Objective: Confront the Past

Objective: Confront the Past

The "Confront the Past" objective in Call of Duty: Black Ops III is a pivotal moment, often occurring in the latter half of a mission, where the narrative intensifies, and players face significant challenges tied to the game's psychological themes. This section typically involves a combination of intense combat scenarios, often featuring wave-based defenses or confrontations with powerful, hallucination-driven enemies. Success hinges on strategic loadout choices, effective use of Cyber Cores, and a keen awareness of environmental hazards.

Mission Overview and Context

This objective usually takes place in environments that are visually distorted or represent fragmented memories, such as the Coalescence Corporation facility or corrupted neural interfaces. The enemies encountered are often manifestations of the protagonist's (or a key NPC's) fractured psyche, appearing as heavily armored Warlords, swarms of P.A.A.P. drones, or even distorted versions of standard infantry. Pay close attention to dialogue and environmental cues, as they often provide crucial insights into the unfolding narrative.

Recommended Loadout and Cyber Cores

Given the nature of the threats, a balanced loadout is crucial. We recommend the following:

• Primary Weapon: An assault rifle with good range and damage, such as the Man-O-War or HVK-30, equipped with an ELO sight and Quickdraw. This allows for versatility in both close-to-medium engagements.
• Secondary Weapon: A high-damage shotgun like the KRM-262 or a rapid-fire SMG such as the VMP for clearing tight spaces or dealing with sudden rushes.
• Tactical Equipment: Concussion Grenades are excellent for stunning larger enemies or groups, providing a window for critical damage.
• Lethal Equipment: Frag Grenades or Thermite for area denial or damaging armored targets.

For Cyber Cores, focus on crowd control and damage amplification:

• Control Core:
  • Remote Hijack: Invaluable for turning enemy robots and turrets against their allies, especially effective against P.A.A.P. drones or G.I.U.N.T.S.
  • Protocol Override: Temporarily disables enemy cybernetic enhancements, making them vulnerable.
• Chaos Core:
  • Immolation: Creates a devastating fire explosion, perfect for clearing waves of infantry or damaging clustered enemies.
  • Firefly Swarm: Unleashes a swarm of explosive drones that seek out and detonate on enemies, ideal for area denial and sustained damage.
• Martial Core:
  • Overdrive: Increases movement speed and weapon handling, crucial for repositioning and escaping overwhelming situations.
  • Unstoppable Force: Grants temporary invulnerability and increased melee damage, useful for pushing through choke points or dealing with close-range threats.

Step-by-Step Walkthrough and Strategy

Phase 1: Initial Engagement and Defense

Upon entering the designated area (e.g., the Coalescence Corporation's central server room), you'll likely be tasked with defending a specific data terminal or holding a position against incoming waves. The first wave typically consists of standard 60 Minutes of Terror infantry and a few P.A.A.P. drones.

• Location: Central platform or elevated walkways.
• Enemies: 10-15 standard infantry, 3-5 P.A.A.P. drones.
• Strategy:
  1. Immediately seek cover behind the server racks or reinforced barriers.
  2. Prioritize the P.A.A.P. drones with your primary weapon or by using Remote Hijack to turn them against the infantry.
  3. Use Immolation or Firefly Swarm to clear groups of infantry pushing your position.
  4. Maintain distance and use long-range weapons to pick off enemies before they get too close.

Phase 2: Heavy Reinforcements and Elite Units

As the objective progresses, heavier units will be introduced, often including Warlords, G.I.U.N.T.S., or even hallucination-driven R.A.P.S. units. These enemies are highly resilient and deal significant damage.

• Location: Often from multiple entry points, flanking your position.
• Enemies: 1-2 Warlords or G.I.U.N.T.S., accompanied by 8-10 elite infantry.
• Strategy:
  1. Focus fire on the elite units. For Warlords, aim for their head or exposed power core on their back. For G.I.U.N.T.S., target the glowing weak points.
  2. Use Concussion Grenades to stun these larger threats, allowing for uncontested damage.
  3. If overwhelmed, activate Overdrive to reposition to a safer vantage point or to collect ammo/health.
  4. Consider using Protocol Override on cybernetic enemies to temporarily disable their abilities and reduce their threat.

Phase 3: Confrontation with the "Past" (Boss Encounter)

The climax of this objective often involves a direct confrontation with a unique, hallucination-driven enemy or a highly augmented version of a standard enemy. This "boss" character will have unique attack patterns and vulnerabilities.

• Location: A central, open arena or a visually distorted chamber.
• Enemy: A unique boss (e.g., a heavily armored R.A.P.S. unit with enhanced abilities, or a spectral Warlord).
• Strategy:
  1. Identify Weaknesses: Observe the boss's attack patterns. Many hallucination-driven enemies have temporary vulnerabilities after certain attacks, or glowing weak points that appear.
  2. Maintain Distance: Most bosses in this context have powerful close-range attacks. Keep moving and use cover to avoid damage.
  3. Utilize Cyber Cores:
     • Immolation or Firefly Swarm can deal significant burst damage when the boss is vulnerable.
     • Remote Hijack might not work on the main boss but can be used on any smaller enemies it spawns to distract or damage it.
     • Unstoppable Force can be used for a brief period of aggressive melee attacks if the boss is stunned or immobile.
  4. Ammo Management: Ensure you have enough ammo. Look for resupply points in the arena or use your secondary weapon strategically.

Common Pitfalls and Missables

• Ignoring Dialogue: The narrative in these sections is crucial. Missing dialogue can lead to confusion about objectives or enemy motivations.
• Static Positioning: Staying in one place for too long will lead to being overwhelmed, especially during wave-based segments. Constant movement and repositioning are key.
• Underestimating Hallucinations: While some enemies might be "hallucinations," they still deal real damage. Treat all threats seriously.
• Wasting Cyber Core Abilities: Save powerful Cyber Cores like Immolation for large groups or elite enemies, not single standard infantry.
• Missing Collectibles: These intense sections often hide Data Vault collectibles or other lore-related items in less-trafficked corners. After clearing an area, take a moment to explore before moving on.

Rewards for Completion

Successfully completing "Objective: Confront the Past" typically yields significant rewards, advancing the main storyline and unlocking new abilities or customization options.