Atomgrad Raid

The Atomgrad Raid is a team-based activity featured in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. It is comprised of 4 episodes and requires a trio of players to finish. Participants can choose between three Special Ops Kits: Assault, Medic, and Recon, with the ability to switch them at specific checkpoints.

Step 1: Solve a puzzle to open submarine doors

Begin the Raid by eliminating all hostiles. Follow the water flow toward the back right of the facility. Locate the room marked by a red light above the door. Inside, you will find a central table featuring four monitors. Hit the red button situated on the wall to the right of these screens to unlock a second room containing an identical four-TV setup. The first room is the main one, but both are required for the cipher.

Assign your team of three to specific roles for this segment. Two players should split up, taking one room's monitors each. The third player will serve as the code reader.

The code reader must stand in the primary room near the code box, found in the corner to the left of the monitors. The code box displays three characters, which are a mix of American and Russian letters and numbers.

The code reader should state the first letter, and the other two players must cycle through the security monitor cameras. They need to locate the camera displaying a large screen with a set of numbers and letters matching the code on the box. Once a player identifies the camera linked to that first letter, they must call out the number shown directly beneath it. Perform this for the remaining two letters to generate a three-digit code.

The code reader will then enter these three numbers into the machine located to the right of the monitors in the primary room. Remember that you must rotate roles here, as the same players cannot utilize the code box every time.

Repeat this entire process again. The new code reader will call out letters to the players checking the monitors. Match the three numbers to the code box and input them into the machine on the right.

Do this a third time, with the person who has not yet entered the codes acting as the new code reader. Input the final code to unlock a door in the water area you previously traversed.

During the second and third decoding attempts, you might see a fourth or fifth symbol on the code box. Be aware that false symbols exist to mislead you. If neither monitor viewer sees the described symbol, skip it and keep calling out letters until you have three numbers for the code machine on the right.

Step 2: Swimming Ahead

Travel through the water in the newly opened passage. Before you continue, grab an air tank from a table on the left. Moving past this point activates a checkpoint.

Note: There's only one air tank available! While underwater, you must pass the tank between yourselves to keep enough air for the water tunnel. The route begins simply, but you will eventually find a gate with a red button.

One person should breathe from the tank and stay at the button. They must hold the button to open the gate for the others. Then, another person must press the red button inside the gate to keep it open for the third player. After clearing this gate, you will find a staircase. Exit the water here to reach a checkpoint.

To move on, dive back into the water at the stairs to reach a deeper, flooded hallway. Be cautious of tripwires and attempt to avoid them. Swim down the hall until you see green glow sticks marking a doorway on the right. Enter the room and pass through the opening on the opposite side.

Continue down the hallway, and at the first left turn, swim over the debris. Keep going until you see white arrows on the wall pointing right. However, before following them, go left to use the air pocket inside the elevator shaft. Watch out for tripwires here. This also creates a new checkpoint, so if someone dies, they will respawn safely at this spot.

Next, return to follow the white arrows on the wall that lead to a doorway. Open it and keep following the white arrows until you reach a hole in the ground. Be careful, as this area is covered in tripwires. You can send someone without the air tank through to trigger them, as anyone who dies will respawn at the elevator checkpoint, or if someone has armor plates, they can lead since the explosion should not kill them.

You will drop into a long, narrow tunnel where you must continue sharing the air tank to survive. Move straight ahead and follow a light source that leads to a spot where you can swim up and climb out, arriving in a mineshaft area.

Follow the path until you reach another section where you must drop down and swim through flooded tunnels. There is wire fencing here; stay to the left of the fence. Yellow signs with arrows will guide you through the turns. Keep sharing the air tank to keep everyone alive.

Eventually, you will find a bunker door where you can swim up and surface. This is a safe area and a new checkpoint.

Step 3: Energize the Generator and Unlock the Door

Inside the bunker, you will find a generator. Have one player activate and stay by the generator. The player with the air tank should go to the submerged door. Near the door, there is a room with a red button. The third player should enter this room and hold the button down. Like the previous door with a red button, it must be held continuously. The player at the generator must then join the one at the door, allowing both to swim through.

The person left behind must wait until one of the other players holds the red button in the nearby room. Once your team is back together, head up the stairs.

Step 4: Secure the Armory

As you go up the stairs, you will enter a room filled with weaponry and gear. Expect some hostiles here, so take them out before preparing for a bigger fight. Your goal is to clear the armory.

Initially, you will be stuck in a hallway with enemies, including a Juggernaut. Neutralize them and find a red button in the last room on the right. Press it to open a new door.

This door leads to a green-lit room with a hole in the floor. Drop through the hole and follow the tunnel's direct path. This leads you into another tunnel lit by red lights. Watch out for bomb drones here. Your journey ends in a circular room divided into multiple sections.

Note the two code machines just past the entry. Further on, you will see a red room and a bluish-white illuminated room. Eliminate all hostiles and get used to the layout. This is the final room and puzzle you will face.

Step 5: Final Puzzle Chamber

After clearing the armory, have one person stand by the control panel in the red room, while another takes the control panel in the blue room. These panels can be used to show codes like the previous cipher room. However, you will not be looking at monitors. The codes are physically in the rooms, and your goal is to glance quickly and move because of the dangerous conditions.

The third team member should stand by the code machines. The red and blue room players should press their control panel buttons at the same time to activate the code box for the third player. Then, the designated code player can interact with the code box to start the cipher.

Like the first cipher, the process involves the code player saying the letters aloud, while the red and blue room players quickly relay the matching numbers or identify false symbols to skip.

As soon as the first set of correct numbers is entered into the machine, bomb drones will attack the red room, while the blue room fills with lethal gas and AI adversaries. Fight the enemies and bomb drones while avoiding the gas. Afterward, rotate roles, since, like the previous round, a new person must be chosen for the code box. Repeat the code procedure to get the three numbers. Do this for the second and third sets as well.

The blue room is the most difficult, becoming more demanding with the second and third sets of codes due to the shrinking timer. For later rounds, I suggest putting the person with the best memory in the blue room. The gas and enemies make it hard to get more than a quick look at the code.

Step 6: Defend Until Doors Unlock

Once the door opens, your job is to fend off waves of AI adversaries and bomb drones swarming the area until the time runs out. Be careful to defuse any bombs they try to place on the code box. Also, expect a Juggernaut to show up near the end of this phase.

In this section, you can spread out, though the waves of AI soldiers and bomb drones are very tough. In our experience, it worked best for our team to take cover, look over the boxes around the code machines, and stay together. By covering different angles and sticking together, we created a better defense. Moving too far from the group made it hard to revive downed teammates.

Once the timer ends and the door unlocks, the final step is for each team member to interact with the door located between the code box and the input machine. With that done, you have successfully conquered the first episode of Modern Warfare 2's Raid and can watch a cinematic.

Reach the Summit of the Missile Silo

After the recap, you will be back in the missile silo where you left off. Your goal is to climb the silo. A yellow ladder and ledges are visible, helping you reach the level above.

As you climb, you will face armored adversaries at the top. Defeat them and simply follow the arrows marked on the walls, leading you along a steep upward path. Along this path, there are steam-emitting vents at intervals. They will not kill you, but they will slow your progress.

This leads you to another section of the silo requiring climbing and parkour to continue ascending. Expect a juggernaut to approach stealthily from behind, though dealing with it here should not be too hard. Eliminate the juggernaut and start your climb.

However, you will encounter steam vents blocking your climb. Here is what to do: one person must stay at the valve near the ladder, while the other two climb the silo's side to reach the first white platform for footing. At the top, there is another valve for the first person to activate, helping the last team member navigate through the steam.

Helpful Hint: Send the player who might be less skilled at platforming or climbing first, while leaving your most capable player at the lower valve. If the last person slips and falls, they will be sent back to the silo's base (beginning of the level), requiring someone to go back and revive them.

Move through the coming vents by crawling, which will eventually lead to a large area with a control panel. Interact with this panel featuring three red buttons labeled "Initiate venting sequence." Prioritize eliminating the enemies nearby. Then, each of you must interact with one of the buttons at the same time to synchronize the action.

After successfully finishing the previous task, large red vent lids will open on the left side, letting you leap across to the other side. This may take a few tries. It is a mix of timing and weight, meaning you must quickly move across and avoid being on the same platform as a teammate. Remember, this section has a checkpoint, so dying means respawning here.

Helpful Hint: Again, sending the less experienced platformer/jumper first might be useful. This helps you keep a steady pace.

Once you have climbed the rope on the other side, you will face another similar jumping puzzle. Synchronize hitting the three ventilation buttons, but this time, you must jump onto the red lids on the left. From there, jump to a fourth lid on the right, giving you access to climb the yellow pipe upwards. Wait at the top of the yellow pipe until a lid directly in front of you opens, then jump onto it. Then, more platforms will appear on the other side. Make a series of four jumps to cross, then look down for the final platform on the bottom right. Hop onto it, finishing this platforming section.

Go through the blue double doors to continue and descend into a tunnel with a ladder. This part provides a checkpoint.

From here, the path is straight and filled with enemies. Defeat them as you go until you reach a staircase. At the bottom of the stairs, you will find an armor box to refill your plates, plus items like stim shots on a table. Take the chance to restock all your gear before moving on.

The area opens into a much larger space full of adversaries. Clear them out and find a rope leading up. Be careful, as more enemies are waiting here. Ascend to the next level using the zip line, and you will see a second rope going even higher. Before zipping up this rope, however, you must deactivate the valve emitting fire. This mechanism works like the steam valves you saw earlier.

Therefore, one teammate must stay below, near the nearby valve, while the other two go up using the zip line. Timing is key here. Be ready to use the zip line as soon as the audio cue shows that the fire is out. Afterward, the teammates above must find and deactivate a valve for the person below.

Reach the Missile Warhead

Open the door at the top to continue, and clear out the enemy-filled tunnel ahead. The tunnel leads to another ladder, descending into a smaller tunnel. Go down, and you will face one final jumping puzzle.

Activate the three red buttons in sync, causing red lids to spring open. Move by crossing all the lids in a U-shaped path that curves around the area. This puzzle is not too hard; you just need to be fast and avoid grouping on the same platform.

Go through the door into a dark tunnel. This is another checkpoint, and you will find more adversaries here. Defeat them and find an opening that leads down.

At the lower level, you will face more opposition. Kill all the enemies, leading you to a room with a resupply of ammunition and armor. Refill your supplies and head toward a door marked for breach.

This introduces you to another puzzle-type room. Let's break down the room's elements:

• Further along, you will find another control panel that turns off fans.
• The control panel on your right turns off toxic gas, with a 4-second timer.
• The third control panel opens an airlock door further down the path.

Two players must stay with the control panels. (Expect constant enemy presence, so be ready to fight.) These two people are responsible for guiding "the runner" through the locked door and a 40-second timed segment beyond.

Helpful Hint: The role of the runner is the hardest, so it is wise to assign your most skilled and agile team member who is good at run-and-gun tactics. Alternatively, consider picking someone with plenty of armor plates or a medic with self-revive abilities.

(Also, note that the right wall with the control panels is built using a series of window panes, letting you actually see parts of the rooms the runner will pass through.)

To do this right, put the runner by the locked door, another teammate by the gas venting panel, and the third at the panel for unlocking the airlock door. Precise communication is vital here because the two people at the control panels must press their buttons at the same time. This action not only opens the door but also releases the gas from the runner's path in perfect synchronization. The runner should also be ready to sprint as soon as the door opens.

The runner's job involves sprinting through a room, strategically moving around sections with electrified traps while staying in motion. The second room is underwater, requiring the runner to do parkour, using the tops of PC terminals to reach the other side. Touching the water causes shocks and slowed movement. The runner must communicate their closeness to the fans, allowing a teammate to rush and turn off the fans via the middle control panel.

One of the three fans (randomly chosen) will turn off, allowing the runner to move through the fan blades. After dropping into a new room, the runner must avoid electrical hazards, climb some boxes, and reach another room with a door. Fast communication is key as the runner nears the door, helping the pressing of the airlock door button to unlock it.

Then, the runner enters a space that basically mirrors the room the other two players are in. The runner must independently use all three control panels to help the other two players navigate through the same rooms, all while enemies are shooting at them.

Players two and three should stand at their locked door (first used by the runner), while the runner kills a few enemies, goes to the gas vent panel, turns off the gas, and then quickly returns to the airlock door button. In this sequence, there is no time to worry about enemies or re-equipping armor plates. The runner must dash directly from the vent panel to the airlock panel; otherwise, there will not be enough time to navigate the puzzle room.

Players two and three must move through the room, notifying when they have reached the fan, prompting the runner to turn off the fan, and then wait at the panel for the airlock door to be opened when needed.

Then, players two and three can help the runner kill the remaining enemies in the area. Although hard, sticking together and effectively using cover to revive each other if needed is key. Expect at least one minigun-wielding juggernaut in this segment.

Next, you will cross a long hallway that ends in a small space like an elevator shaft. This is your final checkpoint. At the end of this hallway, there is a door that you breach.

Triggering the door breach starts a timer. You must fight waves of enemies while being unable to retreat, as a wall of toxic gas comes from behind. An armor plate resupply is available here, but re-plating must be done quickly.

Go down a staircase, facing more adversaries in a wider path. It is not necessary to kill all enemies, but you must neutralize enough to move forward without being shot from behind. Race to the other end of the path, go up some stairs, and get ready to plant a breach charge on the partially damaged wall before you.

Start the wall breach, go up a set of stairs, and keep moving to avoid the encroaching gas. A tunnel lies ahead, filled with more adversaries that must be faced. At this point, your goal is to reach the control panel at the tunnel's end and engage with the red button. For the completion of the Raid episode, the participation of all players is required; they must gather at the control panel and collectively press the button.

Search for Hadir and locate the warhead

After the cinematic intro, your trio is tasked with going into the unfinished silo, picking up where Episode 2 ended. Follow the marked path until you reach a tunnel's end with a door. Here, you can access your custom loadout. Go through the tunnel, following the mine tracks while killing enemies. As the tunnel opens into a larger section of the silo, a red button activates an elevator. Ride the elevator down, fighting enemies on different levels as you descend.

Upon reaching the elevator's stop, navigate across ledges and support beams, jumping and platforming to reach a doorway marked "9-b." Clear out enemies in this area and continue through tunnels occupied by enemies with riot shields. The path leads you to a power switch on the left wall. Turn on the power to lower the elevator further and hop on for another descent. Defeat enemies as the platform goes down, and get off at the opening labeled "6-N." This area has an electric saw, which a member of your trio must get.

Find the path marked "6-b." Use the saw to cut open a door here. This action makes enemies appear in front of and behind the door, requiring protection for the person cutting. Go through the newly opened door, facing more enemy-filled tunnels. This path leads to another door that needs cutting, spawning enemies around the cutter. This door reveals another power switch for the elevator.

Go to the bottom of the silo, then enter a set of doors to continue your search.

Continue Exploring

Go up the stairs into a dark mining tunnel. Head left, and as the tunnel becomes blocked with rubble and explosive wire traps, move over the rubble to the left to avoid the traps. Beyond this, crawl under another set of wire traps.

Upon reaching a large train platform, take the right side of the tracks through a broken wall opening. Go to a small room where a bright yellow tool cabinet can be rolled over to an opening at the top of the wall, letting you climb through the passage into another room.

This dark, enemy-filled armory must be cleared of adversaries before resupplying ammo or changing weapons. Drop through a hole in the floor to continue through a flooded room.

This large puzzle room has enemies, so kill them before moving on. Head up the stairs with a yellow pipe to reach a control panel in the upper section. Generate a 15-digit security code using the control panel; remember to write it down or take a quick picture, as the code changes with each playthrough.

Electrified sections of the flooded floor now require careful movement. Your code is also shown on the lower floor, split into sections labeled 0 through 9. To solve the puzzle, split the room among your trio. Each member will take turns pressing buttons at each numbered section in the order of the 15-digit code. There is a time limit, signaled by increasing beeps; use this rhythm to manage your time.

Upon correctly entering the code, go up the stairs and press the red button to open doors and move forward. The next room hosts a number of enemies, including a juggernaut.

Clear out the enemies and go down a tunnel, making a left turn. The tunnel leads to a tight passage with pipes and explosives. Here, you will find another yellow cabinet that needs pushing, while another person presses a power button to open a door on the opposite side. After pushing the cabinet through, climb to a higher area and cross a path of pipes.

Avoid bursts of fire from pipes shooting fire periodically. This path leads to a red-lit room. Cross the room by mantling across shelving platforms to avoid the floor's traps and reach the other side. All players must finish this part and reach the other side to move on.

Continue along the linear path and enter a vent. After turning right and left in the vents, drop through a hole into a water-filled room. Dive down the underwater tunnel to continue.

Arrive at the Control Room

After a short swim through the underwater tunnel, surface in an open area near a submarine. Kill the enemies and go topside. Open a room near the submarine's surface location and press a button on the wall to open a door. Move a yellow cabinet to a higher area and climb over a broken piece of the wall to reach two valves.

Assign one person to each valve and the third person to the control panel. Teammates at the valves must adjust pressure until both control panel lights turn green. Once both lights are green, the player at the panel should quickly interact with the button. This action floods the main room, causing enemies to appear.

Quickly push the yellow cabinet down the wall's end, reaching a red pipe and a valve just out of reach. Leave one person on the cabinet to interact with the valve while the other valve person accesses the underwater valve at the opposite end of the submarine. The third person should go up a set of stairs to another control panel and repeat the process. Adjust pressure for both valves until both lights turn green, allowing access to the control panel.

Finishing both valve steps opens a control panel on the wall. Swim to the room with the higher water level and use the panel. Enemies will return; kill them and access the crane controls located by the second valve control panel.

Use the controls to move the yellow crane over the submarine to the left side. Allow a person to climb and reach a high platform, where breach charges can be found. Get the charges, hop back on the crane, and plant them on a breachable section of the railing/wall ahead. The path can be crossed once it is opened.

Pursue the AQ Commander

Continue with another saw and cut through a breachable door. Defend the door cutter from enemy attacks. Repeat this process for a second door. Go down stairs, kill more enemies, and cut through another door. Clearing this third door leads to two juggernaut enemies, riot shield enemies, and more. Defeat the enemies and follow the objective marker to the final door, starting a cinematic.

Find a way to escape

At the start of this mission, your trio is captured. The player controlling Farah will initially be blindfolded. To escape, the other two players are locked in separate prison cells but can access camera feeds. Communication is key to lead Farah's movements. Once Farah manages to free herself from the chair binds, she can move through the area.

The players watching the cameras will lead Farah to safety, helping her avoid a sentry gun with a laser beam. Moving through the rooms, Farah will reach the prison cells. While one player distracts the guard using dialogue prompts, the other leads Farah to remove her blindfold. Once the blindfold is off, Farah can get a weapon, kill enemies guarding the cells, and open both cell doors by pressing a red button on the wall.

Using the guards' weapons, fight your way through more enemies. Move down the corridor of cells to a damaged staircase and go down to the lower level. Face more enemies in this area before going through blue double doors.

Find Hadir and the warheads

Behind these doors, you can resupply with ammo and armor. Pick your custom loadout here, but remember that you can only pick once. Assault rifles, LMGs, and fully-kitted shotguns are suggested for this section. Equip the KV Broadside shotgun with a drum mag.

Go down into an underground garage filled with armored vehicles and guards. You can either fight using vehicles as cover or try a stealthy approach by crawling under vehicles. Watch out for wire traps and claymores.

Continue through the area until you reach a well-lit gated door in the back left corner. Go up the stairs to find a switch that opens the gate, and then go through it.

You will find a hatch in the floor, which is initially blocked. Clear the hatch and drop into a room with moving lasers. Move around cover, barrels, and other obstacles to avoid the laser beams and reach a door on the other side. Be careful and use teamwork, as all players must be at the door.

Go through the door to reach a room with ammo and armor boxes. Resupply before going through a tunnel filled with more lasers. This section can be crossed by carefully moving through the middle of the lasers, using the provided cover to avoid detection.

Another section of the room features more laser beams. Stay close together and move with the lasers to reach the next doorway. The next room presents challenges, as you need to climb and jump across cover to avoid laser beams. Take your time and move as the lasers move.

After crossing these rooms, you will find ammo and armor boxes. Pass through the next doorway and turn off the section of lasers using a nearby switch. Go through the tunnel until you reach a set of double doors on the left. Go up the staircase, which is guarded by enemies who throw grenades. Reach the top and kill enemies in the room, then crawl through a vent to move on.

Find and secure the warhead core

Enter a puzzle room connected to a maze filled with juggernauts. A live map on the wall gives an overview of your location and the maze. Press the red button beside the map to let a player into the maze. Send two players into the maze, while one player stays in the control room to lead the maze team and control a valve. This valve turns off the fire blocking parts of the maze.

Lead the maze team through the maze, avoiding juggernaut enemies. Find a specific high-value target (HVT) enemy with a white square icon and a skull. This enemy drops a keycard used to unlock a numbered room along the map's edge. Get the warhead core from this room.

Use stealth and teamwork to move through the maze. The person holding the core will take radiation damage over time, so take turns passing the core to avoid too much damage. The player in the control room must help in leading the team and then use the red button to give them access back to the control room.

Go through the back door of the control room, killing enemies in your path. Carry the core into the next room and place it on a table, starting a checkpoint. Go up the stairs.

Find Hadir

Climb the stairs, pass through double doors, and travel down a tunnel to an underground bunker. All players must be at the metal door to continue. Move through the following rooms until you find a locked door needing a keycard. This keycard must be used by the player who got it in the maze. Go through the door to an area with ammo and armor, restocking for the upcoming battle.

Approach Hadir, who is escaping in an elevator.

Act fast, as Hadir will flee if you wait. Take an ascender rope to the seventh floor and fight enemies. Go up to the eighth floor, kill enemies, and unlock a gate using a red button. Go further and repeat the process to reach the ninth floor.

Reach the platform where the elevator is going up. Jump on top of the elevator and melee the counterweights to make it drop. Quickly move off the elevator and onto a ledge. After the elevator crashes, pry the doors open on the ground level.

Kill remaining enemies, making sure that all players are at the elevator doors. Move to the crashed elevator to finish the episode and watch the final cinematic for Modern Warfare 2.

Finishing the Atomgrad Raid can be a very challenging and detailed task. Factors such as team coordination, clear communication, map knowledge, tactics, and performing actions at the exact right time can heavily impact the successful completion of a mission.

Particularly in 3-star difficulty modes, there is very little room for error, and even a minor mistake can require restarting the entire mission. This emphasizes the need for strong teamwork, sharing information, and synchronizing actions.