Raven has attempted to shake things up with the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War campaign this year. You still get your scripted, bombastic set-pieces, and even a few quiet moments.
But the developer has gone beyond that to offer a between-missions briefing area where you get to chat up your teammates, learn about their history, and get their thoughts on past or future missions. This not only helps build up these characters, the game later leverages these relationships in some of the choices it allows you to make.
To see this content please enable targeting cookies.In this guide, we’re specifically going to focus on Black Ops Cold War’s different endings, and what you need to do in order to get the canonical, best ending. It goes without saying that this is going to be spoiler-heavy, so turn back now and return once you’re done to see what you missed out on.
Everything is fair game, so take the time to explore the campaign on your own if you want to remain 100% clear.
MAJOR SPOILERS TO FOLLOW.
With that out of the way, let’s first clarify a few misconceptions and set the record straight.
How many endings are there in Black Ops Cold War?
Black Ops Cold War has three endings. One is distinct, and the two others are variations of the same scenario. Once the game ends, regardless of whichever ending you got, one more cutscene plays that recaps your general progress over the course of the campaign, as well as the two optional side missions Operation Chaos, and Operation Red Circus.
There’s a good version of this cutscene, assuming you finished both missions the right way, and a not-so-god one if you fail. It’s a brief cutscene that has no bearing on the fate of the main characters, or your choices prior – it only concerns those side missions.
What choices actually affect the ending in Black Ops Cold War?
From the very beginning, Black Ops Cold War strongly hints that your choices have consequences. This is clearly communicated in the dialogue choices every conversation offers, and in the different paths you could take in certain missions and so on. In fact, picking some over others could get you to miss out on crucial pieces of evidence that come into play in the side missions we mentioned.
Most of those choices matter to an extent, but none of them have any bearing on the game’s actual ending. The only choice that actually changes the ending is the one you make at the end of Identify Crisis. After going through that mind-bending mission, you’ll be asked to make a choice. This is the only one that decides which ending you get.
To see this content please enable targeting cookies.How to get the best ending in Black Ops Cold War
Now that we’ve cleared all that up, let’s actually get to how you can get the best ending in Black Ops Cold War. The best ending is the one that doesn’t betray the Black Ops canon. It’s the one where your team wins, achieving the goal you set out to do at the start.
After you finish the brain torture Adler puts you through, you’ll wake up and realise the truth: most of your memories have been implanted by Adler and co. in order to later activate you, and extract your real memories from working with Perseus, which will help the team locate him and end the threat.
Given the gravity of this news, the game gives you a choice, do you tell Adler where Perseus is actually hiding, or lie and mislead him as payback for what he did to you?
If you decide to tell Adler the truth, you automatically get the good ending after doing one last mission: The Final Countdown. You’ll arrive at Solovetsky as planned and stop the nukes, though Perseus will escape.
If you decide to mislead him, you’re getting the bad ending – or more accurately, one of the two bad endings. Picking the Lie option unlocks the Ashes to Ashes mission, which sees you and the team arrive at Duga; an abandoned facility where you won't find Perseus nor get to foil his plan to nuke Europe.
Remember the locked gate in your safe house? Well, if you managed to unlock the padlock, you’ll be given a few seconds to radio call Perseus and allow him to set up an ambush for your team at Duga. This limited window will be available as you get off the operating table, so don't linger.
Shortly after you arrive, the ambush will be triggered and Perseus will emerge, and this is where possibly the best mission objective in all of Call of Duty will trigger: Eliminate Your Former Team. At that point, you’ll get to kill them all then and there, except Adler, who gets injured and tries to hide in a nearby building. This is when you and Perseus will pursue and finish him, and detonate the nukes.
But what if you never unlocked that safe house gate but still lied to Adler? Well, then you’re getting the worst ending of all!
You’ll still arrive at the fake location (Duga) you lead your team to, but because you never managed to radio in Perseus, there won’t be an ambush. Instead, Adler and the rest of the team will realise you played them, and he will end you. The nukes will detonate anyway, but you won’t get a triumphant meeting with Perseus, or get your revenge on Adler and his team.
A word on following/ignoring Adler in Identity Crisis
Before we wrap up this guide, we should point out that the choices you made in the mind-bending Identity Crisis mission don’t actually affect the ending. You could keep ignoring Adler, and he’ll play along up to a point, before you have no choice but to follow his commands as all paths will be blocked.
So feel free to annoy him as much as possible by doing the exact opposite of what he tells you. This is actually the more interesting path to take through the mission, because it gets him to reveal more backstory and lore than the more straightforward path.
That’s it, folks. You’re now mostly done with the single-player campaign of Black Ops Cold War. It’s fun to go back and pick different dialogue options, and make different choices (such as that one on the roof of a building) to see what happens. There are even achievements/Trophies tied to some of those, so it’s worth starting another playthrough.
If you missed them, you can reach our thorough guides on Operation Chaos and Operation Red Circus at the links.
It's up to you, User. It's all up to you.
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Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
Agent (CIA)
Commander (Perseus/Soviet Armed Forces)
Unknown (player-determined)
Unknown (canon)
Alive/K.I.A. (non-canon, player-determined)
M16A1, 1911, M60, Tranquilizer Gun, MP5, Type 63, Gallo SA12, RPD, LW3 - Tundra, Pelington 703, Hauer 77, Recurve Bow, M79, War Machine, XM4, AK-47, any weapon obtained by the player
Park: "...And now the training's complete. We just need to give the subject a name." Adler: "Bell." — Park and Adler, as Adler gives Bell their codename.
For other uses, see Bell."Bell" is the codename for a character in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. They act as the main protagonist and playable character.
Biography
Agent of Perseus
During the 1980s, an agent and close associate of Perseus was present during a meeting with Arash Kadivar, Anton Volkov, Vladimir Rudnik and Robert Aldrich where Perseus exposed his fears about the United States' power slowly consuming the Soviet Union and the Soviet leaders doing nothing about it. He revealed his plan to steal an American nuclear bomb which could unlock the Greenlight nuclear arsenals based throughout Europe. From there, Perseus planned to detonate all the bombs so he could alter the balance of power in the Cold War in the Soviet Union's favor and create a Greater Russia.
Trabzon Airfield Incident
On January 13, 1981, the individual accompanied Kadivar to the Trabzon airfield in Turkey. Kadivar revealed to them that they were supposed to transport weapons in a plane to Duga before shipping them to Volkov. Kadivar, however, jealous of the individuals' status in Perseus' ring, had other plans and shot the individual inside the car leaving them for dead. After CIA operatives Alex Mason, Frank Woods, and Russell Adler prevented Kadivar from leaving the country, they swept the tarmac for survivors and found the individual still alive with a dossier related to Perseus.
Becoming "Bell"
MKUltra
After the individual recovered from their injuries, the CIA tried traditional interrogation for days, to no avail. It was then decided to brainwash them through the CIA's MKUltra Program into trying to give up Perseus' location. During several weeks, through painful psychological torture, neuroactive drugs and hypnosis, the CIA, with the help of MI6 agent, Helen Park, used Adler's experience in Vietnam to create a bond with the individual, implanting fake memories of the war and backgrounds into their mind and altering their personality and identity to make them believe they knew Adler for years. Once the training was completed, Adler gave them their nickname "Bell". Adler also used the phrase "We've got a job to do" (as well as "We had a job to do" or "We have a job to do") whenever he wanted Bell to remember their fake memories and being kept in check. Jason Hudson, however, wasn't so keen on having Bell as a member of Adler's team to hunt Perseus.
Now part of Adler's team, Bell arrived in the CIA Safehouse E9 in West Berlin on February 23rd. The team was composed of Adler, Bell, Park as well as Lawrence Sims and Eleazar "Lazar" Azoulay. The team made Bell relive their implanted memories to decrypt the dossier found in Trabzon, which gave several names including Anton Volkov. Adler and Park would continue injecting Bell drugs without their knowledge during the following weeks to ensure the brainwash was still effective.
Stopping Volkov
Using intel from the MI6, the team learned that Volkov is an arms dealer and head of the Russian mob that moved into East Berlin after 1961. They also identified one of his couriers, Franz Kraus, who had a meeting with Volkov the next day.
Using the U-Bahn, Adler and Bell infiltrated East Berlin via a ghost station. They followed Kraus to a bar near one of the Berlin checkpoints and Bell met with one of Hudson's contacts, Greta Keller. Realizing that Kraus was followed, Volkov sent Stasi soldiers into the bar forcing Bell to escape through the restrooms. They regrouped with Lazar and Park who were observing Kraus' appartement after he went back to his home. Bell was sent to enter the apartment and find the briefcase Kraus was keeping. They found a hidden room with the briefcase which contained documents and photos of a nuclear bomb. After Bell put a tracker in the suitcase, they heard a noise coming from a closet. Once opened, it was revealed that Keller was taken prisoner after a colleague of her, Lukas Richter, reported her to the Stasi. Bell didn't have time to react before Kraus knocked them out.
Kraus brought Bell and Keller to Volkov's warehouse, both of them being tied to chairs. Volkov noted that Perseus was looking for Bell and that he had a large bounty on their head before starting to interrogate them.
Bell chose to insult Volkov who in return ordered one of his men to kill Greta by crushing her neck.
Bell stayed calm allowing Greta to be left alone and rescued by Park.
Not receiving the answers he wanted, Volkov pushed Bell to the ground ready to kill them while noting that Bell were "damaged goods". The team arrived through the roof just before Volkov pulled the trigger and fled. During the initial fight, Kraus is killed, and Park untied Bell ordering them to pursue Volkov while she secured the briefcase. Fighting through the warehouse, Bell found Volkov stuck in front of a door.
Bell killed Volkov, Adler congratulated them for taking one of Perseus' men off the board. Park, however, became upset noting that the knowledge of Volkov could have helped the MI6.
Bell captured Volkov, Park thanked them on behalf of the MI6 while Adler noted that it was "more than he deserved".
Operation Greenlight
Looking through the documents found in the briefcase, the team learned that Perseus smuggled a nuclear bomb through East Berlin. The team also found encrypted geocoordinates which pointed to an unpopulated region within the Ukraine Republic. After an aerial recon run, the location revealed a massive military base hidden within the Ukrainian forest.
On February 27, Bell and Frank Woods were sent to infiltrate the base to uncover what was inside. After making their way inside the building, they realized it was a giant Spetsnaz training ground made to look like an American town, featuring arcades, shops, and restaurants, including a Burger Town restaurant. They reached the central computer and Bell managed to enter the system.
They learned that Perseus infiltrated a secret CIA nuke program called Operation Greenlight which involved Jason Hudson. An alarm soon triggered in the entire base, Woods called Park to have their exfil ready and the two operatives fought their way to an exit. They found an APC and used it to storm out the facility.
KGB Archives
Following a mission carried by Woods and Mason in an abandoned base in Mount Yamantau to recover its mainframe, the team learned that Perseus was looking for the names of the sleeper agents used by Nikita Dragovich in 1968. However, Perseus managed to erase the names before the mainframe was retrieved. This left only one option for the team, infiltrating the Lubyanka, the KGB headquarters in Moscow to get the names.
On March 9, the team arrived in Moscow and with the help of Dimitri Belikov, a double agent in the KGB working with the CIA, they acquired a key belonging to Anton Charkov to access the bunker located 100 feet below the building. Belikov lured two soldiers while Bell and Adler hid in the room with a bag filled with weapons. Using the uniforms as disguises, they entered the building but were stopped at a checkpoint and had to hand over their bag. The duo was saved at the last second by Belikov who replaced the guard that was supposed to inspect the bag. They reached the elevator while the building was in full lockdown with guards and soldiers interrogating people. Just before the doors closed, Imran Zakhaev took the elevator with them. Not recognizing their faces, Zakhaev asked when the two arrived and to whom they were reporting to.
"Why I have an appointment with him now! I'll give him your regards." — Zakhaev Bell informed Zakhaev that they and their comrade answered to Commander Sobol, to which Zakhaev lightheartedly said that he would give him their regards, as he was just heading to a meeting with Sobol.
"Do not take me for a fool!" — Zakhaev Bell informed Zakhaev whom they were reporting to. However, Zakhaev recognized that the two were lying and pulled a pistol out, pistol whipping Adler and holding Bell at gunpoint. However, Bell was able to push Imran back, with Adler getting up and knocking him out in the elevator.
"What are you doing?" — Zakhaev Rather than bothering to answer Zakhaev's question, Bell proceeded to hold Zakhaev in a headlock as Adler knocked the Soviet out in the elevator.
Bell and Adler retrieved their weapons before leaving the elevator. They eliminated the first few soldiers but triggered an alarm. They fought their way throughout the bunker and hid a remote gas grenade in the ventilation in case they needed a plan to leave before reaching the archives door. They entered the room using the key and locked the door behind them. Bell used the computer to access the list of Dragovich's sleeper agents and copied it into a floppy disk. During the copy, soldiers and Spetsnaz operatives stormed the room, but the duo managed to hold them off. They tried to find a way to escape but found that Belikov was captured and was about to be executed if the team didn't surrender. They put on gas mask and detonated the grenade, filling the entire bunker. Bell rushed to Belikov to give him a gas mask. The trio fought all the way back to the elevator where they acquired heavy weapons and gear.
Inside the elevator, Adler contacted Lazar to inform that Belikov was coming with them. Bell armed a C4 and threw it to the soldiers waiting outside as the doors of the elevator opened before eliminating the remaining soldiers. The team reached the exit and entered the car driven by Lazar before escaping the city.
Cuba
The team discovered the name of Theodore Hastings in the list of sleeper agents. Hastings was a nuclear engineer tied to Operation Greenlight. The CIA tracked Hastings movements from Salt Lake City which led them to Cuba. They discovered a vacant government facility south of Havana which has become a hub of activity for Perseus and believed to be the location of the stolen nuke.
On March 13, the team launched an assault against the compound before separating in two teams with Bell, Park, and Lazar. Using security cameras, Bell discovered the location of the lab inside the building but witnessed a man executing all the scientists. Once the team reached the room, they found the dismantled nuke and a dying Hastings on the floor. Hastings revealed that Perseus forced them to reverse-engineer the detonation codes, giving him access to the entire Greenlight arsenal which could wipe out half of Europe. Perseus managed to flee the compound as Bell, Park and Lazar fought their way to the rooftop. They fought off Cuban reinforcement while they wait for the Skyhook plane. The pilot warned them that the plane only had enough fuel for one pass, so they began to harness up starting with Bell. However, an RPG rocket hit the team which prevented Park and Lazar from reaching the rope. and with the plane flying over them, Bell had to make a decision.
Bell secured Park but could not reach Lazar's hand before the plane lift them off. Lazar was executed by Cuban soldiers. Back at the safehouse, she expressed her gratitude for saving her life, telling Bell she felt like she owed them. She asked them to help the team one more time as they could lose more than Lazar if they fail.
Bell secured Lazar as Park hit the ground with her fist as the two were lift off. Park was executed by Cuban soldiers. Back at the safehouse, he joked about Bell injuries before expressing his gratitude for saving his life. He noted that maybe Bell was one of them after all and that he would never forget the people that he owed.
Bell secured neither Park nor Lazar before being lift off. Back at the safehouse, Sims told Bell that they would not die for nothing with the team becoming desperate and putting all their chips on the table. Sims asked Bell to stay sharp and focused.
Learning the truth
The next day, Adler returned to the safehouse with Bell and asked Sims to help him putting them on a gurney. Hudson argued that it was a wasted of time and Bell was of no use for them anymore. Adler reassured Bell saying they were the key to find Perseus. The team was now desperate, and Adler injected the drugs directly into the brain through Bell's eye socket.
Adler made Bell go through the different scenarios they created of a mission in Vietnam where Bell encountered Perseus inside a Soviet bunker. Bell's subconscious fought back against the drugs, which made them hear Perseus telling them to not listen to Adler as he was lying to them. Ultimately, Bell remembered taking part of the Perseus meeting with Kadivar, Volkov, Rudnik, Aldrich, and Perseus himself where he announced that they would detonate the Greenlight arsenal from the Solovetsky Islands and then blame the Americans for it, shifting the power balance towards the Soviet Union.
Adler admitted that they used the MK-Ultra program to create Bell's false identity so they could give them the location of Perseus and his plans. While still confused about what happened and who they were, Bell was asked by Adler to reveal where Perseus was.
Identity Crisis
Knowing the truth about what the CIA did to them, Bell had a choice. Either remaining loyal to the CIA and their new team by revealing the location of Perseus or lying to them and betraying the CIA to achieve Perseus' goals.
Bell chose to reveal where Perseus was and told Adler about Solovetsky Islands and the monastery, the site where Perseus planned to detonate the nukes. On March 15, Bell, Adler, Woods and Mason as well as several squads of soldiers stormed the monastery and fought off waves of Soviet soldiers while trying to disable the anti-air guns so that their air support could destroy the radar array and prevented the nukes from being set off.
After this mission, Adler took Bell out to a cliff side and told them that they were a hero for the sacrifices they have made. He then revealed that Bell had to make one last sacrifice and that it wasn't personal before they both drew their pistol. While Adler survived their encounter at Solovetsky, the fate of Bell remained unknown.Bell chose to not reveal where Perseus truly was, telling Adler he was at Duga.
Bell didn't radio Soviet troops to ambush Adler's group. On March 15, at Duga, Bell revealed to Adler they lied and remained loyal to Perseus. Angry, Adler executed Bell leaving their body for Perseus to find as the team left the facility with disappointment. With no one stopping him, Perseus detonated the Greenlight arsenal. With Europe in chaos, President Reagan learned that documents related to Operation Greenlight were leaked anonymously, but seemingly by Perseus, showing the nukes were made by the United States and destroying their reputation around the world. Reagan ordered that anything related to the operation should be erased forever as the Berlin safehouse was burned down by Hudson and the CIA.
During planning, Bell radios the Soviet Base to plan for an ambush. On March 15, at Duga, the team berated Bell for lying to them. Adler was disappointed in Bell due to how much faith he had in them. Bell then signaled the ambush, in which they were briefly knocked out by an RPG but later regained consciousness and is helped up by a Soviet officer wearing a gas mask. Bell then proceeded to execute Mason, Woods and possibly either Park or Lazar.
After most of the team was killed, Bell followed the officer into a building while the other Soviets wipe out the remaining American troops. The Soviet told Bell that Adler fled into the building. They managed to find Adler who was fatally wounded. Adler asked Bell to hand him his lighter so he can light a cigarette one last time. Whether Bell chose to or not, Adler was killed by them and the officer revealed his identity as Perseus. Bell, now reunited with Perseus, was allowed to personally order the Greenlight nuclear arsenal's detonation. The two discussed their plans for the future of a Greater Russia and left Duga together.