Warzone and MW3 players are being reset to level one by a mysterious bug: Everything we know so far

It's never fun to be demoted.

A character wields a weapon outside an airport in Modern Warfare 3.
Image via Activision

Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone players are being demoted back down to level one, with a mysterious bug removing all their in-game progress.

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Call of Duty players waking up on Feb. 23 logged on to both MW3 and Warzone to find that the number beside their name in pre-game lobbies had changed, returning them to the first rank you start at when you play the game for the first time.

What’s actually happening? Why am I rank one in MW3 and Warzone?

When you open up MW3 or Warzone and head into a pre-game lobby, you will notice the rank beside your name has reset. Instead of whatever rank you last earned, it will say level one. Thankfully, you’re not alone—if you jump into a multiplayer match, everyone in the lobby will be level one too. It’s better to suffer together, I suppose.

The same will happen if you head into a Warzone match too, with everyone in your lobby sent down to the recruit rank.

A MW3 character, wearing a black and red LA Thieves outfit, standing in the pre-game lobby. The rank of the player has been reset to level one.
I promise you, I wasn’t level one before this bug. Screenshot via Dot Esports

Has the rank reset bug canceled all my unlocks?

Thankfully, it’s not affecting any unlocks, so any weapons and camos that you’ve acquired while grinding the game are still there. This means that should you get into a multiplayer match, all your guns, attachments, and any camo challenges you’ve completed are still there.

It is, however, affecting any weapons you haven’t unlocked yet. When I checked, I was unable to start the unlock challenges for any weapon I hadn’t done yet, as they stated I needed to be level 55. Even though I was above that level before the bug happened, the game doesn’t recognize it now.

It’s also affecting your daily and weekly challenges, which I was unable to complete in-game when I tested it out. I was also unable to change my loadout during matches, leaving me with only the gun found in my first loadout slot.

Has Sledgehammer responded to the MW3 and Warzone rank reset bug?

No, neither Sledgehammer nor Activision have responded to the rank reset bug as of yet, meaning it’s not clear what’s causing it, or when it will be fixed. We’ll be sure to update this article as soon as they provide an update.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the only bug affecting Call of Duty right now, as many players are complaining they’re getting the Minot Hawthorne error in MW3 and Warzone too.

Looking for more fast ways to rank up your Call of Duty account? Check out these 30min Double XP Boost deals from G2A.

Author
Image of Matt Porter
Matt Porter
Associate Editor. Matt has been writing about Call of Duty for almost 10 years, with bylines at Gfinity, Dexerto, and a spell as CharlieIntel's editor. Matt is experienced in all things CoD, including multiplayer, Warzone, and esports.