Call Of Duty: Black Ops Cold War - How To Solve Red Circus And Operation Chaos Puzzles

Most of Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is pretty linear, but the game also includes two optional side missions, Operation Chaos and Operation Red Circus, which you can take on pretty much whenever you feel like it. For players who remember the branching paths and choices in Black Ops 2, this shouldn't be a huge shock. You can access those missions from the Evidence Board in the safe house, but you might not want to launch them as soon as they become available. It will be much harder to actually complete them unless you wait until you're further into the campaign. This is especially true of decrypting the floppy disk for Operation Chaos, which we'll explain how to do in the guide below.

The two missions, Operation Chaos and Red Circus, have additional caveats that go with them. Both are about taking out Perseus agents around the world, but you don't know the full extent of those agents' connections when you first unlock the missions. Each has more to it: In Red Circus, you know about several double agents working for Perseus, but not their identities, and in Chaos, there's a floppy disk with more intel that you need to decrypt. Solving both puzzles requires finding optional collectibles, called Evidence, hidden in other missions. Once they're unlocked, it will take you a few more main missions before you should attempt to complete them. After that point, you should have what you need, even if you have missed a clue or two.

Even once you have all the evidence you need, however, you still have to solve some light brain teasers. You can complete each mission without solving these puzzles, but doing so completes challenges and helps to undermine the network of spies Perseus has created. It seems as though some of the elements of the puzzles are randomized, so we can't just give you the solutions--you'll have to track down the Evidence in Cold War's missions on your own. However, we can tell you where to look for it, and how to solve the puzzles once you have all the clues.

Note: This post contains spoilers for solving the side mission puzzles in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. If you'd rather figure them out on your own, stop reading now!

How To Decrypt The Floppy Disk In Operation Chaos

There are three Evidence pick-ups you'll need to solve the puzzle to decrypt the Operation Chaos floppy disk. Here's a rundown of which missions they're in and what they are.

• Nowhere Left To Run - Encoded Message to Qasim
• Brick in the Wall - Numbers Station Broadcast
• Redlight, Greenlight - Coded Newspaper

Once you have them, you can figure out how to decrypt the disk. When you try the decryption, you'll be asked for two inputs: a code word and a code number.

Your first piece of evidence is the Encoded Message to Qasim. When you examine it, several numbers will appear in sequence, some red and some blue. You need to figure out the missing numbers in the sequence. To do that, figure out how much each number in the red sequence changes by, and how much each number in the blue sequence changes by. The red numbers have a separate pattern from the blue numbers, so once you figure out each one, you can determine the two missing numbers.

Now, take the missing numbers, which should make a four-digit code, and compare them to the Number Station Broadcast. You should find that your new code corresponds with the name of the city. Input that as the first answer on the decryption page.

Next, look at the Coded Newspaper, which should reveal several red letters in the headline. Put the red letters together and you'll make the name of a city. Check the Number Station Broadcast to find the code that goes with that city name, and enter it in the second place on the disk decryption screen. That should unlock the decryption and solve the puzzle. You're now clear to complete Operation Chaos once and for all.

Where To Find The Evidence For Operation Red Circus

In Red Circus, you have several target agents, and you have to identify three of them as moles. There are three pieces of Evidence you can find in other missions to help:

• Brick in the Wall - Kraus's Ledger
• Echoes of a Cold War - Audio Report in Moscow
• Desperate Measures - Dead Drop List

Once you have all three Evidence piece, you can work out who the three suspects are. Kraus's ledger will give you travel dates and cities--match them to the travel itineraries of the agents to narrow down the field. Anyone who was in those cities on the same date is a suspect.

Next, listen to the audio report, which describes the three agents by their code names and lists their activities. Use this one to determine the genders of the suspects. Along with the first list of travel dates, knowing whether the code names refer to male or female agents will help you further narrow down the list.

The Dead Drop List will help you solidify anyone you're still not sure about. It's similar to the first list, giving you another set of travel dates and cities. Use it to be sure you have the right three suspects. Mark them on the Evidence Board and you're clear to complete the Red Circus mission.

There are more puzzles to solve in Black Ops Cold War--here's how to open the locked door in the safe house, for starters. You'll also want to check out how the story links to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare.