Among the most intriguing discoveries in Astralorum is a side quest centered on gramophones that quietly may be doing more long‑term world‑building than any discussion about bo7 bot lobbies for Sale ever could. Interacting with these gramophones can reward players with a free perk, but the real prize is the music they play, which appears to hint at the future of Black Ops 7 Zombies.
One gramophone plays the game‑over music from Alpha Omega, immediately calling back to the Camp Edward reimagining of Nuketown from Black Ops 4. Others cycle through tracks associated with TranZit and Buried, two of the most iconic yet divisive maps from the original ether saga. Given that Ashes of the Damned has already functioned as a loose TranZit reimagining, many fans view these audio Easter eggs as carefully chosen teases rather than random nostalgia.
Recent rumors suggested Alpha Omega would return in some form in BO7, possibly alongside a dedicated Nuketown survival‑style experience. The gramophone music lines up suspiciously well with those leaks, implying that at least part of this plan is still on track. Buried’s inclusion in the audio rotation is even more provocative because it remains one of the few classic Zombies maps never fully remastered, aside from a limited Blackout POI cameo.
This has led to speculation that Treyarch might be building towards hybrid or composite maps that combine pieces of multiple fan‑favorite locations. Imagine a Purgatory map that folds in a Nuketown‑inspired street grid, a fragment of TranZit’s highway or bus depot, and a slice of Buried’s western town all fused inside the Dark Aether. The gramophones could be signaling that these banished Ether locations now exist together in the same cursed dimension.
Developers have already experimented with heavy reimaginings rather than strict one‑to‑one remasters, as seen with Ashes of the Damned’s reinterpretation of Green Run. Extending that design philosophy to Alpha Omega and Buried would let Treyarch preserve the identity and key landmarks of those maps while modernizing flow, objective design, and Easter egg structure. A composite layout also fits the escalating surrealism of the Dark Aether narrative.
The timing of these teases also connects to Treyarch’s tradition of using 115 Day updates to preview upcoming Zombies content. For Black Ops 6, a blog post hinted at a tomb‑themed DLC 2 before its Season 2 release, while also showcasing perk concepts and community creations. With BO7 following directly on its heels, many expect 115 Day to serve as the perfect moment to unveil an Alpha Omega‑linked or Nuketown‑focused reimagining that pays off the gramophone clues in Astralorum.
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