How to unlock the Thermobaric Grenade in MW3

How to unlock the Thermobaric Grenade in MW3
Antony Terence Updated on by

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✓ At a glance
  • Unlock this item at level 53 by earning XP from matches.
  • It’s an effective area denial grenade that has an initial explosion and sets an area aflame. These flames enhance explosive damage dealt to foes.

The Thermobaric Grenade bathes the ground in flames in MW3, making foes easy pickings for your rifle. It’s one of the best Lethal equipment options in the game but it can take a while to unlock. Here’s what you need to know about this grenade and how you can use it.

How to get the Thermobaric Grenade

To get the Thermobaric Grenade, you need to reach level 53 in the game’s multiplayer mode. It’s certainly a long grind but you can level up fast by working towards daily and weekly challenges during double XP weekends. This cookable explosive is great while handling objectives during game modes like Domination and Escort. It explodes and stuns enemies as it sets an area on fire. This fire also enhances the damage of explosives, meaning that your allies can quickly clean things up with grenades and launchers of their own.

A player checks out the Thermobaric grenade in the menu.
Unlock this grenade to take out armored foes. Image captured by VideoGamer.

How to use the Thermobaric Grenade

Here are some things you should keep in mind to maximize the utility of this lethal equipment:

  • Watch out for enemy gear that counters you
  • Use it as an area denial tool
  • Ask allies to use explosives
  • This grenade doesn’t guarantee kills

Watch out for enemy gear that counters you

EOD Padding sits on our best gear list for a good reason. It dampens the effects of explosives, effectively countering the bonus your Thermobaric grenade offers. While not everyone will equip this item, you can’t just chuck it into a tight corridor and call it a day. You’ll need to ensure that you catch stragglers before they regenerate health and fight back. Another bit of gear that can counter this explosive is the Tac Mask, which blocks stuns and other visual impairments like flashes. 

Use it as an area denial tool

Simply tossing one of these ahead of you will only push enemies to alternate routes. Instead, try to secure an objective this way, forcing a player to take damage if they want to contest it. Back it up with some teammates firing at them to ensure that the zone remains in your control. Game modes like Hardpoint and Domination will let you utilize the grenade’s potential. Tight maps like Meat and Rio will also let you take advantage of this item.

Ask allies to use explosives

Since this grenade enhances the effectiveness of other explosives, it’s great against armored targets. For instance, if a player secures a Juggernaut killstreak, you can quickly end their reign with a well-placed bunch of grenades and explosives. So call out to your friends when you’re using the Thermobaric grenade to use its explosive damage bonus. In Season 1, the grenade received a buff that boosted its explosive damage by 200%. So you’ll get great mileage out of it if you cook it and time your throws right.

Doesn’t guarantee kills

While it’s great at weakening enemies or picking off near-dead foes, don’t expect it to secure kills all the time. It has decent impact damage but its flames don’t hurt players much. Rely on its bonus explosive damage or your trusty weapons to finish the job. If you want more lethal options, you might want to consider the C4 or Semtex.