To stay on top of the Call of Duty meta, it means keeping up to speed on what gun is most dominant at any given time.
CoD metas shift throughout the live-service season with each passing update, and Black Ops 6 continues the trend with its 33 launch weapons, and a swath of additional guns coming as part of seasonal content drops.
With our weapon tier list for BO6, stay ahead of the game by always knowing what’s the best and what kind of attachments, loadout, and build to use it with.
Note: This article is a work in progress as we play through BO6 and unlock all of the guns and attachments to work out the best loadouts so far, but our tiers should give a good idea of what weapons people are using and performing well with in general.
Best guns in Black Ops 6 – Tier list
| Tier | Weapons |
|---|---|
| S | XM4 Jackal PDW Model L PP-919 |
| A | AMES 85 AK-74 AS VAL C9 KSV TANTO .22 |
| B | Kompakt 92 Marine SP GPMG-7 Tsarkov 7.62 AEK-973 XMG SVD |
| C | GPR-91 Goblin Mk2 ASG-89 PU-21 SWAT 5.56 DM-10 LR 7.62 LW3A1 Frostline |
| D | GS45 9mm PM Stryder .22 Grekhova Cigma 2B HE-1 Knife Baseball Bat |
Best assault rifles in BO6
XM4
| Slot | Attachment |
|---|---|
| Optic | Accu-Spot Reflex |
| Muzzle | Compensator (Vertical Recoil Control) |
| Barrel | Reinforced Barrel (Damage Range, Bullet Velocity) |
| Rear Grip | Commando Grip (Aim Down Sight Speed, Sprint to Fire Speed) |
| Fire Mods | Recoil Springs (Horizontal Recoil Control, Vertical Recoil Control) |
Old faithful. The XM4 will likely remain at or near the top for assault rifles in BO6, regardless of attachments, but our loadout above will keep you gunning foes down in multiplayer for months.
Model L
| Slot | Attachment |
|---|---|
| Optic | Accu-Spot Reflex |
| Muzzle | Ported Compensator (First Shot Recoil Control, Vertical Recoil Control) |
| Barrel | Reinforced Barrel (Bullet Velocity, Damage Range) |
| Underbarrel | Ranger Foregrip (Horizontal Recoil Control, Sprinting Movement Speed) |
| Rear Grip | Ergonomic Grip (Slide to Fire Speed, Dive to Fire Speed, Aim Down Sight Speed) |
An early favorite of CoD pros, the Model L is likely going to be banned from scrimmages and tournaments soon. That’s how you know you should use it in your loadout.
AMES 85
| Slot | Attachment |
|---|---|
| Optic | Kepler Microflex |
| Muzzle | Ported Compensator (First Shot Recoil Control, Vertical Recoil Control) |
| Barrel | Reinforced Barrel (Damage Range, Bullet Velocity) |
| Rear Grip | CQB Grip (Dive to Fire Speed, Slide to Fire Speed, Sprint to Fire Speed) |
| Fire Mods | Recoil Springs (Horizontal Recoil Control, Vertical Recoil Control) |
The assault rifle debate rages thanks to the strength of several guns, including the ones listed in our tiers.
AK-74
| Slot | Attachment |
|---|---|
| Optic | Accu-Spot Reflex |
| Muzzle | Ported Compensator (First Shit Recoil Control, Vertical Recoil Control) |
| Barrel | Reinforced Barrel (Damage Range, Bullet Velocity) |
| Underbarrel | Ranger Foregrip (Horizontal Recoil Control, Sprinting Movement Speed) |
| Magazine | Extended Mag I (Magazine Ammo Capacity) |
| Rear Grip | Ergonomic Grip (Slide to Fire Speed, Dive to Fire Speed, Aim Down Sight Speed) |
| Stock | Balanced Stock (Aim Walking Movement Speed, Movement Speed, Hipfire Movement Speed, Strafing Movement Speed) |
| Fire Mods | Recoil Springs (Horizontal Recoil Control, Vertical Recoil Control) |
Any CoD game that has an AK-47 or variant of it, like the AK-74, is blessed with a powerful AR that’s in just about every action movie you can imagine. This loadout above helps rein in its considerable recoil, so make sure to unlock the Gunfighter Wildcard to use all of the attachments listed.
Best SMGs in BO6
Jackal PDW
| Slot | Attachment |
|---|---|
| Muzzle | Ported Compensator (First Shot Recoil Control, Vertical Recoil Control) |
| Barrel | Reinforced Barrel (Bullet Velocity, Damage Range) |
| Rear Grip | Ergonomic Grip (Slide to Fire Speed, Dive to Fire Speed, ADS Speed) |
| Stock | Balanced Stock (Aim Walking Movement Speed, Movement Speed, Hipfire Movement Speed, Strafing Movement Speed) |
| Fire Mods | Recoil Springs (Horizontal Recoil Control, Vertical Recoil Control) |
The most dominant gun in the BO6 beta was nerfed, but it’s still one of the best guns in the game, period.
PP-919
| Slot | Attachment |
|---|---|
| Muzzle | Ported Compensator (First Shot Recoil Control, Vertical Recoil Control) |
| Barrel | Reinforced Barrel (Bullet Velocity, Damage Range) |
| Magazine | Fast Mag II (Aim Down Sight Speed, Reload Quickness, Sprint to Fire Speed) |
| Rear Grip | Ergonomic Grip (Slide to Fire Speed, Dive to Fire Speed, ADS Speed) |
| Stock | Balanced Stock (Aim Walking Movement Speed, Movement Speed, Hipfire Movement Speed, Strafing Movement Speed) |
When it comes to SMG mobility, the PP-919 reigns right now, and it’s a weapon that’s been used by CoD pros in early tournaments with much success because of it.
C9
| Slot | Attachment |
|---|---|
| Muzzle | Ported Compensator (First Shot Recoil Control, Vertical Recoil Control) |
| Barrel | Reinforced Barrel (Damage Range, Bullet Velocity) |
| Rear Grip | Ergonomic Grip (Slide to Fire Speed, Dive to Fire Speed, Aim Down Sight Speed) |
| Stock | Balanced Stock (Strafing Movement Speed, Movement Speed, Hipfire Movement Speed, Aim Walking Movement Speed) |
| Fire Mods | Recoil Springs (Horizontal Recoil Control, Vertical Recoil Control) |
The C9, also known as the MP5 or Lachmann Sub, has become a mainstay in the CoD franchise no matter what it’s called, and for good reason. This gun offers incredible mobility and time-to-kill with our loadout above.
KSV
The KSV is a top-tier SMG, reminiscent of the AK-74u in Black Ops 1 and previous series entries. It’s a big-time early favorite for run-and-gun players everywhere.
Best shotguns in BO6
Marine SP
The pump-action shotgun is an early favorite among the two on offer so far (the ASG-89 is semi-automatic but way weaker in comparison), thanks to its big-time firepower.
Best LMGs in BO6
XMG
The XMG is the best LMG thus far as it’s a balanced and all-around LMG experience that the other two in the game so far cannot recreate.
GPMG-7
The GPMG is fun to use, but its intensely fast fire rate drains through even the most massive magazines.
Best marksman rifles in BO6
DM-10
The DM-10 evokes the best memories of DMRs of the past thanks to its high firepower and stability. This gun may find a home in Warzone loadouts soon.
SWAT 5.56
A burst-fire beast at long range, the SWAT 5.56 loses out in most situations thanks to its weaker firepower.
Best sniper rifles in BO6
LR 7.62
| Slot | Attachment |
|---|---|
| Barrel | Gain-Twist Barrel (Bullet Velocity) |
| Magazine | Extended Mag I (Magazine Ammo Capacity) |
| Rear Grip | Rear Grip (Aim Down Sight Speed) |
| Stock | Light Stock (Hipfire Movement Speed, Strafing Movement Speed) |
| Laser | Strelok Laser (Hipfire to ADS Accuracy) |
SVD
The SVD has the potential to one-shot to the chest or above at a long distance, and as a semi-automatic sniper, you can gun down an entire squad without having to pull a bolt or reload.
Best pistols in BO6
GS45
| Slot | Attachment |
|---|---|
| Muzzle | Muzzle Brake (First Shot Recoil Control, Kick Reset Speed) |
| Barrel | Reinforced Barrel (Damage Range, Bullet Velocity) |
| Magazine | Extended Mag I (Magazine Ammo Capacity) |
| Rear Grip | Quickdraw Grip (Aim Down Sight Speed) |
| Fire Mods | .45 ACP Overpressured (Bullet Velocity) |
The GS45’s firepower makes it the best pistol in the game, easily picking off enemies in just a couple of shots, and perfect for
Grekhova
The only full-auto pistol in the game, the Grekhova is great to swap to when you need to spray down a group of enemies as opposed to reloading your primary.
Best launchers in BO6
HE-1
For getting kills, the HE-1 is best as it’s a free-launch rocket that doesn’t require locking on like the Cigma 2B, which is best for taking down Scorestreaks.
Best melee weapons in BO6
Knife, Baseball Bat
The only two melee options function the same as one-hit kills so long as you’re close enough. It just depends on whether you like to slice or slam.
This article will be updated with new weapons and updated information over time.
