Black Ops 2 Challenges Guide: All 160 Explained

Someone at Treyarch decided that shooting people wasn't enough and that you also needed homework. This black ops 2 challenges guide exists because the game hides 160 tiny chores inside its campaign and never explains most of them properly. Good news: they're finite. Bad news: you have to actually do them, and below is every single one, mission by mission.

How the Challenge System Works

Every one of the 16 missions carries exactly 10 black ops 2 campaign challenges, which is where the total of 160 comes from. Two of the ten are always identical: collect 3 pieces of Intel, and finish the mission without dying once, officially the 100% survivability rating challenge. The remaining eight vary per mission, ranging from "shoot ten people with one specific gun" to "don't die to a helicopter nobody warned you about."

Progress saves automatically, so grinding one mission fifteen times is fine and expected. Just don't press "New Story." That option deletes every challenge you've ever completed, apparently for spite.

Rewards: Bribery With Extra Steps

Milestone	Unlocks
Complete 1 challenge (any mission)	Nothing per-mission, but unlocks the "Just Getting Started" trophy globally
Complete 2 challenges in a mission	A perk (Fast Hands, Adjustable Stock, Hip Fire, FMJ, etc.)
Complete 5 challenges in a mission	A weapon or special equipment (Combat Axe, Executioner, War Machine, Stinger, etc.)
Complete all 10 in a mission	"Mission Complete" trophy for that level

Strike Force missions don't hand out perks or weapons for challenges, but they still count toward the grand total, so skipping them keeps the final trophy permanently out of reach.

Access Kit: The Perk You Are Not Skipping

The black ops 2 access kit perk unlocks doors, crates, and side-rooms that are otherwise sealed shut, and a good chunk of the 160 challenges live behind those doors. Leaving it at home to save a perk slot is the single most common reason people replay missions twice.

Do not select "New Story" from the main menu once you've started collecting challenges. It wipes all recorded progress, campaign choices, and any Strike Force outcomes tied to your save. "Replay Mission" is the only safe way to redo a level.

All 160 Challenges: Story Missions

1. Pyrrhic Victory

#	Challenge
1	Eliminate enemy personnel (x15) with machete
2	Destroy all MPLA tanks
3	Eliminate enemy personnel (x5) with one mortar explosion
4	Sink enemy vessels (x5)
5	Dive to prone on an enemy grenade and survive
6	Eliminate enemy personnel (x10) with animal traps
7	Kill (x4) enemies with one mortar-primed animal trap
8	Use elevated improvised positions for confirmed sniper kills (x20)
9	Collect Intel (x3)
10	100% survivability rating

2. Celerium

#	Challenge
1	Eliminate enemy heli before lift off
2	Destroy sentry turret (x2) while disabled
3	Eliminate enemy personnel (x4) with one round from Titus weapon
4	Eliminate enemy personnel (x10) with heli turret
5	Eliminate enemy personnel (x30) while using Optical Camo
6	Destroy enemy ASDs (x2) by exploding nitrogen tanks
7	Eliminate enemy personnel (x10) with the Assault Shield
8	Protect ASD resource from destruction
9	Collect Intel (x3)
10	100% survivability rating

3. Old Wounds

#	Challenge
1	Eliminate enemy personnel (x15) with pulwar sword
2	Destroy enemy helo with a mortar
3	Destroy tank with anti-tank mine
4	Run down enemy personnel (x10) on horseback
5	Destroy enemy helo with truck-mounted MG
6	Destroy enemy helos (x4) at North Pass
7	Utilize Stinger (without aircraft lock-on) to destroy enemy helo
8	Eliminate enemy personnel (x25) using alternate fire mode on Stinger
9	Collect Intel (x3)
10	100% survivability rating

#	Challenge
1	Eliminate PDF enemies (x7) with shotguns in under 10 seconds
2	Eliminate PDF enemies (x8) with truck-mounted MG
3	Rendezvous with Josefina in under 140 seconds
4	Eliminate Cartel enemy personnel with Molotovs (x12)
5	Crash an enemy truck
6	Eliminate Cartel enemy personnel with mortars (x10)
7	Eliminate Cartel enemy personnel with machete (x10)
8	Locate evidence of CIA presence
9	Collect Intel (x3)
10	100% survivability rating

5. Fallen Angel

#	Challenge
1	Avoid damage from large debris in streets
2	Direct CLAWs to eliminate 8 enemies in flooded street
3	Record 400TB of data from Menendez surveillance
4	Incinerate enemy personnel (x10) with flamethrower attachment
5	Protect CLAWs (x2) from destruction
6	Deploy SOC-T boost to find 2 alternate routes
7	Destroy enemy vehicles (x20) with drone missiles
8	Destroy 8 enemy vehicles with SOC-T
9	Collect Intel (x3)
10	100% survivability rating

6. Karma

#	Challenge
1	Obtain retina scan in less than 60 seconds
2	Retrieve precious cargo (Ziggy)
3	Kill enemy personnel with headshots (x5) in Club Solar
4	Ensure zero non-combatant casualties
5	Eliminate rappelling enemies (x5)
6	Eliminate enemy personnel (x25) in the outdoor area
7	Incapacitate enemy personnel using Combatant Suppression Knuckles (x20)
8	Protect ASD resource from destruction
9	Collect Intel (x3)
10	100% survivability rating

7. Suffer With Me

#	Challenge
1	Perform a knife throw at enemy guard post
2	Survive an enemy RPG blast which causes enemy collateral damage
3	Destroy Noriega's private jet
4	Eliminate enemy personnel (x10) with truck-mounted MG
5	Destroy enemy ZPU (x1)
6	Distract enemy personnel (x8) with Nightingale grenades at the same time
7	Eliminate enemy personnel (x15) with IR strobe
8	Eliminate 8 enemies in the clinic
9	Collect Intel (x3)
10	100% survivability rating

8. Achilles' Veil

#	Challenge
1	Destroy enemy quad drones (x20)
2	Eliminate enemy personnel (x20) with sword
3	Melee enemy personnel (x20) while using Optical Camo
4	Destroy enemy quad drones (x8) with turret
5	Eliminate enemy personnel (x5) by exploding vehicles
6	Destroy enemy ASD (x4) while disabled
7	Eliminate enemy personnel (x5) as VTOL gunner
8	Direct quad drones to eliminate enemy personnel (x25)
9	Collect Intel (x3)
10	100% survivability rating

9. Odysseus

#	Challenge
1	Locate gift in Mason's state room
2	Incapacitate enemy personnel (x20) using Combatant Suppression Knuckles
3	Provide sniper overwatch for SEAL team advance across flight deck
4	Eliminate enemy personnel (x10) with security turret
5	Destroy security turret (x3) while disabled
6	Eliminate airborne enemies (x8) before they land
7	Direct CLAW to eliminate enemy personnel (x5)
8	Get to extraction in under 90 seconds
9	Collect Intel (x3)
10	100% survivability rating

10. Cordis Die

#	Challenge
1	100% impact ratio with SAM engagement on highway
2	Perform headshot (x10) sniper kills from the upper freeway
3	Direct quad drones to eliminate enemy personnel (x8)
4	Rescue trapped SSA in damaged vehicle
5	Destroy enemy drones (x30) using SAM on roof
6	Protect G20 cougar at intersection
7	Destroy drones (x3) with one shot
8	Protect all G20 vehicles
9	Collect Intel (x3)
10	100% survivability rating

11. Judgment Day

#	Challenge
1	Avoid all anti-air missiles
2	Destroy ALL laser turrets
3	Destroy enemy quad drones (x3) while disabled
4	Perform sniper kills (x10) from more than 40m distance
5	Melee camouflaged enemy personnel (x3)
6	Direct quad drones to eliminate enemy CLAW
7	Eliminate enemy personnel (x5) with one strike of the kinetic projectile weapon
8	Protect ASD resource to the objective location
9	Collect Intel (x3)
10	100% survivability rating

That's all 110 story-mission challenges. The black ops 2 intel locations are fixed per mission and don't move between playthroughs, so once you've found them on one run they're found forever.

All 160 Challenges: Strike Force Missions

The five black ops 2 strike force challenges below don't hand out gear, but they're still 50 of the 160 total, and they're the set people most often forget exists.

12. FOB Specter

#	Challenge
1	Melee enemy personnel (x10)
2	Eliminate enemy personnel (x20) using sentry turret
3	Eliminate enemy personnel as CLAW (x10)
4	Complete mission with enemy never lowering defense field
5	Eliminate enemy ASD (x3) using only sentry turrets
6	Eliminate enemy personnel (x20) with headshots
7	Destroy enemy quad drones (x12)
8	Prevent enemy from planting more than one hacking module
9	Allow no more than one sentry turret to be destroyed
10	Complete the mission in "tactical view" only

13. Shipwreck

#	Challenge
1	Destroy CLAWs (x2) using only soldiers
2	Use only 3 network intruders to complete the mission
3	Complete mission with more than 2:00 remaining
4	Eliminate enemy personnel (x10) with headshots
5	Melee enemy personnel (x15)
6	Destroy enemy ASD (x3) as a CLAW
7	Eliminate enemy personnel (x15) with explosives
8	Eliminate enemy personnel (x15) while they are stunned
9	Run over enemy personnel (x20) with ASD
10	Complete the mission in "tactical view" only

14. I.E.D.

#	Challenge
1	Eliminate enemy personnel (x3) while they are planting IED
2	Eliminate enemy personnel (x10) on horseback
3	Convoy never stopped by presence of an IED
4	Destroy tanks (x3) with kinetic projectile weapon
5	Destroy helo with kinetic projectile weapon
6	Eliminate enemy personnel (x20) as a quad drone
7	Run over enemy personnel (x10) as ASD
8	Use only ASDs to destroy tanks
9	Keep all vehicles in convoy safe
10	Complete the mission in "tactical view" only

15. Second Chance

#	Challenge
1	Eliminate enemy personnel (x10) as HVI
2	Eliminate enemy personnel (x10) as VTOL turret gunner
3	Melee enemy personnel (x10)
4	Eliminate enemy personnel (x15) with headshots
5	Destroy enemy quad drones (x4)
6	Eliminate enemy personnel (x15) with explosives
7	Eliminate enemy personnel (x5) by exploding vehicles
8	Extract the HVI in less than 60 seconds
9	Find the HVI in less than 90 seconds
10	Complete the mission in "tactical view" only

16. Dispatch

#	Challenge
1	Melee enemy personnel (x10)
2	Destroy enemy ASD (x6) while disabled
3	Complete mission with more than 3:00 remaining
4	Eliminate enemy personnel (x20) with headshots
5	Eliminate enemy personnel (x15) with explosives
6	Destroy sentry turrets (x3) while disabled
7	Destroy multiple ASD (x2) with one explosion
8	Use only one hacking module to complete the mission
9	Eliminate enemy personnel (x10) while they are stunned
10	Complete the mission in "tactical view" only

Note the branching row between missions six and seven: if Chloe Lynch dies during "Karma," Second Chance becomes available instead of Dispatch, and completing one locks the other out for that save. That's still only 5 Strike Force slots feeding into the black ops 2 all 160 challenges total, never both variants at once.

Difficulty, Checkpoints, and Other Cheap Tricks

Play on Recruit. Challenge completion doesn't care what difficulty you're on, so there's no reason to make survivability harder than it already is.
"Save & Quit" preserves your last checkpoint. If you botch a challenge, quit out and reload rather than pushing forward and hoping.
If a checkpoint is about to be overwritten and you want the old one back, killing yourself with a grenade reloads it. Petty, effective, recommended.
"Rewind Story" lets you jump back to an earlier mission without losing later progress — useful for catching a Strike Force mission you skipped, provided you do it before the game locks it out.

Chasing the Final Trophies

The black ops 2 giant accomplishment trophy and its companion, the black ops 2 high iq trophy, both require every single challenge across all 16 missions, no partial credit. The black ops 2 mission complete achievement pops per-level, so there's no need to save every challenge for one marathon session — knock missions out individually and the totals add up on their own.

Final Word

None of this is difficult. It's just long, repetitive, and mildly hostile to your patience, which is on-brand for a Call of Duty campaign asking you to replay itself sixteen times. Bring the Access Kit, don't touch New Story, and the checklist above clears itself out eventually.

Black Ops 2 Challenges Guide: All 160 Explained