Weapon Accessories have seen an overhaul in modern warfare 2.
It is unlocked by leveling weapons in multiiplayer. However, unlike previous games, Modern Warfare 2 requires you to use and level multiple weapons to unlock all of its various attachments.
There is a bit of complexity in this new unlocking and customization system, so this guide will go deeper and explain how to unlock attachmentshow to use the new weapon tuning featureand more.
On this page:
How Gunsmith and Weapon Customization Work in Modern Warfare 2
Once you reach level four in multiplayer, you’ll have access to custom loadouts and the ability to manually equip, upgrade, and customize weapons through the Gunsmith.
The Gunsmith is a menu where you will spend a lot of time if you want to emphasize your playstyle and choice of weapons with various upgrades.
To access this menu, go to the “Weapons” tab of the main multiplayer menu, select the first option – “Multiplayer Gear” – and choose the gear whose weapon you want to customize.
Once in the loading screen, a selectable option will appear above one of the weapons you have equipped – select this to customize the weapon.
This will then take you to the gunsmith screen, where you can choose and equip individual attachments for each part of the weapon, up to a maximum of five.
Each weapon has its own availability of attachments, with some weapons having their own bespoke attachments, such as bolt-on bolt-on rifles.
Initially, when a weapon is at tier one, its attachment slots will be locked – as you use and level up, these slots will open and allow you to swap in the attachments you want.
You can also swap out your equipped receiver on the gunsmith screen, allowing you to change the weapon type between what’s available on its same platform. (We have more on rigs and receivers in our explanation of how to unlock all weapons.)
Keep in mind, however, that switching receivers may remove attachments that are not compatible with other receivers – the game will let you know when you browse other receivers.
If a weapon cannot be customized with attachments, it will instead take you to the “Customize” tab, where you can customize your weapon with various weapon skins – known as camos – charms, stickers and more.
If you want to learn more about how to customize weapons via camouflages, be sure to check out our guide on how to unlock the Gold camouflage.
How to Unlock Attachments in Modern Warfare 2
Unlocking attachments for weapons works in one of two ways: universal attachments and platform-specific attachments.
Let’s go through these one by one:
- Universal accessories are, once unlocked, applicable to all weapons in the game, consisting of:
- Muzzle
- under the barrel
- Ammunition
- Laser
- Optical
- Platform specific attachments to be unlocked only for the weapons of this platform, consisting of:
- Barrel
- Magazine
- Store
- Rear handle
For universal unlocks, although they apply to all weapons once available, they may still require a specific unlock path – for example the M4 has an optic that requires you to level the .50 handgun GS at level 4 first.
The platform-specific attachments also encourage you to interchangeably use several of his weapons available within that platform – but are more limited to that platform.
This requirement is listed under an attachment’s name when hovering over it in the weapon customization screen – you can see it in the image below:
Due to the above, many attachments will be locked until you reach the required level with a specific weapon which is likely not the one you are using.
Also be aware that some weapons don’t have access to all attachment types, and others may have their own bespoke attachment type – in these cases attachments are unlocked by leveling weapons within the same platform as itself.
How to Unlock Attachments Quickly Using Weapon Chests and Blueprints in Modern Warfare 2
In addition to individual attachment unlocks, there are two (albeit specific) ways to unlock items through both Weapon Safes and Blueprints.
Weapon Chests in Modern Warfare 2 immediately unlock weapons and attachments for an entire platformand all share the same aesthetic and theme, similar to Blueprints from previous versions.
At launch, the only Weapon Vault available in Modern Warfare 2 is the FJX Cinder, available to players who own the Vault Edition.
This particular Weapons Vault fully unlocks the M4 platform and its associated weapons and attachments, all styled with a black and red theme.
While no others have been confirmed, there are signs that this is potentially a Battle Pass reward or in-store purchase.
With a Weapon Vault, weapon platform specific attachments are unlocked for immediate use.
Universal attachments will however remain inaccessible until unlocked normally – this will mean upgrading the associated weapon to unlock the attachment.
If you own a Weapon Vault or Blueprint, its themed attachments are available to swap on every weapon compatible with that attachment through the attachment skins menu, shown in the image below.
Also, with a Weapon Vault, you don’t have to level a weapon to access its attachment slots – they’re also available immediately.
However, the weapon’s level will remain at the level it was before acquiring a Weapon Vault – this means that for features such as Weapon Tuning, you will still need to reach the weapon’s max level to gain access.
Stuck in multiplayer? We explain the best weapons in Modern Warfare 2 and how to unlock all weapons and attachments – as well as individual pages on setting up an MP5 loadout, FTAC loadout, M4 loadout, TAQ 56 loadout, a 556 Icarus loadout, a Vel 46 loadout, an M16 loadout and the FSS Hurricane loadout. At launch, you might be wondering where the Battle Pass and Hardcore Tier 1 modes are, as well as how to claim the Modern Warfare 2 Twitch drops. Elsewhere, learn how to turn off crossplay on PlayStation and Xbox, get and use Double XP, level up fast, get gold camo, check KD, and unlock all MW2 Operators. Play the story? We have an explanation of the duration of the Modern Warfare 2 campaign and all the safe code combinations.
How to Unlock and Use Weapon Tuning in Modern Warfare 2
To note: As of this writing, this feature has been disabled, but we’d guess it’ll be back in time for Season 1 and the first Battle Pass.
To unlock Weapon Tuning for a specific weapon, you must reach the maximum level of this weapon.
This feature – new to Modern Warfare 2 – allows you to change the individual stats of the adjustable attachments available for each weapon.
For example, if you’re using the M4 and equipping it with the Underbarrel Edge-47 grip, you can change the positive and negative stats to adjust it to your liking – you can adjust the grip weight and length to affect its various stats.
To access it, head to the Gunsmith menu, equip an accessory, and if it can be customized, a “Adjust” button will appear – select it to customize the attributes of the accessory.
You will reach a screen with a radar graph, some cursors and various information about the equipped weapon.
As you move each slider, raising or lowering a stat, it will raise one while lowering the other – this is visible on the radar chart.
Increasing the weight of the grip will increase recoil stabilization, but reduce downsight speed (ADS) – and vice versa if you decrease the weight.
If you increase the length of the grip, it will improve the aiming stability of the weapon while reducing your aiming walk speed – and it will do the opposite if you reduce the length.
This is a more in-depth feature to dig into once you start focusing on the desired build and playstyle with the weapon in question.
As mentioned, this feature unlocks when you level up a weapon to its maximum possible level, but the specific level varies depending on the number of levels per weapon – the maximum level of a weapon can be seen on the screen weapon selector, or its associate. Platform tree.
If you’re looking for the best guns to pair with the weapon tuning feature, be sure to check out our guide to the best guns, or if you want to know how to level up fast, we’ve got a guide for that too.
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