Quick answer: After the Black Ops 7 integration, older MWII, MWIII and Black Ops 6 guns became Legacy weapons in Warzone. To use one you didn't already own, open the Armory (pause → Challenges tab → Armory), find the gun under Legacy weapons → its class → the right game tab, and select it to start earning XP toward the unlock. That progress runs on your general match XP — not weapon XP — so you unlock it just by playing, and each Armory item takes roughly 250,000–750,000 XP. Once it's unlocked, the gun appears in the Legacy tab of your loadout; from there you level it with Weapon XP to earn attachments. The one thing that's genuinely broken: Weapon Prestige camos (like the MWIII One Trick and Molten Obsidian) show 0/150,000 for Warzone-only players because the counter doesn't display in Warzone — reliable progress still comes from the weapon's home game.
If you jumped into Warzone this season, saw a wall of grayed-out guns from older Call of Duty titles, and had no idea whether to grind weapon XP, account XP, or buy the old game — you're not alone. This is the single most common source of confusion in r/CODWarzone right now. Here's the whole system, verified and in order.
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What counts as a "legacy weapon" in Warzone now?
Legacy weapons are guns that shipped in a previous Call of Duty title — Modern Warfare II (2022), Modern Warfare III (2023), and Black Ops 6 (2024) — that are still playable in current Warzone. Black Ops 7 is the newest title in the shared Call of Duty HQ, so its own arsenal is the "current" weapon pool, and everything older is filed under Legacy.
Three fast facts that clear up 90% of the confusion:
- They live in a separate place. In your loadout, current BO7 guns and Legacy guns are split. Legacy guns sit under a dedicated Legacy section/tab, organized by class (Assault Rifles, SMGs, Marksman Rifles, etc.) and then by game (MWII / MWIII / BO6).
- If a legacy gun isn't listed in your Armory, you already own it. The Armory only shows things you haven't unlocked. An empty or short list means your account already has those weapons from playing the older titles — go straight to the Legacy tab and equip it.
- You do not need to buy the old game to use a legacy weapon in Warzone. Free-to-play Warzone players can unlock and run legacy guns. The one exception is camo tracking, which we'll get to.
How to unlock a legacy weapon (step by step)
The unlock path runs entirely through the Armory. Per the official Call of Duty Wiki, "The players can activate an item in the Armory to start earning XP toward unlocking it. The Armory is unlocked at level 24." Here's the exact route:
- Pause the game and open the Challenges tab.
- Select Armory.
- Go to Legacy weapons, choose the weapon class (e.g. Marksman Rifles for the Kar98k), then the game tab (e.g. MWIII).
- Select the specific weapon you want. This sets it as your active Armory unlock.
- Play matches. The weapon fills its XP bar from the general XP you earn in any mode. When the bar completes, the gun unlocks and moves to your Legacy loadout tab.
The most important detail, and the thing that trips everyone up: it's general/account XP, not weapon XP. You don't need to use the weapon to unlock it — you can't, it's locked. You just play, bank XP, and it fills. When one r/CODWarzone player asked whether the Armory bar wanted weapon XP or general XP, the top answer was blunt: "Just general XP." That's it.
The Armory auto-selects a reward if you don't pick one, but you can manually switch your active unlock at any time so your XP funnels into the gun you actually want. Each unlock costs roughly 250,000 to 750,000 XP, so picking the right target matters — you don't want a quarter-million XP dumped into a weapon you'll never touch. For the full breakdown of how Armory unlocks, catch-up items and priorities work, see our Black Ops 7 Armory unlocks guide.
How to level a legacy weapon fast once it's unlocked
Unlocking the gun is step one. To make it competitive you still need to level it with Weapon XP to open its attachments — and legacy guns keep their original attachment trees from their home game, so a maxed MWIII rifle can have a very different build than anything in the BO7 pool.
Weapon XP is earned by getting kills and objective actions while that gun is equipped, and it stacks with the usual multipliers:
| Lever | Effect on leveling speed |
|---|---|
| Double Weapon XP tokens | Doubles weapon XP for the token's duration |
| Double Weapon XP weekends | Community-wide multiplier during event windows |
| High-kill modes (Resurgence, Plunder, Multiplayer) | More kills per minute = faster weapon XP than slow BR |
| Low-resistance lobbies | More kills survive longer = more XP banked per match |
Two realities to plan around:
- Weapon XP and the Armory unlock are different currencies. General/match XP unlocks a legacy gun; Weapon XP levels it. Earning one doesn't finish the other.
- Warzone weapon leveling is slower than multiplayer because deaths and downtime eat into your kills-per-minute. If you want a legacy gun maxed for camos or attachments quickly, dense multiplayer modes or easier lobbies move the needle far faster than open Battle Royale.
That "easier lobbies" lever is exactly why leveling services and bot lobbies exist — they compress the kills-per-minute that both Armory XP and Weapon XP depend on. For the fastest legit XP routes this season, our fastest way to level up in Season 5 breakdown lists the current double-XP windows and top farm modes.
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Why your Weapon Prestige camos are stuck at 0
This is the part that's actually broken, and it's worth being honest about because half the internet is giving the wrong answer.
Weapon Prestige camos are the extra mastery tiers on legacy MWII/MWIII weapons — for example the MWIII Kar98k's One Trick (150,000 weapon XP) and Molten Obsidian (200,000 weapon XP). They only start counting after the weapon hits max level, and then pure Weapon XP feeds the camo.
Here's the problem Warzone-only and free-to-play players keep hitting: the camo shows 0/150,000 and 0/200,000 and the bar never visibly moves, no matter how much XP you earn. The community is split on what's really happening:
- Some players report the XP is accruing invisibly — the counter simply doesn't render in Warzone, and you can only see your true progress if you own the weapon's home-game multiplayer (e.g. MWIII). As one r/CODWarzone thread put it: "you can still get them even though you can't see your progress."
- Others report it genuinely doesn't complete in Warzone — the last max-level step that's supposed to flip camo tracking on never fires, and progress only moves reliably when you level the gun in its home game.
Either way, the practical takeaway is the same: for Warzone-only players, legacy Weapon Prestige camo grinding is unreliable at best. If you want those camos with certainty, the reliable route is to level the weapon in its home game (MWIII multiplayer), where the counter both displays and tracks correctly. Don't burn hours in Warzone watching a 0/150,000 bar and assume it's working — verify it in the home title, or don't start the grind there at all.
This is distinct from BO7's own current-title mastery camos, which track normally in Warzone. If you're chasing this season's pinnacle Warzone camo, that's a clean grind on the current arsenal — see our Season 5 new weapons guide for the guns worth leveling first.
Skip the legacy grind entirely. Whether it's unlocking a wall of missed Armory guns, maxing an MWIII rifle for attachments, or getting Weapon Prestige and mastery camos without babysitting a broken counter, our pro players do it on your account fast and securely:
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- CoD Account & Weapon Leveling — max any legacy or current weapon, skip the XP grind
- CoD Camo Unlocks (BO7) — mastery and prestige camos done for you
- CoD Bot Lobbies — easy lobbies to farm Armory XP and weapon levels fast
- All Call of Duty services — every BO7 and Warzone boost in one place
Legacy weapons vs the current BO7 arsenal: which to grind?
If your goal is camos and mastery, current BO7 weapons are the safer bet — their camo tracking works normally in Warzone, and the top-tier Warzone mastery camo (Apocalypse) is earned on the current pool. If your goal is a specific legacy gun you love (a favorite MWIII AR or the Kar98k), unlock it via the Armory and level it — just accept that its prestige camos may need the home game.
A quick decision guide:
- Want the fastest, cleanest camo grind? Stick to current BO7 weapons in Warzone.
- Want a specific legacy gun's attachments? Unlock it in the Armory, level it with Weapon XP — that all works fine.
- Want a legacy gun's Weapon Prestige camo? Level it in MWIII multiplayer, or use a leveling service; don't rely on Warzone-only tracking.
FAQ
Do I need to buy MWIII or MWII to use their legacy weapons in Warzone? No. Free-to-play Warzone players can unlock and use legacy MWII, MWIII and BO6 weapons through the Armory. You only run into a wall if you're trying to grind a legacy weapon's Weapon Prestige camos, whose progress reliably tracks (and displays) only if you own the weapon's home-game multiplayer.
Does unlocking a legacy weapon cost weapon XP or general XP? General/account XP. You set the weapon as your active Armory unlock (pause → Challenges → Armory → Legacy weapons), then any XP you earn in any mode fills the bar — you don't need to use the gun to unlock it. Each Armory unlock takes roughly 250,000–750,000 XP.
Where are legacy weapons in my loadout? In the dedicated Legacy section of the weapon list, sorted by class and then by game (MWII / MWIII / BO6). If a legacy gun doesn't appear in your Armory at all, you already have it unlocked — go straight to the Legacy tab and equip it.
Why is my legacy Weapon Prestige camo stuck at 0/150,000 in Warzone? Because the counter doesn't display in Warzone for players who don't own the weapon's home game. Community reports are mixed on whether the XP is quietly accruing or genuinely not completing, so treat Warzone-only legacy camo grinding as unreliable. To be sure, level the weapon in MWIII multiplayer where the bar both shows and tracks, or use a camo/leveling service.
Are legacy weapons worth using in Warzone Season 5? For attachments and personal preference, yes — many legacy guns are still strong and unlock cleanly. For mastery/prestige camos, current BO7 weapons are the smoother grind because their tracking isn't affected by the cross-title display bug.
How do I level a legacy weapon fast? Equip it and farm kills in high-kill modes (Resurgence, Plunder, or multiplayer) during Double Weapon XP windows, or in low-resistance lobbies. Weapon XP is earned only while the gun is equipped, so dense, high-kill matches level it far faster than slow open Battle Royale.
Facts verified August 5, 2026 against the official Call of Duty Wiki (Armory Unlocks) and timesaver.gg's Armory documentation; Weapon Prestige camo display behaviour reflects current community reports (r/CODWarzone, r/ModernWarfareIII, r/Warzone) and is a known Warzone-only issue, not an official statement. Black Ops 7 + Warzone Season 5 has been live since July 23, 2026.
