Gaining XP will allow you to unlock several weapons, equipment, and everything in between in Modern Warfare 3. Starting from level 1 can feel a bit overwhelming given the amount of weapons and modes that you can choose from.

However, in Modern Warfare 3 there is a clear route you can take to level up your Operator as fast as possible by gaining the most amount of XP in the least amount of time possible. That’s what optimizing is all about, baby! Let’s take a look at the best game modes for XP in Modern Warfare 3.

Zombies Mode

While Zombies mode in Modern Warfare 3 is not what many Call of Duty veterans expected, it is by far the best mode you can pick for collecting huge amounts of XP. Simply getting zombie kills will slowly give you a steady income of XP, but what you must aim for is completing Zombie Contracts. When I first started playing the game, I was stunned by the amount of XP and levels I was able to rank just by completing Tier 1 contracts. I highly recommend playing this game with a party so that you can ensure your survivability and increase the speed and amount of contracts you can complete. This is also a great mode to level up your weapons, so take that into account.

Domination / Hardpoint

Not only are Domination and Hardpoint a great way to rank up kills in Modern Warfare 3 – which is arguably one of the benefits of focusing on K/D other than the objective – but playing the game and capturing control points will give you extra XP to enjoy.

Knowing where the enemy will be and spawn is a great way to strategize and focus your attention. Defend areas or even capture new ones, but keep playing for your team and get as many kills as possible to maximize the amount of XP you can gain per match.

Kill Confirmed

I was a bit iffy when Kill Confirmed was introduced in Call of Duty. However, once I got to experience it firsthand, the amount of XP I began to get was extraordinary. You know the rules: kill enemy Operators and then collect their dog tags so that you can earn an extra XP bonus. Not only that, but you can even collect your fallen teammate’s dog tags to deny kills as well as your own which will grant you a great amount of XP. Playing Kill Confirmed in small maps such as Rust is what I would strongly recommend you try since it will increase the chances of denying kills as well as killing Operators. You will have to be fast, but you won’t regret it.

Ground War

Think of this as a huge Domination type of match. The sheer amount of players and control points across a huge map will guarantee that not only will you get a significant amount of kills – especially if using long-range weapons such as snipers – but also the added XP gained by playing the game’s objective will be instrumental on your leveling up strategy. Be sure to control several points at once to collect a good amount of score points so that you can win and flank the enemy by taking alternate routes. Be sure to do this last thing with a team, because you will certainly meet a lot of resistance. Overall, this is a fun game that will bring a bit of variety to the objective-based modes above.

Related: All Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) weapon camos and how to unlock them

If you were to focus on a single game mode, I would strongly suggest playing Zombies with a team. Again, it is by far the best XP farming mode that there is currently in Modern Warfare 3, and you will notice it as soon as you start completing your first contracts. Just remember to Pack-A-Punch your weapons and drink some Perk-A-Colas so that you can venture yourself into higher-tier zones in Urzikstan.

Would you want a little extra help to get XP without dying? Here are the best MW3 loadouts.