You remember the sound of a Supply Drop opening? That heavy, mechanical thud followed by the flickering lights of potential greatness? In 2014, Sledgehammer Games changed Call of Duty forever, and honestly, nothing represented that shift better than the Royalty camo in Advanced Warfare. It wasn't just a skin. It was a status symbol. While everyone else was running around in standard issue gear, seeing someone with that ornate, purple-and-gold filigree on their BAL-27 or ASM1 meant one of two things: they were either incredibly lucky or they had put in a terrifying amount of hours into the grind.
It’s weird looking back.
Most people forget how controversial the introduction of variants was. But the Royalty camo? That was the high-water mark for aesthetics in the exo-suit era. It looked expensive. It looked like something you’d find in a museum, except it was currently being used to boost-jump over your head and ruin your killstreak.
What Actually Is the Royalty Camo in Advanced Warfare?
Let's get the technical stuff out of the way first. There were actually two different "Royalty" items in the game, which confuses people even now. First, you had the Royalty weapon variants. These were elite-tier versions of guns that didn't just look different—they had stat changes. Usually, they were based on the "Elite" version of a weapon but featured a significant buff, like an extra magazine or increased range, though sometimes they were just a purple-tinted reskin of the existing Elite variant.
Then, there was the Royalty camo in Advanced Warfare that you earned through blood, sweat, and a lot of frustration.
This camo was the "Grandmaster" tier. To get it, you had to complete all the camo challenges for an entire weapon class. If you wanted that regal purple texture on your Assault Rifles, you had to diamond every single gun in that category. It was a massive undertaking. Unlike modern CoD titles where the mastery camos are often flat or neon, Royalty had this embossed, metallic texture. It felt physical. When the light hit it on a map like Solar or Terrace, the gold accents popped against the deep amethyst background. It was unmistakable.
The Math Behind the Grind
It wasn't easy. Not even a little bit.
To unlock the Royalty camo for a specific class, you basically had to master the weirdest playstyles. Think about the "Skeet Shooter" medals or the "Longshots" with weapons that had the recoil of a jackhammer. You had to get 500 headshots, multiple double kills, and those pesky "Point Blank" medals. For some guns, like the MK14, this was a nightmare. The MK14 was notoriously weak in the Advanced Warfare meta, yet if you wanted that purple camo on your HBRa3, you had to suffer through it.
The Royalty Variants vs. The Earned Camo
There is a huge distinction here that modern players might miss. The Royalty camo in Advanced Warfare that you earned via challenges was a universal skin for that class. But the Royalty variants found in Supply Drops (introduced later in the game's life cycle) were different beasts entirely.
Sledgehammer added these "Royalty Variants" to the loot pool to give players a reason to keep opening boxes. These were essentially copies of the best Elite weapons—like the BAL-27 Obsidian Steed or the ASM1 Speakeasy—but with a purple Royalty skin and often an increased reload speed or an extra clip. This is where the "Pay to Win" accusations really started to heat up. If you were lucky enough to pull a Royalty variant of a top-tier gun, you weren't just looking good; you had a legitimate statistical advantage on the battlefield.
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- Earned Royalty: Showed skill and dedication.
- Supply Drop Royalty: Showed luck (or a very heavy wallet).
It created this weird social hierarchy in the lobbies. You'd see a guy with a Royalty camo on a base weapon and respect the grind. You'd see a guy with a Royalty variant of the Obsidian Steed and honestly, you'd just be jealous.
Why the Design Worked
The aesthetic was heavily influenced by "Renaissance-era" engraving. It wasn't just a repeating pattern. The gold filigree was "raised" off the weapon's surface. In the engine, this meant it reacted to the lighting differently than the flat textures of the "Gold" or "Carbon Fiber" camos. It felt premium.
Honestly, it fit the "Private Military Corporation" vibe of the game. It looked like something Jonathan Irons (Kevin Spacey’s character) would commission for his top-tier commanders. It was arrogant. It was loud. And in a game where you're dashing through the air at 40 miles per hour, being loud was kind of the point.
Comparing Royalty to Diamond and Solar
In the grand scheme of Call of Duty mastery camos, the Royalty camo in Advanced Warfare holds a special place. Most games follow the Gold -> Diamond -> [Dark Matter/Solar/Exclusion Zone] path.
Advanced Warfare did things differently. Diamond was cool, but it looked a bit "beaded" in that game. It didn't have the smoothness of the Black Ops 2 Diamond. Royalty was the true endgame for most. Later, Sledgehammer added "Grandmaster Prime" gear for those who reached the absolute top prestige levels, but for the average player, Royalty remained the pinnacle of what you could actually achieve through gameplay.
The "Solar" camo was another beast entirely, often associated with the highest levels of play and specific mastery, but it never quite captured the "class" that Royalty did. Solar was bright and orange—almost like molten lava. It was cool, sure, but Royalty felt like you were part of an elite club.
The Frustration of the RNG
We have to talk about the Supply Drop system because it’s inseparable from the Royalty camo in Advanced Warfare experience.
Back then, we didn't have a "Battle Pass" where you knew exactly what you were getting. You just played, earned a crate, and prayed. When Sledgehammer announced the Royalty variants were being added to the pool, the community lost its mind. Some people had played for 30 days of in-game time and never saw an Obsidian Steed. Now, there was an even rarer version of that gun?
It was a brilliant, if slightly cruel, way to keep people engaged. It turned every match into a lottery. You'd finish a game of Domination on Comeback, see that "Supply Drop Earned" notification, and for a split second, you'd think: Is this the Royalty ASM1? Usually, it was just a pair of Nigerian Police kneepads. But that "maybe" is what kept the servers full for years.
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Nuance in the Meta
It’s easy to say the game was broken, but the Royalty variants actually balanced things in a weird way. By adding more "Elite" tier weapons into the pool via the Royalty line, it technically increased the odds of a player landing some kind of competitive weapon. If you couldn't get the Speakeasy, maybe you’d get the Royalty version. They functioned similarly, meaning more people had access to the "pro" stats, even if the skins were different.
How to Get Royalty Camo Today
If you’re hopping back into Advanced Warfare in 2026—and surprisingly, you can still find matches on certain platforms—the path to the Royalty camo in Advanced Warfare hasn't changed.
- Pick a weapon class (Assault Rifles are the easiest place to start).
- Complete every single camo challenge for every base weapon in that class.
- This includes:
- Multikills
- Headshots
- Longshots
- Berzerker medals
- Point-blanks
- Once the final Diamond camo pops for the last gun, the Royalty camo will unlock for the whole set.
It’s a grueling process. The "Skeet Shooter" medals—killing an enemy while they are in the air from a jump—are still the biggest bottleneck. My advice? Play Momentum or Hardpoint. People are constantly in the air in those modes, making it much easier to snag those mid-air kills.
The Lasting Legacy of the Purple and Gold
Advanced Warfare was a polarizing game. It was the "love it or hate it" entry that split the fan base between traditionalists and "jetpack" fans. But almost everyone agrees that the weapon customization and the Royalty camo in Advanced Warfare were top-tier.
It set a precedent for what a "Mastery" skin should look like. It wasn't just a color swap; it was a complete texture overhaul. It felt like a reward that was actually worth the dozens of hours spent grinding through weapon prestige levels.
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Even now, when we see "Royalty" skins in newer CoD games or in Warzone, they are almost always a callback to this specific era. They try to capture that same embossed, metallic feel. But nothing quite hits like the original. It was a specific aesthetic for a specific time in gaming history.
If you want to maximize your chances of seeing the camo in its best light, go back and play on the map "Retreat." The bright, natural sunlight on that map makes the purple shades of the Royalty camo look incredible. It’s a reminder of a time when Call of Duty wasn't afraid to be a little bit gaudy and a lot of fun.
Actionable Insights for Modern Players:
- Check your Armory: Many returning players realize they actually have "Royalty" variants sitting in their redeemed items or unopened packs from years ago.
- Focus on the ARX-160 and Hole Puncher: If you’re grinding for the earned camo, these weapons are surprisingly efficient for headshots due to their burst fire patterns.
- Don't ignore the Daily Challenges: Sledgehammer still has automated rotations that can occasionally grant Supply Drops, giving you a passive way to hunt for those elusive Royalty variants without spending a dime.
- Prioritize the "Skeet Shooter" medals early: These are the hardest to get. If you see an enemy boost-jumping, forget the objective for a second and take the shot. You'll thank yourself when it's the only thing left between you and that purple-and-gold glory.