The Strongest Assault Rifles In CoD: BO6

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 offers a wide selection of weapons and modifications to satisfy every playstyle. Whether you’re a long-range marksman with a sniper rifle or a close-range behemoth with a shotgun, the game has it all. Yet, automatic weapons are, by far, the most popular category in Call of Duty’s history, and assault rifles lead the charge in this class.

With seven assault rifles in Black Ops 6, this class has the highest number of weapons than any other. Each AR specializes in certain categories while trailing behind in others, creating a fairly balanced environment where every rifle is viable in multiplayer. However, if you’re looking for the best of the best, there are only a few options here that stand out.

7

Goblin Mk2

Unlock Requirement: Level 46

The Goblin Mk2 is definitely the black sheep among its AR brethren, as it’s more of a semi-automatic rifle. As such, it comes with the highest single-shot damage and the lowest recoil out of any assault rifle in Black Ops 6, but at the cost of having the slowest fire rate.

There are a lot of extremes to the Goblin Mk2, but that doesn’t make it appealing as an AR. Although it has a quick time-to-kill, hitting a fast-moving target with it is overwhelmingly tricky, especially indoors. The insufferable fire rate is a major drawback, making it nearly unusable in some small and medium maps.

6

GPR 91

Unlock Requirement: Level 28

To put it simply, the GPR 91 is easy to control, but the weak stats overall make it highly inconsistent. The GPR is great for finishing off injured enemies since it has the fastest ADS, and its vertical recoil is generally tame and controllable. Unfortunately, it has the slowest time-to-kill out of any AR, forcing it to lose several sudden firefights.

The GPR 91 is arguably the only assault rifle that regularly loses mid-range engagements when facing other ARs. TTKs for quick weapons are historically tough to eliminate with attachments, so you’ll often rely on flanking enemies or catching them off guard to get kills—a weak selling factor.

5

AK-74

Unlock Requirement: Level 10

Any FPS player will tell you that the AK-47 is the most popular assault rifle in gaming, so a lot of players will be looking to use its Black Ops 6 counterpart, the AK-74. Unfortunately, this weapon has a few fundamental problems, for which you’ll need to test out several attachments and builds.

The AK-74’s monstrous damage output makes it exceptional at close range and a beast if you can hit those headshots. However, the weapon is extremely challenging to use, and in most other departments, like ADS and reloading time, it’s just slow. The poor iron sight also means you must reserve an attachment slot for optics.

4

XM4

Unlock Requirement: None

If you’re someone who likes to play with a safe and vanilla weapon, the XM4 is easily your best bet. It has decent stats across the board and doesn’t fall short in any meaningful category. Since it’s the first assault rifle you get, there’s a high chance you might unlock all its attachments first, so it automatically takes the lead in progression.

The XM4 is about as basic as you get since it’s the Black Ops 6 version of the popular M4. This is the class’s baseline weapon to which every other AR is compared, and its ease of use, coupled with a decent time-to-kill, make it plausibly the most accessible weapon in its category.

3

AS VAL

Unlock Requirement: Level 55

In many ways, the AS VAL feels the complete opposite of the AK-74—it’s extremely quick regarding reloading speed and ADS, has a manageable bullet spread, and is easy to use overall. However, the damage output and range hold it back, since you need to dump roughly seven bullets to kill an enemy afar.

Because the damage-per-bullet is so low, you might find yourself reloading the AS VAL quite often. This could force you to lose a firefight in some cases, which is why the extended magazine attachment is a must-have. Aside from that, the AS VAL is a strong weapon designed to go on smaller maps.

2

AMES 85

Unlock Requirement: Level 19

Having one of the best effective ranges and TTKs, the AMES 85 stands out as the strongest all-around AR in Call of Duty Black Ops 6. It feels like a stronger version of the XM-4, with better DPS, lower recoil, faster bullet velocity, and slightly better movement speed.

The AMES 85 has the most practical iron sight in its class, making it the least likely to require an optical attachment. It remains consistent across all maps and ranges, and once you pair it with an extended mag, you get a weapon that’s ideal for multi-kills.

1

Model L

Unlock Requirement: Level 40

No other assault rifle is as devastating and dependable in mid-range engagements as the Model L. Similar to the AK-74 and AEMS 85, it has an outstanding effective range, but unlike those two, the Model L neither has a low TTK nor is a slow weapon. It combines the best of both worlds—brute-like damage and quick speed.

Its only minor drawback is the iron sight, which you easily cover up with a strong optical zoom. Besides that, this weapon may take some time to get used to, but in multiplayer and especially zombies, the Model L is a powerhouse worth the effort.