Trying to find the best assault rifle in Warzone? The assault rifle is the weapon type with the most variation between each gun. You’ve got fast-firing, highly mobile assault rifles like the Volk, to hard-hitting battle rifles like the NZ-41. To make things even more complicated, the gunsmith gives players the ability to equip up to ten weapon attachments, introducing hundreds of ways to build the best Warzone loadouts.
When you throw the weapons from Black Ops Cold War and Modern Warfare into the mix, it can be difficult to choose the best assault rifle in Warzone given the sheer amount of options. We’ve already broken down the best SMG in Warzone and the best sniper in Warzone, so it’s time to run through arguably the most widely used weapon type in Call of Duty’s battle royale.
The best assault rifle in Call of Duty Warzone
Here are the best Call of Duty Warzone assault rifles:
- EM2
- Vargo 52
- XM4
- AS44
- QBZ-83
- STG44
- C58
- Grau 5.56
- Volk
- Vargo S
- NZ-41
- Kilo 141
- CR-56 AMAX
- Automaton
- Nikita AVT
- AK-47 (Cold War)
- M4A1
- FARA 83
- Cooper Carbine
- EX1
- KG M40
- C58
- FFAR 1
- BAR
- Grav
- Itra Burst
EM2
Don’t let the stock version of the EM2 fool you into thinking this gun isn’t worth your time. When set up with the correct attachments, the EM2’s poor aim down sight speed can be drastically improved, making the gun instantly viable. To top it off, the Warzone Season 5 Reloaded update drastically improved the EM2’s damage output, increasing the headshot multiplayer from 1.3 to 1.5 and the minimum damage from 35 to 36. Try out the best EM2 loadout to understand what makes this weapon so special.
Vargo 52
The Vargo 52 was one of the last Black Ops Cold War weapons to come to Warzone, but the devs made sure to make this a memorable one. This assault rifle is dead simple to control, making it an obvious pick if you’re looking for a weapon to land headshots with. If you’re searching for a low-recoil weapon, the Vargo 52 is an excellent pick.
XM4
After the XM4 received some much-needed buffs, it has become one of the most versatile weapons in the entire game. The XM4 is an excellent option for players looking for a powerful weapon at all ranges. Give our best XM4 loadout guide a read to see how you can build this incredible assault rifle.
AS44
The AS44 looked set to dominate going into Warzone thanks to its lightning-fast rate of fire, but the stock AS44 was simply too difficult to control. Fortunately, the changes made to the weapon in Warzone Season 3 decreased the weapon’s initial recoil and improved its maximum damage range to make it a threat once again. Though this assault rifle hasn’t received any additional buffs since Season 3, it’s become a popular option in the Season 5 Reloaded meta as players look to explore older weapons.
QBZ-83
The QBZ rivals the classic Krig 6 back in Verdansk in terms of its accuracy and lack of recoil, making it an obvious choice for players who want the closest thing to a laser beam in Warzone. This accuracy comes at the cost of power, especially at long range which seems to be a problem area for a lot of popular assault rifles at the moment. Season 5 Reloaded addresses the QBZ’s biggest weakness, improving its damage to the headshot damage and neck damage multipliers. Our best QBZ loadout focuses on medium-range combat to utilise the weapon’s incredible accuracy.
STG44
As the default assault rifle in Vanguard and Warzone, the STG44 has been built from the ground up as a well-balanced weapon. The stock version of the STG44 is fine, but it can be massively improved with only a few attachments. Our best STG44 loadout combines power and precision with ease of use, giving you a primary weapon that performs well in the hands of a newbie or a seasoned professional. The STG44 was hit with a nerf in Season 4, but don’t let the community’s initial negative reaction fool you. This assault rifle is still more than capable of taking down enemies, it simply isn’t laser-accurate anymore.
C58
The C58 has well-balanced stats in almost every category, making it an easy weapon to pick up for the first time. Using our best C58 loadout, the only thing you need to watch out for is its slow fire rate compared to other assault rifles. This makes it slightly harder to pick off enemies at close range, but that’s not an issue as the C58 wasn’t built for close-range combat.
GRAU 5.56
The Grau is phenomenally easy to use with almost no recoil, high bullet velocity, and low damage dropoff over long distances. Roll those qualities together with the best Grau loadout for Warzone and you’ve got an AR that can hold its own in all situations and you can use without having Shroud-like aim. Season 5 bestowed significant damage buffs onto the Grau by increasing its max damage from 28 to 29, improving the neck damage multiplier from 1.01 to 1.15, and increasing its damage range from 1,200 (31.50m) to 1,240 (30.48m).
VOLK
The Volk received a range of buffs in the Season 4 Reloaded update, improving the mobility and damage stats on the base weapon. On top of this, the Gorenko magazines were upgraded, improving the capacity and rate of fire. As a result, the Volk is a monster up close as it can tear through enemies with its lightning-fast time-to-kill speed. If you weren’t already using the best Volk loadout, you may want to reconsider your options.
VARGO S
One of Warzone’s newest assault rifles, the Vargo S has been designed for long-range combat as it trades firepower for accuracy. Using the best Vargo S loadout, you can fire from great distances without having to worry about recoil. As long as you utilise the Vargo S’ accuracy stats to land headshots, you should have no problem ripping through rival squads. In a surprising turn of events, the Vargo S was buffed in the Warzone Season 5 update, improving the damage output on the stock version of the weapon. If you weren’t already using the Vargo S, these balance changes should convince you to give it a try.
NZ-41
The stock NZ-41 is the strongest assault rifle in the game, but this comes at a cost: poor mobility and recoil control. Fortunately, you can make a number of key adjustments in the gunsmith to address these issues while bolstering the weapon’s strength. With the best NZ-41 loadout, you can down enemies with just four bullets, and if you can land headshots it only takes two shots to drop someone. Season 4 Reloaded has attempted to nerf this powerhouse, but it appears the AR is still perfectly viable.
Kilo 141
The Kilo 141 was a staple of Warzone back in the Verdansk days, but this weapon has been nerfed several times over to take it out of the meta entirely. It looks like those dark days are finally over, as the Kilo 141 received an important buff in the Season 4 Reloaded update. The assault rifle’s minimum damage has increased from 18 to 23, bringing it back up to speed with the strongest ARs in Warzone. The best Warzone Pacific Kilo 141 loadout could easily make a splash yet again, we recommend keeping it as one of your loadout drops.
CR-56 AMAX
If we had a penny for every time the CR-56 AMAX has gone through an intense round of balance changes, we’d have a decent amount of coins in our pocket. The AMAX has been blessed with a boost in Season 4 Reloaded, taking its minimum damage from 24 all the way up to 28. This also comes with a headshot multiplier upgrade which has gone from 1.56 to 1.6. We wouldn’t be surprised to see the AMAX return to the battlefield after these impressive buffs. Try our CR-56 AMAX Warzone setup for high damage, decent ranged performance, and recoil that won’t send half your shots skyward.
Automaton
The Automaton may have been nerfed shortly after the launch of Warzone, but that hasn’t managed to keep this great assault rifle down. What makes the best Automaton loadout so lethal is its lack of recoil, even when firing from a distance. This weapon is a sharpshooter’s best friend as it barely produces any recoil, though you do need to use the best Automaton loadout.
NIKITA AVT
Introduced back in Season 3, the best Warzone Nikita AVT loadout excels when you pick the right attachments to turn it highly mobile weapon. Despite featuring one of the fastest firing rates in the AR category, the Nikita was largely ignored at launch. The Season 4 Reloaded update addressed the weapon’s shortcomings by improving its mobility stats. Give this weapon a try if you’re looking for an assault rifle with the stats of an SMG.
AK-47 (Cold War)
The Cold War version of the AK-47 has it all: power, control, and mobility. The changes made in Season 4 adjusted the weapon’s sustained recoil slightly, but this nerf is barely noticeable when using the right attachments. If you want to get the most out of this weapon, check out our best Warzone AK47 loadout to see the gun’s true potential.
M4A1
This Warzone assault rifle is a beast in multiplayer and that’s still true in Warzone. Almost no recoil can be reduced to zero recoil with a couple of attachments, the iron sights are so good you don’t need an optic, you can pop a 60-round mag on it, and top it all off with a monolithic suppressor to keep you off the radar. High rate of fire, solid damage profile, and the easiest to control recoil. Ever. Check out our M4A1 loadout for Warzone to get the best out of this AR.
FARA 83
The FARA 83 has been in a great spot since Warzone launched, combining ease of use with impressive damage output. Think along the same lines as the STG44, but with better damage at long range. If you’re looking for a great assault rifle to pick off enemies from mid to long range, check out our best FARA 83 loadout.
COOPER CARBINE
Our best Cooper Carbine loadout was hit with a second consecutive nerf in Season 4 Reloaded, this time targeting the recoil control. We’ve had to make some adjustments to the attachments to bring it back to speed, but our magazine capacity has fallen as a result. This assault rifle is particularly devastating when firing at multiple enemies thanks to its incredible control stats, making it easy to snap to your next target.
EX1
Warzone’s first energy rifle landed in Season 5 – the EX1 is a highly customisable assault rifle that can be modified using a range of attachments to turn into a sniper rifle, tactical rifle, or semi-automatic assault rifle. The best version of the EX1 appears to be the sniper rifle variant, unfortunately, the assault rifle has too much recoil which cannot be ironed out with the correct build. Check out our best EX1 loadout to get the most out of this energy blaster.
KG M40
Introduced in Warzone Season 2, this Vanguard assault rifle is one of the strongest weapons in the AR category. The only thing holding the KG M40 back is its terrible damage range, fortunately, this was addressed in the Season 4 update. The nerfs introduced in Season 5 dropped the weapon’s minimum damage from 25 to 23, and added recoil to some of its best attachments. We’ve tried to minimise the impact of these nerfs with our best KG M40 loadout, but you might be better off switching to a different gun.
FFAR 1
The FFAR 1 is an excellent option as a sniper support weapon due to its mobility stats which make it deadly at close range. Use our best FFAR 1 loadout to delete enemies up close, just like some of the best SMGs. This weapon can handle enemies at medium range, but it’s worth equipping the best Kar98k loadout to deal with any opponents at a distance.
BAR
The latest balance update wasn’t kind to the BAR as it received a big nerf to its recoil control stats across the board. The BAR undoubtedly has the worst fire rate on this list, however, each bullet hits enemies like a truck. Load this weapon up with the attachments to reduce its heavy recoil and you can build yourself an assault rifle capable of picking off enemies with ease.
Grav
The Grav was introduced to Warzone Season 6, right before players had a chance to say goodbye to Verdansk for the last time. It’s fair to say the Grav is underused due to its lack of range. When used like an SMG, the Grav can be destructive up close, but the same can’t be said at a distance.
Itra Burst
The weapon balancing in Warzone is fantastic when you consider the number of guns in the game, that being said, there are always some weapons that fall through the cracks. The Itra Burst falls under this category as it doesn’t have any stand out features that separate it from the rest of the assault rifles. Unless this weapon receives a major buff, there’s almost no reason to use it unless you’re looking for a challenge.
And that’s all there is to know about the best assault rifles in Warzone. If you want to know what the best weapons are in Warzone, check out the best Warzone guns guide to see an extensive list. While you’re here, you can find out the latest news on the Activision Blizzard lawsuit and its aftermath with our roundup.
