Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War made some changes to how scorestreaks are earned and the points gained from killstreaks within the game. In previous titles, kills have been the primary source of points towards the various streaks found in each game. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's developers decided to take a different angle in regards to how players can earn a streak.
In short, the system is based on points earned for completing objectives and gaining kills. While individual kills are not worth much in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, several kills in succession have a different effect and are referred to as killstreaks. These killstreaks are a powerhouse for point generation, but only in the hands of players who know how to use them.
It was revealed rather early that Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War's leaks that the scorestreak and killstreak system would be changing. Up until the actual release of the game, it was unknown exactly what that meant, but now fans have a clear answer. The new Scorestreak system earns points that do not reset at death. To keep it interesting and rewarding, players earn points through both objectives and the original Killstreak system, creating a unique blend of concepts. Players can earn the standard points per kill but they gain additional points for each consecutive elimination with a bonus on every fifth kill.
This is a unique and new system, so for many Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War fans, it can become confusing. Although players can earn score points for objectives, the number lacks when compared to the points earned through Killstreaks.
The simplest way of understanding how the points play out is to remember the standard 50 per kill with a bonus on the fifth kill. This means that players can earn a majority of their Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War streaks by getting 10 kills in a single life.
Things escalate when a player hits the 10th kill, as the points per kill grow exponentially. Each kill becomes 500 points per kill rather than the standard 50, and will boost players' ability to earn high-end Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War scorestreaks.
Any kills above 20 go towards the ultimate in bragging rights, as 30 kills is all it takes to gain a Nuclear medal. This medal is one of the secret Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Dark Ops challenges, and earns the player a massive 3000 point boost on top of all points earned thus far.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.