Modern Warfare 2's beta has begun, and we've been grinding through early access to get a feel for the weapons and the meta. We've put together some of our favorite loadouts, and in this guide we'll take you through what we believe is the best loadout for respawn modes in MW2.
MW2's beta was made available to PlayStation users with early access first, and in that 48-hour window we played nearly non-stop (if you want to join the fun, you can find out how to register for the beta here). Our initial thoughts on the game have been summed up in this MW2 review, but put short: we're enjoying it, especially the maps. Now we need to start thinking more seriously about what the MW2 meta will be.
With theslower movement and pace of this game, you'll be heavily rewarded for pre-aiming, and so lots of your opponents will just be posted up on head glitches rather than playing aggressively. With this in mind, we think the best loadout for respawn modes (Team Deathmatch, Domination, Hardpoint, etc.) will have to include a strong mid-range weapon. This is so that you can rip someone off a heady if you've checked a corner and seen them posted up. Alongside an AR, we suggest taking an SMG for challing people at close-range (you might not be able to slide-cancel, but you can bunny hop just fine). Out of all the ARs and the SMGs in MW2, we believe the M4 and the MP5 (called the Lachmann Sub in-game) are the best weapons to choose, and we've got an overview of the attachments you want below. We've also included our favorite selection of perks and equipment. Enjoy!
M4 Attachment Setup
| Attachment Name | Attachment Slot | Unlock Level |
| Forge-Tac Castle Compensator | Muzzle | M4 Level 18 → Icarus Level 10 |
| Tempus Hightower 20" | Barrel | M4 Level 15 |
| Schlager 4x | Optic | Lachman .556 Level 12 → Lachmann Sub Level 15 → RAPP H Level 11 |
| Corio Precio Factory | Stock | M4 Level 7 |
| Sakin ZX Grip | Rear Grip | M4 Level 8 |
The M4 is one of the best full-auto mid-range options in the game. It's closely followed by the Lachmann .556, but the M4 has a better selection of attachments.
Because you'll be mainly running around with the MP5, and only pulling out this M4 to hold lanes and chall others doing the same, we've favored recoil control and damage range over mobility. All of these attachments combined give you a very stable and easy-to-use weapon, which has a great mid-range TTK. For the optic we've chosen this 4x because it's just so damn clean (potentially even the new VLK), but if it's too much for you then replace it with your preferred choice.
Best Secondary, Perks & Equipment for a M4 Loadout
MP5 (Lachmann Sub) Attachment Setup
| Attachment Name | Attachment Slot | Unlock Level |
| Lockshot KT85 | Muzzle | Lachman .556 Level 12 → Lachmann Sub Level 11 |
| L38 Falcon 226mm Barrel | Barrel | Lachman .556 Level 12 → Lachmann Sub Level 7 |
| No Stock | Stock | Lachman .556 Level 12 → Lachmann Sub Level 16 |
| 50-Round Drum | Magazine | Lachman .556 Level 12 → Lachmann Sub Level 5 |
| 9mm Hollow Point | Ammunition | Lachman .556 Level 12 → Lachmann Sub Level 14 |
The MP5, or Lachmann Sub, is not as dominant as it has been in other games. This game simply doesn't favor SMGs as much as previous games have. But, the MP5 is definitely the best of the bunch, and with the 50-round mag and mobility attachments you can do fantastically well in close-quarters.
For the attachments we wanted to focus on maximizing mobility and firepower output. Because we have the M4 on our back for range, we don't need to push the MP5 into a hybrid mid-range/close-range role. Instead, we can just let it thrive as an SMG. We've opted for no optics on this weapon as the irons are good enough, but if you want to then you should sacrifice the Hollow Point rounds first.
Perks (Base, Bonus & Ultimate)
Here's our favorite perk choice:
Base Perks | Overkill, Battle Hardened |
| Bonus Perk | Fast Hands |
| Ultimate Perk | Birdseye |
These perks don't require too much explanation. This is a class for respawn modes, and so we can get aggressive. Hence, we've gone for Overkill to carry both the MP5 and the M4, we've gone for Battle Hardened, so we can push people more confidently without being stunned, and we've taken Birdseye for intel that we can act upon. And as we'll be swapping weapons more frequently than usual with two primary weapons, we've taken the bonus perk Fast Hands, for faster weapons swap.
You can find a complete list of every perk in MW2 here, in case you want to see what else is on offer.
Equipment (Lethals, Tacticals & Field Upgrade)
You'll notice we haven't included Dead Silence for this respawn loadout, but rest assured we'll be using it in SnD:
| Lethal | Semtex |
| Tactical | Stun |
| Field Upgrades | Portable UAV |
Many of the Field Upgrades can feel gimmicky, but not the Portable UAV. The Portable UAV is just fantastically useful (especially since we don't have a traditional minimap in MW2). And you will unlock the Portable UAV quite quickly into each match, so when you need to hold something down in a clutch moment you should have it available.
For the Lethal and Tactical choice, you could choose your favorites here, but we've always found Stuns and Semtex to be reliably useful every life, especially if you're playing more aggressively.
This is the best loadout for the Modern Warfare 2 beta, in our opinion. If you want to see which other weapons are available in Modern Warfare 2, we have a complete list of the confirmed and upcoming weapons in MW2 here.
Check out all the changes coming to Modern Warfare 2: