Battlefield 2042 has finally launched. Now it's time to get into the details: what are the best weapons and what attachment setups do you want? Here's the best loadout for the AC-42.
This is Battlefield's burst-fire AR. Every game gets one and this is BF2042's. A lot of you will skip right on to another AR when you find this out, but there are others who are always going to enjoy burst fire, so let's get into the attachment setup for this weapon.
To see how well the AC-42 places against other weapons, just check out our complete tier rating of every weapon in Battlefield.
Best Battlefield 2042 AC-42 Loadout
Best Attachments for the AC-42
In the table beneath we've prepared the best all-around attachment setup but also long and short-range builds. Battlefield 2042's attachment system effectively lets you take all three because for each attachment you have three slots.
| Best Setup | Best Short-Range Setup | Best Long-Range Setup | |
| Sight | Maul Hybrid | K8 Holo | Raven 4X |
| Ammunition | Standard Issue / Extended Mag | Standard Issue | High Power |
| Underbarrel | Cobra Grip | Rattlesnake Light Grip | ADR Bipod |
| Barrel | Tactical Compensator | Wrapped Suppressor | Extended Barrel |
We've gone with the Maul Hybrid again on our meta build. This is a lovely bit of kit and appropriate for the ARs in the game. It allows you to swap between 3.5X and 1.5X zoom strength, but it's not a stacked optic, and so the switch is seamless. Another worthy mention here is the ADR bipod which, when deployed, can do great work countering recoil. What makes the bipod especially strong in BF2042 is that with the new attachment system, we can switch to the suppressor or compensator when we aren't using it, so we aren't forced into a constantly passive playstyle.
You can see the effects of these three attachment setups beneath.
Attachment Effects on the AC-42
| Default | Best Setup | Best Short-Range Setup | Best Long-Range Setup | |
| Firepower | 50 | 50 (0) | 45 (-5) | 55 (+5) |
| Accuracy | 56 | 63 (+7) | 61 (+5) | 71 (+15) |
| Range | 54 | 59 (+5) | 56 (+2) | 74 (+20) |
| Handling | 50 | 45 (-5) | 50 (0) | 35 (-15) |
The AC-42 is really strong, in fact, we think it might be the best assault rifle available, and you can see why from the above stats. The funny thing about the AC-42 is that you can see how little tradeoff we had to make; there are almost no areas on any build where we've really had to sacrifice much. And yet, in exchange, we've got a whopping +20 to range on the long-range build, which more than outweighs the handling cost. Our advice with this weapon is to use the all-around and long-range setups primarily. The short-range setup isn't bad, but there are better close-range options, and you can put the rifle to better use providing overwatch.
Best Specialist, Secondary Weapon, Throwable & Gadget for the Battlefield 2042 AC-42
Specialist: Ji-Soo Paik
If you're taking an AR or an SMG then allow us to advise Ji-Soo Paik, simply the best aggressive operators. Her wallhacks give you invaluable information, and when you have a mobile enough weapon you can capitalize on that intel to produce very high kill games.
Secondary Weapon: MP28
We've advised you to use the MP28 a lot so far, but the thing is it's simply the most effective sidearm and it has the versatility to act as your primary weapon if you run out of ammo on the SFAR, so we say go for it.
Throwable: Frag
Not many throwables are effective in a game with such long engagement distances, but with the frag grenade you've also got the opportunity for environmental destruction, so we think it couples nicely with the SFAR.
Gadget: IBA Armor Plate
IBA Armor Plates were problematic in the beta. People thought they were too powerful and too reminiscent of Warzone for a Battlefield audience. But simply put, they're still in the game, you don't have to think about them, and they provide a strong passive buff.
Well, there you have it, folks, the complete rundown of how to build the best attachment setup and loadout for the AC-42.