Call of Duty: Vanguard best weapons: top guns for multiplayer

As a first-person shooter, it’s no shock to learn that guns are the bread and butter of Call of Duty. The latest entry in the long-running series - Call of Duty: Vanguard - has plenty of weapons in its arsenal at launch, but which ones are the most effective in the heat of battle? 

Below, we’ve rounded up the best Call of Duty: Vanguard weapons that you’re going to want to have in your arsenal in multiplayer. It’s worth noting, however, that the meta for these weapons is constantly changing, so while these are the best guns at launch, this could change.

So read on for the Call of Duty: Vanguard weapons that are most effective in battle right now.

STG44 (Assault Rifle) 

Assault rifles have always been the ‘all-round’ weapon class for shooters, so if you’re new to the game (or series) and you want a solid gun that packs a punch without handling like a fireman’s hose, you can't go wrong with the STG44. Available from the start, the STG44 offers a decent-sized default magazine and a strong rate of fire. It does have a bit of kick to its recoil, but it’s very effective at medium range, reliable at long range (as long as you swap out the muzzle and stock for reduced recoil) and great in close-quarters encounters.

MP40 (Submachine Gun)

Much like Call of Duty: WW2 before it, some of the strongest and most reliable weapons in Vanguard’s arsenal are its SMGs and LMGs. The MP40 is the all-rounder of the submachine gun class, offering a very high rate of fire without heavy recoil. It has a fast ADS speed, making it ideal for players who like to sprint into a firefight. It does chew through its standard magazine though, so be sure to level it up and swap it out for a beefier magazine option. It’s also slightly overpowered at the moment in terms of damage output so enjoy it before it’s nerfed.

KAR98K (Sniper Rifle)

If you’ve played even a handful of CoDs over the years, you’ll know all too well the power (and the dread) that the KAR98K brings to the table. It’s a real powerhouse of a sniper rifle, delivering a solid magazine size, a swift ADS time and a damage output so high that you can hit other players practically anywhere on the body and claim a one-hit kill. This makes it ideal not just for players who want to deal death at a distance in Blitz-sized maps, but those who want to get up close and personal with some dirty no-scope kills. 

DP27 (Light machine gun)

While the MG42 and the Type 11 are both solid light machine guns, there’s only one king of the LMG hill in Vanguard right now: the powerhouse that is the DP27. While the meta could change, the DP27 currently has the most bang for your virtual buck. It has an insanely high damage output, a large magazine (even at its default setting), and once you utilise Gunsmith to swap in attachments that reduce its high recoil and improve its ADS speed, you’ve got the sort of gun that’s ideal not just for consistent suppression, but a perfect means of holding objectives.

Double Barrell (Shotgun)

While the Combat Shotgun was an absolute beast in CoD: WW2, it plays second fiddle to the Double Barrell shotgun in Vanguard. Even at its default setting, this shotgun is a real game-changer on smaller, Tactical-sized maps. It only has two shots before needing a reload, and it’s only marginally effective at mid-range, but chuck on a 16 Gauge magazine, a Wilkie Huntsman barrel and a Mark VI Skeletal underbarrel, and you can control that recoil and add some much-needed range to really dominate at speed.

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