Modern Warfare 3 is reinventing Call of Duty in a few ways, but there might not be any single change as important as the introduction of Carry Forward. The developers have billed the game as their first direct sequel, and in the spirit of a good sequel, some things will be rolling over into the new game.
What exactly will players still have access to from their Modern Warfare 2 progress, and will any of Modern Warfare 3’s new implements roll back to its predecessor? That turns out to be a bit tricky, so we’ve put together this breakdown to explain it in-depth so you can be ready to roll when that November 10 release date comes swinging in.
Related: Does Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Have Early Access?
Modern Warfare 3 Carry Forward Explained: MW2 & MW3 Connection
The most straightforward part of this Carry Forward system is this: all weapons, Blueprints, and their progress from Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2.0 will be available for use in Modern Warfare 3. Whether unlocked through regular progression, the Battle Pass, or purchased from the store, all of your guns will follow you into the third installment.
Cosmetic Items are a little more complicated. Most of them will make the leap into the next generation, but some things won’t be available due to gameplay differences in the new game, as explained in the Carry Forward announcement blog.
Battle Pass progression will also be shared between Modern Warfare 2 and Modern Warfare 3 for the first few weeks of the game, as Season 1 will not launch until after the conclusion of Season 6.
What Items Won’t Carry Over to MW3?
To Call of Duty’s credit, not much will get stuck in the past. The only things that aren’t eligible for crossover are game-specific items. There will be differences between titles – so if MW3 doesn’t have a specific piece of equipment that MW2 did, those things won’t make the jump. That list won’t be quite short though, seeing as the games share so much DNA in common.
“Certain items, like 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,” the developers said in the official blog post.
Will Special Operators Carry Over to MW3?
Store Bundles in Modern Warfare 2 are now clearly marked to denote whether they’ll be usable in the next game. This can be found at the bottom of the screen and makes it super easy to tell if you’re buying something with a long shelf-life, or if it’ll be held back to MW2 and Warzone only.
It’s worth noting that Special Operators and Store Bundles that you purchased in MW2 – like Nicki Minaj’s bundle pack – will all come with you into Modern Warfare 3.
Will Modern Warfare 3 Items Carry Back into Modern Warfare 2?
No, Modern Warfare 3 items will not come back with you into Modern Warfare 2. Your weapon progression will be tracked between both games, but any Operators, bundles, or other cosmetics that are exclusively available in Modern Warfare 3 will not be usable in MW2.
However, items from both games will still be available in Warzone 2.0, the same way that the first entry acted as a hub for Modern Warfare (2019), Black Ops Cold War, and Vanguard cosmetics and weapons.
