Understanding Scorestreaks in Objective-Based Modes
When you’re playing an objective-based mode like Domination or Hardpoint in Call of Duty BO7, the single best scorestreak you can earn is the Wraith. It’s not just about raw killing power; it’s about the immense map control and psychological pressure it applies, forcing the enemy team to either look up and become easy targets or hide indoors and abandon the objective. This creates the perfect window for your squad to push flags or secure the hill. But calling any one scorestreak the absolute “best” is a starting point for a deeper conversation, because the ideal setup is a flexible strategy that adapts to the flow of the match and your specific role on the team.
Why the Wraith is the King of Map Control
The Wraith’s dominance comes from its unique combination of autonomy, area denial, and intel gathering. Unlike an attack helicopter that follows you, the Wraith autonomously patrols the entire map. This is a game-changer. Let’s break down its exact specifications:
- Activation Cost: 1,375 points. This is high, but achievable for a player focusing on objective play combined with kills.
- Duration: Approximately 60 seconds of flight time.
- Behavior: It flies in a predictable but wide circuit, engaging any enemy it spots with its powerful cannon.
- Direct Impact: The Wrairth is a lethal killing machine, but its secondary function is even more critical for objective play: it acts as a constant, mobile UAV. Any enemy the Wraith spots appears on your team’s minimap for the duration of its flight. This provides near-constant enemy positioning data, allowing your team to pre-aim, flank, and anticipate pushes with incredible accuracy.
Think about a scenario on the map “Fringe” in Domination. You call in a Wraith while your team holds two flags. The enemy team, now exposed by the Wraith’s spotting and under constant threat from the sky, is pinned down. They can’t make a coordinated push on your flags without being shredded from above or pre-fired by your team who sees them coming. This map-wide suppression is why the Wraith is unparalleled.
The Supporting Cast: Essential Lower-Tier Scorestreaks
Relying solely on a high-end streak like the Wraith is a gamble. A smart player builds a “streak chain” using lower-cost, high-impact options that support the team consistently. The best objective players don’t just go for big kills; they use streaks to create opportunities.
UAV (500 Points): The humble UAV is the backbone of any objective mode. It’s the cheapest and most reliable source of intel. In a mode like Hardpoint, knowing from which direction the enemy is flooding the hill is the difference between holding it and losing it. Running a UAV ensures your team is never playing blind.
Counter-UAV (600 Points): If a UAV gives your team vision, a Counter-UAV takes it away from the enemy. This is a devastating psychological tool. When the enemy’s minimap goes dark, their ability to coordinate a push collapses. Flanks become more effective, and enemy players become disoriented, making them easier picks as they scramble. The synergy between running a UAV and a Counter-UAV is immense, effectively creating a massive information advantage for your team.
HC-XD (400 Points): This little remote-controlled car is an objective specialist’s dream. Its low cost means you can earn it quickly by capturing a single objective and getting one or two kills. Its primary use isn’t just for random kills; it’s for clearing entrenched enemies. Is there a camper lying in the back of the Hardpoint? Send in the HC-XD. Need to clear a contested flag in Domination? Drive it right onto the point. It’s a precision tool for breaking stalemates.
Comparing the Top Tier: Wraith vs. R.A.P.S. vs. Mothership
While the Wraith is our top pick, the other high-end streaks have their merits. The choice often comes down to your playstyle and the specific match context. Here’s a detailed comparison:
| Scorestreak | Cost (Points) | Primary Function | Best For (Objective Mode) | Key Limitation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wraith | 1,375 | Map Control & Intel | Domination, Hardpoint | Can be shot down with a launcher or specialist weapon. |
| R.A.P.S. | 1,400 | Area Denial & Multi-kills | Safeguard, Uplink | Deploy ship is vulnerable; drones can be shot. |
| Mothership | 1,600 | Player-Controlled Annihilation | Breaking entrenched defenses | Extremely high cost; player is vulnerable while controlling it. |
R.A.P.S. (Reconnaissance Air Patrol System): At 1,400 points, it’s a close competitor. The R.A.P.S. deploy ship flies over the map, dropping explosive drones that hunt down enemies. Its strength is in clearing an area for an extended period, making it fantastic for modes like Safeguard where you need to stop the robot’s advance, or in Uplink to defend the satellite station. However, a skilled player can shoot down the deploy ship before it releases all its drones, and the drones themselves can be destroyed. It lacks the constant intel-providing capability of the Wraith.
Mothership (1,600 Points): This is the ultimate power trip—a heavily armed gunship that you control directly. It can shred entire teams and is nearly unstoppable in the hands of a good pilot. However, its massive cost is its biggest weakness. In a fast-paced objective game, you might only earn it once, if at all. Furthermore, while you’re controlling the Mothership, your body is left vulnerable somewhere on the map. For consistent, round-to-round impact, the Wraith is a more reliable choice.
Building Your Loadout: Perks and Weapons that Feed Your Streaks
Earning these powerful streaks requires a loadout designed for survival and score generation. You can’t help your team if you’re constantly dying. Here are the essential components:
Critical Perks:
- Ante Up: This is non-negotiable. Starting with an extra 100 points means your first UAV or HC-XD is only a couple of kills and an objective capture away. It jump-starts your entire streak cycle.
- Hard Wired: Objective modes are filled with traps. This perk makes you immune to Trip Mines, Shock Charges, and Tracker footprints. It also counters Counter-UAVs and Sixth Sense, ensuring you aren’t easily detected while moving to an objective.
- Tactical Mask: Concussion and Flashbang grenades are the bane of an objective player’s existence. This perk drastically reduces their effect, allowing you to push through defensive grenade spam to secure a point or hill.
Weapon and Gear Synergy: Your weapon choice should prioritize versatility and control. An assault rifle like the KN-44 or an SMG like the VMP are excellent for the medium-to-close range engagements common on objectives. Always carry a stun or concussion grenade to help you breach a room or stun an enemy on a flag. Most importantly, do not run a launcher on your primary class. Your job is to generate score, not spend time shooting down enemy streaks. Let teammates specializing in support handle that.
Advanced Strategy: The “Selfish” vs. “Support” Playstyle
The final layer to this discussion is your role. Your scorestreak choice should reflect whether you’re the slayer or the support.
The Slayer (Wraith, H.A.T.R., Power Core): This player focuses on getting kills around the objective to build high-end streaks. Their job is to create space and wipe the enemy team to allow teammates to capture points uncontested. This playstyle is high-risk, high-reward. If you’re confident in your gunskill, running a sequence like UAV -> Wraith -> H.A.T.R. can single-handedly win a match. The H.A.T.R. is a more powerful, stationary version of the UAV that reveals all enemies, even those using Ghost, making it the ultimate information tool.
The Support (UAV, Counter-UAV, HC-XD): This player’s main goal is to capture objectives and use low-cost streaks to enable the entire team. They might not top the leaderboard in kills, but their contribution is immense. By constantly providing UAV coverage and denying the enemy’s minimap, they make every teammate more effective. This playstyle is more consistent and less risky, ensuring your team always has a tactical advantage. Running Combat Focus as your Specialist can give you a burst of points during a multi-capture or a key gunfight, quickly earning your support streaks.
The beauty of Black Ops 3’s system is that there isn’t one rigid answer. The “best” scorestreak is the one you can earn consistently and use effectively to control the pace of the game. Mastering when to push for a high-end streak like the Wraith and when to cycle through supportive, low-cost options is the mark of a truly great objective player.