Modern Warfare 3 brings back gunsmithing with a more streamlined form to make adding and removing attachments much faster and more detailed. Here is all you need to know to become a gunsmithing pro.
Master your Gunsmithing Skills
Players who want to reach pro levels of gameplay must understand how Modern Warfare 3 gunsmithing works. If you are new to the game, this is a must-read as we break down how it all works. If used correctly, it can make you a killer operator in all types of gunfights. To the veteran players from Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, Sledgehammer Games has removed the weapon tuning feature. This was purely based on community feedback. That feature was ever so complicated and too much complication can be overwhelming. You already have a vast set of options to choose from in building up your gear.
Modern Warfare 3 Gunsmith Statistics
If you want to be a professional gunfighter, you will need to familiarise yourselves with the 9 important statistical values.
| Damage: | The points of damage you inflict on an enemy, depending on where your shots land within the effective range of the weapon. |
| Fire Rate: | The number of rounds per minute and also the rechambering time of the weapon. |
| Range: | The effective range your weapon can inflict damage to the target and the velocity of each bullet fired. |
| Accuracy: | When firing from the hip, the degree of the spread, and flinching resistance while aiming down sights and firing. |
| Recoil Control: | The guns kick when fired, also horizontal and vertical recoil in degrees. |
| Mobility: | How fast you can move with your weapon in hand. Be it crouching, moving, sprinting, tactical sprinting, or ADS (Aiming Down Sights). |
| Handling: | ADS speed, speed of reloading, sprint to fire speed, and weapon swap speed. |
| Rounds: | The total number of bullets or slugs the weapon can fire in a single magazine. |
| Reserve: | The additional ammunition the weapon can carry. |
PROS and CONS Value of Each Attachment
The pros and cons of each weapon are laid out differently in Modern Warfare 3. In MWII, each attachment information was shown in a list format, up to 4 PROS and 4 CONS per attachment. What is different in Modern Warfare 3, each PRO and CON has an additional chevron icon to the left of each description. Below is the guidance on how to read these chevrons.
- Single Chevron: A minor PRO or CON
- Double Chevron: A moderate PRO or CON
- Triple Chevron: A strong PRO or CON
- Polygonal Arrow: A new function of the modification.
These chevrons make it easy to decide which attachment to the weapon will strengthen which functionality or do the opposite. Regarding the ‘polygonal arrow’, that adds a completely new function. Here are a few examples that you can familiarize yourself with as you try and test out different modifications.
Muzzle: Undetectable by Radar (PRO), Flash Concealment (PRO).
Ammunition: Bullet Penetration (PRO), Explosive Impact (PRO).
Underbarrel: Bipod Mount (PRO).
Lasers: Canted Laser Aiming (PRO), No Tactical Stance (CON).
Optics: Different Magnifications (PRO), Thermals (PRO), Sniper Glint (PRO).
In-depth Statistical Detail
Sledgehammer Games, in collaboration with Beenox, has added additional statistical detail to each attachment for those hardcore players who want to study their attachments in depth. To access this feature, select any of the attachments, and select Show Details to expand and view further information. In the picture below, you can see a total of 7 statistical ratings of the weapon and break down how the attachment adds or subtracts from each particular value. You can cycle all different attachments and see how each device affects your weapon’s performance, be it effective range, bullet velocity, or rate of fire to name just a few. This helps when you are building the ultimate RECCE Rifle for larger maps, or a short-barrelled rifle for room-clearing CQB, and it all depends on your overall playstyle.
Weapon Stats: Filtering
With the addition of the Show Details submenu for each weapon attachment, there is another option new to Modern Warfare 3 Gunsmithing is Filtering. This feature lets you focus on specific features you are working on that are important. There are two ways of Filtering, either by statistic or by Attachment. You can focus on just specific statistical ratings with only the unlocked items you have in your arsenal of options.
Mission Dictates Gear
With such a wide variety of options between weapons, attachments, and gear, you need to prioritize which loadout you are building for what type of mission. Suppose, you have CQB matches on a map like Rust, you will try to build gear that increases mobility and has a faster ADS speed. That will definitely help you outrank others in those adrenaline-fueled fast-paced shooting matches.
With the increase in mobility and faster ADS speed, recoil management will be affected and at shorter distances. Another point to note is SMGs are king at short ranges due to their bullets losing velocity and punching power down longer distances. When you explore all this information, building the right weapon with the right attachments and gear is a skill that you will need to develop as you play along. We will be covering the Top 5 Weapon Loadout series covering all different Mission styles to help beginners to be effective, nobody wants a negative K/D ratio.
To know more about Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 all new weapons, click here.
