Out of all the potential short-range meta weapons in Warzone Season 1, none take down enemies faster than the Jackal PDW.
During the BO6 beta, the Jackal PDW emerged as the most popular weapon. The SMG shredded through enemies in close-range engagements and even outperformed some ARs in medium-range engagements. Treyarch responded with a substantial nerf ahead of launch.
With decreased damage ranges, the SMG no longer competes with ARs, but it is still the king of SMGs. And that’s because its close-range damage ranges weren’t impacted by the update.
So, in Warzone Season 1, no SMG takes out enemies faster than the Jackal PDW.
Best Warzone Jackal PDW loadout
- Muzzle: Suppressor
- Barrel: Long Barrel
- Underbarrel: Ranger Foregrip
- Magazine: Extended Mag I
- Rear Grip: Ergonomic Grip
Whether you play on Urzikstan or Area 99, you always want to stay off the mini-map. Every loadout should have a Suppressor equipped because it keeps you hidden while firing. To prevent the SMG from swaying back and forth while fighting, the Ranger Foregrip reduces horizontal recoil and also increases sprint speed as an added bonus.
Extended Mag I makes it easier to take on more than one enemy at once by increasing the magazine size to 50. The Jackal PDW shines in gunfights up to 11 meters, but the Long Barrel extends that maximum damage range by a few meters.
You won’t find a more valuable attachment for SMG loadouts than the Ergonomic Grip. Omnimovement plays a massive role in the latest iteration of Warzone, as operators can slide and dive in any direction. Mobility is especially important in close-range gunfights, so this attachment improves slide-to-fire, dive-to-fire, and aim-down sight speeds.
Best Jackal PDW Perks, Equipment & Class Specialty
- Wildcard: Overkill
- Secondary Weapon: GPR 91
- Tactical: Smoke Grenade
- Lethal: Frag
- Perk 1: Dexterity
- Perk 2: Quick Fix
- Perk 3: Tempered
Warzone uses a different Perk system than BO6, and there is no Perk Greed, meaning using four Perks is impossible. As mentioned with the Ergonomic Grip, Dexterity is the best Perk 1 because it reduces weapon motion while sliding, diving, and jumping and reduces fall damage.
The other options are too niche and situational to warrant using over Dexterity. Choosing Perk 2 was also easy, as Quick Fix triggers health regeneration after inserting a plate or getting an elimination. Additionally, you can hip-fire your weapon while equipping a plate, which will save you on more than one occasion.
We could also see Sprinter as a popular choice because it allows you to tactical-sprint indefinitely. Yet, this is deceiving. You can tactical-sprint indefinitely with the dedicated melee weapon, meaning this perk will only be useful if you’re playing so aggressive that you don’t have time to pull out your weapon before fighting.
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Perk 3, on the other hand, is a difficult choice. You could make a case that Ghost, Gung-Ho, Birdseye, and Alertness are all the obvious selections, but we decided to go with Tempered since it allows you to achieve full armor with two plates instead of three.
Frag Grenades are always reliable lethal equipment as they can finish off an injured or downed enemy or flush them out from behind cover. Finally, Smoke Grenades provide cover while rotating across open areas or running away from enemies.
Jackal PDW pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Class-leading mobility | Poor recoil |
| Perfect weapon for aggressive players | Slower fire rate |
| Works well with omnimovement | Mobility could be better |
Where is the Jackal PDW in the Warzone meta?
According to TrueGameData, the Jackal PDW leads all SMGs with a 616-millisecond time-to-kill up to 11.4 meters. The next closest weapon is the C9 at 656 ms, giving this weapon a significant leg up if you can land enough shots. Its slow fire rate is also a double-edged sword.
Less shots to kill means you get more mileage out of your mag, but also that it’s harder to land shots consistently. This SMG definitely requires some finesse.
How to unlock Jackal PDW in Warzone
The Jackal PDW can be unlocked by reaching Level 43 in Black Ops 6. This means that it’s one of the last guns you get your hands on before reaching max level, so you’ll need to grind to get your hands on it.
Strangely enough, the Jackal PDW also performs most SMGs from 11 to 20 meters in the second damage range, which leads me to believe that a nerf may be coming. In saying that, players should give this SMG while they have a chance.
Warzone Jackal PDW alternatives
If the Jackal PDW doesn’t check off every box, the Kompakt 92 and C9 are noteworthy alternatives. The Kompakt 92 leads all SMGs in fire-rate and has a rapid TTK, while the C9 boasts impressive mobility iron sights and eliminates enemies at a similar speed to other options.
For more ideas on what to use, check out the best Warzone loadouts that are dominating the meta right now. Likewise, you’ll need to learn all about the new perks and equipment to create truly meta classes.
