Best Warzone LAPA SMG loadouts and how to unlock it

call of duty warzone lapa smg inspect
(Image credit: Activision)

Make sure you get the new Warzone LAPA SMG during The Haunting Halloween event which is live now. This fast-firing, snappy SMG is definitely one to get your tactically gloved hands on, and you can do so by completing nine challenges in the new Ghosts of Verdansk limited-time mode in Warzone. The LAPA handles nicely with solid stats across the board for an SMG and good damage. It’s good handling means you can really lean into more aggressive, run-and-gun playstyles with it too. Here’s how to get the LAPA SMG in Warzone and a few suggestions for your loadout.

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How to get the Warzone LAPA SMG

call of duty warzone the haunting lapa smg challenges

(Image credit: Activision)

The LAPA SMG is definitely a weapon that you should try to get while The Haunting is active. You must complete the nine The Haunting challenges in the Ghosts of Verdansk mode to unlock the LAPA – no other Warzone mode will progress these challenges. Progress for each challenge carries over between matches too, so you can complete a challenge over the course of several matches. Each challenge has its own reward too, such as charms, stickers, a Legendary Sniper Rifle Charlie blueprint, and more. Here are the nine challenges you need to complete to unlock the Warzone LAPA SMG:

  • Wake the Dead – Play five matches of Ghosts of Verdansk
  • Over My Dead Body – Finish Ghosts of Verdansk matches in the top 10 three times
  • Good Exorcise – Eliminate 10 enemy Ghost players
  • Life or Death – Eliminate 10 enemy Human players
  • Scared to Death – Eliminate five enemy Human players while you are playing as a Ghost
  • Boo! – As a Ghost, collect three souls or perform a Finishing Move on an enemy player to redeploy as your Operator
  • Evil Has No Power Here – Use three Sacred Ground areas to reduce your Fear Meter
  • Who’s There? – Answer three phones during matches
  • What Are You Afraid Of? – Experience three Hallucinations while you have a full Fear Meter

Most of these challenges can just be completed as you play Ghosts of Verdansk, such as the ‘Good Exorcise’, ‘Life or Death’, and ‘Boo!’ challenges. For other challenges, you might need to actively search for certain things. For the ‘Evil Has No Power Here’ challenge, you need to enter different Sacred Ground areas. All of them are marked on your map with a blue icon, and they make for good waypoints to travel between as you navigate Verdansk at night.

call of duty warzone the haunting red phone

(Image credit: Activision)

As for the ‘Who’s There?’ challenge, the phones you’re looking for are big, red rotary phones usually on desks and counters. They’re all over the map but you can only answer them when they’re ringing, so just keep an ear out for any ringing sounds. The phones will glow red when they’re ringing but will turn green when you answer them.

Warzone LAPA Loadout

Best Loadouts for the Warzone LAPA SMG

call of duty warzone the haunting lapa smg loadout

(Image credit: Activision)

The LAPA SMG is a great weapon for close range engagements with very balanced stats, a nice fire rate, and reasonable accuracy. The LAPA sits in its own class as Submachine Gun Lima, so it hasn’t really got any counterparts to compare it to. It’s surprisingly capable without many attachments, but obviously having the LAPA kitted out will help.

When it comes to attachments, you’ll want to get anything that’s going to temper the LAPA’s recoil, which can feel a bit bouncy, like most guns in Warzone. The basic Foregrip will tighten up the horizontal recoil and make hitting those shots much easier, especially at longer ranges for an SMG. Flash Guard 9 will also provide a few small enhancements to the LAPA that will help your accuracy. Finally, the LAPA’s reload speed can feel a bit sluggish, so an extended mag lessens the need to reload often, but equally fast mag will make reloading much snappier.

call of duty warzone loadout perk ghost

(Image credit: Activision)

As for your custom class perks, you’re going to need ones that lean into the run-and-gun, close-quarters playstyle that SMGs are fit for. Double Time is a solid Perk 1 option, followed by either Ghost or Tempered for Perk 2. Ghost will allow you to stay off UAVs, giving you a slightly stealthy advantage, while Tempered will reduce your need for armor plates. Finally, for Perk 3, Amped will allow you to switch to your secondary weapon very quickly if the LAPA doesn’t quite cut it, but Spotter or Tracker will also be good for tracking and hunting down enemy players.

With the rest of your loadout, it’s pretty much up to you. A reliable pistol like the X16 will be good to rapidly switch to, but You could even equip Overkill in Perk 2 and have a Sniper Rifle for long-range engagements.

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Will Sawyer
Guides Writer

Will Sawyer is a guides writer at GamesRadar+ who works with the rest of the guides team to give readers great information and advice on the best items, how to complete a particular challenge, or where to go in some of the biggest video games. Will joined the GameRadar+ team in August 2021 and has written about service titles, including Fortnite, Destiny 2, and Warzone, as well as some of the biggest releases like Halo Infinite, Elden Ring, and God of War Ragnarok.