There are several things that make Call of Duty Warzone a great game. Near the top of that list is the wide variety of weapons available to the player. Every weapon in Call of Duty Warzone has a stat value in six categories that set it apart from the others; these characteristics are accuracy, damage, range, fire rate, mobility, and control.

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Weapons can also be given attachments that alter these stats. With such variety, every player will eventually discover a weapon that suits their taste and play style perfectly, but in the meantime, here are seventeen weapons that beginning players should try out.

Updated October 7th, 2022 by Daniel Furn: Call of Duty has had several updates over its lifetime with both Black Ops: Cold War and Vanguard integration, but support is now winding down as attention moves to Warzone 2.0. With several new guns added and the meta now unlikely to change much, here is an updated list of the best weapons suitable for most newcomers to Warzone or Battle Royales in general.

17/17 FAL Assault Rifle - Unlock Level: 1

The FAL is an excellent choice for beginning players and is available from the start. This is a semi-auto assault rifle. Don’t let the FAL being semi-auto keep you from giving it a try — the fire rate is still exceptionally fast. This weapon has great control and mobility, and its damage output is comparable to the other top-tier assault rifles.

Most importantly, it is deadly accurate, which will help beginners compete against more seasoned opponents while also allowing them to maintain a safe distance from the enemy. For a loadout that has proved popular among the community that is still easy to use, try a Monolithic Suppressor, Commando Foregrip, and 30 Round Mags.

16/17 PKM Light Machine Gun – Unlock Level: 1

The PKM can be used by a player from the very beginning and is a weapon that remains relevant even at higher levels. It has very good damage, range, and accuracy, and as a light machine gun, it also has a respectable fire rate. The only drawbacks to using the PKM are its mid-range mobility and control – the muzzle tends to jump around a little after prolonged bursts. This can become a great sniping autofire weapon with a good scope (the Internal Hybrid works well), the 26.9 extended (or 26.9 heavy) barrel attachment, and muzzle break attachment.

15/17 Kilo 141 Assault Rifle – Unlock Level: 1

Like the PKM, the Kilo 141 is a weapon available to beginners that many will still be using after dozens of hours of play. The Kilo 141 has exceptional fire rate, damage, and control for a beginning weapon. The weapon’s control is especially user-friendly. The mobility of the Kilo could be better, but with the proper attachment, this can be improved. Good attachments for the Kilo 141 are extended magazines, the “no stock” attachment (for better mobility), the 1mW Laser Sight, and the M203 40mm Concussive Grenade Launcher.

14/17 SP-R 208 Marksman Rifle - Unlock Level: Special

The SP-R 208 was introduced after this article was originally published. It has since become a favorite among players who choose to keep their distance from the enemy. This rifle excels in the three important areas for a gun of this type — accuracy, damage, and range. Its mobility and control are about average. One reason for a beginner to choose this weapon is the large array of attachments available - making this rifle a great weapon for beginners to experiment with attachments. The SP-R 208 is unlocked after getting two Longshot Headshot kills in five different missions.

13/17 M4A1 – Unlock Level: 1

The M4A1 is a standard assault rifle that everybody probably used when they were low-level. It is comparable to the Kilo 141 – with marginally better levels of accuracy, fire rate, and mobility but also marginally worse damage, range, and control. The M4A1 is probably a better fit than the Kilo 141 for players that aren’t as concerned with muzzle drift and range.

A great attachment for the M4A1 is the Commando Grip; this reduces mobility a little but helps with muzzle drift. The Stock M16 Grenadier attachment increases damage, range, and control; with this attachment, the M4A1 is superior to the Kilo. This is probably the best gun for beginners in Warzone, or for experienced players, for that matter.

12/17 R9-0 Dual Shotgun - Unlock Level: 1

For close encounters, the beginner should look no further than the R9-0 Dual Shotgun. This double-barreled beast has a large shot pattern – making it perfect for clearing a hallway or room quickly. The R9-0 delivers devastating amounts of damage and has above-average mobility and control.

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The trade-off with the R9-0 is the same as that of nearly all shotguns: greatly reduced range, fire rate, and increased reload time. The Choke attachment will narrow the spread of the shot and concentrate the damage in a smaller area. The Tac Laser increases the overall stability of the R9-0.

11/17 AS VAL Assault Rifle - Unlock Level: Special

This is another weapon, like the SPR 208, introduced later on - in Modern Warfare Season 6. This assault rifle is already optimized for stealth builds, with subsonic ammunition and a built-in suppressor. One of the most-used guns in Warzone is the M4A1 assault rifle, and the AS VAL’s stats are about even with the M4A1.

It has a higher rate of fire and does more damage than the M4A1, but it has a slightly shorter range and is a little less accurate. To unlock the AS VAL, you need to get two headshots with an assault rifle in five different missions.

10/17 HDR Anti-Material Sniper Rifle – Unlock Level 11

Not every player of Warzone enjoys being highly mobile and spraying bullets liberally. Instead, some players prefer finding a good vantage point and attempting a “one shot, one kill” approach. The HDR Sniper Rifle is an excellent choice for this tactic; it does a tremendous amount of damage and has an equally impressive range.

The damage of the HDR is often enough to kill an enemy soldier with one shot. As with most sniper rifles, the HDR has very low mobility and fire rate. This weapon also does significant damage to vehicles as well. The Merc Thermal Optic attachment makes targeting easier.

9/17 MP5 SMG – Unlock Level 12

Submachine guns are great weapons for assaults on enemy-held territory. They allow a level of mobility and control that far exceeds those of assault rifles while also providing a high fire rate and accuracy. The only real sacrifice made when using an MP5 is damage.

The lower damage output is somewhat countered by its stability when firing – which helps make every shot count. The 10mm Auto 30 Round Magazines are one of the best attachments for the MP5; it increases range and damage with only a negligible drop in fire rate.

8/17 CR-56 AMAX Assault Rifle - Unlock Level: Special

The CR-56 AMAX is a very versatile assault rifle in Call of Duty: Warzone. Once again we will use the M4A1 to measure the effectiveness. The CR-56 has better mobility and does more damage than the M4A1. The other stats (accuracy, fire rate, range, and control) are below those of the M4A1 - though only slightly.

This weapon has become a favorite among players because of its large selection of attachments. This gun can become whatever you want it to be; it can be turned into a decent marksman rifle (if that’s your thing). This can be unlocked by getting three Gunbutt kills in ten different missions while using an assault rifle.

7/17 MK2 Carbine – Unlock Level: 15

The MK2 Carbine is a great choice for players that enjoy taking shots of opportunity at unsuspecting targets. This weapon has a good mix of accuracy, damage, and range; without sacrificing much in the way of fire rate, control, and mobility.

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Since it’s a lever-action rifle, the MK2 Carbine takes longer to reload versus magazine-fed weapons, which can relegate it to backup status for many players. The Thermal Hybrid optical attachment works well with the MK2 Carbine – allowing for faster targeting and switching to “red dot” targeting if the enemy has the Cold Blooded perk.

6/17 FR 55.6 Assault Rifle – Unlock Level 16

The FR 55.6 is a powerful assault rifle that fires in three-shot bursts. Due to it being solely a burst-firing rifle, it is best used as a single-shot rifle – not as a machine gun. This is one of the most damaging assault rifles in Call of Duty Warzone, and its accuracy, range, and fire rate are all also among the upper range for assault rifles. The only type of player that would probably not like the FR 55.6 would prefer a weapon with superior mobility. The fast fire rate makes the 50 Round Magazines attachment a necessity.

5/17 Cooper Carbine - Unlock Level: Special

The Cooper Carbine is an interesting one – while it has a hugely high rate of fire, it has barely any recoil there is easily controllable yet deadly powerful for beginners. Pair it with an M1941 Hand Stop to make recoil almost non-existent, as well as 9mm 60 Round drums to increase a whole load of stats such as ADS speed and magazine ammo capacity while increasing that rate of fire even more.

The Cooper Carbine is a perfect starting weapon – once you feel confident with it, you can add a trickier weapon, such as a sniper, as your secondary. The Cooper Carbine was first introduced during Call of Duty: Vanguard integration and can be unlocked by getting five assault rifle headshots in 15 different completed matches.

4/17 Kali Sticks (Melee Weapon) - Unlock Level: Special

The Kali Sticks are the only melee weapons to make this list, and seeing as the rest of the list is mainly assault rifles, you know these sticks must be deadly. This weapon forces you to get up close and personal with your enemy, but they also give you the mobility to pull something like that off.

The Kali Sticks are dual-wielded, and the result of this is that they strike incredibly fast. The damage these sticks deliver is no joke - they can take down an opponent with only a few swings. The Kali Sticks are unlocked when you perform three sliding knife kills in fifteen different missions.

3/17 STG 44 Assault Rifle – Unlock Level: 1

A Vanguard weapon that was introduced to Warzone early, the STG 44 is a great all-rounder. It, therefore, is extremely versatile and a great choice for beginners – though it is still a popular choice among veterans.

While mostly user-friendly, the base version of the STG 44 does come with some major recoil, but this can be easily fixed with some early attachments - the VDD 760mm 05B, VDD 34S Weighted, 8mm Kurz 60 Round Drum Mag are all recommended.

The STG 44 can be devastating up close, but attachments can also make it just as deadly at long-range – you might want to consider an SMG as your secondary for close-quarters encounters.

2/17 RAM-7 Assault Rifle – Unlock Level: Special

The RAM-7 is another very powerful automatic assault rifle with an unusual means of unlocking. A player needs to score two headshots in twenty-five missions for this weapon to become available. This is achievable fairly early if you focus on improving their aim and uses a weapon with good accuracy and stability. It is well above average in all categories except range. The 45 Round Magazine attachment is extremely useful with the RAM-7 because of its high rate of fire.

1/17 Oden Assault Rifle – Unlock Level 28

The Oden has just about everything a player wanting to use an assault rifle is looking for. It has great accuracy, range, and damage. The Oden’s fire rate is slower than other assault rifles, but this helps control muzzle drift and reacquire a target after the effects of recoil. Its rate of fire isn’t so slow that it allows an opportunity for return fire from a target struck by the first round. The Oden has a unique attachment called the Colossus Suppressor, which keeps the player from appearing on the enemies’ mini-maps and increases the weapon’s control rating.

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