How to earn Modern Warfare 3 Armory Unlocks and get them faster

Modern Warfare 3 Armory Unlocks
(Image credit: Activision Blizzard)

Modern Warfare 3 Armory Unlocks provide a way for players to take their loadouts to the next level, all by selecting specific items to unlock through completing Daily Challenges and earning points. Although this is a great way to tailor your Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 arsenal to match your playstyle, the new system is causing some confusion due to the various steps involved and a few early teething problems due to bugs. If you want to understand how this all works or the best way to get these items faster, then here's everything you need to know about Armory Unlocks in Modern Warfare 3.

What are Modern Warfare 3 Armory Unlocks?

Modern Warfare 3 Armory Unlocks

(Image credit: Activision Blizzard)

The Modern Warfare 3 Armory Unlocks are part of a new system introduced to track players' progress and add fresh guns, equipment, perks, killstreaks, and more to their arsenals. These become available once you reach Level 25, at which point you can queue up to three Armory Unlocks to work towards from the following categories:

  • Weapons
  • Aftermarket Parts
  • Perks
  • Equipment
  • Field Upgrades
  • Killstreaks

Each of these Armory Unlocks in Modern Warfare 3 require a certain number of points to access, and you'll receive a point towards this for each of the Daily Challenges you complete. There are three Daily Challenges available each day, which reset at 9pm PST / Midnight EST / 5am GMT, and if you complete all three then an additional challenge will unlock – though there have been players reporting that a bug is preventing Daily Challenges from tracking properly in some cases and Sledgehammer Games is currently working on a fix.

How to get Modern Warfare 3 Armory Unlocks faster

Modern Warfare 3 Armory Unlocks

(Image credit: Activision Blizzard)

There are a few tips I can offer for how to get Modern Warfare 3 Armory Unlocks faster, with the first being to look through the list and make sure you queue up your priority items so any points you earn go towards them. Adding some decent weapons, perks, and killstreaks to your setup should be your initial step, before delving into the other categories.

Next, pay attention to the Daily Challenges you have available, and make sure you're focused on their targets so you can clear them efficiently. Be aware that Multiplayer and Zombies each have their own set of three Daily Challenges, which means you can double the Armory Unlock points available to you if you visit both modes each day.

Finally, you should also bear in mind that many of the Modern Warfare 3 Armory Unlocks are also available in Zombies mode, either as Wall Buys, in Mystery Boxes, or in loot containers, and if you successfully extract with those items then they'll automatically be unlocked without having to spend points on them. If you're playing with friends, then you can swap items before extracting to help each other fill in any gaps in your arsenals. Again, at the time of writing some players are experiencing bugs with certain items not unlocking correctly using this method, so if that happens to you then persevere or wait for a patch.

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Iain Wilson
Guides Editor

Iain originally joined Future in 2012 to write guides for CVG, PSM3, and Xbox World, before moving on to join GamesRadar in 2013 as Guides Editor. His words have also appeared in OPM, OXM, PC Gamer, GamesMaster, and SFX. He is better known to many as ‘Mr Trophy’, due to his slightly unhealthy obsession with amassing intangible PlayStation silverware, and he now has over 500 Platinum pots weighing down the shelves of his virtual award cabinet. He does not care for Xbox Achievements.