MW3 confirms long-awaited gun feature is returning

When Modern Warfare 2 was first rolled out, many players were excited at the announcement of "weapon vaults," which were a new way to level up weapons and attachments before actually unlocking their base.

The new system was supposed to go hand in hand with the new Gunsmith, coming with weapon trees and families such as the Kastovs - which come to think of it, sounds like a sitcom.

But after being scrapped really early on, new details hint at their return for Modern Warfare 3 have emerged.

• New Tac-Stance movement includes slide cancelling for close quarters

Modern Warfare 3 could bring back weapon vaults

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The Modern Warfare 3 Vault edition details have now been circulating on social media, following the Modern Warfare 3 reveal, with the biggest of the surprises being that you will get a pretty-awesome Soap Skin and a massive BlackCell battle pass upgrade if you choose to purchase the additional content.

However, you will also get two new weapon "vaults." Yes, vaults. Not blueprints, but vaults, as per the Call of Duty blog itself.

The two weapon vaults haven't been revealed in full, as in for which weapon they are intended to be for. Still, the reveal goes on to show similar-looking designs to the FJX Cinder, which was the first and last vault released in Modern Warfare 2.

• There will be no original maps for Modern Warfare 3 at launch

How will weapon vaults return in Modern Warfare 3?

The weapon vaults rely on cross-contamination of attachments between guns, which must be returning to the series in order for the new Vault edition incentives to work.

Call of Duty has only offered a small insight into how the Gunsmsith will work, simply saying that the weapon customisation section will "evolve" in Modern Warfare 3.

"Gunsmith evolves with the addition of After-Market Parts. This is a special set of customization options allowing you to focus on your preferred and specific playstyle. After-Market Parts enable you to construct unique weapon configurations," says the Call of Duty blog.

These new After-Market parts will likely be weapon vaults' ticket back into the game, where unlocking them will open up a range of attachments that can be used across multiple guns. However, we will have to wait until the Modern Warfare 3 Beta to see for sure.