Call of Duty: Black Ops (2010): Complete Guide

A guide to Treyarch's 2010 Cold War classic on PC: the campaign mission by mission (with Veteran tips and missable achievements), Zombies from Kino der Toten to Moon, Dead Ops Arcade and terminal secrets, and what multiplayer looks like in 2026.

Researched September 2026 — current as of the final PC version (no recent PC updates). Note: PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 ports by Iron Galaxy Studios released July 9, 2026; they don't change the Steam version. Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

Campaign difficulty: Recruit, Regular, Hardened, Veteran. BLACK OP MASTER needs Hardened or Veteran; the Veteran mission achievements need Veteran specifically.
Veteran is punishing because of grenade spam and infinite enemy respawns until you push past triggers. Move forward to stop spawns.
Zombies is the long-term hook. Base game maps are Kino der Toten and Five; DLC adds Ascension, Call of the Dead, Shangri-La, Moon, plus remastered World at War maps.
The main menu has secrets. Break free from the interrogation chair and use the computer terminal behind you for Dead Ops Arcade, a text adventure and more.
Intel is hidden across campaign missions. Look for glowing briefcases/documents; Closer Analysis needs all of it.
Multiplayer still exists on Steam dedicated servers, but populations are small and older CoD PC titles are cheat-prone. Many players use community clients instead.

Campaign

Missions in order

#	Mission	Setting / key achievement
1	Operation 40	Cuba, 1961. Death to Dictators (Castro headshot), Sacrifice
2	Vorkuta	Gulag escape. Give me liberty, or give me death, Vehicular Slaughter
3	U.S.D.D.	Pentagon. VIP (receive orders from Lancer)
4	Executive Order	Baikonur. A safer place (sabotage the Soviet space program)
5	S.O.G.	Khe Sanh. Looks don't count, Tough Economy (6 TOW missiles or fewer)
6	The Defector	Hue City. SOG Rules, Raining Pain (20 NVA with air support)
7	Numbers	Kowloon. Broken English, Double Trouble (dual wield only)
8	Project Nova	WWII flashback. Some wounds never heal, Double Whammy
9	Victor Charlie	Vietnam. Up close and personal (silently kill 3 VC)
10	Crash Site	Laos river. Never get off the boat, Lord Nelson
11	WMD	SR-71 and ground team. Pathfinder (keep your squad alive), Mr. Black OP (enter the relay station undetected)
12	Payback	POW compound. Russian bar-b-q, With extreme prejudice
13	Rebirth	Rebirth Island. No Leaks, I hate monkeys
14	Revelations	Clarity (crack the code)
15	Redemption	Final mission. Stand Down, Light Foot (Veteran timer)

Story in brief

You play mostly as Alex Mason, interrogated about his past. Missions are his memories: Operation 40, the Vorkuta escape with Viktor Reznov, and the hunt for Dragovich, Kravchenko and Steiner, the men behind the Nova 6 nerve gas. Hudson and Weaver handle CIA missions. The numbers broadcast is the key plot device.

Veteran tips

Push forward. Enemies respawn until you cross invisible triggers.
Use cover and grenade awareness. Grenade spam is the main killer.
Pick up enemy weapons with good ammo pools.
Veteran achievements are grouped: Cold Warrior (Operation 40, Vorkuta, Executive Order), Down and Dirty (SOG, The Defector), It's your funeral (Numbers, Project Nova, Victor Charlie), Not Today (Crash Site, WMD, Payback), Burn Notice (Rebirth, Redemption). You can do them mission by mission.
Unconventional Warfare (30 kills with explosive crossbow bolts) and Frag Master (5 enemies with one frag) are easier on Recruit.

Missables worth noting

The Dragon Within (10 NVA with Dragon's Breath rounds), Heavy Hand (Grim Reaper on an MG emplacement), Slingshot Kid (all slingshot targets in 3 attempts), Sally Likes Blood (3 enemies with one bullet), Russian bar-b-q (10 flamethrower kills in the POW compound).
Intel is scattered; use a guide per mission if hunting.

Zombies

Basics

Points: earned per hit and kill. Knife kills and headshots give more.
Wall weapons can be bought from chalk outlines; Mystery Box gives random guns (including wonder weapons).
Power switch: turn on the power to activate perks, traps and Pack-a-Punch.
Perks: Juggernog (more health), Quick Revive, Speed Cola (faster reload), Double Tap Root Beer (fire rate); later maps add Stamin-Up, PhD Flopper, Deadshot Daiquiri, Mule Kick.
Pack-a-Punch: upgrades weapons for big damage.
Training: run zombies in a circle ("train") and shoot them in groups.

Maps

Map	Where	Notes
Kino der Toten	Base game	German theater; Thundergun wonder weapon; teleporter links Pack-a-Punch
Five	Base game	Pentagon with JFK, Nixon, Castro, McNamara; Winter's Howl; pentagon thief
Dead Ops Arcade	Base game (terminal)	Twin-stick arcade mode
Ascension	First Strike DLC	Soviet cosmodrome; Gersh Device, space monkeys, lunar landers
Call of the Dead	Escalation DLC	Celebrity crew, the Director boss, V-R11, Scavenger
Shangri-La	Annihilation DLC	Temple; 31-79 JGb215 shrink ray, Napalm and Shrieker zombies
Moon	Rezurrection DLC	Moon base; Hacker, excavators, low gravity; Richtofen's grand scheme
Remastered WaW maps	Rezurrection DLC	Nacht der Untoten, Verrückt, Shi No Numa, Der Riese

DLC packs on PC: First Strike (March 25, 2011; Ascension plus MP maps Berlin Wall, Discovery, Kowloon, Stadium), Escalation (June 2, 2011; Call of the Dead plus Zoo, Hotel, Convoy, Stockpile), Annihilation (July 28, 2011; Shangri-La plus Hangar 18, Hazard, Drive-In, Silo), Rezurrection (September 22, 2011; Moon plus the four remastered World at War maps).

Zombies achievements (selected)

Achievement	Requirement
The Collector	Buy every weapon off the walls in a single Zombies game
Hands Off the Merchandise	Kill the Pentagon thief (Five) before it can steal your load-out
Space Race	In Ascension, Pack-a-Punch a weapon by round 8
They are going THROUGH!	In Ascension, kill at least 5 zombies with 1 Gersh Device
Stand-in / Ensemble Cast	Send the crew to Paradise in Call of the Dead (solo or co-op / co-op)
Time Travel Will Tell	In Shangri-La, acquire the focusing stone
Cryogenic Slumber Party	In Moon, complete Richtofen's grand scheme
Perks in Spaaaaace!	In Moon, purchase every perk in one game
Ground Control	In Moon, prevent each excavator from breaching the base in one game

At the main menu, look at the interrogation chair and press the prompted button repeatedly to break free.
Walk to the computer terminal behind you and use it.
Useful commands:
- DOA launches Dead Ops Arcade (the "Insert Coin" achievement)
- ZORK launches the Zork text adventure (the Eaten by a Grue achievement)
- 3ARC UNLOCK unlocks all campaign missions
- HELP lists commands; DIR and CAT read files for lore

Multiplayer in 2026

Dedicated servers exist on PC (the official ones are rented through the licensed host GameServers, and the PC version shipped with mod tools and the developer console). Populations are small; filter by ping and players.
Create-a-Class with COD Points, Wager Matches (One in the Chamber, Gun Game, Sticks and Stones, Sharpshooter), and Contracts are all in the game.
Combat Training lets you play multiplayer maps against bots, solo or co-op. Great for practice or offline play.
Community clients (such as Plutonium) exist for Black Ops and add modern anti-cheat and server browsers. They're unofficial; use at your own discretion.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Standing still on Veteran. Push to stop respawns.
Ignoring the terminal. You'll miss Dead Ops Arcade and fun extras.
Spending all Zombies points on the box. Buy Juggernog and reliable wall weapons first.
Forgetting the power switch in Zombies.
Not reading map-specific mechanics. Each DLC map has unique traps and wonder weapons.

Advanced Tips

Training zombies around open areas is key to high rounds.
Pack-a-Punch early in Ascension for the Space Race achievement.
Use Combat Training to practice weapons without toxic lobbies.
Veteran Redemption: plan your ship escape; Light Foot requires 2:15 left on the timer.
PC config: the game supports widescreen and higher FPS; fine-tune in the config files if needed.

FAQ

Is Black Ops multiplayer still playable on PC? Yes, via dedicated servers, but populations are small. Combat Training and community clients are alternatives.

Which Zombies map is best for beginners? Kino der Toten. It's straightforward, with a good Pack-a-Punch loop.

How do I play Dead Ops Arcade? Break free from the chair in the main menu, use the terminal, type DOA.

Do I need DLC for Zombies? Base game includes Kino der Toten, Five and Dead Ops Arcade. DLC adds Ascension, Call of the Dead, Shangri-La, Moon and remastered WaW maps.

What difficulty for the campaign? Regular for story; Hardened or Veteran for BLACK OP MASTER.

Is there a remaster? There are PS4/PS5 ports (July 9, 2026) but no PC remaster. The Steam version is the original.