
Two ways to get Takeo's Path of Sorrows katana on Kowakujo explained. Main quest reward, side quest version, and the despawn trap.

Congratulations, you want a katana that vanishes the moment you exfil. The Path of Sorrows is an Ultra Rarity melee weapon tied to Takeo Masaki, and getting it requires patience most people don't have. There are actually two separate ways people confuse with each other, so let's untangle the mess before you waste a run.
This one is a short cinematic detour, not the real weapon unlock. You must be playing as Takeo Masaki as your Operator, otherwise nothing triggers and you'll stand there confused like it's your first day. You also need a Psyche Grenade, so activate Pack-a-Punch first since that's a prerequisite for building or finding one.
| Step | Action |
|---|---|
| 1 | Head to the bottom of the stairs near Pack-a-Punch, past Vulture Aid. |
| 2 | Throw the Psyche Grenade on the ground in that room and stand in the gas. |
| 3 | An illusion of Takeo appears and drops the katana. Interact with it. |
| 4 | You get teleported into a forest area to fight hellhounds and an Oni with the blade. |
| 5 | Win the fight and the cutscene ends. Weapon reverts to a regular katana afterward. |
If Takeo doesn't show up immediately, don't panic and don't blame your internet. Check the upper floor or scan the ground nearby, since sometimes the game hides the katana pair instead of dropping it in your face.
This is the version that actually matters for the Dragon Relic, so read carefully instead of skimming for the loot. First, run through nearly the entire Kowakujo main easter egg quest. Yes, all of it. No shortcuts, no skipping, no crying about it.
The critical checkpoint is the murder mystery step. You must identify the correct suspect on your very first attempt. Guess wrong once and you can still finish the quest, but this specific katana reward requires that first guess to be correct, so don't treat it like a coin flip.
Important: once the Onryo miniboss goes down and the dragon cutscene finishes, turn around immediately. The Path of Sorrows spawns behind you in the Pack-a-Punch room, and if you hesitate, save and quit, or wander off, it despawns permanently with no second chances this run.
After solving the mystery correctly, interact with the orb and follow it to the World Seed. You'll be teleported into a locked arena to fight the Onryo boss, which is essentially a reskinned Oni with a bigger health bar and worse attitude. Defeat it, watch the dragon crash through the roof and devour the egg, then collect the katana it spits out.
Mechanically, no. The Path of Sorrows performs identically to the standard katana, you can pack-a-punch it, swing it, whatever, but stats-wise it's not special. Its entire value is cosmetic bragging rights plus the requirement for the Dragon Relic trial. You also get a piece of intel for grabbing it, which is a nice consolation prize for the hour you just burned.
Since this weapon cannot be kept after the match ends, treat it as a one-run trophy rather than a permanent unlock. There's no bank, no loadout slot, no mercy. Ending the game or extracting deletes your progress on this specific reward, so plan your session around it if the Relic is your actual goal.
That's the whole circus. Two different katanas, one shared name, and both of them designed to remind you that nothing good in Zombies comes without an inconvenient catch.

Two ways to get Takeo's Path of Sorrows katana on Kowakujo explained. Main quest reward, side quest version, and the despawn trap.

Two ways to get Takeo's Path of Sorrows katana on Kowakujo explained. Main quest reward, side quest version, and the despawn trap.

Two ways to get Takeo's Path of Sorrows katana on Kowakujo explained. Main quest reward, side quest version, and the despawn trap.

Complete the main quest, guess the murder suspect right first try, defeat the Onryo, then grab the dropped katana.
No, it disappears permanently once you exfil or the game ends, so it's a one-run reward only.
Play as Takeo, get a Psyche Grenade, throw it near Pack-a-Punch, and interact with his illusion.
Yes, this specific katana reward requires a correct first guess, not just eventual success.
No, it's mechanically identical, its only value is cosmetic and unlocking the Dragon Relic.


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