Best Warzone Ranked Play loadouts

Image of Warzone operator using a sniper rifle in a Season 1 Reloaded LTMActivision

Warzone Season 1 Reloaded finally marks the return of Ranked Play to a large map. You need the best loadout to compete with the best and earn Skill Rating.

Ranked Play is back in Warzone with a few new twists. To access BR Ranked Play, players must first place in the Top 15 in Battle Royale or the Top 6 in Resurgence across 30 matches. Placements from Season 1 count toward this requirement.

Other additions include removing Party Skill Restrictions, capping the Elimination Skill Rating at 150, and factoring the difference in skill between you and your victim for Skill Rating earnings. This skill delta reward changes depending on whether they are three ranks above or below.

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As for the weapon pool, the development team banned all MW2 and MW3 weapons, leaving Black Ops 6 guns as the only option. With that in mind, let’s jump right into which loadouts stand out most in Season 1 Reloaded.

Long-range meta weapon loadouts

Using the Gunfight Wildcard allows you to equip eight attachments instead of five. A segment of the player base prefers to use Overkill because you can use two primary weapons.

However, since it’s possible to purchase primary weapons from Buy Stations and get them out of Loadout loot chests or Loadout Drops, we believe that it makes more sense to use the Gunfighter Wildcard because it’s relatively easy to get a second primary weapon.

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XM4 (Without Gunfighter)

Best XM4 loadout without Gunfight Wildcard for Warzone Ranked PlayDexerto | Activision
  • Optic: Jason Armory 2x
  • Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
  • Magazine: Extended Mag II
  • Stock: Buffer Weight Stock
  • Fire Mods: Recoil Springs

According to WZ Ranked, the XM4 is currently the most popular weapon in Warzone, with a 19.4% pick rate. For comparison, the next best weapon is only used in 6.60% of matches. Much of that rise in fame can be attributed to the new Buffer Weight Stock, which drastically improves recoil gun kick, horizontal recoil control, and vertical recoil control, at the cost of aim walking and aim down sight speeds.

It also helps that the XM4 has Warzone’s second-fastest time-to-kill speed for ARs, clocking in at 688 milliseconds. The AR is even better in Season 1 Reloaded because the weapon balancing update increased its bullet velocity from 750 meters per second to 800 ms.

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To round out our loadout, we further improved vertical and horizontal recoil with the Recoil Springs, added more ammunition with the Extended Mag II, boosted damage range and bullet velocity with the Reinforced Barrel, and went with the Jason Armory 2x to dominate medium and long-range gunfights.

XM4 (With Gunfighter)

Best XM4 loadout with Gunfight Wildcard for Warzone Ranked PlayDexerto | Activision
  • Optic: Jason Armory 2x
  • Muzzle: Compensator
  • Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
  • Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
  • Magazine: Extended Mag II
  • Rear Grip: Ergonomic Grip
  • Stock: Buffer Weight Stock
  • Fire Mods: 5.60 Nato Overpressured

For Gunfighter users, we recommend using the extra slots on an Ergonomic Grip to improve slide, dive to fire, aim down-sight speeds, and Vertical Foregrip and Compensator to maximize recoil. And since those attachments fulfill the role of the Recoil Springs, we opted to change the Fire Mods to 5.56 Nato Overpressured rounds to improve bullet velocity.

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GPR 91 (Without Gunfighter)

Best GPR 91 loadout and attachments without Gunfight Wildcard for Warzone Ranked PlayDexerto | Activision
  • Optic: Jason Armory 2x
  • Muzzle: Compensator
  • Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
  • Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
  • Magazine: Extended Mag II

Raven Software also buffed the GPR 91 in Season 1 Reloaded by increasing its bullet velocity from 730 to 780 ms. On top of that, the GPR 91’s 700 ms TTK speed ranks fifth. A reliable recoil pattern, relatively fast bullet velocity, and decent handling make this AR perfect for Ranked Play.

GPR 91 (With Gunfighter)

Screenshot of GPR 91 attachments with Gunfighter Wildcard equipped.Dexerto | Activision
  • Optic: Jason Armory 2x
  • Muzzle: Compensator
  • Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
  • Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
  • Magazine: Extended Mag II
  • Rear Grip: Ergonomic Grip
  • Stock: Balanced Stock
  • Fire Mods: Recoil Springs

If you add more attachments to this loadout, the Balanced Stock and Ergonomic Grip will improve mobility, while the Recoil Springs will further address accuracy concerns.

XMG (Without Gunfighter)

  • Optic: Jason Armory 2x
  • Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
  • Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
  • Stock: Buffer Weight Stock
  • Fire Mods: 7.62 Nato Ovepressured

The XMG is also able to equip the Buffer Weight Stock, helping the LMG dominate mid and long-range gunfights with laser accuracy. A 738 ms TTK speed puts the LMG just slightly behind the meta ARs, and the Bullet Velocity surpasses 1000 meters per second with 7.62 Nato Ovepressured round equipped.

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And when you factor in that this powerful weapon has 100 rounds of ammunition, shredding through Trios squads will be no issue in Ranked Play.

XMG (With Gunfighter)

  • Optic: Jason Armory 2x
  • Muzzle: Compensator
  • Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
  • Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
  • Stock: Buffer Weight Stock
  • Laser: Target Laser
  • Fire Mods: 7.62 NATO Overpressured

Three extra attachment slots freed up room to add a Compensator and Vertical Grip to further improve accuracy and a Target Laser to improve aiming idle delay and aim walking steadiness.

LR 7.62

Screenshot of LR 7.62 attachments for Warzone Ranked PlayDexerto | Activision
  • Barrel: Long Barrel
  • Underbarrel: Precision Handguard
  • Rear Grip: Quickdraw Grip
  • Laser: Target Laser
  • Fire Mods: 7.62 Nato Overpressured

Without any attachments, the LR 7.62 can kill enemies in Warzone with one headshot up to 76.2 meters away. When you add a Long Barrel that distance extends out to 95.3 meters, and 7.62 Nato Overpressured rounds compensate for bullet drop by improving bullet velocity by around 300 meters per second.

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Short-range meta weapon loadouts

Jackal PDW

Screenshot of Jackal PDW attachments for Warzone Ranked PlayDexerto | Activision
  • Muzzle: Compensator
  • Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
  • Underbarrel: Ranger Foregrip
  • Magazine: Extended Mag II
  • Recoil Springs: Recoil Springs

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, but is lethal in the right hands.

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PP-919

Screenshot of PP-919 attachments for Warzone Ranked PlayDexerto | Activision

Secondary Weapon

  • Muzzle: Compensator
  • Barrel: Long Barrel
  • Rear Grip: Commando Grip
  • Stock: Balanced Stock
  • Fire Mods: 9×18 Marakarov Overpressured

The PP-919 is the second fastest killing SMG in Warzone with a 600 ms TTK. Thanks to the 64 rounds of ammunition, it saves you from needing to put on an Extended Mag, giving it a leg up on the Jackal PDW. In addition, the SMG is extremely easy to use and has decent enough mobility stats to impress up close and personal.

Secondary Weapon

Sirin 9mm

Screenshot of Sirin 9mm attachments for Warzone Ranked PlayDexerto | Activision
  • Optic: Iron Sight
  • Muzzle: Suppressor
  • Barrel: Long Barrel
  • Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
  • Magazine: Extended Mag I

The Sirin 9mm joined Warzone’s weapon pool in Season 1. The pistol has a 720 ms TTK up to 11 meters, which isn’t great but does outclass other secondary weapon options. If you opt against using Wildcard, this is the loadout for you in Ranked Play.

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For more on Warzone, check out everything included in the Season 1 Reloaded update.