If you're chasing the Civil Protector Head Relic on Astra Malorum, plan it like a proper session, not a quick detour. I've seen people load in half-prepped and wonder why it feels impossible. It's not "impossible," it's just picky and punishing. Before you even think about the steps, make sure you're comfortable surviving deep rounds, and don't be shy about warming up in something like a CoD BO7 Bot Lobby if you need cleaner reps on movement, training, and perk habits. This relic run demands consistency more than flashy plays.

Get Set Up Before You Commit

You'll need to start in a Tier 2 Cursed Match or higher, otherwise you're wasting your own time. From there, the real gate is endurance: the quest only becomes available once you reach Round 60. That's the part nobody wants to hear, but it's the truth. So build for longevity. Prioritise survivability, ammo economy, and a route you can repeat without thinking. If your plan falls apart when you get boxed in, it's not a plan yet. You're basically trying to arrive at Round 60 with your focus intact, not just your health bar.

Museum Infinitum Candle Puzzle

Once you hit 60, head to Museum Infinitum and look up at the chandeliers. Each has a single lit candle, and you'll need PHD Flopper to interact with this properly. The trick is simple and annoying: you have to extinguish the candles in a hidden order by flopping under them. Pick a method and stick with it. Left-to-right, clockwise, whatever. The moment you hit a wrong one, the sequence resets, and you can't brute force it instantly because you'll have to wait for the next round to try again. Write it down. Seriously. You'll know you nailed the correct chain when you hear a clear activation sound.

Crash Site Red Relic Trial Fight

After the audio cue, move to the Crash Site and interact with the Red Relic Trial orb. Solo players trigger it immediately; in co-op, your squad needs to vote. Don't start this undergeared. Bring Golden Armor, and bring a weapon you trust at high difficulty. You'll be thrown into six waves where the zombies come in as sprinters with glowing red eyes, and the pace is relentless. Waves 3 and 6 add High Value Target Mimics that soak damage and ruin sloppy positioning. Keep moving, peel the sprinters first when you're about to get clipped, and only hard-commit to the Mimic when you've bought yourself space.

What You Actually Unlock and the Catch

Win the trial and you'll get the unlock notification for the Civil Protector Head back on the main map. It feels earned, no doubt. But it comes with a nasty trade-off: equipping it later can trigger Perk Decay, meaning you'll lose one perk for every 100 kills you rack up. That changes how you build and how greedy you can be. If you're planning to run it often, practise cleaner resets and safer perk choices, and if you want easier repetition for the run itself, you can sharpen your mechanics first with cheap CoD BO7 Bot Lobbies so Round 60 doesn't feel like a brick wall.