Best MW3 Crossbow loadout and class setup

Looking for the best Crossbow loadout in Modern Warfare 3? If you're tired of the usual gun loadout, the Crossbow can be a fun option to dip a little medieval pizzazz into your Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 game.

Although it's not usually everyone’s first pick, the Crossbow can be built to be pretty formidable. Below we've gathered the best Crossbow loadout to speed up the weapon and utilise its underdog status. As always, you should be keeping a watchful eye on the best guns in the game, but the Crossbow can be a refreshing way to mix things up and get your Daryl Dixon on.

Why use the Crossbow in MW3?

When built properly, the Crossbow can yield one-shot kills and lead to entertaining results from opponents who may otherwise underestimate you. There are many ways to customise the Crossbow, a key focus should be improving the ADS speed as the weapon usually has a slow projective travel velocity. For best results, the Crossbow should be used in close to mid-range combat.

Best Crossbow loadout in MW3

• Cable: 28-Strand Cable
• Arms: XRK Thunder 200 Lb
• Stock: FORGE TAC Speedtrak
• Bolt: Blastcap 20" Bolts
• Laser: 1MW Quick Fire Laser

Equip the 28-Strand Cable along with the XRK Thunder 200 Lb Arms to boost the projectile velocity. These attachments are necessary to offset penalties from another attachment; however, the Arms attachment presents a large penalty to ADS time and sprint speed. Still, the benefits to projectile velocity outweigh the drawbacks for this particular loadout as you'll understand once we get to the Bolt attachement.

The ADS penalty can at least be partially mitigated though with the FORGE TAC Speedtrak Stock. Seeing as you'll need to engage ADS for each shot with this weapon, it's critical that it stays feeling responsive.

The 1MW Quick Fire Laser is a great way to improve ADS speed and doesn't have any major drawbacks. The Blastcap Bolts are where the build shines through. These bolts deliver a timed explosive, making the accuracy issues of the Crossbow obsolete. If you miss a headshot, the after explosion will usually finish off the job.

Best Crossbow class setup: Secondary weapon

Considering the Crossbow's specialized nature, you should pair it with something versatile like an Assault Rifle. If you're looking for something quick to pair with the Crossbow, the C58, XM4, or the CR-56 AMAX are all safe bets.

Best Crossbow class setup: Perks and Equipment

Demolition Vest, Thermobaric Grenade, Flash Grenade, Commando Gloves, Stalker Boots, Ghost T/V Camo, Munitions Box

The first choice you'll need to make is which vest to equip. We recommend the Demolition Vest the reason being, it gives you two Lethals and allows the Resupply perk, meaning you'll get a resupply of Lethal and Tactical equipment every 25 seconds. Falling back on grenade use while using the Crossbow is a viable option, due to the close quarter combat style it ensures and the slow reload times. Combine this with a Thermobaric Grenade as your Lethal option and you'll have a stellar combination. The Thermobaric Grenade creates a large explosion that stuns and additionally increases the damage of explosives, making your bolts even more devastating.

For your Tactical, you can't go too wrong with a Flash Grenade to sow some confusion as you enter the fray. We recommend using the Commando Gloves which allow reload while sprinting. Anything to help increase the reload time of the Crossbow will be beneficial.

The Stalker Boots are a must for this Crossbow build. They further increase strafe and ADS movement speed, which is a top priority to negate that agonising delay when aiming. Pair this with the Ghost T/V Camo gear item to block detection by UAVS, enemy radar and heartbeat sensors. This item only works whilst moving, so you'll see the full benefit of the piece when wielding a Crossbow.

Lastly, in terms of Field Equipment, the Munitions Box is a good idea as the Blastcap Bolts cannot be recovered after use (due to them, you know...exploding). The Munitions Box works essentially the same was as Modern Warfare 2, it can resupply yourself and teammates of ammo.

For more Modern Warfare 3 tips and tricks, check out our guide to the best perks in the game for optimal loadouts.

Best Crossbow alternatives in Modern Warfare 3

The Crossbow is something of a special case when it comes down to weapons in Modern Warfare 3. In a game of guns, reverting to a classic Crossbow can be a refreshing way to mix it up. For an alternative you could look at other close to mid-range weapons like shotguns, in which case the classic Bryson 800 is a worthy candidate.

That rounds off our guide to the best Crossbow build in Modern Warfare 3. Get a better idea of the full gun meta with our list of the best guns in Modern Warfare 3, and the best loadouts in MW3.