Submachine guns are probably the funnest weapons to use in CoD, even if they're harder to be consistent with. And in Modern Warfare 3, we have some great submachine guns to use. Here is our ranking of the best MW3 SMGs.
If you love to be aggressive and push out, then you should be using an SMG in Modern Warfare 3. Now, as far as SMGs are concerned, we have a solid selection of good options, as well as one or two things you should avoid.
To save you the time, we've levelled all the SMGs currently available, and we've ranked them based on how strong they feel to use on the current patch.
The Best SMGs In MW3
6. AMR9
This is just 9 mm AR-15 with an absurdly short barrel. The AMR9 isn't terrible and will still perform well-enough on smaller maps, but it doesn't shine in any particular way, unlike the other SMGs further down on the list.
The AMR9 can get a 100-round drum, however. And if nothing else, that is pretty fun to mess around with in Ground War.
- Here's our best AMR9 loadout.
5. Striker 9
Would you like a less powerful version of the Striker? Then say hello to your new favorite weapon in MW3. This is just the Striker in 9mm.
Okay, it's not that bad, and obviously you get benefits in exchange for the reduced damage compared to a classic Striker, but those benefits don't elevate this weapon to an impressive level. It has zero-recoil, so it's comfortable to use, but you feel it being outgunned by most other weapons.
Like the WSP Swarm, the range drop-off is punishing with the Striker-9. If you have to level it, we advise waiting for Rust or trying it in Zombies.
4. WSP Swarm
The WSP Swarm is amazing in super-close range, but it suffers worse than any other SMG at medium and longer ranges. So, depending on how you play and the map, this might feel much better than fourth best. However, for most games and for most players, we think this is a fair position on the SMG ranking.
You can also get 100-round mags for the Swarm, which is a fun gimmick, but the 40 or 50 rounders are optimal.
3. Striker
In the beta, the Striker was clearly the best SMG available. But the nerfs have definitely brought it down a little. It still feels great to use and has strong mobility, but the damage is noticeably worse.
We still expect the Striker to be popular because it's comfortable and easy to use, but we think it's now more of an average SMG.
We would love to see them buff the Striker again, but it will probably never go back to how it was in the beta.
- Here are the best attachments for the Striker in MW3.
2. WSP-9
The WSP-9, which is what this game calls the classic full-sized Uzi, is wonderful. It has everything you want in an SMG; great handling, strong close-range damage, and impressive mobility, but it also has surprisingly good range. In fact, it's the only SMG that can do anything at range.
Given the Striker nerfs post-beta, we think this is undoubtedly one of the best SMGs in MWIII.
It's not strictly relevant to a list like this, but we should also mention that the WSP sounds and feels very satisfying.
1. Rival-9
The Rival-9 has become the pros choice, and is what SMG players in the CDL are already scrimming with.
If you are a very aggressive player, you will probably fall in love with the Rival-9. You can fly around the map with this weapon. It's unbelievable how quickly you can move in MW3 for a boots game, but you really feel with it the Rival-9.
This could perhaps be thought of as the "high-skill meta".
You get punished at medium range more severely than the WSP-9. But we expect a class-wide buff to SMGs soon, so hopefully this improves.
- If you fancy the Rival-9, here is a loadout for it that we love.
These are going to be tasty in Zombies, although if we're talking strictly about multiplayer, we're personally expecting more of an AR-meta this year. We hope you found our ranking of the best MW3 SMGs helpful.
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