The return of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 on PS4 and PS5 has flooded lobbies with players relearning a Scorestreak system that rewards objective play as much as raw kills. Not every streak pulls its weight, though. Some wipe a whole team off the map, while others gamble your points on a single explosive car. Here is where all 22 multiplayer Scorestreaks land right now.
Quick answer: The Lodestar, Swarm, VTOL Warship, K9 Unit, and Orbital VSAT are the top-tier picks. If you want a reliable high-end setup, chain a support streak like Counter-UAV or Orbital VSAT into the Lodestar or VTOL Warship.
Black Ops 2 Scorestreak tier list
Rankings weigh how much each streak swings a match, how easy it is to counter, and how consistently it performs across open and enclosed maps. This reflects the current August 2026 multiplayer meta on the PS4 and PS5 port, which ships with the original 2012 balance untouched.
| Tier | Scorestreaks |
|---|---|
| S | Lodestar, Swarm, VTOL Warship, K9 Unit, Orbital VSAT |
| A | Stealth Chopper, Warthog, UAV, Counter-UAV, EMP Systems |
| B | Lightning Strike, Hellstorm Missile, Sentry Gun, Escort Drone |
| C | A.G.R, Dragon Fire, Guardian, Hunter Killer Drone, Care Package |
| D | RC-XD, Death Machine, War Machine |
S-Tier: the streaks that end games
These five decide matches on their own. The Lodestar sits at the top, an aerial gunship firing laser-guided missiles that hit hard and clip multiple enemies in a single strike. It is the highest-impact streak in the game when you can reach the score to earn it.
The Swarm sends a wall of Hunter Killer Drones that can chew through the whole enemy team more than once. It shines on open maps, though players can duck indoors to wait it out. The VTOL Warship stands apart from other aircraft because you can reposition it, laying down minigun and missile fire wherever you need it, so keep an eye on anyone carrying a launcher.
The K9 Unit unleashes attack dogs that hunt players down and works on every map, which makes it the most flexible pick in the tier. The Orbital VSAT rounds out the group as a superior UAV that reveals enemy positions and facing direction, and it cannot be shot down or wiped by a Counter-UAV.
A-Tier: strong picks with a catch
The A-Tier delivers real value but leaves a weakness to exploit. The Stealth Chopper racks up kills while staying off enemy radar, yet a well-timed rocket launcher shot brings it down fast.
The Warthog runs three strafing passes, gunning down anyone caught in its path, and it is tough to dodge. The humble UAV remains the most-used streak in the game for a reason, pinging enemies on the minimap for your whole squad. Its counterpart, the Counter-UAV, blacks out the enemy radar entirely, though it does nothing against an Orbital VSAT.
EMP Systems close out the tier with a blast that disables electronics, knocking out enemy streaks and scrambling their HUD and radar. It is non-lethal, but denying the other team their points at the right moment can be worth more than kills.
B-Tier: solid but situational
These streaks earn their spot on the right maps and modes. The Lightning Strike hits three locations at once and clears open ground well, but buildings give enemies plenty of cover. The Hellstorm Missile drops a controllable cluster payload that punishes grouped-up enemies, with the same drawback against players holed up indoors.
The Sentry Gun is a placeable, remote-controllable turret that dominates objective modes and holds up in team deathmatch. Placement is everything, since it is hard to kill from the front but goes down instantly if a player flanks it.
The Escort Drone plays like a low-flying cousin of the Stealth Chopper, trailing the player and offering decent air support. Because it hangs close to the ground, bullet weapons tear it apart more easily.
C-Tier: usable, but outclassed
Everything here works in the right hands, yet better options exist at a similar cost. The A.G.R is an automated ground drone with a turret and rockets that you can pilot remotely, good for a handful of kills without being a standout. The Guardian fires microwave radiation from a placed dish and locks down objectives, but it is easy to spot and even easier to destroy from the front than a Sentry Gun.
The Dragon Fire is a nimble aerial drone with a surprisingly strong mounted turret, held back by low health that regular gunfire shreds.
The Hunter Killer Drone is a throwable that seeks a nearby target and explodes, usually netting one kill while also serving as a way to destroy enemy streaks. The Care Package rounds out the tier as a gamble, dropping a random streak that occasionally hands you something far above its cost, but the odds are entirely luck-based.
D-Tier: skip unless you like a challenge
The bottom of the list leans on gimmicks or your own aim. The RC-XD is a remote-controlled explosive car that mostly nets a single kill and is easy to shoot off the map.
The Death Machine hands you a personal minigun with high damage and a deep ammo reserve, but it lives and dies on your accuracy. The War Machine is a rapid-fire grenade launcher with 12 rounds that hits shockingly hard, held back by limited grenade range and, again, your own gunplay.
How to build a Scorestreak loadout
Because Black Ops 2 counts objective score toward your streaks, low-cost support picks feed into your bigger ones. A common approach stacks a cheap radar tool, a mid-cost lethal streak, and a high-end finisher so each one you earn helps unlock the next. Pairing Hardline to shave points off, or chaining a Lodestar into a VTOL Warship, gives you back-to-back pressure that a team struggles to answer.
Whatever you run, weigh the map first. Open layouts favor aerial and area streaks like the Swarm and Lightning Strike, while tight, building-heavy maps reward the K9 Unit and placed hardware that punishes chokepoints.
