Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is a game full of secrets. Even if you don’t count the references to other Black Ops games, or the more direct connections to real-world events and historical figures the story tries to establish, there’s plenty hiding underneath the surface.
One of the game’s most subtle puzzles comes very early on, but many won’t even notice it. In this guide, we’re going to help you figure out the code to the locked gate’s padlock yourself.
How to unlock the gate in the Black Ops Cold War safe house
Did you manage to spot the locked gate in the safe house where you attend all of the campaign briefings? That’s what we’re going to unlock. Solving this mystery is actually fairly straightforward, if you did spend a little bit of time exploring the place.
If you decided to poke around at any point in the campaign, you may have already come across three documents scattered around the safe house. They are usually torn, with only key information – in this case, numbers – visible. The game even highlights those in yellow for you when you move your reticle over them.
All three reference the assassination of President John F. Kennedy: They are the Clinical Record, the Warren Commission Report, and the Dallas News Article.
Each of them offers a clue, or more specifically, a two-digit number. You need all three for the full six-digit combination that unlocks the padlock.
The Warren Commission Report
The Warren Commission Report is the closest item to the locked gate. Take a step back and look at your feet, you’ll find it on the floor stuck to a clipboard. There’s a spotlight on it and everything, but you may not notice it immediately. Looking it at reveals the number 22.
The Clinical Record
The Clinical Record is found in the hallway to the left of the gate, on the right after the small office. Its clue is 11.
The Dallas News Article
The Dallas News Article is another easy-to-find one. It’s located in the dark room (the one with the red lights). As you enter, check the wall on your right, you’ll see it there, giving you the number 63.
In case you haven’t worked it out by now, all three clues combine to spell out a date – click below to reveal the spoiler.
What’s actually behind the locked gate in the Black Ops Cold War safe house?
You should definitely unlock the room as soon as you can, because it may come into play in the ending. That’s all we can say without spoiling the ending. Still curious? Skip below to find out more!
CAMPAIGN ENDING SPOILER TO FOLLOW
The main reason why you want to unlock the gate before attempting the final mission is that if you choose to mislead Adler, you will have a few seconds to warn Perseus and allow him to set up an ambush for your team. This step is crucial for getting one of the game’s endings.
Inside the room, you’ll also find an arcade cabinet and a computer with a text adventure.
For more helpful solutions to all the other Black Ops Cold War puzzles, check out our guides for how to decrypt the Operation Chaos floppy disk, and how to narrow down the suspects in Operation Red Circus.
