The best Combat Knife loadout in MW2

By Sam Hill December 8, 2022

Sometimes, bringing a knife to a gunfight is the right call. While Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II allows players to pick from a long list of assault rifles, submachine guns, shotguns, and more, there’s one unique weapon choice that will surprise your enemies on the battlefield and is a surprisingly capable warfare tool: the Combat Knife.

Instead of entering the warzone with heavy gear, equip a Riot Shield and use the secondary Combat Knife as your main weapon — with the right tactical gear and perks, you’ll be a menace in battle.

More on Modern Warefare II

The best Combat Knife loadout in MW2

Combat Knife loadout in MW2. — Image used with permission by copyright holder

This Combat Knife loadout is all about speed and stealth. You’ll switch to your Combat Knife as soon as the match starts, putting the Riot Shield on your back to protect you from enemies who spot you. You want to always be mobile, aiming to flank your opponents and catch them off guard. You might be able to get a kill or two during a frontal assault, but you’ll be able to string together an impressive kill streak if you can come in from behind and tackle groups of enemies when they least expect it.

If there’s a gap between you and an enemy that spots you, hit them with the Throwing Knife. This will take a bit of practice, but it’s absolutely lethal (and humiliating for your target) once you get it down.

You should be popping the Dead Silence upgrade throughout every match — boosting your speed and making you completely silent – but the Inflatable Decoy can come in handy if you want to set a trap or on objective maps.

Primary	Riot Shield
Secondary	Combat Knife
Tactical	Smoke Grenade or Stim
Lethal	Throwing Knife
Base Perk 1	Double Time
Base Perk 2	Tracker
Bonus Perk	Cold Blooded
Ultimate Perk	Ghost
Field Upgrade 1	Inflatable Decoy
Field Upgrade 2	Dead Silence

Editors' Recommendations

Gaming Guides Editor

Sam Hill is a journalist and the gaming guides editor at Digital Trends. He's also written tech guides for Input and has…

Gaming

The best weapons in Remnant 2

Three characters shoot at a boss in Remnant 2.

While your own personal skill can compensate for a weak weapon in most Souls-like games, including Remnant 2, it is never fun to spend way longer than you need to in fights because you can't output enough damage. Unlike most traditional games in the genre, Remnant 2 features a heavy emphasis on firearms, though there still are plenty of viable melee options. Despite guns not typically having a ton of stats, these have just as many variables to consider for your build as any Dark Souls weapon does, not to mention how it changes with upgrades. Some weapons can be bought, but most you will find and craft by exploring the ever-changing world and completing quests. No one wants to waste precious materials investing in a gun that ends up being useless by the endgame. So, where are the best weapons worth your time in Remnant 2?
Cube Gun

This handgun is easily one of the most powerful you will find in Remnant 2. It is a special weapon, meaning it comes with a mod called Cube Shield, hence the name of this gun. By default, the Cube Gun deals 15 damage, shoots at 7.5 RPS, and has a magazine size of 5 which is all very strong for this weapon type. The mod, however, is why this gun earns its spot on this list. By using Cube Shield, you will create a shield around your character for 15 seconds and absorbs up to 800 damage at level 1. If that wasn't strong enough, if you activate the mod a second time while active, it will send the shield out as a projectile to deal damage to any enemy it hits, with the more damage it has absorbed until then adding to the damage it deals.

Gaming

The best weapon mods in Remnant 2

A knight with a gun in a burning square.

Even the best weapons in Remnant 2 will feel weak if you don't upgrade them with mods. These don't just give passive buffs like upgrades, but add entirely new functions to your weapons that can completely change the way you approach combat. While there are a bunch of unique weapons that come with exclusive mods you can't remove or otherwise get to put on other guns, most weapons have a slot for you to place whatever mod you want in them. Just like anything else in Remnant 2, mods aren't given away for free. You will need to go out exploring dangerous areas and take down challenging bosses to unlock them. With over 50 mods to find and try out, we'll save you the time and materials you'd waste experimenting with them all and list off the best weapon mods in Remnant 2.
Remnant 2 best weapon mods
Astral Burst

Let's start off with a great crowd-control option. Astral Burst can be your get-out-of-jail-free card in plenty of overwhelming situations. When activated, you will shoot off a shotgun-like blast of seven star fragments that each deal 35 damage. That may not sound like much, but these fragments can bounce off of walls up to three times, with each bounce increasing the damage dealt by 35%. Making the most of this means doing some quick geometry and aiming to your target after at least a bounce or two, but if you can pull it off, you'll feel like a genius.

Gaming

The best weapons in Modern Warfare 2: every gun ranked

Soldiers running in Modern Warfare II.

Your performance in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has a lot to do with the weapon you come equipped with. Sure, a skilled player can excel with most weapons in the game, but having the best firearm for any given situation will lead you to more victories -- regardless of your playstyle. Modern Warfare 2 has around 50 primary weapons across seven categories, each with different stats, strengths, and weaknesses.

The meta in Call of Duty games shifts constantly as weapons are added and tweaked, so it's always a good idea to stay on top of the latest updates. In this guide, we'll rank each primary weapon in Modern Warfare 2 across all categories (with the exception of the Riot Shield). This ranking is in descending order, with the first spot being the best and the last spot being the worst. We'll also link to loadout guides for the weapons on this list so you know exactly which attachments to use.
Assault rifles