There are two Black Ops Cold War endings, with a third minor variation. What you get depends not only on the decisions you make at the time, but some things you can do earlier in the game. Luckily it's easy to trigger whatever ending you want so it's mainly about knowing what the options are and picking the one you want.
Obviously there are SPOILERS coming up so don't read on if you don't want to know what happens in the Black Ops Cold War ending.
There are three main Black Ops Sold War ending variations, built around a good/bad choice, as well as a slightly less rewarding bad ending. Interestingly, the difference between getting the best bad ending, and the slightly less impressive option boils down to something that's under your nose almost the entire game - you just might not realize it.
Finally, before we go into more detail, if I'm honest the full bad ending is actually the most fun. It's not the best option for the free world and democracy, obviously, but it's a great subversion of expectations it's totally worth checking out. You can dip back into the mission select to try different endings anyway so it's easy to see all the options anyway.
It's worth noting the two side missions you can do are referenced in the ending but form no part of it. Whether you complete them, fail them, or don't even try, the events are mentioned in the ending but have no influence on Black Ops Cold War.
Black Ops Cold War good ending
After the big twist - that you're really a Russian agent reprogrammed to believe they were a US operative in an attempt to extract the location of Perseus - you remember where he's hiding. The nukes hidden all over Europe are going to detonate if you don't stop him, and you have two choices when Alder asks you where they can find him - you can tell the truth and say Solovetsky, or lie and say Duga.
Obviously for the good ending you want to pick Solovetsky. Do that and you'll head there and take on Perseus' forces. After a big battle you'll destroy the AA guns needed to let the US bombers destroy the site and prevent the detonation of the nukes around the world.
You'll then see some cut scenes outlining what happened, and recapping what you did with the two side missions. However, there's one loose end: you. Once the recap has played out Adler will appear, to thank you for what you've done and the sacrifices you've made. He'll then ask you to make one more sacrifice and shoot you dead. Yay, good ending!
What's needed to get the Black Ops Cold War bad ending
Now it's time for the fun but bad ending. To fully maximize this option you'll have to complete a minor side objective along the way that's easy to miss or forget - during various safe house briefings you have between missions you should have discovered the padlocked gate to the back of the building with a clipboard next to it. You'll need a code to open it, which can be deduced from the three articles mentioned on that clipboard.
How to open the padlock in Black Ops Cold War
The clipboard next to the padlock in Black Ops Cold War mentions three articles:
- Clinical Record
- Warren Commission
- Dallas News Article
You can find each of these three articles in the following places:
1. Clinical Record
On the blue wall through the door to the left of the locked gate.
2. Warren Commission
This is on the floor immediately in front of the locked gate.
3. Dallas News Article
This is on the wall in the dark room behind the mission briefing room.
How to get the padlock code in the Black Ops Cold War safe house
If you take the unsubtly highlighted numbers from each article, in the order listed on the clipboard by the padlock you'll get 1, 1, 2, two, sixth, three (as written) or 112263 as a pure combination. That's the date that Kennedy was assassinated, in case the theme behind the articles wasn't clear.
Open up the lock and you'll access a back room with an arcade machine, that will let you play any of the games you've found and played during missions. There's also a computer you can explore and play a range of text games. However, the thing you want to play attention to is the radio, as it will ultimately define the bad ending. You can complete this padlock step at any point you're in the safe house during the campaign but the radio only becomes active right at the end.
When you reach the section where Adler is questioning you about Perseus' location, if you pick the lie and tell him it's Duga, you'll notice his name turns red as you've chosen Perseus, making your former team the enemy now. If you've previously unlocked the gate you'll have a minute or so before the final mission to reach the radio and warn Perseus.
Black Ops Cold War bad ending
To get the bad ending you'll have to chose Duga for the final mission location. If you didn't use the radio (as outlined above) then Adler and the team will understand you've betrayed them and shoot you on the spot. You'll get the bad ending in terms of Europe being nuked but die in the process and see nothing else.
If you did radio ahead before leaving for Duga you'll get the option to signal an ambush, which will bring Perseus and his troops out shooting. You'll then be able to take on and kill your former team, complete with slow mo kill cams each time you get one of them.
Once the fight's over you'll find Adler and be able to take him out. Perseus will congratulate you personally and you'll both get to see the world burn together. Awww.
