Why Modern Warfare 3’s Vault Edition battle pass unlock is ‘not working’ at launch

The premium Vault Edition of Modern Warfare 3 comes with a number of unlocks and perks.

This includes a battle pass, COD Points (in-game currency), and tier skips as part of the “Blackcell” bundle. However, these aren’t appearing for day-one players of the game, and the short answer is they will only unlock during the game’s first full season.

In the meantime, the Vault Edition’s Nemesis Operator Pack and two Weapon Vaults are available from the get-go, giving you four Operators and weapons across Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone to play with in the meantime.

Why doesn’t MW3’s Vault Edition unlock the battle pass and Blackcell at launch?

Modern Warfare 3’s Vault Edition includes access to the ‘Blackcell’ bundle for Season 1, which provides Battle Pass access, 1,100 COD Points and 50 tier skips (20 as part of standard Blackcell access, and 30 extra for Vault Edition owners).

However, Modern Warfare 3 Season 1 is not live yet, meaning the above perks are currently not available.

Part of the confusion lies in that Modern Warfare 3 launches in the middle of an existing season (Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone Season 6, of which progression is shared with Modern Warfare 3), but the upside is existing Call of Duty players who have access to the current battle pass aren’t wasting their Vault Edition perks on something they already own.

We’d also argue it isn’t entirely clear the Vault Edition’s unlocks are intended to unlock at a later date. (Season 1 is awfully small on the promotional infographic, isn’t it?)

Image: Activision

When will MW3 Season 1 release?

Based on the lengths of previous seasons, Modern Warfare 3 Season 1 is set to release in early Dec., meaning you’ll will have to wait three to four weeks to get access to the Blackcell-specific Vault Edition unlocks. (Activision has not yet announced a specific date for the start of Season 1.)

This is also when Warzone integration will take place, meaning Modern Warfare 3 weapons, Operators, and Blueprints will appear in Call of Duty’s free-to-play battle royale game.

While you continue to get to grips with multiplayer, you can learn more about Tactical Stance and our pick of the best guns.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Vault Edition Upgrade

• $30

Prices taken at time of publishing.

• $30 at Xbox
• $30 at Steam