Prebrief

Learning how to be effective in Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare® III is an extensive but extremely fun journey. Once you’ve experienced a few matches and earned your way to Level 4 and have gained access to Custom Loadouts, it is now time to use this feature to its fullest. Custom Loadouts is the real core of what gives players the tools to play at their best. Follow this guide to learn how to use the tools made for Operators to utilize all of their skills.

Weapons and Multiplayer Loadouts

Intel Card — Loadouts I

Intel Card — Loadouts II

The Basics

A Loadout is what an Operator uses in Multiplayer and other online game modes. It normally includes:

-       Primary Weapon: Your main source of dealing damage.

-       Secondary Weapon: A backup armament or a utility tool.

-       Lethal Equipment: Limited-per-life items that harm enemies, usually in an explosive fashion.

-       Tactical Equipment: Limited-per-life and reusable items that range from intel-gathering sensors, instant healing, and disorientation devices.

-       Field Upgrade: Powerful utility items and abilities that normally run on a cooldown timer.

-       Vest: Utility bonus that gives you an edge, specific to the type of Vest you have equipped.

-       Gloves: Utility bonus that is focused on how your Operator uses their hands; this affects reload speed, ordnance distance, climbing speed, and so on.

-       Boots: Utility bonus that is focused on how your Operator maneuvers using their feet; this affects movement speed, Tac-Sprint duration, footstep sounds, and so on.

-       Gear: Miscellaneous utility bonuses that aren’t specific to any main type of bonus, giving you a vast variety of customization.

Intel Card — Loadout Idea: Running Exploder

At the beginning of your Modern Warfare III Multiplayer journey, you have access to preset Loadouts. These can be later inspiration for a custom multiplayer Loadout. If you’re a veteran player of the Call of Duty franchise, Vests, Gloves, Boots, and Gear may seem unfamiliar at first. In MWIII, Perks have been transformed into the Loadout features listed above.

As you dive deeper into the details of these Loadout features, you will find some familiar Perks; however, because of how Vests work in combination with Boots, Gloves, and Gear, there is a small shift that must be done when thinking about how to equip your Operator.

There may be a Perk that is key to your Loadout, and in MWIII there are several ways to activate that Perk. The amount of Lethal, Tactical, Boots, Gloves, and Gear slots that you have depends on which Vest you have equipped. This is how you can double up on having a Perk and why, if you have two items with the same Perk, the Vest will have a built-in consideration and will automatically replace the duplicated Perk with a different one.

For instance, if you have a Loadout with the Infantry Vest equipped but also have Running Sneakers equipped, you have now doubled up on the same Perk that “Increases Tac-Sprint duration and reduces refresh time.” In this case, the Infantry Vest will add the effects of Lightweight Boots instead of Running Sneakers, so you won’t accidently waste a slot. This is meant for situations where you need or want to make a change on the fly and may have forgotten to change or couldn’t change an item that may have a duplicate Perk.

You unlock the ability to edit a Custom Loadout in the Weapons menu by leveling up to Rank 4 (Private IV). As you level up through the Enlisted Ranks (1–55 normally), more weapons, Perks, Equipment, and Upgrades are unlocked.

Primary and Secondary Weapons

A Multiplayer Loadout is composed of two weapons. Usually, this is a Primary Weapon and a Secondary Weapon, although the Gunner Vest and Commando Vest allow you to have two Primaries on a Loadout.

As the name suggests, the Primary Weapon is usually the main method of dealing damage and often determines the role an Operator is best suited for in combat. A Secondary Weapon is useful for utility purposes — eliminating Killstreaks, one-shotting players with a swift blow, or something to quickly switch to when the Primary Weapon runs low or out of ammunition.

The following Intel Cards show how the weapon categories are broken up into Primary and Secondary Weapons. Each card details what each weapon is generally useful for.

Intel Card — Primary Weapons

Intel Card — Secondary Weapons

When in Doubt, Melee Out

While we can make a case for firing every weapon in the game, what if you are uncomfortably close to an enemy? Like if you suddenly find yourself right behind an enemy after going around a corner.

Weapon bash melee attacks and combat knife attacks: That’s where melee comes into play; that controller command or keybind allows you to bash the enemy with your weapon. If the enemy is within range of your Operator, a melee attack will deal significant damage to them and temporarily disorient them.

Normally, melee attacks are not one-hit knockouts; you may have to bash the enemy multiple times to bring them down.

However, this all depends on an enemy’s health and armor levels; if an opponent has standard health and no armor, then certain weapons, such as a Combat Knife, and weapon attachments such as a Breacher Device, can bring them down in one hit. But in modes where Operators have more health or Armor — for example, in Call of Duty: Warzone^TM Battle Royale — they will most likely need multiple hits to down them.

Despite these caveats, melee attack is the fastest way to deal damage at extreme close ranges, becoming an essential part of an Operator’s toolkit. It’s also the most silent way of dealing damage; hitting an enemy with a melee attack will not appear on the enemy’s minimap, making it a viable choice for when stealth is preferred.

Finishing Moves

Intel Card — Finishing Moves

Gunsmith

Intel Card — Gunsmith

Gunsmith in Modern Warfare III is an approachable, yet customizable weapon builder. Its goal is to make nearly every weapon in the game a true extension of your personal playstyle.

After accessing your weapon through the Custom Loadouts menu, you’ll be greeted with an interface that keeps you immersed as your Operator gets ready for the next mission. The Gunsmith shows the following around your chosen weapon.

Attachments

Using an Assault Rifle as an example, there are 10 different areas on the weapon you can augment up to five attachments from two different “pools” of augmentations:

Weapon Platform specific attachments: Only usable within a specific Weapon Platform:

·      Receiver

·      Barrel

·      Magazine

·      Stock

·      Rear Grip

·      Aftermarket Parts

Universal attachments: Can be used across all Weapon Platforms:

·      Muzzle

·      Underbarrel

·      Ammunition

·      Laser

·      Optic

Weapons can use a mix of Weapon Platform specific attachments and universal attachments. With the addition of Aftermarket Parts, the customization is wider than ever.

Intel Card — Loadout Idea: All Out Assault

Intel Card — MCW Attachment Setup

Modifications

This indicates how many of the five augmentations you’ve added. It’s up to you how many you add (up to the five allowed). Note that some weapons may have fewer or more than five attachment slots. Also note that you may need to level up your weapon before all attachments become available.

Weapon Stats

Intel Card — Weapon Stats

Weapon stats: A bar chart displays the following statistics, which are essential to evaluate when choosing your weapon:

·      Damage: The damage an enemy takes when hit by the weapon.

·      Fire Rate: How rapidly the weapon can shoot.

·      Range: How far the weapon can fire before accuracy and bullet velocity tails off.

·      Accuracy: How accurate the weapon is both when aimed from the hip and when aiming down sights.

·      Recoil Control: How much recoil the weapon has, as well as the maximum amount of hip-fire spread.

·      Mobility: How deftly you can move with your feet while holding the weapon.

·      Handling: How swiftly you can move with the weapon, including reloading and aiming down sights.

Preview: You can rotate, zoom, and pan around the weapon you’re customizing in Gunsmith to make sure you’re happy with the overall look.

Weapon Platforms and Attachment Streamlining

Weapon Platforms (also known as “Weapon Families”) are a collection of specific weapons that share a full pool of attachments. Weapon Platforms streamline progression and customization in an authentic way, allowing you to swap between multiple playstyles seamlessly on select weapons.

Although some Weapon Platforms still contain one weapon, more modern platforms like the MTZ can have multiple weapons. During your standard progression journey, you will unlock three receivers for the MTZ platform: the MTZ-556, MTZ-762, and the MTZ Interceptor.

In Modern Warfare III, each Gunsmith attachment is unlocked only once. Take the Assault Stock attachment, for instance. This attachment is available for both the AMR9 SMG (at Level 8) and the Riveter Shotgun (at Level 12). If your AMR9 is already progressed to 8+, the Assault Stock will be available on the Riveter immediately, and vice versa.

Speaking of attachments, these fall into two buckets when it comes to progression and customization: Weapon class–specific attachments and universal attachments.

Intel Card — Loadout Idea: Self-Sufficient Sniper

Weapon Class–Specific Attachments

Barrels, magazines, stocks, and rear grips are the attachments specifically designed to their weapon class and can be used on many platforms within the same class. Modern Warfare III is designed to encourage you to use the weapons you are most comfortable with to unlock the majority of attachments available. The attachments in the categories above were made for specific platforms, hence their names, but will fit on other weapons as specified in Gunsmith.

Universal Attachments

Muzzles, underbarrels, ammunition, lasers, and optics can be used across all weapons that are able to equip them. Once these attachments are unlocked as part of a Weapon Platform’s progression, you can use them across ANY weapon in the game.

Aftermarket Parts

Intel Card — Aftermarket Parts

Aftermarket Parts may sound a little confusing, so let’s take the following example to explain how they work:

Take the MCW Assault Rifle as seen in the image above. In its stock configuration, the weapon fires a .556 caliber round. However, with the addition of the Aftermarket Part you can unlock for the weapon, you can convert the MCW to fire 300BLK rounds instead.

Why is this a good idea?

The option of converting a weapon with an Aftermarket Part has the following advantages: You can swap one attachment to create essentially a different weapon, but with the same attachment setup.

For example, you can switch an Assault Rifle that is optimal at midrange accuracy and convert it to one with short-range prowess.

In the case of the MCW, you can use this weapon in virtually every mode in the game on any map and be an effective member of your team. With the addition of the Aftermarket Part Conversion Kit, you can turn your .556 MCW Assault Rifle into a more effective weapon at closer range. You can tell this is meant for a shorter range because it has a higher rate of fire, higher mobility and handling, and of course the increased damage at close range.

Aftermarket Parts offer additional advantages once you’ve created a weapon with such an attachment: Playing on one of Modern Warfare III’s smaller maps while attempting to complete challenges with the MCW, you no longer have switch to a different weapon or one you haven’t set up to be optimal to your playstyle, when attempting to be effective during a match.

This is the general rule of thumb on how to best utilize Aftermarket Parts. Like almost every feature of Gunsmith, there is usually a trade-off to using an attachment. This is the case for Aftermarket Parts as well. The difference between most attachments and Aftermarket Parts is that you can really transform a weapon’s usage to an incredible degree, rather than making minor adjustments; this makes Gunsmith an even more robust tool for customization.

The following Aftermarket Parts are available immediately at launch, and each one has a designated unlock challenge. These challenges can be expected to show up as Weekly Challenges and Armory Challenges.

JAK Raven Kit (MCW – AR)

Versatile and modular, this .300 conversion of the MCW can be adapted to hit hard in nearly every combat scenario. This Kit is unlockable in the first weekly challenge post-launch.

JAK Heretic Carbine Kit (MTZ-762 – BR)

This powerful, 7.62 AR was crafted to deliver exceptional damage with moderate recoil.

Broodmother .45 Kit (WSP-9 – SMG)

A high-damage conversion kit that rides the line between SMG and AR with hard-hitting .45 Auto rounds.

JAK Annihilator Bullpup Kit (Pulemyot 762 – LMG)

A modified, bullpup LMG that provides superior maneuverability while still delivering heavy and consistent fire.

XRK IP-V2 Conversion Barrel (COR-45 – Handgun)

This carbine conversion kit for the COR-45 allows for optics and underbarrel attachments. It also introduces binary fire which effectively doubles the fire rate.

JAK Ferocity Carbine Kit (Renetti – Handgun)

This heavy carbine kit converts the Renetti pistol into a compact and maneuverable SMG. Allows for optics, stocks, and underbarrel attachments.

Weapon Progression: The Progression screen shows exactly what attachments (or Aftermarket Parts if they are available) are unlocked, and when. Explore the Gunsmith menu to view and understand where you can unlock these “universal” attachments.

Customization and Progression — Camouflages, Stickers, and More

Want to spruce up a weapon beyond its base coat? In the
Customization menu, you can add some, or all, of the following
onto a weapon:

Charm: A small trinket that hangs off the weapon’s side.
Sticker: A design that can be attached to specific parts of a
weapon.
Reticle: When an Optic attachment is used, its “red dot” or
equivalent can be changed.
Camouflage: AKA Camos – this is a fresh coat of paint that
covers the weapon. Look for Camouflages to be unlocked via
progression and within the in-game Store.

Vests

Intel Card — Infantry Vest

Unlocked at Player Level 4, the same time as Custom Loadouts, the Infantry Vest is the ultimate well-rounded Vest good for any occasion. This Vest is a great start to gaining the knowledge needed to perfect your Loadouts. Equipped with one of each slot (Tactical, Lethal, Field Equipment, Gloves, Boots, and Gear), it is great for the beginning of your leveling journey, and it allows you to test out something from every part of a Loadout.

Intel Card — Engineer Vest

The Engineer Vest equips your Operator with all the proverbial tools you need to gather information and give it to your teammates. Being able to equip two uses of Tactical equipment items, such as the Shock Stick, allows you to spot enemy equipment, as well as neutralize it without having to second-guess yourself.

Intel Card — Gunner Vest

The Gunner Vest is a great for modes like Ground War and War purely because of the amount of ammunition one tends to spend in these modes. This Vest isn’t the greatest for running and gunning, but it is a good one for heavy gun spray players. Running Light Machine Guns and laying down cover fire for your teammates is extremely useful, and the Gunner Vest gives you the power to do this with good effect.

Intel Card — Demolition Vest

For players who enjoy throwing things, maybe even more than shooting enemies, the Demolition Vest is the vest for you. Not only do you get immediate access to two uses of your Lethal equipment, but the resupply Perk that you receive from this Vest is an incredible boon for keeping your opponents at bay. There are hard limits to how many placeable equipment items you can have on the map at once, but as soon as one is triggered or you don’t mind losing one, place another as soon as you want.

Intel Card — CCT Comms Vest

Teamwork is the key to victory in Call of Duty, and the CCT Comms Vest gives you a number of tools to help your squad. You do lose the ability to use Tactical or Lethal Equipment, but as long as you’re still getting eliminations, your team will be fed more information than they know what to do with. The ability to reveal enemy locations on the minimap even when a UAV is not active gives your team an advantage more often over the enemy team. Equipping Mission Control Comlink will give you the opportunity to constantly reveal enemies on the minimap.

Intel Card — Commando Vest

The Commando Vest is very well-rounded. Like the Infantry Vest, it does have one of each type of slot. However, outside of the Perks contained in the Vest, the difference is that you have the option to carry any combination of Primary and Secondary Weapons. This means you can equip, say, two secondaries or a Secondary in your first slot and a Primary in your second slot. This allows you to spawn and immediately run at incredible speeds to the zone or objective you plan to operate near before anyone else can. This is also useful for running a melee-only build while keeping your options open where melee may not be viable.

Equipment

Equipment refers to Lethal Equipment (limited-per-life items that harm enemies, usually in an explosive fashion) and Tactical Equipment (limited-per-life and reusable items that range from intel-gathering sensors, instant healing, and disorientation devices).

Intel Card — Loadout Idea: Tactical Sweeper

Intel Card — Striker Attachment Setup

Using Equipment Before Firing

Every engagement can be won before firing a single bullet — all it takes is using the rest of your Loadout, from equipment to Field Upgrades and more, to give an early advantage.

Some equipment, such as Frag Grenades and Throwing Knives from your Lethal Equipment, can deal lethal or near-lethal damage. Others, such as Stun and Flash Grenades from your Tactical Equipment, can disorient foes. And still others, such as the Inflatable Decoy Field Upgrade and Heartbeat Sensor or the Smoke Grenade equipment, can distract enemies, grant information, obscure vision, or have intangible benefits for an upcoming engagement.

Each Equipment and Field Upgrade has its utility; get comfortable with those utilities and make it a part of your engagement strategy just as much as that Primary and Secondary Weapon. The following section details the different pieces of equipment and their descriptions.

Tactical Equipment

Intel Card — Tactical Equipment

Tactical equipment is generally the equipment that gives you the most utility in helping you eliminate your enemies. Tactical equipment is mostly nonlethal, but there are certain items that if it catches a player at low health, it will finish the job. For example, the Scatter Mine does a small amount of damage per explosive, but enough to get an elimination if they’re already hurt. Throwable equipment also deals one point of damage, and one point of damage is not zero. Here are all the Tacticals available to you in Modern Warfare III:

Flash Grenade: Blinds and deafens targets.

Battle Rage: Experimental stimulant that gives you an adrenaline rush. Health regenerates quickly, Tactical equipment is resisted, and Tactical Sprint is constantly refreshed.

Scatter Mine: Throw a field of mines across a wide area that detonate when enemies come within range.

Smoke Grenade: Deploys a smoke screen that blocks vision and automated targeting systems.

Decoy Grenade: Counter-intel grenade that simulates gunfire, movement, and radar signatures to confuse the enemy.

Snapshot Grenade: Provides a momentary glimpse of enemies within the blast radius for your team or squad.

Stun Grenade: Slows victim’s movement and aiming.

Shock Stick: Electrical device that sticks to surfaces. Electrocutes enemies, destroys equipment, and causes vehicles to go haywire.

Stim: Military stimulant that promotes clotting to close wounds quickly and refreshes Tactical Sprint.

Tear Gas: Explodes on impact with the ground, releasing a lingering cloud of tear gas that causes slowed movement, blurred vision, and coughing.

EMD Grenade: Applies a tracking device to enemies hit, revealing them on your team’s minimap.

Lethal Equipment

Lethal Equipment is the category of equipment that packs the biggest punch. Lethals are exactly that — lethal. Just like Tactical Equipment, there is a large variety of options to choose from when picking a Lethal for each Loadout, all with different uses and flavors. Below is the full list of Lethal Equipment choices you can unlock in Modern Warfare III:

Intel Card — Lethal Equipment

Frag Grenade: Cookable fragmentation grenade.

Claymore: Proximity-activated explosive mine.

Throwing Knife: Retrievable throwing knife that is lethal on impact in Core MP.

Thermite: Explosive incendiary device that sticks to all surfaces.

Thermobaric Grenade: Creates a large explosion that stuns, leaves a fiery residue, and increases the lethality of explosives for a period of time.

Proximity Mine: Proximity-triggered explosive that launches in the air and deals heavy damage to the surrounding area.

Drill Charge: Charge with a thermal lance that can burrow into surfaces before exploding.

Semtex: Timed sticky grenade.

C4: Large explosive that sticks to surfaces and can be detonated remotely with the same button you used to deploy the C4 when it is deployed.

Throwing Star: A swift and deadly throwing star that inflicts a wounding effect on the target.

Breacher Drone: Explosive drone that explodes on proximity to an enemy or on impact.

Field Upgrade

Field Upgrades are powerful and rechargeable, but due to how useful it is, it does not recharge upon death. You will have to wait to recharge your Field Upgrade in real time after the beginning of a round or after you’ve used it. Listed below are all of the Field Upgrade options available in Modern Warfare III and their descriptions.

Intel Card — Field Upgrade

Heartbeat Sensor: A limited-use tablet that displays rough information about nearby enemies.

Inflatable Decoy: Portable, rapidly deployable ballistic cover.

Trophy System: Deployable autonomous defense system that destroys up to three nearby pieces of equipment and projectiles. Some larger targets may take multiple shots.

Munitions Box: Deploy a box of ammo and equipment for you and your teammates.

Tactical Camera: Remote-controlled camera that marks enemies. Press both the Tactical Equipment button and the Lethal Equipment button to throw it, and press them again to connect to it. When left on its own, the camera will monitor the area and warn players of nearby enemies by sound.

DDoS: Activates a device that deactivates electronics and disrupts enemy sensors in the immediate area for a short time.

Recon Drone: Remote-controlled drone that has manual and auto-marking capabilities.

Dead Silence: Temporarily makes your footsteps silent and applies Ghost. Gun, melee, and throwing knife kills refresh duration.

Loadout Drop: Call in a team-based Loadout crate with limited uses. Each player can only use it once.

Portable Radar: Emits a periodic radar ping to detect nearby enemies.

Suppression Mine: Trip mine that when triggered, emits a constant sound wave that disrupts enemy vision and slows their movement.

Anti-Armor Rounds: Gives weapon ammo that applies bonus damage against armored targets; this includes vehicles, equipment, body armor, and targets behind penetrable cover.

Comm Scrambler: Disables communication with intel within its radius. Enemies will not be able to activate Killstreaks. Enemy UAV and intel systems will not detect you and your teammates. Location of the Scrambler is visible in the enemy minimap.

Deployable Cover: Portable, rapidly deployable ballistic cover.

Juggernaut Recon: Juggernaut Recon gear delivered by care package. The suit is equipped with a radar that pings nearby enemies. Contains a riot shield, SAS-12, and smoke grenade.

A.C.S.: The Automated Computer Spike slowly captures points and temporarily hacks nearby enemy devices.

Tactical Insertion: Marks a location as your next spawn point. (Tactical Insertion doesn't have an effect in one-life modes.)

Smoke Airdrop: Call in a line of drones to deploy a smoke wall at a targeted location.

Medbox: Deploy a box of medical supplies for you and your teammates.

Gloves

Gloves are a piece of equipment that directly affect the Perks that relate to your Operator’s hands. When choosing the right set of Gloves for your Loadout, it’s important to remember which Vest you have equipped and the focus of your Loadout. However, if you’re unsure of which Gloves to choose, throw in the Scavenger Gloves. This will help ensure you always have enough ammo before each fight. Read through the list of Gloves available in Modern Warfare III, and choose the ones that make the most sense for your playstyle.

Intel Card — Gloves

Quick-Grip Gloves: Increased weapon-swap speed.

Ordnance Gloves: Throw equipment farther. Reset fuse timer on thrown-back grenades.

Commando Gloves: Enables reloading while sprinting.

Scavenger Gloves: Resupply ammo and throwing knives from eliminated players.

Marksman Gloves: Reduced sway and flinch while ADS.

Assault Gloves: While jumping, accuracy and time to ADS is improved.

Boots

Boots are a piece of equipment that directly affect the Perks that relate to your Operator’s feet. In Modern Warfare III there is a vast number of movement options, new and classic combined. Read the Movement Guide to learn about all the things you can do in the game; you might be surprised by the possibilities, even if you’re a seasoned Call of Duty player. Boots are built by the Perks that speed you up, extend the distance you can slide, even eliminate your footstep sounds, and more.

Generally, as long as your Loadout has some type of Boots equipped, you will receive a benefit. Note that the Engineer Vest doesn’t allow you to wear any Boots while the Vest is equipped in your Loadout. Keep this in mind as you look through the list of Boots available in Modern Warfare III below.

Intel Card — Boots

Lightweight Boots: Increases movement and swim speed. Additionally, these Boots reduce noise while swimming.

Climbing Boots: Increased climbing and mantling speed. Additionally, these Boots reduce fall damage.

Running Sneakers: Increases Tac-Sprint duration and reduces refresh time.

Tactical Pads: Increases slide distance and allows for full ADS while sliding. Additionally, these Boots increase stance transition speeds as well as crouched movement speed.

Stalker Boots: Increased strafe and ADS movement speed.

Covert Sneakers: Eliminates footstep sounds.

Gear

Gear refers to a miscellaneous slot on any Loadout. There isn’t a focus for your Operator in the anatomical sense, but that’s where these Gear slots become extremely important. Note that both the CCT Comms Vest and the Engineer Vest allow your Loadout to include two pieces of Gear. This is very useful because of how vastly different the Perks can be from Gear. Gear can be anything from a Mag Holster to improve reload speed, which is always good, to the Threat Identification System, which automatically pings targets that you’re aiming at for your team’s benefit. Keep this in mind as you read through the Gear and their descriptions that are available in Modern Warfare III listed below:

Intel Card — Gear

Mission Control Comlink: Reduce Killstreak cost by one elimination. If Scorestreaks are toggled on, this Gear reduces Scorestreak cost by 125.

Tac Mask: Reduces strength of enemy flash, stun, and gas grenades.

Bone Conduction: Reduces combat noise, allowing users to better identify enemy footsteps and gunshots.

Mag Holster: Improved reload speed.

Backlight Flashlight: Shows recent enemy footsteps.

L/R Detector: Warns users of hostile laser and radiation sources.

Threat Identification System: While ADS, automatically pings enemy locations in your crosshairs.

Hijacked IFF Strobe: Undetectable by AI targeting systems, and thermal optics. This Gear also enables your Operator to not be highlighted in enemy Tactical Cameras or Recon Drones.

Data Jacker: Enemies you eliminate drop a datapad. Collecting the datapad generates a radar ping from that location.

Ghost T/V Camo: While moving, this Gear blocks detection by UAVs, enemy radar sources, and Heartbeat Sensors.

Signal Jammer: Emits a signal that disrupts placed enemy Claymores and mines. This Gear also warns you of nearby enemy equipment.

EOD Padding: Take reduced damage from non-Killstreak explosives and fire.

Killstreaks

Killstreaks are rewards that you can earn by playing well in any single life in an in-game match. As much as you can play well and lead your team to victory, there are many instances where your Kill to Death to Assist ratio (K/D/A) can be impressively high while also earning very few Killstreaks. Thankfully, Killstreaks do not need to be earned in quick succession and you can technically earn a third and final equipped Killstreak right before the end of the match, as long as you receive no deaths between your first and last elimination. The only thing that matters is the streak of eliminations that you earn without deaths.

There is an alternative to Killstreaks that can earn you the same rewards in a match without earning any eliminations; however, eliminations will still help you earn Killstreaks faster. In the menu where you equip your Killstreaks, you can toggle them from Killstreaks to Scorestreaks. Scorestreaks are the same rewards but how you earn them is based on the score you earn instead of the number of eliminations you rack up in a single in-game life. Scorestreaks are good to have toggled on if you are more of an objective player. Playing the objective is how teams win games, so Scorestreaks are often the viable option.

Killstreaks and Scorestreaks are divided into groups of kills or scores, respectively. Because of this, you are allowed only one streak reward from each group as well as only three streaks in total. As the rewards require more kills or higher scores, they become far more powerful. However, when you’re playing a tactical mode, utility is king, and those rewards tend to be on the lower and more attainable end of the line. Below is a list of the Killstreaks available in Modern Warfare III and their descriptions:

Intel Card — Killstreaks

4 Kills / 500 Points

UAV: UAV recon ship that reveals enemy locations on the minimap.

SAM Turret: Launch a targeted missile strike against air vehicles.

Mosquito Drone: Explosive drone that circles the area around where the drone is launched. It then dive-bombs enemies it spots and explodes.

Bomb Drone: A remote-controlled drone with an attached C4 charge.

5 Kills / 625 Points

Counter UAV: A drone that scrambles all enemy minimaps.

Guardian-SC: A beam shaped, nonlethal, area-denial weapon. Enemies entering the beam have similar effects to a stun grenade, reduced movement speed, blurred vision, and removed UI.

Care Package: Call in a random Killstreak care package to your location.

6 Kills / 750 Points

Cluster Mine: Throw a device that launches a cluster of smaller mines within the immediate area.

Precision Airstrike: Call in twin jets for a precision strike along the best available path.

Cruise Missile: Control a long-range cruise missile with boost capabilities.

7 Kills / 875 Points

SAE: Call in a trio of jets to release aerial explosives onto specified targets.

Mortar Strike: Signal several waves of mortars to attack a location.

Remote Turret: Automated turret that scans for nearby enemies, and fires incendiary-based rounds.

8 Kills / 1,000 Points

Wheelson-HS: Remote-controlled amphibious vehicle with auto sentry capabilities.

Overwatch Helo: An escort helo that will watch over your position and ping nearby enemy locations before engaging them.

Juggernaut Recon: Juggernaut Recon gear delivered by care package. The suit is equipped with radar that pings nearby enemies. Contains a riot shield, SAS-12, and smoke grenade.

10 Kills / 1,250 Points

Emergency Airdrop: Call in three random Killstreak care packages to your location.

Stealth Bomber: Call in a bomber that releases a large line of explosives along its path.

Chopper Gunner: Control an assault chopper armed with a turret and air-to-land missiles.

VTOL Jet: Releases a pair of precision bombs before circling back and guarding a location of the player’s choice.

12 Kills / 1,500 Points

Gunship: A heavy assault gunship equipped with a laser tracking missile, along with the standard 40mm and 25mm cannons.

Advanced UAV: A targetable orbital UAV that reveals the enemy’s direction on the minimap in real time.

15 Kills / 1,875 Points

Juggernaut: Juggernaut assault gear delivered by care package. The minigun will drop when the Juggernaut dies.

The beginning of your level up and unlocking journey will consist of some simplified Loadouts and tactics. However, the more you play the game and the more you experience, the more comfortable you will be in building several Custom Loadouts that fit your playstyle for any given situation or mode. Always remember that you can change your Loadout on the fly, in the middle of a Multiplayer match, and it is encouraged to do so if something doesn’t feel right.

Also remember that if you like something about a Loadout, use it in other Loadouts as you see fit. There’s no harm in having go-to attachments or Perks. In most situations, something that might be a “better” option may not fit your playstyle or fit the speed at which you like to play. Play how you want and build your Loadouts your way.

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