How to unlock guns and attachments in Modern Warfare 3
Here's how to get more guns and their attachments in MW3.
Modern Warfare 3 carries on the series' multiplayer tradition of earning your guns and attachments by simply playing the game, but there have been some slight changes to make the grind easier.
We've detailed how to unlock guns and attachments in Modern Warfare 3 below, so you can work towards your favourites as quickly as possible.
For more help, we have a list of all guns, all Operators, and best loadouts for the KV Inhibitor, Striker, and MCW.
On this page:
How to unlock guns in Modern Warfare 3
To unlock guns in Modern Warfare 3 you can:
- Rank up your player
- Complete weekly challenges
- Complete Armory unlock challenges
- Take part in seasonal content
- Earn Modern Warfare 2 weapons
Here's more details on each of these methods:
Rank up your player
This method of unlocking guns is as simple as it sounds - just keep earning player XP and you'll unlock more guns when you reach certain Military Rank milestones. This can take a while, but you can cut down on playtime by completing daily and career challenges regularly, and taking advantage of Double XP Boost Tokens when you have them.
Complete weekly challenges
Weekly challenges are available in both the pre-season and proper seasons of Modern Warfare 3. If you complete five of these weekly challenges, you can get a weapon as a reward. Although, do keep in mind that the reward is sometimes an attachment instead.
As a nice bonus, if you earn all weekly rewards in a season, you'll unlock a seasonal cosmetic reward, like a Camo.
Complete Armory unlock challenges
Armory unlock challenges are a new system that lets you unlock Weapons, as well as equipment, perks, killstreaks, and attachments. You can earn items from the Armory in order, or you can 'Activate' a weapon to be your active Armory unlock Challenge, so you can start to earn points to unlock it.
The downside is that the Armory is only unlocked at Military Rank 25, so you'll still have to unlock weapons through other methods until the Armory is available. When you can access it, Armory unlock challenges are completed by doing daily challenges. Each completed daily challenge earns you a point for your active Armory unlock challenge.
Don't worry if you change your mind mid-completion, as progress gained in Armory unlock challenges is saved when you activate a new one.
Take part in seasonal content
Keep an eye on seasonal updates to Modern Warfare 3 if you're after even more weapons, as we've been promised more items will be added "including free functional weapons" in Season 1. There will likely be new weapons added as part of future seasonal updates as well, just like in Modern Warfare 2.
Earn Modern Warfare 2 weapons
Thanks to the Carry Forward feature, any weapons you earned in Modern Warfare 2 are available to use in Modern Warfare 3. However, if you didn't play Modern Warfare 2, or earn all of the weapons in time for the sequel's launch, then you can still unlock MW2 weapons while playing MW3.
To get these returning weapons while playing MW3, you can complete specific multiplayer challenges or extract found MW2 weapons during a Zombies session.
How to unlock attachments in Modern Warfare 3
To unlock attachments in Modern Warfare 3 you can:
- Rank up your weapons
- Complete weekly challenges
- Complete Armory unlock challenges
Here's more details on each of these methods:
Rank up your weapons
In Modern Warfare 3, to earn attachments for a particular weapon you still need to rank up that weapon by earning Weapon XP from using that gun. However, there are more shared attachments in Modern Warfare 3, meaning you don't have to unlock the same attachment for different guns every time.
For new MW3 weapons, these shared attachments include: Grips, Barrels, Magazines, and Stocks. For example, the Assault Stock attachment is available for both the AMR9 SMG (at Level 8) and the Riveter Shotgun (at Level 12). If your AMR9 has already progressed to Level 8 or higher, the Stock will be available on the Riveter immediately, and vice versa.
Complete weekly challenges
Weekly challenges are available in both the pre-season and proper seasons of Modern Warfare 3. If you complete five of these weekly challenges, you can get an attachment as a reward. However, keep in mind that the reward is sometimes a gun instead.
As a nice bonus, if you earn all weekly rewards in a season you'll unlock a seasonal cosmetic reward, like a Camo.
Complete Armory unlock challenges
Armory unlock challenges are a new system that lets you unlock attachments, as well as weapons, equipment, perks, and killstreaks. You can earn items from the Armory in order, or you can 'Activate' an attachment to be your active Armory unlock Challenge, so you can start to earn points to unlock it.
The Armory is particularly good for unlocking attachments early, as you can get some attachments at the end of a weapon's progression by completing Armory challenges instead. This unlock method isn't available for all attachments, but it's worth checking the Armory before you decide to work towards an attachment at the end of a weapon's progression, just in case you can get it early though the Armory.
The downside is that the Armory is only unlocked at Military Rank 25, so you'll still have to unlock attachments through other methods until the Armory is available. When you can access it, Armory unlock challenges are completed by doing daily challenges. Each completed daily challenge earns you a point for your active Armory unlock challenge.
Don't worry if you change your mind mid-completion, as progress gained in Armory unlock challenges is saved when you activate a new one.
All the best unlocking guns and attachments in Modern Warfare 3!