How to unlock new weapons early in Warzone 2 & Modern Warfare 2: Crossbow, ISO Hemlock, more

Joseph Pascoulis
warzone 2 modern warfare 2 crossbow

Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2 Season 2 has an abundance of weaponry, some of which you may not have unlocked yet, such as the Crossbow. Luckily, there is a way for you to unlock these weapons very quickly, so you can start leveling them up and unlocking attachments early.

The Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2 Season 2 updates brought brand-new content to the games. The new Resurgence map, Ashika Island, has taken center stage, offering players a new experience on Warzone 2.

However, another impactful piece of content that players are still getting to grips with is the new weaponry. Season 2 will introduce Warzone 2 and MW2 players to five new weapons, some of which were made available at launch.

These include the ISO Hemlock, the KV Broadside shotgun, and the Dual Kodachis, with the Crossbow arriving with the Path of the Ronin event and the Tempus Torrent coming “in-season.”

It can be quite a grind unlocking these guns, especially as players feel the Battle Pass progression has slowed down significantly. That said, a Reddit post has revealed a great way to unlock them early, even the Crossbow.

Warzone 2 player using CrossbowWarzone 2 and MW2 layers can unlock the Crossbow early.

How to unlock MW2 & Warzone 2 Crossbow early

According to Reddit user SyncingShiip, it’s a simple case of using the “Local Multiplayer” option to save a weapon blueprint that can then be used online. In Local Multiplayer, all the weapons are unlocked, including the Crossbow which isn’t even out yet.

It is important to note, however, that the player didn’t have a way to test this on PC, and so says that this exploit is currently “console only, unless you can find a way to play local multiplayer on PC.” This also will not work for DMZ.

For a more in-depth guide, follow these steps to acquire “any gun” you don’t have unlocked:

  1. On the “Call of Duty” title screen, start the game but quickly press back to cancel and bring up the “Download Cancelled” tab.
  2. Select “Go Offline.”
  3. Scroll over to the “Local Multiplayer” option once in the offline mode and enter.
  4. Select the weapons tab and make a class with the locked weapon you wish to use online.
  5. While in the Gunsmith with this weapon, save a “Custom Mod” for it.
  6. Go back to the title screen and go online.
  7. In either Warzone 2 or MW2, make a new custom loadout, hover over the desired locked weapon, and hold L2/LT to “Equip weapon and open Gunsmith.”
  8. Back out of this screen and congratulations, you can now use the weapon in Multiplayer Games.

Once you level up the weapon, you can then follow this same process and save another blueprint with the attachments you’d like to use online.

Following these steps will allow you to use any weapon you don’t have unlocked that’s currently in the game. Comments under the Reddit post are confirming this, with one saying “worked like a charm, you’re goated for this,” while another says that it “works for the new katana knives as well.”

Be warned that this could be patched in the near future, so make sure you use it while you can if you’d like to get a head start on the Crossbow or another new weapon.


For more on Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2, check out our other guides below:

Best guns in Warzone 2 | Best Warzone 2 controller settingsBest Warzone 2 PC settings | How to ping enemies in Warzone 2 | How to use Proximity Chat in Warzone 2 | How to get a nuke in Warzone 2 |  | Best Assault Rifles in Warzone 2 | Does Warzone 2 have crossplay?

Image Credits: Activision

About The Author

Joseph is a Senior Writer at CharlieIntel specializing in shooters - Call of Duty, Apex Legends, Fortnite, and Overwatch. He also enjoys Souls-likes, the Resident Evil franchise, and Tekken. After writing for KeenGamer, he joined CharlieIntel in 2021. If Joseph isn't writing about games, then he's most likely playing them. You can contact him at [email protected].