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How to level up weapons fast in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II

Joseph Yaden
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Whether you’re aiming to dominate the competition in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II multiplayer, or simply getting ready for Warzone 2.0, you’ll want to make sure your weapons are leveled up as much as possible. In Modern Warfare II, the weapon grind isn’t as bad as in other games, as many firearms share attachments, making the system more streamlined. Still, some weapons that are terrible in Modern Warfare II might work well in Warzone 2.0, or maybe there are weapons that just don’t mesh with your play style.

Whatever the case, you might want to reach max level with certain weapons as quickly as you can. In this guide, we’ll highlight the best weapon XP farming methods in Modern Warfare II. Keep in mind, there currently isn’t a ridiculously overpowered way to level up, but with these methods, you should have a much smoother experience than simply playing Team Deathmatch.

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Invasion method

Player running through a map in Modern Warfare II.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

One of the best XP grinding methods is to farm AI enemies in the new Invasion mode.

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Invasion is a new game mode added to Modern Warfare II, bringing together large-scale 20v20 battles on Ground War-style maps. It’s essentially Team Deathmatch, but there’s a twist: It features AI enemies, as well as real players. Taking down a player earns you 5 points while eliminating an AI is worth one point.

Throughout the match, each team will get more AI partners that spawn from helicopters that fly overhead. You can see them approaching ahead of time, which is nice. Oddly enough, eliminating AI is worth the same amount of XP as a real player. It’s unclear if that’s intentional or a bug, but for now, it’s recommended to take advantage.

So, what we recommend is to continuously take out AI by getting close to the enemy’s spawn. Use a Tactical Insertion Field Upgrade to ensure you’re always close to the enemy’s spawn — just make sure to place this item in a hidden spot so it doesn’t get destroyed. We also recommend using the Munitions Box Field Upgrade so you always have plenty of ammo. When you hit level 45, you can actually choose between two Field Upgrades, which is highly effective.

Taking down AI is easy, at least at first. Eventually, they spawn with armor, which makes them a little harder to take down. You can continue farming when this happens, but considering they’re harder to take down, it might be a good idea to just back out to make better use of your time.

Ground War method

Players around a tank in Modern Warfare II.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

As for Ground War, this method is a bit cheesier than the other one, since it requires the use of a tank. There are actually two ways you can go about farming XP. One is to simply capture objectives in a tank, which is self-explanatory. You actually earn XP for whichever weapon you have equipped while in the tank. Much like the previous Invasion method, it’s unclear if this is a bug or feature.

The other method is to actually use the tank’s attacks to take down enemies. As mentioned before, you earn weapon XP while in the tank, even if you aren’t actually using the firearm you have equipped. With this in mind, it’s best to drive around your enemy’s capture points, where you’ll come across many on-foot opponents. Simply use the tank’s turret to take them down, or run them over for good measure. This will probably get patched, so make sure to use this method ASAP.

Prioritize objectives

Finally, if you’d rather not play on the large maps, you should consider playing objective-based modes like Domination or Hardpoint. Both have the potential to give you lots of weapon XP, but it’s worth noting that Hardpoint gives you more objectives since the capture points change frequently. Ultimately, your performance will have a lot to do with your teammates, which makes it a bit tougher for consistency, but the matches do go by faster than Ground War and Invasion.

Finally, for any method, don’t forget to utilize any 2XP Tokens you might have. Currently, there are a few ways to get your hands on these tokens, such as through promotions with popular products (like Mountain Dew), for buying the Vault Edition, and or the Endowment Bundle.

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Joseph Yaden
Joseph Yaden
Joseph Yaden is a freelance journalist who covers Nintendo, shooters, and horror games. He mostly covers game guides for…
The best field upgrades for Modern Warfare 3 Zombies
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Healing Aura
Regardless of whether or not you're playing with a team or running solo, Healing Aura is no doubt the best Field Upgrade to bring on any Zombie run. When activated, you and any teammates in the area will not only gain immediate healing, but it will also instantly revive any downed teammates. The downside to all this power is that this upgrade has the slowest recharge time and is unlocked at level 19.
Aether Shroud
This is another upgrade that you will be glad to have. Aether Shroud makes you you temporary invisibile to all Zombies. This won't make you invincible, mind you, and PMCs can still take shots, but if you're getting swarmed and have no way to escape, becoming instantly invisible to a bloodthirsty pack of zombies can save your skin more often than you think. This upgrade has a medium recharge rate and is unlocked when you hit level 39.
Frenzied Guard
Just past the halfway mark, Frenzied Guard has a massive upside, but not without some risk. When you pop this Field Upgrade, you instantly repair all your armor, but also draw all the aggression of any enemy nearby for 10 seconds. However, another perk is that anything you kill during this time also repairs your armor, so situationally, it can be great or detrimental. This one recharges slowly, unlocking at level 9.
Frost Blast
Frost Blast does exactly what you expect: it fires a freezing blast that will slow down any enemy you hit with it and deal a bit of damage. It's decent in a pinch, but not a game-changer. You can get it when you hit level 29.
Tesla Storm
An odd ability on paper, Tesla Storm is only good if you have a team working together. Activating it will create a lightning chain between you and your team that will damage and stun enemies that get close to any one of you. It lasts for 10 seconds and can be great in the final moments while holding out for an extraction, but not in other situations. It recharges slowly and is the last upgrade you unlock at level 50.
Energy Mine
This is your default Field Upgrade, so it makes sense that it's the "worst" on the list. Energy Mine isn't exactly bad; you simply lay down a mine that does what a mine does -- explodes. It's just that setting up traps like this in Zombies isn't all that applicable except when kiting a boss around or waiting for the helicopter. It has a medium recharge speed.

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The last thing anyone wants to see when booting up a game like Modern Warfare 3 to head online with your friends is to be stopped by an error. Online games are susceptible to all types of problems beyond the player's control, leading to plenty of frustration and disappointment in a possibly ruined experience. While there are more substantial issues that can completely prevent you from playing, seeing the packet burst issue is almost worse because, while it does let you play, you will experience a ton of lag that makes the game essentially unplayable. If you've been struck by a packet burst error in Modern Warfare 3, here are some possible solutions so you can get back to fragging.
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If you spot a symbol of three squares on the left of your screen while playing Modern Warfare 3, it means you're suffering from a packet burst. This is essentially an error where something is messed up in the communication between your system and the game's servers, resulting in terrible performance. While it could be simply an issue on the server side and not related to you at all, which you can check by looking at the Modern Warfare 3 server status here, there are a few things you can do to potentially fix the issue on your end.

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The old format of Zombies has been left behind in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in favor of a more open-world, objective-based take on the undead survival game type. This time, you will squad up and drop into a map with specific objectives you can choose to complete to earn tons of XP, while also pushing the narrative forward and unlocking new, more difficult tasks to take on. The early-tier missions are generally very simple, but in Act 1, you will be given the objective to find and destroy a Mercenary Convoy somewhere on the map. This sounds easy enough on paper until you realize you have no idea where this convey is or how to find it. Every run in Zombies risks losing all your hard-earned progress, so we'll lead you to the Mercenary Convoy to take it out before the zombies even know you were there.
How to find the Mercenary Convoy

Your first challenge will be to find this Mercenary Convoy. The problem here is twofold: first is that it isn't marked on your map in any way, and second is that, being a convoy, it is mobile. Once you land, you and your team should find the nearest vehicle and head toward the center of the map. Depending on how the threat levels are on your particular map, you are looking for roads and highways that are around the medium-threat level zone. You will have to patrol these roads until you come across the convoy, which only consists of three vehicles. Once you are in range, it does appear on your map to let you know you've found it.

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