Abigail "Misty" Briarton is a weird case in Call of Duty history. If you played Misty Black Ops 2 back in 2012, you probably remember her as the loud, hat-wearing survivor in the Green Run crew. She was polarizing. Some people loved the change of pace from the original "Ultimis" crew, while others found her constant chatter about her "farm girl" roots a bit grating. But honestly, looking back now, she’s one of the most mechanically and narratively significant characters Treyarch ever put in a Zombies map.
She wasn't just a skin. She represented a massive shift in how Activision approached the Zombies mode.
Before the Victis crew—that’s Misty, Marlton, Stuhlinger, and Russman—we were used to the legendary banter of Dempsey, Nikolai, Takeo, and Richtofen. Moving to a group of "average" survivors in a post-apocalyptic wasteland felt risky. Misty was the anchor of that team. She was the muscle. While Marlton was busy whining about dust or physics, Misty was the one actually punching zombies in the face with the Galvaknuckles.
The Reality of Misty in the Victis Arc
Misty’s story isn't just about killing the undead. It's actually kind of tragic if you dig into the radio logs and the comic books that came out later. She grew up on a farm—hence the flannel and the attitude—and watched her parents get torn apart by zombies. That’s why she has such a chip on her shoulder. She’s overcompensating.
The Misty Black Ops 2 experience started with Tranzit. Let’s be real: Tranzit was a mess. The fog, the Denizens, the bus that always left right when you needed it. But Misty was the character everyone fought over in the lobby. Why? Because she felt the most "human" in a world that had literally been blown up by Moon’s ending.
Why she was more than just fan service
There’s a lot of talk about her character design, and yeah, it was clearly aimed at a certain demographic of teenage boys in 2012. But if you look at her gameplay quotes, she’s actually the most competent member of the team. She has a weird, almost parasitic relationship with Marlton Johnson. She protects him, even though he's an elitist nerd. It’s a classic trope, but it worked to give the Victis crew some actual personality.
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In Die Rise and Buried, her role expanded. We started seeing her get manipulated by Richtofen and Maxis just like the original crew. She wasn't some hero saving the world; she was a survivor just trying to find a meal and a place that didn't smell like rotting flesh. That grounded perspective is something modern Zombies games often miss. Nowadays, everyone is a super-soldier or a god-slayer. Misty was just a girl with a knife and a bad attitude.
Mastering the Misty Gameplay Style
Playing as Misty in Black Ops 2 actually changes how you approach certain maps, especially if you’re a completionist. In Buried, she has specific interactions that make the "minding the store" vibe of that map feel right.
If you want to play her "canonically," you’ve basically got to be the aggressive point-man. You’re the one buying the Remington 870 MCS off the wall in the bus. You're the one leading the pack through the cornfields in Tranzit to find the Nacht der Untoten easter egg.
- Weapon Choice: Misty is a shotgun and melee specialist. Stick to the M1216 or the Remington.
- The Galvaknuckles: These are her signature. Save up 6000 points early. It’s a one-hit kill until round 14.
- The Hat: Fun fact, her hat is actually a reference to her father. She wears it as a memento, which is why she gets so defensive if you look at her too closely.
People forget how hard Black Ops 2 Zombies was compared to the "hand-holding" we see in newer titles. There were no miracle elixirs or constant armor refills. If you went down in the fog as Misty, you were probably done. That tension created a bond between the players and these characters that just doesn't happen anymore.
The Controversy and the Redesign
You can't talk about Misty without talking about Black Ops 4. When she finally returned in the Blood of the Dead intro and later as a playable character in Blackout, her look had changed. People went ballistic.
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The developers toned down her original 2012 look for a more "realistic" tactical outfit. Some fans claimed it ruined her character, while others argued it made more sense for a hardened survivor. Honestly? It didn't matter that much because her voice lines—delivered by the talented Stephanie Lemelin—remained as sharp as ever.
But the Misty Black Ops 2 version remains the definitive one for the community. She represents an era of experimentation. Treyarch was trying to see if Zombies could survive without the "Fab Four." While the Victis crew was initially hated, they eventually became so beloved that fans demanded their story be finished in the Tag der Toten map years later.
Hidden Details You Probably Missed
Did you know Misty has a specific fear of enclosed spaces? It’s called claustrophobia, and you can hear it in her voice lines when she's in the tunnels of Tranzit or the cramped hallways of Die Rise. It’s a subtle bit of character writing that makes her feel less like a 3D model and more like a person.
Another thing: her relationship with Samuel Stuhlinger. She absolutely hates him. She can tell he’s hiding something (which we know is the fact that he can hear Richtofen’s voice because he ate zombie meat). The way she shuts him down in the middle of a round is some of the best writing in the game. It’s not "plot," it’s just flavor. And flavor is what made Black Ops 2 the peak of the franchise for many.
How to Experience Misty Today
If you’re looking to revisit this era, don't just jump into a random public match. The servers are... well, they're old. Hackers are a thing. If you're on PC, you really should be using the Plutonium T6 mod.
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Plutonium is basically a fan-made client that fixes the security flaws in the original game and adds dedicated servers. It’s the only way to play Misty Black Ops 2 maps without worrying about someone resetting your stats or crashing your PC. Plus, it has a FOV slider. Playing Tranzit at 110 FOV makes the map feel entirely different.
- Download the Plutonium Launcher. It's free if you own the game on Steam.
- Join a Victis-only server. There are plenty of communities that run 24/7 Buried or Die Rise rotations.
- Use a controller. Black Ops 2 was designed for that "aim assist" snap on zombies' heads. It just feels right.
Final Practical Steps for Fans
If you actually want to master the lore and the gameplay associated with Misty, you need to stop treating her as just a character skin.
- Read the Call of Duty: Zombies Comics: Published by Dark Horse, these fill in the massive gap between Buried and Blood of the Dead. It explains how Misty and the crew survived in the frozen pods.
- Listen to the Chronorium: There are YouTube channels that have compiled every single one of her voice lines. If you listen to them in order, you see her transition from a scared girl to a cynical warrior.
- Solo Runs: Try a "Misty Challenge" on Buried. No bank, no lockers, just the chalk drawings and the Remington. It brings back that 2012 grit.
Misty isn't coming back to the main CoD storyline anytime soon. The "Dark Aether" era has moved on to new characters and different stakes. But for those of us who spent Friday nights in 2013 trying to build the Jet Gun while screaming at our friends to get back on the bus, she’ll always be the face of the apocalypse. She was tough, she was loud, and she was exactly what Black Ops 2 needed to bridge the gap between the old world and the new.
To get the most out of your next session, focus on the voice cues. Misty often calls out when power-ups are about to blink out, and her specific lines about the "Avogadro" in Tranzit actually give you hints on how to dodge his electrical attacks. Pay attention, and you'll survive a lot longer.
The best way to respect the legacy of the character is to actually learn the maps she was built for. Go back to Die Rise. Learn the elevator cycles. Master the Sliquifier. That’s where the real game is.