You're standing in the Crazy Place. Blue bolts are crackling everywhere. If you've played Call of Duty: Black Ops II or the Chronicles remaster in Black Ops III, you know the drill. You need the Kimat's Bite. But the lightning staff code origins players often struggle with isn't just about memorizing a few numbers; it's about understanding a musical notation system that Treyarch tucked away inside a dieselpunk zombie apocalypse. It’s annoying. Honestly, it’s one of those puzzles that makes you wish you had a second monitor or a very patient teammate holding the last zombie.
Most people think the code is random. It isn’t. It’s actually based on a simplified version of a musical staff. You are playing a giant, electrified piano with your feet.
The Reality of the Lightning Staff Code Origins
The puzzle is located in the Crazy Place, which you access through the portals scattered around the dig site. Once you're in the lightning section (the purple-hued area), you'll see a series of glowing purple triangles arranged like keys on a keyboard. On the wall nearby, there are three sets of sparks or "notes" that dictate what you need to shoot.
People get confused because the game doesn't give you a legend. You have to know that the bottom row of triangles corresponds to specific notes. Think of it like this: the bottom row, from left to right, represents the notes A, B, C, D, E, F, and G.
Wait. It's actually simpler.
There are two horizontal lines of triangles. The top row has five, and the bottom row has seven. To crack the lightning staff code origins sequence, you only care about the bottom seven. If you number them 1 through 7 starting from the left, the sequences are fixed. They never change from game to game. That’s the good news. The bad news is that if you miss a shot or hit the wrong triangle, the whole sequence resets, and you have to wait for the sparks to reappear on the wall.
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The Three Sequences You Need to Know
The first sequence is 1-3-6. This means you shoot the first triangle on the far left, the third one, and then the sixth one. You'll hear a sound cue if you did it right.
The second sequence is 3-5-7.
The third is 2-4-6.
It’s a bit of a dance. You have to be quick because if you take too long between shots, the game assumes you've failed. Most experts suggest using the base Lightning Staff (Ull's Arrow) and just tapping the trigger. Don't charge it. Charging is a waste of ammo and usually makes you hit more than one triangle at once, which breaks the code.
Why the Dial Puzzle is the Real Nightmare
Once you finish the triangles, you aren't done. You have to go back to the main map. This is where the "Switch" part of the lightning staff code origins comes into play. There are eight panels located around the map. Each one has a dial that sparks. Your job is to turn these dials until the sparking stops.
Here is the exact order most high-round players use to save time:
- Stamin-Up Station: The panel is right next to the perk machine. Turn it until the spark is gone.
- The Church (Lower Level): Near the tank, there's another one.
- The Church (Upper Level): Right by the mystery box location.
- Wind Staff Tunnel: Near the Generator 4 area.
- Spawn Room: Right where you start the game, near the bottom of the stairs.
- Tank Station: Near Generator 2.
- The Mound: Down in the excavation site where the staffs are built.
If you do this out of order, it doesn't really matter, but the "flow" of the map usually dictates a specific path. If you’re playing solo, leave a zombie at the end of a round. Seriously. Trying to do the dial puzzle while a horde is chasing you through the mud is a recipe for a "Game Over" screen.
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The logic here is "grounding" the electricity. By turning the dials, you’re redirecting the flow of energy back to the center of the map. Once the last dial is turned, you’ll hear a loud electrical crackle. That's your signal to head back to the bottom of the Excavation Site.
Aligning the Rings and Charging the Staff
Now you’re in the home stretch. At the bottom of the dig site, there are four massive stone rings hanging from the ceiling. You’ll find four levers on the wooden walkways surrounding these rings. You need to flip the levers until all the lights on the rings are purple.
Once they are all purple, look for a blue/purple orb floating at the bottom of the rings. Shoot it with your Lightning Staff. The orb will shoot up into the sky.
Now, go back to the Crazy Place.
Place your staff in the pedestal where you originally got the lightning crystal. Now comes the "soul-filling" part. You need to kill roughly 20 to 30 zombies near the staff. Their "souls" (which look like white wisps) will fly into the staff. When the staff icon on your screen glows with an outline, it's ready. You now have Kimat's Bite.
Common Mistakes and Hidden Details
One thing people always forget: the lightning staff has a secondary attachment. On the D-pad (if you're on console), you can flip the staff around to use the "Sekhmet's Vigor" end. This actually revives downed teammates instantly if you shoot them with it. It’s basically a ranged Krauss Refibrillator.
Also, the Lightning Staff is widely considered the best for "camping" strategies, but it falls off in power significantly around round 50. Unlike the Ice Staff, which has a percentage-based kill effect, the Lightning Staff deals a flat amount of damage.
If you're playing the Black Ops III version, the hit detection on the triangles in the Crazy Place is a bit more forgiving than the original Black Ops II version. On the old hardware, you had to be pixel-perfect. Now, the splash damage helps a little, though it can still be finicky.
Another tip? Don't build the lightning staff last. If you're playing solo, the Wind Staff or the Ice Staff are usually better for early-round survival, but the Lightning Staff is the easiest to upgrade quickly if you know the codes by heart. You can literally finish the upgrade by round 10 if you're efficient with your points and the tank movements.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Next Run
To master the lightning staff, stop trying to look up the guide mid-game.
- Memorize the sequence 136, 357, 246. Write it on a sticky note and put it on your monitor. It never changes.
- Optimize the Dial Run. Start at the Church and work your way back to Spawn. It’s the most efficient pathing for the map's layout.
- Save the Orb shot for the end of a round. You don't want to be messing with the levers while the Panzer Soldat is chasing you.
- Use the "Revive" feature. If you're playing co-op, remember that your upgraded staff is a support tool. Shooting a teammate who is being swarmed can give them enough of a shock barrier to survive, even if they aren't downed yet.
The lightning staff is the flashy, high-speed favorite for a reason. Once you get past the hurdle of the musical code, it becomes the most reliable tool in your arsenal for navigating the muddy trenches of Origins.