Call of Duty: Vanguard followed the Modern Warfare (2019) Gunsmith closely, but used ten attachments instead of the traditional five. Now, Call of Duty is returning to its roots by re-introducing the five attachments limit in the brand new Gunsmith 2.0, in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
The Gunsmith has been one of Call of Duty’s core gameplay features that governs your weapon’s effectiveness. You can customize your weapons to suit your playstyle. Whether you’re a rusher or like to take your time, most of the weapons can be customized to suit your playstyle. Gunsmith 2.0 is tge successor to one of the most successful Gunsmith iterations and features new mechanics that many players might find confusing. However, once you read this guide, you will understand the new system much better. This guide covers everything you need to know about the new Gunsmith 2.0 and how it works. The new Gunsmith system in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 can get a bit daunting for some and be overwhelming, but separating the system into different layers makes it easier to understand. Before we get into the specifics, there are a couple of new terms that you must familiarize yourselves with. The terms are Weapon Platform and Receiver.
Weapon Platforms
A selection of different weapons are now grouped to form a Weapon Platform. The Platforms consist of several weapons that belong to the same family. The weapons within a specific Platform will all share their attachments without you having to unlock the same attachments for every weapon. Unlike the previous Call of Duty games, this significantly reduces the grind to unlock weapon attachments for every single weapon. If you unlock the attachment “for one weapon” then all other weapons on that same Platform will have that attachment unlocked too!
You are essentially unlocking attachments for multiple weapons at once. Note that while the attachments unlocked in a Platform are shared across all the weapons within the same Platform and others, some Platforms will require you to unlock gun type attachments. For example, attachments for an SMG cannot be used on Sniper Rifles. This makes sense, as Sniper Rifles will have attachments specifically made for them.
Receivers
Weapon Receivers are the key attachments for each Platform. The Receivers allow you to transform your weapon into a different weapon within the same class. For example, if you have an M4, you can level it up to unlock a Receiver attachment. You can then use the Receiver attachment to convert your M4 weapon into other weapons, like the M16, 556 Icarus, FTAC Recon, and FSS Hurricane. In this example, the M4 is considered a “base” Assault Rifle weapon that can be converted into other ARs.
You do not unlock all the Receivers at one specific level, but you get each Receiver as you progress through your Weapon Platform. For example, you unlock a Receiver at level 13 for the M4. This Receiver can convert your weapon into an FTAC Recon. From here, you can continue leveling up your FTAC Recon, and by reaching level 16 of the FTAC Recon (not the M4), you will unlock another Reciever that allows you to convert your weapon into an FSS Hurricane, and so on. As explained under the Weapon Platforms heading above, every attachment you unlock along the way can be used on all weapons within the Platform you are on, including new weapons that you unlock via the Receiver.
Universal and Specific Attachments
As mentioned earlier, some attachments can be used across all weapons within a specific Weapon Platform, while some are gun-type specific (i.e. Sniper Rifle versus SMG). The following list helps explain this better.
Gun Type Specific Attachments Receiver Barrel Magazine Rear Grip Stock Universal Attachments Muzzle Underbarrel Laser Ammunition Optic
