How to unlock Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Season 5's newest guns

Lock and load, soldiers: Season 5 for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and its battle royale spin-off Warzone is finally here. Available for free in this season's Battle Pass, players get the chance to unlock two hype-worthy new weapons to add to their arsenal.

Here's a look at the two new guns that are available and how much grinding is required to get them.

Two guns you can unlock in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Season 5 are the ISO SMG and the AN-94 assault rifle. These weapons can technically be unlocked for free in Season 5, but only if you're able to acquire the Season 5 Battle Pass for 1,000 CP (COD Points). If you don't have any, that would cost $9.99, which is pretty standard for most battle royale games.

ISO SMG

• Unlocked at Tier 15.
• A 9mm sub-machine gun with a rapid rate of fire.
• Deadly in close-range battles.
• Lightweight, compact.

AN-94 Assault Rifle

• Unlocked at Tier 31.
• A 5.45x39mm assault rifle of Russian origin.
• Comes with what Infinity Ward calls a "unique hyperburst feature." The first shot is followed by an "instantaneous second round before significant recoil is felt."
• The developers explain that this "creates a tightly grouped cluster of shots with increased damage potential."

How to (quickly) unlock the Season 5 guns

The most straightforward way to unlock the guns is to simply play Call of Duty: Modern Warfare multiplayer and/or Warzone. Completing matches, whether winning or losing, accrues points that go towards advancing the Battle Pass. Just make sure you buy it first.

But to quickly advance in the Battle Pass, there are a few neat tricks you can try, all of which can be done without cheating or hacking the game (which puts your account at great risk). The most efficient yet expensive way is to pay 2400 COD Points, which costs $19.99 from most retailers, to purchase the Battle Pass Bundle that includes 20 tier skips. You'll automatically unlock the ISO SMG and will only have to level up 11 times to get the AN-91

One method for gaining XP quickly is with what Inverse calls the "Helicopter Strat," a strategy in Warzone. If practiced efficiently, it should give you a serious chance at placing in the Top 20 of every match, which can net serious XP and serious Battle Pass advancement. Anecdotally, I've had friends who advanced 30-40 levels of the Season 4 Battle Pass in mere days by using the Helicopter Strat.

Another option when playing multiplayer is to focus on the XP daily and weekly challenges that add inches to your advancement in the Battle Pass. Crossing off a single daily challenge won't level you up completely, but keep doing them each day and the inches add up to miles.

Thirdly, take advantage of other opportunities for bonus XP. Deploy Double XP tokens when you can, especially in a multiplayer match type you best excel in. Join a regiment, which grants a daily 10 percent boost during a one-hour period, called "Happy Hour" when regiment players are online.

Lastly: Get good and win. Because winners take all.

While it isn't easy to grind in Call of Duty, it's no doubt a lot of fun. Play hard, play smart, and you'll have the Battle Pass finished in no time. Remember: Time does fly when you have fun.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Season 5 is available now.