Urzikstan opens its doors to Warzone fans in a few days, so it’s time to finish leveling up MW3 weapons to give yourself the best chance of shining in the battle royale.
Players may feel overwhelmed trying to choose a loadout for their first Warzone match as there are 114 weapons at launch, including 37 new Modern Warfare 3 weapons. But there is a science to weeding out weapons that most likely won’t find a place in WZ’s meta.
In Modern Warfare 2, weapons that stood out in multiplayer didn’t necessarily find the same success in a battle royale format. And a significant reason for that is the massive health disparity between both game modes. Base health in WZ2 without any plates was 150 and 300 fully armored, while multiplayer base health was 100.
Lower base health made time-to-kill speeds feel extremely fast, but MW3 increased the base multiplayer health to 150. Because of that, we expect there to be a closer alignment between both experiences, meaning multiplayer’s best weapons should shine in Urzikstan.
Here are the weapons you should level up ahead of Warzone’s season one launch on Dec. 6.
Best long-range meta MW3 weapons to level up for Warzone season one
Holger 556
The Holger 556 shreds through opponents in multiplayer, and we expect the AR to dominate in Warzone. In saying that, when comparing all the expected meta weapons on TrueGameData, the Holger 556 had a much slower TTK speed in engagements between 30 and 40 meters. But that is counterbalanced by an incredible recoil pattern that’s easy to control over long distances.
Additionally, the Holger 556 maintains a fast damage per second speed, while other long-range meta weapons have their damage fall off a cliff. And because of that, expect the Holger 556 to be one of the most reliable long-range meta options. Players must account for the weapon’s slower fire rate and 40-round mag, but this AR is fully poised to run Urzikstan.
BAS-B
Along that same line of thinking, the BAS-B is a hard-hitting battle rifle but feels more like an AR. Once again, this weapon suffers from a slightly smaller magazine size of 45, but don’t let that scare you away.
The BAS-B blows other options out of the water when it comes to TTK speeds and hits much harder than ARs. And despite being a battle rifle, the weapon still has similar mobility stats to other ARs. The only downside is that players must get used to the BAS-B’s recoil and use attachments such as a barrel or underbarrel to compensate for that fault.
MTZ-556
The MTZ-556 offers the best of both worlds regarding the Warzone meta. The AR is versatile enough to hold its own in short or long-range engagements and has the stats to support that claim. Consistent TTK stats and damage-per-second speeds put this AR a cut above others.
You can either build the MTZ-556 as more of a sniper support option with an emphasis on mobility or improve recoil and damage range to take on other long-range meta weapons. But because this weapon is more in the middle ground, don’t expect the gun to dominate either category completely.
KATT-AMR
Warzone 2 brought back one-shot kill sniping, but it came with the caveat that rifles had to have explosive ammunition equipped, which increased damage range by 40 percent but came with the downside of reducing bullet velocity by 40 percent. This made it hard to line up shots as sniper rifles suffered from extreme bullet drop-off.
Rumors have begun circulating throughout the Call of Duty community that MW3 sniper rifles can one-shot kill enemies in Warzone without needing to equip explosive ammo. This would be a game changer as sniper rifles like the KATT-AMR could use high-velocity ammunition instead and effortlessly take down enemies at range.
Best short-range meta MW3 weapons to level up for Warzone season one
Rival-9
The Rival-9 is the SMG of choice for CDL players this season, so we expect the short-range meta option to shine just as much in Warzone. Based on the testing of CoD content creator B1inkin, the SMG has a potential TTK speed of 0.61 milliseconds from 10 meters away, yet it also has no problem shredding through enemies farther out in the firing range.
We expect this SMG to have the same longevity as the MP5 in Warzone 2 because of the Rival-9’s flawless damage profile. Coupled with a lightning-quick ADS and sprint-to-fire speed, plenty of players will run around with this SMG during season one.
WSP Swarm
The Fennec 45 dominated season one of WZ2 thanks to a fire rate that no other SMG could compete with. And that’s precisely what the WSP Swarm offers, loaded with a fire rate of over 1,000. Like what we saw with the Fennec, players must adjust for the weapon’s poor recoil, accuracy, and range.
If you are looking for a pure flamethrower within 10 meters, look no further than the WSP Swarm.
TYR
Snake Shot pistols briefly dominated Warzone 2’s meta. The ammunition type transforms pistols into shotguns, and dual-wielding revolver shotguns made life a living nightmare for any enemy within 10 meters.
The controversial ammo type is back for Warzone in MW3, but it’s easy to miss if you don’t look hard enough in the attachments section. The TYR has Snake Shot ammunition, but it is not shown directly on the Armory Unlocks screen. Players have to go directly into the weapon attachments screen and select the ammunition type to begin the unlock process.
Thanks to the attachment being so hard to find, we expect the TYR to be a hidden gem in season one and be just as dominant as its counterpart was in WZ2.
Of course, it’s way too early to tell exactly what weapons will be in the meta as Warzone has yet to be released in MW3, but these are our early favorites for the best loadouts to have at the ready.
