In Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, the Safehouse puzzles, the most unique feature of the game, combine solving with the core environmental storytelling of the game’s narrative. Safehouse puzzles not only require observation and spatial memory, but they also demand logic to work out the steps needed to complete the puzzle, and at times, decoding ciphers.
Your return to Safehouse in between missions marks the completion of a segment of the narrative. Safehouse serves multiple functions: It’s a place to prepare and access mission-related intelligence, and serves as the central hub to accept and complete the quests about the puzzles, which then reveal narrative add-ons, collectibles, and missions beyond the primary ones.
Even if you buy COD accounts to skip the early progression, the extra storyline provides access to additional, unlockable, user-generated content, expanding the backstory of key characters while also adding a multiplayer and Zombies mode, thus making it very rewarding to solve the puzzles and defeat the main storyline of the game. Every additional character is unwrapping new rewards, which make it enjoyable. This guide will go over all the Safehouse puzzles to aid you in solving them in Black Ops 6.
Getting to Know Your Safehouse
In Black Ops 6, Safehouse serves as more than just a lobby; it is an adaptive, living space that changes over time. The layout consists of:
The central operations room contains the mission selection.
- A locker space with weapons and loadout options.
- Intel boards filled with notes, photographs, maps, and leads.
- Adjacent rooms with character files, profile portraits, and puzzle pieces.
Most of the puzzles are triggered by narrative or mission events, but are activated after the player. After finishing a significant mission, developing a routine of examining the Safehouse is encouraged.
Puzzle 1: The Cipher Wall (ROT Ciphers)
After completing Mission 3: Havana Lockdown, an additional section of the Safehouse opens up, revealing a bulletin board filled with redacted documents, coordinates, and assorted letters. This marks the start of the ROT cipher puzzle.
How to Solve It:
- Examine the wall and interact with the document that appears to contain random letters.
- Use the ROT13 (Rotate by 13 letters) cipher to decode the message.
- The message will give you coordinates or code words tied to mission Intel.
- Enter the decoded term into the nearby keypad or console.
Tip: The game doesn’t tell you it’s using ROT13. You have to figure it out by trial and error, or recognize the cipher pattern. Try common phrases or use an online ROT13 decoder.
Puzzle 2: The Photo Grid Memory Puzzle
Unlocked after Mission 5: Phantom Protocol, this puzzle is found near the Intel Board. It features a grid of photos with people, locations, and vehicles. The puzzle asks you to “connect the ops.”
How to Solve It:
- Examine Intel gathered in previous missions, pay attention to character names and operation codenames.
- The puzzle wants you to connect the right faces with mission codenames ( “Kestrel,” “Viper,” “Echo Dust”).
- Drag and drop photos onto the board to create a timeline of who did what, when.
You’ll know you got it right when the board glows and a voice clip plays confirming your discovery.
Puzzle 3: The Terminal Login Puzzle
In the communications room of the Safehouse, you’ll eventually gain access to a vintage-style terminal with a login prompt. This puzzle appears after Mission 6: Operation Anvil.
How to Solve It:
- Clues to the login credentials are scattered in mission dossiers.
- One document mentions a handler named “Trask” and his birthday: 10/04/1962.
- Use: Username: TRASK and Password: 10041962.
Once logged in, a series of encrypted emails and redacted reports will become available.
Puzzle 4: The Locker Combination
A locked weapons locker appears in the armory after Mission 7: Red River Retribution. A Post-it note next to it says, “You’ve got the key, but where’s the lock?”
How to Solve It:
- Inspect your mission collectibles. One of them is labeled “Maintenance Locker Key”.
- Next, examine the three keypads near the locker.
- The combination is based on a sequence of numbers seen in surveillance footage from Mission 7. You’ll notice a repeating code on a monitor: 4-2-7-9.
- Enter that code in the correct sequence.
Puzzle 5: The Audio Frequency Puzzle
This unique challenge appears late in the campaign, after Mission 9: Fall of Shadowgate. Head to the listening station on the second floor.
How to Solve It:
- You’ll find a radio set with tuning knobs and a frequency dial.
- Your goal is to match the correct signal frequency from intercepted transmissions.
- Use Intel notes from the previous mission, look for numbers ending in .15, .30, or .75 MHz.
- Once tuned, you’ll hear an audio recording with a spoken password.
Input the spoken password into the adjacent console.
Bonus Puzzle: Zombies Secret Codeboard
Hidden inside the Safehouse’s basement (unlocked via a vent behind the main board room), this puzzle ties into Zombies mode.
How to Solve It:
- After unlocking Zombies mode, go to the basement room.
- Interact with the chalkboard that displays a code sequence.
- Solve the cipher using a Vigenère cipher key, found in campaign mission files.
- The keyphrase is: “OMEGA” (a known Zombies lore reference).
- Decode the sequence and enter it into the padlock.
Why Solve Safehouse Puzzles?
Solving Safehouse puzzles isn’t just for achievement hunters. There are several practical reasons to invest your time in these:
- Unlock Additional Goals: Accomplishing certain puzzles unlocks missions that are out of scope of the main storyline.
- Learn More About Their Roles: Understand more about the individuals that you are collaborating with, and with whom you are battling.
- Earn Rewards: Some puzzles offer calling cards, emblems, or exclusive weapon blueprints.
- Help Increase Experience: Campaign paths and endings can be unlocked, broadening the experience’s scope.
Even if you prefer to skip campaign segments or purchase COD accounts that prioritize multiplayer progression, tackling these Safehouse challenges will deepen the storyline and unlock content that will offer an advantage in other modes.
Advanced Tips to Crack Safehouse Puzzles
If you intend to solve every puzzle in Black Ops 6, keep these tips in mind:
- Capture Photos or Screengrabs: Some clues are only visible for a short duration. Capture the moment to piece together later.
- Employ a Notepad and Cipher Tool: ROT13, Vigenère, or substitution ciphers are often used. These can be resolved with the aid of tools.
- Review Past Intel: Safehouse puzzles often rely on previously gathered Intel to provide context. Everything has a purpose.
- Review After Each Mission: Assume nothing, as new puzzle elements progressively become available, so always come back after every mission.
- Collaborate with Others: Groups from Discord and Reddit resolve and reveal further intricate layers of the puzzle and disseminate their solutions.
Final Thoughts
The Safehouse puzzles in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 enhance the storyline wonderfully. There are engaging, tangible, unlockable challenges that dive into, but also ensure the player’s thoughts wander beyond the shooting. Be it by cracking codes or lore discovery, these enigmas reward the players in-game and forge a sense of immersion.
No matter if you’re a dedicated campaign enthusiast or prefer earning extras for multiplayer and Zombies modes, solving these puzzles will enrich your Black Ops 6 experience. For players who previously avoided campaign content and had to purchase COD accounts to access them, now might be the perfect opportunity to revisit and complete the campaign.