Skip to main content

How to unlock the Marshal in Call of Duty: Warzone

The latest weapon added to the ever-expanding list in Call of Duty: Warzone is the Marshal, a unique sidearm that has some noteworthy properties. This weapon is labeled as a handgun but functions like a sawed-off shotgun, excelling up close. It uses shotgun ammo and feels way more powerful than a handgun. Much like other firearms in Warzone, this one must be unlocked, but thankfully, the requirements aren’t too much of a pain. As is typical, you can unlock the Marshal across Warzone or Black Ops Cold War, giving you plenty of opportunities to get your hands on it.

But what are all the ways you can unlock the weapon? And which is the easiest method? In this guide, we’ll highlight the best ways to unlock the new Marshal weapon, along with our recommended loadout for it. Here’s how to unlock the Marshal in Call of Duty: Warzone.

Recommended reading:

How to unlock the Marshal in Warzone

The Marshal in Call of Duty: Warzone.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The least expensive way to earn the Marshal is by playing Warzone. We say “least expensive” since Warzone is free, meaning you can jump in and make progress without spending a dime. To do so, you must gain a headshot kill with a handgun in 15 different matches. This is actually one of the easier challenges in recent memory, but there are still a few pointers we have for you if you want to earn it fast.

If you’re looking to finish this one quickly, we advise jumping into a Plunder match with either the Sykov or Diamatti and a red-dot sight. Make sure you have stun grenades equipped (or a heartbeat sensor, if you’re confident), along with the Tempered perk, so you spawn in with full plates. Make your way to Storage Town (which is where much of the action takes place), and down a player with your primary. Then, switch to your secondary handgun to finish the player off with a headshot. Once you do, go into the menu to make sure the headshot counted, and if it did, feel free to back out of the match. It helps if you stun your enemies beforehand to ensure an easy elimination. Repeat this 14 more times, and you’ll unlock the new weapon with ease.

You can also unlock the Marshal by purchasing it from the in-game store. It’s tied to the Powder Keg bundle, which costs 1,100 COD Points (or $10 in real money). However, we advise against this since earning it isn’t too difficult. Plus, if you buy it, you still can’t customize its attachments until you’ve officially unlocked it anyway, so save your cash or COD Points.

How to unlock the Marshal in Cold War multiplayer

The Marshal in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The process of unlocking this weapon in Black Ops Cold War is exactly the same as in Warzone. You need to earn one headshot elimination with a pistol in 15 different matches. If you’re skilled, you can complete this challenge in Cold War quicker since matches start faster than in Warzone. However, since you can’t down a player in traditional multiplayer, you’ll have to rely on your skills to ensure you secure a headshot elimination, which can be tough. Though, if you use stuns, you can immobilize your opponents to make it an easier process. Repeat this 14 more times, and you’ll earn the Marshal across Cold War and Warzone since they share progression systems.

How to unlock the Marshal in Cold War Zombies

The Marshal in Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

There’s also a way to unlock the Marshal by playing Cold War Zombies, though it’s not the easiest method. To do so, you’ll need to kill 30 Disciples while they have at least five zombies under their control, which is very situational. Unless you play Zombies a lot, we advise staying away from this method since it can take a long time — and eliminating a Disciple with a pistol is no easy task. If you are going to use this method, we advise taking down the majority of the Disciple’s health with a stronger weapon and then switching to your handgun to finish them off.

Recommended Warzone loadout

The Marshal in Call of Duty: Warzone.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

What’s the best build to use with the Marshal? This is a weapon that works well, especially if you plan on running Ghost instead of Overkill since it’s designed to be used up close. Just make sure you bring a mid-to-long-range weapon as your primary to make sure your bases are covered. The best build is as follows:

Barrel 6.5-inch cut down
Stock Dual-wield

Despite there being four attachment slots, only two of them are worth using. The Marshal is quite unforgiving since it doesn’t have the capability to down a player in one shot, regardless of how close you are to your opponent. The best way to use the Marshal is to dual-wield it, so you’ve got double the firepower. Then, fire both shots with one Marshal, which still leaves the other one free in case you need a follow-up shot. The Cut Down Barrel increases the weapon’s range and bullet velocity, which will increase your chances of securing an elimination.

The other attachments aren’t viable in this case. For instance, you won’t need an optic since you’ll be dual-wielding the weapon. We highly advise against using a single Marshal since it’s so unforgiving. Remember, it only has two shots before needing to reload, so you’ll absolutely want to bring a second one with you. As for the Dragon’s Breath ammo type, we don’t recommend it since it decreases the overall damage of the weapon. Sure, it deals fire damage, but a lot of times, this isn’t worth it since the overall damage is lower.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Joseph Yaden
Joseph Yaden is a freelance journalist who covers Nintendo, shooters, and horror games. He mostly covers game guides for…
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is official and it’s coming this November
call of duty modern warfare iii release date makarov mwiii

Activision has confirmed a November 10 release date for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III with a teaser trailer following a barrage of leaks.
The shooter, which is going to be a direct sequel to 2022's Modern Warfare II, was the subject of lots of reports and leaks prior to this announcement. Reports from Bloomberg revealed that this game was originally going to be a Modern Warfare II expansion, but it later got upgraded to a full game. Then, over the summer, more game details started to leak before some Monster Energy advertisements revealed the game's title prematurely. Activision coyly acknowledged this leak on Twitter at the time, but finally pulled the curtain back on the project today with a video titled "Modern Warfare III is Coming."
Modern Warfare III is Coming
It begins with some green soundwaves on-screen and a lot of radio chatter in the background. Then, the soundwaves turn from green to red before the perspective then pushes into them, creating a trippy red void. In there, we briefly see waveform images of a snake and Captain Price before he says, "Never bury your enemies alive" over the silhouette of a new character. This is believed to be Vladimir Makarov, the villain of the original Modern Warfare trilogy, who was teased in the post-credit scene for last year's campaign. After all of that, the title Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III is confirmed, as is the release date of November 10.

This date falls right in line with the late October to early November window in which Call of Duty games usually come out. It also places its launch after Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition is expected to be complete, so it looks like this may be the first Call of Duty game released under Microsoft. Other than that date, official details on the game are fairly scarce. Thankfully, we shouldn't have to wait too much longer to learn more.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III launches on November 10. 

Read more
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III has seemingly leaked thanks to Monster
Five main characters from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II.

It looks like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III will be the title of this year's Call of Duty game. Following several leaks, including an undeniable one connected to Monster Energy, a joking tweet from the official Call of Duty Twitter account appears to confirm that this is true.
Leaks suggesting that 2023's Call of Duty game is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III have existed for months, but ramped up recently. On July 17, the Call of Duty Twitter account put up tweets asking if Operators, weapons, and bundles from Modern Warfare II should carry over to this year's game and teasing that a big reveal would happen alongside the unveiling of Season 5. Later that day, Bloomberg's Jason Schreier stated that this is a Sledgehammer Games-led project that started as an expansion and morphed into a full game.
Then, Monday morning, images of Monster Energy promotional materials connected to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III emerged on Twitter, giving us confirmation of the name and our first look at the game's logo.

A leak like this is pretty difficult to deny, so Activision decided to play along with it. "Whew. Mondays," the official Call of Duty account tweeted. "Anyone have an energy drink they can spare?"
While not a traditional, explicit announcement, this tweet confirms the validity of the Monster Energy leak and affirms that this year's Call of Duty will be a direct follow-up to 2022's Modern Warfare II. Now, we'll just have to wait and see when Activision decides to officially reveal more about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III itself. 
Because it's not officially announced yet, we don't know what Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III's release date or launch platforms are. Still, it's likely that it will launch across PC, PlayStation, and Xbox sometime this October or November after Microsoft's Activision Blizzard acquisition closes. 

Read more
You’re probably using the wrong close-range Warzone weapon
Call of Duty Warzone screenshot of 3 characters walking towards the camera.

Following the Call of Duty: Warzone Season 4 Reloaded update, players have flocked to various close-range weapons, including the Lachmann Sub, the FSS Hurricane, or the ISO 45. However, these close-range weapons pale in comparison to the X13 Auto, a sidearm that has found its way to the top of the close-range meta.

The beauty of this weapon is that, not only does it take down your foes faster than any SMG in the game, but it also doesn't require the use of the Overkill perk, as it's just a sidearm. But how exactly should you build the X13 Auto? Here's a recommended loadout, which focuses on practicality up-close. Just use it while you still can, as it may not last long.
The best X13 Auto loadout

Read more