This Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Trophy & Achievement Guide covers all 18 campaign trophies, collectibles, difficulty challenges and the fastest route to 100% completion. There is no Platinum trophy, but completing the list requires a second campaign run on Realism.
Trophy Overview
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 | Trophy Info |
|---|---|
| Estimated trophy difficulty | 6/10 |
| Estimated time to 100% | 15–20 hours |
| Trophies | 18: 8 Gold, 10 Silver (No Platinum) |
| Multiplayer trophies | 0 — campaign only |
| Missable trophies | 0 — missions can be replayed |
| Minimum playthroughs | 2 |
| Difficulty-related trophies | 4 — Realism, Veteran and Hardened requirements |
| Mission replay | Yes, via Mission Select |
| New Game Plus required | No |
| Manual saves | No — autosave only |
Introduction
Modern Warfare 4 has 18 trophies, all tied to its 16-mission campaign. There are no Multiplayer or DMZ trophies and no Platinum trophy, as the PS5 list is included under Call of Duty HQ. An internet connection is required for the campaign’s initial launch, but its trophies can subsequently be earned offline.
The main challenge is completing the story on Realism difficulty, which unlocks only after your first campaign clear. Most other trophies involve specific mission objectives, including stealth challenges, combat requirements and collectibles. Nothing is permanently missable thanks to Mission Select.
Pay special attention to Stranded (Mission 10). It contains 26 Yellow Supply Crates and 58 Notes; you need all 26 crates for Time to Crate and 50 different notes for Noteworthy. You should also gather supplies for every Base Camp repair and complete the SAM Site reinforcement challenge during this mission.
Step 1: Complete the Campaign and Earn Mission-Specific Trophies
Finish the campaign on any difficulty to unlock Realism. Your first playthrough should focus on learning the missions, completing collectible objectives and earning as many miscellaneous trophies as possible. Recruit or Regular is fine for general progress, but some challenges require Hardened or Veteran difficulty.
Mission-by-mission trophy checklist:
- Mission 1 — Mayhem: Skeet Shooting (10 paratroopers before landing).
- Mission 2 — Out in the Cold: Safety’s On (Hardened or higher) and Can’t touch this (Veteran or higher).
- Mission 3 — Following Orders: No Stone Unturned and No Harm Done.
- Mission 4 — Hired Gun: Bullet Train (50 kills while standing on train cars).
- Mission 5 — Losing Ground: Raining Thunder (15 kills across three consecutive mortar rounds).
- Mission 8 — Assassins: Pacifist and Revenge (Hardened or higher). These require separate attempts.
- Mission 10 — Stranded: Time to Crate, Scavenger, Incoming! and Noteworthy.
- Mission 12 — Counter Attack: Long Shot (snipe all four mortar operators).
- Mission 13 — Escape: Never Forgotten (recover the Dog Tags).
- Mission 14 — Entrenched: Trench Broom (15 shotgun kills before securing the Target Building).
The remaining missions have no unique trophy objectives beyond campaign completion.
Stranded tip: Two Yellow Supply Crates move around the map: one on a train and one on a patrol truck. If your counter is stuck at 24/26 or 25/26, check our two missing moving crates video guide. Base Camp also requires every available repair and crafting option, so continue gathering supplies while exploring.
Step 2: Complete the Campaign on Realism Difficulty
After your first clear, start a second run on Realism for the Was it worth it? trophy. Realism uses Veteran-level combat difficulty, removes the HUD and enables friendly fire, making it harder to identify teammates and monitor your health.
Advance slowly, stay behind cover and eliminate enemies before changing positions. Avoid firing into groups that include friendly soldiers. Learn the locations of snipers and grenade throwers, and use checkpoints rather than rushing difficult encounters. Completing all 16 missions on Realism also satisfies the campaign completion requirement if you have not already earned Hold the Line.
Step 3: Clean Up Remaining Trophies
Use Mission Select to replay anything you missed. Prioritize the difficulty-specific challenges in Out in the Cold and Assassins, along with any unfinished objectives in Stranded.
For Noteworthy, concentrate on the 58 Notes in Stranded and read at least 50 unique entries. For Time to Crate, confirm that your in-game counter reaches 26/26. For Scavenger, return to Base Camp and finish every weapon, attachment and equipment repair. Once the remaining mission trophies are complete, you will have earned all 18/18 trophies.
Hold the Line
Complete the game on any Difficulty.
Complete all 16 campaign missions on any difficulty. Recruit difficulty is sufficient, and the trophy unlocks after finishing the story.
Was it worth it?
Complete the game on Realism Difficulty.
Finish the campaign once to unlock Realism, then complete all missions on that difficulty. Realism removes the HUD, enables friendly fire and makes combat much less forgiving. Use cover, advance carefully and clear enemies from a distance.
Skeet Shooting
Kill 10 paratroopers in ‘Mayhem’ before they hit the ground.
During Mayhem, shoot 10 descending paratroopers before they land in the stadium area. Aim at enemies while their parachutes are still open. Reload the checkpoint if too many reach the ground. As you can see in the video I started from those land the quickest towards those that will fly longer
Safety’s On
Defeat all enemies in the kitchen of ‘Out in the Cold’ without firing your gun on Hardened or harder.
Set the difficulty to Hardened or higher before entering the kitchen. Use thrown bottles to stagger enemies and finish them with melee takedowns. Defeat all five kitchen enemies without firing a shot. There is also additional audio explanation in video. If you didn’t pick up bottles during the mission, you can track back to previous area and you fill find 4 extra bottles. That way you don’t need to linger or risk finding bottles in the kitchen. Also, everytime you hit a guy with bottle you can just run straight back to safe area to take him out there.
Can’t touch this
Defeat Makarov on Veteran difficulty or higher without getting hit in the alley.
Set the difficulty to Veteran or higher before the alley encounter in Out in the Cold. Block or counter Makarov’s attacks and win the entire fight without taking a hit. Reload the checkpoint if you take damage. Very clear indicator of damage is big red splash on screen, As soon as you see that, reload checkpoint. To me the biggest way to do this was to give myself extra time, move one step away from him always to have extra time to react.
No Stone Unturned
Confiscate all of the contraband and read all of the notes in ‘Following Orders’.
Search each house thoroughly for contraband and written notes. Check the bathroom, bedroom and kitchen cabinets, and open the red toolbox using code 214. Do not miss the final note in the cellar crawlspace before leaving the area.
No Harm Done
Obtain the defector’s location in ‘Following Orders’ without hurting any civilians.
In the first house, use non-violent dialogue options when questioning the civilians. Do not hit, threaten or otherwise harm anyone while obtaining the defector’s location.
Bullet Train
Kill 50 enemies while standing on train cars in ‘Hired Gun’.
In Hired Gun, stay on top of the train cars while eliminating enemies. You need 50 kills while positioned on the cars; kills made from the ground do not count. Avoid advancing too quickly past enemy groups. This is a bit annoying trophy as the mission takes around 20 minutes on recruit difficulty and you do not have any counter to know how are you doing towards trophy. Basically trophy can only pop after you hit the helicopter in the final battle for the first time. Then there will be final set of enemies, be sure to find the train car immediatelly and do as many kills possible. Also, try to squeeze every single kill as you can against your friends because ultimately the one extra can decide whether you get the trophy or not
Raining Thunder
Kill 15 enemies with 3 mortar rounds in a row in ‘Losing Ground’.
At the mortar section of Losing Ground, target groups of enemies and eliminate at least 15 enemies across three consecutive mortar shots. Aim for tightly packed groups; reload the checkpoint if a round fails to secure enough kills.
Revenge
Kill everyone after Shin dies in ‘Assassins’ on Hardened or harder difficulty.
Play Assassins on Hardened or higher. After Shin dies, eliminate every enemy you encounter, including the final enemies near the bunker. Before descending the bunker ladder, check behind you for another group (there will be 4 extra enemies). This requires a separate run from Pacifist. Always backtrack for this mission just to be sure you kill everyone. In the park you can easily spot non killed enemies by their flaslights.
Pacifist
Complete ‘Assassins’ by only killing one enemy.
Avoid optional combat throughout Assassins and complete the mission with only the single required scripted kill (no extra kills, only one where Shin dies). Use stealth to pass the library, kitchen and garden, then reach the bunker. Do not combine this attempt with Revenge.
Time to Crate
Open every Yellow Supply Crate in ‘Stranded’.
Find and open all 26 Yellow Supply Crates during Stranded. Two easy-to-miss crates move around the map: one is on the train, and another is on an enemy patrol truck. If you are stuck at 24/26 or 25/26, check both moving vehicles.
Scavenger
Repair everything in Base Camp.
Collect Supplies throughout Stranded by looting crates, bags and supply drops. Return to Base Camp and complete every available repair or crafting option, including weapons, attachments and equipment. Check each station for any remaining upgrades.
Incoming!
Destroy every vehicle reinforcement at the SAM Site before they unload in ‘Stranded’.
At the SAM Site in Stranded, destroy each incoming reinforcement vehicle before soldiers can disembark. Watch the bridge and road for arriving trucks and armor; explosive drones and mines can make the objective easier. First they come on the right side, then lft, then again right, then again left, after that an armored tank arrives. Use land mines two on the right and two on the left. You can put them near explosive barrels to be extra sure.
Long Shot
Snipe all 4 enemies firing the mortars in ‘Counter Attack’.
During the rooftop defense in Counter Attack, locate the two enemy mortar teams. Each team has two operators. Snipe all four before they leave their positions; reload the checkpoint if you miss one.
Never Forgotten
Recover the Dog Tags in ‘Escape’.
In Escape, enter the barracks office and open the wall safe using code 8410. Collect the Dog Tags inside to unlock the trophy.
Trench Broom
In ‘Entrenched’, kill 15 enemies with a shotgun before securing the Target Building.
Equip the shotgun at the beginning of Entrenched and earn 15 shotgun kills while moving through the trenches. Make sure you reach 15 kills before completing the Target Building objective.
Noteworthy
Read 50 different Notes.
Find and read 50 unique Notes across the campaign. Focus on Stranded, which contains most of the collectible notes; additional notes can be found in Following Orders and Escape. You do not need to collect every note in the game.They all combine together, as I got mine earlier in escape due to founding 4 notes in following orders.
