BO6 Madness Calling Card: What Most People Get Wrong

So, you’re hunting the Madness calling card in Black Ops 6. Honestly, it’s one of those challenges that looks simple on paper but makes you want to throw your controller across the room after three rounds of seeing zero progress. You’ve probably seen the requirement: Earn 25 Alchemist Medals.

Easy, right? Wrong.

The game basically tells you to kill five or more zombies rapidly while they’re affected by two or more elements. But if you just go in spraying fire and ice everywhere, you’re going to have a bad time. Most players think they’re doing it right, only to check their career tab and see "0/25" staring back at them like a bad joke.

What Actually Is an Alchemist Medal?

Let’s get the technical stuff out of the way. To trigger an Alchemist Medal, you need to "stack" elemental effects. You can’t just kill a zombie that's on fire. It needs to be on fire and electrocuted, or frozen and burning.

And it has to be five of them. Fast.

The elements available in BO6 Zombies usually include:

• Fire (Molotovs, Napalm Burst, Jet Gun alt-fire)
• Electric (Shock Charges, Dead Wire, Tesla Storm)
• Cryo (Cryo Freeze, Frost Blast)
• Toxic (Brain Rot—though this one is finicky for medals)

The biggest issue? The timing. If the first element kills the zombie before the second one even touches it, you get nothing. No medal. No progress. Just wasted salvage.

The "Jet Gun" Method (Liberty Falls)

If you want this done quickly, head to Liberty Falls. You’ll want the Thrustodyne Aeronautics Model 23—the Jet Gun. Why? Because its secondary fire counts as a massive "Fire" element blast.

Load into a game and focus on building the Jet Gun first. While you’re doing that, hoard as much salvage as humanly possible. You are going to need a mountain of Shock Charges.

Once you’re set up, head to the bowling alley or the riverside. These are the best spots to "train" a horde. Get a big group of about 10–15 zombies following you. Once they’re bunched up in a tight ball, throw a Shock Charge right into the middle of them.

The second you see those blue sparks flying and the zombies stop moving, switch to the Jet Gun and hit them with the alt-fire blast.

The blast covers a huge area. It ignites everything the Shock Charge just stunned. If you timed it right, you’ll see the "Alchemist" medal pop up on the top of your screen. One down, twenty-four to go.

Why Molotovs Might Be Ruining Your Run

I’ve seen a lot of guides suggesting you use Molotovs. Honestly? Molotovs are kinda trash for this specific challenge.

The problem is the "tick" damage. A Molotov deals damage over time. If you throw a Shock Charge and then a Molotov, the fire might take a second to actually register the "kill" while the electricity is active. Half the time, the zombies just die from the initial impact or the first element before the game recognizes the "stack."

If you have to use Molotovs because you’re low on salvage for the Jet Gun, try this instead:

1. Use Frost Blast (Field Upgrade) to freeze a whole group.
2. Immediately hurl two Molotovs into the frozen pack.
3. Don't shoot. Let the fire do the work.

It’s less consistent than the Jet Gun, but it works if you’re playing on a map like Terminus where the Jet Gun isn't an option.

Using Tesla Storm for the Overkill

If you’re struggling with the manual timing of lethals and tacticals, Tesla Storm is your best friend. This field upgrade creates a literal aura of electricity around you.

When you activate it, every zombie that gets close to you is automatically "affected" by the electric element. This frees up your hands. Now, you just need to apply a second element.

Pop Tesla Storm, run into a crowd, and start blastin' with a weapon that has Napalm Burst or Cryo Freeze equipped. Since the zombies are constantly being shocked by your aura, every single kill you get with your ammo mod will count as a multi-element kill.

Pro Tip: If you're doing this with friends, have everyone stand close together. The Tesla Storm arcs between players, making the elemental field even bigger. It’s basically an Alchemist Medal farm.

Is the Madness Calling Card Bugged?

Short answer: Sorta.

Longer answer: There was a massive issue at launch where medals simply weren't tracking. Many players (myself included) would earn five or six medals in a game, only for the tracker to stay at zero.

Treyarch has since pushed updates to address the tracking logic, but it’s still sensitive. If you’re not seeing progress, make sure you aren't using Insta-Kill. If Insta-Kill is active, the zombies die from "melee" or "bullet" damage logic before the elemental stack can register.

Also, avoid using Elemental Pop if you're trying to be precise. Sometimes it triggers a third element that messes up the "rapid" timing required for the medal. Keep it simple. Two elements. Five kills.

Step-by-Step Grind Strategy

If you want to knock this out in a single match, here is the exact loop:

1. Round 1-10: Save salvage. Don't buy unnecessary streaks. Get the Jet Gun (if on Liberty Falls) or a weapon with Dead Wire.
2. Round 11-15: Buy Shock Charges from the crafting table. They’re cheap and they’re the most reliable way to proc the electric element.
3. The Trap: Find an open area. Train 10 zombies.
4. The Execution: Throw the Shock Charge. Wait 0.5 seconds for the stun. Use a high-damage fire source (Jet Gun or a Launcher with Napalm Burst).
5. The Reset: Run to the crafting table, buy more charges, and repeat.

You can realistically get 5–10 medals per round once you hit the mid-teens. By round 20, you should have that animated calling card sitting in your inventory.

👉 See also: Why the Nintendo Entertainment System NES Classic Edition is Still the King of Retro

The Madness calling card is a badge of patience more than anything. It’s about not getting greedy. Don't try to kill the whole round at once. Just focus on those small groups of five.

Stop checking the menu every thirty seconds. Just focus on the "Alchemist" text popping up on your HUD. Once you see that 25 times, you're golden.

Start a solo match on Liberty Falls and focus exclusively on salvage collection for the first ten rounds so you can stock up on at least 10 Shock Charges before the first heavy wave.