How to Achieve the Best Ending in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
The chilling narrative of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War offers players a thrilling campaign filled with intrigue, betrayal, and high-stakes decisions. The fate of the world rests on your choices, particularly during the critical final missions. But how do you secure the coveted “good ending,” or even the best possible outcome in this complex storyline? Let’s break it down.
To achieve the best ending in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, you must tell the truth to Russell Adler about Perseus’s location during the “Identity Crisis” mission. When Adler asks you where Perseus is planning to activate the Greenlight nukes, choose the “TRUTH” option and state that his location is Solovetsky. This crucial decision unlocks the final mission, “The Final Countdown”, where you will infiltrate Perseus’ base and prevent the catastrophic detonation of nukes across Europe. Completing this mission successfully leads to the ‘good’ ending where Perseus’s plans are foiled. However, to get the absolute best outcome, beyond stopping the nukes, you must also choose to save Park over Lazar at the end of The Final Countdown.
Understanding the Key Decisions
The narrative of Black Ops Cold War hinges on a few key moments that determine the ending you receive. Here’s a more detailed look:
The Choice: Truth or Lie
The pivotal moment arrives during “Identity Crisis.” After Adler reveals Bell’s past connection to Perseus and their brainwashing, you are faced with a critical choice. You can either tell Adler the truth about Perseus’s location – Solovetsky, or lie and direct him to a false location – Duga.
Choosing the truth unlocks “The Final Countdown” mission and is the pathway to the good ending and saving millions of lives. Lying, on the other hand, leads to one of the bad endings, where Perseus succeeds in detonating the nukes.
Saving Park or Lazar
During “The Final Countdown”, you’ll reach a point where you need to choose between saving Park or Lazar from a dangerous lift sequence with an imminent explosion. The ‘best ending’ for the campaign involves saving Park. While not directly impacting the nuclear launch, it is considered the canon decision as Park is a playable operator in the multiplayer story, which takes place after the campaign. Saving Lazar does not affect the main outcome regarding the nukes, but it is considered the non-canonical choice.
The Significance of the Final Countdown
“The Final Countdown” is not just the last mission; it is where you put all of your actions and decisions to the test. Here, you must successfully infiltrate Perseus’ base on Solovetsky, navigate through challenging firefights, and disable Project Greenlight before it is activated. This is the final hurdle to achieve the good ending. Your actions here directly influence the world’s fate. Successfully completing this mission, after choosing truth in Identity Crisis, ensures the nukes are deactivated and countless lives are saved.
Consequences of Choices
The consequences of your choices in Black Ops Cold War are profound:
- Truth and Saving Park: This leads to the canon good ending. You foil Perseus’s plot, the nukes are deactivated, and Park survives, as supported by the multiplayer canon.
- Lying and Directing Adler to Duga: This culminates in a bad ending, where Perseus successfully activates the nukes, leading to a devastating global catastrophe.
- Saving Lazar: This also results in the ‘good’ ending if you told the truth, however it is considered a non-canonical choice as Lazar doesn’t appear in the multiplayer storyline.
Going Beyond the Obvious: Unlocking a Deeper Understanding
To truly understand the nuances of the ending you get in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, it’s crucial to understand the characters’ motivations. Adler, while presented as the protagonist, has a morally grey background. He manipulates Bell, and knowing that Bell has been working for the enemy, is always suspicious and prepared to take action against them. Your interaction with Adler influences whether he fully trusts you, making your decision of truth or lie even more important.
Ultimately, the best ending in Black Ops Cold War is not just about the outcome, but the path you take to get there. It is about making the right decisions, trusting the right people and understanding the complexities of the characters and their backgrounds.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Here are some frequently asked questions regarding the ending of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, designed to provide more clarity and answer any lingering curiosities:
1. How many endings are there in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War?
There are three main endings: one good ending and two variations of a bad ending.
2. What happens if you lie to Adler during the “Identity Crisis” mission?
If you lie to Adler and tell him Perseus is at Duga, you will get a bad ending where Perseus succeeds in detonating the Greenlight nukes.
3. What is the mission where you prevent the nukes from detonating?
The mission is called “The Final Countdown”. It becomes available after you tell the truth about Perseus’s location in the “Identity Crisis” mission.
4. Is saving Park or Lazar the canon choice?
The canon choice is to save Park, as she appears as a playable Operator in the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War multiplayer, which takes place after the campaign.
5. Is Russell Adler a good guy in Black Ops Cold War?
Adler is an anti-villainous character. He has questionable morals, manipulates the protagonist, and is prepared to kill them when his plans are at risk.
6. What is the secret code in the Cold War campaign?
The code “112263” unlocks a gate in the “Red Light, Green Light” mission, providing access to a room that reveals some backstory to the Cold War operation.
7. How do you get the “The Red Door” Trophy/Achievement?
You get “The Red Door” Trophy/Achievement by repeatedly disobeying Adler in the final stretch of the level. This involves deliberately going against his instructions and warnings.
8. Who is Bell in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War?
Bell is the player character in the game, a brainwashed Soviet operative working for Perseus, whose memories have been rewritten by Adler.
9. What happened to Bell and Adler at the end?
The ending is ambiguous. Adler survived the encounter at Solovetsky, but the fate of Bell remains unknown.
10. Was Bell a Soviet operative?
Yes, Bell was a Soviet operative working for Perseus before their memory was altered by Adler.
11. How did Adler get his scar?
Adler states he got his scar while chasing a Soviet agent, jumping off rooftops, and a utility pole injured his face.
12. What are Project Greenlight nukes?
Project Greenlight is Perseus’s plan to place nuclear devices strategically across Europe for simultaneous detonation.
13. What is the significance of Solovetsky?
Solovetsky is the location of Perseus’s base where he plans to broadcast the nuclear detonation signal.
14. What is Duga?
Duga is the false location that Bell can lead Adler to, resulting in the bad ending.
15. Why did Adler brainwash Bell?
Adler brainwashed Bell to make them a more cooperative ally, as they were the only one with a direct link to Perseus. Normal interrogation wasn’t working, so he rewrote Bell’s memories to convince them to provide the necessary information.
By making the right choices and being aware of the narrative nuances, you can experience the most satisfying and rewarding ending in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. Remember to choose truth when asked about Perseus’s location, and save Park, to truly achieve the best possible outcome.