one.
• Pick a partner or squad and agree roles: blade operator, crowd controller, ammo/utility supplier.
• Choose a starting path that gets you to the Mystery Box and Chompy area quickly (the box is inside the building opposite the barn; Chompy sits between barn and farmhouse).
• Early-round routine (Rounds 1–10):
• Farm Essence and Salvage from zombies and environmental interactions.
• Collect any throwables/lethals you can use to feed Chompy later.
• Avoid wasting Essence on early box spins; save for later rounds unless you have a Fire Sale or Wonderbar in hand.
• Mid-round routine (Rounds 11–25):
• Start using Chompy aggressively — feed lethals to maximize “free” attempts.
• If you have 950+ Essence and rounds are escalating, try measured Mystery Box spins (use Respin Cycle if available).
• Prioritize turning on power and opening PAP access when possible.
• Late-round routine (Rounds 26+):
• If you obtain a Raygun, immediately PAP it when you can.
• Lean on the Saw Blade or traps to control regular spawns and conserve Raygun ammo for density.
• Focus on role discipline and revive rotations. Round 50 is a team-centric endurance test more than a solo DPS check.

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Final assessment: is it worth chasing the Raygun in the beta?​

Yes — but with caveats.
The Raygun remains a top-tier piece of kit for high-round Zombies runs because of its crowd-clearing splash, Pack‑a‑Punch scaling, and team utility. In Vandorn Farm’s compact Survival loop the weapon is especially valuable because traps and choke points magnify its AOE strength. The two acquisition methods (Mystery Box and Chompy) give players options: you can spend Essence for a direct shot at the gun, or you can hedge your bets by feeding Chompy repeatedly and converting expendable goods into potential wonder-weapons without draining Essence reserves. Both approaches are viable; the right choice depends on your playstyle and team composition.
However, expect variance. The beta is a windowed test and mechanics may shift before launch. Don’t commit irreversible decisions (e.g., selling your inventory or making permanent changes to your preferred loadout) solely to chase a beta cosmetic. If your goal is the beta-exclusive Dark Ops reward that requires a lengthy round 50 run, prioritize team cohesion, trap rotation (Saw Blade), and economic discipline rather than pouring all your resources into immediate big rolls.

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The Raygun’s return is a welcome familiar note in Black Ops 7’s Zombies beta: it rewards players who balance smart resource management with patience and a little bit of luck. Spin the box if you have Essence and patience, feed Chompy if you prefer risk-free attempts at the prize, PAP the weapon when you can, and use the barn’s Saw Blade trap to keep the hordes manageable as you grind toward that round 50 Dark Ops milestone. Keep in mind the usual beta caveats — systems and odds may change — and treat early strategies as adaptable rather than final.

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Source: Windows Central How to get the Raygun in the Black Ops 7 Zombies beta — and why