Cranked in Call of Duty: Ghosts is a fast paced game mode, much like Team Deathmatch with a twist. The game ends when one team hits 100 points or the 10-minute time limit expires. If time expires, the team with the most points wins the game. The twist with Cranked is that every time you get a kill or assist, a personal 30-second countdown begins. If that timer expires before you at least get another point (kill or assist), you die. Because of this twist, there is absolutely no room for camping.
Understanding the Timer
When the game begins, you will not have a timer. Feel free to roam the map looking for that perfect first kill. However, as soon as you get your first kill or assist, you will see a 30-second countdown begin. That is how much time you have to get another point, or you die. Here’s the kicker, getting a point will reset your timer to 30 seconds, but they don’t stack. For example, a double kill won’t give you a 60-second timer.
Pro Tip: Toss an IED in a high traffic area to rack up random kills and help manage your timer.
How does Scoring Work in Cranked?
The scoring in Cranked is broken down into two categories. Your personal scoring is directly related to the timer. When you get either a kill or assist, that counts as a personal point and resets the timer to 30 seconds. The goal is to make sure that every 30 seconds you are getting at least an assist. As you string points together, you begin to unlock perks. Of course, if you die or let time expire, the perks are lost and you must start again.
Scoring on a team level is slightly more complicated. When you spawn, either at the beginning of the round or any time during, you first kill will count as only one point. However, every consecutive kill you earn beyond the first counts as two. If you get five kills in a row, that counts as nine points for your team. As soon as you die, the scoring resets and your next kill is only worth one team point.
How do Perks Work in Cranked?
A player is considered to be “Cranked” when they get a kill. When this happens, that player receives the effects of Ready Up, Sleight of Hand, Agility, Marathon, Stalker and Quickdraw. Just one kill, and you receive the effects of all six of those perks. The first five of those are located under the Speed category, so when choosing your load out, don’t choose any of the Speed perks, or Quickdraw from the Handling category. This should free you up to spend all of your perk points on some of the more pricey options available. Of course when you die, you won’t have those six perks until you get another kill.
Pro Tip: Remove your secondary weapon for even more points to use on perks.
Cranked is definitely a welcome addition to the Call of Duty line up. In order to succeed, you need to move quickly and stay close to the battle at all times. Due to consecutive kills multiplying the points players receive, it is considered a permanent Double XP of sorts. If you’re looking to rank up quickly, set your load out accordingly and jump into a game of Cranked.
Be sure to check out Prima’s free Call of Duty: Ghosts Multiplayer Guide.
