Hitting Combat Rating 60 in Endgame feels rough the first time. Progress slows down hard, and the usual passive unlocks stop carrying your build. That's the point where Exotic Skills start to matter, because they're what really push your Operator into proper late-game strength. A lot of players who are stuck at that wall end up looking for faster ways to optimise, whether that means cleaner farming routes or even CoD BO7 Boosting when they don't want to waste nights on bad lobbies. Either way, Exotic Skills aren't something the game just hands over. You've got to go into Avalon's hardest content and actually earn them.
World Boss farming
If your goal is efficiency, start with World Boss Events and don't overthink it. In 32-player PvE matches, those events are the closest thing Endgame has to a reliable farm. The names are hard to miss: Toxic Tyrant, Wraith Wing, and the Colossus of Avalon are the big ones most players chase first. Every match has a boss event somewhere, so you're not relying on pure luck just to get a shot at a reward. Once your squad finishes the event, you've usually got a strong chance at an Exotic Skill Case, which can turn into a fresh Exotic Skill or a rank-up for one you already use. That's why experienced players usually rotate straight from spawn toward boss areas instead of wandering around clearing random packs.
Other places to find them
There are still a few backup options, especially if you're already comfortable in Tier IV zones. Contracts in those areas can pay out Exotic-related rewards, Elite enemies sometimes drop them, and hidden caches can surprise you with one if you're lucky. Still, this route feels much more streaky. Some runs are great, some give you almost nothing, and that's where people lose time without noticing. You'll also find that Tier IV exploration works best as a side hustle while moving between bigger objectives. It's decent for topping up your chances, not so great as your main plan if you're trying to build fast.
How they change your build
Once you unlock one, it shows up in the Exotic Skills tab at the bottom of your loadout menu. The game only lets you equip one at a time, so the choice actually matters. During a run, if another Exotic Skill drops, you can swap over or feed that drop into the one you're holding and upgrade it. That part's huge. Upgrades are one of the few ways to keep pushing your Combat Rating beyond the level 60 wall. As for the skills themselves, there's a lot of room to tailor your playstyle. Mega Punch is great when you get swarmed, since it hits hard and creates breathing room. Resurrection is the safety net people don't appreciate until it saves a run. Then you've got options like Frost Cloud, Echo Shell, Conjuration, Shattered Shield, Celebration, and Graviton Reaction, all of which shift combat in different ways.
Best way to speed the grind up
The fastest path is still pretty simple: build a squad, queue into high-level PvE, and move with purpose toward each boss event. Don't split off too much, don't get distracted by low-value fights, and don't spend ages hoping a random cache will solve everything. You'll notice the grind feels a lot less painful when the whole team knows what it's doing. And if your main goal is to get into stronger endgame setups without burning out, plenty of players also choose to buy CoD BO7 Boosting as a way to skip the worst part of the climb while still focusing their own time on the builds and skills they actually want to use.