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The best loadouts in Call of Duty: Mobile

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Call of Duty: Mobile is one of the best mobile first-person shooters we’ve ever played, and a large reason for that is the game’s commitment to replicating what makes the consoles and PC games so addictive. This includes not only the feel of the combat and maps that resemble their big siblings but also a battle Royale mode and a progression system that encourages you to play to unlock the latest gear. But how do you make the ideal custom character? Use our Call of Duty: Mobile loadout guide to design one that best fits your playstyle.

Further reading

Designing your first loadout

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Your very first loadout in Call of Duty: Mobile will be constructed with the help of Simon “Ghost” Riley in the game’s tutorial section, so you won’t be able to miss it. Start the basic training section as he commands, and once you have completed that, you will be able to go into the loadout screen from the main menu and equip the M4 assault rifle.

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Your first loadout will not include a full assortment of weapons, perks, and equipment. These will gradually be unlocked as you gain a higher overall level through multiplayer, so jump into some Team Deathmatch or Frontline matches and get to shooting baddies. Once you have unlocked the first few perks, go back to the loadout screen and slot them into place. There is no benefit to going into battle without perks and equipment, and it will only take reaching level 2 before you can use the frag grenade.

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How to make the best loadout

Call of Duty: Mobile features a ton of different weapons and abilities to choose from, and as such, there is no single perfect loadout that will dominate the enemy team. Instead, you need to choose items that complement each other to fit your own playstyle.

If you have an assault rifle, for instance, and are a trigger-happy player, then you’re going to want to opt for extended magazines over the fast-draw magazines. Likewise, stealthy players should equip a suppressor on their weapons, while more aggressive players should not, as it comes with a damage penalty. Snipers shouldn’t choose an Operator Skill like the flamethrower Purifier that requires you to be close to your targets as well but should also have a capable pistol for emergency situations.

Below, we’ve outlined an ideal class that is great for learning the ropes and can be obtained with a few hours of play. Over time, you can swap things in and out to fit your own style:

  • Primary weapon: M4 with holographic sight, extended magazines, foregrip, and laser sight.
  • Secondary weapon: MW11 with extended magazine and suppressor.
  • Lethal equipment: Sticky grenade.
  • Non-lethal equipment: Flashbang.
  • Operator Skill: Scythe mini-gun.
  • Perk 1: Fast Recover.
  • Perk 2: Vulture.
  • Perk 3: Dead Silence or Hardline.
  • Score streaks: Predator Missile, UAV, Care Package.

Not only is this loadout well-rounded and built for aggressive players, but it is also perfect for those who play alone. With perks like Fast Recover and Vulture, you will be able to survive when away from your teammates and have plenty of spare ammunition, and the extended magazines on your main weapons will give you enough firepower to kill more than one enemy before reloading.

If you fancy yourself a more aggressive player who wants to get right into the action, this is another great early game loadout to try.

  • Primary weapon: MSMC submachine gun with FMJ, fast mag, foregrip, and stock.
  • Secondary weapon: Knife.
  • Lethal equipment: Frag grenade.
  • Non-lethal equipment: Flashbang.
  • Operator Skill: Purifier.
  • Perk 1: Agile.
  • Perk 2: Ghost.
  • Perk 3: Hardline.
  • Score streaks: UAV, Hunter Killer Drone, Airdrop.

This loadout encourages you to rush headfirst into the action with a fast-firing, high-damage gun plus a knife to quickly dispatch any enemy unlucky enough to get too close. Agile will make sure you always get the drop on your enemies, along with Ghost keeping you off their radars, and Hardline will get you to your Scorestreaks that much faster.

If you are playing with friends, it can help for you to all take different roles instead. If everyone uses an assault rifle or submachine gun, you will have trouble taking out distant enemies. Should one player use a sniper rifle instead, however, it will give the others more opportunities to push up and get into range with their own weapons.

You will initially be limited to one loadout slot, but this will increase to five after your level has increased slightly, and you can switch between loadouts before respawning in multiplayer matches.

Unlocking new gear

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To unlock new weapons, equipment, and perks in Call of Duty: Mobile, you’re going to have to gain experience points through multiplayer matches. There isn’t a linear path for doing this to get the weapon you want as quickly as possible. Instead, every weapon has a set player level you must reach before it is unlocked. If the assault rifle you have an eye on requires level 75, you are going to have to go with something else in the meantime.

What you can do to help expedite the process, however, is wait for double XP events. Check the home screen and look for a double XP icon on the top of the page. If it’s there, you will earn twice the experience for your multiplayer sessions that you would have otherwise.

Leveling up your weapons

Leveling up weapons you already own is what is necessary to unlock different attachments for them. When you first unlock a new gun, you’ll be limited to its iron sights without any fancy magazines or foregrips to help with aiming. By using the weapon in battle, you will increase the weapon level, eventually hitting a maximum level and unlocking all available attachments for the weapon.

Using the weapon isn’t necessary to increase its level, however — you can also use special weapon XP cards. To use any you have, select the Upgrade button after choosing a weapon in your collection, then use the arrows to add as many of your available cards as you like.

To get more weapon XP cards, continue playing Call of Duty: Mobile as you normally would, and open the care packages you will occasionally be awarded for signing in on any given day. You can also claim the rewards in the free section of the battle pass on the main menu to occasionally receive one.

If you choose to spend real money and buy Call of Duty Points, the cards are also available directly from the in-game store.

Getting cosmetic items

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Getting and using new cosmetic items in Call of Duty: Mobile is a bit more complicated than things like weapons and equipment because there are a ton of different ways to do so. We’ve outlined them below so you can avoid paying real money as much as possible when making your ideal character in the game.

Claim free rewards: As you complete certain challenges in Call of Duty: Mobile — across multiplayer and battle royale — you will be eligible for certain cosmetic rewards from the battle pass. You do not need to pay to access some of these rewards, and if you go to the battle pass page from the main menu and select the tab with an alert icon, you’ll be able to claim everything you’ve unlocked. We received things like sprays and new colors for grenades using this method.

Complete events and open crates: Exclusive battle crates are your reward for consistently entering and engaging in the game to execute the events that are up at any given time. On the main menu, you can click on the events, and you will be able to claim the rewards based on how much you’ve completed and what you’ve earned. From there, open the battle crates on the loadout screen for a chance to receive a cosmetic item. 

Spend Credits: As you continue playing Call of Duty: Mobile and accumulate Credits, you’ll eventually have enough to spend on cosmetic items in the store. Credits will grant you certain objects in limited windows of time, but they will help you save you Call of Duty Points by allowing you another outlet for acquiring different weapon skins.

Spend Call of Duty Points: No one wants to go this route, but if there is a particular skin you want, you might have to bite the bullet and spend the premium Call of Duty Points. The only way to acquire these is by spending real cash, and for guns, you will be looking at about $10 minimum for a single skin. You want to get your money’s worth for these skins, so you should check to see if they will guarantee an in-game improvement to make it worth the expenditure.

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Gabe Gurwin
Gabe Gurwin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Gabe Gurwin has been playing games since 1997, beginning with the N64 and the Super Nintendo. He began his journalism career…
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Overkill - Level 24
For such an early Wildcard, Overkill is quite a powerful choice. This card lets you equip any weapon (except melee weapons) in your Primary and Secondary slots instead of the ones typically reserved for each. That means you can build a loadout with two Primary weapons and be far more versatile on the battlefield. Instead of having to trade off range, damage, rate of fire, mobility, or any other aspect of your game, you can cover almost all your bases by picking two Primary weapons that cover each other's weaknesses.
Prepper - Level 45
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Danger Close - Level 38
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Quick Revive
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Speed Cola
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Stamin-Up
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PhD Flopper
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Elemental Pop
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Melee Macchiato
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