The best Black Ops 6 guns and loadouts to use

black ops 6 best guns weapons — (Image credit: Activision)

Jump To:

XM4
KSV
AK-47
AEK-973
Grekhova Pistol
Jackal PDW
Ames 85
SVD
C9

The best Black Ops 6 guns and loadouts will help you reach the top of the charts. Finding the best guns in this Call of Duty game isn’t easy, not only because we’re spoiled for choice, but also because the Black Ops 6 weapons are far more balanced than usual. That said, a few weapons perform just a bit better than others, whether it’s due to their power, range, or excellent accuracy.

Of course, obtaining the best Black Ops weapons doesn’t mean much without proper attachments, so this guide will show you the best guns complete with their full loadout.

Best Black Ops 6 XM4 Loadout

Kicking things off with what is very likely to be the first gun you’ll spend time with in Black Ops 6. The XM4 is extremely well-rounded, and versatile enough that we recommend experimenting with it in as many modes as you can. With a great balance between Mobility, Handling and Accuracy, the XM4 will do best at mid-range. Use the attachments below to really take the XM4 to the next level.

Best Black Op 6 KSV Loadout

Now onto another best loadout in Black Ops 6. In our opinion, the KSV is the best SMG currently in the game, with incredible Firepower relative to its rate of fire. This is very much a run and gun build that makes the most of all the new movement mechanics. The Morphine Launcher is particularly fun, allowing you to enter a last stand after being downed. While I have a more in-depth guide to the best Black Ops 6 KSV build here, here's a quick look at the attachments to use with the KSV.

Recommended KSV attachments:

Muzzle: Muzzle Break
Barrel: Long Barrel
Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
Magazine: Flip Mag
Rear Grip: Quickdraw Grip
Stock: Infiltrator
Laser: Strelok Laster
Fire Mods: Soviet Overpressured

For this build, we recommend bringing along the Grekhova Pistol. This one’s fully automatic, and is actually featured on this list as one of the best guns in the game, period. Here’s the attachments to use.

Recommended Grekhova attachments:

Muzzle: Compensator
Barrel: Long Barrel
Magazine: Extended Mag I
Rear Grip: Assault Grip
Stock: Weighted Stock

For the rest of the build, go for the Stim Shot, which will keep you moving, and ready to jump back into the action. Semtex is the Lethal Gear to bring along, and the Knife can be used as a last ditch effort. Perks are Gung-Ho, Assassin, and Double Time, unlocking the Enforcer Speciality. The key to this build is the Gunfighter Wildcard, which allows you to put eight attachments on the KSV.

Best Black Ops 6 AK-47 Loadout

The AK-74 is another assault rifle that’s well worth leveling up. It feels weighty, and extremely solid and stable. By adding the right attachments, you can increase its Damage Range and boost the Mobility. I have a much deeper dive in to the best Black Ops 6 AK-47 loadout here, but below is a quick break down of the attachments you need.

Recommended AK-74 attachments:

Optic: Prismatic Reflex
Muzzle: Compensator
Barrel: Long Barrel
Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
Magazine: Fast Mag II (Fast Mag I at lower levels)
Rear Grip: Quickdraw Grip
Stock: Light Stock
Laser: Steady Aim Laser

Once again, we recommend the Grekhova as the sidearm to use with this build. Set it up with the following attachments, which massively stabilize its recoil:

Muzzle: Compensator
Barrel: Long Barrel
Magazine: Extended Mag I
Rear Grip: Assault Grip
Stock: Weighted Stock

For this AK-74 build, bring along the Stim Shot, as well as the Semtex grenade. Pair this with the Spring Mone, which will bag you some extra kills every now and then. Once again, make sure to select all red Perks to gain the enforcer Speciality, and use the Gunfighter Wildcard to allow for eight attachments on the AK-74.

Best Black Op 6 AEK-973 Loadout

Now for a completely different playstyle involving the AEK-973 Marksman Rifle. For this build, you’ll be lining up headshots, and then moving from cover to cover. This is not a run and gun build, and is for players looking for a slower, more tactical build.

Recommended AEK-973 attachments:

Optic: Dobrych 4X
Muzzle: Muzzle Brake
Barrel: Long Barrel
Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
Magazine: Fast Mag I
Rear Grip: Quickdraw Grip
Stock: Heavy Stock
Fire Mods: Recoil Springs

This AEK-973 build needs a sidearm for close encounters, and you can’t go wrong with the Grekhova Pistol. Make sure to watch your back, placing Spring Mines to cover any sneaky enemies that might be trying to flank you.

Recommended Grekhova attachments:

Muzzle: Compensator
Barrel: Long Barrel
Magazine: Extended Mag I
Rear Grip: Assault Grip
Stock: Weighted Stock

In terms of Gear, bring along the Stim Shot, the Semtex, and then the Spring Mine. We’re going for the Enforcer Speciality, so we picked the Assassin, Gung-Ho, and Double Time Perks. Gunfighter is essential to boost attachment slots on the primary weapon. Remember to equip your Knife as your Melee slot as well, this can be used to quickly move around the map. Just hold down the melee button to switch to it.

Best Black Op 6 Grekhova Pistol loadout

The Grekhova is a key part of many of the best Black Ops 6 loadouts on this list. It’s one of the best guns to use in the game as a whole, and can even be used as your main weapon. Use the attachments below to massively elevate the weapon.

Muzzle: Compensator
Barrel: Long Barrel
Magazine: Extended Mag I
Rear Grip: Assault Grip
Stock: Weighted Stock

The Weighted Stock is the real game-changer here. It turns the Grekhova into a hip-fire focused weapon, but one with laser-focused accuracy. It’ll feel a little strange at first, but once you see just how small the spread is on the bullets fired, you’ll see exactly how good the Grekhova can be. Pair it with the Stim Shot, the Morphine Injector, and the right Perks to unlock the Enforcer Speciality.

Best Black Ops 6 Jackal PDW loadout

Black Ops 6 best Jackal PDW loadouts — (Image credit: Activision)

Black Ops 6 guides

Black Ops 6 beta rewards
Black Ops 6 Zombies

The beta quickly established the Jackal PDW submachine gun as one of the best guns to use. It's a fast weapon that pairs perfectly with the new Omnimovement mechanics, and overall faster speed of play this time. It's also versatile with a few different ways you can set up it up, ranging from quick run and gun builds, to more mid-range configurations. Below, you’ll find our pick for the best version to use at close range but for a deeper into makes this gun great in your loadout, visit our full breakdown of the best Jackal PDW build for Black Ops 6.

Recommended Jackal PDW attachments:

Muzzle: Compensator
Barrel: Long Barrel
Underbarrel: Ranger Foregrip
Rear Grip: Commando Grip
Stock: Balanced Stock

We recommend bringing along the GS45 pistol, which will help you out in a pinch. Pistols are pretty customizable depending on what you want from them and even at their base setup, they can save your life, allowing you to switch to your sidearm, which is faster than reloading.

Recommended GS45 attachments:

Optic: Accu-Spot Reflex
Muzzle: Compensator
Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
Magazine: Fast Mag II (Fast Mag I at lower levels)
Rear Grip: Quickdraw Grip
Fire Mods: Rapid Fire

In terms of the rest of this Jackal PDW loadout, pick the Stim Shot, Semtex, Assault Pack and Knife. Then for Perks, we’ve focused on the Enforcer set, with Assassin, Gung-Ho, Double Time and then Perk Greed allowing for Bankroll. This will give you a bunch of bonuses for each kill, and keep you moving from player to player.

Best Black Ops 6 Ames 85 loadout

Black Ops 6 best Ames 85 loadouts — (Image credit: Activision)

The Ames 85 is a great all-round assault rifle that quickly established itself as one of the best guns in BO6. It can be easily set up to dominate mid range, making this loadout more tactical - you’ll be getting yourself into position, picking your shots at midrange, aiming for the upper torso and head.

Below, you’ll find our picks for the best Ames 85 attachments, and the Perks and Gear to pair the gun with:

Optic: Pinpoint Holoscout
Muzzle: Compensator
Barrel: Long Barrel
Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
Rear Grip: Quickdraw Grip

Again, the best sidearm to use in this loadout is the GS45 Pistol. You’ll mostly be able to use the Ames 85 in most situations, even hip firing it if an enemy gets close. However it doesn’t have the largest magazine so having the GS45 to hand to switch to in an emergency will be helpful. Here’s how to set it up.

Recommended GS45 attachments:

Muzzle: Ported Compensator
Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
Magazine: Fast Mag II (Fast Mag I at lower levels)
Rear Grip: Quickdraw Grip
Fire Mods: Rapid Fire

For the rest of the Ames 85 build, go for the Flashbang, Semtex, and the Assault Pack. You’ll want to bring a knife so that you can swap to it and increase your movement speed, and be sure to pick the Assassin, Dexterity, and Bankroll Perks, with Perk Greed allowing for an additional Perk to be chosen. We went with Ghost.

Best Black Ops 6 SVD loadout

Black Ops 6 best SVD loadouts — (Image credit: Activision)

The best sniper build in Black Ops 6 currently uses the SVD, which is light and can be used in mid-ranged battles. You’ll be running around, finding sightlines and quickly aiming down sights to take down enemies. This gun will one-shot to the upper torso or head, and you can hold your breath for steady aiming.

Here’s the best SVD loadout and recommended SVD attachments Black Ops 6:

Muzzle: Muzzle Break
Barrel: Long Barrel
Magazine: Fast Mag II (Fast Mag I at lower levels)
Comb: Quickdraw Riser
Stock: Heavy Stock

You’ll need to be moving from spot to spot regularly with this build and, while moving, having a secondary weapon like the Marine SP can really help. It’s an absolute beast at close range, and can really help out when an enemy gets too close for you to use your sniper.

Here’s what attachments to use with the Marine SP:

Muzzle: Full Choke
Barrel: Combat Barrel
Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
Stock: Quickdraw Stock
Fire Mods: 12 Gauge Slug

For our BO 6 sniper build, we chose the Concussion Grenades to slow enemies down, Thermo Grenades for Lethal Gear, and the Acoustic Amp to amplify the sound of enemy footsteps. Then, we have the Ghost, Tracker, and Vigilance, which will unlock the Recon Speciality. Overkill is also selected to allow for the shotgun as a secondary.

Best Black Ops 6 C9 loadout

Black Ops 6 best C9 loadouts — (Image credit: Activision)

Finally, another Black ops 6 SMG build to consider. This time the C9 which is more of a mid to close-ranged loadout, where you’ll pick targets carefully while Tactical Sprinting around. This gun offers great stability, making it a good pick for newer players.

Below, you’ll find our best C9 loadout and attachments in Black Ops 6:

Optic: Remuda Mini Reflex
Barrel: Gain-Twist Barrel
Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
Rear Grip: Quickdraw Grip
Stock: Infiltrator Stock

The C9 SMG is very capable on its own, but you if run out of ammo when you need it just switch to the GS45 pistol, which is surprisingly effective in a close-ranged gunfight. Here’s how to set up your pistol, as well as some info on the Perks and Gear we recommend for this build.

Recommended GS45 attachments:

Muzzle: Ported Compensator
Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
Magazine: Fast Mag II (Fast Mag I at lower levels)
Rear Grip: Quickdraw Grip
Fire Mods: Rapid Fire

In terms of Gear, bring along the Stim Shot, the Semtex, and then the Assault Pack. We’re going for the Enforcer Speciality, so we picked the Assassin, Gung-Ho, and Double Time Perks. Perk Greed also allows for Bankroll, which will give you a boost to your scorestreaks, making you reach them faster. Remember to equip your Knife as your Melee slot as well, this can be used to quickly move around the map. Just hold down the melee button to switch to it.