Our guide to the best AR in Warzone will walk you through the stats and relative power of all the Assault Rifles in Warzone. Here’s all the assault rifles in Call Of Duty: Warzone, and how good each of them are in the current meta.
Best Assault Rifle in Warzone Caldera
The best Assault Rifle in Warzone is the Cooper Carbine. This Pacific Season 1 Battle Pass reward packs everything you want in a long-range automatic wepaon. It has an excellent rate of fire, solid damage, and entriely reasonable recoil. We’ll get into the details plus the rest of the list below. Here is our Warzone Caldera best Assault Rifle tier list:
Cooper Carbine EM2 STG 44 Volkssturmgewehr XM4 NZ-41 C58 AK-47 (Cold War) Automaton FARA 83 QBZ BAR AS44 Grav CR-56 AMAX Krig 6 Grau 5.56 M4A1 Groza FFAR 1 RAM-7 M13 Kilo 141 Itra AS VAL FAL Oden FN Scar 17 AN-94 AK-47 (Modern Warfare) FR 5.56
Cooper Carbine - Best Assault Rifle in Warzone
Consistency is consistently king in Warzone, and Cooper Carbine is as consistent as they come. There’s a reason the Krig 6 reigned supreme for so much of 2021, and it’s the consistency that results from an easy-to-use weapon. The key elements here are recoil and rate of fire. A low-recoil gun will obviously be easier to keep on target, but the damage dealt when on target is a big factor too. A faster-firing weapon will simply hit more times for each half-second you’re on target than a slower one. That makes for a more forgiving experience and better performance in the hands of the average player. So, back to the Cooper itself. It has one of the highest fire rates in the new Vanguard AR batch and recoil that is entirely manageable with the right build. Its peak time-to-kill won’t quite match something like an EM-2 or Volksstrumgewehr, but it is more forgiving of imperfect accuracy. For most players, the Cooper Carbine will bring the best results in Warzone. To achieve that consistency, you’ll need the best build. We’ve got you covered with our Cooper Carbine Warzone loadout guide.
EM2
The EM2 has gained a lot of popularity ever since its release, and for good reason. This is a much more difficult rifle to use than the Cooper Carbine but in the right hands it’s far more powerful. The EM2’s damage is absolutely enormous. If your shot is on, you will blow enemies away, even at massive distances. The EM2 isn’t half bad up close either, but has poor handling, especially with the built-in optic. You will typically want a snappier gun to back up a Kar98k or Swiss K31. For long-range AR duels though, the EM2 is umatched. Once you have this rifle unlocked and leveled visit our guide to the best EM2 loadout in Warzone to put together the optimal setup.
STG 44
The more time I spend with the STG in Warzone, the more I grow to love it. This weapon is just solid in every respect. Its recoil is perfectly reasonable, its damage and rate of fire hit a perfect mesh point, and it is just so darn flexible. At long range, it feels an awful lot like a pre-nerf C58, and up close it reminds me of the Cold War AK-47. The STG is accessible without being a laser and powerful without feeling broken. It’s everything you expect from the baseline rifle in a Call of Duty title, and it translates beautifully to Warzone. If you haven’t played Vanguard and are aiming to start leveling, our guide to the best STG 44 loadout in Warzone will help get you to 55.
Volkssturmgewehr
The Volksstrumgewehr is a mouthful, but thankfully you won’t have to pronounce it to make it shine in Warzone. This medium-damage, medium-rate of fire rifle has tragically poor range. However, within its effective range, it positively shreds. It also has some of the best mobility and handling stats in the class, which further bolster the gun in close quarters. There are options that kill a bit faster, but none that feel quite as nice as the Volk. Pair it with a Kar98k for an excellent loadout. To get this gun roling, see our guide to the best Volk loadout in Warzone.
XM4
The XM4 has really been through the wringer over the past few months. Cold War’s base Assault Rifle has seen as many adjustments as any weapon in Warzone, dipping in and out of the meta on a monthly basis. Now it is firmly solidified as a top rifle in Warzone. The XM4 excels up close and at long range, has perfectly manageable recoil, and features strong enough base handling and mobility to achieve best-in-class flexiblity. To be fair, there are rifles that can be better optimized for extremely close or long ranges. This is the most balanced the class has ever been, and many weapons have standout ranges. The XM4, however, is neck-and-neck with the best of them in any fight you can find. From an all-around perspective, this remains one of the best Assault Rifles in Warzone. If you still want to give it a shot, check out the best Warzone XM4 loadout guide.
NZ-41
The long-range Assault Rifle meta in Warzone has always featured two dueling forces; fast-firing, low-damage, easy-to-use rifles pitted against slow-firing, high-damage, more skill-intensive rifles. Vanguard integration brings new top-tier options to both categories. The NZ-41 is the king of the latter, featuring monster damage that will remind Warzone veterans of the EM2 and CR-56 AMAX. If you’re the type of player who prefers these harder-hitting weapons, the NZ-41 should be your first pick in the new era of Warzone. The NZ-41 is particularly potent at mid ranges, where it is potentially one of the fastest killing weapons in the game. However, it does have one notable limitation; small magazines. The rifle’s default .303 caliber is its best for pure damage output but is limited to only 30 rounds. However, the caliber conversions feature capacities up to 45 rounds and are very close in damage. Plus, with such a slow rate of fire 30 rounds go farther than you might think. Regardless of your choice, the NZ-41 will perform like one of the best Assault Rifles in Warzone, especially with our top Warzone NZ-41 loadout.
C58
The C58 had its body shot multipliers completely removed shortly after it released, which knocked its body shot only time-to-kill down from best in class to fairly average. However, it still has decent range and a huge headshot multiplier. If you can land a headshot, the time-to-kill is great. If you hit two, it’s fantastic.
While the C58’s recoil is a bit high, it pulls almost straight up. That makes it fairly likely that you will hit at least one headshot in most gunfights. As long as you do that, the C58 can hang with the top dogs. If you want to try this heavy-hitter out, take a look at our guide to the best C58 loadout.
AK-47 (Cold War) - best close-range Assault Rifle
An AK-47 that’s actually good in Warzone. Rejoice! The Cold War AK has been a mainstay of sniper loadouts since Cold War integration. However, it’s actually quite competitive at longer ranges too. There are certainly more reliable options for 75+ meter beaming, but the AK-47 can absolutely hang with them. If you want a rifle that works at any range, the Cold War AK is nearly as felxible as the XM4. Up close though, the AK-47 remains king. Its damage, recoil, and mobility stats are all just flat-out too good for anything else to take the crown. Seeing as that’s been the case for nearly a year now, expect the Cold War AK-47 to remain the top sniper support AR at least until Vanguard integration later this year. We have a handy guide for each way to build this gun in our Warzone Cold War AK-47 loadout guide.
Automaton
The Automaton’s damage is, at best, not great. Of course, veteran Warzone players will recall many metas in which low-damage rifles dominated, from the Grau to the Krig 6. While the Automaton initially looked like the clear successor to these rifles, a nerf shortly after launch really messed with its recoil. The pattern went from smooth to extremely jumpy and has made the rifle much trickier to use. However, if you can get a handle on that recoil the Automaton still has a niche where it excels. The Automaton has absolutely colossal range. With the signature Anastasia Sniper barrel, it is nearly double that of every other Assault Rifle. So, if you can keep the recoil down at those extreme ranges, the Automaton can occupy a very unique niche, sitting between the end of the typical AR range and the near-edge of Sniper range. If you haven’t yet tried it, check out the best Warzone Automaton loadout guide.
FARA 83
The FARA 83 is on the rise again, and has re-established itself as one of the top Assault Rifles in Warzone. Like the XM4 and AK-47, the FARA 83 is very flexible. Its time-to-kill is excellent at every range, and a fairly flat damage profile makes for great consistency across different body parts. However, that consistency comes at a bit of a cost. The FARA’s headshot damage is fairly low, so its peak time-to-kill lags behind the top three options. Its average case is excellent though, and that has a ton of value. Check our FARA 83 Warzone loadout guide for more info on it.
QBZ
The QBZ has almost as little recoil as the Krig 6, but after nerfs to the Krig in the late Cold War era, the QBZ actually has superior DPS. A lot of people are sticking to the Krig because of comfort and consistency, but we’d argue the QBZ is the better gun once you adjust to it. If you’ve ever wanted to pick the QBZ up, now is definitely the time. The QBZ really isn’t difficult to pick up either. The recoil difference is barely noticeable, especially on keyboard and mouse. It has better ADS and movement speeds than the Krig. If you try the QBZ and just don’t like it then stick with the Krig, but you really ought to give the QBZ a shot. On paper, it’s just better. If you’re a first time QBZ user looking for build options, check out our guide to the best QBZ loadout here.
BAR
Here’s the thing with the BAR; it has almost the exact same damage profile as the NZ-41. Identical base damage, identical headshot multiplier, everything except the neck, where the NZ-41 hits harder. Except, the BAR also fires 100 RPM slower than the NZ-41’s already low 500 RPM. Under most conditions, the BAR just isn’t a justifiable choice over the NZ-41, at least on paper. What the BAR does have is a range advantage. You’ll get an extra 15 or so meters before the damage drops off, a gap that stretches further with the right attachments. That’s not insignificant on Caldera, where outdoor, mid-range fights abound. If you can stick within the BAR’s optimal range, it is potentially one of the better Vanguard ARs. However, that slice of dominance is too small to rank it any higher on our current list. Get your BAR ready to go with our BAR loadout guide.
AS44
I’m not seeing much discussion around the AS44 in the early days of the Pacific, but I think it’s primed to be a really excellent sniper support in Warzone. It is one of the fastest-firing ARs in the game and has attachments that play to some unique build types, including a possible hipfire focus. Where the AS44 may be found wanting is range and recoil control. Thankfully, you don’t need those in such large quantities on a close-range, sniper support build. It may not quite be the Cold War AK, but the AS44 is still a great rifle for close-quarters fights. It should make an excellent companion for your Three Line Rifle or Gorenko Anti-Tank Rifle.
Grav
The Grav came into Warzone with some problematic recoil. Thankfully, Raven Software addressed it quickly with a small buff. That combined with some fantastic damge makes for a killer rifle. The Grav’s recoil is still on the high end to be sure, but with some practice it’s manageable. If you can get a handle on it, the Grav drops enemies as fast or faster than all of the top-tier rifles. This is a gun that a lot of players will struggle with, but those who master the Grav will be richly rewarded. You can check out all the best Grav builds in our Grav loadout guide.
CR-56 AMAX
The CR-56 AMAX has seen nerf after nerf over the past year, yet it remains a solid long-range Assault Rifle in Warzone. Like many other Assault Rifles, the Season 4 Reloaded patch in 2021 made it take roughly an extra bullet to kill in most situations. That hurts on a slow-firing weapon, but the time-to-kill is still good if you can land a headshot. The AMAX is firmly out of the top two or three rifles, but it’s still a good long-range option. Unfortunately though, the Modern Warfare guns just can’t match the mobility of Cold War options. Stick to the long-range AMAX builds for now. If you’re wondering how to kit this gun out, check out our guide for the best CR-56 AMAX loadout in Warzone.
Krig 6
This highly accurate rifle has never had great damage output, but boy is it easy to use. The Krig’s recoil is practically nonexistent, which makes it more reliable and consistent than many of the other Assault Rifles that now have similar times-to-kill. This will remain a very powerful, popular choice in the new meta. Just keep in mind, ease of use is basically the Krig’s only advantage. Its damage is really subpar, especially after a couple of nerfs. Ease of use has a lot of value though. There’s a reason the Krig has been one of the most used Assault Rifles for months now. The average player will likely have more success with the Krig 6 than with many other Assault Rifles. If you’re a skilled player and willing to put some time in with a different Assault Rifle though, you might find better results elsewhere. If you want to deck out the Krig 6 properly, check out our Krig 6 Warzone loadout guide here.
Grau 5.56
This weapon has been an absolute laserbeam since it released. The damage is low, but the gap between the Grau and the top dogs has become significantly smaller with recent patches. With how easy the Grau is to keep on target even at extreme ranges, it should perform well relative to its nerfed competition. It also isn’t very attachment-hungry, so it does well as a Fully Loaded weapon to help restock after a death. This is another very easy to use weapon tha any player can find comfort with. Check out exactly how to kit this gun out with our Warzone Grau 5.56 loadout guide!
M4A1
The classic M4A1 has been slowly gaining ground in recent months. With hefty nerfs bringing many other weapons down to the M4’s level, I think this old standard will start to creep back into the Warzone meta. It’s flexible too, and works great both at range and as a sniper support. You won’t quite achieve the same movement speed as Cold War weapons, but you can get a lot closer than many other Modern Warfare guns. Like the Grau, you can drop an M4A1 attachment to get Fully Loaded too. We like it as half of a Fully Loaded Sniper loadout. For more on that, see our best Warzone loadout guide. For more standard loadouts, why not use our M4A1 Warzone loadout guide to help you out?
Groza
The Groza used to really struggle with recoil until it had an early horizontal hitch removed from its recoil pattern. The time-to-kill on the Groza has always been solid, and now it’s a bit easier to use. There are still better options at long range, but I think the Groza can be a really good sniper support right now. The recoil pattern is still a little tricky at long-range, but when you’re on target the Groza hits hard and fast. Those of you looking to try it out and shred enemies, give our Groza Warzone loadout guide a read.
FFAR 1
The FFAR finally had its reign of terror ended after a series of nerfs earlier in 2021. However, it’s still no slouch, continuing to boast a really strong time-to-kill if you’re okay with its recoil pattern and reduced mobility. It actually has some of the best long range damage output in Warzone right now - it’s just harder to keep on target than the competition. If you loved the old FFAR though, I’d give it another shot. You may find it’s due for a comeback. If you need a refresher, have a look at our Warzone FFAR 1 loadout for more.
RAM-7
While the RAM-7 lacks the mobility to compete with the Cold War sniper support Assault Rifle builds, it’s still one of the better Modern Warfare options. The time-to-kill is solid at most ranges, though it doesn’t currently stand out. Still, if you can manage the recoil and stick to more mid-range engagements, the RAM-7 is a decent choice. Like the Groza, the RAM-7’s range is only really limited by recoil. If you’ve got the skill though, it’s actually very good at long-range too. This is a higher skill weapon than its MW 5.56mm siblings, namely the Grau, M4A1, and Kilo 141. If you’re hitting your shots though, it has the highest potential ceiling. If you’re interested in running another Modern Warfare classic, check out our RAM-7 Warzone loadout guide.
M13
The M13 has always felt like a bit of a squirt gun at long range, but a slight buff to its minimum damage may help. Its recoil is low and its rate of fire is excellent. Even with the poor damage per shot, the M13 should be able to put enough rounds on target to compete with some of the nerfed options. If you want the accuracy of the Krig and Grau on something that can put more rounds down range, the M13 is a respectable choice.
Kilo 141
With the Kilo 141, you’re getting a similar amount of utility as the Grau and M4A1, but with lower damage at the longest ranges and a different recoil pattern. With its long time-to-kill, the Kilo isn’t a good choice right now. It does have one advantage, however; a 100-round magazine option. The attachment isn’t good, but it looks ridiculous. If you are trying to build a silly, goof-around loadout, a 100-round Kilo is a good option. If, however, you are looking to build a good version of this gun, our Kilo 141 Warzone loadout guide is here to help.
AS VAL
Historically, the AS VAL had ludicrous time-to-kill but fell short of meta guns due to magazine size and limited mobility. However, a damage nerf in 2021 really buried it. The TTK will still be great, but the AS VAL has gotten even harder to justify in an already limited role. It will probably take a major overhaul to Modern Warfare weapon mobility to really bring this thing back. You can still get something out of it in Solos, but in team modes you’re going to get killed while reloading far too much. The AS VAL is a personal favorite despite its shortcomings, so we still recommend you check out our AS VAL Warzone loadout guide and give it a try.
Itra Burst
Burst-fire weapons in Call of Duty are a polarized bunch. They are almost exclusively overpowered or outright bad, with the delay between bursts exacerbating any lack of damage. The Itra Burst largely falls into the latter category in Warzone. It just does not deal enough damage to compete with its peers at any range. However, it does have solid headshot damage and can hang with its betters with some pinpoint accuracy. Highly-skilled players may find some success, but most will struggle. The Itra is far from the worst burst-fire rifle we’ve seen in Warzone, but it’s no revival of the Cold War AUG and M16 meta either.
FAL
Though its time in the sun is long over, the FAL remained a decent choice if you could hit a couple of headshots due to an enormous headshot multiplier. Now that multiplier has been significantly reduced. We don’t think the FAL is bad necessarily, but it feels hard to justify over a DMR-14 right now.
Oden
This is a personal favourite. The Oden is a big time Marmite gun, and some people absolutely despise it. However, with its slow fire rate and ridiculous damage per shot comes a gun that can completely ruin enemies when you catch them trying to run somewhere. As long as you’re aimed already, the Oden chunks them down like no other, and it’s so satisfying to pull off once you master it.
FN SCAR 17
The Scar hits like a truck but continues to struggle to find a niche in the Warzone meta. High recoil holds it back over long-range, mobility holds it back up close, and a 30-round maximum magazine size cripples it everywhere. Even inside its best effective range, a Cold War AK-47 will kill faster with a bigger magazine and better mobility. There just isn’t much reason to run the SCAR.
AN-94
If you wanted a standard assault rifle, look elsewhere. The AN-94’s ‘hyperburst’ feature is its pièce de résistance, firing off its first two shots at an outrageous rate. If you can consistently land the hyperburst, the AN-94 does alright at close-to-mid-range. If you can’t, it falls well behind the competition. The AN-94 has one of the shortest ranges before its damage drops off among all Assault Rifles. This isn’t exactly the worst gun in Warzone, but it’s not particularly good. We have a best AN-94 loadout, so have a look and see if this gun is the off-beat pick to help you break the meta.
AK-47 (Modern Warfare)
The Modern Warfare AK has always struggled with a really bouncy recoil pattern. Sure, it feels great when you can get kills with it, but the reliability just isn’t there. The damage drop-off over range is also absolutely brutal. This one isn’t good for much other than a change of pace.
FR 5.56
“Maybe burst guns are good now”, I hear you say with regards to former the dominance of the AUG and M16 in Warzone. Alas, this is unfortunately not the case with the FR 5.56 assault rifle. This gun just feels left behind in the current Warzone meta. Personally, I suggest you avoid it.
Warzone Pacific Assault Rifle Stats
Below is a stat table for every Assault Rifle in Warzone. All of the basic damage and handling stats are covered, plus best and worst-case shots-to-kill for each bodypart. Use this as a helpful reference to compare the stats you want to prioritize in your Assault Rifle loadout. If you’re looking for stats on other weapon classes, visit our full Warzone weapon stats page for more! And there you have it! Hopefully now you’re a master of the Warzone Assault Rifles arsenal, and you’re ready to put your newfound knowledge to the test. But in case you’re still hungering for tips and stats, be sure to check out our other Warzone guides! We have a tier list of every primary weapon in the game, plus a list of the best loadouts for Caldera and Rebirth Island.
