MW4 Beta Best Loadouts, Guns & Classes to Use

The Modern Warfare 4 Open Beta is your first real look at MW4 gunplay, and a good loadout makes all the difference. Here are the best guns, full attachment builds, a class setup that works on any weapon, and the perks worth running, all tuned for the beta.

Remember: this is a beta, so it will change

These are the best picks right now, in the MW4 Early Access and Open Beta. It is not the finished game. Expect Activision to buff and nerf guns before the October 23 launch, add more weapons, drop new maps, and shift the meta. Treat this as your beta cheat sheet, not the final Modern Warfare 4 meta, and check back once the full game is out.

Best MW4 class setup (works on any gun)

This loadout suits every weapon below, so you can run it on your whole arsenal:

• Perk 1: Ninja (Level 20) - move silently, huge for flanking and pushing.
• Perk 2: Fast Hands (Level 12) - faster reloads and swaps, you win more close fights.
• Perk 3: Battle Hardened (Level 28) - resist flashes, stuns and gas.
• Lethal: Semtex - sticky grenade, easy chip damage and finishes.
• Tactical: Flashbang - blind a room before you push.

Battle Hardened unlocks at level 28, past the Early Access cap of 20, so you reach it in the Open Beta. Until then run a Perk 3 like Blood Rush or Scavenger (see the perks section below).

MW4 best guns and best loadouts

The M4 and ISO Nightshade are the two S-tier picks and both are available early. The KG-7 Vulcan is the S-tier sniper, and the Kastov 762 is a hard-hitting AR that unlocks a little later in the beta.

M4 (Assault Rifle, S tier)

The M4 tops the beta meta: easy to control and it beams at range. Available early, so it is the first gun worth building.

• Muzzle: FSS IS300 (Level 4)
• Underbarrel: FSS Fireline Grip (Level 37)
• Rear Grip: Brace DX Grip (Level 10)
• Stock: No Stock (Level 57)
• Laser: SZ Gen.6 PEQ (Level 2)

ISO Nightshade (SMG, S tier)

The ISO Nightshade is the S-tier SMG: fast and lethal up close, and strong from level 0. This is the exact build OpTic pro Shotzzy runs on stream, props to him.

• Muzzle: TA Lightning R3M
• Barrel: ZLR Carbon-900 (Level 35)
• Stock: No Stock (Level 26)
• Rear Grip: Demo STP-1 (Level 6)
• Ammunition: 9mm Parabellum OV

Kastov 762 (Assault Rifle)

The Kastov 762 hits harder than the M4. This build leans into handling so you can run and gun with it. It unlocks a little later in the beta.

• Barrel: Hanbit 74U 205.74N (Short Barrel)
• Underbarrel: FSS Fireline Grip (Angled Grip)
• Rear Grip: FJX Kastov Grip (Assault Grip)
• Stock: Assault Stock
• Laser: Schlager Visiv-5 (Level 30)

KG-7 Vulcan (Sniper, S tier)

The KG-7 Vulcan is the S-tier sniper, a one-shot beast for aggressive quickscoping or holding a lane. This build speeds it up so you can swing with it.

• Barrel: TT Baem 12" (Level 5)
• Laser: XRK Clutch-LS (Level 57)
• Bolt: KT76 Light Bolt (Level 61)
• Optic: Corio D51 Scope (Level 23)
• Comb: Haebang YNC-45 (Level 32)

Best perks in the MW4 beta

The top perks by slot right now (tier data from wzranked):

• Perk 1: Ninja (S, Level 20), Quick Fix (available from level 0), Overkill (A), High Alert (A, Level 16).
• Perk 2: Fast Hands (S, Level 12), Bomb Squad (B), Hardline (C).
• Perk 3: Blood Rush (S), Scavenger (A), Lethal Reach (B, Level 8).

Locked until later (the Early Access level cap is 20, so these open up in the Open Beta or the full game): Ghost (Perk 1, Level 24), Battle Hardened (Perk 3, Level 28), Cold-Blooded (Perk 3, Level 30), Birdseye (Perk 2, Level 31), Tracker (Perk 2, Level 32), Resupply (Perk 2, Level 36), Combat Grid (Perk 3, Level 40), Kill Chain (Perk 1, Level 48).

Low-level beginner setup (before level 20)

A lot of the best attachments and perks unlock after level 20, which means a painful grind before you can run the ideal build. Use these while you climb:

• Muzzle: FSS IS300 (Level 4)
• Optic: Slimline Elite (Level 13)
• Stock: PF1 Fixed (Level 14)
• Ammunition: 5.56 NATO Overpressured (Level 3)
• Perk 1: Quick Fix (starter)
• Perk 3: Scavenger (starter)

Don't want to grind the unlocks?

The strongest attachments on these builds sit behind high levels, some past 50, and that is a lot of hours on a short beta clock. If you would rather run the full builds now: MW4 Beta Gun Leveling maxes the guns and unlocks every attachment for you, MW4 Beta Bot Lobbies let you level fast yourself, and our guide on leveling guns fast in the MW4 beta covers the free methods. Either way, the beta runs to Sep 1.