The best Warzone 2 loadouts and weapons to use

Warzone 2 Black Site Key Stronghold guide
(Image credit: Activision)

The best Warzone 2 loadouts are here, with the best weapons, perks, attachments and equipment from Modern Warfare 2 laid out for you. While there's dozens of weapons to pick from, and choosing the best Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2 guns is pretty difficult without a lot of supplementary info, never fear - we've done the research for you, and can provide you with some of the best loadouts, with options for Assault Rifle, SMG and Marksman Rifle builds.

That being said, keep in mind that all these can be tweaked and twisted along the way. While certain weapon combos and builds tend to come up in the Warzone 2 meta a lot, it's better to go with the guns you're comfortable with - it doesn't help having the best loadout if you don't know how to use it.

So with that all in mind, if you want to know what to set up or aim for in your loadouts, here's the best Warzone 2 loadouts to look through and equip your operators with.

M4 and P890

Modern Warfare 2 loadouts

(Image credit: Activision)

The M4 is one of the most popular Modern Warfare 2 Assault Rifles. Not only is it a starting weapon that every player has access to, but it's also proving to be incredibly versatile – with a large range of attachments available, it's possible to tailor this weapon to fit a variety of ranges and playstyles. Below you'll find our pick for the best all-round version, but we have covered other builds in our guide to the best M4 loadout in Modern Warfare 2.

Recommended M4 attachments:

  • Optic: Cronen Mini Red Dot 
  • Muzzle: FTAC Castle Comp 
  • Barrel: Hightower 20" Barrel 
  • Stock: Corio Precio Factory 
  • Rear Grip: XTEN Grip

While you could take the Overkill perk and pair the M4 with an SMG or Marksman Rifle, one of the most popular plays right now is to have the P890 pistol in your secondary slot. Truth be told, pistols can be a bit of a grind to level to get access to the required attachments, but if you make good use of your Modern Warfare 2 Double XP tokens you'll get there in no time. Two shot enemies with the best P890 loadout in Modern Warfare 2

Recommended P890 attachments:

  • Muzzle: Forge DX90-F
  • Barrel: XRX Tacops Barrel
  • Magazine: 10-Round Mag
  • Trigger Action: Bruen Express
  • Rear Grip: FJX DVF60 Grip

Vaznev-9K and Expedite 12

Modern Warfare 2 loadouts

(Image credit: Activision)

Between the Lachmann Sub and the FSS Hurricane, there is some debate as to what the best SMG in Modern Warfare 2 is right now. But our money is on the Vaznev-9K. You'll need to whip through the vast majority of the Kastov Platform tree to gain access to the weapon, but this SMG has a wicked TTK and will down enemies in just a couple of shots if you can get to grips with the best Vaznev-9K loadout in Modern Warfare 2

Recommended Vaznev-9K attachments:

  • Muzzle: FTAC Castle Comp
  • Barrel: KAS-1 381MM
  • Laser: Schlanger PEQ Box IV
  • Stock: Otrezat Stock
  • Rear Grip: Demo-X2 Grip

While there is a reasonable shout to be made that the Vaznev-9K is best paired with the P890 pistol, you may want to give yourself a little more stopping power. By using the Overkill perk, which allows you to equip two primary weapons, you could pair the SMG up with the Expedite 12 shotgun. It's fast and reliable, and will be devastating on Modern Warfare 2 maps like Farm 18 and Breenbergh Hotel. 

Recommended Expedite 12 attachments:

  • Muzzle: Xten Modified Choke
  • Barrel: 18.5” Emperor Barrel
  • Laser: 1mw Quick Fire Laser
  • Stock: Schlager Resonance 
  • Bolt: Expedite L-Bolt

TAQ-56 and Lachmann Sub

Modern Warfare 2 loadouts

(Image credit: Activision)

The TAQ-56 is, for all intents and purposes, the ever-popular SCAR from Warzone, so you may want to get to grips with this weapon now should it have an equally prestigious place in the Warzone 2 gun meta. It's got a really clean iron sight, so you're better off investing in attachments that help balance out that horizontal recoil and increase the ADS speed. The best TAQ-56 loadout in Modern Warfare 2 will be dominant in the weeks ahead.

Recommended TAQ-56 attachments: 

  • Muzzle: Komodo Heavy
  • Barrel: 14.5" Tundra Pro Barrel
  • Underbarrel: FTAC Tiger Grip
  • Stock: TV Cardinal Stock
  • Rear Grip: Demo Cleanshot Grip

While you could (again) take the powerful P890 pistol out with the TAQ-56, it isn't the worst idea in the world to pair this assault rifle with the popular Lachmann Sub. This MP5 SMG is great in a pinch, although you'll need to be careful with managing ammunition between these two fast weapons if you're taking the Overkill perk out into the field instead of Scavenger. Still, this is the best Lachmann Sub Modern Warfare 2 loadout we've found so far. 

Recommended Lachmann Sub attachments:

  • Muzzle: FTAC M-SUB 12"
  • Barrel: XTEN RR-40
  • Underbarrel: FSS Sharkfin 90
  • Stock: LM Stockless Mod
  • Rear Grip: Lachmann TCG-10

SP-R 208 and FSS Hurricane

Modern Warfare 2 loadouts

(Image credit: Activision)

Here's the most popular Modern Warfare 2 Marksman Rifle, the SP-R 208 – a returning favorite that's giving the Sniper Rifle class weapons a run for their money. If you can get a handle on this thing it's absolutely dominant, and able to ruin people at short, medium, and long range encounters. Honestly, when you look at the state of the best SP-R 208 loadout in Modern Warfare 2, you have to wonder whether Infinity Ward will nerf it before long. 

Recommended SP-R 208 attachments:

  • Optic: SP-X 80 6.6X
  • Laser: Corio Laz-44 V3
  • Comb: Aim-Assist 406
  • Stock: ZRL T70 Pad Extension
  • Bolt: FSS ST87 Bolt

While it is possible to treat the SP-R 208 like a shotgun if you get jumped, thanks to that FSS ST87 Bolt attachment which increases the firing speed, you'll probably want to pair this Marksman Rifle with an SMG. The FSS Hurricane is a favorite because of its solid control and recoil. The best FSS Hurricane loadout in Modern Warfare 2 is simple, but it carried me through the first set of MW2 Mastery Camo challenges to get Gold.

Recommended FSS Hurricane attachments: 

  • Optic: Cronen Mini Red Dot
  • Laser: 1MW Laser Box
  • Barrel: FSS Cannonade 16"
  • Underbarrel: VX Pineapple
  • Rear Grip: XTEN Grip

SA-B 50 and Kastov-74U

Modern Warfare 2 loadouts

(Image credit: Activision)

While much of the Modern Warfare 2 community is going wild over the SP-R 208, I actually think the SA-B 50 Marksman Rifle is the better of the two. It unlocks once you've gotten the SP-R 208 to level 13, so feel free to try both. But for my money, the best SA-B 50 loadout in Modern Warfare 2 has devastating, one-shot stopping power which can absolutely slay across short and medium-range engagements. 

Recommended SA-B 50 attachments: 

  • Barrel: 12.5" Carbon Barrel
  • Laser: Corio LAZ-44 V3
  • Stock: XRK Specter Mod
  • Rear Grip: Schlager Match Grip
  • Bolt: FSS ST87 Bolt

Truth be told, the SA-B 50 probably pairs best with the P890, but if you don't want to level the pistol, then a fast-firing SMG like the PDSW 528 or a chunky Assault Rifle like the Kastov-74U is a good shout. We're going to list the attachments for the latter here, as we believe that the best Kastov-74U loadout in Modern Warfare 2 will give you a little more versatility and options on the Core maps. 

Recommended Kastov-74U attachments:

  • Muzzle: XTEN Havoc 90
  • Barrel: BR209 Barrel
  • Underbarrel: Agent Grip
  • Stock: Markeev R7 Stock
  • Rear Grip: True-Tac Grip
Josh West
UK Managing Editor, GamesRadar+

Josh West is the UK Managing Editor of GamesRadar+. He has over 10 years experience in online and print journalism, and holds a BA (Hons) in Journalism and Feature Writing. Prior to starting his current position, Josh has served as GR+'s Features Editor and Deputy Editor of games™ magazine, and has freelanced for numerous publications including 3D Artist, Edge magazine, iCreate, Metal Hammer, Play, Retro Gamer, and SFX. Additionally, he has appeared on the BBC and ITV to provide expert comment, written for Scholastic books, edited a book for Hachette, and worked as the Assistant Producer of the Future Games Show. In his spare time, Josh likes to play bass guitar and video games. Years ago, he was in a few movies and TV shows that you've definitely seen but will never be able to spot him in.