Blood of the Dead - How to Get Hell's Retriever Including Dog Head Locations

Posted in black ops 4

The Hell's Retriever is a returning fan favourite weapon that's included in the Blood of the Dead zombies map of Black Ops 4. The weapon is obtained by completing a series of soul collecting steps which are covered in detail in this guide.

Many of you will probably remember the original Hell's Retriever weapon from Mob of the Dead. This deadly boomerang weapon was amazing at cutting through scores of zombies and helpfully returning to your hand for another throw.

The original process for unlocking the Hell's Retriever was to feed three dog heads at fixed locations on the Alcatraz map, then returning to a final location to collect the weapon from a hidden chamber underneath the prison. In Blood of the Dead, the process isn't that different from the original - things have just moved around slightly.

For a start, two of the dog heads are in different locations so let's guide you through this step first:

How to Get The Hell's Retriever

YouTube Walkthrough video

1. Feed the dogs

Feeding the dogs is a rather simple process but it requires you to kill zombies in a confined area, close to the dogs head. Each dog will eat roughly 10 zombies before disappearing and leaving a permanent red mark on the wall.

To start the process, look for the red dog mark on the wall (in the areas listed below) then kill a zombie to make the dog appear. It's important that you wait for the last zombie to be eaten by the dog before killing another, otherwise you're wasting zombies during the early rounds.

Dog Location 1 - New Industries



You'll find this dog head at the start of the game, not far from the spawn room. After leaving Richtofen's Lab and going upstairs you'll enter the New Industries room - the dog head is in the corner.

Dog Location 2 - Cell Block 2nd Floor



This location is the same as the original Mob of the Dead map. It's located upstairs, in the center of the prison, between the two wings. You won't reach this area until later in the game.

Typically, you reach Cell Block 2nd Floor by passing over the Catwalk and through the Recreational Yard. Then through C-D Street and onto Cell Block 2nd Floor.

Dog Location 3 - Eagle Plaza



Another brand new location in Blood of the Dead is Eagle Plaza and this is where you'll find the third dogs head. It's on the wall of the house as you leave the Warden's Room. To reach this area you will typically pass through:

Administration -> Warden's Room -> Eagle Plaza

For returning players the Warden's Room was where you found Speed Cola on the original map.

2. Collect the Hell's Retriever

Now that all of the dog heads are fed, you're ready to collect the actual Hell's Retriever. However, things are slightly different in Blood of the Dead - you can't just collect it from the secret chamber behind the wall in the Citadel.

To help explain, go to the Citadel area of the map which is accessible from the entrance of the Showers (main prison area) or downstairs from the main prison area near the Warden's Office. Notice the three dogs heads on the wall of the Citadel? This is where you used to be able to collect the Hell's Retriever in the original map but look again! The floor of the secret chamber has collapse, revealing a lava tunnel.



We need to travel through one of the Fast Travel tunnels (Underground Passage) to pick up the weapon. Fast Travel locations are identified by the gate/entrance on the floor of certain rooms - you'll notice the lava pools underneath the gates. Simply pay 500 points and you'll immediately fly through a narrow passageway.

This is quite tricky because you'll need to face the Hell's Retriever item at the right time and interact to pick it up. The important part is to either travel from Warden's house => Showers or vice versa. The Shower is downstairs in the main prison building or the Warden's House is outside the back of the prison, through the Eagle Plaza area.

Once you have the weapon, the bumper buttons on your controller will throw the boomerang which can also be charged up for a stronger throw.

How to Get The Hell's Redeemer

The Hell's Redeemer is a stronger version of the original weapon. Once you have the Hell's Retriever and the PaP unlocked, follow the steps below to upgrade the original tomahawk:

1. Get Retriever kills in Recreation Yard

First, head to the Recreation Yard and use the Hell's Retriever to get zombie kills while the Retriever is glowing blue. There are only certain spots along the Recreation Yard where the Retriever glows blue so pay close attention. Get approx 30 kills in this area until you hear the wolf howl.

2. Find the blue dog head

Somewhere on the map there is a blue dog head that can only be seen through the Spirit Shield (by holding L2). Possible locations include: Eagles Plaza, Recreation Yard or Citadel (upstairs). It's always slightly outside the map and does move each round.

Once found, throw the Retriever at the dogs head and the tomahawk should be consumed (lost from your inventory) and an audio quote plays from your character.

3. Spirit Blast the ghost dog with shield

Wait for the next Dog Round to start and suck up dog souls using the shield key (x 3).

Now return to the Warden's Office and use the Spirit Shield to look for the ghost dog. The spectral footsteps will give you clues to his location which is always somewhere in the prison.

Once found, Spirit Blast the ghost dog with the shield.

4. Collect Hell's Redeemer

Take the Fast Travel passageway from the Warden's House -> Shower, pick up the Hell's Redeemer by holding square.