Modern Warfare 4 is even faster than ever, with a best weapons meta dominated by mobile submachine guns and versatile assault rifles that keep up with the movement. Nearly all the guns on offer are viable generally, but there are some clear standouts that you'll see again and again, showing up in the top players' hands.
Some things received serious changes after the MW4 beta weekend, and the tier list will clearly evolve with more updates. Even something like aim assist adjustments - something Infinity Ward actively tinkered with during the beta - can seriously alter the MW4 meta. As it stands, these are the best weapons to use in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4. All of which can also get a serious visual upgrade from the various Modern Warfare 4 mastery camos you can unlock.
Best Modern Warfare 4 Weapons
There's an extensive collection of Modern Warfare 4 guns to choose from, and the arsenal will only get larger as seasonal updates deliver new weapons over time. The meta is ever-shifting in COD, and even the MW4 beta saw some serious changes to certain weapons and mechanics.
These are currently the strongest weapons in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, even after the adjustments from the initial beta weekend:
- ISO Nightshade
- M4
- Kastov 762
- KG-7 Vulcan
- PPSH-41
If it looks familiar in places it's because Infinity Ward aren't going to throw out the classics. The strongest options change and adapt as the games progress and while new things do shake things up from time to time, the meta tends to be more evolution than revolution.
ISO Nightshade SMG
The ISO Nightshade is Modern Warfare 4's most dominant weapon, even after several nerfs. Infinity Ward has reduced this SMG's headshot multiplier and long-range performance, but nothing can stop its lightning-fast time to kill.
Even after changes this is still on the upper end of MW4's TTK spectrum, boasting one of the quickest kill times in the entire game. It absolutely shreds anything at close range, and it's surprisingly easy to control when targeting enemies from a distance as well.
MW4's movement is too fast for anything other than a highly-mobile SMG like the ISO Nightshade to sit on the meta throne. Plus, the removal of weapon bloom makes this SMG even easier to control at close range since bullet spread is much more manageable in Modern Warfare 4.
M4 Assault Rifle
This is always the bread and butter of the assault rifle category and the M4 remains dominant in Modern Warfare 4. It's one of the most versatile weapons in the world, and that translates perfectly to MW4.
You can build the M4 as a long range laser beam or a short range shredder, and hybrid loadouts work really well with the M4 as well. It's the cornerstone of MW4's armory - unlocked for all players by default - so you can't really go wrong with any M4 class setup.
The M4 does falter a bit as a jack-of-all-trades. Even a fully-optimized short range build will get outmatched by SMGs like the ISO Nightshade, and there are better assault rifles for long distance encounters on bigger maps.
Kastov 762 Assault Rifle
Another Modern Warfare staple, the Kastov 762, returns for its third appearance after debuting in the rebooted Modern Warfare 2. It's a generic version of the iconic AK-47, and handles exactly as you'd expect - a true workhorse with serious stopping power.
That extra damage comes at the cost of accuracy, however. But with MW4's extensive gunsmith customization, you can reduce the recoil to the point where it's hardly a problem. This makes the Kastov 762 a very capable all-around weapon.
Just like the AK's appearances in previous CODs, the Kastov 762 has a very reliable set of iron sights that work just as well as any red dot or reflex sight. You can save a gunsmith slot for a different attachment, letting you further fine tune the weapon to your preferences.
KG-7 Vulcan Sniper Rifle
Sniping is a hot topic every year with Call of Duty, and sniper rifles don't seem as oppressive in Modern Warfare 4 as they have been in more recent entries. The current list of snipers is quite limited, but one of them easily wears the crown as the best: the KG-7 Vulcan.
This weapon is a classic bolt-action rifle, but unlike MW4's other snipers like the Signal 50, it works well in close quarters engagements. The KG-7 Vulcan has a shockingly fast rechambering speed that lets you fire off shots in rapid succession, perfect for quickscoping. It also only needs one shot to the chest to bring someone down.
The KG-7 becomes less appealing in large-scale modes like Ground War and Warzone, where long-range snipers like the Signal 50 become much more viable. Still, the KG-7 will surely remain a staple in most MW4 sniping loadouts because of its ammo capacity and fire rate.
PPSh-41 SMG
Another rapid-fire SMG, the PPSh-41 is an iconic World War 2 weapon that is shockingly effective against MW4's modern arsenal. It takes the best parts of the ISO Nightshade and doubles down on them, hindering its performance in some areas but making it truly unstoppable in others.
The PPSh's best quality is immediately apparent as soon as you load into a match. This thing has a ridiculously fast fire rate. It'll shred anything you put in front of it, and even after a few nerfs, the PPSh-41 is still the fastest-firing SMG in the game. With its huge base magazine, you can prefire around corners and spray through smoke without a care in the world.
The PPSh struggles a lot outside of close range encounters, however. You really need a good set of attachments to keep this bullet hose under control. If you're playing on one of MW4's smaller maps like Transit 213 though, you can easily rack up dozens of kills.
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