Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3
Image via Activision

How many kills to get a nuke in Modern Warfare 3?

Tactical nuke incoming.

Earning a nuke in a match of Call of Duty multiplayer has been a series staple for quite some time. There’s not much better in the game than dominating your opponents so badly you can kill them all and end the game early with the press of a button. Modern Warfare 3 is the latest installment, and nukes are available to those up to the task.

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How to earn a nuke in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3

If you want to drop a nuke on your opponent in a multiplayer match, you’ll need 30 kills without dying. Additionally, every kill has to come from your gun, equipment, or another non-killstreak method. It’s also worth mentioning vehicle kills, like in Ground War, also don’t count toward a nuke. Once you’ve earned 30 kills without being put down, a Mass Guided Bomb killstreak will appear as available. Use it to end the match whenever you’re ready.

You don’t need to equip the nuke killstreak, or do anything else to make it appear. Simply enter a multiplayer match and prepare to hide, camp, and find enemy spawns. On smaller maps, like Shipment or Das Haus, many players find success earning nukes quickly by taking advantage of the spawns. Locating the general area in which the enemy team is respawning means free and easy kills for a while. Don’t push too far into an enemy spawn point, as it will cause the spawns to flip to a new location. Keeping the opponent appearing right in front of you for as long as possible is the easiest and most common strategy to earn a nuke.

Best Season 2 loadout for farming nukes

Best loadout for getting nukes in Modern Warfare 3
Screenshot from Destructoid

As of Season 2 of Modern Warfare 3, there is a clear advantage to using certain weapons. One in particular that’s been making its way around social media is a, let’s call it perfectly balanced, Longbow class. In short, it’s a fast movement, quick ADS, one-shot-kill sniper rifle that you can run around with like it’s an SMG. Recently, former Call of Duty pro and current 100 Thieves content creator ‘Octane’ posted a clip of getting 97 kills without dying using this build. That’s enough for three nukes, if you’re counting.

  • JAK Tyrant 7.62 conversion kit
  • No stock
  • Nought-Z3 Grip (rear)
  • HMRES Mod Suppressor (Muzzle)
  • FSS OLE-V Laser

Adding a few survival-aiding perks, like EOD padding, can also help with earning nukes. I’d recommend the following for using this Longbow setup:

  • Marksman Gloves – Reduce sway and flinch while ADS. This will help with ADSing in and out quickly to take out enemies one by one.
  • Covert Sneakers – Eliminate all footstep audio. Getting kills from behind enemy lines (or in their spawnpoint) is much easier when they can’t sniff you out.
  • EOD Padding – Reduces damage to non-killstreak explosives and fire. This will save your life from any randomly thrown grenades or other equipment coming your way. It’ll even give you an extra second to gather yourself after running into a mine.

If you’re playing in small map playlists, like Das Haus, this class setup should work very nicely. Carefully position yourself around the map to view enemy spawns without getting snuck up on, and you’ll get the 30 kill streak eventually.


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Author
Tim Harding
Tim has been playing games for over 25 years and tries to play as many as possible to completion. From FPS games, survival horror, RPGs, and platformers to soulslikes, he likes to dabble in everything. He's also played every Call of Duty title since Call of Duty 2 came out in 2005. His favorite games of all time include Banjo-Kazooie, Gun Star Heroes, Bioshock, God of War Ragnarok, and far too many more to choose.