Killstreaks and Deathstreaks

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer Guide

Killstreaks and Deathstreaks

You can activate three unlocked rewards at a time.

Replacing COD4’s UAV for 3 kills, air strike for 5 kills, and Chopper for 7 kills, MW2 has many more choices of offensive and defensive options, gradually unlocked as a player’s rank increases. Players may then select any combination of three unlocked rewards to earn in game, from the UAV at 3 kills all the way to a Tactical Nuke at 25 kills without a death.

Use in-game elements such as UAVs and Killstreaks to thrive. Map: Invasion.

To manage your Killstreak rewards, select Killstreak in the lobby. Any unlocked rewards can be selected in groups of up to three. This is also the way to deselect all rewards if you decide to try for the Behind Enemy Lines title and 8-bit Price emblem by getting a 10-Killstreak with no rewards active. Killstreak unlocks are awarded from time to time as you rank up, and by level 70 you can unlock all 15 rewards.

Some Killstreak rewards count toward increasing your Killstreak, and some add to your kill total on the scoreboard but don’t count toward continuing your Killstreak. If you pull out a laptop in game and control the reward, such as with a Predator or Apache, any kills you get count toward your streak. But rewards that are controlled by the AI, such as the Pave Low, can help your team win the match even though they don’t count toward your Killstreak and earning the next reward.

The Killstreak rewards have special relationships with several perks. Danger Close Pro increases damage from air attacks. Hardline decreases the number of kills required to claim a chosen reward by 1. Many of the rewards are attacks from the air, and the Cold-Blooded perk makes a player invisible to UAVs, invisible to AI-controlled air attacks and Sentry Guns, and removes the red square highlight around enemies when a player is controlling an Apache, AC130 or Predator. So destroying enemy rewards (shooting down enemy UAVs, helicopters, Harriers, destroying Sentry Guns, etc.) for a total of 40 enemy rewards destroyed upgrades the Cold-Blooded perk to Pro if a player has Cold-Blooded in use when destroying enemy Killstreak rewards.

Once thrown, a red flare shows the Care Package or Emergency Airdrop where to leave their crates.

Most rewards arrive in the form of airdrops to be summoned by the player when and where desired. Choosing the location and timing to place the red flare that summons the reward is critical. The other team is notified of an incoming enemy package and will see the location of the crate if their HUD is not jammed, so air drops often bring enemy players to the drop location; they know someone will be there to claim the crate and will be looking for an easy kill or to steal the crate for themselves, or both. So be careful when and where you drop the flare. Also be careful where you stand while waiting for your crate: it can kill you if it hits you. The crate can be claimed by anyone, even the enemy, although the player who summoned the crate can claim it in a much shorter time. It takes teammates or opponents much longer to claim a crate for themselves, but this doesn’t stop ‘teammates’ from trying to steal crates from you.

Deathstreak rewards are consolation prizes for instances when you just can’t get a kill, and are selected by class as if they were a perk. The first two, Painkiller and Copycat, are unlocked at Level 4 with Create-a-class. Martyrdom unlocks at Level 27 and Final Stand at 39. Painkiller will activate after 3 consecutive deaths, and the others will activate after 4 consecutive deaths. Note that if you activate a Deathstreak reward but get a kill before you die again, the reward is cancelled, so if, after four deaths you see the Final Stand icon but they get a normal kill, you do not go into Final Stand next time you die. Descriptions of the Deathstreak rewards follow the Killstreak rewards.