Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 swaps out the traditional per-mission Intel system for a different collectible structure: 64 notes spread across three specific campaign missions, plus a unique set of dog tags in the final stretch of the game. You only need 50 notes for the Noteworthy trophy, but the dog tags in the Escape mission are their own separate objective tied to the Never Forgotten achievement. Here's every location you need.
How many collectible notes are in MW4?
There are 64 collectible notes total across three campaign missions: Following Orders (mission 3), Stranded (mission 10), and Escape (mission 13). The breakdown is 4 notes in Following Orders, 58 notes in Stranded, and 2 notes plus the dog tags in Escape. You need 50 notes read to unlock Noteworthy, so you can technically skip 14 without losing the trophy.
Following Orders: notes and contraband locations
Following Orders puts you in the role of an unnamed North Korean soldier searching civilian homes alongside Lieutenant Ko Jin-Hyuk. The mission contains 4 notes and 4 contraband items. Missing any contraband will block you from the No Stone Unturned achievement, so collect everything in sequence.
What items count as contraband in Following Orders?
The four contraband items are an MP3 Player, a Western Novel, Rations, and Medicine. The four notes are the Baekseolgi-Tteok Recipe, Note From Your Friend, A Note From Your Neighbor, and Note From Mom.
| Item | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| MP3 Player | Contraband | Bathroom medicine cabinet, first house |
| Western Novel | Contraband | Sliding door cabinet next to TV, first house |
| Baekseolgi-Tteok Recipe | Note | First cabinet on the left in the kitchen |
| Rations | Contraband | Cabinet above where the recipe was found |
| Medicine + Note From Your Friend | Contraband + Note | Toolbox in the sliding door room near entrance, code 214 |
| A Note From Your Neighbor | Note | Single door room on the right, third house |
| Key | Item | Next set of sliding doors, room immediately to the right |
| Note From Mom | Note | Crawlspace under kitchen trapdoor, third house |
The toolbox code 214 comes from the numbers written on the Baekseolgi-Tteok Recipe note, so grab the recipe first before attempting the toolbox.
Stranded: all 58 note locations
Stranded is the bulk of the collectible hunt. The mission is a sandbox set in North Korea with fast travel between Base Camp, three main objective sites, and any outpost you've already cleared. The 58 notes range from keypad hints and supply crate clues to background lore about life under the regime.
How do keypad codes work in Stranded?
Several shipping containers have locked keypads. Each has a note on the door listing previously used codes. The pattern in each case follows a specific rule you apply to get the next code in the sequence.
| Container | Previous Codes | Solution | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Camp | Listed on door | 0024 | Add 6 to the number |
| Island Hidden Bunker | Count outposts on river | 0008 | 8 outposts total |
| South East Village | 0012, 0034, 0056 | 0078 | Add 22 to the last two digits |
| South of Jamming Station | 5903, 6805, 7707 | 8609 | +1 first digit, -1 second, +2 fourth |
| Cliff Near Base Camp | 9300, 6400, 3500 | 0600 | Subtract 2900 from 3500 |
| Big Sign | Listed on door | 1234 | Add 4 in the last digit slot |
| Farm Field Hidden Bunker | Listed on door | 0330 | Provided by the keypad note |
| Small Island | 3456, 4567, 5678 | 6789 | Numbers scroll left, remove leftmost digit |
Key Stranded note locations by area
Base Camp area (coordinates 644, 158): Three notes cluster here. The Base Camp Keypad Note sits on the green shipping container door just right of the radio tower. Climbing to the middle platform of the radio tower gets you the Radio Tower Note. Reaching the very top earns the Top of Radio Tower Note alongside a yellow supply crate.
Southeast of Base Camp: The Smuggler House Note is on a workbench inside the large blue and grey house at coordinates 653, 162. The Cargo Container Note is in the brown shed with the orange door at 652, 163.
Underground sewers (639, 164-165): Descend via the ladder on the opposite side of the white-and-blue garage from the Water Treatment Note. The Sewers Note is at the base of the ladder. The Sewer Smuggler Remains Note requires following two separate arrow-pattern mazes through the crawl tunnels.
Bunker main objective (659-657, 204-208): Four notes found during the linear bunker sequence. Provision is on a desk to the right of the entrance. Mutiny requires placing a yellow push cart against the wall to reach a destroyed second floor. Discipline is on the corner desk in the next immediate room. Traitors is on the left desk in the final area.
Jamming Station main objective (679-671, 118-123): Five notes total. The Quarters Note is in the lower level of the blue building. The Helipad Note is on a blue drum barrel across from the quarters. The Main Room Note is on the bench at the building entrance. The Entry Room Note is on a filing cabinet next to computer consoles. The Locker Room Note is on the ground in the upstairs locker area.
Base Camp upgrade desk (646, 156): Five notes that aren't traditional paper documents. They're information sheets about Base Camp upgrades: Grenade Launcher Info, Tactical Gloves Info, Tactical Boot Info, Snow Ghillie Suit Repair Note, and Silenced Sniper Repair Note. Interacting with each one adds it to your total count.
Radio tower holds two notes
Escape: notes and the Never Forgotten trophy
Escape is the 13th and penultimate main mission. There are 2 notes and one unique collectible, Gaz's Dog Tags, which unlock the Never Forgotten achievement/trophy on their own.
How do you get the Never Forgotten trophy in MW4?
Here's the short answer: open the wall safe in the hallway immediately after exiting the barracks using code 8410.
The full sequence:
- Early in the mission, you'll reach a reception area where a guard is inside an office. Crouch under the overhanging bench and wait for him to receive a call and leave.
- Enter the vacated room and read the Updated Code note on the desk. This confirms the safe code is 8410.
- Continue through the mission until you find and rescue Ghost in the interrogation room.
- Fight through the barracks with Ghost until he says: "We're not leaving without Gaz."
- Exit the barracks and immediately check the right side of the hallway for an unlocked door.
- Go inside and enter 8410 into the wall safe to collect Gaz's Dog Tags.
- The Never Forgotten trophy unlocks the moment you open the safe.
The safe becomes accessible only after the Ghost dialogue triggers, so do not skip ahead. You can replay the mission at any time from the mission select screen if you miss it on your first run.
Door appears right after the barracks
All campaign achievements tied to collectibles
| Achievement | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Noteworthy | Read 50 different notes across all missions |
| Never Forgotten | Recover Gaz's Dog Tags in Escape (safe code 8410) |
| No Stone Unturned | Confiscate all contraband and read all notes in Following Orders |
| Time to Crate | Open every yellow supply crate in Stranded |
| Scavenger | Repair everything in Base Camp |
The Noteworthy trophy does not require all 64 notes, just 50. Combining the 4 notes from Following Orders and the 2 from Escape gives you 6 before you even start Stranded, meaning you need 44 of the 58 Stranded notes to finish the count.
Both trophies require collectibles
For everything else in the game, from the full map roster to what replaced Zombies this year, check the MW4 strategy guides collection for the complete breakdown.
FAQ
Can you replay missions to collect missed notes? Yes. Any campaign mission can be replayed from the mission select screen without losing progress. Your note count carries over between playthroughs.
Does note collection carry over across difficulty settings? Notes collected on any difficulty count toward the Noteworthy trophy. You do not need to collect them all in a single playthrough.
What happens if the civilian hides in Following Orders? If you allow her to stay in the crawlspace, the Note From Mom becomes permanently inaccessible for that run. Replay the mission and choose the dialogue option telling her the traitor was found to unlock the crawlspace.
Is the dog tags safe visible before the Ghost dialogue triggers? The door to the safe room is unlocked, but the safe itself will not be interactive until after Ghost says his line about not leaving without Gaz. Progress through the barracks fight first.
Do the Base Camp upgrade info sheets count as notes? Yes. All five Base Camp upgrade documents at coordinates 646, 156 add to your note total when you interact with them, even though they do not look like traditional notes.
