Obtaining Your Custom Loadout
To keep things challenging, you need to work to get your custom loadout. You won’t be able to access it right off the bat - you need to either rack up $10,000 in-game and then buy the custom loadout marker from the Buy Station or catch a random custom loadout drop.
If you don’t want to blow in-game cash on a loadout drop, there’s a good way to anticipate where the game will spawn some occasionally. Global loadout drops always fall in between squads, operating under the assumption that both will beeline towards it, resulting in more action and engagement. If you manage to get your custom loadout early in the game, you’ll have a massive advantage over other players as you can play with your own personalized weapons, equipment and perks.
Let’s take a look at the loadout options, what’s suitable and when to use certain guns and equipment.
Primary Weapon
Primary weapons are your go-to choices, and different guns work for different players. While there is no single “best weapon” in Warzone, some are certainly better than others, and different weapons are ideally suited to different situations, depending on terrain and how the match has progressed.
Assault Rifles
The most effective picks for your primary slot are ARs, Sniper Rifles or SMGs paired with the Overkill perk - but keep in mind that the latter choice negates the Ghost perk. Sniper Rifles are ideal in the early game due to their range. One of the most popular ARs is the M4A1 due to its easy recoil control and decent damage, even at mid to long range. With the right attachments, this weapon is almost unstoppable in the right hands. However, there are some downsides as well, such as lack of mobility if you go for a good recoil build. And if you go for a higher mobility build then you will compromise on recoil control, but that shouldn’t be an issue if you are getting into Close Quarter Combat (CQC). If you are exceptionally good at controlling recoil, then we suggest that advanced players go for an AK-47. This AR really packs a punch, but has the highest recoil. Provided you can compensate for that, you’ll dish out a lot of damage.
Another gun you can consider in the “high recoil” category is the Oden. This gun does extreme damage but has some major drawbacks, such as low fire rate and high recoil - though these can be alleviated with certain attachments. The Grau 5.56 is criminally underrated. You can modify this weapon to be used as either a proper AR or as an SMG. Beyond being versatile, it’s easy to handle making it an ideal choice for less experienced players. Check out the full list of ARs along with their stats here.
SMGs
SMGs are mostly used for “run-n-gun” scenarios. One of the main benefits of SMGs is the mobility boost you get. You can run much faster compared to other weapon classes such as an AR or LMG. The most popular SMGs are the MP7, MP5 and AUG. The main issue with SMGs is that they quickly run out of ammo, usually before you are able to take out your enemies. This can be easily fixed by modifying your weapon accordingly. For instance, you can equip your MP7 with either a 50 Rounds or a 60 Rounds Mag. This really helps when you’re playing trios or quads. Another advantage of using SMGs is faster ADS. The ADS can be further increased with attachments such as Tac Laser.
Just like any weapon, SMGs can be adapted to suit various situations. If you want to “rush” opponents, then SMG can certainly be modified to that end, but in Warzone your main focus should be accuracy and damage range. You can view our MP7 build for Warzone here. Since these SMGs are only good for mid-range gunfights, it is preferred to run these alongside some other long-ranged weapon such as a Sniper Rifle, to give you that long-ranged shooting capability as well. Our Sniper Rifle custom class setup, which consists of MP7 as a second primary using the Overkill perk shows you just that. You can find the full list of SMGs with their stats here.
LMGs
LMGs are not for players who value mobility. They greatly reduce your movement speed at the tradeoff for huge damage. The main drawback is that by the time you’ve found your target and started shooting, a player with an SMG or AR probably floored you already. LMGs are, however, effective for campers. Some of the best LMGs include the PKM, Holger and M91. As mentioned, the ADS speed on these machines is quite low, but can be boosted with the right attachments.
For instance, with the PKM, you can use Snatch Grip as your Underbarrel which will give you an ADS boost. Combine it with the Stippled Tape Grip as your Rear Grip attachment to increase your ADS even more, along with an increase in sprint to fire speed (how fast you transition to your firing stance right after sprinting). LMGs are definitely hard-hitting guns but they are not suitable for the majority of the scenarios in Warzone due to the inherent lack of mobility they introduce. Therefore, it is best to stick to either an AR or SMG as your primary weapon. The full list of LMGs along with their stats can be found here.
Marksman Rifles
Marksman Rifles are good weapons for “quick scoping” in Warzone, specifically the Kar98k. This weapon gives you an instant kill on headshots. It’s a tough weapon to use, though - new players will need to get used to the mechanics of this rifle first. Other weapons such as Carbine MK2 and EBR-14 are also good rifles in this category. The EBR-14 has a higher fire rate than the other two, but with lower damage. The Kar98k does the highest damage in this category other than the Crossbow. You can also use the SKS, a newly added rifle released in Season 3.
If you’re using the Kar98k in Warzone then you can use a Monolithic Suppressor on it to suppress your fire sound and to get a bit of damage range. In order to get more ADS on your Kar98k you can choose Singuard Custom 27.6". This will not only increase your ADS, but also your damage range and bullet velocity. You can use Tac Laser as your Laser to increase your ADS further. The full list Marksman Rifles along with their stats is available here.
Sniper Rifles
The two best Sniper Rifles are the AX-50 and HDR. The HDR is slightly better than the AX-50 due to higher damage and insta-killing headshots. The AX-50 has a slightly better fire rate, but not enough to even the odds. The HDR also has higher bullet velocity, which helps immensely when you are shooting at extremely long ranges. The HDR also has a higher damage range and when you add thermal dual scope on it. The ADS is slow but still faster than the AX-50 with a thermal dual scope.
When you add a Barrel to your HDR, it makes bullet drop almost non-existent. Adding the longest Barrel will increase your bullet velocity on top of the base bullet velocity that the HDR offers. The AX-50 does take the cake in terms of fire rate, though. You can make HDR one of the most damaging Sniper Rifles in Warzone with the right attachments. Check our HDR build here which we created solely for Warzone. The full list of Sniper Rifles is available on our the weapon stats page.
Shotguns
Shotguns are all hard-hitting weapons in Modern Warfare multiplayer, but they are not usually suitable for Warzone due to their limited effective range. They are good as secondary weapons which is also only possible if you are using Overkill perk. Otherwise, Shotguns are only available as primary weapons.
Shotguns are ideal weapons in the later stages of the game when circle collapses have forced all combatants into close proximity. Close quarters combat is inevitable at this point, which is precisely where shotguns excel. Some of the best Shotguns in Warzone are the R9-0 Shotgun and VLK Rogue. View the full list of Shotguns available along with their stats here.
Secondary Weapon
Secondary weapons mostly include Handguns, Launchers and Melee. Note that Primary weapons also have a melee option, but you can only choose Riot Shield as your melee in Primary. But in Secondary, you have the option to choose a knife.
Handguns
Handguns (or Launchers or Melee) are going to be used by players who aren’t using the Overkill perk - in which case we strongly recommend the Ghost perk in that slot. If you do choose the handgun option then it is recommended to choose something with high damage. All the handguns are difficult to land a good shot with, but if you score with a .50 GS (Desert Eagle) or .357 then you can easily take out your enemy with 2-3 shots.
With the release of Season 3, another handgun has been introduced to the game - the Renetti. This handgun is highly effective at higher levels. At level 46, you unlock the MK3 Burst Mod, which allows you to shoot a quick 3 round burst. Another effective option is to use dual-wield a pair of .357 handguns. It is also useful for players who do not want to use the Overkill perk when they are going for a Sniper Class, because usually you end up choosing some AR or SMG with it, in order to be able to engage in CQCs. You can see the full list of handguns along with their stats here.
Launchers
There are four main types of Launchers available to choose from - the PILA, Strela-P, JOKR and RPG-7. In Warzone the most important launchers you can use are the RPG-7 and the JOKR. These launchers are great against powerful vehicles such as the Cargo Truck. The JOKR is a “fire and forget” weapon thanks to its accurate lock-on feature. It is very good against enemies in vehicles and damage enemies both inside and outside. Due to its huge size, it will decrease your mobility and slow your movement speed though.
The PILA is also a good launcher but it falls short behind the JOKR and the RPG due to its weight. The PILA also has a manual aim mode and is effective against aerial vehicles - except when they use a flare. The RPG-7 has the highest damage output but lacks a lock-on feature. It is ideal for run-n-gun situations. The problem with RPG is the aiming. You need to lead your shots quite a lot for targets at a considerable range. But if you can master aiming the RPG, you have a huge advantage against enemy vehicles. The RPG also has high splash damage, so if you have a squad together in a congested room or area, you can take them all out with a single shot. It is also useful against Cargo Trucks, as one shot from an RPG can knock down half of its health.
Melee
In Melee, you can choose a knife which will increase damage significantly - provided you can get within stabbing range. When you choose melee as a primary, you only get the option of choosing Riot Shield.
Lethal Equipment
You can also find Lethal Equipment such as Sticky Bombs, Semtex Frags, Molotov Cocktails and Thermite in Warzone. Molotov Cocktails and Thermite can also “stick” to the enemy, leading to higher damage. These can also be used to effectively destroy enemy vehicles. Adding to this list of items, we also have triggered explosives which include C4, Claymores and Proximity Mines. Claymores and Proximity Mines are good for Snipers who have to hold a certain position and not worry about their back. C4 can be triggered manually after you place it.
C4 is particularly favorable due to its high damage and manual triggering capability. You can use C4 against vehicles and it destroys them in a matter of seconds, but it doesn’t have a huge throw range. Finally, we have throwing knives. In most FPS games, these weapons are one-hit kills, but they have lower damage in Warzone. Additionally, if the opponent is wearing armor, the knife hit will only remove the armor without damaging the opponent.
Tactical Equipment
What Tactical Equipment you should choose is entirely based on your play style. Some of the most useful tactical equipment includes the Snapshot Grenade, Flash Grenade, Smoke Grenade and the Heartbeat Sensor. The Decoy Grenade is only useful in very rare situations, so it’s not advisable to include it in your custom loadout as a permanent piece of equipment. Stim can be useful in certain scenarios as well, such as the last circle when there are multiple squads fighting each other and you may get a window in between to use it.
Smoke Grenades needs no explanation as they can help you escape close calls and are especially useful when you need to revive your friends on open ground, unless the opposing team has a thermal scope. You can see through smoke using a thermal scope, however none of the targeting devices, such as PILA Missile Launcher, work through smoke. The Snapshot Grenade and Heartbeat Sensors are the most useful as they reveal the location of your enemies. The Snapshot Grenade can reveal enemy locations within the blast radius. It shows their profile for a couple of seconds before disappearing again and lets you see the location of the enemy players, even through walls. Heartbeat Sensors are very useful in Warzone. They are used to reveal the location of enemy players around you, but can only reveal the location of enemies up to 40 meters away and at an angle of 180 degrees. It won’t work on enemy players using the Ghost perk.
Perks
Perks give you an added advantage in Warzone and can only be accessed through custom loadouts. Here we will cover the best perks to use in Warzone for each of the perk slots available in the custom loadout. You can also see the full list of perks along with their description and unlock level criteria here.
Perk Slot 1
In the first slot the perk you should go with is Cold-Blooded. It makes you undetectable by enemy thermal optics and AI targeting systems. This perk is very popular, especially in Solos where players are camping buildings with Sniper Rifles and thermal optics. Another effective perk you can use in this slot is Kill Chain which increases your chances of finding kill streaks in supply boxes. Kill Chain comes in clutch when you need a UAV or a Precision Airstrike during the last couple of circles.
Perk Slot 2
In the second slot, the only two good options are either Overkill or Ghost. Ghost renders you invisible to enemy UAVs, Radar Drones and Heartbeat Sensors. As always, try to aim for a loadout which makes it harder for other players to find you. Many players will be using UAVs, especially in the final circle. Overkill allows you to carry two primary weapons. This perk compliments the use of Sniper Rifles since you will need to have another weapon for CQC, such as the MP7 SMG. We suggest selecting the Ghost perk instead, since secondary weapons complementing a Sniper are ample loot.
Perk Slot 3
Here the most important perk is the Tracker. The Tracker perk leaves enemy footprints visible for a brief period of time. This is especially important when you are engaged in CQCs in areas where there are a lot of corners, or inside of buildings, giving you an idea of where enemies are hiding or camping. Another useful perk to use in the third slot is the Amped perk. This perk helps you switch your weapons faster and increases the reload speed of your rocket launchers. This is very useful if you’re using one of the launchers.
General Tips
Here are some general tips you need to keep in mind when customizing your loadout.
Weapon Suppressor
From the beginning, we’ve been stressing the importance of staying hidden in Warzone, and it would be a shame if you got caught by an enemy player due to the sound of your gunshots. Whenever you shoot in Warzone you appear on the mini-map, on on-screen radar and even on the Tac Map. In all your weapon loadouts, you should make it a habit to use the Monolithic Suppressor as your Muzzle. This not only suppresses the sound of your weapon but also increases your damage range. The Monolithic Suppressor unlocks at different levels for each weapon. You may check the level for each weapon here.
Ammunition
If you’re playing Warzone, remember to always aim for more ammo, especially with SMGs and ARs. It usually takes a lot of shots to down enemies, especially if they’re armored. Your base health is 100 and it can be increased up to 250 (by three armor plates each giving 50 health). So you need to make sure you are using 50 Round or 60 Round Mags with the M4A1 or MP7. Whenever you choose a weapon, always check if you can increase the max ammo capacity through an Ammunition attachment. This is important since you will be coming across squads of trios and quads to take down which requires a lot of bullets. You don’t want to reload in the middle of an intense game-winning shoot out. For more Warzone tips and tricks check out this article. You can also read our Solos tips and tricks here.
