If you are looking for the best weapon in Call of Duty: Warzone 2, look no further than the RPK which returns as a light machine gun instead of an assault rifle.
While you will not find it particularly useful in the fast-paced Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer modes, the RPK as well as light machine guns overall are fairly powerful and devastating in Warzone 2 battle royale.
Belonging to the Kastovia Platform in the game, the RPK has quickly become the absolute meta of the first season of Warzone 2. It outperforms pretty much every other weapon in the game because of its excellent handling, low recoil, massive range, and impressive Time To Kill (TTK) for peppering enemies at long ranges.
The following guide will tell you how to make the best RPK loadout in Call of Duty: Warzone 2 which includes its attachments, tunings, perks, and equipment, as well as alternatives for when the RPK eventually gets nerfed.
Best RPK attachments and tunings
| Slot | Attachment | Unlock Requirement | Attachment Tuning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muzzle | Polarfire-S | Get Lachmann-762 to level 5 | +0.45 ⮃ and +0.35 ⮀ |
| Underbarrel | FTac Ripper 56 | Get Lachmann-762 to level 6 | -0.36 ⮃ and +0.27 ⮀ |
| Ammunition | 7.62 High Velocity | Get Lachmann-762 to level 12 | -0.38 ⮃ and -2.90 ⮀ |
| Laser | FSS OLE-V | Get EBR-14 to level 10 | N/A |
| Optic | VLK 4.0 | Get Kastov 762 to level 4 | -1.00 ⮃ and -1.35 ⮀ |
Something important to know here is that barrels and muzzles are designed to mainly increase your Bullet Velocity and Damage Range. Hence, in theory, your weapon gets a lower TTK by doing more damage at a longer range.
However, what many players might not know is that using both a barrel and muzzle in most of your loadouts is a mistake.
The Warzone 2 gunsmith actually gives you better weapon stats by combining a good muzzle with the 7.62 High Velocity ammunition type. That is why you do not need a barrel attachment for your RPK loadout because replacing the 7.62 High Velocity rounds will give you lower Bullet Velocity by sacrificing a lot of Stability.
Polarfire-S is one of the best muzzle attachments you can use in Warzone 2 for not only the RPK but a lot of other weapons including assault rifles. It gives you sound suppression for stealth kills, a commendable amount of Recoil Smoothness, and as already explained before, the best balance of Bullet Velocity and Damage Range when combined with the 7.62 High Velocity rounds.
Adding the FTac Ripper 56 underbarrel will further improve your Stability and Recoil Stabilization. This is an important attachment for the RPK because you can pretty much reduce your long-range recoil to nearly zero. This is also why the RPK is often picked as one of the guns in Warzone 2 with a zero recoil loadout.
You get reduced Walking Speed and lower Aim Down Sight Speed by default with the RPK. The aforementioned attachments will further reduce those two stats, so you will need to have the FSS OLE-V laser to increase your Aim Down Sight Speed as well as your Sprint to Fire Speed for quicker aiming.
Do keep in mind though that the laser of the FSS OLE-V will be visible to everyone when aiming down the sight. Hence, if you are camping or locking down an area, make sure to either not aim down the sight until you spot an enemy or aim at a wall so that an incoming enemy player does not see the laser on the ground.
If you are fine with your RPK feeling sluggish and do not want the handicap of a visible laser, you can replace the FSS OLE-V laser with the Demo-X2 rear grip for a bit of increased Aim Down Sight Speed and greater Recoil Control with the right attachment tunings.
| Slot | Attachment | Unlock Requirement | Attachment Tuning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rear Grip | Demo-X2 | Get RPK to level 18 | -0.35 ⮃ and -0.33 ⮀ |
If you are coming from Warzone 1, you will naturally want to have the VLK 4.0 optic for greater magnification to land your shots at long ranges. Note that in Warzone 2, the optic gives a small sniper glint to warn on-looking enemies.
While that nerf does not make the VLK 4.0 any lesser, you can switch to the Aim Op-V4 optic if you are worried about the sniper glint revealing your position.
| Slot | Attachment | Unlock Requirement | Attachment Tuning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Optic | Aim Op-V4 | Get BAS-P to level 5 | -1.00 ⮃ and -1.35 ⮀ |
Best RPK loadout perks and equipment
Following the recent, unintentional buff to Birdseye, you should definitely pick the Recon perk package for your RPK loadout in Warzone 2. It is easily the best perk package to use in the game right now.
In addition to Double Time for an increased Tactical Sprint duration and Focus for reduced finching upon taking damage, the Birdseye ultimate perk gives you a free UAV every time nearby enemy players activate their own UAVs.
This should suffice until the second season arrives to finally allow you to customize your perks just as before.
When it comes to equipment, you can choose from either Smoke or Flash for your tactical. Since the RPK is pretty weak in close to medium firefights, Smoke will help you escape and relocate while Flash is excellent to blind enemies.
For lethals, nothing beats Drill Charge and Semtex for clearing out buildings.
Best alternative to the RPK
Its long-range handling and effectiveness make it difficult for any other weapon to come close. The RPK is simply too good right now in Warzone 2, which is why it is likely going to be nerfed in the second season.
When that happens, you might want to look at the RAAL MG if you want to find another light machine gun with an impressive TTK.
The RAAL MG hits hard and puts down enemies at long range just as good as the RPK. The only downside is its high recoil and sluggish response which needs to be reduced and improved with the right RAAL MG attachments and tunings.
Make no mistake, the RAAL MG has all it needs to be the next meta once the RPK is done and dusted.
