Side Quests & Activities

While Call of Duty: Ghosts is primarily a linear campaign experience, it offers a surprising depth of optional engagements and collectibles that significantly enhance replayability and provide additional challenges beyond the main story. This section will detail these various activities, guiding you through everything from uncovering hidden lore to surviving alien onslaughts, ensuring you get the most out of your game.

Intel Collection: Unearthing the Lore

Throughout the single-player campaign, there are 18 pieces of hidden Rorke Files (Intel) scattered across the 18 missions. Collecting these files not only unlocks achievements/trophies but also provides deeper insight into the game's narrative, characters, and the overarching conflict. Each file is typically a laptop or a tablet glowing with a distinctive blue light, often tucked away in less-traveled corners or requiring a slight detour from the main objective.

General Intel Collection Tips:

• Listen for the Ping: When you are close to a piece of intel, you might hear a subtle electronic "ping" sound. This audio cue is your best friend.
• Explore Thoroughly: After clearing an area of enemies, take a moment to look around before proceeding to the next objective marker. Intel is rarely in plain sight.
• Check Side Rooms & Elevated Positions: Many intel pieces are found in optional rooms, behind desks, or on elevated platforms that require a jump or climb.
• No Second Chances (Per Mission): If you miss an intel piece in a mission, you'll need to replay that specific mission to collect it. Progress is saved per mission, so you don't need to restart the entire campaign.

Intel Locations (Mission-by-Mission Summary):

Below is a brief overview of where to expect intel in each mission. For precise, step-by-step instructions and visual aids, refer to our dedicated "Intel Locations Guide" section.

• Mission 1: Ghost Stories - Look near the end, after the initial chaos, in a house.
• Mission 2: Brave New World - Often found in a command center or office area.
• Mission 3: No Man's Land - Keep an eye out in the dilapidated buildings.
• Mission 4: Struck Down - Check the stadium's locker rooms or offices.
• Mission 5: Homecoming - Found within the secure areas of the White House.
• Mission 6: Federation Day - Often in an office during the rappelling sequence.
• Mission 7: Fallen Angel - Look in the chemical plant's control rooms.
• Mission 8: Atlas Falls - Within the control room of the oil rig.
• Mission 9: Into the Deep - Near the sunken structures or submarine wreckage.
• Mission 10: End of the Line - In the missile silo's control rooms.
• Mission 11: Severed Ties - Within the enemy base's barracks or command center.
• Mission 12: Loki - This mission is unique; the intel is often in a specific module you pass through.
• Mission 13: The Hunted - Look for it in the dense jungle, often near a downed aircraft.
• Mission 14: Clockwork - Inside the enemy facility, often in a server room.
• Mission 15: Atlas Falls - (Note: This is a repeat mission title, but the intel is distinct) In a different part of the oil rig.
• Mission 16: All or Nothing - On the ship, often in the bridge or a cargo hold.
• Mission 17: Severed Ties - (Note: Another repeat title) In a different part of the enemy base.
• Mission 18: Sin City - In the final mission, often in a casino or hotel room.

Extinction Mode: Survive the Alien Threat

Beyond the campaign, Call of Duty: Ghosts introduces "Extinction," a cooperative game mode where up to four players face off against waves of alien creatures known as Cryptids. This mode offers a fresh take on survival, combining objective-based gameplay with intense combat and light RPG elements.

Extinction Mode Overview:

In Extinction, your primary objective is to destroy a series of alien hives scattered across the map using a drill. As the drill works, you must defend it from increasingly aggressive Cryptid waves. Successfully destroying a hive allows you to move to the next area and repeat the process until all hives are eradicated or you are overrun.

Key Gameplay Mechanics:

• Classes: Before starting, choose from four distinct classes, each with unique abilities and starting loadouts:
  • Weapon Specialist: Focuses on raw damage output with assault rifles and LMGs.
  • Tank: High health and defensive capabilities, ideal for drawing aggro.
  • Engineer: Excels at setting up traps and repairing defenses.
  • Medic: Specializes in reviving teammates and providing support.
• Skill Points: Earned by killing Cryptids and completing objectives, these points are used to upgrade your class abilities, weapons, and traps.
• Cash: Dropped by Cryptids, cash is used to purchase new weapons, ammo, and activate traps and turrets around the map.
• Relics: For an added challenge and bonus XP, You can activate "Relics" before a match. These modifiers make the game harder (e.g., "Pistols Only," "No Perks") but reward greater progression.
• Challenges: During each hive defense, optional challenges appear (e.g., "Get 10 headshots," "Don't take damage"). Completing these grants bonus cash and skill points.

Extinction Strategy & Tips:

• Team Composition: A balanced team with a mix of classes (e.g., Weapon Specialist, Tank, Engineer, Medic) is crucial for success, especially on harder difficulties.
• Resource Management: Don't waste cash on unnecessary purchases. Prioritize weapon upgrades, ammo, and essential traps.
• Trap Placement: Engineers should strategically place traps (e.g., Electric Fences, Turrets) in choke points leading to the drill. Upgrade these traps for maximum effectiveness.
• Perk System: use the in-game perk system (found at perk stations) to gain temporary buffs like increased damage, health regeneration, or faster reload speed.
• Target Prioritization: Focus fire on more dangerous Cryptid types first, such as Scorpions (acid spitters), Rhinos (charging tanks), and Seekers (fast, explosive enemies).
• Drill Defense: Always keep an eye on the drill's health. If it's destroyed, the game ends. Engineers can repair it.
• Communication: Coordinate with your team on where to set up defenses, when to activate abilities, and who needs ammo or revives.

Extinction Maps:

The base game includes one Extinction map, "Point of Contact," with additional maps available through DLC packs.

• Point of Contact: The introductory map, set in a desolate Colorado town. It features various environmental hazards and different types of Cryptids. Learn the layout, choke points, and trap locations to master this map.

Squads Mode: Personalized Combat & Progression

Squads mode offers a unique blend of single-player and multiplayer experiences, allowing you to build and customize a squad of AI teammates to fight alongside you or against other players' squads.

Squads Mode Variants:

• Squad Assault: Take your squad online to challenge other players' AI-controlled squads. This is a great way to earn XP and prestige without directly engaging other players.
• Squad vs. Squad: Pit your squad against another player's squad, with both players actively participating alongside their AI.
• Wargame: Play cooperatively with friends against AI bots, simulating a multiplayer match. This is excellent for practicing strategies or leveling up weapons.
• Safeguard: A survival mode where you and your squad defend against increasingly difficult waves of enemies. Similar to Spec Ops Survival from previous titles.

Squads Customization & Progression:

• Recruit & Customize: Earn new squad members as you play. Each member can be customized with unique appearances, loadouts, and perks.
• AI Behavior: Your squad members' AI adapts to their loadouts. A sniper-equipped squad member will seek out long-range positions, while a shotgunner will push objectives.
• Shared Progression: XP earned in Squads mode contributes to your overall multiplayer rank, allowing you to unlock weapons, attachments, and perks that can be used in both Squads and traditional multiplayer.

By engaging with Intel collection, mastering Extinction, and building your ultimate squad, You can significantly extend their enjoyment and challenge themselves in diverse ways beyond the core campaign of Call of Duty: Ghosts.