The PU-21 is the standout LMG in Black Ops 6 and that efficiency looks set to carry over into Warzone battle royale in Season 1. Here, we go through the best loadout for the PU-21 in Warzone, including all of the attachments, perks, and equipment you need to decimate your opponents.
While the Black Ops 6 meta has formed predominantly around the dominant ARs and SMGs in the game, it’s still pretty open, and we expect that to continue into the early weeks of the Warzone integration.
The PU-21, though, is definitely adept at breaking the mold and can pack a serious punch, with its lightweight mobility and high damage stats, operating closer to an assault rifle than a traditional LMG.
Here’s how we recommend building it out.
Best PU-21 loadout
- Optic: Kepler Red Dot
- Muzzle: Ported Compensator
- Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
- Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
- Magazine: Fast Mag I
- Rear Grip: Commando Grip
- Stock: Heavy Stock
- Laser: None
- Fire Mods: Recoil Springs
The integration of Black Ops 6 into Warzone has brought a major luxury with it, which is the inclusion of the Gunfighter Wildcard. With this, we can use up to eight attachments on our weapons – and for the PU-21, you’re going to want them to really get the most out of it.
For our optic, we’ve gone with the Kepler Red Dot. While you might prefer higher magnification on your long-range weapons usually, the PU-21 isn’t exactly built for long-range engagements, and we don’t want to force it to act that way. Using a lower magnification optic lets us keep it mobile and still more than viable at short to medium ranges.
Then, we use attachments to make the recoil easier to control and increase accuracy. The Ported Compensator improves vertical recoil and first-shot recoil control, while the Vertical Foregrip improves horizontal recoil control. Finally, the Recoil Springs fire mod gives a nice little boost to both horizontal and vertical recoil control.
Elsewhere, the Reinforced Barrel gives vast improvements to damage range and bullet velocity, while the Commando Grip improves both ADS and Sprint to Fire speed, while Fast Mag I also does both of these as well as improving reload quickness. It does, however, decrease the magazine capacity from 60 to 45.
Rounding things out, the Heavy Stock is more of a luxury than a necessity, but it gives a nice boost to Flinch Resistance, which could be vital in a gunfight where you’re taking heavy hits.
Perks, Wildcard, and Equipment
- Perk 1: Survivor
- Perk 2: Quartermaster
- Perk 3: Tempered
- Wildcard: Gunfighter
- Lethal: Semtex
- Tactical Equipment: Smoke Grenade
The perk situation in Warzone now is slightly different to how it was before, due in large part to the fact that Overkill is no longer equipped as standard. That means if you want to carry two primary weapons, you need to use the Overkill wildcard.
While this is a valid option, we’ve opted instead to use the Gunfighter wildcard, allowing you to equip up to eight attachments on your weapon – and that means we’ve altered our perks too.
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For Perk 1, we’ve gone with Survivor, allowing you to regenerate health more quickly and be picked up quicker when downed. In heat-of-the moment battles, this could be the difference maker in winning or losing.
For Perk 2, we’ve selected Quartermaster among some solid options. Recharging equipment over time means you never have to worry about your supply of Semtex and Stun Grenades. However Bomb Squad, Sprinter, and Quick Fix are all solid alternatives too.
Finally, Perk 3 should be Tempered. While of course Ghost is going to be super helpful, and certainly a viable choice, the loss of backpacks in the Black Ops 6 integration means you can’t simply stack 18 Armor Plates any more. For that reason, you’ll have to use them more efficiently, and Tempered makes that far easier.
As for your equipment, we’ve opted for a Semtex and Smoke Grenade – easy meta choices that don’t vary much from one Warzone iteration to the next.
How to unlock it
Fortunately, unlocking the PU-21 is incredibly easy, as it is unlocked by default as soon as you reach level 4 and can access Custom Classes in Black Ops 6.
That means you won’t have to grind to reach the right level, you can simply pick it up immediately and start beaming your opponents.
Best alternative weapon
If you’re looking for an alternative to the PU-21, you have a few options. If you need something that shoots a bit more steady and you can hit targets a bit further, then we would recommend picking the XMG. It’s another LMG, but with a slower rate of fire and more manageable recoil.
Alternatively, you might want an assault rifle that can do some serious damage, in which case we recommend giving the Model L a go.
Make sure you head into Black Ops 6 or Warzone to unlock both new Season 1 weapons, the Krig C assault rifle and Saug SMG, as they’re looking like early meta contenders too.
