The Ultimate Guide to Call of Duty Black Ops II Killstreaks & Scorestreaks

Welcome back to the golden era of multiplayer shooters. If you want to dominate the lobby, understanding Call of Duty Black Ops II killstreaks is absolutely essential to your success. While veteran players often still refer to them as Call of Duty Black Ops II killstreaks out of habit, this iconic title actually revolutionized the franchise by introducing the "Scorestreak" system.

Instead of relying solely on consecutive weapon kills, this system rewards players for playing the objective, assisting teammates, and securing the map. Whether you are calling in a basic UAV or unleashing a devastating Swarm, mastering these rewards can turn a losing match into a decisive victory. In this comprehensive guide, we will break down every single reward, their point values, and the best tactical combinations to help you top the leaderboard.

How the Scorestreak System Changed the Game

In previous titles, players earned rewards strictly through uninterrupted kills. Black Ops 2 flipped the script. By transitioning to Scorestreaks, developers encouraged a more team-oriented multiplayer experience. You earn points by getting kills, but you also rack up massive scores by capturing flags, confirming kills in Kill Confirmed, or destroying enemy equipment.

For instance, a standard kill grants you 100 points. However, capturing an enemy flag in Domination nets you a massive 200 points. You even earn passive points when teammates secure kills while your UAV is active.

Players can equip a maximum of three Scorestreak rewards at once. While your progress resets to zero upon death, equipped rewards can be earned multiple times in a single life. Just remember to use them before your point cycle loops, or the earned reward will be overwritten and wasted.

Point Value Comparison

To understand how quickly you can earn your Call of Duty Black Ops II killstreaks, take a look at how different actions stack up in standard game modes:

Low-Tier Scorestreaks (350 – 700 Points)

Low-tier rewards are the bread and butter of any multiplayer match. They are easy to earn, provide excellent team support, and help you chain points together to reach higher-tier rewards.

• UAV (350 Points): The ultimate support tool. It shows enemies as red dots on the mini-map for 30 seconds. Keep in mind that enemies can easily shoot it down with a launcher.
• RC-XD (450 Points): A remote-controlled car packed with explosives. It’s perfect for flushing out campers, though enemies can destroy it with gunfire before it detonates.
• Hunter Killer (525 Points): A tossable drone that flies into the air and automatically seeks out the nearest enemy player or vehicle.
• Care Package (550 Points): Drops a crate containing a random scorestreak. While it can grant you a high-tier reward early, beware—the enemy team can hack or steal it.
• Counter-UAV (600 Points): Scrambles the enemy team's radar for 30 seconds, blinding their map awareness.
• Guardian (650 Points): Deploys a microwave dish that projects a field of heat. It slows enemies down, blurs their vision, and damages them over time. Excellent for locking down choke points.
• Hellstorm Missile (700 Points): A remote-controlled missile that you guide to the ground. You can scatter it into a devastating cluster bomb mid-air to wipe out multiple targets.

Low-Tier Quick Reference

Mid-Tier Scorestreaks (750 – 1250 Points)

Once you master the basics, mid-tier Call of Duty Black Ops II killstreaks offer serious lethal potential. These rewards require a solid mix of kills and objective play to achieve.

• Lightning Strike (750 Points): Allows you to select three locations on the map for a rapid, coordinated mortar strike. It is incredibly effective for clearing out Domination flags.
• Sentry Gun (800 Points): An automated turret that shreds enemies in its line of sight. Unlike older games, you can take remote control of it at any time.
• Death Machine (850 Points): Equips a devastating minigun. Uniquely, it persists through death until you run out of ammo, allowing you to reactivate it when you respawn.
• War Machine (900 Points): A semi-automatic grenade launcher with a 6-round capacity. Like the Death Machine, it lasts until the ammo is depleted.
• Dragonfire (975 Points): A remote-controlled quadrotor drone armed with a machine gun. It is highly agile but lightly armored.
• AGR (1000 Points): The Autonomous Ground Robot is air-dropped in and hunts enemies on its own, utilizing a machine gun and rocket launcher. You can also manually pilot it.
• Stealth Chopper (1100 Points): An attack helicopter that does not appear on the enemy's mini-map, making it harder for them to track and destroy.
• Orbital VSAT (1200 Points): Arguably the best streak in the game. It shows enemy positions and the direction they are facing in real-time. Best of all, it cannot be shot down.
• Escort Drone (1250 Points): A personal aerial bodyguard that follows you around the map, providing covering fire and eliminating nearby threats.

Mid-Tier Lethality Breakdown

High-Tier Scorestreaks (1300 – 1900 Points)

Reaching the high-tier Call of Duty Black Ops II killstreaks is a badge of honor. These are game-ending rewards that will make the enemy team want to rage-quit.

• EMP Systems (1300 Points): Instantly destroys all active enemy electronics and disables their HUD. It also prevents them from calling in their own scorestreaks for a significant duration.
• Warthog (1400 Points): Calls in a massive A-10 Thunderbolt that performs multiple strafing runs across the map, raining down explosive fire.
• Lodestar (1500 Points): Puts you in the gunner seat of a high-altitude aircraft, allowing you to manually guide a barrage of explosive missiles to the ground.
• VTOL Warship (1600 Points): Makes you the gunner of a heavily armed hover-jet. You can rain down machine-gun fire and rockets, completely locking down enemy spawn points.
• K9 Unit (1700 Points): Unleashes a pack of vicious attack dogs that autonomously hunt down enemy players across the map. They are fast, lethal, and incredibly difficult to counter.
• Swarm (1900 Points): The ultimate flex. This calls in a massive fleet of Hunter Killer drones that continuously dive-bomb enemies for an extended period.

High-Tier Devastation

Best Scorestreak Combinations for Multiplayer

Based on extensive community reports and player experience, optimizing your three equipped slots is crucial. You shouldn't just pick the three most expensive streaks; you need a loadout that feeds into itself.

If you want to read more about the evolution of these mechanics across the series, you can explore the official Call of Duty franchise history to see how Treyarch's innovations shaped modern titles.

Here are the best setups depending on your playstyle:

Recommended Loadouts

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the difference between Call of Duty Black Ops II killstreaks and Scorestreaks? In older games, you only earned rewards by getting uninterrupted kills. In Black Ops 2, the system changed to Scorestreaks, meaning you earn points toward your rewards by getting kills, capturing objectives, and assisting teammates.

Do Call of Duty Black Ops II killstreaks reset when you die? Yes, your current point progress resets to zero upon death. However, any streak you have already earned and banked can still be called in after you respawn. Just be sure to use them before you earn them a second time, as they do not stack.

What is the best Scorestreak in the game? According to vast player experience, the Orbital VSAT (1200 points) is widely considered the best. It provides real-time directional radar for your entire team and cannot be shot down by enemy launchers.

Can I earn my streaks multiple times in one life? Yes! If you manage to cycle through all three of your equipped Call of Duty Black Ops II killstreaks without dying, your points will loop, allowing you to earn them all over again in the same life.