Call of Duty: Warzone‘s Season 4 update heavily nerfed some of the guns that dominated Season 3 and introduced a surprising number of viable new options, which means that the battle royale’s meta has once again been thrown into chaos as players scramble to find the best weapons and loadouts.
Having said that, it’s already clear which guns are the absolute best (at least in the early stages of the Season 4 update). Yes, it wouldn’t be a Warzone meta without at least a couple of guns that are clearly better than the rest, and sure enough, Season 4 brings us two new weapons that appear to be a little overpowered at the moment.
So, from those two legitimately broken guns to a handful of reliable standbys that you’ll want to turn to when those options are inevitably nerfed, these are the best weapons for the wild Warzone Season 4 meta:
Call of Duty Warzone Season 4: Best Guns
MG 82
It’s honestly hard to recommend any other gun ahead of the MG 82 in Warzone at the moment as this LMG appears to be legitimately broken.
This gun’s high rate of fire is supposed to be compensated by its lower overall damage, but it turns out that this gun fires so fast that its reduced bullet damage tends not to matter all that much. This gun has about a 99% chance to get nerfed in the near future, so use it while you can.
PKM
If you have to go with another LMG (or just want a backup ready to go for when the MG 82 is nerfed), then you could certainly do worse than the PKM.
This gun gives you all the things that you’d expect from a Warzone LMG (large magazines and high rates of fire), but what’s great (and a little surprising) about this one is how the right stability attachments can reduce the impact of its unwieldy nature. The result is a truly great gun capable of quick kills.
XM4
This assault rifle has always been viable, but it has quickly impressed some Season 4 players who are already calling it one of the best mid-range options in the game.
While this gun definitely works best when paired with a sniper rifle (which helps compensate for its long-range weakness), its amazing stability overrides its damage deficiencies and makes it one of the “easiest” guns to effectively utilize in all of Warzone. That doesn’t mean it’s the kind of gun that will do your job for you, but it may still be the best overall option in its class at this moment.
C58
Here we have another new Season 4 Warzone weapon that already seems ready to dominate the battle royale’s meta.
This is just a straight-up great gun that can laser opponents even if you don’t crazy with attachments. However, it’s when you optimize this gun with the right accessories that you really start to appreciate how it’s capable of dominating pretty much any game of Warzone. This is another gun that will almost certainly be nerfed in the future.
DMR-14
Looking for a great Warzone weapon that isn’t really getting a lot of love at the moment? What you want is the DMR-14.
This tactical rifle briefly dominated the Warzone meta when it was introduced, but a series of nerfs put a quick end to its time at the top. However, the DMR recently enjoyed a seemingly minor buff that helps make this gun a very appealing long-range option for those who don’t want to fully commit to that sniper rifle lifestyle.
MAC-10
It’s actually kind of amazing that the MAC-10 has remained this powerful for this long without suffering significant nerfs, but the fact is that this SMG is still the king of its class.
This is just one of the best TTK options in Warzone. It challenges shotguns as a close-range option, and with the right attachments, it even does quite well at medium ranges. You won’t be able to rely on this gun in every scenario, but if you pick your battles carefully, it will take you far.
HDR
It’s still pretty easy to name the HDR the best sniper rifle in Warzone, even if the AX-50 is obviously gaining some ground in that department.
The thing that separates the HDR from its suddenly closest competitor is its bullet speed. It’s impressive enough that this sniper can down even the toughest opponents in just a single (well-placed) shot, but it’s the HDR’s speed and accuracy that makes it truly frightening.
Groza
Yes, we have yet another assault rifle on this list. That’s just the Warzone experience at the moment (with a couple of notable exceptions).
Anyway, a recent buff to the Groza means that it now competes with the FFAR as one of the best TTK assault rifle options in Warzone. This thing absolutely shreds enemies at close range, and it’s honestly much better at longer ranges than it ever used to be.
Gallo SA12
Shotguns really aren’t the best overall option in Warzone at the moment, but if you’re going to pick a shotgun, you pretty much have to go with the Gallo SA12.
This gun has finally usurped the Streetsweeper as the best shotgun in Warzone. Its absurd rate of fire means that it can down a nearby enemy in seconds, which really helps cover up for the fact that this gun is not viable at anything but point-blank range.
Kar98k
Even though the Kar98K has remained one of the most viable Warzone guns for a few seasons now, this is actually one of the more weirdly “balanced” weapons in the game.
The thing about this gun is that you need to be very accurate with your shots to really make it work. Furthermore, this is a “sniper” is really only viable at medium distances. If you can learn to consistently score headshots with this gun at the proper range, though, then you’ll find it’s one of the most reliable and effective weapons in Warzone.
Call of Duty Warzone Season 4: Best Loadouts and Attachments
Because even the best guns in Warzone often need the proper attachments to get the job done, here’s a brief look at the best loadouts for the battle royale’s greatest weapons:
MG 82
Muzzle: Agency Suppressor
Barrel: 16.4” Task Force
Optic: Axial Arms 3x
Ammunition: 125 Rnd Speed Mag
Rear Grip: Serpent Wrap
PKM
Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor
Barrel: 26.9″ Extended Barrel
Laser: Tac Laser
Optic: VLK 3.0x Optic
Underbarrel: Snatch Grip
XM4
Muzzle: Agency Suppressor
Barrel: 13.5” Task Force
Underbarrel: Field Agent Grip
Ammo: Salvo 60 Rnd Fast Mag (or STANAG 60 Rnd)
Stock: Raider Pad
C58
Optic: Visiontech 2x
Barrel: 18.7″ Ranger
Underbarrel: Foregrip
Stock: Duster Stock
Ammo: Salvo 55 Rnd Fast Mag
DMR-14
Muzzle: Agency Silencer
Barrel: 17” Rapid Fire.
Underbarrel: Field Agent Foregrip
Optics: Axial Arms 3x
Ammunition: Salvo 30 Round Fast Mag
MAC-10
Muzzle: Sound Suppressor
Barrel: 5.9” Task Force
Magazine: STANAG 53 Rnd Drum Mag
Handle: Speed Tape
Stock: Raider
HDR
Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor
Barrel: 26.9″ HDR Pro
Laser: Tac Laser
Optic: Variable Zoom Scope
Stock: FTAC Stalker-Scout
Groza
Muzzle: GRU Suppressor
Barrel: 16.5″ CMV Mil-Spec
Laser: Tiger Team Spotlight
Underbarrel: Spetsnaz Speedgrip
Ammunition: Spetsnaz 60 Rnd Drum
Gallo SA12
Muzzle: Agency Choke
Barrel: 21.4″ Reinforced Heavy
Laser: SWAT 5mw Laser Sight
Ammunition: STANAG 12 Rnd Tube
Stock: Marathon Stock
Kar98k
Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor
Barrel: Singuard Custom 27.6″ Barrel
Optic: Sniper Scope (Crossthread Reticle)
Stock: FTAC Sport Comb
Perk: Focus