Best Loadouts in Vanguard

Call of Duty: Vanguard takes us back to World War II and the Modern Warfare engine. That means a bunch of cool weapons, and they also look and feel much better than in Black Ops Cold War thanks to the engine. So finally, after Modern Warfare and BOCW we are able to get our hands on some WW2 guns again.

Even so, Vanguard is nearing the end of its cycle, people are still curious about the best Vanguard loadouts. So, here are our top 3 Vanguard Loadouts, the best setups and attachments, as well as the best equipment, perks, and field upgrade.

If you prefer playing Warzone, we also have some of the best weapon tier lists for Assault Rifles, SMGs, and Snipers in Warzone and the best weapons in Warzone in general. Obviously, we will update those tier lists constantly as the meta changes.

All-rounder Loadout: STG44 / Machine Pistol

Our first and probably most popular Vanguard loadout is a beginner-friendly all-rounder loadout. The STG44 is the first assault rifle, available right off the start, so no need to unlock it. It is the M4A1 (MW) or XM4 (BOCW) of Vanguard – one of the most reliable guns in Vanguard on pretty much every distance. Slap the right attachments on it, and you have a real beast on mid to long range while still doing ok in close combat. If you run out of ammo or are forced to fight on extremely short distances, the Machine Pistol will be your best friend. The fire rate of that tiny thing is ridiculous, and it will melt your enemies in no time.

STG44 / Machine Pistol Setup & Attachments

In Vanguard, we can use an insane 10 attachments on every single gun, so our perfect STG44 setup looks like this:

With ten attachments, we can do almost anything we want. And unlike most of the other weapons, the STG44 doesn't have a weak spot that needs to be compensated for. So we're going for a combination of speed, bullet velocity, and recoil control with these attachments. The 2.5x optic might not be for everyone, but we quite liked it. Here is our extensive STG Setup.

For the Machine Pistol, we go with the following setup:

Especially the bigger magazine turns this already good sidearm into a ludicrous pocket-SMG. The TTK is amazingly short, but you should always keep an eye on your ammo reserves. Here is our best Machine Pistol setup.

All-rounder Loadout Equipment & Perks

Our all-rounder STG44 loadout is best used with the following perks and equipment.

Thanks to Ghost, we are undetectable by Spy Planes while moving, and Radar shows enemies on the minimap as soon as they fire their weapons. Double Time on the other hand doubles the duration of Tactical Sprint and increases our movement speed while crouched. Thermite or Frag Grenade is a personal choice. The Frag will bounce off of walls or roll on the ground before exploding, Thermite will create a burning area, damaging enemies inside. Stuns are finally the means of choice when you are about to enter a building and want to make sure to surprise everyone inside.

Blitz Loadout: M1928 / Panzerschreck

Our next loadout is focused on CQC and especially the new Blitz mode. What gun if not the good old Tommy Gun is better suited for some run-and-gun action? The M1928 comes with a huge magazine and a fast fire rate. It does have quite a bit of recoil, but if you play it on close distance, it is destroying everything. Just for fun, we will pair it with the Panzerschreck. You can use the launcher to clear rooms quickly or to destroy killstreaks – both pretty helpful actions.

M1928 Setup & Attachments

For the M1928, we will use the following setup:

This puppy is fantastic in close-range, and with these attachments, it's something else. We'll be upfront with you on one thing, though – this is not a versatile SMG. The M1928 is strictly short-range, the damage drop-off and recoil control over any distance beyond 20m is punishing, so keep that in mind. Here is our extensive M1928 setup guide.

Blitz Loadout Equipment & Perks

The Blitz loadout is best accompanied by the following perks and equipment:

As before, Ghost will make us undetectable for Spy Planes, Tracker shows footprints of nearby enemies and Double Time makes us more agile, which is essential for quick run-and-gun gameplay. For lethal equipment, use whatever you like. We prefer Thermite to cut off certain areas of the map. Stim on the other hand is really helpful if you are playing as aggressive as you should with this loadout. Rush in, get a few kills, get out and repeat.

S&D Loadout: MP-40 / Machine Pistol

Our next loadout is the tactical, more stealthy one. It will be especially good in game modes like Search & Destroy – but no worries it does perfectly fine in almost every situation, since the MP-40 is broken. Here, we want to go with the MP-40, probably the most versatile and overall best SMG in Vanguard. It is basically the MP5 (MW/BOCW) of Vanguard. It has enough range for almost all the multiplayer maps, while at the same time, having better movement than an AR. In case you run out of ammo, the Machine Pistol is our sidearm of choice – it is just too good.

MP-40 / Machine Pistol Setup & Attachments

This is our best MP-40 setup:

Basically, this setup builds on the strengths of the MP-40 and adds a suppressor for a more stealthy approach. With the 60 Round Drum, you can also down a whole team on S&D without reloading. So really, if you like to be versatile, agile and stealthy, give the MP-40 a shot. If you are looking for an extensive Setup Guide, we have it right here.

For the Machine Pistol, we use the same setup as before in our STG44 loadout:

Stealth Loadout Equipment & Perks

For more stealthy and tactical approach, we choose the following perks and equipment:

The perks are chosen for the same reasons as in our previous loadouts, equipment and field upgrade will be different, though. For lethal equipment, you can go with Thermite since it is never a bad choice, but we also want to point out the Throwing Knife – it is a stealthy loadout after all. For the tactical slot, we recommend going with the S-Mine. It basically works like a Claymore, just place it on the ground – e.g. next to an objective – and it will blow up as soon as an enemy is in reach. Dead Silence, well... it makes you silent – activate it and noone will hear your footsteps.

That's it! Our top 3 best Vanguard loadouts. Make sure to give these a go and let us know what your favorite guns are. For everything else Vanguard, just stay with us and make sure to check out EarlyGame regularly.