Modern Warfare 3: What Carries Over From MW2 Explained

modern warfare 3 carry over from mw2

Just a few weeks ago, Activision confirmed that a lot of the items in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will carry over to Modern Warfare 3 when it ships later this year. If you have questions about that, Activision has answers! Here’s an explanation of what carries over from MW2 to MW3.

Activision is calling this transition as “Carry Forward” and has published a full FAQ about it, which you can read about below.

Modern Warfare 3 Carryover Items From Modern Warfare 2 Explained:

What is “Carry Forward”?

The term “Carry Forward” simply refers to content currently available to players in Modern Warfare II and the current version of Call of Duty: Warzone (such as weapons and cosmetic content, including Bundles, Operators, and other rewards and unlocks from the game), and how much of it will be accessible in Modern Warfare III.

What will carry forward from MW2 to MW3?

Content previously described — weapons and cosmetic content, examples of which are shown in the above image — that has been previously unlocked or is currently available to players in MWII, will carry forward between MWII and MWIII.

Now for the caveats:

  • A small amount of content may be unavailable if gameplay offerings are different in Modern Warfare III. For example, if MWIII doesn’t have the Tactical Amphibious Vehicle, or a specific piece of Tactical or Lethal Equipment in any game modes, any Skins you’ve unlocked for these items in MWII won’t be in MWIII. In addition, Wartracks (music) will not carry forward from MWII to MWIII.
  • This blog does not reference the impressive amount of planned MWIII-specific weapons and cosmetic content; this is simply explaining the MWII content available in MWIII.
  • There will be no “Carry Back” (from MWIII to MWII).

Modern Warfare 3 Carry Forward FAQ

Warzone-Related Questions

1. Does Carry Forward also apply to Call of Duty: Warzone (MWII)?

Yes.

You should expect Modern Warfare III content to be integrated into Call of Duty: Warzone at the start of Modern Warfare III Season 01, including all the Modern Warfare II content specified in this blog, where applicable. Content is additive, so none of the previously described MWII Carry Forward content acquired in Call of Duty: Warzone will be taken away.

2. Is Modern Warfare II and Modern Warfare III Content accessible in Call of Duty Warzone Mobile?

Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile will include shared progression across Modern Warfare II, the current iteration of Call of Duty: Warzone, and Modern Warfare III as one of its key features. We intend to make all Operators, Weapons, Blueprints, and cosmetic equipment accessible, as well as integrating Player Level, Battle Pass access, and Weapon progression among these games. We’ll have more details to share on this as we near the worldwide launch of Warzone Mobile.

Operator-Related Questions

3. How does Carry Forward work regarding any Operators I may have acquired?

For Modern Warfare II players, all unlocked Operators and Operator Skins will carry forward into Modern Warfare III. This essentially means that every Operator a MWII player has unlocked, obtained via challenge, or purchased (including the PlayStation® Exclusive Oni Operator), will be available in MWIII.

For MWIII players who do not own MWII, MWII Base Operators will not be available.

Note: “Base Operator” means the Operator with their default Skin, which may require a challenge to unlock.

Note: Unless otherwise specified, “Modern Warfare II” content also applies to content you’ve obtained during the second iteration of Call of Duty: Warzone that launched with Season 01 of Modern Warfare II.

Example: The Operator Nova (shown above in Base Skin) can be unlocked only after completing the Modern Warfare II“Violence and Timing” Campaign mission.

  • A MWII player will not be able to access this Base Operator until the unlock prerequisite is completed. Then the Operator is unlocked for both games.
  • A MWIII-only player will not be able to access this Base Operator.
  • A Store Bundle released in MWII that includes Nova would be accessible in both games. Players would have access to only that specific Bundle Skin, not the Base (default) Skin. This is currently the case in MWII, so no changes are planned there.
  • A Store Bundle released in MWIII that includes Nova would be accessible only in MWIII.

4. What happens to MWII Operators who are no longer available as a Store Bundle or who are obtained due to a timed exclusive window (e.g., a Season Operator)?

For Modern Warfare II and Modern Warfare III players, timed-exclusive MWII Operators and/or Skins are not available if they haven’t been unlocked or purchased. This mainly relates to Battle Pass Operators and Skins, as well as BlackCell Operators and Skins.

Example 1: The Operator Valeria (shown above) was included in the Season 03 Battle Pass. If players didn’t obtain her then, they will be unable to obtain her Base Skin now.

  • However, if a future Store Bundle is released in MWII that includes Valeria, it would be accessible in both games. Players would only have access to that specific Bundle Skin, not the limited-time (default) Base Skin that was a timed exclusive in the Season 03 Battle Pass.
  • If a future Store Bundle is released in MWIII that includes Valeria, it would be accessible in MWIII only.

Example 2: The Operator Io (shown above) was included in the Season 04 BlackCell offering. If players didn’t obtain her then, they will be unable to obtain her Base Skin now.

5. Does all cosmetic Operator Skin content carry forward?

Yes.

Store Bundle Skins for all MWII Operators will carry forward.

Example: When available, the Inkblot Nova Bundle (already available in MWII) can be purchased by either a MWII player or a MWIII player (in their respective Stores), and the “Enigma” Nova Skin (shown above) can be obtained.

However, as detailed in Question 3, players will only have access to this specific Skin and not Nova’s Base (default) Skin by purchasing the Bundle.

Bundle content created for MWIII will only be available for MWIII. See Question 17 (below) to view how current content is confirmed to be available in both games, in the current MWII Store.

6. What happens to Operators who exist in both MWII and MWIII? For example, assuming Captain Price appears in both games, are “MWII Price” and “MWIII Price” two separate Operators?

No.

If Captain Price appears in both games, he is regarded as the same character and is selected in the same Operator menu screen, with any MWII and MWIII Skins and other content available in this selection menu.

Weapons and Gunsmith-Related Questions

7. Do all weapons in Modern Warfare II and their Blueprints carry forward to Modern Warfare III?

Yes.

All Modern Warfare II weapons will be available for Modern Warfare III players, although each weapon’s associated unlock challenge must be completed before it becomes accessible in MWIII. Any Blueprints also carry forward, and certain MWII Blueprints available via Store Bundles will also be available to purchase in MWIII.

Some Base MWII weapons were available for a limited time during MWII’s Seasons of content, and are initially inaccessible to MWIII owners, unless the specific Weapon Unlock Challenge for that weapon has been completed.

To reiterate: If you haven’t played MWII and pick up MWIII, the full complement of MWII weapons will be available, but only after the associated weapon challenges in MWIII are completed.

Therefore, Modern Warfare III players should expect the following Base weaponry accessible in the Gunsmith, at launch:

  • An extensive and impressive number of Modern Warfare III–specific Base weapons (not revealed yet).
  • The Base weapons available at the launch of Modern Warfare II at the level you progressed them to in MWII. If you do not own MWII, the same MWII Base weapons will be available in MWIII, ready to be unlocked via a challenge, and leveled up.
  • Any Base weapons unlocked during a MWII Season, Event, or other unlock challenge (e.g., the Tonfa Base Melee weapon, available only as part of the Vondel Event in Season 04).

Example 1: The Base M13B Assault Rifle (above) is available to obtain only during DMZ, after defeating the Chemist boss character (or defeating another player carrying the Base M13B) and exfilling with the weapon. If obtained in this manner, the Base M13B becomes available to use (and level up) in MWII and MWIII.

Example 2: The Blueprint M13B Assault Rifle “Naughty” (above) is available to obtain only via the Store Bundle “Tracer Pack: Klaus Operator.” If purchased in MWII, the Blueprint (but not the Base) M13B becomes available to use (and level up) in MWII and MWIII.

8. Do all attachments in Modern Warfare II also carry forward? Can I use MWII attachments on Modern Warfare III weapons?

Yes.

All Modern Warfare II attachments will be available in Modern Warfare III and can also be used on MWIII weapons, assuming they are attachable to the weapon in question.

9. Will Modern Warfare II Weapon Camos, including Mastery Camos and those awarded for completing Events, be carried forward?

Yes.

All Weapon Camos will carry forward into Modern Warfare III. Limited-time Event Camos that were available only during a certain period are accessible if you unlocked them in Modern Warfare II at that time.

Example 1: A MWII player has an M4 with “Orion” Mastery Camo unlocked (above). They can equip the weapon, and the Camo, and any other unlocked Camos in MWIII. Note you can’t equip the “Orion” Camo to a MWIII weapon (see Question 10).

Example 2: A MWII player has the universal Camo “Dark Bones” (above) that was earned during the MWII Season 03 Reloaded Camo Event. They can equip this Camo to any MWII weapon, providing they unlocked it during the time of the Event. Note that “universal Camo” now means “universal to MWII weapons” (see Question 10).

10. Can a player use a Modern Warfare II Camo on a Modern Warfare III weapon? Can a player use a MWIII Camo on a MWII weapon? What about “completionist” Camos?

No.

Modern Warfare II Camos cannot be equipped on Modern Warfare III weapons, and vice versa. However, you can equip a previously locked MWII Camo onto a MWII weapon in MWIII if you fulfill the unlock criteria in MWIII.

Note: MWIII is set to include its own expansive set of Camos, including completionist Camos (separate from the MWII Gold, Platinum, Polyatomic, and Orion, above). These MWIII Camos cannot be earned for MWII weapons.

11. Can a player level up a Modern Warfare II weapon in both games?

Yes.

Weapon progression will continuously update between games.

Example 1: Leveling up the M4 (shown above) in Modern Warfare III will also level up the weapon in Modern Warfare II (and vice versa). This includes unlocking all the weapon attachments (if applicable) as well as Camos and mastery Camos.

  • Note that Rank and Prestige XP would be awarded in the game in which you are leveling up your weapon (either MWII or MWIII, but not both).

Example 2: If a MWII player has a set of weapons still requiring Weapon XP (WXP) to level up (to unlock attachments and/or Camos), this can be done in either MWII or MWIII. However, regular Player Rank and Prestige XP (unrelated to WXP) would be awarded to the specific game in question.

12. If a Tactical or Lethal Weapon has a Skin (like the “Wumpa Grenade” from “Tracer Pack: Crash Bandicoot”), do they carry forward?

Yes, provided the tactical or lethal is accessible and available for use in MWIII.

13. Is there a reason to purchase Modern Warfare II if all the weapons are available in Modern Warfare III?

Yes.

You would be able to have some or all of your Modern Warfare II weaponry arsenal fully leveled up and unlocked, along with their associated Camos, ready for Modern Warfare III launch, providing you put in the appropriate time to unlock and level up this content in MWII, prior to – or even after – playing MWIII.

Cosmetics-Related Questions

14. Do Weapon Charms (including Weapon Mastery Charms), Weapon Stickers (including Decals), Emblems, and Loading Screens all carry forward?

Yes.

15. What about Vehicle Skins, Wartracks, and Calling Cards?

Generally, yes.

Caveat: Some MWII vehicles, and Wartracks will not be available to use in Modern Warfare III.

Note: Challenges within MWII (e.g., Seasonal Prestige Challenges allowing Calling Cards to be unlocked) can be unlocked only in MWII, but unlocked Calling Cards (including those you go back and unlock in MWII) will carry forward.

16. Are there any Modern Warfare II cosmetics that won’t be supported in Modern Warfare III?

Generally, no, aside from the following caveats:

Some vehicle Skins may not be available (see Question 15).

Wartracks will not carry forward.

Some Tactical and Lethal equipment may not be available depending on the removing of those items in MWIII, to be replaced with MWIII-only equipment.

Exact Tactical and Lethal equipment within MWIII will be revealed at a later date.

Otherwise, all this Modern Warfare II cosmetics will be usable in Modern Warfare III. However, as with Operators and Weapons, any cosmetic item with a limited time unlock won’t be available unless it was unlocked in MWII at the appropriate time.

Other Questions

17. How do I know whether a Modern Warfare II Store Bundle features content that can be used in Modern Warfare III?

Due to the labelling denoting that the content is usable in both games. This labelling is scheduled to be visible in the MWII store starting on August 16.

Example: A MWII player decides to purchase the Call of Duty League Midseason Pack. When inspecting the items within the Bundle, there is a label below the item carousel (as shown above) confirming that all the items will also be usable in Modern Warfare III.

18. In general, what happens if I purchase Modern Warfare III first, and then purchase Modern Warfare II? Will the MWII content still be shared?

Generally, yes.

If you own both games, you’ll have both sets of content, no matter when you purchase. Weapon progression will continuously update between games (see Question 11), and if an Operator is unlocked in Modern Warfare II (via a Campaign, Multiplayer, or a Special Ops Challenge), that (Base) Operator will then become available to use in Modern Warfare III as well.

19. Does all Carry Forward content work in a “Carry Back” capacity? For example, can I use unlocked Modern Warfare III content in Modern Warfare II?

No.

There is no “carry back” from Modern Warfare III to Modern Warfare II. No MWIII content will be playable in MWII.


Don’t forget, the official reveal of Modern Warfare 3 is happening this August 17. Go check the Makarov reveal trailer released today to see the villain introduced again.

Source: Call of Duty

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