How Call of Duty killstreaks have changed
Call of Duty has definitely become one of the best FPS shooters of the generation with all sorts of features that each developer has added new features to raise the bar on what Call of Duty can do every year.
One of the most notable features of Call of Duty has been the killstreak systems for the games. So, how has the killstreak system changed in Call of Duty throughout the years? Let’s take a look
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Call of Duty 4 had the simplest implementation of killstreaks out of any Call of Duty game. Infinity Ward brought the simple 3-5-7 streak, which made CoD 4 feel like an overall balanced game.
The 3 kill streak was the UAV – a now common streak throughout Call of Duty. The 5 kill streak was an airstrike, and finally the 7 kill streak was a chopper.
This system evened the playing field for every players, and it allowed for a balanced experience as no one can have anything different than you.
Call of Duty: World at War
With World at War Treyarch continued the same 3-5-7 format, however, they changed what #5 and #7 were.
The 3 kill streak was called ‘Recon Plane’, which is identical to the UAV. The 5 kill streak was the Artillery, which was an airstrike that can target 8 different, player chosen, locations on the map. Finally, the 7 streak was the Dogs. This was the first Call of Duty game to add dogs as a streak that can be used in MP. This streak became a deadly advantage as the dogs really helped rack up kills for the team.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Infinity Ward went above and beyond with killstreak system in Modern Warfare 2. They added the ability for players to chose what three streaks they want to have. The game offered a 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 15, and a 25 killstreak. Out of those, you can have 3 enabled at one time.
This really changed the playing field for Call of Duty as fans had never experienced such choices when playing Call of Duty. Everyone’s main goal was to go for that 25, tactical nuke, streak which would end the game and result in the win for your team regardless of the game score. Tons of new strategies emerged as players tried to see the best way to get such streaks. Many fans, however, complained that the streaks were over done and the game lost it’s core Call of Duty experience.
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Treyarch took the same path Infinity Ward did with MW2 and added chose-able killstreaks. The game offered a 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 streak options. Treyarch added never before seen streaks like the Blackbird, which showed enemy’s precise locations on the map, and other streaks including dogs, a controllable RC-XD car, and new rocket options.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
Infinity Ward took a whole new twist on streak system in MW3 and included the new ‘Strike Packages.’ There was the Assault Package, which was similar to previous games giving you the classic chopper gunners, missiles, and more. The second package was the Support Package, which introduced support-like streaks that help your team. The Support strike never reset itself, so if you died your streak still continued. The final package was the Specialist Package. This new package offered perks instead of a streak for specific point intervals you gained. It made it so that you could actually be a player (reaching 8+ kills) and have every perk enabled at one time. However, if you die, the streak resets. In the game, every action – killing a person, capturing the flag, planting the bomb, etc – would gain you one point.
Call of Duty: Black Ops II
Treyarch revamped the streak system entirely in Black Ops 2 and introduced the new ‘Scorestreak System.’ This system was different in that you had to gain a certain score in order to get a specific kill streak. Each streak had a minimum amount of score required to unlock. In game, getting kills gains you 50 points, and other objective things gains you points dependent upon its intensity.
What do you think Infinity Ward should do with Call of Duty: Ghosts and streaks? Which Call of Duty game had your favorite streaks?
