‘Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’ Credit: Activision
Modern Warfare 3 has a huge roster of weapons, including a bunch of new guns and the full Modern Warfare 2 arsenal thanks to the ‘Carry Forward’ system. That makes it hard to find which weapons are meta, but fortunately we’re here to help.
In this guide, we’ll break down the ten best weapons in Modern Warfare 3, covering Assault Rifles, SMGs, Sniper Rifles, and even an exceptionally powerful Pistol. We’ll also explain what makes each of them so strong, so that you can hop into Modern Warfare 3 with a clear idea of the best options.
‘Modern Warfare 3’ best weapons
The best weapons in Modern Warfare 3 are:
STG44
MCW
Striker
Longbow
Renetti
MTZ-556
BAS-B
AMR9
Holger 26
KV Inhibitor
After testing the current pool of Modern Warfare 3 weapons at launch, the MCW is clearly the best gun. It’s a versatile Assault Rifle, with high damage and accuracy making it strong at any range. It’s instantly shot to the top of the meta, so make sure to use it if you’re looking for a reliable weapon that’s easy to use.
Below, we’ll break down what makes each of the best weapons in Modern Warfare 3 so powerful.
Credit: Activision
STG44
Launched alongside Season 5, the STG44 has quickly become the strongest weapon in the current meta. A mix of exceptional range and damage, solid recoil that you can control easily, and being capable at almost any range makes it a top choice in multiplayer.
The right attachments in the best STG44 MW3 loadout can really help the weapon excel beyond its alright strong foundation. If you can, grab it while it is easy to get a hold of.
Credit: Activision Blizzard.
MCW
The MCW is the a strong contendor in Modern Warfare 3, and it’s going to be an obvious pick for many. It’s a versatile weapon that can quickly adapt to feel strong at any range, but it’s best suited to medium-range engagements. That makes it perfect for the roster of mid-sized Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer maps, such as Favela, Highrise and Afghan.
However, with a high fire rate and decent mobility, you’ll have no trouble running and gunning in close quarters either. Whatever your preferred playstyle, the MCW is sure to be a meta weapon that deserves a place in your loadout.
The default MCW already comes with high damage and very low recoil, but a few attachments can transform this weapon into a laser that’ll pick enemies off without giving them any chance to react. Check out our Modern Warfare 3 MCW loadout if you’re wondering what to equip.
Credit: Activision Blizzard.
Striker
The Striker is undeniably Modern Warfare 3’s top SMG. This gun shreds through enemies at incredible speed, and its high mobility makes the Striker perfect for charging around smaller maps, such as Rust and Scrapyard.
It’s worth noting that nerfs have targeted the Striker’s longer-range capabilities, lowering its damage from afar. Fortunately, that doesn’t impact where it performs best, so you can still use this weapon knowing that it’ll decimate enemies at close-medium range.
The Striker already feels snappy, but you can make it even faster by removing the stock and adding a few other attachments. You can learn how to kit out this weapon with our guide on the best Striker loadout in Modern Warfare 3.
Credit: Activision Blizzard.
Longbow
The Longbow is one of Modern Warfare 3’s bolt-action Sniper Rifles and it is incredibly powerful. If you’re after a weapon that can deliver consistent one-shot kills while you sprint around the map, then this gun is perfect.
The Longbow has incredibly high damage and accuracy, making it perfect for popping heads across the map. However, with some attachments to bump its handling and mobility, you can also make it a killing machine at close-medium range.
That might not be what you expect from a Sniper Rifle, but the versatility offered by the Longbow makes it one of the best guns in Modern Warfare 3. To learn how to kit it out, take a look at our Modern Warfare 3 best Longbow loadout.
Credit: Sledgehammer Games.
Renetti
The Striker might be the best SMG in Modern Warfare 3 at launch, but the Renetti gives it a good challenge. Sure, the Renetti might seem like a simple pistol at first glance. However, when equipped with the Jak Ferocity Carbine Kit, it transforms into an incredibly fast SMG-style weapon that will bag quick kills with ease.
With a few extra attachments to reduce the Renetti’s recoil, you’ll soon have a fast-firing and deadly-accurate SMG that’s already ranking high in the launch meta. To learn more, check out our Modern Warfare 3 best Renetti loadout.
Credit: Activision Blizzard.
MTZ-556
The MTZ-556 has a higher fire rate and mobility than other Assault Rifles, which often makes it outperform the MCW in close-quarters situations. While it lacks the medium-range strength that makes the MCW so strong, the MTZ-556 is perfect for smaller run-and-gun maps.
Of course, the higher fire rate does come with some problems, as the MTZ-556 trades off some recoil control and accuracy. This makes it a little harder to place your shots, making it a less versatile option than the MCW.
Fortunately, we can fix that with certain attachments, such as the Chewk Angled Grip Underbarrel and the Casus Brake Muzzle, which will improve its medium-range accuracy while maintaining the speed that makes the MTZ-556 so powerful.
Credit: Activision Blizzard.
BAS-B
An unlikely contender, the BAS-B is a Battle Rifle, which would usually leave it in an awkward middle stage between the faster Assault Rifles and more powerful Sniper Rifles. However, that middle ground only serves to make the BAS-B a versatile and powerful option in Modern Warfare 3, where it excels at medium-range in its automatic mode before quickly swapping to semi-auto for those longer-range headshots.
Since we want it to be effective in semi-auto and full-auto, you’ll want to equip attachments such as the D37 Grip, Bruen Laur4 Light Precision Stock and VT-7 Soulstealer Suppressor to improve the accuracy and recoil control, along with the bullet velocity. This’ll lower the recoil issues that can plague the BAS-B in full auto, while making your bullets fly faster when you’re after kills across the map.
Credit: Activision Blizzard.
AMR9
The AMR9 is another of Modern Warfare 3‘s SMGs, and while it doesn’t beat the Striker, it still absolutely deserves a spot on this list of the best weapons. The AMR9 has the highest damage, range, and accuracy among the SMGs, making it feel more like an Assault Rifle in combat.
However, that power and accuracy mean that the AMR9 must sacrifice some mobility, which makes it far worse for the run-and-gun playstyle that is sure to dominate the many smaller maps in Modern Warfare 3.
The AMR9 won’t contend with the Striker while charging around classic maps such as Rust, then, but some attachments to tweak it to be more like an Assault Rifle will make this gun powerful on mid-sized maps, such as Afghan and Terminal.
Credit: Activision Blizzard.
Holger 26
The Holger 26 is Modern Warfare 3’s best LMG, with high power and precision making it an excellent pick for medium-range encounters. While it doesn’t contend with the snappier options that rank higher for mobility and handling, the Holger 26 is sure to appeal to those who are after massive magazines that pack plenty of punch.
While the Holger 26 lacks mobility, it does have a high fire rate that will make it easy to quickly kill enemies, despite Modern Warfare 3’s long time-to-kill. With a few attachments to lower the weight so that you can sprint around faster, you should find that the Holger 26 settles fairly high in the Modern Warfare 3 launch meta.
Credit: Activision Blizzard.
KV Inhibitor
Unlike the bolt-action Longbow, the KV Inhibitor is a semi-automatic Sniper Rifle that fires fast while still delivering huge damage. If you need something more forgiving while you get familiar with sniping, then the faster-firing KV Inhibitor should be your long-range pick at launch in Modern Warfare 3.
However, the KV Inhibitor falls short with its accuracy and recoil control. Both of these stats are significantly lower than the Longbow, which’ll make it much harder to land shots from long distance. With that in mind, we’d recommend leaning into the KV Inhibitor’s short-medium range strength, where it absolutely dominates as you charge around the various classic maps in Modern Warfare 3.
That covers our list of the ten best weapons in Modern Warfare 3. For more on the game, take a look at our interviews with the developers at Sledgehammer, in which they explained the game’s visibility changes and time-to-kill.
