Black Ops 7 Zombies: How to Complete the List Keeper's Challenge

Black Ops 7 Zombies List Keeper’s Challenge is a limited-time Zombies mode tied to the Naughty & Nice event, and it entered the game on December 16, 2025. 

The mode plays like a winter trial run where the frost keeps a tally, and the List Keeper demands deeds that count inside the match. 

Black Ops 7 List Keeper’s Challenge guide | Finders Keepers LTM – how the run is structured

Finders Keepers LTM runs on riddles, and the screen shows a line of text that hints at the next task, then the game starts tracking progress after the solution is triggered. 

Ten List Keeper challenges must be completed in order, and the final step becomes a special boss fight.

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List Keeper’s Challenge shares core winter mechanics with Jingle Hells, so outdoor time builds freeze pressure, while lit barrels act as warm points and snowballs stay available around the map. 

Presents can drop when Zombies die to Cryofreeze or snowball freezing kills, and the present can be opened for weapons plus equipment, with rarity scaling upward as rounds climb. 

A Naughty or Nice Power-Up can appear, and the result can bring a Ravager swarm or a small burst of presents for the picker. 

Black Ops 7 List Keeper’s Challenge guide | Quest swap – why the mode feels different from normal Zombies

Main quest content is disabled in this mode, and the ten challenges replace the usual quest flow, so the run stays focused on the List Keeper’s trials instead of map secrets. 

Power is already active and Pack-a-Punch is already available at match start, so early rounds can move straight into the challenge chain. 

The mode allows the squad to clear challenges at the squad’s own pace, yet the boss fight gets rough when the run drifts into late rounds, so the clean plan is finishing the chain while the round count stays manageable. 

A small discipline step helps in solo and co-op – keep one weapon without an Ammo Mod early, and delay perk choices that can add extra elemental triggers until the critical streak trial is done. 

Black Ops 7 List Keeper’s Challenge guide | Trial 1 – ignite the six barrels

The first List Keeper challenge asks for six barrels to be lit in the outdoor spaces, and barrel icons show on the tac map, so the task becomes a fast rotation instead of a search. 

Those barrels matter again later, since freeze pressure builds outdoors and the barrel warmth gives a stable anchor point during long outdoor timers. 

Black Ops 7 List Keeper’s Challenge guide | Trial 2 – prove one weapon can be upgraded

The second challenge asks for one weapon to be Pack-a-Punched, then upgraded with an Ammo Mod and a rarity upgrade on the same weapon. 

Co-op stays smooth because only one player must complete this step for the lobby to advance, so the rest can hold the space and keep spawns controlled. 

The third challenge requires zombies trapped inside snowmen, and snowmen show on the tac map, so the loop is a steady sweep of icons until enough trapped zombies spawn. 

A clean rule matters here – the counter moves only when a zombie pops from the snowman, so loot-only snowmen burn time without advancing the trial. 

Black Ops 7 List Keeper’s Challenge guide | Trial 4 – Mystery Box kills under ammo pressure

The fourth challenge requires kills with a weapon pulled from the Mystery Box, and the mode can also disable Ammo Caches during this step, so ammo control becomes part of survival.

A stable approach is choosing a box weapon that can hold a full round, then using controlled bursts and planned refills, so the kill count climbs without sudden empty clicks. 

Black Ops 7 List Keeper’s Challenge guide | Trial 5 – Fire Works Ammo Mod kills

A later challenge asks for Fire Works Ammo Mod kills, and the Arsenal can provide the mod through salvage spending, so the run can lock the mod early and farm the count through steady zombie trains. 

The trigger is periodic, so the clean pattern is patience, clean grouping, and consistent shooting until the tally completes. 

Another List Keeper challenge asks for equipment damage kills, and an Instakill moment can speed progress, while Max Ammo refills equipment and keeps the loop alive. 

Kazimir use fits this trial well because it controls a crowd while equipment damage stacks up, and the match can convert present drops into extra equipment chances. 

Black Ops 7 List Keeper’s Challenge guide | Trial 7 – survive outside for five minutes

The outdoor timer trial demands five minutes outside, and the timer pauses when kills stop, so the run needs constant pressure and clean spawns near a lit barrel. 

During this trial, Essence gain, item drops, and Power-Ups are disabled, so the match economy freezes and survival depends on positioning plus clean gun control. 

The critical streak challenge asks for 25 critical kills without breaking the chain, and Ammo Mod effects can disrupt the streak, so the streak shooter needs a clean weapon setup and calm pace. 

Co-op discipline matters because an accidental body kill can reset the chain, so one shooter should own the streak while the rest focuses on space control and safe kiting. 

Black Ops 7 List Keeper’s Challenge guide | Trial 9 – feed presents to G.A.R.Y.

This trial asks for G.A.R.Y. to pick up presents, and presents come from frozen kills created by snowballs or Cryofreeze, so the squad’s job is forcing ice kills near the patrol path. 

If the patrol stalls, movement resets can help, and Frost Blast also works as long as the kill is an ice-style kill that produces present drops. 

The final pre-boss step is simple survival across five rounds, and this window is for perk setup, craftables, and a self-revive, while skipping deep weapon maxing that does little inside the coming arena rules. 

After the five rounds complete, a portal opens and interaction sends the squad to the boss fight, matching the teleporter flow in Machina Astralis. 

Black Ops 7 List Keeper’s Challenge guide | The Unlisted – the List Keeper’s final measure

After the tenth challenge, the teleporter in Machina Astralis can be activated to reach Mars and confront The Unlisted. 

The Unlisted takes the Caltheris final phase shape, and damage only registers from weapons that drop from presents, so the arena becomes a loop of freezing kills, present opening, and short damage windows.

Refined Aetherium Crystals can also start dropping from presents in this fight, and those drops can push Pack-a-Punch tier progress during the arena cycle. 

Anti-gravity stays active during the fight, and the arena also freezes like outdoor areas, so barrel positions become survival anchors during warm-up breaks. 

The boss throws rocks and drops energy pools that can down players fast, so movement discipline matters, and warm-up positioning must avoid standing inside lethal ground. 

Black Ops 7 List Keeper’s Challenge guide | Present farming – turning ice into boss damage

Presents drop when zombies die to Frost Blast, Cryofreeze, or snowball freezing kills, and snowball kills can take three to four throws per zombie on high rounds, so the fight rewards calm cycles instead of rush damage. 

When presents drop, Pack-a-Punch weapons appear inside, and those present weapons damage the boss for a limited time, so the best rhythm is opening fast, dumping damage, then returning to ice kills for the next window. 

A pre-fight shortcut does not function here, since a present weapon cannot be carried into the arena for instant damage, and the arena itself is the only source of damage-ready present weapons. 

Completing all ten challenges and defeating the boss rewards the Ultra “Gift Card” GobbleGum, 15,000 XP, and the “Not Invited” Calling Card. 

An extra hidden reward does not appear after victory, and the reward set matches what the menu shows for the mode.

Conclusion

The List Keeper’s Challenge in Call of Duty Black Ops 7 Zombies stands as a controlled winter trial where progress comes from discipline, timing, and respect for the mode rules, since freezing pressure, present economy, and ordered challenges shape the entire run from first riddle to final boss. Completion depends on steady execution of ten tasks, calm round control, and correct use of ice-based kills to turn presents into damage, while the final fight against The Unlisted confirms mastery over movement, heat control, and short damage windows rather than raw firepower, leaving victory tied to understanding how the List Keeper measures worth inside the match.