Among all of the new multiplayer details unveiled, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is also eschewing killstreaks and re-introducing scorestreaks. This is a particularly touchy subject for Call of Duty fans, as the majority of the fanbase is typically split on which system is better. There’s also some who would argue both is the perfect balance, while others say it’s one or the other. Some argue scorestreaks rewards bad players, others feel it levels the playing field. Here’s why Scorestreaks are proving controversial in Black Ops Cold War.
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How Scorestreaks Work In Black Ops Cold War
In the previous game, as well as several Call of Duty games, the de facto bonus system in multiplayer matches has always been killstreaks. So long as players were racking up several kills in a row, they would be rewarded with UAVs, care packages, air strikes, and various other bonus rewards. Scorestreaks are a relatively new addition to Call of Duty multiplayer, first introduced in Black Ops 2, that allows players to gain these same bonuses through various score thresholds instead of consecutive kills. Any objective-focused actions by the player contributed to scorestreaks, instead of just achieving higher kill counts.
Now in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, the game is implementing a sort-of hybrid version of scorestreaks and killstreaks. While multiple consecutive kills will net bonus points to players, any objective-related actions also nets points to players’ scorestreaks as well. Additionally, scorestreaks are not reset upon death, so players are continually working towards their scorestreak rewards per match. There’s no resetting factor, but scorestreaks are rising substantially in price to counterbalance this, meaning more kills theoretically leads to quicker scorestreak rewards anyway.
Why Scorestreaks vs. Killstreaks is Controversial
Now there’s a few definitive reasons as to why scorestreaks vs. killstreaks is a controversial debate among Call of Duty fans. Killstreak advocates believe scorestreaks give “bad” players just as much an advantage over “good” players in a points-based system, which would be a valid argument in a vacuum. Scorestreak advocates believe killstreaks is ultimately limiting, and doesn’t make sense in modes with objective-based win conditions. With Black Ops Cold War’s scorestreaks, Treyarch is attempting to reach a happy medium between both schools of thought.
With a higher point requirement for the higher-tier streak rewards, Black Ops Cold War is attempting to level the playing field between high-tier and mid-tier players. The goal is to have the mid-tier players, who are investing just as much time as other highly skilled players, to be rewarded on a relatively even level. Scorestreaks are placed on a universal cooldown timer as well, meaning no matter how many mid and high-tier players get the same scorestreak, they can only be used in spurts compared to one-after-the-other in previous Call of Duty games. While this isn’t necessarily rewarding “bad” players, the cooldowns are designed to help mitigate oversaturation of airstrikes/artillery/etc.
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A Balanced System, Maybe
Theoretically, the high score requirement is meant to make the system more balanced between top tier players and the higher than average players as well. Of course, at this point, it’s up to interpretation how effective this method will be until the beta or official release is available to players worldwide. That being said, killstreak fans have every right to be skeptical of a scorestreak system.
This gives every player the ability to stack points over the course of a game and unlocking higher tier rewards like Chopper Gunner later on in the game. Scorestreak advocates would argue that these players are putting less effort as them to get the same rewards a killstreak player normally would.
Only some of the scorestreaks were available in the alpha gameplay previews over the past week, so streak costs and availability could be changed over time as balance issues come to light. For right now, as contentious as this hybrid scorestreak system seems to be for players, it’s unclear how drastically this will change multiplayer gameplay from previous Call of Duty games.
At a bare minimum, the concept does sound positive at least for players who often find themselves doing relatively well, and not having the killstreaks to show for it. That being said, this system could easily prove problematic if the scorestreaks don’t have a high enough cost, or the frequency of streak bonuses ends up oversaturating games.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War releases on November 13, 2020, for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. PS5 version release date has not yet been confirmed.
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