Black Ops 7 hides a single intel artifact in each of its 11 main campaign missions. They’re small, often unmarked objects that double as lore pieces and progress toward achievements and cosmetic unlocks. Miss one, and you’ll need to replay that mission from the start.
This walkthrough sticks to what matters: where each artifact sits in the level, which objective you should be on, and what you must not trigger before grabbing it.
Campaign intel overview
| Mission | Intel name | Key landmark | Critical warning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exposure | Becoming the Monster | Stone well beside giant machete | Grab it before leaving the warped village area |
| Inside | The Truth | Body bag to Karma’s right in the Grotto | None – very hard to miss |
| Distortion | Family Ties | Dog tag in side area near “Rescue Woods” container | Do not open the Woods container first |
| Escalation | The Cost of Business | USB stick in side office of server room | Safer to grab before using main terminal |
| Disruption | Best Laid Plans | Filing cabinet in Diagnostics (red “8” wall) | Ignore “Access the Restricted Area” until you have it |
| Collapse | Heavy Is the Head | Decapitated statue head in ruins by Colosseum | Found outside, before entering the Colosseum |
| Fracture | Team Bond | Flag pin in overturned red semi-truck | Watch for the “Evacuation in Progress” sign as your cue |
| Quarantine | Case | Vial on boardroom table in penthouse | Grab before completing the Dr. Faulkner objective |
| Suppression | Lake Time | Fishing rod upstairs in Mason’s cabin | Loot it before finishing the cabin sequence |
| Breakpoint | Trigger Finger | Inside Guild cargo container by crane under bridge | Do not overheat Cradle shipments yet |
| Containment | Face the Nightmare | Cradle canister in open floating container during boss | Requires moving away from the fight mid-encounter |
Exposure intel location (“Make a wish”)
Exposure’s intel is found late in the mission, after the encounter with The Cradle when the floor gives way and drops the team into a warped environment. Once you land in this new space, the objective switches to something equivalent to “Press Forward.”
Pick up the Kinetic Jump minor ability in front of you and use it to climb the three rock platforms up to the main combat zone. Clear the enemies on the stairs and keep moving up toward the huge machete embedded in the ground. Next to that oversized blade is a stone well. On the rim of the well sits a normal-sized machete—that’s the artifact “Becoming the Monster.” Interact with it, then continue through the mission.
Inside intel location (“The dead don’t sink, they float.”)
Inside is your first mission in Avalon, and its intel is among the easiest to collect. Progress until you receive the objective to meet Karma in the Grotto, then navigate to her underground hideout however you like.
Once you reach Karma’s station, look to her right-hand side. On the darker, south side of the Grotto dock, you’ll see a body bag lying just off to the side. Interacting with this body bag records the piece of intel “The Truth.” You can grab it either before or after speaking with Karma.
Distortion intel location (“Just hop, skip, and jump away.”)
Distortion’s intel sits near the end of the mission, and the game makes it easy to lock yourself out. Work through the container maze and the boat ambush with the rising red water until you’re assigned the “Rescue Woods” objective, which asks you to open a shipping container.
Important: do not open that container yet. Doing so pushes you into a boss sequence and removes your chance at the intel.
Instead, run past the target container to the edge of the floating dock. Climb the vine-covered edge down to a lower platform. Ahead is a lone floating island you can reach with the grappling hook; you can loot the self-revive kit and Gravemaker killstreak there if you want. When you’re finished, turn back toward the main floating dock. You’ll see a recessed area in the structure; grapple over to that inlet. On the wall between the two ledges is a small dog tag pinned in place—this dog tag is “Family Ties.” Collect it, then head back to finally open Woods’ container.
Escalation intel location (“A safe room for data.”)
Escalation returns to Avalon and again keeps the intel close to your main goal. After defeating Priya, you’ll be told to reach the server room and access the main terminal. Fight through until you enter the room with that central console.
Before you get too far into interacting with the terminal, check the two smaller rooms that flank the entry door. You want the room on the same side as the main terminal, effectively on the western side of the space. You can hop through its glass window or use the door. Inside, an open laptop sits on a desk, and in front of it is a small USB stick. That stick, labeled “The Cost of Business,” is the mission’s intel.
Disruption intel location (“Filing for victory.”)
In Disruption, you play as Spector Two. The intel appears during the “Infiltrate the Forge” stretch right after you leave the boat and enter the industrial complex. Clear the first wave of enemies in the entry area of the Forge.
Once the foes are down, the game prompts you to “Access the Restricted Area.” Ignore that prompt for now. Instead, find the staircase to the left of the objective marker and climb it all the way up to a floor clearly marked “Diagnostics” with a large red “8” on the wall.
This room holds supplies like a self-revive kit, but you’re looking for a filing cabinet in the far back-left corner, near a large control desk. On top of that cabinet sits the artifact “Best Laid Plans.” Pick it up before you return to the restricted-area objective.
Collapse intel location (“Pillar of the community.”)
Collapse tries to trick you into searching the Colosseum itself, but the intel is actually outside. After you clear the tented staging area, trucks, and small buildings in front of the Colosseum while pursuing the “Locate the Tablet” objective, pause before you head inside.
From this front area, move to the left side of the Colosseum exterior and head up the nearby stairs. You’re looking for a row of yellow merchandise tents lined up along the outer wall. Directly across from those tents are some ruined stone structures.
Climb into those ruins and make your way up to the second floor using either a staircase or your grappling hook. On that upper level, circle around the central pillar facing back toward the Colosseum. You’ll see a decapitated statue head on the floor here. Interact with that head to log the intel “Heavy Is the Head.”
Fracture intel location (“Collision course.”)
Fracture’s intel shows up relatively early during the vehicle-jumbled canyon sequence. After squeezing through two tight, parallel streets, the roads twist dramatically, and you get an objective to navigate the canyon by jumping across debris, vehicles, and trailers.
You’ll quickly pass a blue semi-truck. Keep moving along the route until you see a large “Evacuation in Progress” sign ahead. Near this sign, drop down into an overturned red semi-truck lying on its side. The trailer has a farm scene printed on it, and its open doors function as a hatch you can drop through.
Once you land inside the trailer, turn around immediately. There’s an LMG near the entrance, and just past it is a tiny American flag pin tucked among the cargo. That pin is the “Team Bond” intel.
Quarantine intel location (“The Shareholders loved seeing it.”)
Quarantine’s intel is in the hotel penthouse you reach while hunting for Dr. Faulkner. After riding the elevator zipline up, you’ll step out into the penthouse with a new objective that directs you to find the doctor.
From the elevator doors, look toward the piano, then turn right and head up the staircase to the next floor. At the top, follow the hallway forward and open the set of double doors on the right-hand side.
This room is a conference or boardroom with a long table. On that table, next to some paperwork, sits a vial labeled “Case.” That vial is the intel you need. Collect it before you push further into the search for Faulkner, or you’ll have to replay the mission.
Suppression intel location (“A hunter’s retreat.”)
Suppression takes you to a hunting cabin tied to Mason. The intel becomes available once you arrive at this cabin under objectives like “Reach the Cabin.” As long as the cabin section isn’t fully completed, you still have time to grab it.
Head inside and go upstairs. Enter the first room on the right at the top of the stairs—it’s a bedroom. Once inside, look to the right-hand wall relative to where you entered. There’s a wooden dresser along that wall, and in the small corner next to it leans a fishing rod.
This fishing rod, named “Lake Time,” is the mission’s artifact. Pick it up before you advance any further with the cabin’s story beats.
Breakpoint intel location (“The high road.”)
Breakpoint circles back to Avalon and hides its intel under your nose while you’re focused on disabling Cradle shipments. At some point you’ll be told to “Disable Cradle Shipments,” which involves overheating crates.
Do not start overheating those crates yet. Once you trigger that action, a cutscene pulls you forward, and you cannot return to the intel spot.
Instead, move onto the nearby bridge on the eastern side of the area (effectively the side to the left of the stadium). Clear out any enemies in your way. From the bridge, look down toward the shipment objectives. You should see a crane and some Guild-marked cargo containers below.
Drop down onto the shipping crate near the crane, then drop again to reach the open Guild container. Inside, there are two large boxes. Between them lies the artifact “Trigger Finger.” Collect it, then you’re free to resume the shipment objective.
Containment intel location (“Hanging by a thread”)
Containment saves the final intel for the climactic fight and makes it easy to overlook in the chaos. Before the boss encounter with Kagan’s three mechs, you pass through a “Gear Up” room where you can select abilities; grab the grappling hook here if you want the safest route to the collectible, though it’s technically possible to reach it with careful jumps alone.
Once the multi-mech fight begins in the large arena with Kagan overseeing from a control room, briefly disengage from the action and orient yourself. Face Kagan’s control booth. Then look to the right-hand side of that booth area along the outer rim of the arena.
You’ll spot a cluster of Guild containers floating over the edge. The closest one to the control center is tilted and effectively forms a ramp up to another container. Climb onto this angled container, then hop across to the next small cube. If you picked up the grappling hook, you can grapple straight to that second container instead.
The second container is small, white, and has an opening that faces away from the main fight. Inside, on the floor, is a canister of The Cradle named “Face the Nightmare.” Picking this up completes the set of 11 main campaign intel artifacts.
Once every artifact is collected, the campaign intel menu will show a full set of completed missions, and you’ll be in a good position for achievements, trophies, and cosmetic rewards tied to these pickups. If you’re still missing one, cross-check the mission title and the in-game hint, then run that specific level again using the locations above as a checklist.
