Not only is the M4 one of the most familiar and reliable Assault Rifles on offer, it’s also the first AR you unlock in Warzone 2.0, and it’s a very powerful gun to boot. In fact, it’s a strong contender for the best Assault Rifle in Warzone 2. In this guide, we’ll show you the five attachments you need to make your M4 build as strong as it can possibly be. With our best Warzone 2 M4 loadout in your capable hands, your enemies will be hard-pushed to keep up with your extreme DPS and fire rate at medium ranges. On this page:
Best Warzone 2 M4 loadout attachments M4 loadout secondary weapon M4 loadout alternatives Best Warzone 2 M4 class setup: Perks and Equipment
Best Warzone 2 M4 loadout attachments
In the wide open environments of Warzone 2 it’s best to kit your M4 loadout out for range as much as possible. This we’ve done with the above attachments, which sacrifice a bit of mobility and handling speed to drastically reduce the M4’s recoil and give you the easiest time locking onto and mowing down enemies. The best Warzone 2 M4 loadout attachments are:
Muzzle: XTEN Havoc 90 (Unlock at Kastov 545 lvl 8) Barrel: Hightower 20" Barrel (Unlock at M4 lvl 15) Underbarrel: FTAC Ripper 56 (Unlock at Lachmann-762 lvl 6) Ammunition: 5.56 High Velocity (Unlock at STB 556 lvl 7) Optic: SZ Holotherm (Unlock at PDSW 528 lvl 12)
In Warzone 2.0, to unlock all the available attachments for a gun, you need to spend some time levelling up other weapons as well. Even after maxing out the M4 at Level 20, there will be plenty of attachments you still haven’t unlocked, because you must play with certain other weapons to gain access to them. In the list above we’ve detailed exactly which guns you need to level up, and to exactly which rank, in order to unlock the best M4 attachments for our loadout. The Hightower 20" Barrel is the longest Barrel available to the M4, and perfect for a loadout which seeks to extend range as much as possible. Not only does it boost the M4’s effective range and bullet velocity, but it also reduces recoil, making it very easy to land shots at longer ranges. We’ve combined it with the XTEN Havoc 90 Muzzle attachment for even greater horizontal recoil, and as a result the recoil pattern goes more or less straight up, with only a slight deviation to the left after about half the magazine is gone. The FTAC Ripper 56 is present in a great many of our gun guides, giving us great value in the form of even more recoil control. And all it costs is a very minor reduction to ADS speed and walking speed. On the whole, it’s well worth it to help turn the M4 into a laser-accurate rifle. The whole idea is to make this M4 loadout as easy as possible to use at its maximum range, so we’ve also supplied it with the 5.56 High Velocity rounds, which significantly boost bullet velocity. Don’t worry about the in-game description that the 5.56 High Velocity mod reduces damage range; after testing and research we’ve found that the reduction to damage falloff ranges is minimal, and the greatly increased bullet velocity significantly outweighs this tiny drawback. Finally we’ve opted for the SZ Holotherm, one of our favourites out of all the Warzone 2 Optics on offer for the M4. But you can of course choose whichever sight you personally prefer if, like us, you find the M4’s default ironsights to make things a little too difficult for accurate mid-range fighting. With these five attachments equipped, this M4 build starts to rival even the STB 556’s extreme accuracy over mid-to-long ranges, which is exactly what you need for the larger-scale fights of Warzone 2. Despite the high fire rate, the M4 is extremely controllable with this loadout, and it’s very easy to down enemies in competitive times.
Best Warzone 2 M4 loadout secondary weapon
You’ve got an excellent mid-range option with this M4 loadout, so the choice is yours as to whether to pick a close-range or a long-range gun as your secondary weapon. If you want close-range, we’d recommend either the Expedite 12 for its extreme damage at close range, or one of the best SMGs in Warzone 2 like the FSS Hurricane or the Lachmann Sub. Both these SMGs are very powerful in close quarters and can help to mitigate the M4’s close-range limitations. Alternatively you can go for a full sharpshooter loadout and supply yourself with an Victus XMR or a Signal 50. Both of these weighty rifles are among the best Sniper Rifles in Warzone 2, and they’ll allow you to deal tremendous damage to enemy squads over long ranges, while the M4 is also there to keep you mobile and able to handle yourself at closer ranges.
Best Warzone 2 M4 loadout alternatives
This M4 loadout makes for a very formidable Assault Rifle in Warzone 2.0, but if you don’t get on with it particularly well or you want a gun which excels in a different area, then there are several options to choose from. The STB 556 is our pick for the best Assault Rifle in Warzone 2 thanks to its extraordinary accuracy, which allows it to outrange the M4 and others with ease. On the other end of the spectrum is the Kastov-74U, which sacrifices range for greater handling and an amazingly good damage profile. For full details be sure to consult our Warzone 2 weapon stats tables, where you can see just how much damage per shot the Kastov-74U deals compared with the M4.
Best Warzone 2 M4 class setup: Perks and Equipment
To turn this into truly the best Warzone 2.0 M4 class out there, you need to select the right Perk Package and Equipment as well as the right guns and attachments. Here are our recommendations for the perfect M4 class setup:
Perk Package: Specter Perk 1: Double Time Perk 2: Tracker Bonus Perk: Spotter Ultimate Perk: Ghost Lethal Equipment: C4 Tactical Equipment: Stun Grenade
By far the best Perk Package to choose for your M4 loadout is Specter, which contains the four Perks Double Time, Tracker, Spotter, and Ghost. Ghost is an incredibly useful Perk for later on in a Warzone 2 match, when everyone is going to be using UAVs and Heartbeat Sensors to locate their opponents. Ghost keeps you off the radar in this regard, allowing you to stay on the move and find the right angles with your long-ranged M4. Double Time also helps you with staying on the move, doubling the duration of your Tactical Sprint and increasing your crouched movement speed. The first helps with positioning, and the second can be vital for giving you the upper hand in a race-to-zero-health gunfight. Tracker and Spotter are less specifically useful for this M4 loadout setup, but they can definitely be a help to you when it comes to scouting out enemy whereabouts and general goings on around you, so they’re also welcome Perks to have as part of your M4 build. As for Equipment, we’d recommend picking up some good old fashioned C4 as your lethal option. It’s a fantastic choice for disabling vehicles, trapping rooms, and forcing opponents to rethink a push so you can have time to heal up and reposition. You can pick more or less anything you want for your Tactical Equipment slot, although we are fans of the Stun Grenade. It’s simple and easy to use, but utterly debilitating for any enemy hit by this quick-action Grenade, giving you some much-needed extra help in close quarters situations where the M4 might start to suffer. Combining all the above attachments and knowledge with your capable hands, dear reader, we’re sure you’ll end up earning more than a few victory royales with the best M4 loadout in Warzone 2. If you want a larger overview of the current weapon meta and where the M4 resides in it, then check out our Warzone 2 best guns tier list. You can also learn about other weapon classes with our guides on the best Shotgun, best LMG, and best Marksman Rifle in Warzone 2. Activision Blizzard are currently the subject of a number of legal actions, labour disputes and allegations of workplace harassment. Rock Paper Shotgun will continue to write about these issues, as well as covering Activision Blizzard games as part of our commitment to cover subjects of interest to our readers. The latest news can always be found under our Activision Blizzard tag.
