The best Black Ops 6 guns to use in Season 2

The best guns in Black Ops 6 Season 2 are absolute workhorses, topping our lists because they’re powerful, consistent, reliable, and feature heavily in the meta right now. Season 2 has added the Cypher 091, the PPSh-41, and the Feng 82, but do any of them do enough to feature in our list of the best guns in Black Ops 6? Spoilers: yes. We’ve tested each and every gun in the game to discover the best loadouts, along with identifying exactly what the top performing guns are in multiplayer. From assault rifles and SMGs, to sniper rifles and shotguns, we’ve included at least one gun from every primary weapon category. If you’ve played a Call of Duty game before, some of these will feel very familiar — and that’s because, as usual, plenty of these guns are almost identical to prior inclusions, albeit with a different name. Here’s our ranking of the top ten best guns in the Black Ops 6 meta as of Season 2. Black Ops 6 best guns in the Season 2 meta [Image: https://platform.polygon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/black-ops-6-best-guns-meta.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] The best guns in Black Ops 6 right now are: - Krig C (assault rifle) - XM4 (assault rifle) - Cypher 091 (assault rifle) - Jackal PDW (SMG) - AS VAL (assault rifle) - PPSh-41 (SMG) - Tanto .22 (SMG) - LW3A1 Frostline (sniper rifle) - AEK-973 (marksman rifle) - Saug (SMG) We’re well and truly in an assault rifle meta right now, with the three best guns in Black Ops 6 in Season 2 falling under that category. The Krig C has shifted up to the top after placing fourth in our previous update, while the XM4 has reclaimed one spot to take the silver medal. The Cypher 091, one of the brand-new guns in the game, sits in third place thanks to how ridiculously accurate it is. Last season’s champion, the Jackal PDW, is still the best SMG in Black Ops 6, but that only grants it the fourth spot in this list. Then it’s back to assault rifles with the AS VAL rounding out the top five. Season 2’s second new gun, the PPSh-41 SMG, absolutely destroys enemies when you can get up close and personal, so that’s why it takes the sixth spot, with the slower-firing Tanto .22 SMG behind it in seventh. Finally, we have a little more diversity at the backend of the list, with the LW3A1 Frostline taking the crown of the best sniper rifle, and the AEK-973 — which was in second place in our previous rankings — comes in ninth, as the best marksman rifle. Finally, the Saug SMG rounds out the top ten. The XMG LMG and the Marine SP shotgun are no longer in the 10 best guns in Black Ops 6, as of Season 2. There’s more on each selection below: 1. Krig C (assault rifle) [Image: https://platform.polygon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/black-ops-6-best-guns-krig-c.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] Choosing between the Krig C and the XM4 is mostly down to personal preference because they both fill the same role, but since the Krig C is the new and exciting gun with the latest season, why not take it for a spin? Everything we said above for the XM4 applies here: It’s a gun that can perform in every situation, so the best Krig C loadout focuses on that. You’ll want to try and manage the recoil with attachments such as the Ported Compensator, Vertical Foregrip, and Recoil Springs, as all of these contribute to the accuracy. Stick on a Long Barrel for the extra damage range and voila! You’ll have a laser beam that will decimate enemies at range. 2. XM4 (assault rifle) [Image: https://platform.polygon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/black-ops-6-best-guns-xm4.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] When it comes to jack-of-all-trades, you can’t look further than the XM4. We have the best XM4 loadout covered in a separate guide, but what you’re getting with this gun is your bog standard assault rifle that can do everything. Fighting through hallways and tight corners? Posted up behind cover? Running and gunning? The XM4 is your weapon, especially when you factor in that it unlocks at level four. It doesn’t truly excel at any one thing, but what that means is you will want to kit it out to deal with any situation. A decent optical sight is a necessity, then we’d recommend going for attachments that improve the damage, range, and recoil control. A foregrip is essential, as is the Long or Reinforced Barrel when you unlock them. 3. Cypher 091 (assault rifle) [Image: https://platform.polygon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/black-ops-6-best-guns-cypher-091.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] Much like the old adage about buses, strong assault rifles in Call of Duty always arrive in threes, right? The Cypher 091 is very similar to the XM4 and the Krig C in that it’s another assault rifle that can perform every job, but its major strength lies in its lack of recoil. Our guide to the best Cypher 091 loadout covers exactly how you should build the brand new Season 2 assault rifle. Thankfully, the iron sights on the Cypher 091 are pretty decent so you don’t need to opt for an optical sight, and when you pair that with the fact you only need a touch more recoil management, buff the damage range, then you can whack on the Rapid Fire mod to absolutely shred through foes with ease. You just need to complete page eight of the Season 2 battle pass to unlock it. 4. Jackal PDW (SMG) [Image: https://platform.polygon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/black-ops-6-best-guns-jackal-pdw.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] While the Jackal PDW has been nerfed slightly since its domination during the first weekend of the beta, it’s still the strongest SMG and the best gun in the game overall. Our best Jackal PDW loadout is the build you want to use with this fast-firing SMG, because it will shred your enemies to pieces up close, and if you utilize the attachments we recommend, you’ll be running and gunning without aiming down the sights whatsoever. However, it isn’t unlocked until level 43 so you’ll need to wait a little while before kitting it out. For the most part, you want to use a laser (the Steady Aim Laser or Fast Motion Laser will do the job) alongside the CQB Grip and No Stock. This will make the Jackal PDW an absolute machine up close. For the final two attachments, we’d recommend one of the two Fast Mags, the Ranger Foregrip, the Short Barrel if you’ve leveled the gun up high enough, or the Suppressor. 5. AS VAL (assault rifle) [Image: https://platform.polygon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/black-ops-6-best-guns-as-val.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] The AS VAL is an interesting assault rifle because it has a built-in suppressor by default. This makes it perfect for those of you who like to keep a low profile when playing, but it also excels in Search & Destroy as opposed to respawn modes, thanks to how slow the pace is. It’s a solid assault rifle choice though thanks to how much damage it puts out. You don’t unlock it until level 55 though, so it’s a bit of a grind. You don’t want to be running and gunning with this gun though. You should be playing slowly and methodically, aiming around each corner and using cover. The goal should be to compete at mid-long range with it, so pick attachments that contribute towards that such as the Reinforced Barrel, Vertical Foregrip, and Recoil Springs. We’d also strongly suggest picking an Extended Mag; without it, the AS VAL only has 20 bullets per magazine. You can read more about our picks in our best AS VAL loadout guide. 6. PPSh-41 (SMG) [Image: https://platform.polygon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/black-ops-6-best-guns-ppsh-41.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] The other brand new gun from the Season 2 launch that finds its way onto our list of the best guns in Black Ops 6 is the PPSh-41, a familiar face for anyone who has played any of the World War II-set Call of Duty games. It’s an absolute machine up close, but it does have a lot of recoil, so our guide to the best PPSh-41 loadout in Black Ops 6 takes advantage of that, maximizing your mobility options. To unlock it, you must complete page six of the Season 2 battle pass. When you’ve got your hands on it, you should kit it out with attachments that enhance its mobility and firepower, such as the Short Barrel, Light Stock, and Strelok Laser. While you may be tempted to kit it out for mid-range engagements, we don’t recommend it because it shines when you lean into the up close and personal nature of it. 7. Tanto .22 (SMG) [Image: https://platform.polygon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/black-ops-6-best-guns-tanto-22.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] The Tanto .22 is an interesting pick because while it is an SMG, it fires incredibly slowly compared to most. It makes up for this shortcoming with the amount of damage it deals, though, so while it’s not great up close and personal and will be outperformed by any SMG with a faster fire rate, at a slightly further distance this thing is a monster. You can get your hands on it at level 16. Our Tanto .22 loadout goes into more detail about how to build this weapon out, but in summary, you want to lean into the above by going with the Ported Compensator to manage recoil, then aim to have the rest of your attachments buff both recoil and mobility. The Ranger Foregrip is a strong choice, as is the Commando Grip and Balanced Stock. Finally, we’ve opted for an optical sight, but any red dot or holographic will do the job. 8. LW3A1 Frostline (sniper rifle) [Image: https://platform.polygon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/black-ops-6-best-guns-lw3a1-frostline.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] The best sniper at the moment is the LW3A1 Frostline, a bolt-action sniper rifle with more mobility and handling than its contemporaries. While you can kit this sniper out to play slowly and pick enemies off from afar, it’s better suited to the quickscoping style of play, especially since Black Ops 6 is a fast-paced shooter. It’s also the first sniper you get, so you’ll have it as soon as you reach level four. You want attachments that will improve the mobility even further, so go for a mid-range scope — our recommendation is the Dobrych 4x — and the Muzzle Brake to help manage recoil and reset your aim. The Short Barrel, Commando Riser, and Light Stock attachments all help with mobility further so you can aim down the sights quicker, move faster, and bring your gun up from sprinting quicker. 9. AEK-973 (marksman rifle) [Image: https://platform.polygon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/10/black-ops-6-best-guns-aek-973.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] Unlocked at level 34, the AEK-973 can tear through enemies with one burst if you’re lucky, and reliably with two. You need to be able to land your shots so focus on managing the recoil, but once you do, the AEK-973 is perfect for playing slowly, tactically, and making your way around the map methodically. We’d recommend the Ported Compensator and Reinforced Barrel attachments to assist with taking enemies out at range, along with the Vertical Foregrip to manage the horizontal recoil. The Commando Grip, on the other hand, buffs the aim down sight and sprint to fire speed so you have a little more mobility. An optical sight is necessary due to the poor iron sights on the gun, but the one you go for is personal preference - we like the Accu-Spot Ultra Holo due to the 3x zoom and unobstructed view. 10. Saug (SMG) [Image: https://platform.polygon.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2024/11/black-ops-6-best-guns-saug.jpg?quality=90&strip=all] The other gun added with Season 1 (alongside the Krig C), the Saug is essentially a mini Uzi. It’s an SMG that will delete enemies up close, but the damage range falls off pretty quickly, not that you’d be able to land many shots at a distance anyway thanks to the heavy recoil. For that reason, our best Saug loadout recommends using the Akimbo Saug attachment, so you can dual wield two of them simultaneously. You’ll want Overkill so you can also equip a primary weapon better suited to long distances, but this means that with a laser and some recoil-managing attachments, you’ll be hipfiring your way to the big leagues. You just need to stay mobile and get as up close and personal as you can. Other loadouts we can recommend are the AMES 85 and the AK-74, plus it’s worth an honorable mention for our best C9 loadout suggestion. The MP5-inspired SMG isn’t worthy of inclusion on this list, but it is still very strong with the right attachments, and deserves your time once you’ve exhausted the Jackal PDW. Elsewhere, we have explainers on maps and Double XP, as well as guides for the campaign, including safehouse puzzles and safe code locations.