Hello there, and welcome to the next installment in our Countdown to November 9th. Today, we’re bringing you a quick guide on Killstreak Rewards. This is an editorial, written by our very own Graphics Designer, Brushfire. Brushfire touches on some of the finer details of Black Ops’ Killstreak Rewards and provides some great insight as to their effective use. Check out Brushfires full editorial below. Welcome to the next edition of the Countdown to Call of Duty: Black Ops. This article will detail some of the new killstreaks in Call of Duty: Black Ops and how exactly they can be used to benefit your game. A quick little run-down on the killstreaks on the game first: * Killstreaks will not add towards your killstreak * Killstreak will stack * Customized killstreaks will return from Modern Warfare 2 * Drivable vehicles will return in the form of some killstreaks This information seems pretty basic, but it’s notable enough to include. So, without further ado, 11 Killstreaks and how they can help you! RC-XD (3 killstreak): Many of you may be thinking “how exactly is this little toy car going to help me get kills?”, and I’ll be honest, I’m thinking the same thing. Some people view this as overpowered, some people view it as underpowered. Personally, I believe it to be the latter due to it’s difficult controlling and time limit. However, that doesn’t mean it can’t be used very effectively, especially in certain game types such as Headquarters. You can easily drive this nifty little car straight to the Headquarters for a possible 4-5 kills! Of course, that’s hardly a guarantee but certainly possible. SAM Turret (4 killstreak): I honestly think that this will be one of the most unused and undermined killstreaks in the game, but it really shouldn’t be like that. In the past, if the enemy has had a strong killstreak reward out (Attack Helicopter, Harrier Strike, Chopper Gunner, AC-130) you’ve had to switch to a “Launcher class” and take it out. Well, that should no longer be the case! Simply run SAM Turret, and it’s only a 4 killstreak and it’ll take out almost any killstreak for you. It can take it everything in the air but the Blackbird, which can’t be shot down. Enemy Chopper Gunner on the way? Use your SAM Turret and it’ll shoot it down without a problem. In my honest opinion, a very useful killstreak. Care Package (5 killstreak): You might be thinking, “uh, yeah, this isn’t a new killstreak reward…” which is very true. However, there are a few changes to it. For starters, it is now a 5 killstreak rather than a 4 killstreak. Why? Well, we could sit here and debate on that all day but the main reason is probably the “special weapons” you can now obtain from it: namely the Grim Reaper and the Death Machine. The Death Machine looks like a beefed up version of an LMG, and could be a very deadly killstreak reward if used properly. As far as we know, as no evidence as suggested otherwise, you can obtain any of the killstreak rewards through the care package. Chopper Gunner or Attack Dogs from a 5 killstreak? Who’s going to complain about that? Not only that, but complete with the use of Hardline Pro (second chance for a Care Package reward) if you’re not satisfied with your Care Package you can try again for a better reward. Napalm Strike (5 kilstreak): This killstreak is very similar to the other 5 killstreaks in other games, such as the Airstrike in COD4, the Artillery Strike in World at War and the Precision Airstrke in MW2. However, while it is indeed very similar to them, it is not exactly the same. The Napalm Strike not only bombs the area but also sets it alight, meaning that even once the strike is complete you can still get kills through the fire burning people. Pretty useful. Mortar Team (6 killstreak): I believe that this is definitely one of the best new killstreaks that there is. Why? It’s quite similar to the Napalm Strike in a few ways, minus the fire, except that you select 3 different locations for the mortars to land. This killstreak is extremely useful in Domination, as you can select A, B and C as the three locations for the mortar team to land. “We are losing Charlie!”? Sure, you could quickly put a Napalm Strike on the location, or you could try and get the opportunity to win back B at the same time. Definitely a very useful killstreak, and hopefully it will be used as such. Valkyrie Rockets (7 killstreak): Another one of the controllable killstreaks. I see this as being quite similar to the RC-XD in terms of usefulness, but it’s better in a few ways. Namely, you have two tries instead of one. It’s a lot less unlikely that they’ll be destroyed on the way (RC-XD can be shot and explode before they reach you). They are airbourne, so there will be less trouble navigating. On the flip side, they become almost useless inside. They also have a larger explosion range. Again, like the RC-XD, they become very useful on tactical gamemodes like Headquarters as you can fire a rocket into the HQ and kill almost everyone capturing it. Blackbird (8 killstreak): Can easily be described as a “beefed up Spy Plane”. Not only does it show the location of the enemies, but also what direction they are headed in. A lot of people didn’t like UAV for that reason, as it only showed where they were- they could be running away from you or towards you and you wouldn’t have any idea until you got to them. Using the Blackbird allows you to have a distinct tactical advantage over the enemies. Not only that, but unlike the Spy Plane, it cannot be shot down by a Primary weapon, a Launcher or even the SAM Turret, so you’ll keep it out for as long as… well, however long it lasts. Rolling Thunder (8 killstreak): This carpet bomb airstrike is very similar to the Stealth Bomber in MW2. You select where to place it (the mini-map shows what direction the carpet strike will be going, too) and the Rolling Thunder comes in and bombs that area in a line. I can see this being useful on open-spaced, large maps with no buildings, as you could carpet bomb an area where the enemy may be and you’re bound to get someone. You’d use this killstreak very similarly to the Stealth Bomber in MW2, which is why I see it as being quite underused. Chopper Gunner (9 killstreak): So, the Chopper Gunner is now a 9 killstreak rather than an 11 killstreak? Whoa! Well, for starters, due to the whole “killstreaks don’t add towards your killstreak” thing you’re quite unlikely to be seeing much of this anyway (which is actually more reasons for you to use that Care Package!). This killstreak may have been watered down, but it’s still quite deadly. You’re on a mounted turret inside a helicopter, meaning no infrared. Though really, this makes it quite a bit easier, as it’s much easier to see people. From the gameplay that I’ve seen of it, it’s still quite similar to the old killstreak but with more recoil. Should still be quite easy to obtain kills with on open-spaced maps. Attack Dogs (11 killstreak): We send the dogs to do our work! Many of you may have been wondering why they are now an 11 killstreak as opposed to 7… as Josh Olin pointed out, they now have “sharper teeth”. Meaning, they are now a one-bite-kill rather than two. This makes them A LOT more deadly, as many people had trouble killing them back when they were a two-bite-kill. They are said to be very similar to the World at War dogs in every aspect other than that, so be prepared! Attack Dogs are useful to use over the Gunship as you can still run around and obtain kills while your dogs are out also getting you kills, so you aren’t as likely to be killed while trying to hide when activating the Gunship. Gunship (11 killstreak): And finally, the Gunship! This is probably one of the most anticipated killstreak rewards, and it seems to be very similar, if not exactly the same, to the Hind Helicopter gameplay we saw in the Single Player reveal at E3. You can use both the rockets and the machine gun, similar to the AC-130 in MW2. However, this seems to be even more powerful than that as it doesn’t appear to have any cooldown time, nor does it use infrared. Although, you’re still very unlikely to see much of it because of the whole killstreaks don’t add towards your killstreak thing, but if by any mixture of luck and skill you do obtain this killstreak, it seems to be very powerful. It is useful to use over dogs as dogs can be [fairly] easily killed by multiple people, whereas the Gunship is in the air and there’s only one of them. You’re more likely to kill someone trying to shoot you down than your dog is. Whichever one you pick mainly becomes out of preference because of this, as they both have their ups and downs! Well, that’s it! That’s simply my opinion on what some of the new killstreaks can provide you with, and that may differ to many other people’s, and we’ll only know for sure how exactly useful they can be on November 9th. Why don’t you share your opinion on the community forum? Hopefully we’ll see you over there! Ciao!
