The MW3 Vault Edition is this year’s most expensive pre-order option for Activision’s Call of Duty franchise, but is it worth the premium price?
Modern Warfare 3 has two pre-order options to choose from. As a premium offering, the Vault Edition will give you more content than the Cross-Gen Bundle/Standard Edition.
Many players are wondering if the extra content is worth the increased asking price over the less premium option.
Below, we go over everything in the Vault Edition of Modern Warfare 3 and whether or not it’s worth it.
Is the MW3 Vault Edition Worth It?
Yes, the MW3 Vault Edition is worth buying if you want cosmetic items and plan on purchasing the Blackcell bundle for Season 1. The cosmetic items you will receive consist of exclusive skins for weapons and fan-favorite operators.
Buying the Vault Edition will get you more content for the same price than if you buy the base game and Blackcell bundle separately. You also get some additional Battle Pass Tier Skips and a variety of extras and add-ons, increasing its value for money.
Both digital pre-order editions for Modern Warfare 3 grant Early Access to the Campaign and the Beta. Traditionally, most games only grant Early Access in this way for their most premium pre-order options. Thankfully this isn’t the case with MW3.
Those who want to play the Beta and Campaign early can do so with both the Cross-Gen Bundle/Standard and Vault Digital Edition pre-orders of the game.
Modern Warfare 3 Vault Edition vs. Standard Edition
Here is a full breakdown of all the differences between the Vault Edition and Cross-Gen Bundle/Standard Edition pre-orders of Modern Warfare 3:
| Benefits | Cross-Gen Bundle/ Standard Edition | Vault Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $69.99/£69.99 on console $69.99/£59.99 on Steam | $99.99/£99.99 on console $99.99/£84.99 on Steam |
| Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Full Game Download | ✔ | ✔ |
| Campaign Early Access (digital pre-order only) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Open Beta Early Access (digital pre-order only) | ✔ | ✔ |
| Zombie Ghost Operator Skin | ✔ | ✔ |
| Soul Harvester Tracer Weapon Blueprint | X | ✔ |
| Soap Operator Pack | X | ✔ |
| Nemesis Operator Pack | X | ✔ |
| Two Weapon Vaults | X | ✔ |
| Blackcell [1 Season] and 30 Additional Tier skips | X | ✔ |
| Lockpick Operator Pack (PlayStation Exclusive) | ✔ | ✔ |
MW3 Vault Edition: All Contents & What’s Included
Here’s everything included in the Vault Edition of Modern Warfare 3:
- Campaign Early Access
- Open Beta Early Access
- Soap Operator Pack – Digital Edition Benefit
- Includes “Masked Soap” Skin, “Unmasked Soap” Skin, and “Shadow Siege” Weapon Blueprint
- Zombie Ghost Operator Skin
- Soul Harvester Tracer Weapon Blueprint
- Nemesis Operator Pack
- Access to four Operators: Captain Price, Ghost, Warden, and Makarov
- Two Weapon Vaults
- Unlock two FATE Weapon Vaults – immediate access to all attachments and exclusive cosmetics
- Blackcell [1 Season] and 30 Additional Tier skips
- Access to the Battle Pass for one Season in MW3, with 20 Tier Skips (25 on PlayStation) with Blackcell and 1,400 COD points
- An additional 30 Tier Skips for purchasing the Vault Edition. Unlocks the Blackcell Sector in the Battle Pass map as well as Sectors immediately adjacent to it
- Blackcell exclusive Battle Pass content, including Alt Blackcell Operator skins, Weapon Blueprints, and more
Can You Upgrade to the MW3 Vault Edition ?
Yes, you can upgrade to the Vault Edition from the Standard Edition at any time for an additional fee of $30/£30.
To do this on console, head into the Call of Duty HQ app, go to the Modern Warfare 3 section and select the Vault Edition. Then, press X on Playstation and A on Xbox to upgrade.
On Steam, head to the Modern Warfare 3 page and choose to upgrade to the Vault Edition.
Doing so will grant you all the benefits of the Vault Edition listed above!
For a more information on how to pre-order the game, be sure to check our MW3 pre-order guide here.