What does “EKIA” mean in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4?

Call of Duty has set many standards when it comes to FPS multiplayer titles. As it was one of the first games to popularize the genre, most of the developers, past and present, took inspiration from aspects of the series. However, with Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, Treyarch, the developers, took inspiration from another FPS title, being Overwatch. Instead of using the traditional “kill / die” record, Treyarch introduced “EKIA”. What does this mean to you?

Explain EKIA in BO4

Overwatch released in 2015 to universal praise for its revolutionary team-focused gameplay. From the various heroes to how scoring works, everything about Overwatch is team based.

One aspect of FPS that most fans love is the elimination system, which gives any team member an elimination if they deal damage to a fallen enemy. Well, it looks like Treyarch liked this feature as well, as a very similar system is in place in Black Ops 4.

EKIA stands for "Enemy Killed In Action", a military term used around the world. However, Treyarch decided to implement it in Black Ops 4 using Overwatch's rating system. Essentially, if you deal damage to an enemy that a teammate finishes off, you will still receive full points for that elimination. For example, in Team Deathmatch, you would get 100 points if you damaged an enemy that a teammate then killed.

Image via Xbox.

This is a pretty big change from the rest of the series, as usual you would receive support. However, Black Ops 4 is a more team-oriented game, which is why Treyarch made this change.

EKIAs work the same as normal eliminations. So if you work towards a killstreak and receive an EKIA, you will earn as many points as EKIA is worth for your next streak.