Best C9 loadout in Black Ops 6 beta: Class setup, attachments, perks

Thanks to a buff, the C9 has everything needed to become the best close-range weapon in Black Ops 6, and that’s why we’ve put together the ultimate loadout guide, complete with attachments, perks, and much more.

Treyarch listened to community feedback and nerfed the Jackal PDW’s damage range after the powerful SMG outclassed ARs during the first beta weekend. With that in mind, if you’re looking for a new SMG to take its place, look no further than the C9.

Best Black Ops 6 C9 loadout

• Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
• Underbarrel: Ranger Foregrip
• Magazine: Flip Mag
• Rear Grip: Quickdraw Grip
• Stock: Infiltrator Stock

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With this loadout, we focused on improving firepower and mobility without losing the signature balance that makes this weapon so popular in the first place.

To start, we recommend using a Reinforced Barrel because it improves damage range and bullet velocity, making medium-range engagements more manageable.

Next up, the Ranger Foregrip tackles two glaring weaknesses at once by improving sprinting and movement speed and horizontal recoil.

For our magazine, Flip Mag also helps mobility by addressing aim-down sight and sprint-to-fire speeds. This attachment does slightly reduce the magazine ammo capacity but improved reload quickness and other movement buffs make the tradeoff worth it.

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This loadout would be nothing without the Quickdraw Grip, which provides a massive boost to aim-down-sight speed.

And to round out our build, the Infiltrator Stock improves movement when aiming down sights. Players can use an optic if they like, but the C9 has an easy-to-use iron sight that provides a clean sightline with little obstruction.

Despite Rapid Fire being a popular attachment for most loadouts during the beta’s first weekend, the gunsmith initially didn’t show that the improved fire rate came at the cost of vertical and horizontal recoil.

A faster fire rate would be nice, but the C9 struggles with horizontal recoil, so I would stay away from this attachment even though it’s tempting.

Best C9 Perks, Equipment & Combat Specialty

Enforcer is the best Combat Specialty in Black Ops 6, at least for SMGs. After getting a kill, this specialty grants a temporary buff to movement speed and health regen rate, both useful for pushing players and chaining kills together.

To get these benefits, you’ll need to use the following perks and equipment on your C9 loadout:

• Wildcard: Perk Greed
• Perk 1: Assassin
• Perk 2: Gung-Ho
• Perk 3: Double Time
• Perk 4: Ghost
• Lethal: Semtex
• Tactical: Stim Shot
• Field Upgrade: Trophy System

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For attachments, a concerted effort was made to address every C9 weakness. But for our Perks and equipment, we strictly focused on improving mobility and staying off the mini-map while you go on long flanks around the map.

Accomplishing that goal starts with choosing Enforcer Perks, as equipping three perks under the same Combat Speciality category activates a special ability. Using Perk Greed grants an extra Perk slot, so it shouldn’t be an issue to reach the required threshold.

In this case, the Enforcer Combat Speciality grants a temporary buff to movement speed and health regeneration rate, which will come in handy when you are trying to weave and out around multiple enemies at once.

The same applies to Gung-Ho and Double Time as one increases the duration of tactial sprinting, while the other reduces the movement penalties while reloading and also makes it possible to reload while tactical sprinting.

Both perks used in tandem, allow operators to freely run around the map and get into multiple gunfights without ever needing to slow down.

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Omnimovement revolutionized movement in Call of Duty and arguably made SMGs the game’s best class, now that players can sprint and dive in every direction right in front of an enemy.

With that in mind, Dexterity is essential as it reduces weapon motion while sliding, jumping, and diving, meaning you will be able to shoot while doing these actions easier.

To round out our equipment, Ghost comes with the benefit of being undetectable by radar pings and UAVs. Lastly, the Stim Shot heals wounds and refeshes tactical sprint, which is perfect for aggressive players and Semtex Grenades are the ideal tool for flushing an enemy out from behind cover.

C9 SMG pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Impressive accuracy	Slower mobility and handling than other SMGs
Well-rounded but not dominant in any category	Well rounded but not dominant in any category
Fast close-range time-to-kill speed	High horizontal recoil
Easy to use iron sight

Where is the C9 in the Black Ops 6 meta?

The C9 finds itself in a precarious position as a jack of all trades but a master of none. Other SMGs have better handling and mobility, while other options deal more damage.

After the September 6 update, both SMGs have a similar medium damage range of around 26 to 27 meters. Entering the second beta weekend, the C9’s pick rate experienced an uptick to just over 10%, making it the third most popular weapon in the game according to WZStats.

The XM4 only beats out the SMG by 0.56%, while the Tanto .22 ranks first at 10.97%, although that could be skewed by the excitement of it being a new weapon. We fully expect a shift in popularity, and the stats agree.

Since the C9’s 246-millisecond time-to-kill speed bests the Jackal PDW’s 264 ms time in the first damage range, we expect the C9 to become one of the best weapons in Black Ops 6 and possibly the best of its class.

How to unlock the C9 SMG

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The C9 is unlocked as soon as you get access to custom loadouts at level 4, making it one of the easiest guns to unlock in the beta. Simply play a few games to reach the required level, and you’ll be able to use the SMG in your classes.

Black Ops 6 C9 alternatives

If you don’t like the C9, the Jackal PDW and Tanto .22 will be the best alternative options. Despite getting nerfed, the Jackal still shreds through enemies up close and personal and boasts class-leading mobility and handling.

Meanwhile, the Tanto .22 offers a refreshing change of pace, as the SMG fires much slower than other class options but packs a devastating punch in medium-range gunfights.

And for a better idea of which other weapons stand out so far, check out our Black Ops 6 weapon tier list.