How to unlock the R1 Shadowhunter crossbow in Call of Duty: Cold War and Warzone

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Get your hands on the new R1 Shadowhunter crossbow.

CoD Cold War Warzone R1 Shadowhunter crossbow
(Image credit: Activision, Raven Software)

Trying to unlock the R1 Shadowhunter crossbow? This weapon was accidentally added to Cold War and Warzone last week, and was pulled just hours later. The good news is that it has now been officially added to Cold War, so you can begin working on a new challenge to unlock it. The bad news is that if you started the challenge last week, your progress will have been reset.

Whether you're ready to zip through the crossbow's unlock requirements, or splash the cash on its legendary blueprint, there are a few things you need to know. I'm here to help you add this new weapon to your inventory, so you can start scoring super clean kills from afar in your matches. Here's how to unlock the R1 Shadowhunter crossbow in Cold War, (but not in Warzone, because you can't use it in battle royale just yet).

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How to unlock the R1 Shadowhunter crossbow in Call of Duty: Cold War

To unlock the R1 Shadowhunter crossbow for free, you need to get three 'One Shot, One Kill medals' in 15 different matches, using a weapon with no attachments equipped. To earn this medal, you need to kill an enemy at full health with a single shot. As always, completing the challenge also rewards 1000 XP.

The easiest way to complete this challenge is by hopping into a Cold War Multiplayer match with a sniper like the Pelington 703 or LW3 - Tundra. Alternatively, the Streetsweeper shotgun will do the trick. With the upcoming Cold War and Warzone double XP weekend running from March 26 at 10am PDT (1pm EDT/ 5pm GMT) to March 29 at 10am PDT (1pm EDT/ 5pm GMT), you'll have the chance to level up this weapon quickly, and speed through some battle pass tiers.

To speed up the unlock process you can drop into a Hardcore match, which lowers everyone's health. To find the Hardcore playlist, head to Cold War's main menu, choose Quickplay, and select the Hardcore tab. I advise finishing each match to make sure that your progress tracks, rather than quitting early. You can find the R1 Shadowhunter crossbow in the Special tab in the Create-A-Class menu.

Can you equip the R1 Shadowhunter crossbow in Warzone?

Unfortunately there's no way to equip the R1 Shadowhunter and create a loadout for it in Warzone at the moment. You'll only find the Modern Warfare crossbow in the menus for now. Bizarrely, you can still buy the Archaic Range Bundle, which includes a blueprint for this new Cold War crossbow. Players who have already purchased the blueprint have reported that it's visible in the Marksman Rifles section in Warzone's Armory, but we'll have to wait for it to be added to the game properly before we can use it in Verdansk and Rebirth Island. 

(Image credit: Activision, Raven Software)

Call of Duty: Cold War & Warzone R1 Shadowhunter blueprint

If you can't wait to get your hands on the R1 Shadowhunter, you can head to the store in either Call of Duty: Cold War, or Warzone and pick up the Archaic Range Bundle bundle for 1200 COD points:

  • R1 Shadowhunter legendary blueprint: Lancehead
  • Charm: Stolen Idol
  • Emblem: Medieval Archer
  • Sticker: Olde Time Sniper

There doesn't appear to be any major differences between the stock R1 Shadowhunter and the legendary blueprint, apart from the skin on the weapon, and the additional cosmetics in the bundle. If you're keen to unlock it as quickly as possible, you'll have to weigh up whether you want to spend your hard-earned COD points, or grind through the challenge.

Emma Matthews
Emma Matthews

As PC Gamer's guides writer, Emma is usually juggling several games at once. She loves competitive first-person shooters like CS:GO and Call of Duty, but she always has time for a few rounds of Hearthstone. She's happiest when she's rescuing pugs in Spelunky 2.