The best STG44 loadouts in Call of Duty: Warzone

Following the Call of Duty: Vanguard integration into Warzone, players have over 40 additional WWII-themed weapons to choose from. As expected, a variety of these have found their way into the Warzone meta, including the STG44. This is one of the starter assault rifles that holds its own, even against top-tier weapons like the Bren, Cooper Carbine, and BAR. The nice thing about the STG44 is its versatility, excelling up close, at long-range, and even as sniper support.

But which loadouts should you use with the STG44? After all, there are so many different ways to build the weapon, it can get overwhelming when looking at the options. Thankfully, we’ve got three essential STG44 loadout recommendations for you to use in Warzone for various play styles.

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STG44 overview

As always, let’s dive into an overview of the STG44, with a detailed breakdown showing how it compares to other assault rifles. To be frank, the STG44 is nowhere near the best weapon in the game, but its versatility is what makes it shine. This assault rifle falls somewhere in between the likes of the Cooper Carbine and the AK-47 (CW), with a competitive time to kill (TTK) across various distances.

The STG44 doesn’t excel much until after around 30 meters, though, you can absolutely deck it out to perform well up close. According to TrueGameData, the STG44 has a TTK of around 850ms if you hit all chest shots at around 30 meters, putting it right around the median TTK for assault rifles. Though, given how easy it is to control, you’ll be able to consistently achieve this TTK when compared to other weapons like the AK-47 (CW), which are much harder to control.

Bottom line: The STG44 might not look remarkable on paper, but considering its low recoil and versatility, you shouldn’t ignore it.

Long-range

Recommended build:

First, let’s dive into the best STG44 build for long-range, which will serve you well on Caldera or Rebirth Island. This is a setup that will emphasize recoil control, accuracy, and range, allowing you to secure eliminations at dozens of meters away.

Start by using the F8 Stabilizer Muzzle. This might be surprising, but you’ll have a much easier time controlling your weapon due to this attachment’s accuracy and damage range boost. It does hurt your sprint-to-fire speed and hip-fire accuracy, but both of those cons are practically non-issues with this build. Then, go with the VDD 760mm 05B Barrel for a boost to damage range, reduction to scope sway, and a boost to accuracy and control. This is key for the long-range setup. After that,  pick an Optic you’re comfortable with, preferably something with at least 2.5x zoom like the SVT-40 PU Scope 3-6x. This attachment actually improves your accuracy, which is a huge bonus.

Since this is a ranged build, we highly recommend using the VDD 27 Precision Stock for additional horizontal recoil control and faster aim down sights (ADS) speeds. This will make the weapon easier to control. Speaking of control, it’s best to use the Carver Foregrip Underbarrel in this case, as it boosts recoil control and hip-fire accuracy. Next is one of the keys to this build and that is the 8mm Kurz 60 Round Drum Magzine. It might be tempting to go with the .30 Russian Short 45 Round Mags or even the 7.62 Gorenko 50 Round Mags, but both of those should be avoided for long-range. the 8mm Kurz gives you plenty of ammo without hurting your recoil control.

To improve your bullet velocity, it’s essential to select the Lengthened Ammunition. This makes your bullets reach your opponents faster, preventing you from having to lead your shots as much. After that, we suggest the Polymer Grip Rear Grip, which gives you better flinch resistance and improved accuracy and recoil control during sustained fire. For your Perk, it might be tempting to use Vital, since it increases torso damage, but this doesn’t actually reduce the number of shots to kill, so it’s best to use Sleight of Hand instead. This perk allows you to reload faster. Finally, equip Fully Loaded for Perk 2 for max starting ammo.

Perks

When it comes to perks, it’s hard to go wrong with E.O.D., which boosts your damage resistance to explosives. This is typically more consistently useful than Quick Fix and since this loadout is more so built for range, you’ll likely be able to take cover much easier than with a fast-paced class setup. Then, our go-to is almost always Ghost, which keeps you from appearing on the enemy’s minimap during UAVs and on Heartbeat Sensors. Since this is a ranged setup, we highly suggest Combat Scout, allowing you to automatically ping enemies you damage. This makes it easy to consistently shoot through surfaces.

Equipment

As usual, we almost always recommend using Molotov Cocktails as your Lethal Equipment, since they can deal tremendous fire damage and cause burning over time. As for Tactical Equipment, we highly suggest the Heartbeat Sensor, allowing you to see all non-Ghosted players within a 50-meter radius. This isn’t as useful during the later portion of a match but can be super effective for the first half.

Close-range

Recommended build:

Even though the long-range build is what most players gravitate towards, you can actually convert the STG44 into an SMG with the right attachments. This setup prioritizes mobility, fast rate of fire, and ADS speeds, making it easier to secure eliminations up-close.

Swap over to the Recoil Booster Muzzle for an enhancement to your fire rate. While this does hurt your accuracy, you’ll actually be able to take down opponents faster. Just make sure you don’t try to use this weapon past 20 meters or so because it’ll be significantly harder to hit your shots. To boost your fire rate even further, equip the Krausnick 220 Rapid Barrel. Once again, this will hurt your accuracy, but this shouldn’t impact you too much up close. From there, we like using the Slate Reflector Optic, giving you 1.35x magnification without hurting your ADS speed.

When using a close-range weapon, the Removed Stock is always a solid choice since it improves movement speed, sprint-to-fire speed, and ADS speed. From there, switch to the M3 Ready Grip Underbarrel, which gives you faster ADS speed, sprint-to-fire speed, and aim walking movement speed. This will make the weapon feel more like an SMG up-close. Then, we advise going with the 7.62 Gorenko 50 Round Mags Magazine type for better recoil control, movement speed, ADS speed, and fire rate. You’ll be unstoppable within 15 meters or so. We also recommend using Incendiary Ammunition for this since it deals slight damage over time. This does hurt your bullet velocity, which is not a problem with a close-quarters class setup.

From there, equip the Leather Grip for better ADS speeds and aiming stability, making the weapon feel even more like an SMG. Keep the two Perks from the previous build: Sleight of Hand for faster reload speeds and Fully Loaded for max starting ammo.

Perks

With this build, we like using Quick Fix since you’re more likely to come across multiple enemies up close. This perk allows for immediate health regeneration after you secure an elimination, which comes in handy when facing off against multiple enemies back-to-back. After that, it’s hard to overlook using Ghost, but you can also go with Overkill to bring a long-range rifle or sniper along with you. Then, use Amped to allow for faster weapon swap speed.

Equipment

You’ll be using this weapon in close-quarters scenarios, so it makes sense to utilize Throwing Knives to finish off downed opponents without wasting ammo. Likewise, Stun Grenades are excellent for giving you the upper hand when you anticipate a gunfight, as they temporarily concuss and immobilize your opponents. Of course, Heartbeat Sensors are fantastic as well.

All-around

Recommended build:

For the final build, we’ll be leaning into one that holds its own from afar and up close, giving you the best of both worlds. This is sort of a hybrid between the previous two loadouts, with improved ADS times, recoil control, and suppression.

We suggest equipping the Mercury Silencer Muzzle with this loadout, giving you sound suppression and improved recoil control. This will keep you from appearing on the enemy’s minimap while firing. Then, it’s best to switch to the VDD 760mm 05B Barrel, which gives you more accuracy, reduced scope sway and gun bob, and better damage range. You can then utilize the G16 2.5x Optic for better magnification, accuracy, and recoil control. This will help make the STG44 feel like a laser beam without hurting your ADS speeds as much as the 3x Optics.

From there, go with the VDD 34S Weighted Stock, which gives you improved accuracy, flinch resistance, recoil control, and aiming stability. All of this will help you secure mid-range eliminations. Likewise, the Carver Grip Underbarrel will also help you with recoil control and hip-fire accuracy — perfect for those ranged battles. Now, equip the .30 Russian Short 45 Round Mags for better bullet velocity, range, bullet penetration, and overall damage. This does hurt your recoil control, but you can get away with this at mid-range. To improve bullet velocity even more, utilize the Lengthened Ammunition type with this build.

After that, go with the Polymer Grip Rear Grip for better flinch resistance and more accuracy and recoil control during sustained fire. This will, once again, help you stick to your target easier. Then, stick with Sleight of Hand for faster reload speeds, and Fully Loaded, which gives you max starting ammo.

Perks

Since this build works best from afar, you can get away with skipping Quick Fix in favor of E.O.D. Though, both are good, so pick whichever suits your playstyle more. For this loadout, we actually recommend going with High Alert as long as you’re confident in your skills. It’s hard to skip using Ghost, but if you can hold your own in battle, you’ll be glad you have High Alert equipped, as it causes your screen to flash when an enemy looks in your direction. Then, go with Combat Scout so you can ping enemies for your whole team when you deal damage.

Equipment

Finally, go ahead and equip what you’ve been using if you’ve tried our previous builds. Molotovs are fantastic Lethals, as they can easily down a player if you hit them directly while causing prolonged damage. Stuns are also excellent since they freeze your enemies temporarily while blinding them for a brief moment. Though, Heartbeat Sensors are fantastic, as well.