Best Black Ops 6 guns to level up before Warzone Season 1

Liam Mackay
warzone player using black ops 6 lr 7.62 sniper rifle and xm4 assault rifle in area 99 map

Warzone integrates with Black Ops 6 on November 14, bringing all the new guns to the battle royale. BO6 has some great choices, so this is sure to mean a new meta. 

Although your level will be reset when the new season arrives, your weapon progress will remain. So, while you’ll have to unlock these weapons again, by grinding multiplayer you can be ready to equip the meta attachments straight away. 

Here are the BO6 guns we recommend leveling up before Warzone integrates.

Best BO6 weapons to level up for Warzone integration

  • C9 – SMG
  • PP-919 – SMG
  • XM4 – Assault Rifle
  • Model L – Assault Rifle
  • AK-74 – Assault Rifle
  • AS VAL – Assault Rifle
  • XMG – LMG
  • PU-21 – LMG
  • LR 7.62 – Sniper Rifle
  • Tsarkov 7.62 – Marksman Rifle

C9 

c9 smg in black ops 6

The C9 is the first SMG you unlock in Black Ops 6 but don’t let that put you off, it’s one of the best guns in the game. Although a couple of the other SMGs kill faster at point-blank range, the C9’s jack-of-all-trades nature lets it shine. 

It kills fast, is easy to use, mobile, and has great iron sights. Paired with one of the long-range Assault Rifles or LMGs on the list, you’ll be running an extremely dominant loadout. 

PP-919

pp-919 smg in black ops 6

Although the PP-919 is let down by its slower TTK, its huge magazine size and low recoil more than make up for it. Warzone players have 300 HP when fully plated so you’ll need to use a lot of bullets to take down multiple enemies, and this SMG will let you do that. 

With a 64 Round Magazine by default, you can concentrate your attachments on improving its mobility, recoil control, and damage while still being able to take down multiple foes before having to reload. 

XM4

xm4 assault rifle in black ops 6

You’ll want to be armed with something to use right from the get-go, and the XM4 is the perfect choice for your low-level loadouts. 

Low recoil with a decent time to kill and mobility, you’ll never really feel underpowered with this classic Assault Rifle in your hands. There are better options in the later levels, but it’s hard to go wrong with this fan-favorite. 

Model L

model l assault rifle in black ops 6

The Model L is essentially a better version of the XM4. Although having identical time to kill, the Model L is easier to use and has slightly higher bullet velocity by default, an all-important stat for the long-range battles across Warzone. 

I’d recommend using the XM4 until you have the Model L unlocked, then simply swap it out for this slightly better version while maintaining the same overall look and playstyle. 

AK-74 

ak-74 assault rifle in black ops 6

The AK-74 behaves almost exactly as you’d expect – high damage caveated by slightly more challenging recoil. Luckily in BO6, its recoil isn’t too difficult to control and has a rapid time to kill. 

With attachments to control recoil it could completely take over the medium to long range meta but considering its close-range TTK, I wouldn’t be surprised to see players build a mobile AK loadout to use as sniper support. 

AS VAL

as val assault rifle in black ops 6

Back in Verdansk, the AS VAL was an extremely popular sniper support weapon thanks to its blistering fire rate and rapid time to kill. It’s returned in Black Ops 6 and is set to take that crown once again. 

It has a close-range TTK better than some SMGs but doesn’t have that same damage dropoff, meaning you can use it in plenty of situations and still see success. Verdansk returns in Spring 2025, so this fan-favorite returns at the perfect time. 

XMG

xmg lmg in black ops 6

Thanks to their huge mag sizes, LMGs are the perfect long-range guns for Warzone – as long as their damage, bullet velocity, and recoil control are up to scratch. Luckily, the XMG ticks all of these boxes. 

While its lower mobility hasn’t put it among the best guns in multiplayer, Warzone’s wide-open spaces will allow this fast-killing LMG to shine, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see it become the meta.  

PU-21

pu-21 lmg in black ops 6

It’s a toss-up between the PU-21 and XMG as both LMGs kill faster than meta ARs but are most effective at slightly different ranges. The PU-21 kills faster up to 45 meters then the XMG kills much faster up to 61 meters. Beyond that, the PU-21 takes over again. 

I’d recommend trying both and seeing which one you prefer. While the XM4 has a bigger magazine by default and is slightly easier to control, the PU-21’s firepower could give it the edge depending on your playstyle. 

LR 7.62

lr 7.62 sniper rifle in black ops 6

Apart from that time when they couldn’t one-shot headshot, Sniper Rifles have always been dominant choices in Warzone. The LR 7.62 is by far the best sniper in Black Ops 6 and that should be true for battle royale as well. 

With high damage and the best bullet velocity among the snipers, there’s no reason to go for anything other than the LR 7.62 when sniping in Warzone. 

Tsarkov 7.62 

tsarkov 7.62 marksman rifle in black ops 6

Long-time Warzone players will remember the DMR meta and if we see it again, my money’s on the Tsarkov 7.62. I can’t recommend it over any of the other guns on this list but if a single-shot weapon ends up dominating, this Marksman Rifle will be a solid choice. 

Although it has a slower fire rate than the Swat 5.56, it hits hard. With one-shot headshots out to 35 meters, clipping the head will make that TTK plummet. Even when hitting chest shots, it maintains a best-in-class TTK. 

How to level up weapons fast in BO6

The quickest and easiest way to level up guns in Black Ops 6 multiplayer is to equip the Dispatcher and Bankroll Perks for bonus XP, then play objective-based modes like Hardpoint, Domination, and Kill Confirmed

Getting kills around the objective or collecting tags gives you much more XP than playing normally so you’ll fly through the weapon levels. You can also check out everything we know about the next Double XP event and how to level up fast overall. 

And those are all the guns we recommend leveling up before Season 1 on November 14. Just bear in mind the patch will bring weapon balance changes so while these might not be the absolute meta on the day, they’ll serve you well as you climb the ranks and unlock the other weapons included in the Battle Pass.

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