Wolfenstein: The Old Blood: Complete Guide

Everything you need to beat MachineGames' 2015 standalone prequel: combat and stealth fundamentals, weapons and perks, a spoiler-light campaign outline, collectibles (gold, letters, Nightmare levels), the Annette/Kessler choice, Challenge maps, and achievement tips.

Researched September 2026 — current as of PC version 0.1464 (final patch, May 2015). Live games change; check the linked sources if something differs.

Quick Start

• It is standalone. You do not need Wolfenstein: The New Order to play. The Old Blood is set in 1946, before The New Order.
• Two parts, eight chapters. Part one, Rudi Jäger and the Den of Wolves, is the Castle Wolfenstein breakout. Part two, The Dark Secrets of Helga Von Schabbs, moves to Wulfburg.
• Kill commanders first in stealth zones. Commanders call in reinforcements when alerted; knife them quietly and the area becomes much easier.
• Health only partly regenerates. It creeps back up to the next segment of the bar at most; armor and full health come from pickups. Loot everything.
• Overcharge health by picking up health at full HP. It slowly decays back down, but it is a buffer for big fights.
• The pipes are a tool, not just a weapon. Use them to climb marked walls and pry open grates, which often lead to secrets.
• Perks unlock by playing a certain way. Stealth kills, headshots, and specific weapon use each progress their own perk challenges.
• Nightmare levels are hidden in beds. Look for a bed to lie in during certain chapters for a Wolfenstein 3D-style bonus level.
• Pick a difficulty you enjoy. Über is the top difficulty and is built for players who already know the game.

Difficulty Levels

Difficulty | Notes

Can I play, Daddy? | Story mode

Don't hurt me. | Easy

Bring 'em on! | Normal; the intended experience

I am Death incarnate! | Hard; counts toward the Super hero achievement

Über | Hardest; Über hero achievement

The Super hero achievement accepts I AM DEATH INCARNATE! or Über; Über hero requires Über specifically.

Core Combat

Stealth

• Crouch to move quietly. Enemies have a detection meter; break line of sight before it fills.
• Commanders appear on the HUD with a distance marker when in a combat zone. If one spots you, they sound the alarm and reinforcements pour in until the commander dies.
• The knife takedown is silent. Throwing knives are also silent and one-shot unarmored soldiers.
• Pipe takedowns are a new option in The Old Blood for vicious stealth kills.

Loud Combat

• Lean around cover to shoot without exposing your whole body. Leaning is one of the most important mechanics for survival on higher difficulties.
• Dual-wield many weapons for much more damage, at the cost of precision and aiming down sights. The game shows when a weapon can be doubled up.
• Health and armor are separate bars. Armor soaks damage and does not regenerate; picking up armor scraps adds a little, larger pieces add more.
• Explosive barrels and grenades are strong against clusters; heavies and Super Soldiers need sustained or explosive damage.

Enemies to Know

Enemy | How to handle

Commanders | Priority stealth targets; kill to stop reinforcements

Soldiers and elite guards | Headshots; lean from cover

Super Soldiers | Heavy, slow, dangerous; use heavy weapons, explosives, or shotguns from cover

Dogs (Rudi Jäger's augmented hounds) | Fast closers; back up, keep firing, and use explosives on packs

Drones | Shoot them down quickly before they add to a firefight

Undead (part two) | Headshots and shotguns; avoid being surrounded

Weapons

The Old Blood introduces its own 1946 arsenal. The Kampfpistole, Bombenschuss, Schockhammer and heavy machinegun names below appear in the game's own perk and achievement list; the other rows are described by weapon class.

Weapon | Role

Pipes | Two small pipes for wall climbing and takedowns; joined into one large pipe to break weak surfaces and pry grates

Handgun | Reliable sidearm for the early game

Kampfpistole | Grenade-launching pistol; fantastic against groups and heavies

Submachine gun | High fire rate close range

Assault rifle | Mid-range workhorse

Schockhammer | The 1946 shotgun; huge close-range burst

Bombenschuss | Bolt-action rifle; precise long-range headshots

Heavy machinegun | Pulled from turrets; the Carry heavy machinegun perk improves hauling it

Grenades and throwing knives | Crowd control and silent kills

Ammo is plentiful on lower difficulties but tighter on Über; carry a spread of weapons so you always have something loaded.

Loadout by Situation

Situation | Best pick | Why

Quiet infiltration with a commander nearby | Knife, throwing knives, pipe takedowns | Silent kills keep reinforcements away

Long sightlines, alert guards | Bombenschuss | One precise headshot per target from outside detection range

Close-quarters rooms | Schockhammer | Huge burst damage; lean around doorframes

Super Soldiers or heavy armor | Kampfpistole, grenades, heavy machinegun | Explosive and sustained damage chew through armor

Swarms of undead in part two | Shotguns and automatic weapons | Crowd control; headshots stop them fastest

Drones | Any hitscan rifle | Shoot them before they alert nearby soldiers

Pick your weapon before a fight, not during it; reloading two weapons at once under fire is slow and dangerous.

Stealth Routine for Every Combat Area

• Enter crouched and check the HUD for commander markers and distances.
• Throw nothing yet. Watch patrol routes for a few seconds.
• Pick off isolated guards on the commanders' approach path with knife takedowns.
• Kill the commanders.
• Only then decide whether to clean up quietly or go loud. With commanders dead, going loud is much safer.

Perks

Perks unlock by completing challenges tied to a play style (examples include silent kills, collecting helmets, or kills with a specific weapon). Perks named in the game's achievement list include:

• Health upgrade I, II, III and Armor upgrade I, II
• Schockhammer clip upgrade, Bombenschuss clip upgrade, Kampfpistole ammo storage upgrade, Ammunition upgrade
• Reload mash, Quick turn, Grenade belt, Carry heavy machinegun
• Vampire, Eagle Eye, Tough Skin

Check the Perks menu often; it shows exact challenge requirements. Stealth players unlock takedown-related perks naturally, but if you want everything, deliberately switch weapons and play styles across chapters.

Campaign Outline (Spoiler-Light)

Part One: Rudi Jäger and the Den of Wolves

• B.J. Blazkowicz infiltrates Castle Wolfenstein to steal the folder with the coordinates of General Deathshead's compound.
• Things go wrong: you are captured and must break out of the castle's prison, pass through its docks and keep, and escape across the valley by cable car and bridges.
• The part builds to a confrontation with Rudi Jäger, the sadistic dog-trainer warden.

Part Two: The Dark Secrets of Helga Von Schabbs

• The trail leads to the village of Paderborn and then the city of Wulfburg, where Nazi archaeologist Helga von Schabbs is excavating King Otto I's vault.
• Opening it releases something that raises the dead, and undead enemies join the fight.
• You work with local resistance fighters, including Annette and Ludwig Kessler, and during a collapsing-bridge sequence you must choose which of them to save.
• The finale pits you against the ancient giant known as the Monstrosity.

The Annette or Kessler Choice

There is a point where you must choose to save either Annette or Kessler. Each choice has its own achievement (Annette saved, Kessler saved), so for 100% achievements you need to do this section twice. Keep a manual chapter save or replay the chapter from the menu.

Collectibles

Type | What to know

Gold items | Achievements at 8, 16, 32 and 64 collected (All that glitters, Glittering gold, The ecstasy of gold, Gold master)

Letters | Paperboy for 5, Postman for all

Nightmare beds | One Nightmare level per location: German Alps (prologue), Prison (ch 1), Docks (ch 2), Wolfenstein Keep (ch 3), Escape! (ch 4), Wulfburg (ch 5), Ruins (ch 6), Old town (ch 7), plus a Nightmare boss level

Tips:

• Search behind pipe grates and climbable walls. Many gold items sit in pipe-only paths.
• Chapter select lets you replay chapters for missing collectibles; your pickups carry over.
• Nightmare levels are short Wolfenstein 3D-style mazes: find the key that unlocks the exit elevator. Completing all of them earns Die, Grösse, die!, and beating the Nightmare boss level earns Guten tag!.

Challenge Maps

Challenge Arenas unlock as you progress. You fight enemy waves and earn Bronze, Silver or Gold medals, with Steam leaderboards. Gold medal achievements exist for each map:

Research centre, Prison docks, Keep foyer, Cable car platform, Paderborn bridge, Caves, Wulfburg square, Workshop, Bathhouse and Graveyard.

Tips for Gold: chain kills quickly to keep your score multiplier, prioritize high-value enemies, and learn spawn points on a first practice run.

Achievement Roadmap

• First run on Bring 'em on! or I am Death incarnate! Grab collectibles you see, do Nightmares as you find them, and work on perks naturally.
• Chapter select cleanup: missing gold, letters and Nightmares; replay the choice for the other achievement.
• Perk cleanup: target any remaining perk challenges.
• Über run: once unlocked. Your perks help, and you already know every encounter.
• Challenge maps: last, when you are at your sharpest.

PC and Modern Hardware Notes

• The game runs on id Tech 5 and its frame rate is capped at 60 fps. PCGamingWiki documents raising it with the third-party id5 Tweaker, but warns of side effects above 60 (uneven frame pacing on G-Sync/FreeSync, physics bugs, cutscene stutter, faster assault-rifle burst fire). For a stable experience, stay at 60.
• The final PC patch (0.1464, May 2015) fixed stutter during video playback, a GPU synchronization issue, and challenge-mode leaderboard loading.
• The game does not require The New Order to run.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Going loud with a commander alive. Reinforcements turn an easy room into a war of attrition.
• Ignoring armor scraps. They add up and are critical on higher difficulties.
• Not leaning. Standing in the open is how Über kills you.
• Rushing past pipe walls and grates. That is where much of the gold is.
• Forgetting the choice achievement. You need to see both outcomes for both achievements.
• Starting Über without perks. Unlock key perks first; they make Über far more manageable.

Advanced Tips

• The Schockhammer shreds Super Soldiers at close range when combined with leaning.
• The Kampfpistole is your panic button against groups and heavies; do not hoard its ammo.
• Overcharge before arenas. Grab health at full HP right before a known big fight.
• Stealth routes often contain secrets. Taking the quiet path is usually the collectible path.
• Pipe climbs double as escape routes. If a fight goes bad, a climbable wall often breaks enemy pursuit.

FAQ

Do I need to play The New Order first? No. The Old Blood is a standalone prequel; you can play it first.

How long is The Old Blood? It is a shorter campaign than The New Order, spanning eight chapters across two parts.

Should I save Annette or Kessler? Your choice. Each has its own achievement, so completionists will do both.

How do I find Nightmare levels? Look for a specific bed in each relevant chapter and interact with it to enter the Nightmare.

Which difficulty counts for the hard-mode achievements? Super hero accepts I AM DEATH INCARNATE! or Über; Über hero requires Über.

Can I run it above 60 fps? Not officially. The id Tech 5 engine caps it at 60; third-party tweaks exist but introduce bugs.

Is the game still supported? The last PC patch was version 0.1464 in May 2015. The game remains on sale.

Sources

• Wolfenstein: The Old Blood on Steam
• Steam achievements for Wolfenstein: The Old Blood
• Wolfenstein: The Old Blood on Wikipedia
• Steam announcement: PC version 0.1464 revision notes
• PCGamingWiki: Wolfenstein: The Old Blood