Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - How To Unlock The Crossbow & Why It's Great

The Crossbow has landed in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, and there are two ways you can unlock it. It’s worth the effort, because the Crossbow is a one-hit killer that can even takedown scorestreaks with the right loadout. The new update also includes 10 loadout slots, but we’re focused 100% on the Crossbow and what it can do for you.

The Crossbow is a totally new weapon included in the 1.13 Update, released on Jan. 22nd, 2020. You can select to purchase the Crossbow and unlock it instantly, or complete an in-game challenge. It takes some grinding, but earning the Crossbow is totally possible. You don’t need to spend any real-life cash, and there’s a trick you can use to speed things up.

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The Crossbow is an all-new weapon that fires a single deadly bolt. It works like a Marksman Rifle, but with a close-range bent. You can equip a Sniper Scope, but you’ll have to account for the steep range drop-off of the crossbow bolt. To unlock it, you’ll need to complete an in-game challenge or purchase it.

How To Unlock The Crossbow:
- The Crossbow can be purchased for $12.
- Or you can unlock it by earn by equipping a Marksman Rifle with a Reflex Optic and earning 5 kills in 25 matches.

To earn it for free, you need to earn a total of 125 kills — 5 in 25 matches, and only while using a Marksman Rifle with a Reflex Sight. Getting 5 kills isn’t too hard, but this can be a slog, especially because you’re stuck using a challenging weapon.

NOTE: To make sure your kills count toward this challenge, make sure you join a match from the beginning. If you join an on-going match, your Marksman Rifle kills won’t count. Hopefully this is a bug that will be fixed soon.

To speed up the unlocking process, que for FFA | Shoot The Ship. Score your five kills — it shouldn’t take too long, even if you die a lot, then exit and do it again. This (should) work for any FFA playlist.

The EBR is the easiest Marksman Rifle to use thanks to its faster firing. You don’t need to be as accurate — if you’re a great shot, you can use one of the one-shot killer rifles instead, but EBR is great for players of any skill level. Getting 5 kills isn’t too hard.

If you’re having problems with tracking, try swapping Camo on your current weapon — or turn off camo altogether. For whatever reason, camo seems to cause problems.

The Crossbow doesn’t just look cool. It’s very quiet, and can even destroy powerful Scorestreaks like the VTOL. You can equip Thermite Bolts that burn through armor — three shots to a VTOL will take it down. That’s a lot easier (and more efficient!) than a rocket launcher.