Avoid this popular Warzone SMG if you want to win games

The Season 2 update in Black Ops 6 and Warzone brought in a number of changes, particularly to multiplayer and Zombies, but the battle royale meta has changed pretty significantly too – and the once-dominant Jackal PDW SMG simply isn’t the gun it was before.

After being the go-to SMG in what became a fairly stale XM4/Jackal meta that persisted since November, Season 2 has given several different weapons a new lease of life.

While the XM4 assault rifle is still popular and a solid pick, you can now do some serious damage with the best AK-74 class or even this underused Goblin Mk 2 which is starting to show real signs of dominance.

On the SMG side of things, though, for those close-quarter gunfights, the Jackal is now no longer the best pick, with several guns ahead of it – and persisting with the former meta weapon for any longer will definitely cost you wins.

In the S2 patch notes, the Jackal PDW received notable damage range nerfs, in particular to its short and medium ranges, as well as a reduction in bullet velocity, and the multipliers for both upper torso/arm and lower torso, causing a damage drop off that many players will have noticed.

Not only that, but Aim Down Sight (ADS) and Sprint to Fire times were made slower too, negating many of the positives that made the Jackal so powerful.

So, if you’re still using it, you’re likely putting yourself at a disadvantage – but what are the replacements?

Best Jackal replacements after nerf

C9

In our opinion, there are three SMGs that you could replace the Jackal with and do better, really opening the meta even more.

The first is the C9. In the Season 2 update, it received some damage and damage range buffs, as well as faster ADS and sprint to fire times, a bullet velocity increase, and a leg multiplier hike from 0.9x to 1x. Here’s how we build ours:

Dexerto

• Muzzle: Compensator
• Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
• Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
• Magazine: Extended Mag II
• Rear Grip: Ergonomic Grip

PPSh-41

The latest SMG in the class, the PPSh has returned to Call of Duty and immediately found itself atop the meta rankings. Here’s how we deck out our best PPSh class:

Dexerto

• Muzzle: Compensator
• Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
• Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
• Magazine: Extended Mag II
• Fire Mods: Recoil Springs

KSV

The KSV is another gun that received buffs to its damage range, giving it a little more medium range firepower. It was also given a quicker ADS and sprint to fire time, as well as a jump in bullet velocity.

Here are the attachments we recommend:

Dexerto

• Muzzle: Compensator
• Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
• Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
• Magazine: Extended Mag II
• Rear Grip: Ergonomic Grip

Obviously, this list isn’t exhaustive, and it also doesn’t take into account certain factors such as your specific playstyle or what you’re comfortable with.

For example, the PPSh has a faster TTK than the Jackal up close, but the TTK does drop off fairly significantly after around 20m, after which all of the above SMGs outrank it, according to stats from TrueGameData.

Ultimately, the Jackal is still a decent gun – but you’re going to be putting yourself at a disadvantage if you keep using it as a do-it-all type sub.

We recommend at least trying out the other options and seeing if any of them really gel with your playstyle. Maybe you like being aggressive on Rebirth Island and are always getting in players’ faces, in which case the PPSh excels.

Alternatively, the great balance of the C9 might appeal to you more, being less dependent on your AR at medium to long ranges. Regardless, it’s worth seeing which you prefer before committing to one.