You’re sprinting through Seoul, dodging drones that sound like angry swarms of bees, and Kevin Spacey is shouting in your ear about the future of warfare. It’s chaotic. In the middle of that high-octane madness, it is incredibly easy to sprint right past a glowing laptop sitting on a desk. That’s the problem with Call of Duty Advanced Warfare intel. Sledgehammer Games tucked 45 of these things away across 15 missions, and honestly, unless you’re looking for them, you’re going to miss about 80% of them on your first run.
Why bother? Aside from the "Greatest Hits" achievement or trophy, grabbing these laptops actually does something for your character. Each three-pack of intel you find earns you an Upgrade Point. You need those. If you want to max out your Exo suit—making your battery last longer or your reload speed snappier—you have to hunt these down. It’s not just filler content; it’s a gameplay mechanic disguised as a collectible.
The Grind for Call of Duty Advanced Warfare Intel
Hunting for Call of Duty Advanced Warfare intel isn't like finding collectibles in a modern open-world game where there’s a big yellow marker on your map. These are old-school. They are laptops with a bluish glow, usually tucked into corners that the level design actively tries to pull you away from.
Take the first mission, Induction. You’re in the middle of a literal war zone in South Korea. The game wants you to follow your squad, but if you want that first piece of intel, you have to ignore the frantic screaming of your teammates. After you exit the first building and see the drones, you’ve got to duck into a small restaurant on the right. It’s sitting right there on the counter. If you follow the objective marker, you’ll never see it. That’s the pattern for the whole game. The developers reward you for being a bit of a contrarian.
Mission 2: Atlas and the Art of Distraction
In the Atlas mission, you’re basically on a corporate retreat from hell. The intel here is actually some of the easiest to find because the pace is slower.
- The first laptop is in the engineering lab. Look for the monitors near the back right.
- The second is in the lobby area after the shooting range sequence.
- The third is near the helipad.
Most people miss the third one because they’re too busy looking at the shiny futuristic VTOLs. Don't do that. Turn around. Look in the security booths. That’s where the goods are.
Why Most Players Give Up on the Search
It gets exhausting. By the time you reach missions like Bio Lab or Collapse, the level layouts become vertical and layered. Sledgehammer loved their double-jump mechanics, and they used them to hide intel on balconies and rooftops that don't look accessible.
Basically, if you see a room that has no tactical purpose—no enemies, no ammo crates—there’s a 90% chance a laptop is in there. It’s a classic developer trope. They built the asset, so they want you to look at it.
In the mission "Manhunt," there’s a specific piece of Call of Duty Advanced Warfare intel that drives people crazy. It’s in the section where you’re using the synchronized sniper shots. You’d think it’s outside, but it’s actually tucked away in a tiny side room inside the first building you breach. You have to check behind the bed. Why is there a laptop behind a bed? Who knows. But it’s there.
The Frustration of Mission 13: Throttle
Throttle is a nightmare for collectors. You’re in an Atlas fighter jet for part of it, and then you’re on the ground in a high-intensity firefight. The intel here is located in structures that look identical to every other structure.
- Intel 1: Inside the first building on the left after you land.
- Intel 2: On a bench in the middle of the courtyard.
- Intel 3: In the final tower before the mission ends.
If you miss one, you have to restart the whole mission or hit a checkpoint, which is a massive pain because the intro cinematic is unskippable in certain versions of the game.
Technical Glitches and Tracking
Sometimes the game just doesn't count them. It’s rare, but it happens. I’ve seen players pick up the laptop, get the "Intel Collected" notification, and then die before the next checkpoint. If that happens, you have to go back and get it again. The game saves the stat but sometimes the save state of the level reverts. Always finish the encounter before quitting to the main menu.
You can check your progress in the Mission Select screen. It’ll show you a "0/3" or "3/3" under each mission title. If you're sitting at 44/45, check the mission "Armada." That’s usually the culprit. There’s a piece of intel on the ship that looks like part of the background machinery because of the lighting.
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Practical Steps for Your Completionist Run
If you are going for the 100% completion, don't do it on Veteran. That is a recipe for a broken controller. Play on Recruit. You want to be able to stand in the middle of a room, soaking up bullets while you scan the desks for a blue glow.
Step 1: Focus on the "Exo Upgrade" screen. Before you start hunting, look at what you actually need. If you've already maxed out your health and battery, the intel is purely for the achievement. If you're struggling with the campaign, prioritizing missions with easy intel (like Atlas or Traffic) will get you those upgrade points faster.
Step 2: Use the "Exo Ping" wisely. While the Exo Ping is mostly for highlighting enemies, it can sometimes help you orient yourself in dark rooms where a laptop might be hiding. It doesn't highlight the laptop itself, but it clears up the visual clutter so the blue screen stands out.
Step 3: Check the corners of every "Breach" room. Whenever the game slows down for a slow-motion breach sequence, there is almost always a piece of intel in the room you just entered or the very next hallway. The developers used these moments to reset the pace, giving you a second to look around.
Step 4: Don't forget the mission "Captured." This is the one where you don't have an Exo suit for a while. It’s tempting to rush through because you feel vulnerable. Don't. The intel in the prison area is tucked into the side cells. You have to walk into each one manually.
Finding all the Call of Duty Advanced Warfare intel isn't about skill. It's about patience and a willingness to ignore Kevin Spacey's orders to "Move up!" while you poke around in a virtual trash can for a computer. Once you get that 45th piece, you’re done. The points are yours, the trophy pops, and you never have to look at a glowing blue laptop again.
To finish this out, go straight to your Mission Select menu right now. Identify which missions are showing 1/3 or 2/3. Load them on the lowest difficulty. Don't fire a shot unless you have to. Just run to the specific locations mentioned—especially in missions like Induction and Bio Lab—and grab what you missed. The Upgrade Points will apply instantly to your profile, making your next Veteran run significantly less painful.