The Best Warzone 2.0 STB 556 Loadout | An SMG/AR Hybrid

Before Warzone 2 launched, when we could only test these weapons in MW2, the STB 556 was absurd. It had faster sprint-out-times than SMGs. Not on the same level, no, it was actually faster! That's just illogical for an AR. Now, when Warzone 2 was released, they did actually implement some balance changes that increased it's sprint-out to be the same as SMGs. But even if it's not as fast as it once was, to have an SMG-level sprint-out time on an AR still makes the STB incredibly effective as a short-range AR.

To be clear, you cannot use this as a long-range option, but as a sniper-support style AR, the STB is fantastic. If you're still interested in levelling an AUG for Warzone, you can find the current meta attachment setup below.

• If you're looking for a weapon that's closer to the "hard-meta", here are the very best weapons in Warzone 2.

The Best Attachment Setup For The STB 556 In Warzone 2

As we said above, our focus here is on maintaining that great handling and mobility, to make this able to compete with SMGs in close-range. The only attachments that are going to slow us down are the muzzle brake and the extended magazine, but we need at least 42-rounds for anything other than solos, and the muzzle brake does a huge amount of recoil mitigation for a relatively low cost, so we feel that it's an efficient tradeoff.

For optics, we've gone for our favorite 1x, the Slimline Pro (which you'll remember as the G.I. Mini Reflex from MW2019). Any 1x or 2x will do well here, but we wouldn't advise going up to 3x or greater with a short-range AR build.

• If you need to grind some weapons for these attachments, here's a link to buy Modern Warfare 2.

The Best Loadout For The STB 556: Secondary, Perks & Equipment

Secondary: RPK

Alarm bells will be ringing for many of you, "why the hell have they chosen to take an AR with an LMG, they'll never have enough ammo". But in Warzone 2 we can of course stow ammo in our backpack beyond the max of 210, so this is a non-issue. Also, standard AR/LMG/BR ammo is quite plentiful on Al Mazrah, so finding sufficient supplies won't be an issue.

Now we've addressed that possible concern, here's why we chose an RPK. The RPK, especially with the build above, is one of the most controllable and effective options for long-range, and in Warzone 2 there's almost nothing that can compete with it besides the RAAL, the Lachmann-556, and possibly the M13B. So get it levelled if you haven't already!

• You can find a complete loadout guide for the RPK here.

Perks (Base, Bonus & Ultimate)

In Warzone 2. 0 we have to choose a pre-made perk package, which, if we want to play Overkill, can only be Weapon Specialist.

Yep, we're forced to pick pre-made perk packages. For Overkill, as you can see, we need to take pretty rubbish perks in other slots. Strong Arm is very situational compared to other base perks, Spotter is weak for the same reason, and players can get the benefits of Survivor in Warzone without even needing the perk. Still, we have to do what we must for Overkill.

• Best Settings For Gyro-Aiming In MW2 & Warzone 2

Equipment (Lethal & Tactical)

There are lots of great options here, but we tend to recommend the Semtex because it's effective against vehicles and infantry, and it's easy to use for all skill levels. And in the tactical slot we've gone for Flash grenades as these are frankly broken in MW2 and Warzone 2 right now. Seriously, they will complete blind opponents and have a huge radius of effect.

If you're looking for other weapons to use instead, or to pair with the STB, you can find a complete tier list of every weapon in Warzone 2 here.