Best Secondary Weapons In Black Ops 6

Key Takeaways

• Secondary weapons in Black Ops 6 are vital for a balanced approach and offer unique strategic advantages.
• Players must pick the right secondary weapon to suit their playstyle and understand its strengths and weaknesses.
• New secondary weapons like the Sirin 9mm offer unique benefits that can rival primary weapons in certain situations.

Building the perfect loadout in Black Ops 6 often starts with selecting the strongest primary weapons and perks, but secondary weapons are just as crucial for a balanced approach. These options aren’t just back-up; they provide players with unique strategic advantages, especially in tight scenarios where primary weapons might just fall short.

With only one secondary slot to fill and seven weapons to pick from (two of which being launchers), it’s vital that players have the right gun equipped to best suit their playstyle. Each one has its strengths and weaknesses, so understanding which situations might call for certain weapons can be the difference between winning and losing.

Updated December 5, 2024 by Charlie Champion: The first season of Black Ops 6 is underway, and its first event, The Hit List, has been completed. With it came new perks and scorestreaks for the community to earn, but the final unlock was a new secondary weapon, the Sirin 9mm. Its inclusion has made choosing a secondary even more difficult, but with the right information, players should be able to make the right decision for their loadout.

7 HE-1

A Free-Firing, High-Explosive Rocket Launcher

• Base Mags: 3
• Base Mag Size: 1
• Unlock Level: 19

The powerhouse of Black Ops 6 is without a doubt the HE-1 Launcher. This weapon excels at destruction and is best suited to blowing up enemy equipment and Scorestreaks. However, it’s important to note that the launcher has no locking-on capabilities, so players will need to rely on their manual aiming to have any chance of shooting an enemy UAV out of the sky.

Despite its explosive promise, it can be surprisingly weak against enemy targets, as a direct rocket is not guaranteed as a kill. Instead, players will need to use the launcher cleverly, such as in high-traffic areas or enemy-secured portions of the map. Partner the secondary with an Assault Pack to re-fill on rockets occasionally, and the explosions should show no signs of slowing down.

6 9mm PM

Reliable Backup For Fast-Paced Encounters

• Base Mags: 3
• Base Mag Size: 10
• Unlock Level: Immediate

The starting pistol is as reliable as ever this year-round, as the 9mm PM partners a high rate of fire with manageable recoil to produce a well-rounded secondary option. It’s ideal for finishing off opponents or engaging in close-quarter combat when a primary weapon isn’t immediately available, typically because it ran out of ammo mid-gunfight.

Its accuracy and ease of control allow players to confidently switch to the PM without sacrificing precision, though its damage-per-shot is slightly lower than other available sidearms. If relied on too heavily, players can easily get outgunned by stronger pistols and most primaries. Ultimately, it shines as a reliable secondary to get players out of a pinch, but it should be paired with a robust primary for the best results.

5 CIGMA 2B

Perfect Scorestreak Denial

• Base Mags: 2
• Base Mag Size: 1
• Unlock Level: Immediate

A Scorestreak’s worst nightmare is a homing missile, and with the CIGMA 2B equipped, players can rain on their enemy’s parade with ease. Though it’s more of a specialist weapon, the launcher suits those who like to focus on anti-vehicle and scorestreak operations. So long as players are careful during the locking-on process, they should face little resistance to destroying enemy aircraft.

Naturally, any loadout opting for a rocket launcher as its secondary requires players to rely heavily on their primary weapon during the majority of the match, as the rockets won’t be as effective on the ground thanks to their slower draw and reload speed. It’s definitely a situational pick, but it’s incredibly consistent in what it does.

4 Stryder .22

Trading Power For Speed

• Base Mags: 2
• Base Mag Size: 30
• Unlock Level: 40

Players looking for a nimble secondary should look no further than the Stryder .22 pistol; it’s widely favored for its large magazine, which is ideal for rapid gunfights or multiple encounters in quick succession. High handling stats also make it easy to switch to and from, further adding to its dependability.

What it has in speed and handling it unfortunately lacks in firepower, which explains the higher magazine size. Quick, successive shots need to be landed on enemies to reliably kill them, but if players are facing foes directly with any other primary or secondary, it’s highly likely they’ll get outgunned. Ideally, this pistol is used to either finish enemies off or catch them by surprise when they think the player’s out of bullets.

3 GS45

A Pistol That Packs A Punch

• Base Mags: 3
• Base Mag Size: 10
• Unlock Level: 28

No other pistol offers as great a firepower as the GS45, and for that reason alone, it’s one of the best secondary options in Black Ops 6. With such a quick time-to-kill, it’ll only take a few shots for players to drop an enemy, though it needs to be at a reasonable distance, as the damage drops off fairly quickly.

Perhaps one of the best benefits of equipping a pistol is the added maneuverability players get. Partner this with the new omnimovement system, and players can zoom through maps at a blistering pace, all whilst taking shots with such a powerful sidearm.

2 Sirin 9mm

Pocket-Sized Tanto.22

• Base Mags: 3
• Base Mag Size: 40
• Unlock Level: Free Community Reward

Though it went down to the wire, the Hit List Event was finally completed as the community collectively netted 50 billion kills. Their reward was the Sirin 9mm, and it’s certainly a prize worth the grind. It’s the first special weapon in the game, and it might surprise some players that it’s even a secondary weapon at all!

The Sirin 9mm bears plenty of similarities to the Tanto.22 SMG, thanks to its slow but damaging automatic fire rate. If players can make their shots count, the secondary can easily rival plenty of primary weapons. However, in more hectic gunfights where the player has to rapidly switch to their secondary, they might prefer a quicker weapon in those frantic moments.

1 Grekhova

A Secondary As Good As A Primary

• Base Mags: 3
• Base Mag Size: 20
• Unlock Level: 13

The Grekhova pistol is widely regarded as the best secondary weapon in Black Ops 6, thanks to its fully automatic fire rate and impressive accuracy for such a fast-firing pistol. It’s exceptional in close to mid-range encounters, and it can even outgun plenty of primary heavy hitters in the right circumstances.

What truly sets it apart, though, is its accuracy. It experiences very little recoil, especially when it’s partnered with a weighted stock, which can transform it into a surprisingly accurate hip-fired machine. The combination of speed and precision makes it a formidable choice for anyone with an aggressive playstyle, and if the right perks are partnered with it, then players can build a loadout ready to dominate any online lobby.