The Rival-9 has insane mobility and handling, and so for aggressive players we can highly recommend it. Here is the best MW3 Rival-9 loadout, complete with perk and grenade attachments.
The Rival-9 does not have the best TTK of all the SMGs, but the handling and mobility with this weapon are insane. If you're a "movement king" we feel quite certain that this will be your favorite weapon in MW3.
The Rival-9 plays like the Vaznev in MW3, only it's much, much faster. It becomes an absolute pea-shooter at range, so it's more for maps like Rust and Skidrow, but in the right hands we think the Rival-9 will be absurd. Think of it as the "high-skill" meta.
If you want to see how this weapon compares to everything else, check out our tier-ranking of every gun in MW3.
Note: We update our loadouts whenever a new MW3 patch affects the weapon or the relevant attachments.
MW3 Rival-9 Loadout: The Best Attachments
Rival-9
| Slot | Attachment | Stats (Pros) | Stats (Cons) | How To Unlock |
| Barrel | Rival-38E Fire Starter | ↑ Aim Down Sight Speed ↑ Movement Speed ↑ Sprint To Fire Speed ↑ Sprint Speed | ↓ Recoil Control↓ Aiming Idle Stability↓ Firing Aim Stability | Rival-9 Level 16 |
Stock | Bruen Flash V4 Stock | ↑ Aim Down Sight Speed↑ Movement Speed↑ Sprint Speed | ↓ Gun Kick Control↓ Firing Aim Stability↓ Aiming Idle Sway | Rival-9 Level 13 |
| Rear Grip | Rival Vice Assault Grip | ↑↑ Gun Kick Control↑ Firing Aim Stability ↑ Recoil Control | ↓↓ Aiming Idle Sway | Rival-9 Level 10 |
| Magazine | 40 Round Magazine | ↑↑ Magazine Ammo Capacity | ↓ Aim Down Sight Speed ↓ Aim Walking Speed ↓ Movement Speed ↓ Sprint Speed | Rival-9 Level 6 |
| Underbarrel | XRK Edge BW-4 Handgrip | ↑ Aim Walking Speed↑ Aim Down Sight Speed↑ Sprint To Fire Speed↑ Movement Speed | ↓↓ Tac Stance Spread↓ Hipfire Spread ↓ Aim Walking Steadiness | Rival-9 Level 9 |
As you can see from the stats, by far and away the most important thing with the Rival is to increase mobility and handling even further. The only exception to this is that we've taken the 40-round mags. Because the Rival-9 has lower damage per bullet than most weapons, we find the 40-round mags to be hugely helpful, but if you would rather maximize mobility then take a laser instead.
MW3 Rival-9 Loadout: The Best Equipment, Field Upgrade & Perks
Our recommendation for how you should finish this loadout:
| Slot | Option |
| Tactical | Flash Grenade |
| Lethal | Frag Grenade |
| Field Upgrade | Trophy System |
| Vest | Infantry Vest |
Gloves | Commando Gloves |
| Boots | Tactical Pads (if you slide-cancel) / Lightweight Boots |
| Gear | EOD Padding |
You're using a Rival-9 and so we assume you're a player taking advantage of the faster movement in MW3. For this reason we've gone with perks like Commando (reload while sprinting) and Tactical Pads (ADS while sliding), but you might also want to consider Covert Sneakers (Dead Silence) for this class.
If you want to see exactly what effects you will benefit from, check out our hub on all the perks in MW3 here.
Some of the maps in MW3 will be too big for this weapon to be that impactful, but for a majority of the maps we think you'll be just fine as long as you're using the best Rival-9 loadout in MW3. So get out there and be a "sweat" with this superfast SMG.