Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 has one of the most ambitious campaign structures in franchise history. Unlike most CoD games where the story is entirely linear, Black Ops 2 features branching choices, multiple endings, and optional Strike Force missions that directly affect how the story ends. The campaign spans two time periods — the 1980s Cold War and the near-future 2025 — and its villain, Raul Menendez, is widely considered the best antagonist in Call of Duty history.
Here is the complete mission list, the full story breakdown, every ending explained, and what you need to know about Strike Force missions before you start.
Black Ops 2: Full Mission List
| # | Mission Name | Time Period | Playable Character |
| 1 | Pyrrhic Victory | 1986, Angola | Alex Mason (old) |
| 2 | Celerium | 2025, Myanmar | David Mason (Section) |
| 3 | Old Wounds | 1986, Afghanistan | Alex Mason (old) |
| 4 | Time and Fate | 1986, Nicaragua | Alex Mason (old) |
| 5 | Fallen Angel | 2025, Pakistan | David Mason (Section) |
| 6 | Karma | 2025, Cayman Islands | David Mason (Section) |
| 7 | Suffer With Me | 1986, Panama | Alex Mason (old) |
| 8 | Achilles’ Veil | 2025, Yemen | David Mason (Section) |
| 9 | Odysseus | 2025, USS Obama | David Mason (Section) |
| 10 | Cordis Die | 2025, Los Angeles | David Mason (Section) |
| 11 | Judgment Day | 2025, Haiti | David Mason (Section) |
Plus 5 optional Strike Force missions (see below) which can be played between certain main missions. Total missions including Strike Force: 16. The campaign takes approximately 6-8 hours on normal difficulty. On Veteran difficulty, expect 10-15 hours.
When Is Black Ops 2 Set?
Black Ops 2 alternates between two time periods throughout the campaign:
- 1986 — Cold War era, set during the Soviet-Afghan War and conflicts in Angola, Nicaragua, and Panama. These missions are played as an older Alex Mason (the protagonist from the original Black Ops) and feature Frank Woods as a key companion.
- 2025 — Near-future setting, set during a global conflict triggered by Raul Menendez. These missions are played as David Mason (codenamed ‘Section’), son of Alex Mason.
The 1986 missions are flashbacks narrated in the present day by Frank Woods. The game’s framing device is Woods telling the 2025-era story from his retirement home in the USA. The two timelines intersect at the story’s climax — what happened in 1986 directly explains why Raul Menendez is the man he is in 2025.
Black Ops 2 Story Summary: Raul Menendez
Raul Menendez is a Nicaraguan arms dealer and revolutionary who becomes the world’s most wanted man by 2025. His backstory is the emotional core of the game:
- Menendez grew up in poverty in Nicaragua and adored his younger sister Josefina
- In 1986, a fire caused by Nicaraguan rebels (who were being funded by CIA-connected operations) killed Josefina — or so Menendez believed for decades
- Menendez spent the following 40 years building a vast criminal empire, driven by revenge against the United States and the elites he holds responsible for his sister’s death and global poverty
- By 2025, Menendez controls a global populist movement called Cordis Die — with 6 billion social media followers — and has engineered a cyberattack that gives him control of US military drone forces
The soldier you play as in the 2025 missions — David Mason — is hunting Menendez throughout the game. Their personal connection deepens through revelations about what happened to Alex Mason (David’s father) in the 1986 missions.
Strike Force Missions: What They Are and Why They Matter
Strike Force missions are optional real-time strategy/action missions that appear between certain main missions. There are 5 Strike Force missions in total. They are the key to unlocking the best ending.
Key things to know about Strike Force:
- You can fail them — unlike main missions, Strike Force missions have fail states. If you fail a Strike Force mission, that mission is gone permanently for that playthrough.
- Losing Strike Force missions weakens the outcome of the story — specifically, it reduces the number of countries your allies control going into the final missions, and can lead to worse endings.
- Completing all Strike Force missions successfully is required to unlock the best possible ending (Josefina lives; Menendez is captured).
- Strike Force missions include a top-down command view (TACITUS BATTLESPACE) as well as ground-level action — you can switch between controlling individual soldiers or directing the squad from above.
| Strike Force Mission | What Happens If You Fail |
| Shipwreck | Weaker position in later missions |
| IED | Weakens allied forces available in finale |
| Dispatch | Reduces SDC (Chinese military) cooperation |
| FOB Spectre | Weakens air support available |
| Captured | Reduces available forces in finale |
Black Ops 2 Endings: All Outcomes Explained
Black Ops 2 has 4 distinct endings, determined by choices you make throughout the campaign — primarily whether you succeed at Strike Force missions and certain in-game decisions.
Best Ending (Canon): Menendez Captured, Josefina Survives
Requirements: Complete all Strike Force missions. Do not kill Harper. Save Karma (Chloe Lynch). Do not let Farid die. In the final mission, choose to capture Menendez rather than kill him.
Outcome: Menendez is imprisoned. Josefina is alive. Woods survives. Chloe Lynch hacks Menendez’s network from prison. Menendez is eventually killed in prison after seeing news of Josefina’s death (but she was alive — he misread a news report). The credits show a possible positive future.
Menendez Killed, Josefina Survives
Requirements: Similar to above but you choose to kill Menendez in the final confrontation. Josefina is alive, Woods survives, but Menendez is dead.
Menendez Captured, Josefina Dead
Requirements: Menendez is captured but Josefina was killed earlier (or Karma was not saved, meaning the network cannot be disabled). Menendez escapes from prison after seeing Josefina’s memorial broadcast and triggers a worldwide drone attack. Bad outcome.
Worst Ending: Menendez Wins
Requirements: Menendez escapes or is not stopped. He incites a global uprising, triggers drone attacks on civilian populations, and the world plunges into conflict. Alex Mason may die in this timeline.
The canon ending considered by most players and Treyarch to be ‘correct’ is the first — Menendez captured, Josefina alive, Chloe Lynch stops the network.
Black Ops 2 Cargo Mission
‘Cargo’ is not a named mission in Black Ops 2 — it refers to the Celerium mission (Mission 2) which involves transporting and securing the Celerium device across Myanmar. It is one of the most visually spectacular early missions in the game, involving jungle combat and a zipline sequence across a mountainside.
Back in Time and Aftermath Missions
‘Back in Time’ is the achievement/trophy for completing the Old Wounds mission (Mission 3, 1986 Afghanistan). ‘Aftermath’ refers loosely to the events following Mission 5 (Fallen Angel, Pakistan) or is sometimes used to describe the post-Yemen section. These are not separate named missions but fan shorthand for specific campaign points.
Wondering if you can play Black Ops 2 on your PS4, PS5, or Xbox One? See our guide to Black Ops 2 platform compatibility — PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and current gen
Want to know what came in each edition of the game? See our breakdown of Black Ops 2 editions — Hardened, Care Package, and Digital Deluxe.
Curious about the Zombies mode? See our guide to Black Ops 2 Zombies — maps, Bus Driver, Mob of the Dead, and how to unlock levels.
Looking ahead to the next Call of Duty? See our guide to Black Ops 7 release date, details, and what we know so far.
Bottom Line
| Total missions | 11 main + 5 optional Strike Force = 16 total |
| Time periods | 1986 (Cold War) and 2025 (near future) |
| Main villain | Raul Menendez — Nicaraguan arms dealer / Cordis Die leader |
| Playable characters | Alex Mason (1986), David Mason ‘Section’ (2025) |
| Strike Force | 5 optional missions; failing them leads to worse endings |
| Best ending | Menendez captured, Josefina survives, Chloe Lynch disables network |
| Campaign length | 6-8 hours (Normal); 10-15 hours (Veteran) |
| Canon ending? | Menendez captured, Josefina alive — widely considered the correct outcome |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many missions are in Black Ops 2?
Black Ops 2 has 11 main campaign missions plus 5 optional Strike Force missions, for a total of 16 missions. The main missions are fully linear and cannot be skipped. Strike Force missions are optional but have a significant impact on the story’s ending — completing all of them successfully is required to unlock the best possible outcome.
When is Black Ops 2 set?
Black Ops 2 alternates between two time periods: 1986 (Cold War era, covering conflicts in Angola, Afghanistan, Nicaragua, and Panama) and 2025 (a near-future setting where a global conflict is triggered by the villain Raul Menendez). The 1986 missions are played as an older Alex Mason; the 2025 missions are played as his son David Mason, codenamed Section.
Who is Raul Menendez in Black Ops 2?
Raul Menendez is the main antagonist of Black Ops 2 — a Nicaraguan arms dealer and revolutionary who leads a global populist movement called Cordis Die with 6 billion followers by 2025. His motivation is revenge against the United States and global elites following the death (as he believes) of his sister Josefina in 1986. He is widely considered the best villain in Call of Duty franchise history.
What is the canon ending of Black Ops 2?
The canon ending of Black Ops 2 is Menendez captured (not killed), Josefina alive, and Chloe Lynch (Karma) successfully hacking Menendez’s Cordis Die network from prison to disable it. This requires completing all Strike Force missions, saving Karma, and choosing to capture rather than kill Menendez in the finale. Menendez is later killed in prison after misreading a news report about Josefina.
What are Strike Force missions in Black Ops 2?
Strike Force missions are 5 optional real-time strategy/action missions that appear between main campaign missions. They can be failed — and failed missions are permanently lost for that playthrough. Completing all Strike Force missions is required to unlock the best ending. They feature a unique gameplay mode where you can command troops from a top-down view (TACITUS BATTLESPACE) or take direct control of individual soldiers.
