Unlocked at start
The OPS Zeal consists of a bow of a zeppelin docked alongside Pier 21. In many ways, this map is reminiscent of the Fort Franklin Pier area of the campaign, where Booker was chasing a fleeing Elizabeth. The zeppelin dominates the map and has multiple levels, including a sniper’s perch, a steering room, and a lower corridor where you can find Tears for Salts and Health Kits. The Sky-Line is present on many of the waves, making it possible to access the buildings that flank the zeppelin.
Wave 1
Enemies Present: Soldiers
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat the wave using Sky-line strikes only.
This is the easiest of all the waves to complete the Blue Ribbon Challenge. Simply use the Sky-Lines to zip around the map and kill each of the five Soldiers using a Sky-Line Strike. Don’t use any Vigors or fire any weapons and you’ll be guaranteed victory.
Wave 2
Enemies Present: Soldiers
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat the wave while only taking Shield damage.
This challenge is much easier if you have used multiple Infusions to upgrade your Shield. But even with a single Shield upgrade, it’s still possible to achieve, provided you use the Sniper Rifle to eliminate the bulk of the enemies from afar. You can also cast Possession on a distant Soldier to help eliminate other enemies on your behalf.
Wave 3
Enemies Present: Soldiers
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat the wave using only Sky-Hook attacks and Shotgun.
This challenge is similar to the one in Wave 1, only you’re also allowed to use your Shotgun and don’t have to perform Sky-Line Strikes—you can also use the Sky-Hook to perform melee kills from on the ground. Nevertheless, the challenge is easier to complete if you rely entirely on Sky-Line Strikes. Above all else, make sure you don’t use any Vigors.
Wave 4
Enemies Present: Soldiers, Volley Gunners
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat the wave using only machine guns or the Crank Gun.
Equip the Machine Gun and the Repeater before you head into battle, reminding yourself to not use any Vigors during this wave as you go. It’s also worth noting that the Burstgun does not count for this challenge. Look for any lone Soldiers in the area near the spawn point, then leap to a Sky-Line and open fire from it. Use the Throttle to slow down while you target an enemy, then accelerate away from enemy fire to either of the small rooms so your Shield can replenish. Be particularly careful when going up against the Volley Gunner—consider opening a Tear for cover.
Wave 5
Enemies Present: Handyman
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat the wave using only the Pistol and Hand Cannon.
Equip the Hand Cannon and wait for the Handyman to spawn and make his way to the upper deck of the zeppelin. Open fire on his heart with the Hand Cannon as he approaches. Back away and utilize cover, but watch for your Shield to break. Leap to a Sky-Line if the Handyman depletes your Shield and ride it to safety. Open fire on him until out of Hand Cannon ammo, then swap to the Pistol and finish him off. Don’t use any Vigors and don’t open any offensive Tears.
Wave 6
Enemies Present: Soldiers, RPG Soldiers
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat the wave without picking up weapons or looting corpses.
Equip the Hand Cannon and either the Carbine or Sniper Rifle (or Rocket Launcher if you prefer heavy damage) and set about sniping as many Soldiers as you can from the upper room. Use the Handgun on any enemies that ride the Sky-Line up to your position, then take off running. Feel free to use Possession or any other Vigors you prefer and certainly aim to Sky-Line Strike the RPG Soldier or hit him with Possession. The only thing to remember is to not loot any corpses until after you’ve slain the last enemy and received credit for completing the challenge. You’ll have 10 seconds to loot the corpses after the wave.
Wave 7
Enemies Present: Soldiers, Snipers, Zealots
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat all enemies using only zoomable weapons while they are zoomed.
Technically speaking, all of the weapons can be zoomed by clicking the Aim Controls (except the Sky-Hook). That being said, the Sniper Rifle, Carbine, RPG, and Burstgun are the most useful when zoomed. Target the Zealot right away with the RPG, then change positions and, using either the RPG or Sniper Rifle, take aim on the Snipers high atop the uppermost platform. It’s possible to zoom in with any weapon while riding a Sky-Line, so don’t feel that you must be on solid ground to complete this challenge. In fact, you should certainly make your way to a Sky-Line when attacking the Zealots, because they can’t ride the Sky-Line to attack you.
Wave 8
Enemies Present: Zealots, Volley Gunners
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat all enemies using only Tears, Possession traps, and Return to Sender traps.
This challenge is easier if you have gone through all of the waves and increased your Salts Meter with Infusions. Elizabeth will help you keep your Salts topped off, but you may still need to open a Tear to gain additional Salts. Fortunately, there are several Tears that can help you in this battle. There is a Gun Automaton and Rocket Automaton that can be used, as well as the Tesla Coil. Have Elizabeth open these Tears and try to lure the enemies toward these positions. Similarly, place a pair of Possession traps on the ground and lure the enemies toward them. With some luck, you’ll bait the Volley Gunners into tripping a Possession trap and then opening fire on the Zealots. Stay on the move and continue luring the enemies toward the automatons and traps you set up.
Wave 9
Enemies Present: Soldiers, Handyman
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat all enemies without ever hitting anyone in the head or the heart.
Equip the RPG and Volley Gun so that you only inflict splash damage and can’t accidentally hit a Soldier in the head or the Handyman in the heart. Use Vigors and Sky-Line Strikes to eliminate the Soldiers while you sprint around the map, keeping clear of the Handyman’s range. Have Elizabeth open the Tear for the Decoy on the upper deck when the Handyman is nearby, and then open fire on him with the Volley Gun. Similarly, Murder of Crows will also distract him long enough to get several attacks in.
Wave 10
Enemies Present: Soldiers, Siren
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat the Siren before she performs a resurrection.
This is one of the most difficult Blue Ribbon Challenges at The OPS Zeal, but can be made much more manageable if you’ve saved the $6000 to purchase the Charge Aid and Charge Boost Vigor upgrades. These Vigor upgrades add brief invulnerability and explosive damage to the Charge attack! Equip the Shotgun and RPG before starting the wave, along with the Burning Halo piece of Gear. The key to completing this challenge is to not only kill the Siren quickly, but to disperse the corpses she uses to perform the resurrection. Leap straight down toward the Tesla Coil and take aim at the corpses on the ground with the RPG. This sends them flying off the zeppelin, leaving the Siren with nobody to resurrect. Now look for the Siren to appear in the vicinity of the Tesla Coil Tear, open fire on her with the Volley Gun or RPG, and then use Charge repeatedly. This is where having a larger Salts Meter can really come in handy. Charge Aid keeps you safe while you do this. With the Siren defeated, you’re then able to focus on the four Soldiers. Use your preferred weapon and Sky-Line Strikes to complete the wave.
Wave 11
Enemies Present: Soldiers, Firemen, Patriot
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat the wave without using Sky-Lines or Hook-Points.
Equip the Shotgun and Volley Gun so you can deploy heavy firepower at range over the railings. Remember that you’re not going to be able to get too high a position, since you can’t use the freight hooks or Sky-Lines. At the start of the wave, cast Possession on a Soldier or Fireman to enlist their help against the Motorized Patriot atop the stairs. Then, while the Patriot is distracted, open fire on its back with the Shotgun. The Volley Gun also comes in handy for making sure the Fireman doesn’t remain too healthy when it comes time to square off against him. The upgraded Possession Vigor and the Volley Gun are pretty much all you need for this challenge. Consider equipping the Crank Gun before the wave ends so you have it for the next wave.
Wave 12
Enemies Present: Firemen, Zealots
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat the wave within 1:15.
This is your first timed challenge and the ease at which you complete it depends on the Vigors that you’ve chosen to upgrade and whether or not you bring the Crank Gun with you from the Motorized Patriot in the prior wave. Cast Possession on the Zealot nearest the Firemen, then open fire on the Firemen with your most potent weaponry, preferably the Crank Gun. Weaken them to the point that they are going to self-destruct, then turn away and focus on the other Zealot. Use Undertow to push the Zealot and remaining Fireman off the edge of the Zeppelin. Use the Vigor’s alternate attack to pull an enemy toward the edge of the ship, then blast them with the primary Undertow attack to knock them off.
Wave 13
Enemies Present: Firemen, Handyman
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat the wave using only weapons fired from a Sky-Line or Sky-Line Strike.
Ride the Sky-Line out over either of the Firemen and attack with the Machine Gun or Carbine, while listening for the Handyman to yell his disapproval. Quickly ride to the other side of the arena and leap down. Reload your weapon, don’t use any Vigors or fire any attacks while on the ground, then return to the Sky-Line. Keep this up until both Firemen are defeated, and then have Elizabeth open the Decoy Tear to bait the Handyman toward it. Leap to the Sky-Line and open fire on the Handyman with either the RPG or Volley Gun. Use the zeppelin’s control room for cover and to lure the Handyman back toward the Decoy.
Wave 14
Enemies Present: Soldiers, Snipers, Zealots
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat the wave using only Shock Jockey or headshots.
Equip the Sniper Rifle and Carbine along with Shock Jockey and head out into the action. Focus your attention on the elevated Snipers first—ride the Sky-Line to an upper room and snipe them. Make sure to line your shot up carefully and be extra sure you’re going to hit them in the head, or else you shouldn’t take the shot. It’s possible to hold back on the Throttle while riding the Sky-Line and snipe from the Sky-Line, but this is not necessary and only adds to the challenge. Leave the Zealot for last, since he is unable to damage you while you are on the Sky-Line. Set up a number of Shock Jockey traps beneath your position on the Sky-Line and try to lure him into them. Look for the Zealot to remain motionless while you’re on the Sky-Line and then take the shot with the Sniper Rifle.
Wave 15
Enemies Present: Patriot, Handyman
Blue Ribbon Challenge: Defeat each enemy with a different Vigor type.
Upgrade your Machine Gun and either the Volley Gun or Machine Gun and purchase upgrades for Devil’s Kiss, Charge, and Return to Sender with all of their remaining upgrades. Make sure you don’t have any Gear that inflicts elemental damage equipped, to make sure you don’t accidentally inflict elemental damage when you don’t want to. Lastly, it pays to have several Salt Meter upgrades. If you haven’t finished the waves on the other maps and find this challenge too difficult, come back to it after you’ve used more Infusions upgrading your Salt Meter.
The wave consists of a single Motorized Patriot and two Handymen which, fortunately, don’t attack simultaneously. Focus your early efforts on the Motorized Patriot. Use Return to Sender to catch and return its Crank Gun attacks back at it. Soften it up with the Volley Gun or Machine Gun (or the Gun Automaton Tear) and, once it’s low on health, use the Return to Sender Vigor exclusively against it. Undertow can also be used to inflict fatal damage to the Motorized Patriot, but you’ll need to cast it a lot.
Defeat the Handyman by luring it over and over past the Gun Automaton while turning and firing on it with your chosen weaponry. Use the Salts Tear in the center of the zeppelin to replenish your Salts as necessary, but try not to use them up too soon. Soften up the Handyman then, once it’s low on health, switch to Devil’s Kiss and use it exclusively until it is dead. Repeat this tactic for the final Handyman while only utilizing the Charge Vigor. Stop using your weaponry once the enemies have less than one-fourth of their health remaining. You’ve come too far to accidentally kill the last enemy with a Shotgun blast.