Missions are collections of waypoints that you must visit and perform certain actions. Missions are created by agents who are level 7 or higher, and completing one awards you a custom (untiered) medal. Completing missions helps you earn the SpecOps medal.
Every mission has a starting portal, which is the first portal in the list. (Even missions whose objectives can be completed in any order have a starting portal.) These portals have a button at the upper-left of their detail views that you can tap to see all missions that start at that portal. For more missions near your location, select the “Missions” button in the ops menu. Each mission entry shows an image representing that mission, the mission’s name, the distance to the start portal, and (if available) the average completion time and agent rating. If you have completed the mission, its card in the list will be dark. You can also filter the mission list to show only uncompleted missions or missions offered by the NIA.
Tap a mission to view additional details about it, including the creator’s name, number of agents that have completed it, a description, a waypoint list (with required actions), and an indicator of whether you must visit them in order or not. You can also tap the “Map” button to see a map showing all waypoints.
If the mission isn’t already in progress, a “Start” button is displayed (or “Replay” if you’ve previously completed it); tap it to begin playing this mission. You can only have one mission in progress at a time; if another mission is in progress, the “Start/Replay” button will be disabled. If the mission is already in progress, the button changes to “Abort;” tap it to cancel the mission and lose any progress you’ve made on it. If you don’t want to lose your progress, you can mark the checkbox labeled “Hide Mission Prompts.” The mission will remain active, but the objectives will no longer appear on your scanner screen. When you’re ready to resume the mission, return to the mission screen and clear the checkbox.
All missions have at least four waypoints, which may be presented in one of three ways:
- All waypoints are revealed from the start and can be visited in any order.
- All waypoints are revealed from the start, but must be visited in sequence.
- Waypoints must be visited in sequence, but each one is hidden until you get close to it. Clues are provided to help you find them, but these may require local knowledge and may not be suitable for non-residents.
The actions that missions may require you to perform at these waypoints are:
- Hack this portal (Note: Drone hacks don’t count.)
- Install a mod on this portal
- Capture or upgrade this portal (“upgrade” here means deploying or upgrading a resonator, or installing a mod)
- Create link from this portal
- Create field attached to this portal
- Enter a passphrase while in range of this portal (clues provided by the mission)
While a mission is in progress (and hasn’t been hidden), the scanner screen will display indicators showing the direction and distance to the next waypoint. (If waypoints can be visited in any order, it may show two of them.) If the waypoints must be visited in order, the action to be performed at the next waypoint will be displayed at the upper-right of the scanner screen; tap the icon next to this action to return to the mission screen.
After you have visited all the waypoints and performed all the required actions, the mission will be complete. If this is the first time you have completed the mission, you’ll also get the custom medal corresponding to the mission. You will also increase your “Unique Missions Completed” agent statistic, which advances you towards the SpecOps medal. Whether your complete or abort a mission, you’ll have a chance to rate it. If there’s a problem with the mission, reach out to the author on comm and let them know; most agents appreciate constructive feedback.
Defunct Waypoints
Sometimes a waypoint may be removed from Ingress after a mission is created. These waypoints remain part of the mission, but will be auto-completed when they are encountered. There are two types of removed waypoints:
- Portals which have been removed from the portal network
- Waypoints from Niantic’s defunct Field Trip app
Getting Stuck
Note that there are certain temporary conditions that may prevent you from being able to complete certain actions in a mission. If you’re going to be attempting a mission, it’s best to make sure you don’t interact with portals in ways that will prevent you from completing the mission. But should you find yourself in that situation, there are some measures you can take to resolve it. Below is a list of these blocking conditions and what you can do about them (assuming you have the needed items in your inventory):
Cannot hack due to cooldown or burnout
If you’re willing to wait, you can hack again once the timer expires. Otherwise, your only option is to install a heat sink. If there are no open mod slots or you already own two mods on the portal, you won’t be able to do this unless you flip, neutralize and re-capture the portal.
Cannot install a mod
If the portal is aligned with the enemy, you can just neutralize and capture it or use a flip card (if it has no more than one mod already), then install the mod. If the portal is friendly but all the mod slots are full or you already own two mods on it, your only option is to use a flip card, then neutralize and re-capture so that you can install the mod.
Cannot capture or upgrade portal
This will occur if the portal is friendly, all its resonator slots are occupied with resonators you can’t upgrade, and either all mod slots are full or you already own two mods on the portal. As above, your only choice here is to use a flip card, then neutralize and capture the portal.
Cannot create a link or control field from portal
There are several scenarios where this may occur:
- The portal is aligned with the enemy faction: Easy solution: capture it!
- Remote portals are obstructed by links: You’ll have to drop the links by attacking anchor portal(s). If the field or links are friendly, you’ll need to use flip cards.
- Remote portal candidates are out of range: Upgrade the portal or install link amps.
- The origin portal already has the maximum number of outgoing links: Use a SoftBank Ultra Link. If you don’t have one, or can’t install it because all mod slots are full or you already have two mods on the portal, you will have to flip, neutralize and re-capture it to clear the links.
- An overhead control field prevents linking: Remember that links that are less than 500 meters long can still be made under a control field. If there aren’t any viable portals within that range, you will have to take the field down first (which will require a flip card if the field is friendly).