The Best Call of Duty Campaign Missions
Call of Duty campaign missions from older titles are nearly always the most memorable, and people can't get enough of them even years later. Newer Call of Duty games like Advanced Warfare and Infinite Warfare did have great campaigns, but the missions weren't anything as memorable as the ones that we got in the golden years of the franchise.
No Russian (Modern Warfare 2)
No Russian is a Call of Duty Mission that managed to quite literally shake the world. This was likely the first mission in gaming to have stirred up as much controversy as it did in our real-world space. It followed one soldier turned undercover CIA operative Joseph Allen, who decided to carry out a mission with infamous Russian ultranationalist Vladimir Makarov.
We're sure that most of you know how scarring this mission was, which is why we won't really go into further details regarding the actual contents of it. Each step of the mission allows you to uncover the brutality of the task you're carrying out, and you'll see just how sociopathic Makarov is.
Vorkuta (Black Ops I)
Vorkuta is the second campaign mission in Call of Duty: Black Ops, and it takes place on October 6, 1963 in-game. The player controls Mason as he tries to escape from a Russian labor camp. He is joined by fellow prisoner Reznov, who he formed a very close bond with whilst imprisoned.
This mission practically set up the rest of the Black Ops games, and it's where we meet Reznov, a character that decided the fate of the story. As for gameplay, escaping Vorkuta felt awesome, and it made you feel like you were actually escaping from a brutal labor camp.
Dust to Dust (Modern Warfare 3)
Dust to Dust is the 18th and final mission in Modern Warfare 3, and it follows both Captain Price and Yuri in their final pursuit of Makarov. What signifies this mission is the fact that you start it whilst wearing a Juggernaut suit. The mission ends in Makarov's death, but it came at the price of Yuri's head.
A lot was riding on this particular mission. Given that it was the final nail in the coffin of the entire Modern Warfare trilogy, Infinity Ward had to make it memorable. And oh boy was it memorable. The ending scene made everyone feel badass, and we doubt that any other COD game will be able to replicate something similar in the coming years.
Suffer With Me (Black Ops II)
Suffer With Me was the 7th mission in the Call of Duty Black Ops II campaign. It follows Alex Mason and Frank Woods in their attempt to destroy Manuel Noriega's reputation, which would then bring them closer to Raul Menendez - the main antagonist of the story. This was the fourth Black Ops II campaign that could be played in the 1980's, and it offered a stark contrast to the futuristic setting of most missions.
The ending sequence of this mission had us assassinate a blindfolded target that we thought was Menendez. However, it turns out that the person blindfolded was Mason, meaning that Frank shot his own friend and long-time protagonist of the Black Ops series.
Loose Ends (Modern Warfare 2)
We're serious when we say that very few have developed a way to cope with the aftermath of this mission. It's one of the most important missions in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and has you witness the deaths of our two beloved protagonists 'Ghost' and 'Roach'.
After everything players went through in this mission, seeing General Shepherd at the end of gave everyone a sigh of relief, but even that was short-lived. As soon as the intel you've retrieved touches Shepherd's hands, both Roach and Ghost get murdered. This ruined our fake sense of safety and marked the end of two legendary Call of Duty game characters.
It's now been a decade since players first experienced Loose Ends, and to be honest, it doesn't get easier. Even though many didn't see the betrayal coming, there always was something off about this mission, and Infinity Ward deserves every single point of praise for that. All in all, Loose Ends will go down in Call of Duty history as one of the best campaign missions ever.
All Ghillied Up (Modern Warfare)
All Ghillied Up follows a younger Lieutenant Price and his Captain MacMillan as they try to assassinate ultranationalist terrorist leader Imran Zakhaev in Pripyat, Ukraine. The theme of this mission is stealth, and you have to navigate the map in a unique and stealthy way.
Both the story and gameplay of this mission are what people love. Clearing the land surrounding Pripyat in a ghillie suit was indeed a challenge, and you were forced to make tactical decisions in order to stay hidden. The weaponry, setting, and approach all contributed to the success of this memorable Call of Duty mission.
Project Nova (Black Ops I)
This mission has Viktor Reznov and Dimitri Petrenko, two World War II wartime buddies, clear a path to a german scientist (Steiner) that could help them weaponize Nova 6 gas.
All of this takes place in the arctic circle, and the mission ends with our squad in a frozen German ship. This is when the main antagonists Dragovich and Kravchenko decide to sacrifice their men in order to test the Nova 6 gas.
This mission was crucial for the development of Reznov and Mason's hate for Dragovich, Kravchenko, and Steiner. If it weren't for this event, Reznov likely wouldn't have brainwashed Mason into killing the aforementioned men.
Whiskey Hotel (Modern Warfare 2)
Whiskey Hotel hits very close to home, and playing through it is bound to leave you in utter disarray. The mission in question occurs during the Russian invasion of Washington D.C, with Russian ultranationalist forces having taken the White House aka Whiskey Hotel.
Your task as Private Ramirez is to clear a way to the top of the white house in order to stop the "Hammerdown Protocol" that was initiated by Central Military Command.
Fortunately, Private Ramirez and many others managed to clear Whiskey Hotel and signal the US Air Force mere seconds before they dropped heavy ordinance on it. The scene when the Rangers pop the signaling flares on the rooftop will never fade out of memory.
Mile High Club (Modern Warfare)
Mile High Club is a legendary Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare bonus mission that takes place in a double-decked plane. It is undertaken by a Task Force 141 operative that has to rescue a hostage from the back end of the plane.
What defined this Call of Duty missions like this is the fact that you had a time limit to work with. The time limit would decrease the harder the difficulty, and players had a hell of a time trying to beat this on Veteran difficulty.
Cliffhanger (Modern Warfare 2)
Cliffhanger follows Captain Soap and Sgt. Roach as they attempt to infiltrate a Russian airbase in the mountains of Kazakhstan. This mission immediately starts with Roach hanging off of a cliff, and it perfectly sets the mood for what's to come.
After infiltrating the Russian airbase and retrieving a satellite module, Soap and Roach are discovered by the entire airbase. A couple of explosions and a snowmobile later, our characters are seen hauling their behinds to an exfill point through the mountains.
What makes this mission legendary is the ending part where you're forced to jump over a giant gorge at full speed in order to reach safety. There wasn't a Call of Duty game in recent years that managed to replicate the feeling of that jump.
Black Ops II strike force missions and missions from newer games were sadly not mentioned. We had to pick only the most memorable campaign missions, and it just so happens that most of them are part of the older Call of Duty campaigns. We have much more to offer, so be sure to check out our other guides on the best guns in Call of Duty, and the best maps in Call of Duty.
