Call of Duty: Black Ops II
90 Achievements
2,000
Playing with Power
In Origins, build all elemental staffs in one game.
30
How to unlock the Playing with Power achievement in Call of Duty: Black Ops II - Definitive Guide
There are 4 staffs to be built, all requiring a record and 3 parts each.
It's recommended to wait until you build all 4 staffs before you pick one up, though feel free to grab one before you build all 4 of them if you want/need it.
Fire staff (Orange):
- Record location: on a church pew, on a crate next to Power Generator #6, in the tunnel that leads towards the Ice Portal (Blue). Could also be blocked by the Tank, so you will have to move the Tank if you see it in between the Tank and the staircase. If it's blocked by the Tank, I'd suggest waiting until you're ready to go for the Lightning staff (Purple) parts. See further below for details.
- Part #1: Can be looted after killing the first Panzer Soldat of the game (the first one spawns at the beginning of round 8).
- Part #2: Reward for successfully powering up Power Generator #6 for the first time in that game. Appears in the chest next to the generator.
- Part #3: Shoot down a plane that has an orange glow about it (a normal bullet weapon works fine). The plane spawns in any weather (clear skies, rain or snow), so look for it near the end of every round. If it's not there, move on to the next round and search the skies again (thanks to ForcefulOliver for this information). Once you manage to find it and shoot it down, follow the orange glow as it descends to the ground and collect the part. It lands around the excavation site on the side facing Power Generator #4/Juggernog.
Lightning staff (Purple):
- Record location: in or around the tunnel that leads to the Wind Portal (Yellow), on a table next to Power Generator #4, around Juggernog, or on a cart in No Man's Land near Power Generator #4.
- Part #1: Activate the Tank in the church and be prepared to jump to a platform normally out of reach, on the right side of the Tank, shortly after passing Power Generator #4/Juggernog. This is before the halfway point/cooldown location. Follow the path to retrieve the part.
- Part #2: Activate the Tank from the halfway point/cooldown location and be prepared to jump to a platform normally out of reach, on the left side of the Tank, right at the hill where the Pack-a-punch machine is located (the excavation site). Follow the path to retrieve the part.
- Part #3: Activate the Tank from the halfway point/cooldown location and be prepared to jump to a ledge normally out of reach, on the right side of the Tank, just before the Tank goes back inside the church. Follow the path to retrieve the part.
Note for Parts #2 and #3: If you're playing in a game with at least one other person (i.e. there are 2-4 players in the game), it's recommended to have two players get on the Tank at the Tank Station so that one person goes for Part #2 and the other person goes for Part #3 since it's impossible to get back on the Tank fast enough to get Part #3 if you just grabbed Part #2. This not only saves you the time it would take to wait for the Tank to make another round, but also the points it would cost to buy it two more times to make it come back around.
On the other hand, if you're playing solo, this unfortunately means that you'll have to buy the Tank under the church again, and buy the Tank at the Tank Station once again in order to grab all three parts of the Lightning Staff (Purple).
Ice staff (Blue):
- Record location: in the bunker next to Power Generator #2. Typically lying on a shelf.
- Parts: Grab a shovel from the spawn bunker (there are some hanging on the walls) and start digging up all the piles of dirt/skulls/bones you come across. Only dig when it's snowing on the map (HUGE thanks to KFC Gandalf for this vital information). One of the piles will eventually yield a staff part as a reward. Finish the round and repeat this process (you don't have to get a new shovel each time) until you find the next part. Same thing for part #3.
Notes: It's possible to dig up two parts or even all three parts in the same snowy round, albeit rare.
There are only two shovels in the spawn bunker. If you're playing in a 3-4-player game and the remaining one or two players also want shovels, there are shovels in the following locations: under the church, in the tunnel leading to the Lightning Portal (Purple), in the small area in the trench between Power Generators #1 and #2, in the small area in between Power Generators #1 and #3, or finally in the tunnel leading to the Wind Portal (Yellow).
Wind staff (Yellow):
- Record location: in or around the tunnel leading to the Lightning Portal (Purple), around Power Generator #5.
- Parts: Inside the 3 giants that walk across the map every few minutes. In order to get inside them, observe which one of their feet has a partly glowing yellow bottom (it's random each time they respawn and start their walk again) and shoot that exposed bottom of the foot (a normal bullet weapon has been confirmed to work). Now have someone stand in an area which that now-exposed foot will stomp on eventually. You will be inside the giant's head. Grab the part and wait to be ejected or get yourself ejected by pressing and holding next to one of the ejection tubes in the giant's head. Repeat this process for the other 2 giants.
Once you have all of the above, look for a gramophone (located in the excavation site underneath the Pack-a-Punch machine - there are stairs behind the Pack-a-Punch machine to access the lower levels of the excavation site) and a black record.
Note: in case you didn't know, the Pack-a-Punch machine is located at the top of the hill in the center(re) of the map, which is the excavation site.
Black record possible locations (credit to TheNutman69321):
- The wheelbarrow to the left of the Pack-a-Punch machine.
- On some crates near the path that splits off towards the church, just outside the excavation site.
- Near an engine on a box on the outside of the excavation site, just behind an excavation site sign, on the side facing the path that leads to the Workshop.
Once you find the gramophone and the black record, head to the 4 tunnels.
Tunnel locations:
- Wind (Yellow): near Power Generator #4/Juggernog.
- Fire (Orange): immediately on the left after taking the leftmost of the two exits out of the spawn bunker.
- Lightning (Purple): next to Power Generator #5.
- Ice (Blue): near Power Generator #6, under the church.
Once you reach the bottom of a tunnel, place the gramophone on the table near the wall and enter the portal once it finishes building itself. In this new area (called "The Crazy Place" according to the in-game signs), head to the pillar with the colo(u)r that matches the portal you entered. Grab the rock from that pillar and head back through the portal from whence you came.
Once back in the main map, take the gramophone back from the table, head below the Pack-a-Punch machine, and place the gramophone on the table in there. This will open a spiral staircase. Head down to the very bottom of this chamber and build the staff which corresponds with the rock you have, and on the correct pedestal.
Have each player do the same thing for their tunnel or have the same person build the rest of the staffs - preferably without picking one up (though note that the gramophone can be placed by anybody once someone picks it back up from a table). Once all 4 staffs have been built, the achievement will unlock.
Congratulations!
The video at the bottom of this solution is all you should really need
however i have still explained the steps in detail below.
NOTE:
-This CAN be done on EASY
-This CAN be done with ANY NUMBER OF PLAYERS
Collect all elemental staff pieces.
FIRE - red
- Record: CHURCH ~ under tank, on a pew, on a crate near gen6, or in the ice tunnel.
- Pt1: dropped by first PANZER SOLDAT (big daddy) killed.
- Pt2: shoot down glowing PLANE - dropped near the chest closest to the excavation site.
- Pt3: comes out of the reward chest beside generator 6 once GEN 6 is activated.
WIND - yellow
- Record: STAMINUP ~ against some crates, in a window frame or in the lightning tunnel.
- Pt1, 2 & 3: inside the GIANT ROBOTS - to get inside simply shoot a foot with glowing
yellow lights and it will open allowing you to go inside if it steps on you - there is one
part in each robot - THOR(gen2/3 side), ODIN(middle) & FREYA(church side).
LIGHTNING - purple
- Record: JUGGERNOG ~ on a table, on a cart or in the wind tunnel.
- Pt1, 2 & 3: down secret pathways that can only be reached by jumping OFF THE TANK
while it is moving - 1: before the tank station on the right, 2: at the excavation site hill
on the left, 3: at the side of the church on the right.
ICE - blue
- Record: TANK STATION ~ on a shelf (the tank station is the bunker near gen2).
- Pt1, 2 & 3: all found by DIGGING UP mounds of dirt and bones WHILE IT'S SNOWING -
shovel spawns are; spawn room, gen1 room, lightning tunnel, church (behind the tank).
BUILD the staffs
- Once you have all the staff parts for a particular staff go through its corresponding
tunnel, place the gramophone down, step through the teleporter, go to its
corresponding alter, hold (x) to pick up the elemental stone, go back through the
teleporter you came through, pick up the gramophone on your way out of the tunnel
then go to the excavation site, place the gramophone down on the table, wait for the
stairs to open, pick the gramophone back up, take the stairs all the way to the bottom
and build your staff by going up to its corresponding staff holder and hold (x) to build.
Repeat for all four staffs.
- Black Record: EXCAVATION SITE ~ in a wheelbarrow, on some crates near the steps to
the church or on a box beside an engine on the catwalks around the excavation site.
- Gramophone: EXCAVATION SITE ~ downstairs near the table to place the gramophone.
- TELEPORTER tunnels;
FIRE-red: near gen1/spawn (left exit from spawn), WIND-yellow: near juggernog,
LIGHTNING-purple: near staminup, ICE-blue: near the back of the church / gen6.
You must have all four staffs built at the same time in one game but you do not have to hold all of them.
Pop goes the cheevo.
Happy hunting
coreymawf
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All credit for this youtube video goes to CAPTAIN0BVI0UZ.
In this map, and also as part of the Easter Egg, four types of staffs can be built. These are Fire (red/orange), Ice (blue), Wind (yellow) and Lightning (purple) Staffs. Though complicated at first, it’s rather easy to build the staffs as the parts are in predictable locations (except for snow which involves SOME randomness). There is no order in which to construct, you can collect however you wish. However, you can only carry one “stone” for each stuff to build it (as explained below).
Here is what you need: A gramophone, the gramophone’s original record, a record for each type of staff, three parts per staff and the ‘magic’ stone for each staff.
What you need to do is get the gramophone along with its original record. Place it on a table in the area where you found the gramophone to see the floor spiral down into stairs (but no need to go down there yet). Now, collect each part of each staff (including the record), go through each of the four of the element you need, place the Gramophone on the table to create a portal. Go through the portal and pick up the stone from the pedestal, exit and go to the bottom of the excavation site to craft it. All items can be carried together at various times but you may only carry one stone until you craft the respective staff. So leave the stone to last.
The parts you need are in predictable places:
• Gramophone's location is always inside the Excavation: ? It is located inside the Excavation site. It will be on the floor (or against the wall) in the room at the bottom end of the staircase by the Pack-a-Punch machine. • Gramophone’s “original” record is nearby an entry point to the Excavation Site: ? By the front entry point of the Excavation site, facing the starting area. It should be next to a motor-like device after the first set of wooden stairs.
? By the rear entry point, facing the church. It should be on the ground level, on top of stone bricks across from the pathway towards the church.
? In the Excavation site, in the circle area with the Pack-a-Punch machine. It will be nearby the front entry point (after clearing the debris). • The records for each staff are in always these areas: ? Ice Record (Blue): it’s always in the one-floor building by Generator 2. It will be either on the desk at the entrace to that building (from Generator 2), on a shelf next to the Mystery Box location, or across from that by the rear exit point, also on a shelf.
? Lightning Record (Purple): it’s always near the Jugger-nog. It’s either by the table between the Jugger-nog and the Wonder Whizz machine, on a chariot on the ‘road’ outside the Jugger-nog or at the bottom of the “Wind” cave, which is in the area next to the Jugger-nog (where the Jugger-nog is facing).
? Wind Record (Yellow): It’s always by Stamin-up/Generator 5. It’ll be either on a broken wall entry point (on either side of the generator), on the crates outside Generator 5, across from the Lightning cave, or inside that cave, at the bottom of that cave.
? Fire Record (Red/Orange): It’s always in the church area. It can be hidden on the crates right between the tank and the stairway to the church’s interior, on the wooden pews, on the collapsed wall’s bricks (right before the Giant’s footprint) or on the crates to your lefthand side as you enter the Generator 5 area, or, finally, at the bottom of the “Ice” cave in the footprint between the Church and Generator 6. • The three parts for each staff are also predictable: ? Each of the three parts for the Wind Staff are in each of the three Giants. One is at the beginning, one is in the middle of the map and one by the church. The giants walk on UNIDIRECTIONAL, parallel paths. They appear from one side and fade into another. They don’t come out from where they fade, nor do they ‘roam’ the area. The only ‘unpredictable’ thing about them is when they show up. You get inside them through their feet. Either one of the feet is accessible, or neither. The accessible foot will be indicated by the eight lights at the bottom of the foot. Whichever foot that is, stand in the footprint area where you expect it to stomp you. As it puts it foot down on you, shoot it (with a bulleted gun, as Ray-guns take a long time to hit and register) and its hatch will open. If successful, when stomped the screen goes white. You will find a glowing yellow part right in front of you. Pick it up, turn around and hold against the blue circles. You will be ejected back into the map. The three bots are in these areas: • One part is in the Giant by the beginning. His footprints are either on top of the building by Generator 2, or across from Generator 3 (where Speed-Cola is located).
• The second part is in the Giant in the middle. There are six footprints, three for each foot. Two are by Generator 5, two by the Excavation site one is by the front entry point or on the side in the direction to Jugger-nog), and finally, two more by Jugger-nog, one in the area behind the Jugger-nog (with a stone chest), and one in the area across from it (the same area with stairs towards the “Wind” cave).
• Last part is in the Giant by the Church. One in the footprint at the end of the path to the church from the Excavation site, and one upstairs outside the Church, between the Church and Generator 6. - The parts for the Lightning Staff are in areas whose entry points can only be accessible by the tank. The tank circles the map, with two stops: one at the church, and one outside the building by Generator 2. • One part, and the only one on that path, is on the tank’s trek from the Church to Generator 2. Midway between the two stops, with the church behind you, to your right should be a wooden scaffold-like structure with stairs. You need to jump onto that structure and go down the stairs. In that area, you’ll find a part. The tank, however, will continue to move leaving you behind. Don’t fret, though. It’ll be in the area outside the Generator 2 building.
• One part, and one of the two on that path, is in the pathway from Generator 2 back to the Church. As the tank approaches the Excavation Site, you’ll see an elevated wooden entry point to your left (as you’re facing the church). Jump onto it and get to the staff part. Like the last time, the tank will keep moving. However, though this requires skill (but is not necessary) to pull off, you can jump from the front left corner of the tank, sprint to the staff part and run back and keep jumping until you can jump back onto the tank.
• The last part, also on the second path, is right outside the church (right before the Tank’s parking), on your righthand side, facing the church, you will see a muddy but carved pathway. Jump onto it and run to grab the last part. ? The parts for the Fire Staff need to be ‘spawned’ through completing certain action: • One part is given by the reward chest in Generator 6’s station after activating that generator.
• Another part is dropped by the first Panzer, who appears during Round 8.
• The final part is by shooting down a burning plane in the sky. The plane usually appears when it’s raining, or clear, from Round 9 onwards (or, though rarely, as early as round 7). Once shot down (with a bulleted weapon), no matter where you shoot it from, the dropped part will always land outside the Excavation Site, in the short pathway between the site’s two footprints. - The three parts for the Ice Staff are random dig-ups: • They can be dug-up ONLY when it snows.
• And while the parts are random and can be dug up anywhere at any round (again, if it's snowing), the first part can be dug up from a dig site in the path Generator 1 and Generator 2/3. This is, given the usual progress, the only likely part that can be dug up before Round 8. • The final elements for the staff are the Stones. Each Staff requires own stone (which is NOT part of the three required parts). There are four caves in this map, one for each element. You need to go through each and enter the portal to the “Crazy Place,” which is open by placing the Gramophone on the table (you’ll see the prompt) and playing the required record, to retrieve the stone. Remember, unlike other staff parts, you may only carry one stone of each element. Moreover, even though retrieved parts are accessible to all players, only the stone carrier can craft the Staff. As such, retrieve one stone, and go to the bottom of the Excavation Site to craft it on its respective pedestal (which will be indicated by colour). Here are the caves and their locations ? The Fire Cave: just outside the starting area, right after the exit to the path towards Generator 3.
? The Lightning Cave: Just outside Generator 5/Stamin-Up. It’s the area where you find the record for the Wind staff.
? The Wind Cave: in the area next to Generator 4 (the area in which direction the Jugger-nog machine is facing).
? The Ice Cave: It’s in the footprint between the Church and Generator 6.
Once you get all the parts, build a Staff using the stone required. Once you build it, retrieve the other stones and build the remaining staffs (one at a time). Once done, the Trophy should pop.
There are four elemental staffs in Origins. The four staffs are Ice, Fire, Wind, Lightning and can be found at the bottom of the excavation site. In order to unlock this achievement, you simply need to build all four staffs in one game and do not have to wield them. You can do this on easy difficulty.
Fire:
Record Locations:
-On the pew upstairs in the church (the pews that are on fire).
-On a crate in the generator 6 area.
-By the front left of tank on a box (You will need to move the tank in order to get to it here).
-In the ice tunnel next to generator 6.
First Part:
Found after you kill your first Panzer Soldat that spawns in round 8.
Second Part:
Shoot down the plane in the sky that has the orange glow to it. You can shoot this down with any weapon although it usually appears toward the end of the round. The piece lands by the chest that's at the bottom of excavation or to the left of the workshop.
Third Part:
You are given this as a reward for powering up generator 6. It appears in the reward chest.
Ice:
Record Locations: *Always in the bunker by generator 2.
-On the desk right as you walk in.
-On the shelving by the mystery box.
First+Second+Third Parts:
-All parts are found while digging up the piles of bones WHILE IT IS SNOWING ONLY. The weather generally changes every round so make sure you dig only when it is snowing. On that note though, the dig spots come back during a round with rain so remember to check back after a good rain.
Wind:
Record Locations:
-Inside the lightning tunnel by generator 5 (usually on the desk).
-Around the lightning tunnel by generator 5 on the ground level.
-On the wall that surrounds generator 5.
First Part:
Found in Thor (the robot that goes through stepping by generator 2 and generator 3).
Second Part:
Found in Odin (the robot that comes down the center of the map).
Third Part:
Found in Freya (the robot that goes through by church).
Lightning:
Record Locations:
-On the wagon in no man's land in front of generator 4/Jugg.
-On the table next to the Wunderfizz machine in the generator 4.
-At the bottom of the wind tunnel, which is located next to generator 4.
-On the wall pieces surrounding Jugg/generator 4.
First Part:
After activating the tank from the church, about half way through your trip you will come along a wooden walkway on the right hand side of the tank. You need to jump off of the tank and onto the walkway, and then the short distance to the part.
Second Part:
After leaving the cool down station, the first of two parts will be on the left hand side about half way through your ride back to the church. You will see the catwalk as you are passing by the excavation site. Jump off to your left to snag it.
Third Part:
The final part is also on the route from tank station to church, and will be right before you get back to the church. You will see a path going up on the right hand side into the top of the church. Jump off and run up the path into the church to grab the final piece.
So now that we have all the parts for the four staves we must put together the record machine to be able to create our staves. In order to create the record machine we will need two parts: the gramophone and the black record.
Gramophone Location:
-Located inside the excavation site by the desk where you need to place the gramophone to power up the stairs to enter the cavern. It will be on the ground.
Black Record Location:
-On top of the excavation site, to the left of the pack-a-punch machine in the wheelbarrow.
-On the excavation wall on the left hand side of the path by the church stairs. In other words, if you were to walk from the church steps make a left and it will be on your right hand side sitting on the ledge on the wall right before you get to the big mud pit area.
-Coming from spawn instead of taking the staircase up toward excavation it will be sitting on the box that has the engine on it right at the base of the stairs.
Once you grab the two pieces to the record machine you will then need to head to each element's tunnel, go through it, and grab the orb piece from Agartha. The tunnel locations are as follows:
Fire Tunnel is located through the left door coming out of spawn, and immedately to the left upon exiting spawn.
Ice Tunnel is located in between church and generator six in the back left corner of the mud pit.
Wind Tunnel is located to the left of generator 4/Jugg in the center of that stomp area for Odin robot.
Lightning Tunnel is located near generator 5/Stamin Up on the opposite side where the chest is located.
Only one orb piece can be done at a time per person. You will go into a tunnel and place the gramophone on the desk which will in turn create a teleporter to Agartha. Once inside you will go to the respected colored podium (for example if you go through the fire teleporter go to the fire podium) and hold to retrieve the orb piece. When you exit make sure to pick up the gramophone so someone else can go through another tunnel.
When you get the orb you have one step left to go until the staff is completed. Head back to excavation and down through the spiral staircase into the lower chamber. At the very bottom are four colored staff holders. Head over to your respected orb color and hold again to create the staff. Once all four are created the achievement will unlock.
RED STAFF :
The disk for the red staff is located in the area of generator #6.
The first part can be obtained by killing a Panzer soldier. (appears approximately after wave 5)
The second part can be obtained by shooting down a plane that glows orange. (be sure to track where the part falls)
The third part can be obtained from the stone box near generator No. 6, which will open after you start this generator.
YELLOW STAFF :
The disk for the yellow staff is located near generator No. 5.
There are 3 healthy robots walking around the map. (Thor, Odin and Freya) All 3 parts are in the heads of these robots. To get into them you need the robot to step on you, the main thing is to choose the right foot. (on the correct leg the rim glows yellow, you need to shoot at it)
PURPLE STAFF :
The disk for the purple staff is located in the area of generator #4.
All parts can only be obtained using a tank. (located inside the church)
Parts can be obtained along the tank's route.
The first part is on the right, it is easy to notice (it glows purple, like all the others). You need to jump from the tank onto a kind of bridge.
The second feature is inside a healthy mound in the center of the map. Again you need to jump onto the bridge to the left of the tank.
The third detail is in the church. To get there, you need to jump from the tank to the right at the very approach to the church. (you will understand where to jump)
BLUE STAFF :
The disk for the blue staff is located in the Tank Station, which is near the generator No. 2.
All parts are in small burials. You only need to dig when it snows. (do not confuse with rain)
2.
After you have collected all the parts, you need to find the white disk. (located either near the Improver or at the foot of the Mound) After this, go down the stairs. (near the Improver) Below you must find a gramophone, then place it in a special place reserved for it. A new passage will open. (it will be useful in the future) Take the gramophone and place it in any dungeon, a portal will open in the color of one of the staves, enter it and take the part from the podium in the color of the portal, return through the teleport back. You need to do this procedure in the remaining 3 dungeons. Next, return to the mound and go down the stairs that you opened earlier. You will see 4 pedestals for staffs, just place your staffs in them and Voila, the achievement is yours!!!