Underused Warzone SMG might be better than most meta weapons

Connor Bennett
Warzone character running with an SMG

Warzone might have a pretty set meta at the moment, but there are plenty of under-the-radar weapons that are worth giving a bit of love to, and that includes the recently introduced TEC-9. 

When Warzone first launched, the battle royale’s meta was constantly in flux. Snipers were the go-to weapons, then it was LMGs, and a whole host of assault rifles also got their moment in the sun.

In recent seasons, the meta has become a little bit more stale – much to the annoyance of some players – but there are plenty of players who are willing to experiment with something new.

As a result, we’ve seen that the LMGs – particularly the FiNN and MG 82 – have ridiculous TTKs (Time to Kill) that match those of the meta weapons. Now, a spotlight has been shone on the TEC-9.

Best Cold War TEC 9 SMG class loadout: Attachments, perks, setup
The TEC-9 finally arrived in Call of Duty with Cold War.

The TEC-9, iconic in other FPS titles, was introduced to Warzone with the start of Season 5. Players were quickly concerned about it, given how powerful similar akimbo weapons have been, but it’s slid down the usage charts.

According to WZRanked, it’s currently the 37th most-used weapon in the battle royale, but as TrueGameData shows, that probably should be the case. The YouTuber has shown that the vastly underrated SMG has a better TTK than some of the most-used weapons in the game – blowing away some of it’s SMG rivals.

One slight knock on the TEC-9 is that it does fall slightly behind both the MAC-10 and Bullfrog in some aspects of speed but it holds its own against other meta picks.

TrueGameData TEC-9 Warzone loadout class

  • Muzzle: Full Auto Repeater
  • Laser: Tiger Team Spotlight
  • Optic: Microflex LED
  • Underbarrel: Field Agent Grip
  • Ammunition: Salvo 48-round Fast Mag

Using the biggest magazine possible is key for SMGs, and only having a 48-round mag might be a bit of an eyebrow-raiser for some, but if you hit your shots, that won’t matter.

The TEC-9 simply melts the competition and is well worth using at least once, just to see if it could become a full-time thing. We’ll have to wait and see if it starts shooting up the popularity charts.