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Call of Duty Black Ops is three games in one box: a Cold War campaign with hidden intel and a secret computer terminal, a multiplayer suite built on COD Points, perks and Wager Matches, and the Zombies mode that gave the series Ascension, Call of the Dead and George Romero. Our coverage splits the same way, and so does this hub. Pick the mode you are playing and start with the guide in the middle column.
| Mode | Start here | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign | Intel locations | Unlockables and cheats, console and FOV tweak |
| Multiplayer | Mechanics guide | Weapons, multiplayer strategy, Gun Game and Wager Matches, dedicated server settings |
| Zombies | Zombies maps guide | Ascension, the Call of the Dead pages, Kino der Toten's Moon Rocks, Claymores in every map |
| PC | Troubleshooting | The console tweak page for config edits |
Campaign
The campaign hides 42 pieces of intel across its fifteen missions, three in every mission except U.S.D.D., and finding all of them earns the Closer Analysis achievement; our intel locations page walks them mission by mission. The main menu hides more. Look down at your hands, work the triggers to stand up, and the computer terminal takes commands: ZORK for the text adventure, DOA for Dead Ops Arcade, 3ARC UNLOCK for the Five Zombies map and every mission, ALICIA for the virtual therapist and RLOGIN DREAMLAND for a set of logins, all listed with the secret achievements on our unlockables and cheats page. Note that 3ARC INTEL unlocks every intel piece but switches off achievements. PC players who want a wider view can enable the developer console and use cg_fov, as the console and FOV tweak page explains.
Multiplayer
Our mechanics guide is the class builder: the fifteen perks by tier with their Pro effects, and the fifteen killstreaks with kills, prices, XP and health. Around it sit the weapons guide, covering every rifle, SMG, LMG, sniper, shotgun, pistol and launcher with unlock levels and attachments; the multiplayer strategy guide, with playstyles, weapon class advice and four starter classes; the Gun Game page for the four Wager Match modes and the twenty-weapon Gun Game order; and the dedicated server settings for anyone running their own PC server, with every dvar by gametype and the map name abbreviations.
Zombies
The Zombies maps guide walks the Call of the Dead quest one step at a time, from turning on the power and finding the Fuse and Nikolai's Vodka to the V-R11 and the Golden Rod, then covers George Romero, the map's perks, the Stakeout and its Claymores. The same guide carries our round-by-round Ascension plan and the three Moon Rocks that start Kino der Toten's hidden song. For Claymore wall buys on every map, including Five and Moon, see Claymores in Black Ops 1.
PC fixes
The PC version shipped through Steam with its share of problems, and our troubleshooting page collects the workarounds: Steam connection loss, lag from 100 percent CPU usage, missing sound, freezes and stuttering, black screens, the ports to forward on each platform, and the config.cfg edits that steady the frame rate.
Frequently asked questions
How do I unlock Five and Dead Ops Arcade?
At the main menu terminal, type 3ARC UNLOCK to open Five, Dead Ops Arcade, Zork and every campaign mission at once, or DOA for Dead Ops alone. Our unlockables page has the full command list.
How many intel pieces are there?
42, three in each of the fifteen missions apart from U.S.D.D. Collecting them all unlocks Closer Analysis.
How do I change the field of view on PC?
Enable the developer console through the monkeytoy line in config.cfg, then use the cg_fov command; our console tweak page notes that singleplayer commands need a slash or semicolon in front.