Celerium (mission)

"Mason's son David leads JSOC's elite counter terrorist force investigating Menendez' links to a revolutionary new microchip made from Rare Earth Element Celerium."

- Mission description

"Celerium" is the second campaign mission in Call of Duty: Black Ops II where JSOC investigates a military compound filled with Cordis Die agents in the hopes of learning what Raul Menendez is planning. It is the first mission set in the year 2025.

Characters

 * David Mason (playable)
 * Mike Harper
 * Javier Salazar
 * Crosby
 * Tommy Briggs
 * Erik Breighner (deceased)
 * Frank Woods (cutscene only)
 * Karma (mentioned only)
 * Raul Menendez (mentioned only)

Plot
In this mission, Joint Special Operations Command agents David "Section" Mason, Mike Harper, Javier Salazar, and Crosby infiltrate a remote temple to try to find info on Celerium. The mission begins with Section and Harper descending a cliff face via the use of nano-gloves and a large rope, then after a rendezvous with Salazar and Crosby, glide to the temple with specially designed suits. Upon their arrival, Section sparks the attack, and the group fights their way through hostiles as they advance towards the main temple. The doors are then blown upon by either Section or Harper, and a secret, ultra high-tech bunker is found inside. The group fight their way through the bunker and find a Tacitus Corporation employee, Erik Breighner, locked in a crate. He helps them through some security doors and gives them access to a Celerium chip and tells of Menendez's plot, but is shot through the neck before he can give a complete explanation. The group then fights their way through the remaining soldiers in the base, and after encountering other friendlies, Section hands over the Celerium chip to Tommy Briggs, who examines it as the mission ends.

Challenges
Completing 2 challenges unlocks the Adjustable Stock perk. Completing 5 challenges unlocks the Executioner for single player loadout.
 * Eliminate the enemy helicopter before it lifts off.
 * Destroy the sentry turrets (x2) while disabled.
 * Eliminate enemy personnel (x4) with one round from the Titus weapon.
 * Eliminate enemy personnel (x10) with heli turret.
 * Eliminate enemy personnel (x30) while using optical camo.
 * Destroy ASDs (x2) by exploding nitrogen tanks.
 * Eliminate enemy personnel (x10) with the Assault Shield.
 * Protect ASD resource from destruction.
 * Collect intel (x3).
 * 100% survivability rating.

Access Kit Usage

 * An MQ drone's minigun can be accessed at the helipad.
 * Optical Camouflage can be found in a box after entering the underground area of the compound.
 * A friendly ASD, J-5, is accessible in the area near the celerium chip.

Trivia

 * Celerium and Pyrrhic Victory are the only campaign levels in Call of Duty: Black Ops II not to feature player-determined actions.
 * When sneaking up on Guards at the beginning of the mission, Harper has a suppressed SCAR-H but once inside the facility, the suppressor is gone.
 * There is a usable lift in the area where enemies were first spotted.
 * If the player picks up the Assault Shield from the dispenser, the shield will act as a third weapon, allowing players to carry more than two weapons. However, if the shield is planted onto the ground, when picked up again, it will replace whatever weapon the player is holding.
 * Strangely, in the intro cutscene, the flashback that shows Alex Mason's struggle with Menendez seems to show him shooting Menendez directly in the face rather than his eye.
 * In Cordis Die's Twitter page shown in the cutscene, several interesting tweets can be noted such as:
 * Cordis Die says, "Come my friends... 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world." A quote from the.
 * Cordis Die says, "A small rock holds back a great wave." A quote by.
 * Spov says, "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear." A quote by James Hollingworth.
 * Newsleworld says, "A new world, a new order. Seems Legit. Follow @cordis_die for real change.".
 * The player can destroy the temple door with a Titus-6 or other explosive before Harper does.
 * If the player takes too long, Harper will destroy the door as usual.
 * After the player clears out the first enemy wave and goes to a cliff and goes to a cave, one can see a hammer stuck to the ground. This is a reference to Thor's hammer, Mjolnir.
 * If the player has accessed the J-5 ASD, and after Erik dies, J-5 becomes temporarily disabled, possibly due to the enemies using an EMP grenade.
 * This is the only mission where Crosby has dialogue.

Achievements/Trophies

 * Gathering Storm (20 Gamerscore.png/ Bronze Trophy Bronze Trophy PS3 icon.png) - Investigate the jungle facility.
 * Futurist (50 Gamerscore.png/ Silver Trophy Silver Trophy PS3 icon.png) - Complete all future levels in veteran.