Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 brings with it a set of returning killstreaks—also known as special earn-able weapons and equipment—alongside some newcomers. Here are all of the MW3 killstreaks and the best combos you should make with them.
All CoD MW3 killstreaks
There is a grand total of 26 killstreaks in MW3, including both the ones returning from 2022’s MW2 and the new ones in this title. Players earn these killstreaks by getting a set number of eliminations in a row in a match without dying once. Here are all of the killstreaks available in this game and how many eliminations you need to get in a row to use it in a match:
- UAV: 4 kills
- SAM Turret: 4 eliminations
- Mosquito Drone: 4 eliminations
- Bomb Drone: 4 kills
- Counter UAV: 5 eliminations
- Guardian SC: 5 eliminations
- Care Package: 5 eliminations
- Cluster Mine: 6 eliminations
- Precision Airstrike: 6 eliminations
- Cruise Missile: 6 eliminations
- SAE: 7 eliminations
- Mortar Strike: 7 eliminations
- Remote Turret: 7 eliminations
- Wheelson-HS: 8 eliminations
- Overwatch Helo: 8 eliminations
- Juggernaut Recon: 8 eliminations
- Emergency Airdrop: 10 eliminations
- Carpet Bomb: 10
- VTOL Jet: 10
- Advanced UAV: 12
- Gunship: 12
- Chopper Gunner: 12
- EMP: 13
- Juggernaut: 15
- Swarm: 15
- MGB Tactical Nuke (secret hidden killstreak): 30 eliminations
How to unlock killstreaks
There are two main ways to unlock killstreaks in MW3, with the first being through leveling up in the base game. There are 55 main levels for the character before prestige. Each of these levels unlocks something new for the player, some of which include killstreaks. However, not all of them are unlocked this way.
There are also some killstreaks, which you have to get through the Armory Unlock system before you can equip them in your loadout for matches. To unlock these, you need to add them to your Armory queue for daily challenges and complete 2-8 challenges or win the same number of matches.
Best Killstreak combo, explained
You aren’t able to use every single killstreak in MW3 at the same time. You can only hold up to three in your loadout at once and they must all have different elimination requirements. As such, here is the best killstreak combo you should use in the game:
- UAV
- Cruise Missile
- SAE
If you are playing public matches or even Ranked Play, this is your best combo. It is realistic enough to unlock and better reflects the rules for most game modes. Plus, the Cruise Missile and SAE deal some serious damage and reveal to you where the enemy players are at.
