Download Article

Download Article

Ranking up in Black Ops 2 will give you access to more gear, customization options, and more. If you want to reach the top ranks quickly and experience all of the content that Black Ops 2 has to offer, check out this guide to get started.

Steps Download Article

  1. 1

    Unlock new guns and change weapons often. Each weapon has unlockables and challenges associated with it, all of which earn you XP. When you've hit a wall in earning extra experience for your weapon, switch to a new one. This will keep you constantly earning XP as you use new weapons, and has the side benefit of making you a more well-rounded player.

    • If there is a weapon that you are having a difficult time getting kills with, consider abandoning it altogether, or go into a custom game and practice with the weapon you have trouble with. While getting XP from a variety of weapons will speed up your ranking progress, you will negate that progress by spending too much time with a weapon that doesn't get results.

  2. 2

    Play the right game types. Every game mode will earn you XP, but some game modes will let you earn it faster than others. Two of the most popular modes for getting as much XP as possible are Kill Confirmed or Hardpoint. Not only do these give you points for killing people, but they also give you points for completing tasks.

    • Kill confirmed gives you an extra 100 XP for every enemy dog tag that you pick up, essentially doubling the amount of XP you can get per kill. You also get a larger bonus for preventing enemies from getting your own dog tags.
    • Black Ops 2 rewards playing the objectives more than any previous Call of Duty. This means that to rank the quickest, you're going to need to help out your team.
    • If it is a Double XP Weekend, then kills in Search and Destroy are worth 1000 XP.

  3. 3

    Play small maps. Smaller maps such as Nuketown, Standoff or Grind will constantly be throwing you into the fray. This means more chances to score kills, which in turn means that each match is more productive. Be prepared for quick reflexes, and bring your short-ranged weapons such as submachine guns or shotguns.

  4. 4

    Use score streaks effectively. Each score streak has a challenge attached to it, and you will receive bonus XP when you meet that challenge (5/15/25/50 kills). Only use the scores streak for as long as you are progressing with it. For example, if you have maxed out a score streak by completing all of the challenges, or the last challenge is difficult and taking a while, switch to a new one so that you can start accumulating XP again.

  5. 5

    Use support streaks to earn easy assist XP. Once you've maxed out most of your score streak challenges, move on to using support streaks such as the UAV, VSAT, or EMP. You will get a small XP bonus every time another player on your team gets a kill while the support streak is active. While the bonus is small, they can add up quickly. Support streaks are also easier to obtain than score streaks, meaning you can use them quite often during a match.

  6. 6

    Exploit the objective. There are several modes that allow you to "farm" XP off of objectives if you play smart enough. Essentially, you will be allowing the enemy to complete an objective, and then immediately reclaim that objective for yourself. To do this effectively, you will need to be in communication with your team so that no one messes up the farming. Some examples:

    • Domination: You will earn an extra 100 XP when killing an enemy while capturing the objective. Use this to your advantage by sitting in a capture point, killing a few enemies, and then leaving the capture point before you claim it. Repeat this for as long as possible to earn double XP for every kill.
    • Hardpoint: Capture the hardpoint as normal and earn 200 XP. Then, allow the enemy team to capture it back, and then immediately reclaim it. This will earn you another 200 XP. Repeat this as many times as possible.
    • Demolition: Plant the bomb and then allow the enemy to disarm it. As soon as the bomb is defused, kill the defuser and replant the bomb. If you are on defense, let the opponent plant the bomb and then kill and defuse. In both instances, allowing the enemy to complete the objective first will earn you more points.

  7. 7

    Capture the flag. You will earn double XP for any kills you make while holding the flag. Take some time while returning to your base to get as many kills as possible. Have teammates use support streaks such as EMP to assist you, because you appear on the enemy's minimap while holding the flag.

  8. 8

    Play all the game modes. Each game mode has separate challenges and medals that you can earn. By cycling through the different modes often, you will increase the amount of XP you can earn for each match.

  9. 9

    Customize your loadouts to maximize potential challenge XP. Since every weapon, attachment, perk, and technique has challenges associated with it, you can optimize your loadouts so that you are completing multiple challenges at the same time.

    • For example, the Stock attachment has a challenge for 50/100/200/300/500 kills while using the stock. While this by itself will not add up to much XP, combine it with the Quickdraw and Reflex Sight challenges and you can complete 3 challenges at once while aiming down the sight.

  10. 10

    Earn in-match medals for quick XP boosts. There are a variety of medals that you can earn each match for completing specific objectives. While some of these are based on luck, getting them regularly can make a big difference.

    • First Blood: If you get the first kill in the game, you will earn 500 XP. You can maximize your chances for this by starting with a fast-moving loadout so that you can rush to the chokepoints in the map ahead of your teammates.
    • Wipeout: Clear two or more enemies from an objective and earn 250 XP. Use a silenced weapon to avoid alerting the enemy to your presence.
    • Long Shot: A long-distance kill will earn you an extra 250 XP. While this mainly benefits snipers, you can take shots across the map with any weapon in the hopes of landing this medal.
    • Opening Move: You get 500 XP for capturing the neutral flag in Domination. You can earn this for each round, potentially netting you 1000 XP per game. Use a lightweight class with a Tactical Insertion to keep pushing at the flag until you capture it.
    • Blackout: You can earn 100 XP for destroying an enemy UAV. Using a launcher, you can earn several hundred XP per spawn simply by destroying enemy UAVs.

  11. 11

    Win matches. This may seem obvious, but you gain significant bonuses for winning matches. Try to find a group of friends who all communicate well. Using simple teamwork will lead your team to victory more often than not, and can really speed up the leveling process.

    • You get a 250 XP medal each time that your team wins, and this can add up to a lot in the long run. The winning team also gets a larger end-of-match bonus than the losing team.

  12. 12

    Practice, practice, practice. From improving aim to learning map layouts, playing often and learning from your mistakes will increase your efficiency and your ranking speed. Watch videos of pros online, and implement their tactics in your next match. Find good spots on maps to score easy kills. Work on improving your aim. All of this will lead to higher scores and quicker XP accumulation.[1]

  13. 13

    Go For Headshots. Try to aim a little high to have a better chance at a headshot to unlock new camos. Which will give you more XP as you get closer to gold and don't stay on one gun trying to get the next camo if you are having trouble getting headshots. Also have a goal of a certain amount of headshots You want to have at the end of each match. You will want to play something like Domination or Team Death Match which are longer lasting game modes and you should play hardcore to have a better to get the headshot with in the first few bullets.

  14. 14

    Getting Blood Thirsty Medals. When trying to get blood thirsty medals you would want to play hardcore. You would also probably find it easier if you used the following; extended clip, quick draw, and fore grip. With the following perks; ghost, scavenger, and dexterity or use both scavenger and fast hands.

Add New Question

  • Question

    How do I get XP when playing hardcore?

    Community Answer

    Just kill other players and complete challenges. You get XP the same in hardcore modes as you do in normal.

  • Question

    How do I earn XP quick in Black Ops 2?

    Community Answer

    Play with the tips above and don't stop playing until your rank is the way you like it.

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit


Video

  • Get enough sleep, if you are up all night chances are you will get tired and start being less productive.

  • Watching pro players is a good way to get better.

  • Vary your games, don't just play one game type or it will get boring.

  • You gain an extra 100XP (From One Shot One Kill Medals) when using snipers, which adds up to a lot over time.

  • Try getting the best gun from every gun type. For example, pick your best sniper rifle and your best shotgun, assault rifle, SMG, LMG. Also try the specials like the shield, combat knife, crossbow, and ballistic knife

  • If you have trouble with handling recoil, try using the M27 since it has almost no recoil.

  • One of the easiest ways level up as fast as possible is to play Hardcore type game modes.

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

References

About This Article

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 266,035 times.

Did this article help you?