The MW3 camos list is absolutely massive, taking the top spot for the most camos in any Call of Duty title. While it’s a little more complicated than that under the surface, there are a lot of different camo challenges for you to complete for each and every weapon, including brand-new MW3 Mastery camos that will put your skills and patience to the test if you want to get them. So, here is your go-to guide to all the MW3 camos, Mastery camos, and how to unlock them.
Call of Duty MW3 is one of the biggest entries in the best FPS game series yet, seeing heaps of new and returning content brought together in one place; the MW3 maps list is stacked fan-favorite arenas and we’re even graced by an inventive MW3 Zombies mode too. This philosophy carries over into the Modern Warfare 3 camos and Mastery camos that can be used to add some spice to your favorite MW3 guns. During our time with the game for our MW3 review and beyond, we’ve unlocked many of the Mastery camos and completed plenty of camo challenges, particularly for the MW3 meta weapons.
MW3 camos
Overall, there are over 834 individual MW3 camos to collect, including 278 brand-new base weapons camos and four Mastery camos in multiplayer, and over 400 new base camos and eight Mastery camos in the Zombies mode. All of the MW2 camos will also be returning alongside the weapons. This makes the MW3 camo grind the biggest it’s ever been in the franchise.
If you’re wanting to start this camo grind for yourself though, it’s worth understanding that camos are locked behind the core MW3 multiplayer and Zombies mode, despite the camos being able to be used in either mode once unlocked.
Similarly, there are rules as to how these MW3 camos can be applied and used, particularly when it comes to the MW2 weapons ported in the game.
Firstly, all MW3 base camos and MW2 base camos can be used on both MW3 and MW2 weapons. This means that even your old collection of guns will get a sparkly new coat of paint, not just the new additions.
Mastery camos, however, is where it gets a little more complicated. MW3 Mastery camos (whether earned from multiplayer or Zombies) can only be used on the brand-new MW3 weapons, and not applied to the returning weapons from the previous game. Likewise, the MW2 Mastery camos making a return (and even the new Zombies exclusive ones) can only be used on the returning MW2 guns.
New multiplayer camos
In MW3 multiplayer, there are:
- Over 140 new base camos
- Four new Mastery camos
- Over 140 new Mastery calling cards and emblems
- 37 new Mastery charms
These in addition to the already large number of MW2 base camos that are accessible and earnable in MW3, even for newcomers. Yes, that means no one is missing out on any camos if you’re willing to put the work in and grind for them.
New Zombies camos
In MW3 Zombies, there are:
- Over 400 new base camos
- Eight new Mastery camos
- Over 400 new Mastery calling cards and emblems
- Over 100 new Mastery charms
The Zombies camo grind will take you the longest amount of time given that, not only are there new camos to unlock for the MW3 weapons, but, since MW2 did not feature Zombies, there’s a whole slate of camos to unlock for these weapons that even veterans won’t have. This is why the total number of MW3 Zombies camos is over double the size of the multiplayer side of things.
So, if you want to unlock all the MW3 camos, then you’ll have to dive into both the multiplayer and Zombies mode to level up weapons and complete specific challenges. With the staggering selection of new and returning base camos, this grind will undoubtedly take you a very, very long time, even more so if you haven’t already unlocked all the MW2 base camos that are carried forward.
MW3 Mastery camos
The MW3 Mastery camos are:
- Gilded – new MW3 multiplayer
- Forged – new MW3 multiplayer
- Priceless – new MW3 multiplayer
- Interstellar – new MW3 multiplayer
- Golden Enigma – new MW3 Zombies
- Zircon Scale – new MW3 Zombies
- Serpentinite – new MW3 Zombies
- Borealis – new MW3 Zombies
- Golden Ivory – new MW2 Zombies
- Spinel Husk – new MW2 Zombies
- Arachnida – new MW2 Zombies
- Bioluminescent – new MW2 Zombies
- Gold – returning MW2 multiplayer
- Platinum – returning MW2 multiplayer
- Polyatomic – returning MW2 multiplayer
- Orion – returning MW2 multiplayer
To unlock the MW3 Mastery camos, you must first earn the base camos for the chosen weapon by leveling it up and completing specific challenges, before moving on the completionist Mastery challenges.
Read on below to find out how to unlock every MW3 Mastery camo.
How to unlock the Gilded camo in MW3
Unlocking the Gilded Mastery camo in MW3 requires you to complete all the base camo challenges for the weapon and then complete the individual Gilded Challenge that is specific to the weapon in multiplayer.
For example, getting three kills with a single magazine, ten times, with the MCW assault rifle, will unlock Gilded for this weapon.
How to unlock the Forged camo in MW3
To unlock the Forged Mastery camo in MW3, you have to complete the Gilded Challenge for the weapon and all the weapons in the same category, and then complete the Forged Challenge for the specific gun in multiplayer.
Again, using the MCW assault rifle as an example, you’ll begin by completing Gilded for the MWC. Then, you’ll need to repeat the process for every other assault rifle, including earning all the base camos and the Gilded Camo. Once you’ve done this, you’ll gain access to the Forged Challenge for the MCW, which requires you to get three kills without dying ten times.
How to unlock the Priceless camo in MW3
To unlock the Priceless Mastery camo in MW3, complete the Forged Challenge for the chosen weapon and every other weapon in the same category. Then, complete the individual Priceless Challenge for the specific weapon in multiplayer.
So, for the MCW assault rifle, you would need to complete the Forged Challenge on the MCW and every assault rifle, which therefore requires you to have already unlocked Gilded, then Forged on all the ARs too. Then, you must beat the Priceless Challenge for the MCW, which is to get five kills without dying, ten times.
Given Priceless is the penultimate tier of Mastery camos, it’s certainly an eye-catching one, though we doubt it’s to everyone’s tastes. Thankfully, the Priceless Master camo is animated, so you can see the pattern swirl and move around in-game.
How to unlock Interstellar camo in MW3
To unlock the Interstellar Mastery camo in MW3, you must unlock the Priceless camo on all MW3 guns. This is the ultimate aspirational goal, tasking you with mastering all the new weapons in the game before you gain access. Thankfully, you don’t need to master all the weapons, as the MW2 carry forward weapons have their own track of Mastery camos ported over from that game.
Like the Priceless camo, Interstellar is an animated camo. Depicting, you guessed it, a nebula in space, it’s a beautiful camo that gives your weapons a sci-fi look, especially as the pattern shifts.
How to unlock Golden Enigma camo in MW3 Zombies
To unlock the Golden Enigma Mastery camo in MW3, first complete all four Zombies base camo challenges for the specific weapon, and then beat the Golden Enigma Challenge. This typically entails achieving a certain number of zombie kills and successfully extracting with the weapon.
How to unlock Zircon Scale camo in MW3 Zombies
To unlock the Zircon Scale Mastery camo in MW3, successfully earn the Golden Enigma camo for the weapon in question and then all the MW3 weapons in the same category. After this, beat the Zircon Scale Challenge in Zombies, which often involves reaching a zombie kills target with the Pack-A-Punched version of the weapon.
How to unlock Serpentinite camo in MW3 Zombies
Unlocking the Serpentinite Mastery camo in MW3 requires you to complete the Zircon Scale Challenge for the specific weapon and the 36 other new weapons added with the game. Afterwards, you will then have to beat the Serpentinite Challenge in the Zombies mode, which is usually a set number of Special or Elite zombie kills using the weapon.
How to unlock Borealis camo in MW3 Zombies
To unlock the Borealis Mastery camo in MW3, you must complete all 36 Serpentinite Challenges in Zombies for the new weapons added in Modern Warfare 3. Thankfully, this does not count the MW2 weapons, which have their own set of Mastery camos.
How to unlock Golden Ivory camo in MW3 Zombies
Unlocking the Golden Ivory Mastery camo in MW3 sets you the task of completing all four Zombies base camo challenges for the MW2 weapons, and then beating the Golden Ivory Challenge. This typically involves reaching a target number of zombie kills and then extracting with the weapon, similar to the Golden Enigma MW3 Mastery camo.
How to unlock Spinel Husk camo in MW3 Zombies
The Spinel Husk MW3 Mastery camo requires you to complete the Golden Ivory Challenge for the specific weapon and all other MW2 weapons in the same category, before then successfully doing the Spinel Husk Challenge for the gun. Like its Modern Warfare 3 counterpart, Zircon Scale, this often tasks you with getting zombie kills with the Pack-A-Punched version of the weapon.
How to unlock Arachnida camo in MW3 Zombies
Arachnida can be unlocked in MW3 by beating the Spinel Husk Challenge for the weapon and the other 50 MW2 weapons you can use in the Zombies mode. After this, you must then complete the Arachnida Challenge, generally requiring you kill a set number of Special or Elite zombies using the specific weapon.
For better or for worse, this spider themed MW3 Mastery camo is animated, with its web-like pattern shifting around the gun as you move.
How to unlock Bioluminescent camo in MW3 Zombies
Last but not least for the new camos, to unlock the Bioluminescent Mastery camo in MW3, you must earn the Arachnida camo on all 51 MW2 weapons available in Zombies, representing the top tier of Modern Warfare Zombies Mastery achievements.
The Bioluminescent camo is animated, with the glowing pattern moving around the gun.
How to unlock Gold camo in MW3
Unlocking the Gold Mastery camo is the same in MW3 as it is in MW2, tasking you with earning all four base camos for the specific weapon and then completing the Gold Challenge, which typically involves getting kills without dying.
How to unlock Platinum camo in MW3
In MW3, the Platinum Mastery camo requires you to earn Gold for the specific weapon and the other weapons in the same category, before then completing the Platinum Challenge, which generally involves scoring Longshot kills.
Remember, this challenge only applies to MW2 weapons that have been carried forward into MW3, not any brand-new weapons. This makes the process the same as it was in MW2.
How to unlock Polyatomic camo in MW3
The Polyatomic Mastery camo is unlocked by completing the Platinum Challenge for the chosen weapon and the 50 other MW2 weapons in MW3. After this, you must then beat the Polyatomic Challenge, which tasks you with earning headshots with the weapon.
How to unlock Orion camo in MW3
In MW3, the Orion Mastery camo can be earned after unlocking Polyatomic for all 51 MW2 weapons transferred into the sequel. This makes it the largest single camo grind of them all in multiplayer, as there are only 37 new weapons (required for the Interstellar camo) but 51 returning ones.
MW3 base camos
The MW3 base camos are:
- Poison Frogs (new)
- Graphical (new)
- Topographic (new)
- Glittery Flats (new)
- Retro (new)
- Neapolitan (new)
- Under the Microscope (new)
- High Contrast (new)
- Wavelength (new)
- Two Tone Brushstrokes (new)
- Perfect Symmetry (new)
- Psychedelics (new)
- Blur (new)
- Bold (new)
- Butterfly (new)
- Puzzle (new)
- Skeletal (new)
- Glitch Milspec (new)
- Spray Paint (returning)
- Woodland (returning)
- Digital (returning)
- Dragon (returning)
- Geometric (returning)
- Fun (returning)
- Foliage (returning)
- Skulls (returning)
- Tiger (returning)
- Stripes (returning)
- Reptile (returning)
- Solid Colors (returning)
- Classic (returning)
- Cliffside (returning)
MW3 camo challenges
To unlock the MW3 camos – base and Mastery ones – you’ll have to complete various camo challenges. While these are specific to each individual weapon, each weapon type focuses on a specific playstyle. As such, it’s a good idea to know what you’re getting into if you’re looking to complete all the MW3 camo challenges and earn the prized Interstellar and Borealis Mastery camos in multiplayer and Zombies respectively.
So, here’s a rundown of what to expect from the MW3 camo challenges for each weapon class in multiplayer:
- Assault rifles – emphasises precision and efficiency
- SMGs – focuses on close-range kills and the various stances
- LMGs – centers around multi-kills and sustained fire
- Shotguns – emphasises on multi-kills and close-range action
- Battle rifles – all about precision, range, and aggression
- Marksman rifles – focuses on accuracy and precision
- Sniper rifles – tests you skills with aiming techniques like quickscoping
- Pistols – focuses on handguns as a back-up weapon
As you might have worked out, these camo challenges typically task you with playing into the strengths of each weapon type. For example, SMGs are all about CQC action and changing stances, such as hip fire or using Tac Stance. Meanwhile, LMGs are built for sustained fire and keeping the pressure up.
As a result, grinding the MW3 camo challenges might be a bit of a long journey, but it does get you in the grove of using each weapon and gun class correctly. In the end, this should improve your overall skills to help you land at the top of the scoreboard even if you’re not using the best MW3 loadouts and MW3 best guns.
How long does it take to unlock all MW3 Mastery camos?
It takes around 150 hours to unlock all the MW3 Mastery camos if you are focused on completing challenges efficiently, particularly if you are using 2XP Tokens to level up weapons quickly. This does not include the MW2 Carry Forward guns.
With so many challenges to complete in both multiplayer and Zombies, as well as having to level each and every weapon up to unlock later camo challenges, it’s certainly a long process. What’s more, certain challenges can take a long time, like killing 15 enemies affected by your tactical throwable for each SMG (though this can be done fast with Snapshot Grenades on Rust). However, if you’re skilled and have plenty of luck on your side, you can complete them rather swiftly.
In fact, Call of Duty streamer ‘Reidboyy’ has unlocked the prized Interstellar camo in just under 76 hours. Interstellar, the final multiplayer camo, is arguably harder to unlock than the Zombies equivalent, Borealis, so it’s more than possible to complete the grind in just over 100-110 hours if you’re really dedicated, though we recommend you take it a little slower to enjoy the process more.
How to grind camos in MW3
In terms of how to grind camos in MW3, we recommend approaching the large number of camos in groups.
For the multiplayer camos, go weapon type by weapon type, earning the base camos for each, then moving into the Mastery camos. For MW3 weapons, this is Gilded, Forged, Priceless, and Interstellar, whereas for MW2 weapons this is Gold, Platinum, Polyatomic, and Orion.
The best MW3 modes to grind for camos in multiplayer is Domination and Hardpoint, as players as funneled into small areas to compete for the objective. This makes it easier to know where enemies will be so you can better plan fights so you can complete the specific challenges you need to complete. For example, if you need Longshot kills, then you can simply set up shop at a long sight line with a view of the objective or busy flanking route.
As for the Zombies camos, we once again recommend completing each weapon type at a time, moving through the camo tiers. However, in Zombies, the objectives are arguably much more straightforward. The one important thing you’ll have to keep in mind is that several Mastery challenges require you to extract with the weapon or to Pack-A-Punch it, so you’ll have to go out of your way to meet these demands.
Best MW3 camos
The best MW3 camos are undoubtedly the new and returning Mastery camos, such as Interstellar in multiplayer, and Borealis and Bioluminescent for the MW3 and MW2 Zombies weapons respectively.
These are the most outlandish and flashy designs of them all, even coming with animated sections that move away from the typical static patterns found elsewhere. They’re certainly the most eye-catching MW3 camos.
Moreover, these camos require a lot of grind to unlock so are a great way of flexing your achievements on other players. For example, if you see someone using the Interstellar camo, you know then mean business in PvP. Likewise, you know someone lives and breathes the Zombies mode if they have Borealis or Bioluminescent on their gun.
We also find the MW3 camo grind for each weapon to be oddly enjoyable, so completing the camo challenges and unlock the sparkling Mastery camos doesn’t just look good, it feels good too.
However, your choice of camo is always down to personal preference. Many of the MW3 Mastery camos are, frankly, rather garish. If you’re after something more subtle and stylish, then the base camos would be more fitting.
Remember, you can also pair camos with charms, weapon screens, and stickers for more ways to customize your gun. It could be that you have a favorite combination of items that work well together.
That covers all the MW3 camos you can unlock, including all the Mastery camos in 2023’s Call of Duty. Unlocking all these customization options is already a very time consuming process, but if you want to get everything the game has to offer, you’ll also have to beat the MW3 campaign. In fact, some of the MW3 missions even offer new Operators to use in the other modes, so it’s definitely worth completing once.