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player firing gun in cod mw3
Image via Activision

How to get and use a Tactical Insertion in MW3

Come back on your terms.

There’s a lot of value to be had with a tactical deployment behind enemy lines, especially in some of the larger maps and game modes in Modern Warfare 3. That’s where the Tactical Insertion field upgrade comes in handy.

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Tactical Insertion lets you pick an exact spot to deploy at for your next respawn. This spot can be any playable location on the map, and on big game modes like Invasion, Ground War, or War, using this can save a whole lot of time. And if the opposing team doesn’t know you’re behind them, it can also be a real back-breaker. Here’s how to unlock and use a Tactical Insertion in MW3.

How to unlock Tactical Insertion in MW3

Running Sneakers and Tactical Insertion listed on the progression unlocks in MW3.
44 levels? That’s nothing. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Tactical Insertion is a multiplayer Field Upgrade in MW3 that is unlocked by reaching player rank 45. To reach rank 45 quickly, you will need to prioritize how you earn experience:

  • Daily and weekly challenges are your biggest source of XP. These are supplementary to the XP you will earn from playing the game. Daily challenges are viewable from the Lobby, and you can find weekly challenges by opening the menu and selecting Challenges. Both core multiplayer and Zombies have their own set of daily and weekly challenges.
  • Utilize XP boost tokens. Before and during a match, you can go the the menu and activate an XP boost to receive double XP gains.
  • The most efficient method of earning XP in MW3 is either playing objectives in core multiplayer or farming zombies in MWZ.
Tip:

I find Zombies to be the better source of rapid XP. The shear volume of zombies and the XP earned from missions and extractions is way better than in core multiplayer modes. When combined with XP tokens, you’ll reach level 45 in no time.

Once you’ve reached rank 45 and you unlock Tactical Insertion, you can insert into any loadout in the Field Upgrade slot. If you have a daily challenge that requires you to use Tactical Insertion and you haven’t unlocked it yet, it’s useable via the Counter-Invasion default class.

How to use Tactical Insertion in MW3

A red flare on the ground in a building in Modern Warfare 3.
Careful, they’re pretty easy to see. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Once your Field Upgrade is ready, you can use Tactical Insertion. Simply press the key or button for your Field Upgrade, and you will drop a Tactical Insertion flare at your feet.

The next time you die, you will see the flare location on your map, and you will deploy there after a short timer. You also have the option of canceling and respawning normally if you choose to do so. For CoD veterans, the Tactical Insertion replaced one of your grenade slots and therefore could be used every time you died. In MW3, you’ll have to wait for your Tactical Insertion to come off cooldown before you can use it again. The Engineer Vest is ideal for those who want to halve the cooldown time so the Tac Insert can be used again and again.


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Author
Image of Scott Robertson
Scott Robertson
VALORANT lead staff writer, also covering CS:GO, FPS games, other titles, and the wider esports industry. Watching and writing esports since 2014. Previously wrote for Dexerto, Upcomer, Splyce, and somehow MySpace. Jack of all games, master of none.