TL;DR
- No Stone Unturned is a Silver achievement in COD Modern Warfare 4
- It unlocks in Mission 3: Following Orders
- You need to find 3 contraband items and read 4 notes
- The final note is in the cellar — the achievement pops as soon as you read it
- You can unlock No Stone Unturned and No Harm Done in the same playthrough
- Works on any difficulty — no need for Veteran or Realism
The No Stone Unturned achievement in COD Modern Warfare 4 is one of the more satisfying collectible trophies in the game. It does not require any fancy skill. You just need to be thorough. Search every corner, open every cabinet, and read every note during the Following Orders mission.
But a lot of players miss at least one item without realizing it. The fourth and final note is the one that trips people up the most. We’ll cover all of them below, in order, so you do not have to replay the mission.
If you want to know more about the full campaign first, check out our how long to beat Modern Warfare 4 campaign guide. And if you pre-ordered, here is everything about COD Modern Warfare 4 Vault Edition rewards and pre-order bonuses.
What Is the No Stone Unturned Achievement in MW4?
The No Stone Unturned achievement requires you to confiscate all contraband items and read all the notes inside the Following Orders mission, which is Mission 3 of the Modern Warfare 4 campaign.
Here is a quick breakdown:
- Achievement type: Silver (50 Gamerscore on Xbox)
- Mission: Following Orders (Mission 3)
- What you need: 3 contraband items + 4 notes
- Difficulty required: Any difficulty works
- Can it be missed? No — you can replay the mission anytime via mission select
The mission is set in North Korea. You are searching civilian homes for a defector. Most of the collectibles are hidden in cabinets and locked boxes inside these houses. You need to search carefully before progressing the mission objectives.
Can You Get No Stone Unturned and No Harm Done Together?
Yes. You can unlock both No Stone Unturned and No Harm Done in the same run of Following Orders.
The No Harm Done achievement requires you to find the defector’s location without hurting any civilians. As long as you do not attack or threaten the residents during your search, both achievements can pop in the same playthrough. We will cover the right dialogue choices in the section below.
Following Orders Mission: All Contraband and Note Locations
There are 7 items total to collect across the mission — 3 contraband items and 4 notes. They are split across the three houses you search. Go in order and do not rush past any rooms.
First House — Items 1 to 4
Enter the first house and search it fully before you talk to anyone or trigger any dialogue.
Contraband Item 1 — MP3 Player
Head to the bathroom on the left as soon as you enter. Open the cabinet inside. The MP3 Player is in there.
Contraband Item 2 — Book
Go to the bedroom. On the left side of the bedroom there is a cabinet. Open it to find the Book. This is easy to walk past if you do not check both sides of the room.
Note 1 — Baekseolgi-Tteok Recipe
Go to the kitchen. Open the first cabinet on the left side. The recipe note is inside. Read it. This note also contains a hidden clue — it lists 2kg flour, 5g salt, 1L water, and raisins, then tells you to skip the salt. Drop the 5 and you get the code 214. You will need this for the locked box.
Note 2 — Note From Your Friend
Go to the room on the right side of the house. There is a lockbox with a red lid. Either shoot the lock or use the code 214 from the recipe note to open it. The Note From Your Friend is inside.
Contraband Item 3 — Heart Medicine
The heart medicine is also inside the same locked box as Note 2. Once you open it, take both items.
No Harm Done Dialogue Choices (First House)
After you collect everything in the first house, you will speak with the residents. To keep the No Harm Done achievement alive, choose these dialogue options when speaking with the wife:
- “Please join your husband.”
- “I will not ask again.”
Then, when speaking with the couple together, select:
- “Ask about South Korean medicine”
- “Give up the defector. Now.”
Do not attack or threaten them physically at any point in the mission. Stick to these choices and both achievements will stay on track.
Third House — Notes 3 and 4
The game takes you through a second home between the first and third. There are no collectibles in the second house. Keep moving through it into the third.
Note 3 — Note From Your Neighbour
In the third house, go to the second bedroom. There is a cabinet in there. Open it. The Note From Your Neighbour is inside. Easy to miss if you do not explore the bedroom properly.
Note 4 — Note From Mom (Final Item)
This is the one most players miss. After searching the third house, the mission will move you toward a cellar door. You can open it using a key or with the help of a civilian. Once you get the cellar door open, do not just drop straight in.
There is a woman hiding in the cellar. You need to convince her to exit or grab her to make her leave the hole. Once she is out, drop into the cellar yourself. Look for a shelf inside. The Note From Mom is on that shelf.
The moment you read Note From Mom, the No Stone Unturned achievement unlocks. You will see it pop right there in the cellar.
Why Is Note 4 the Most Commonly Missed Item?
A lot of players go straight into the cellar to follow the mission objective without moving the woman out first, or they drop in and miss the shelf in the dark. Some players also do not interact with the woman at all and assume the mission moves on automatically.
The game gives you two options — convince her to leave or physically grab her twice. Either method works. Once she is out and you are in, the note is right there on a shelf. Take two seconds to look around before climbing back out.
What Difficulty Do You Need for No Stone Unturned?
Any difficulty works. You do not need Veteran or Realism to unlock No Stone Unturned. Play on Recruit if you want — the collectibles are the same on every setting.
Realism difficulty is only needed for the Was It Worth It? Gold achievement, which requires you to complete the full campaign without a HUD. That is a much harder challenge. No Stone Unturned has no such requirement.
If you are doing a first playthrough, play on a comfortable difficulty. If you already finished the game and missed it, just use mission select to jump back to Following Orders and grab what you missed.
Do the Notes in Following Orders Count Toward the Noteworthy Achievement?
No. The four notes you collect in Following Orders for the No Stone Unturned achievement do not count toward the Noteworthy achievement. Noteworthy requires you to read 50 of the 64 notes spread across the full campaign. The Following Orders notes are tracked separately as part of the mission-specific collectible set.
So even if you grab all four here, you still need to find more notes throughout the rest of the campaign to unlock Noteworthy.
Quick Checklist: No Stone Unturned All Items
- House 1, Bathroom: MP3 Player (Contraband)
- House 1, Bedroom: Book (Contraband)
- House 1, Kitchen: Baekseolgi-Tteok Recipe (Note 1) — contains code 214
- House 1, Side Room: Note From Your Friend (Note 2) + Heart Medicine (Contraband) — locked box, code 214 or shoot the lock
- House 3, Second Bedroom: Note From Your Neighbour (Note 3) — in a cabinet
- Cellar under House 3: Note From Mom (Note 4) — on a shelf inside the cellar; move the woman out first
Where to Buy COD Modern Warfare 4
If you have not picked up the game yet, you can grab it on your platform below:
- Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 on Steam (PC)
- Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 on PlayStation Store
- Call of Duty Modern Warfare 4 on Xbox
If you want campaign early access details before the official launch date, check our guide on Modern Warfare 4 campaign early access.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many items do I need for No Stone Unturned in MW4?
You need to collect 3 contraband items and read 4 notes. That is 7 items total, all found during the Following Orders mission (Mission 3).
Can I miss the No Stone Unturned achievement?
No. Even if you miss it during your first playthrough, you can return to Mission 3: Following Orders at any time using the mission select option from the campaign menu.
What is the code for the red lockbox in Following Orders?
The code is 214. You get it by reading Note 1 (the Baekseolgi-Tteok Recipe) in the kitchen. The recipe lists ingredients and tells you to skip the salt — drop the 5g salt figure and you get 214. You can also shoot the lock off instead if you do not have the code.
Do I need to play on a specific difficulty for No Stone Unturned?
No. Any difficulty works. Recruit, Regular, Hardened, Veteran — all are fine. The collectibles are in the same spots regardless of your difficulty setting.
Where is Note 4 in Following Orders?
Note 4 (Note From Mom) is inside the cellar beneath the third house. You need to move the woman who is hiding in the hole before dropping in yourself. Once you are inside the cellar, look for a shelf. The note is on it. Reading this note is what triggers the achievement to pop.
Does No Stone Unturned affect the Noteworthy achievement?
No. The notes collected in Following Orders for No Stone Unturned are tracked separately. They do not count toward the Noteworthy achievement, which requires reading 50 of the 64 campaign notes.
Can I get No Stone Unturned and No Harm Done in the same run?
Yes. Both achievements are available in Mission 3. As long as you collect all items and choose the right dialogue options when speaking with civilians (do not harm them), both will unlock in the same playthrough.
