Project Nova


 * "The men and I had fought through the most bitter of winters on the Eastern Front. We were no strangers to the cold. But even now, the blood in my veins chills when I think back to the events of that day...far, far from home..."
 * — Viktor Reznov

"Project Nova" is the eighth campaign mission of Call of Duty: Black Ops. It details the events which lead up to Viktor Reznov's incarceration in Vorkuta. The player takes control of Viktor Reznov.

Main Characters

 * Viktor Reznov (Playable)
 * Dimitri Pentrenko (K.I.A.)
 * Nikita Dragovich
 * Lev Kravchenko
 * Friedrich Steiner

Level Briefing
Transmission # 23-8-15. Designate: X-RAY

The Soviets launched Operation Olympus at the end of the war.

3rd Shock Army Special Operations sent to Arctic Circle

Viktor Reznov detached to unit 45--last known alias after section: "The Wolf"

1200 hours October 29, 1945

Walkthrough
The level starts out with Reznov talking to Mason about his father in their cells in Vorkuta. He explains that his father was a musician during the German occupation who was killed by Nazis who found him and his music to be a symbol of defiance. He furthermore says that collaborating with any Nazi is a "betrayal against all of Mother Russia." He then says that Dragovich and Kravchenko were not hindered by such crimes. He then flashes back to the day he was betrayed.

Reznov looks off a snowy cliff with Dimitri Petrenko and Nevski. The group then trudges down the cliff where they find Dragovich and Kravchenko. Reznov receives his orders to capture Friedrich Steiner alive, and that he will be shot if he disobeys that order. He and his crew move out on a snow truck. After a short time, Petrenko asks Reznov why he doesn't trust Dragovich and Kravchenko, to which Reznov will say that at Stalingrad, Dragovich left him outnumbered and never sent reinforcements. He then tells Dimitri that the two men are opportunists, and are not to be trusted. Reznov takes great care to raise his voice when talking of Dragovich and Kravchenko, as their snow truck is right next to his. Reznov returns to Vorkuta and tells Mason that Petrenko was the bravest man he ever knew, and that his heroic feat at Berlin should have made him a hero, but "Stalin had little need for heroes...".

Reznov flashes back to the mission, where Reznov and his men begin to fight, looking for Steiner. Opposition here is fairly weak, and the player will be armed with a PPSh-41 and a Mosin-Nagant with RGD-33 grenades to deal with them. Russian's will burn down buildings to kill all Germans inside. Some Germans will attempt to surrender, but Reznov has no sympathy and tells his soldiers to kill them all anyway. After searching a few buildings for Steiner, the player will be given smoke grenades to mark target for mortars. Here Germans will be standing on bridges with MG42s and Panzerschrecks so it is smart to throw smoke grenades on these structures and to pick up a Scoped Mosin-Nagant to eliminate these soldiers and an StG44 or PPSH-41 for close range. This is the most effective tactic for getting you past this area. Eventually, Reznov will fight his way through stiff opposition to Steiner who will insult him and tell him to take him to Dragovich. Reznov tells Mason he should have killed Steiner then and there, but his belief in orders stopped this.

Reznov skips ahead in his flashback to outside a Nazi ship, where Kravchenko executes POWs. Steiner talks to Dragovich about how the Germans are sworn to protect the Reich, which includes destroying the ship, but Dragovich says to Steiner that there would be no problems. Reznov brings his men into the ship while the Dragovich and Steiner discuss the genius Project Nova and how Washington D.C. and Moscow were to meet a horrible end by the hand of the Führer using V-2 Rockets loaded with Nova 6. However, Berlin had already fallen to the Soviets and the Waffen-SS failed to destroy the Nova-6. The Russian squad and Steiner then reach the last reserves of the gas.

Reznov then says that the victory was short lived, for Dragovich wanted to see the effects of the gas first hand. He orders Reznov, Nevski, and Tvelin to be thrown in one gas chamber, and Petrenko, Vikharev, and Belov to be thrown in another. The latter is to be gassed first. Dragovich uses his weapon on Petrenko's chamber, killing everyone inside. Dimitri and his men suffer an agonizing death; caged like animals instead of dying for their country according to Reznov. Before Reznov's chamber can be condemned, British commandos break in to the ship and fire a rocket into the chamber, opening it for Reznov and his men. The soldiers begin to fight their way out, battling through both their traitorous comrades and the British in a three-way battle, watching in horror at the same time as both rogue Russian and SAS forces fight against each other for Nova 6. Reznov arms explosives on the gas reserves, intending to destroy it, as well as a main support beam to escape. The player will be given 3 minutes to escape the ship. Tvelin is killed at some point during the combat towards the end of this mission, but Reznov escapes with Nevski, having destroyed the gas containers of Nova-6.

Starting Loadout
The following weapons are the initial starting weapons.
 * PPSh-41
 * Mosin-Nagant
 * Tokarev TT-33

Found in Level
The following weapons can be found with or without attachments.
 * MP40
 * StG-44
 * Mosin-Nagant Scoped
 * Panzerschreck
 * Tokarev TT-33
 * Sten
 * Mounted MG42

Intel Locations
1/3 Intel: This intel is located on a desk on the second floor near a pile of papers and a lantern in a two story building seen in about halfway through the mission.

2/3 Intel: This intel is in a hangar with a rocket in it. It is in the right corner of the building in an office.

3/3 Intel: Before exiting the ship at the end of the mission, after fighting through Russian and British forces, make your way to the deck of the ship, before going up stairs look to your right, the intel will be on top of a pallet.

Achievements/Trophies
Some Wounds Never Heal (10G / Bronze Trophy) - Obtained by beating "Project Nova" on any difficulty.

It's Your Funeral (25G / Silver Trophy) - Obtained by beating "Numbers", "Project Nova", and "Victor Charlie" on Veteran.

Light Foot (30G / Silver Trophy) - Obtained by escaping the ship in under 2:15 on Veteran.

Trivia

 * Many of the weapons in this mission share the same firing sound as other weapons. These include the Kiparis and the PPSh-41, the Mosin Nagant and the Dragunov, and many others.
 * This is the first level to take place in the Arctic Circle.
 * Many of the WWII weapons in this level are reused models from World at War with updated graphics.
 * This is the first time that the player both fights with and fights against his own faction in the same mission.
 * This is also the first time in the series where the British are enemies.
 * The execution scene where Kravchenko is shooting the surrendering Germans and runs out of ammo when he gets to the last German is likely a reference to a similar scene in the film The Pianist.
 * Before entering Steiner's building, if the player looks off to the right, they can see several Germans walking casually towards the ship. If they are shot, it would be shown that they were actually walking on air as they fall when killed. Also, if using the "Noclip" cheat it's possble to see that they're perfectly coordinated and armed with MP-40s, and will completely ignore the player, even if they're killed.
 * The British cannot immediately be killed while they are sliding on the deck of the ship. However, once they exit the animation and are on their feet they will instantly die if the player shot them while they were sliding.
 * According to a map found in one of the buildings, the base seems to be at Baffin Island in North Canada. If this map is accurate, than this is the first level in the entire Call of Duty series to be set in Canada.
 * The gun pick-up symbols in this level seem far more elaborate than in any other part of the game.
 * When the player gets to the first fight, jump onto the building with the Nazi Flag waving on top and in front of it by jumping from the slope onto the building, look to the right, and the player should see V2 Rockets.
 * If a British soldier is put in last stand, he will pull out a Tokarev.
 * Papers about the Ray Gun can be seen on the ground.
 * Even if Tvelin makes it to the rope, he will not rappel down it, even if all enemies are eliminated.
 * In the Chamber where Reznov watches Dimitri Pentrenko die from exposure to Nova Gas, there is a sign directly behind where the player gains control. It is a triangular warning sign that is printed in English, even though the ship itself is German.
 * While walking through the ship, there is a German who hung himself in a corridor. He can be knocked down by meleeing him or shooting the rope with the Tokarev TT-33.
 * Steiner's character model is made with a Walther stuck to his right hand, even when he later holds a Mosin-Nagant rifle.
 * In the Wii version of this level, when walking up to the door to the room where Steiner is, the door will not open with a dead Nazi soldier coming down the other side. Instead, it will just directly go to the cutscene.
 * It is possible to see Reznov's breath at the bottom of the screen.
 * It's impossible to destroy the bridge that connects to Steiner's office.
 * At the first battle, Dragovich will tell the player to advance. If the player follows Dragovich and Kravchenko, they will run to nowhere outside the boundaries.
 * The enemy Red Army soldiers at the end of the mission cannot be gibbed, while the British commandos can.
 * After Capturing Steiner, a few Red Army soldiers will be walking in front of the player and Dimitri with German names.
 * When in the truck, the magazine from Dimitri's PPSh-41 clips through his hand.
 * This is the only campaign mission without any swearing in English.
 * If the player throws a grenade at Steiner then enters, the message will say "Do not shoot Steiner" and will have the grenade warning symbol as if the player got killed by a grenade.
 * This is the first mission to feature 3 enemy factions.
 * When Kravchenko is executing the German soldiers and comes to his last victim but runs out of ammo. This doesn't matter because if one watches form the side they see the shot would have missed.
 * Strangely, when the player arrives outside the ship while Steiner, Lev, and Dragovich was talking and moving, the player can shoot some Red Army Soldiers without penalty and they die not falling down, they fall and dissapears.
 * Sometimes, if the player runs up to a German soldier and aims at him with the crosshairs, he will surrender even if there is a firefight going on around him.