You will already be familiar with the XP system if you have played any other first person shooter that requires you to rank up in order to unlock different weapons and equipments.
In SOCOM 4, not only you level up as a soldier but, you also level up your weapon to use different mods and attachments in game. There are different ways you can earn XP in SOCOM 4, the classic game settings will reward you 3X the experience otherwise.
Every thing you do on the battlefield counts as experience. It includes enemies you kill, head shots you take, objectives you fulfill, and much more.
You can level up faster if you would take the route in the game that rewards maximum Experience Points in the game. You can take a look at the charts below on which action will reward you the most XP.
Kills – XP
| Experience Points Rewarded When You Kill | ||
| Action | XP | How To |
| Kill | 5 XP | Kill an enemy. |
| Team Kill | -10 XP | When you kill one of your team mates. |
| Assists | 3 XP | Injure an enemy and have your team mate finish the job. |
| Buddy System | 15 XP | Kill an injured enemy. |
| Bodyguard | 15 XP | Kill an enemy who is injuring one of your team mates. |
| Ambidextrous | 10 XP | Kill an enemy with both of your weapons in one life. |
| Lucky Magazine | 20 XP | Get three kills in one magazine. |
| The Tester | 20 XP | Kill 5 enemies with 5 different weapons. |
| Boo | 15 XP | Kill an enemy as you die. |
| Weakest Link | 5 XP | First person to be killed in a round. |
| Remember Me | 10 XP | Get a revenge on your enemy. Kill an enemy who has recently killed you. |
| Bayonetter | 10 XP | Melee an enemy. |
| Backstabber | 15 XP | Stab an enemy from behind. |
| Victory Dance Performed | 10 XP | Perform a victory dance after killing an enemy. Press the CIRCLE button directly over their body after you kill them. |
| Squatter | 15 XP | Kill an enemy with an Air Strike. |
Uplink – XP
| Uplink Game Mode – Experience Points | ||
| Action | XP | How To |
| Capture Data | 7 XP | Capture the data from any of the data locations on the map. |
| Data Defense | 10 XP | Defend the data locations. |
| Data Carrier Kills | 5 XP | Kill an enemy holding the data. |
| Finders Keepers | 10 XP | Kill an enemy with your intel data, retrieve the data, and upload it to your team’s intel location. |
| Stolen Data | 10 XP | Steal the enemy intel data and upload it to your base. |
Last Defense – XP
| Last Defense Game Mode – Experience Points | ||
| Action | XP | How To |
| Capture Sector Half-Way | 5 XP | Fill the sector capture bar half-way. |
| Capture Sector | 10 XP | Capture a sector. |
| Beacon Planted | 7 XP | Plant a beacon in the enemy Head Quarter. |
| Close But No Cigar | 5 XP | Kill an enemy who is capturing a sector. |
Bomb Squad – XP
| Bomb Squad Game Mode – Experience Points | ||
| Action | XP | How To |
| Bomb Defused | 5 XP | Defuse a bomb in Bomb Squad. |
Medals and Awards
You will earn medals in game when you complete different challenges. You can find the description and requirement of each medal in the career in the multiplayer menu. Generally each medal will have three tiers, each tier will give you a tougher challenge as you aim for the medal.
The difficulty will increase with each level of the medal, so will the requirements. You can earn these medals and awards multiple times, and each time you earn these, you will be awarded extra experience points. Another fine way to level up, but as I said, it isn’t easier to earn medals and awards especially when it comes to the higher tier medals.