Call of Duty: Warzone has had a major overhaul with the return of the Verdansk battle royale map, along with some powerful new weapons that are now dominating the meta. Verdansk plays very differently from Warzone's previous map, Urzikstan, and, as a result, players have been finding new weapon combinations and class setups to take advantage of those differences.

While you can find some powerful weapons on the ground and in crates throughout Return to Verdansk, none will be as well-optimized as the custom weapons you can obtain from a loadout drop. As there are limited free loadout drops, and to buy one costs $10,000, the guns you have available must be good enough for any situation you find yourself in when trying to close out a win.

HDR Sniper And CR-56 AMAX

The Best Loadout For Any Situation In Warzone

Sniper rifles have shot back up in the Warzone meta thanks to Verdansk's numerous tall buildings, wide-open spaces, and distinct lack of redeploy drones. Also helping the Sniper resurgence is the new HDR sniper rifle, unlocked in the Season 3 Battle , which is powerful enough to one-shot-kill a fully armored enemy.

Equipping the HDR with attachments that maximize its bullet velocityallows you to hit targets up to 100 meters away without needing to lead your shot.

HDR Loadout

The best Perks for Warzone are Survivor, Tracker, and Tempered. For Sniper rifle loadouts, you can use Veteran instead of Survivor if you want reduced aiming idle sway.

The HDR covers long-range engagements, but you'll need a reliable weapon to ensure you're not caught out at close quarters. The CR-56 AMAX has returned with the Battle , is the most versatile weapon in the game. By foregoing the long-range focused attachments, you can turn the AMAX into a perfect sniper weapon that will kill enemies at the same rate as an SMG, while still having reasonable recoil and handling stats.

CR-56 AMAX Sniper Loadout

Swat 5.56 Grau Conversion And C9

Two Highly Accurate Weapons For Close And Long-Range Fights

While more powerful than they previously were, sniper rifles are still a high-risk, high-reward strategy, so you may want to use a long-range focused assault rifle for greater versatility.

While not technically a new weapon, the Black Ops 6 Swat 5.56 has become one of Warzone's best long-range weapons Grau conversion kit attachment that is unlocked in the battle . The Grau Conversion Kit changes the Swat's damage profile, so it just needs attachments to control the recoil and increase the bullet velocity.

Swat 5.56 Grau Conversion Loadout

A consistent, easy-to-use assault rifle makes a great pair with a consistent, easy-to-use SMG that will chew through enemies up close. The C9 has been one of the best SMGs in Warzone and Black Ops 6 since the latter launched, and that hasn't changed with the return of Verdansk. You can put a 50-round magazine on the C9 and still have excellent movement speed, and the recoil is very easy to manage even in those medium-range gunfights, where it can still do reasonable damage.

AK-74 And KSV

This Combination Of Weapons Is Unbeatable Up-Close

The AK-74 currently has a time-to-kill of 552 MS in Warzone, which is faster than some SMGs, and that can be applied to a distance of up to 66 meters with the Long Barrel and Monolithic suppressor attachments. That is a ridiculously fast-killing assault rifle, and it could be the strongest in Warzone if it weren't so hard to use. The AK-74 has excellent potential, but you'll need to be very accurate to hit enough shots consistently to kill enemies quickly. If you like testing your skill, this could be the best weapon you use.

Equipment is more subjective for Warzone, but generally, the strongest lethal equipment is the Semtex, along with the smoke grenade or stim shot tactical.

This loadout is about killing enemies as fast as possible, so it pairs the AK-74 with the best SMG for Warzone, the KSV. The KSV has a high fire rate of 800 rpm, which makes it a perfect choice to quickly switch to when you run out of ammo in the AK. This loadout still only has 40 rounds in the magazine, which is enough to take down two enemies consistently. Just be careful when engaging in fights that there aren't too many enemies, and they're not too far away.

KSV Loadout

LR 7.62 And Kilo 141

A Very Powerful Duo, Just Don't Let Enemies Get Too Close

If getting up close and personal isn't your preferred playstyle in Warzone, you can still have a lot of success sticking to the rooftops and playing at the edge of the circle in Verdansk. Pairing a sniper rifle with another long-range weapon gives you both high instant damage and a way to consistently follow up against enemies that have had their armor broken.

The LR 7.62 is now the second-best Warzone sniper after the HDR's arrival, but has slightly better handling speeds, which makes it a bit more forgiving.

LR 7.62 Loadout

Another new assault rifle from Season 3, the Kilo 141, can be unlocked for free in the Return to Verdansk event by ing and opening Warzone. The Black Ops 6 Kilo is very similar to the Modern Warfare version, so it has once again established itself as an easy-to-use long-range assault rifle. It has almost no horizontal recoil and an easy-to-handle vertical recoil, so you can use more attachments that improve its damage range and bullet velocity.

Kilo 141 Loadout

Cypher 091 And Saug SMG

This Season 2 Pair Is Still A Force To Be Reckoned With

While the old-school Warzone weapons that have returned in Season 3 are prevalent in Verdansk, they're not the only guns you can use. Season 2 introduced the Cypher 091, an unusual bullpup assault rifle with a slower fire rate but excellent recoil, which is very easy to use in Warzone. This is still one of my favorite weapons to use in Verdansk, as you can equip it however you want to maximize a certain trait, such as bullet velocity or low recoil.

Cypher 091 Loadout

The Saug SMG is another weapon from a previous battle that shouldn't be forgotten. It doesn't have one outstanding factor that separates it from other SMGs, but it is another excellent all-around option for those close-range gunfights. I find the iron sights on the Saug are some of the best in Warzone and Black Ops 6, which is why I prefer it over the KSV or PPSh, which can be a bit harder to use at longer distances.

Saug Loadout

Verdansk's return has completely changed the Warzone meta, as the game has slowed down drastically with the removal of redeploy drones and ziplines. As a result, the best loadouts for Call of Duty: Warzone feature a sniper rifle and/or a long-range assault rifle. Whichever weapon loadout you choose, make sure you're fully prepared before launching into a gunfight.