Choosing your favorite weapon-combo FTW

Jumping in any BR can be an overwhelming experience and that’s even truer with Blackout, where you have tons of weapons, utility, and perks at your disposal. Nothing will put order in chaos easier and faster than a list of the best Blackout loadouts to watch for.

Which is the best weapon? Which is the best weapon combo? What perks should you use and when? What’s the most effective situational utility? Simply answering these questions will up your game considerably, rapidly closing the gap between novice and expert.

That being said, here are the best 5 loadouts to have on your list:

5. Terror from afar

Primary Weapon:

Paladin (Sniper scope, long barrel, fast mag, foregrip, stock) – Please, don’t use anything other than a sniper scope with it. The pally has the longest kill shot in the game; don’t mess up its range visibility with something like a 3X, like many people do.

Secondary Weapon:

KN/SWAT/ICR (2X/Reflex/Elo, extra/hybrid mag, suppressor, grip, foregrip, stock) – Never combine the Paladin with a shotgun or an SMG. With a Pally/Shotgun or Pally/SMG combo, you will only cover long-distance and close-quarters combat. You will have nothing for mid-distance, which is where ARs actually become more effective than the snipers. Trust me, go for an AR as your secondary, and thank me later!

Utility:

• 10 grapples – You need them to bail out from unfavorable situations fast, as well as get to advantageous vantage points, which is essential for a sniper wielder.
• 1 smoke – Cover your retreat if enemies zoom in on your location and use your grapples to reach safer zones or simply vanish from sight.
• 2 frags – You need something to deter or even eliminate aggressive players, who believe snipers are vulnerable close-range. And they’re usually right. Except you have an AR and a couple of frags to greet them with.
• 1 concussion – Despite all your precautions and vigilance, some enemies can move to your position undetected. Having a concussion on fast use can mean the difference between life and death.

Perks:

• Consumer – Don’t use the Consumer if you have a secluded, safe sniping point. Only do so when the storm forces you to change your vantage point.
• Paranoia – It is a must-have, especially if you like sniping from relatively static locations. Paranoia will alert you in case other enemies ADS on  your position, no matter whether they’re an immediate threat or not.
• Mobility – It is pretty much self-explanatory. Mobility allows you to swap weapons faster, which is ideal for a hundred-pound canon like the Paladin. Not to mention the ability to turn into a marathon/thousand-mile hurdles champion if your shots attract more attention than you intended.

4. Quick Snapper

Primary Weapon:

Outlaw (3X, long barrel, extra mag, foregrip, stock) – In many situations, the Outlaw poses even more of a threat than the Paladin. It should be your weapon of choice if you want to combine the punching power of a sniper with the increased mobility of a more active and aggressive playstyle. The 3X is an ideal fit for this combination, since you’re not interested in long hits, but medium-range engagements and firing speed.

Secondary Weapon:

Daemon/Spitfire (Ironsight/Reflex/Elo, long barrel, hybrid/extra mag, grip, foregrip, stock) – Both these SMGs will wreck your enemies close range, with extra points for the Daemon. When used properly, this beast can compete with an AR for medium-range engagements, and will even outweigh the effectiveness of the infamous MOG.

Utility:

• 10 grapples – You need the flexibility to cover large portions of terrain fast, which is ideal for the more aggressive playstyle that this loadout entails.
• Barricade – Not many people use the barricade, or at least they don’t use it properly. Spamming your Outlaw from the cover of one is a death sentence for any unfortunate soul running into your sights.
• 10 medkits, one or two traumas – Since you will most likely be playing more aggressively, you will need them.
• 1 or 2 smokes – You will clearly attract a lot of attention due to the nature of the loadout. The smokes will provide you with both cover and the ability to move undetected to a better position.

Perks:

• Consumer – Ideal for all scenarios, especially one filled with plenty of combat and bleeding all over yourself.
• Paranoia – Since you will be the one making the most noise, you will also attract the most attention, and you might want to be aware of where the attention is coming from.
• Mobility/Dead Silence – The goal here is to put that Daemon or Spitfire to work. Both Mobility and Dead Silence are ideal for closing the distance either fast, or undetected, catching opponents by surprise.

3. The bulldozer

Primary weapon:

KN/SWAT (2X/Reflex/Elo, long barrel, hybrid/extra mag, grip, foregrip, stock) – Choose your poison. The KN delivers higher damage, but it has a higher recoil and lower firing rate. The SWAT has a higher firing rate, it’s more stable, but it has slightly lower damage. These are some of the best, if not the best ARs in the game.

Secondary weapon:

MOG/SG12 (Iron sight/Elo, fast/extra mag, grip, foregrip, stock) – The KN/MOG combo may sound cheesy, but you can’t deny its effectiveness. Just sensor a car, track your targets, drive near them, and jump out with the shotgun spitting fire. Most people don’t like it up-close and personal. The MOG does, however, so make sure to harness its full potential as best as you can.

Utility:

• 10 medkits at least – We’re talking about a high-octane 20-ish minutes run, blasting people with the MOG at pointblank range. Everybody will bleed, you including.
• 1 or 2 traumas – Pop a trauma before jumping in the car. It will protect you against snipers, AR spammers, who love to put holes in passing vehicles, as well as tricky, surprise engagements.
• 2 concussions – Drive your vehicle close to the target, bail out at full speed, and throw a concussion. The surprise factor alone will allow you to get the kill, even if the enemies might have tools to escape, like grapples or concussions of their own.

Perks:

• Paranoia – You might not be able to see everyone around you, as you drive your vehicle at full speed. Paranoia will act as a long-range sensor, giving you the input you need to detect your next target.
• Consumer – If you have multiple red heals and traumas, you need a Consumer as garnish. After all, you will burn through a lot of heals due to the nature of the gameplay style.
• Brawler – Few things are more confusing and irritating for your enemies than smacking the soul out of them with a MOG, while jumping out of a moving car. You’d be surprised to see how well this strategy works. Just have a Brawler active, for that instant death blow and I guarantee you will make Bruce Willis jealous.
• Reinforced – It reduces damage from explosions and fire, and it makes you impervious to concussions. It only sounds fitting for a scenario where you will be attracting mesh-mines, grenades, and stuns like a cow dung attracting flies.

2. Surprise, motherf*cker!

Primary weapon:

Auger DMR (Ironsight/2x/3x, suppressor, hybrid mag, grip, foregrip) – Having a lvl 3 equipped, along with the trauma boost, can make you feel invincible. There’s currently no gun in Blackout that destroys that feel more effectively than the Auger DMR. With its ungodly fire rate and high damage, it melts through the lvl 3 like you won’t believe it. Whatever you do, use the suppressor. Not only will it hide your position for the first several shots, but it will mask the gun’s unique sound signature as well. The enemies will die first and panic later.

Secondary weapon:

MOG (Ironsight/Reflex/Elo, fast mag, long barrel, grip, foregrip, elo) – The Auger is ideal for medium-range combat, while the MOG does the rest from up-close. I keep defaulting to the MOG because, when mastered, remains the best close-quarter gun at your disposal. Just make sure to always have a fast mag equipped.

Utility:

• Frags – As soon as you begin tapping, the enemies will immediately seek cover. Frags should be your anti-cover devices of choice.
• Medkits and Traumas – You always need to sacrifice 3-4 inventory slots for heals, especially when your playstyle is riskier by design.
• 10 grapples at least – You need to be able to change positions and exit the combat fast, if the odds are not in your favor.
• Smoke – Hit like Mike Tyson, move like Floyd Mayweather. You have the Auger for the first, you need the smoke for the second.

Perks:

• Awareness – Since you prefer medium-range and close combat, you need Awareness to keep you on your toes. Just be careful when you use it, as it only lasts for 120 seconds.
• Consumer – Melt one enemy, get third-partied, eat a trauma in 2 seconds, melt the newcomer as well. Soon, it will become routine.
• Paranoia – Along with Awareness, it will watch your back in times of need.

1. The retarded kid from the block

Primary weapon:

Koshka/Paladin/Outlaw (3x, extra mag, long barrel, grip/foregrip, stock) – You run through open areas because you can, using your snipers as ARs. You kill fast, you move faster, and you’re deadly. Needless to say, you will attract a lot of attention, since most will underestimate the weirdo running everywhere without any cover. The 3X sniper, along with your deadly precision and reflexes, will quickly change people’s minds.

SMG (Ironsight/Reflex/Elo, hybrid/extra mag, long barrel, grip, foregrip, stock) – You need the sniper to lay waste in long and mid-range, and an SMG like the SAUG, Daemon, Spitfire, MP-40, or even MX9 to sprinkle death everywhere else.

Utility:

• All the grapples – Grab as many as you can, use them, then grab some more off of your enemies’ corpses.
• Frags – For the outstanding situation when the enemy actually survives the gunfight and seeks cover.
• Smoke – For the other outstanding situation when the enemy actually manages to own you.
• Mesh-mines – You want as many ways to kill as possible. If used properly, mesh-mines will become your third weapon.
• Medkits and Traumas – Just like grapples, as many as you can carry.

Perks:

• Consumer – It is a must, since you have the most aggressive playstyle there is.
• Mobility – You will be hopping on and off buildings, mantle over anything, and switch weapons often. Mobility should be your perk of choice.
• Paranoia – Paranoia is vital for finding the next target, as well as alerting you of any third-parties, which will only add fuel to your fire.
• Reinforced – You need to be able to move through explosions, stuns, and fire like a true T-1000, at which point the Reinforced will become priceless.

All these loadouts require a lvl 3 armor, whenever possible. Just make sure it’s worth picking. If it has one tick left and you have no armor plates, your half broken lvl 2 might be better.

It’s obvious that these 5 loadouts are by no means exhaustive. There are many other gun combos you can use, depending on your preferences, as well as perk combinations and utility, like drones and turrets. In the end, it all comes down to whatever works best for you.

So long as you don’t use the tOiLeT-BrAwLeR combo, you have my respect.

Also be sure to check out:

Cod Blackout Best Landing Spots

CoD Blackout Best Guns (And 5 Worst)

50 CoD Blackout Tips That Give You a Serious Advantage

The 9 Best CoD Blackout Settings To Frag Like a Pro