Modern Warfare 4: All Choices & Consequences Guide

TL;DR

• MW4 has meaningful choices in 4 missions: Mayhem, Following Orders, Hired Gun, and Stranded.
• Mayhem choices are pure flavor — none of them carry any real consequence.
• In Following Orders, wrong choices can get your soldier hanged or a civilian killed.
• In Hired Gun, choosing not to shoot Graves fails the mission instantly.
• In Stranded, two out of three answers get Ko executed on the spot.
• Some choices lock you out of achievements like No Harm Done and No Stone Unturned.
• The overall campaign ending is fixed — your decisions don’t change the final outcome.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 is not your typical straight-line shooter. For the first time in a while, the campaign puts some weight behind your decisions. Some choices are fun banter between characters. Others will get someone killed or fail the mission outright.

This guide covers every choice and consequence across all four missions where decisions matter. No fluff — just what each option does, what the best pick is, and how it connects to achievements and mission completion.

You can grab the game now on Steam, PlayStation Store, or the Xbox Store.

Do Choices Change the Ending in Modern Warfare 4?

Short answer: no. Despite the dramatic moments your choices create, Modern Warfare 4 does not have multiple fully developed endings driven by player decisions. The story reaches the same conclusion no matter what you pick.

What your choices do affect are things like whether your soldier survives a specific scene, whether a civilian dies, and whether you lock yourself out of certain achievements. If you are going for full completion, those things matter a lot.

Want to see every reward the campaign unlocks? Read our guide on COD Modern Warfare 4 all campaign rewards. And for a full breakdown of the ending itself, check out our how to beat Makarov in COD Modern Warfare 4 guide.

Modern Warfare 4 All Choices Consequences Guide 1

Modern Warfare 4 All Choices Quick Reference Table

Here is a fast summary of every meaningful decision in the campaign and the best pick for each one.

Mission	Decision	Best Pick	Result
3: Following Orders	Interrogation — contraband question	Ask about South Korean medicine	Defector’s location revealed without harm
3: Following Orders	Woman in the cellar	“Open the hatch, or else.”	She leaves, final note accessible
3: Following Orders	Hanging the defector	Execute	Your soldier survives
4: Hired Gun	Phillip Graves — shoot or not	Shoot	Price kills Graves, mission continues
10: Stranded	How did Ri’s brother die?	“I separated us. I never should have left him.”	Ko survives
10: Stranded	Search status report to Ri	“Patrols are combing the area.”	Progresses to the Tac Map

Mission 1: Mayhem — All Choices and Consequences

Mayhem opens the campaign in Hajin City, South Korea. You play as Pvt. Park Hyun-Jun helping Dunn pick up supplies at a convenience store. There are two brief dialogue exchanges here.

Let’s be clear: nothing you say in this mission changes anything. These choices exist purely for character flavor. Enjoy them, pick whatever feels right, and move on.

What Should You Tell Dunn About the Food?

Dunn is eyeing some questionable market food. Park can react three ways.

• “Fish that smells like piss” — Park warns Dunn off. Dunn ends up buying it for Pvt. Ju Kwon instead.
• “[Lie] Yes, Sushi” — Park plays along and calls it hwe. Dunn takes it. Park laughs quietly and calls him an idiot in Korean once he walks away.
• No Response — If you let the timer run out, Dunn says “Nothing? Alright, good chat, Park,” then buys the food himself.

No consequence to any of these. Pick the one that makes you laugh.

What Should You Remind Dunn to Buy?

Dunn needs a reminder about why he came into the store. You have three options.

• “Cream for your infection” — Dunn clarifies the infection cleared up and remembers he needs stomach medicine.
• “Stomach Medicine” — Dunn compliments Park’s memory.
• “Skin care” — Dunn jokes that the face soap has made him too beautiful.

Whatever you pick, Dunn grabs the stomach medicine. Nothing changes.

Mission 3: Following Orders — All Choices and Consequences

This is where the campaign starts asking you real questions. Following Orders puts you in the boots of a North Korean soldier tracking a defector through a village, alongside Ko Jin-Hyuk and under the command of Ri Ju-Young.

There are four decision points. Two of them determine whether your soldier lives or dies at the end of the mission. Pay attention.

Going for every note and collectible? Our No Stone Unturned achievement guide has every location. And if you want to get through without hurting anyone, read our No Harm Done achievement guide.

Following Orders Choice 1: Interrogating the Husband and Wife

You enter a couple’s home and the wife tries to flee. How you handle her matters for the No Harm Done achievement.

Choice	What Happens
“Comply, or I can hurt you” / “Please join your husband”	Opens follow-up dialogue. Wife eventually moves to the living room.
“Then why did you run?” / “If you are loyal, you are safe.” / “I will not ask again.”	Wife returns to the living room without further incident.
“Run while you can.”	Wife flees into the garden and is shot dead. Locks out No Harm Done achievement.

Threatening the couple or bringing the wife back into the living room by force still counts as harmless for achievement purposes. Shooting a civilian, even in a non-vital spot, kills your chance at No Harm Done.

Following Orders Choice 2: What Should You Ask the Husband About?

Once you find contraband hidden around the house, you can question the husband about each item. The lockbox in the first room on the right opens with code 214, written on a note in the kitchen cupboard.

Contraband Item	Location	Husband’s Answer
MP3 player	Bathroom cabinet	It only plays state-sanctioned music.
Western novel	Kitchen closet	It was his son’s. He says he will burn it.
South Korean medicine	Toolbox	He has a heart condition — and reveals the defector’s location.

Only the medicine question gets you the defector’s address. But finding all three items and asking about all of them is required for the No Stone Unturned achievement. The couple will not talk until you are holding at least two contraband items.

Check our full guide on COD Modern Warfare 4 all code solutions for every safe, bunker, and lockbox code in the game.

Following Orders Choice 3: The Woman in the Cellar

This is the most important decision in the mission. In the final house, a woman is hiding behind a hatch in the bathroom. What you do here decides whether your soldier lives or dies at the gallows.

Choice	Outcome	Good or Bad?
“Please open the hatch.”	She refuses. This alone does nothing — follow up with the next line.	Neutral (first step only)
“Open the hatch, or else.” / “Open up. You’re trapped.”	She opens it and comes outside.	Correct
“No. We’re going outside.” / “The defector was found. It’s safe to come out.”	She walks out willingly with the other civilians.	Correct
“Okay. Stay hidden.”	She stays at first but is found by soldiers during the hanging. Your soldier is hanged alongside the defector.	Wrong — soldier dies

Once she is outside, climb into her hiding spot. The final note for No Stone Unturned is in there. You cannot get it if she is still hiding inside.

Hiding her does not save her. The other soldiers find her regardless. All it does is cost you a note and your soldier’s life.

Following Orders Choice 4: Execute or Refuse the Hanging Order

At the end of the mission, Ri Ju-Young orders you to execute the defector by hanging. This is the last decision in the mission and it has a direct impact on whether your character survives.

• Execute — Your soldier carries out the order. If you also got the woman out of the cellar, your soldier lives and the mission ends cleanly.
• Refuse — Ri executes your soldier immediately. The defector is still hanged either way. Refusing only costs your character their life and does not unlock any achievement.

Refusing feels like a moral stand, but the game does not reward it. The campaign continues either way, but only Execute keeps your soldier alive.

Want to understand the full picture? Read our guide on COD Modern Warfare 4 all deaths in the campaign.

Mission 4: Hired Gun — Should You Shoot Phillip Graves?

Hired Gun is where Price tracks down Phillip Graves across a Paris rail yard and train route. This mission has only one real choice, but it is one that can fail the mission outright.

Shoot or Don’t Shoot Phillip Graves?

After downing Graves’ helicopter and cornering him in a rail shed, Price holds a suppressed pistol to Graves’ head. You get a prompt.

• Shoot — Price fires. Graves is killed. The mission ends and the campaign continues into the next mission. This is confirmed by Laswell at the start of Traffic.
• Don’t Shoot — If you wait too long, Graves disarms Price and shoots him. Instant mission failure. You are sent back to the checkpoint.

There is no way to spare Graves in this game. The choice is an illusion. Killing him is the only path forward, and the game makes that clear quickly if you hesitate.

Read our dedicated guide on Modern Warfare 4: should you kill Graves for the full breakdown of this scene.

Mission 10: Stranded — All Ko and Ri Dialogue Choices

Stranded puts you in control of Ko Jin-Hyuk, the North Korean special forces officer who has been shadowing the campaign. Supreme Leader Ri Ju-Young summons him to account for her brother’s death. This scene has two wrong answers that result in Ko being executed on the spot.

There is no margin for error here. The game sends you straight back to the checkpoint if you pick wrong.

For Yellow Crate locations in this mission, see our guide on MW4 Stranded puzzle codes and Yellow Crate locations.

How to Answer Ri About Her Brother’s Death

Ri asks Ko to explain exactly what happened when her brother was killed. Three options appear.

Answer	Outcome
“You killed him, Supreme Leader.”	Ri executes Ko immediately. Mission checkpoint reloads.
“I didn’t leave his side. He was shot before I could react.”	Ri calls it a lie and executes Ko. Mission checkpoint reloads.
“I separated us. I never should have left him.”	Ko survives. Ri says he let her brother down but offers a chance at redemption.

Taking responsibility is the only answer that works. Blaming Ri gets you shot immediately. Lying gets you shot because Ri does not believe it. Owning the failure earns Ko a second chance — and that is what the story needs to continue.

Stranded: What to Tell Ri About the Search for Intruders

After Ko survives the first exchange, Ri asks why the intruders have not been found. Answer with “Patrols are combing the area.” Ri responds that patrols are not enough and demands armored vehicles. This moves the scene to the tactical map.

Stranded: Where to Place the Armor Patrols on the Tac Map

Ko must place two armor patrols on the tactical map. The available positions are:

• Armor Patrol Near Base Camp
• Armor Patrol Near Dam Site
• Armor Patrol at Radar Bunker
• Armor Patrol at Jamming Station
• Patrol Near Jamming Station

Select Armor Patrol at Jamming Station and Patrol Near Jamming Station. Ri agrees to send one vehicle where Ko suggests and deploys her own forces elsewhere. Ko then radios Park that the armored vehicles are heading to the jamming station. Park replies: “Good call.”

This ends the scene and Ri gives Ko two days to locate the intruders before she takes his place. The mission continues from there.

Which Modern Warfare 4 Choices Affect Achievements?

Most choices in MW4 are story moments. But a handful directly connect to achievements you can miss on a normal playthrough.

• No Harm Done — Find the defector in Following Orders without shooting or physically harming any civilian. Do not shoot the wife or the husband. Threatening them or pointing a weapon is fine.
• No Stone Unturned — Collect all notes and contraband in Following Orders. You must bring the woman out of the cellar to access the final note. Leaving her hidden means you cannot get it.
• Incoming Achievement — Tied to a separate combat action. See our Modern Warfare 4 Incoming achievement guide for details.
• Pacifist Achievement — Finish a specific mission with only one kill. Read our COD Modern Warfare 4 Pacifist achievement guide for how to do it.

For the full list of every trophy and achievement in the game, visit our COD Modern Warfare 4 campaign trophy and achievement list.

Can You Replay Missions to See Different Outcomes?

Yes. Every mission you complete stays available in the mission select menu. You can go back to Following Orders to see what happens when you hide the woman or refuse the execution order. You can return to Mayhem just to hear Dunn’s different reactions. None of it is permanent.

In Hired Gun and Stranded, a wrong answer simply reloads the checkpoint and lets you try again. The game does not punish curiosity. Explore the alternate paths freely without worrying about losing progress.

Want to know how long it takes to see everything? Check our guide on how long to beat the Modern Warfare 4 campaign. And if you want to jump in early, check out Modern Warfare 4 campaign early access details including start times.

Modern Warfare 4 Choices and Consequences — FAQs