Serving as one of the first true challenges of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) Zombies, the quest Automated Backup may stump a few players on their first attempt. Here’s everything you need to know to complete Automated Backup in MW3 Zombies.
And don’t miss out on our All MW3 Zombies Camo Challenges piece.
Finding the Ammo Mods in Automated Backup
Kicking off Operation Deadbolt as an Act 1 story mission, Automated Backup tasks players with tracking down three Ammo Mod Circuit Boards and attaching them to a set of turrets to better hold back the hordes of the undead. To collect these rare items, you’ll need to travel around Urzikstan and complete contracts, loot supply caches, and investigate points of interest.
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First, it’s worth clarifying that when it comes to circuit boards, you need to be specific. Deadbolt circuit boards can be found all over the place, but to complete Automated Backup, you need the special Ammo Mod Circuit Board variant that’s much more difficult to track down. Equipping these to either your weapons or the turrets will provide them with a status effect that applies a special kind of damage type to your target. Ice, fire, and “poison” damage are the kinds of buffs that you can expect from these particular Circuit Boards.
The best way to locate an Ammo Mod Circuit Mod is by clearing out Infested Strongholds. If you open your map, you should spot them with little difficulty. You’ll want to head on over the zombie den and clear it out. That sounds much easier said than done; Infested Strongholds are incredibly difficult challenges, so I advise either spending some time looking for some better gear or bringing a few friends to help.
Once you’re at the Infested Stronghold, it’s also essential that you equip a gas mask. Within each of these gases is a poisonous cloud of gas that’s usually unavoidable, so if you don’t want to keel over and die on such short notice, mask up before you head inside. Once you’re in, run through the Stronghold and destroy any yellow cysts (I think they’re more like pustules, but what do I know?) that you come across. They’re usually hidden in corners and up walls, so be thorough in your sweep. You’ll have to shoot and pop each one if you want to completely eradicate the Infested Stronghold of the zombie plague.
If you successfully manage to destroy every pustule, you’ll be rewarded with a load of Aether chests that generally contain some of the best loot in the game. Within those, you have a significantly better chance of pulling an Ammo Mod Circuit Board. Bear in mind that while we’re doing our best to swing the odds in your favor, it’s entirely possible that our coveted prizes… just don’t spawn. If that’s the case (which is unlikely but still not impossible), head over to another Infested Stronghold, preferably one that’s within a higher threat zone. Granted, the danger will be much higher, but the odds of landing better loot are also much higher.
If the idea of the Infested Strobgholds doesn’t appeal to you for whatever reason, there is an alternative but less reliable way to score some Ammo Mod Circuit Boards. First, you’ll need to head to a Mercenary Camp and clear it out entirely, which should net you a Mercenary Stronghold Card as a reward. When you pick this item up, the nearest Mercenary Stronghold should be highlighted on your map. Head over to it, open the front doors, and prepare for a ton of slightly more intelligent enemies.
Inside the Mercenary Stronghold are a bunch of soldiers, all desperately trying to survive this zombie nightmare. Unfortunately, they never accounted for you. Take them down, clear out the building, and start looting the absolute HORDE of chests these mercs have squirreled away. Once again, there’s no guarantee that you’ll pick up an Ammo Mod Circuit Board going this route, but many of the boxes within the Stronghold have a decent to good chance of spawning rare loot. It’s less consistent than the Infested Stronghold approach, but it’s viable if you’d rather not get your shoes mucky.
What to Do With the Ammo Mod Circuit Boards in Automated Backup
Once you’ve got your grubby hands on the various Ammo Mod Circuit Boards, you’ll need to locate three different turrets to activate. These spawn randomly around Urzikstan, meaning you’ll need to consult your map to figure out where you need to go. You’ll notice that certain sections have the turret icon; it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what those likely represent. Run, walk, drive, take whatever mode of transport you want to eventually reach the turret and access its inventory. Once the menu pops up, install the Ammo Mod Circuit Board of your choice.
The turret should automatically activate and begin targeting zombies in the nearby area, applying the status effect of the installed mod. While this is a great way to passively generate XP, you’ll want to be on your way to the next turret. Do this process two more times, and you’ll successfully complete Automated Backup.
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I’ve seen some players attempting to complete this mission by installing all three Ammo Mod Circuit Boards on a single turret. While that certainly does sound like the most efficient way of going about this process, it’s unfortunately not going to work. The mission tracker only registers an activated turret once, meaning you’ll need to locate three separate installments if you want to wrap up this particular task.
Upon completion of Automated Backup in MW3 Zombies, players are rewarded with 1,500 XP and the Death Perception Acquisition perk. This one-time-use item can be located in the rewards section of the stash, and when it’s activated, it will outline all lootable objects with an orange glow that can be seen through walls. It’s not exactly game-changing, but it can make MW3 Zombies a bit easier to manage.
