Warzone Season 3 long-range meta: JGOD’s best loadouts to replace AMAX

Call of Duty: Warzone’s resident community analyst, JGOD, has examined the best long-range gun loadout classes that could replace the AMAX when it gets nerfed during Season 3.

Following Warzone’s Season 3 buffs and nerfs, the CR-56 AMAX has become the dominant meta at long range while secondaries see a ton of variety. That may soon change, though, as Raven Software has announced upcoming nerfs to the AMAX (as well as some other guns).

For those who want to be prepared for a post-AMAX world, or simply for those who want to go against the grain and play something other than the AMAX right now, JGOD has some options. The popular Warzone YouTuber has tested the viability of 11 different assault rifles and light machine guns at range.

Working through a spreadsheet that details time-to-kill (considering shot placement, recoil, rate of fire, and bullet velocity), JGOD irons out some interesting options to consider at range. While the meta will depend on patch details, these lead to some quality options.

JGOD’s 5 best Warzone Season 3 long-range loadouts

First things first, JGOD eliminates six guns from Modern Warfare and Black Ops Cold War that are “very good,” but simply don’t compete: the Kilo, AN-94, M16, FiNN, M13, and PKM. That leaves him with 11 different ARs and LMGs to consider, but five stand out:

• Bruen MK9 (LMG, MW)
• Grau 5.56 (AR, MW)
• Krig 6 (AR, MW)
• M4-A1 (AR, MW)
• Stoner 63 (LMG, BOCW)

Looking at JGOD’s spreadsheet, it’s obvious that the AMAX is in a tier of its own in terms of TTK. But, recognizing the importance of recoil, strong guns like the XM4, RAM-7, and AK-47 (BOCW) are all tossed aside as long-range options because of how hard they are to control.

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Conversely, the FARA 83 is relatively easy to control for a BOCW AR, but gets shelved because it’s expected to be changed when the AMAX is. That leaves us with the aforementioned five options, each with their own pros and cons.

Best post-AMAX Warzone primary: Stoner, M4, or Krig?

As you can see in the TTK comparison chart from TrueGameData, these guns all perform at intriguing, unique levels. This data, which is factors in slightly different considerations, should be taken as complementary to JGOD’s statistics. Nonetheless, it reinforces that the AMAX is elite — but interestingly, even without the nerfs, the Stoner seems to actually outperform it in TTK from about 37 to 57 meters. 

But, for players who prefer more mobility and an easier reloading time, the M4 is very intriguing. With comfortable recoil and quality damage, the nostalgic AR actually performs very similarly to the Stoner while out-classing every other AR up to about 45 meters.

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As JGOD emphasizes, there’s a difference between real TTK and practical TTK. His spreadsheet demonstrates changes to TTK depending on headshots, which ties into how easy it is for a player to control their gun.

As such, while the Stoner and M4 stand out as viable options after the AMAX gets nerfed, the Krig and Grau each deserve consideration if you prefer their recoil patterns. When the nerfs do come in, we’ll be on top of the news and upcoming meta. Until then, test these guns out and complement them with some of JGOD’s favorite close-range options.