Black Ops 2 changes the formula for the Call of Duty games by introducing alternate endings. The game has eight endings, and this guide will instruct you on what steps to take to get the best one.
You’ll have to make certain decisions to achieve the best ending in Black Ops 2, and missing even one of them will prevent you from getting the best ending. Below, we’ve given a mission-by-mission breakdown of everything you need to do:
1. Recover Celerium in Mission 2
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In the second mission; Celerium make sure you successfully recover the Celerium device from Erik.
2. Spare Kravchenko in Mission 3
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In the Old Wounds mission, do NOT kill Lev Kravchenko. Instead, successfully interrogate him. If you do not kill him, he dies anyway but his death should not come because of you.
3. Retrieve CIA Intel in Mission 4
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For the fourth mission; Time and Fate, locate and pick up the file containing all the intel about the CIA mole. This file can be found on top of a desk near the fire, toward the end of the cocaine lab.
4. Record Raul Mendez in Mission 5
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In the fifth mission, you must first record Raul Menendez, to discover more about his meeting with Zhao. Remember not to look away and to record Menendez even when he starts moving about. Next, toward the end of the mission when you’re piloting a boat, try not to drive through the fire to prevent Harper from getting burned.
5. Chase and Kill Defalco In Mission 6
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Towards the end of mission 6, you will be tasked with chasing down and killing Defalco. To get the best ending make sure you complete this objective because he can get away if you don’t. If he manages to flee, he takes Karma with him.
6. Shoot Target In The Leg In Mission 7
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Once you reach the rooftop with Noriega, Hudson will command you to kill the Nexus target, as he is supposedly Raul Menendez. Do not kill him. Instead, shoot him in the leg. This will make Hudson order you to kill him again, but you have to shoot him in the leg again.
7. Kill Harper In Mission 8
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In this mission, Harper’s VTOL will be brought down by Menendez at the Citadel, and he will be captured. You’ll be ordered to kill him, and you’ll have to do it to not blow Farid’s cover. When presented with shooting either Harper or Menendez, make sure you pick the former.
8. Save Admiral Briggs In Mission 9
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The Odysseus mission has several objectives: Save Admiral Briggs by shooting him in the leg, then play out the rest of the mission normally.
9. Choose To Capture Mendez In Mission 11
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In the last level of the campaign, you have the choice to capture or kill Menendez. Capturing him will lead you to the best ending in Black Ops 2.