You remember the first time you stepped into Der Riese back in 2008. The snow, the hanging man, that eerie sense that something went horribly wrong in a Nazi research facility. Fast forward to 2015. Treyarch drops The Giant as a pre-order bonus for Black Ops 3, and suddenly, the nostalgia hits like a Thundergun blast. But it wasn't just a texture pack update. Not even close. Black Ops 3 The Giant easter eggs completely reframed the Aether storyline, kicking off a multi-year multiverse odyssey that still has the community arguing on Reddit today.
It’s small. Compared to the sprawling madness of Revelations or the complex dragon-riding of Gorod Krovi, The Giant feels tiny. It’s a literal circle. But the weight of what happens in those first thirty seconds of the opening cutscene—Richtofen killing his younger self—changed everything. If you’re looking for a world-ending quest where you fight a boss in a pocket dimension, you won't find it here. This map is about the subtle stuff. The radios. The Fly Trap. The Annihilator.
Honestly, it’s the simplicity that keeps people coming back.
The Fly Trap is Basically a Rite of Passage
If you haven't done the Fly Trap, have you even played Zombies? It’s the foundational quest. You need a Pack-a-Punched weapon. Doesn't matter which one, though most people just grab whatever comes out of the box first. Head over to the courtyard where the animal cages are. Look through the fence. You’ll see a little control panel out of bounds. You shoot it, and suddenly, objects start floating around the map.
It’s a hide-and-seek game. You’ve got to find the teddy bears and the Monkey Bomb. One is in a furnace. Another is sitting on a fire escape. The last one is hiding in a vat of coolant water. Once you find them all, you head back to the furnace area and grab the Annihilator pistol from the floor. Is it the best weapon in the game? No. The Drakon or the Haymaker will serve you better at high rounds. But the Annihilator is a trophy. It’s a signal to the rest of the lobby that you know your history.
Maxis starts talking to you through the communicator. It’s surreal. Hearing his voice—calm, authoritative, slightly desperate—while you're mowing down a horde of undead really cements the "Fracture" theme Treyarch was going for. They weren't just remaking a map; they were rewriting time.
Those Radios Are Doing Heavy Lifting for the Lore
Most players sprint past the radios. Big mistake. If you want to understand why the Primis crew is even there, you have to listen to the audio logs tucked away in the corners of the map. There’s one near the teleporter in the garage. Another is hidden behind some canisters near the power switch.
These aren't just fluff. They detail the exact moment the timeline split. You hear the original Ultimis version of Richtofen descending into madness, contrasted with the mission-driven Primis version. It’s the "Fracture" concept in a nutshell. Expert lore hunters like MrRoflWaffles spent weeks dissecting these clips when the game launched. They realized that The Giant isn't just a remake of Der Riese; it’s a direct sequel to the Origins ending cutscene.
The most haunting one? The radio where Maxis talks about the "beacon."
"The beacon is lit! I repeat, the beacon is lit!"
That single line connects The Giant to the Zetsubou No Shima ending and eventually the Revelations finale. It’s a breadcrumb trail. You’re not just surviving rounds; you’re setting the stage for the literal end of the universe. It’s wild how much narrative weight Treyarch squeezed into a map that was originally designed for the World at War engine.
The Perk Bottle and the Secret Snow Pile
You’ve probably seen people prone-diving into the snow piles around the map. Most of the time, they’re just looking for a few extra points or a power-up. But there’s a specific "easter egg" mechanic involving the teleporters and the Monkey Bombs.
If you upgrade your Monkey Bombs (the "Cymbal Monkeys") and toss them into the teleporters before you jump, you can trigger a hidden perk bottle. This isn't easy. It requires timing and a bit of luck. You do this three times—one for each teleporter—and then interact with the control panel by the main frame. A laser fires from the giant robot head outside the map, melting a specific pile of snow.
Underneath? A sixth perk.
In a game where the four-perk limit usually dictates your entire strategy, getting a free Widow’s Wine or Stamin-Up can be a total game-changer. It’s also one of the few ways to get "extra" perks without using a Mega GobbleGum like Perkaholic or Soda Fountain. It makes the map feel "solved" in a way that’s very satisfying.
Why Does This Map Feel Different from Der Riese?
Technically, it's the same layout. The catwalk is still there. The teleporters are in the same spots. But the vibe is shifted. The lighting is colder. The zombies have those glowing blue eyes, signifying that it’s Maxis, not Samantha, pulling the strings in this particular dimension.
And let’s talk about the GobbleGums.
Adding GobbleGums to the Der Riese layout fundamentally broke the old-school difficulty. In 2008, reaching round 40 was a monumental feat. In The Giant, with Alchemical Antithesis and Shopping Free, you can have the entire map open and a Wonder Weapon in your hand by round 2. Some people hate that. They think it makes the map too easy. But honestly? It makes it a playground. It’s the perfect map to hop into when you have thirty minutes and just want to feel powerful.
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The "Catwalk Strategy" is still the king here. Grab a Gorgon or a BRM, Pack-a-Punched with Dead Wire or Turned, and sit at the end of that metal walkway. It’s the most iconic camping spot in gaming history. Even with the new mechanics, the fundamental flow of the map remains untouchable.
The Cyphers No One Could Crack
If you look at the walls near the animal labs, you’ll see strings of random letters and numbers. These are the cyphers. Treyarch’s lead writer at the time, Jason Blundell, was notorious for these. Some were simple Caesar ciphers. Others? Total nightmares.
One of the most famous cyphers on The Giant took the community months to solve. It was a message from a character named "M" (likely Malick or a version of Maxis) discussing the "Empty Earth." These messages added a layer of cosmic horror to the game. It wasn't just about Nazis and zombies anymore; it was about Lovecraftian deities (the Apothicons) and keepers of the multiverse.
Most casual players will never even notice these markings. But for the hardcore fans, these tiny textures are the most important Black Ops 3 The Giant easter eggs in existence. They provide the "why" behind the "what."
The "Main" Easter Egg Myth
For a long time, there was a rumor that The Giant had a massive, hidden main quest that no one had found. People searched for hours. They shot everything with the Wunderwaffe DG-2. They spent thousands of points on the box.
The truth is a bit more grounded. The Annihilator quest is the main easter egg.
Treyarch designed The Giant as a "bonus" experience. It was never meant to have a three-hour quest like Shadows of Evil. It’s a bridge. Its purpose is to transition the players from the 1940s setting of the original maps into the multi-dimensional chaos of Black Ops 3. Once you realize that, you stop looking for a hidden boss fight and start appreciating the subtle environmental storytelling.
How to Optimize Your Run Today
If you’re loading into The Giant tonight, don't just mindlessly slay. There’s a specific flow you should follow to maximize the easter egg experience.
- Points first. Don't buy a gun. Use the RK5 or the Shieva if you must, but try to knife until round 4.
- The Power/Link Cycle. Open the map toward the power switch immediately. Linking the teleporters isn't just for Pack-a-Punch; it's for the points and the potential power-up drops.
- The Fly Trap. Get your gun P-a-P'd by round 10. Do the Fly Trap early. The Annihilator is much more useful in the mid-teens than it is in round 30.
- The Perk Hunt. Use your Monkey Bombs. If you get them from the box, don't waste them on a horde. Use them for the teleporter easter egg to get that 5th or 6th perk slot.
- The Lore Crawl. If you’re playing solo, leave a zombie at the end of a round. Walk around. Listen to the radios. Read the writing on the walls. It’s a completely different game when you aren't sprinting for your life.
The map remains a masterpiece of restraint. It doesn't need giant squids in the sky to be interesting. It just needs four guys, a catwalk, and a Wunderwaffe. It’s the core of the Zombies experience, polished to a mirror finish. Whether you're a lore hunter or just someone who likes seeing the headshots counter go up, these secrets are what give the map its soul.
Stop looking for a "hidden" ending. The ending is already there, hidden in plain sight, setting the stage for the rest of the Aether story. Go find the beacon. Maxis is waiting.
Next Steps for Players:
To truly master the map, your next move is to memorize the exact spawn locations of the three Fly Trap items. Once you can hit the furnace bear, the fire escape bear, and the coolant vat bear without thinking, you've officially moved from "casual" to "veteran" status. After that, try a "No Power" challenge run to see how much you’ve actually learned about the map’s layout without the safety net of perks.