I've been living in Astra Malorum since the Astra Malorum drop, and if you're coming in during the Season 01 Reloaded quiet stretch, you're kinda lucky. Match quality feels steadier now, fewer weird disconnects, less of that "did the server just blink?" nonsense. I've run the main quest a bunch of times—solo and with friends—and the biggest win is having a simple loop you can repeat without panicking. If you're warming up in easier games or even checking out a CoD BO7 Bot Lobby to get your timing down, the goal is the same: get points fast, hit your milestones, and don't waste rounds chasing cute ideas.

Loadout That Doesn't Waste Rounds

Early on, I'd skip the "hero shotgun" mentality. You want points, not style. Maddox RFB or Kogot-7 keeps ammo flowing and the cash coming, so Pack-a-Punch doesn't turn into a round-20 dream. Field Upgrade is where people get stubborn—Aether Shroud is the safety net, especially once you're forced to carry awkward quest items and your movement gets punished. I tried Healing Aura too, and it's fine until it isn't. Also, the Combat Goblin has saved my run more than once; that distraction buys you breathing room on steps where standing still gets you deleted.

Power, OSCAR, And The Wonder Weapon Rush

Get power going at the Observatory Dome with the Harmonic Oculus, then treat the lockdown like a job, not a brawl. When OSCAR starts lobbing that UFO projectile, shoot it down right away—future-you will be thankful when you need that crashed piece and you're not praying for another spawn. After power, don't wander. Your priority is the LGM-1 Wonder Weapon, because the boss fight without it is just you donating plates and patience. The parts are consistent enough—Museum Infinitum, around the Cryo Chambers, and by the Telescope—so build it, bench-upgrade it, and keep the pace moving.

Mid-Game Steps People Throw Runs On

Next, go for the three Absolute Zero fragments from the glowing purple crystals. I usually wait until round 15 so I'm not made of paper, but don't stall forever or the map starts feeling crowded. The telescope alignment can be weird: if you're lining up Mars and the crosshair starts drifting like it's got a mind of its own, back out and re-enter the menu. It often "snaps" back to normal. Once the alignment behaves, take the DEC coordinates to the machine in Machina Astralis and lock it in before you get dragged into another messy round.

Brain Extraction And A Boss That Punishes Greed

Brain Extraction is the part that turns clean runs into chaos. Grab the Rock Saw from the Museum, open the body in Cryo, then accept that hauling the Perfusion Machine is slow and dangerous. Pop Aether Shroud when the map closes in on you, not when you're already cornered. The symbol matching is basically a memory check—don't rush it, call it out, keep one zombie if you can. Then it's Caltheris: run PHD Flopper if you value your armor, keep moving, and burn the core with the LGM-1 when you've actually got a safe angle. If you're also looking to stock up on currency or items so you're not constantly broke between attempts, that's where RSVSR can fit into your routine without messing with your gameplay flow.