Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has been out for several months now, and players have been ranking up their favorite weapons ever since, including new ones each season.
While ranking up weapons comes with new attachments, new camos, and weapon levels, there’s a new feature in MW2 that wasn’t in previous CoD titles that allows players to tailor their multiplayer experience more than ever. It’s called weapon tuning.
Weapon tuning is a system in MW2 that allows for further attachment customization, helping to personalize gameplay. Instead of just equipping an attachment, that attachment can now be tuned to fundamentally change how it functions in some aspects.
Here’s what you need to know about weapon tuning in MW2.
What is weapon tuning in MW2?
Weapon tuning is unlocked when you hit the max level on a “Gunsmithable” weapon, meaning any weapon that can be customized with attachments in the Gunsmith. Certain weapons, like a Combat Knife or rocket launcher, can’t be Gunsmithed at all.
This system lets you tune certain attachments on your max-level gun. Once you’re in the tuning menu for a weapon you’ve maxed out XP for, a “radar graph” will appear that highlights the attachment’s traits and stats. You’ll notice two adjustable sliders next to the graph that you can tinker with, affecting the stats mentioned on either end of the bar.
“Inching toward one attribute will generally decrease the attribute at the opposing side—so it is suggested to take great care during this process to find the tuning values that make your attachment perform at peak efficiency,” Activision said.
Before launch, Activision said it expected weapon tuning to be the “persistent ‘end-game’ level of weapon customization.” While true, some blueprint weapons come with their own tuning as well, allowing for much more variety than ever before.
How to use weapon tuning in MW2
Once you fully rank up a weapon, you will see a little settings-like cog wheel appear on each attachment you have equipped for it. You can select that attachment, and then press up on the d-pad to select the “Tune” option.
Once inside the tuning menu, you can use the left stick to tune the attachment to better customize it for your personal playstyle or whatever you’re looking to get out of the gun.
For example, the Corio Precio Factory stock for the M4 can be tuned for Aim Walking Steadiness vs. Aim Down Sight Speed, and Aim Walking Speed vs. Aiming Idle Stability. You use the left stick to tune the slider towards whichever attribute is most important to you.
In general, Aim Down Sight Speed is something you will want to have in MW2 since the game is so fast-paced when running and gunning. But for something like Aim Walking Speed or Aiming Idle Stability, the choice is yours for what kind of M4 player you want to be.
When tuning, keep an eye on the graph in the middle. But nothing will help you figure out how to tune each attachment better than using guns in MW2 or Warzone 2, so keep experimenting until you find the right tuning set for you.