How to unlock JAK-12 shotgun in Modern Warfare and Warzone

Matt Porter
Player holding JAK-12 shotgun in Modern Warfare.

Modern Warfare and Warzone’s 1.28 update has officially gone live, and the big addition in the latest patch is a brand-new shotgun called the JAK-12. Here’s everything you need to know to get your hands on the powerful weapon.

Black Ops: Cold War may be on the horizon, but that doesn’t mean that Infinity Ward are finished updating Modern Warfare, with the developers dropping their latest update for the game on October 14 with the 1.28 update.

One of the major changes this week sees some of Warzone’s long-range weaponry receive balance changes, with the Kar98 receiving a buff to its minimum damage range, while the ultra-powerful SP-R 208 has had its damage range reduced in an attempt to make it slightly less lethal.

In terms of new weapons though, it was close combat that received some love this week, with the reincarnation of the AA-12 shotgun from previous Call of Duty titles making a welcome return in the form of the JAK-12. The weapon is locked when you first start up your game after the patch, but we’ve got everything you need to unlock it and make it part of your armory.

JAK-12 in Modern Warfare.
The JAK-12 was added in the October 14 update.

The JAK-12 is actually fairly easy to unlock, so you won’t have to spend hours and hours grinding to finally get it. The fully-automatic bolt shotgun certainly packs a punch, so will be useful for close-contact encounters, especially on small multiplayer maps like Shipment or Rust, or inside buildings on Warzone.

To unlock the JAK-12, you simply need to get three hipfire kills using a shotgun in seven different matches. The good news is that there is no specific shotgun you are required to use to do so, and you don’t even have to do it in simultaneous matches, just get the three in any multiplayer match and it will be added to your tally.

You can use any of your favorite shotguns, but we would suggest the R9-0 or Origin 12 as they pack a good punch, something you need when you’re not aiming down sights to find kills. Playing on smaller maps will be useful too, and modes like Hardpoint and Domination where players swarm to locations could be an easy way to pick up the kills you need without running around the map hoping to find someone.

Player using a shotgun in Modern Warfare,
Players need to get three hipfire shotgun kills in seven matches to unlock the JAK-12.

You also don’t need to be any specific level to unlock the JAK-12, so anyone can hop into the game and get their kills to unlock the gun.

The weapon is already proving to be immensely powerful, with players reporting that some attachments can create a loadout which gives the JAK-12 incredible range. The shotgun is live right now, so hop in and try it for yourself.

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About The Author

Matt is a former Dexerto writer. Hailing from Northern Ireland, he is games journalist who specializes in Call of Duty. Matt joined Dexerto in August 2018, covering a variety of games as a Senior Writer before moving to CharlieINTEL in 2020.