How To Get Bot Lobbies in MW3 & Warzone

One of the biggest topics of discussion year in and year out in Call of Duty is skill-based matchmaking (SBMM). With Activision unequivocally stating that SBMM isn’t going anywhere, here’s how to get into a bot lobby in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Warzone.

What Are Bot Lobbies in MW3 and Warzone?

Before we talk about how to get into a bot lobby in MW3 and Warzone, it’s important to understand exactly what they are. In short, bot lobbies are multiplayer matches that feature low-skilled players. Players with a kill/death ratio below .60 are considered to meet the threshold of “low-skilled,” but players with KD ratios of .40/.30 fall into the “bot” category.

To be clear, there is nothing wrong with being a low-skilled player. However, more experienced players tend to look for ways to be placed in lobbies with these players so they can escape SBMM, which normally places them in lobbies with players of their skill. While CoD lobbies with strong SBMM are fine from time to time, but players often want a brief escape so they can drop massive amounts of kills or work on camos, challenges, etc.

Under normal circumstances, players with above a .80 KD ratio would never be placed in a lobby with these low-skilled players due to SBMM pairing them players with a similar KD. However, there are ways to trick the matchmaking system in both MW3 and Warzone so you can experience a wider mix of players in terms of skill and get into the lobby you desire.

How To Get Bot Lobbies in CoD

There are three primary methods of altering matchmaking in CoD so you can be placed in a lobby with lower-skilled players. Two of the methods will certifiably get you “bot lobbies” while the other is a way to experience CoD without strict SBMM. You can read about all three methods below:

Reverse Boosting

The oldest trick in the book when it comes to bot lobbies is simple reverse boosting. Reverse boosting refers to purposely lowering the stats on your account to secure easier lobbies. The lower your stats are, the worse the matchmaking system thinks your skill is and you’ll be paired up with players that have similar stats.

The easiest way to reverse boost is to head into a match, kill yourself with a grenade over and over, and rinse and repeat. You can do this until your desired stats are achieved and then hop into a match. The players in your lobby won’t be very skilled, and it’s easier to play well against them.

This works much better in multiplayer than it does in Warzone, as there’s no limit on how many times you can die in a multiplayer match. To replicate the method in Warzone, play matches without getting kills, miss shots on purpose, and die as quickly as possible.

It’s worth noting that reverse boosting isn’t considered cheating by Activision, so you won’t get banned, but it’s widely frowned upon by the community.

2Boxing

2Boxing is without a doubt the simplest way to get bot lobbies in MW3 and Warzone. The issue with reverse boosting is that you need to continue to reverse boost to offset the matches where you play well. With 2Boxing, you can play as well as you want for as long as you want and continue to get bot lobbies.

There are two ways to 2Box in CoD. The first and most effective way is to session join a reverse-boosted account after it has found a multiplayer match (this can’t work with Warzone). What this does is allow you to be in a lobby with low-skilled players even though your main account is supposed to be in a higher-skilled lobby. Since the reverse-boosted account found the match, it will have players of similar skill as that account. This requires either having a friend with tremendously low stats or for you to have two accounts. If you’re using two accounts yourself, you need to have two different systems running at the same time, which isn’t feasible for many players. You’ll also need to buy the game twice, which is easier with Xbox Game Pass now featuring CoD titles.

The other way to 2Box is to simply matchmake with a reverse boosted account in your party. This won’t achieve the same results as session joining a reverse boosted account, as your main account is in the party while matchmaking is occurring. However, this will still yield easier lobbies than if you simply tried to find a match with your main account alone. Once again, this either requires a friend or another account, but it’s easier to pull off since session joining doesn’t always work out. It’s also the only way to 2Box in Warzone, as you can’t session join in battle royale modes.

2Boxing with either method is also frowned upon by the CoD community, but there’s nothing Activision can do to stop you from playing matches with a lower-skilled account. You might have to watch out for shadow bans, though.

Geo-Filtering

The final way to trick the matchmaking system in CoD is by using a geo-filter. Geo-filtering is forcing the game to only matchmake within a certain region. What this does is eliminate strict SBMM since the game is forced to prioritize connection over pairing you with similarly skilled players. While you’ll still have good players in your lobbies, the lobbies will also feature a wider mix of players. You’ll also have a better connection since the matchmaking is only finding matches within your region.

The only way to geo-filter in CoD is by using a specific router, such as the Netduma, or by purchasing a VPN. It’s worth noting that using a VPN is considered cheating by Activision, so I don’t recommend going that route. However, a Netduma router, or anything comparable, features geo-filter capabilities that are all accepted by Activision. There are also other benefits to using a Netduma that make it one of, if not the best router choice for multiplayer gaming. Of course, this does cost money, so it’s up to you to decide if it’s worth it or not.

Geo-filtering won’t give you “bot lobbies,” but it will allow you to experience a far less strict form of SBMM in both MW3 and Warzone.

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