Downfall (campaign)

Downfall
Previous level	Heart of the Reich
Next level	Project Nova (chronologically, storywise) Blowtorch & Corkscrew (chronologically, gamewise)
Game	Call of Duty: World at War
Character	Dimitri Petrenko
Team	3rd Shock Army, Red Army
Place	The Reichstag, Berlin, Germany
Date	April 30, 1945
Enemies	Waffen-SS
Console codename	ber3b
Multiplayer map	Dome

For the multiplayer map from Call of Duty: World at War, see Downfall (multiplayer).

"When the flag of our Motherland flies on top of the Reichstag, all of Berlin will know that the evil of the fascist Reich has been wiped from the face of the Earth."

— Sergeant Reznov

"Downfall" is the 15th and last campaign mission of the Call of Duty: World at War campaign and of the Eastern Front segment of the campaign.

Characters

• Dimitri Petrenko (playable) (W.I.A.)
• Viktor Reznov
• Arseni (K.I.A.)
• Markhov

Plot

In this sequel to "Heart of The Reich", the player fights inside the Reichstag, a building in which the player's final fight will take place. The player must first enter the lobby of the Reichstag, eliminating all Germans inside. Then the player must proceed up the stairs to encounter more SS soldiers.

Eliminate them all then proceed down the hall. The player will see some scenes of Russians fighting and then killing Germans inside the rooms that they barricaded themselves in. Continue to the parliament room with plenty of Germans taking cover. Sergeant Reznov will tell the player to go upstairs and provide cover fire. Near the door upstairs is a PTRS-41 rifle, and upstairs in the balcony there are 3 more. Use what the player learned in "Vendetta" and shoot the fuel tanks of flamethrower wielding Germans to blow them up. There are several PTRS-41s around the area, so to conserve ammo, do not waste ammo by taking all the sniper rifles with lots of reserve ammo left. Shoot the Germans with the Panzerschrecks first, as though most of the soldiers will not notice you, some may do so. If ammunition runs short go downstairs and grab weapons from the Germans, such as STG-44s, MP40s, or Gewehr 43s. A last objective in this room requires the player to find a Panzerschreck and use it to shoot down the Reichsadler (huge eagle symbol) on the front wall of the room, destroying the most prominent symbol of the Third Reich, as well as the remaining SS underneath. Once the player does, two Russians will try and force open a door held by Germans, and Reznov will assist them, once the door is broken down, go through, a small party of Germans will be waiting. Once they are neutralized, proceed upstairs to the roof, which will bring the final and hardest battle of the mission.

The final battle's difficulty is due to the fact that there is very little cover on the roof, and many enemies encountered on the same level as the player are wielding STG-44s and MP40s, which can be devastating at close range. Added on to the fact that there are grenades constantly being lobbed at you, multiple Panzerschreck toting enemies with height advantages, and a fortified MG42 at the far end of the defenses. The Machine gunner can be killed by a Mosin-Nagant or a PTRS-41 if aimed well enough. The Panzerschrecks will likely be the most dangerous enemies as it will take two hits to kill you, if not one. Also accounting for multiple enemies shooting at the player from close range. The Rocket soldiers should be dealt with quickly, as they will likely deliver a "1-2 Punch" and dispose of the player quickly.

It is advised that the player takes cover and use any remaining grenades the player has or go to the small cubicles at the left side as the player can flank the Germans. Once all the remaining Germans are killed, follow Reznov to the front entrance. The soldier holding the flag will be killed, but do not fear, a missile strike (presumably from the trucks in the beginning of "Heart of the Reich") will take out the Germans that shot the flag bearer. Take the flag and move towards the Nazi Flagpole. Once there a dying German soldier will pop up out of hiding, and shoot Petrenko almost fatally with a Walther P-38, only to be sliced twice then impaled in the back by a machete-wielding Reznov. Reznov then carries the player forward a bit, assuring the player that he will make it, since Petrenko has cheated death before. Keep moving forward once Reznov cuts the Nazi flag's ropes, and the player plants the Soviet flag, ending the mission. The National Anthem of the Soviet Union is played during the end of the mission.

This is followed by a video containing President Harry Truman's voice mentioning the German surrender in Europe, the bombing of Hiroshima, and General MacArthur's speech following the Japanese surrender, and finally Treyarch's summary of the war, which states "60 million lives were lost as a result of World War 2. It was the most destructive conflict in human history." Once finished the credits will roll, which at the beginning says the game is dedicated to the veterans of WWII who sacrificed their lives for the preservation of liberty.

Video Walkthrough

Call of Duty World at War - Campaign - Downfall

Weapon Loadout

Starting Loadout
SVT-40. TT-33.

Found in level

Gewehr 43. Used by Waffen SS Kar98k. Used by Waffen SS M2 Flamethrower. Stand in for Flammenwerfer 41 MG42. Emplaced weapon Mosin-Nagant. Used by the Red Army MP40. Used by Waffen SS P38. Used by the Waffen SS as a secondary weapon; the handgun used to shoot Dimitri Petrenko. Panzerschreck. Used by Waffen SS PPSh-41. Used by the Red Army PTRS-41. Found on the balcony STG-44. Used by Waffen SS SVT-40. Used by the Red Army Bazooka. Used by the Red Army Red Army Flag. Used by Arseni and then must be used by one of the players.

Gallery

Dimitri Petrenko holding the Soviet flag, overlooking Berlin. Viktor Reznov is on the right.

Reznov smiling next to the Soviet flag.

Reznov avenging Dimitri.

The player holding the Soviet flag in Cooperative gameplay.

Trivia

• The Germans in this level are clearly in a more dilapidated condition than their previous counterparts; nearly all of them have injuries of some form in this level, and bandages can be seen on them.
• Many Germans can also be seen in what are more like dress uniforms.
• The door to the Reichstag that the Russians are closing shows a downgraded environment where there is absolutely nothing there besides the stone floor and a stone structure. This same place can be seen in Spectator mode on Dome.
• After destroying the eagle in the meeting room, the player can kill fellow Russian soldiers without the friendly fire warning. But the player must stay in the seat area, killing them anywhere else will result in the friendly fire warning.
• Throughout this level, eerie zombie-like sounds can be heard emanating within the Reichstag. They include ghostly shrieks, beasts roaring (sometimes laughing), maniacal laughter and other creepy ambient sounds. These sounds are the same sounds that can be heard in the Asylum in Ring of Steel. These are most common in the parliment rooms and balconies.
• The half of the door where the Russian is about to push has different material. The left side seems to be made of metal while the right side is made of wood.
• Playing in co-op will not have the final cinematic slowed down.
• When playing co-op, all players gain control over Dimitri when walking forward to plant the flag.
• When the Russian flag is about to be planted, one can see the tower in Eviction, but this one remains intact.
• The flags in the menu picture have no swastikas.
• The intro shows the German POW execution with three soldiers gathered around the German, but in Eviction, there are only two.
  • In addition, the intro shows the German POW being executed with a Tokarev TT-33, whereas in Eviction, he is actually killed with a Mosin-Nagant.
• The Wii version reduces the ending sequence to a cutscene rather than being playable.

Achievements/Trophies

Stabbed In The Heart (20 / Silver Trophy ) - Complete all missions on the Eastern Front.

Bearing the Burden (30 / Bronze Trophy ) - Complete "Downfall" on Veteran.

War Hero (40 / Gold Trophy ) - Complete the game.

Hardened War Hero (100 / Gold Trophy ) - Complete the game on Hardened or Veteran.

Transcript

Main article: Downfall (campaign)/Transcript