As part of the Call of Duty: Warzone Season 4 Mercenaries of Fortune update, players have a new LMG to play with. It’s called the UGM-8 and it’s absolutely a meta weapon thanks to its accuracy and ease of use at long range. With this being part of the Warzone meta, it’s highly recommended to level it up and use the best build, whether you’re on Caldera or Fortune’s Keep. But how should you build the UGM-8 and what’s the best loadout you should use?

Here’s what you need to know about the UGM-8 in Warzone.

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Before diving into the build, let’s take a look at an overview of the UGM-8 LMG. This is a slower weapon that excels at long range, but even though its speed is a drawback, its benefits make it worth using. You’ll find that even with no attachments, the UGM-8 has a tremendously fast time to kill (TTK), which is only made better by adding various Grips, Barrels, and Perks. This is a weapon that will likely get nerfed in the coming weeks, as it’s simply too easy to use right now and will absolutely dominate the meta — leaving other rifles in the dust. At close to mid-range, you might be able to compete against the UGM if you’re using a lightweight weapon, but from afar, there aren’t many that even come close to the effectiveness of the new LMG, thanks to its power and accuracy.

Recommended loadout:

There aren’t many variations on the UGM-8 when it comes to building the weapon. Sure, you can equip the best attachments for close to mid-range, but we don’t recommend doing that. Instead, we advise decking this weapon out for long-range engagements, prioritizing bullet velocity, recoil control, and accuracy.

Start by adding the MX Silencer Muzzle, which offers sound suppression, and boosts your horizontal and vertical recoil control, while also improving your damage range. Next, we recommend the Romuald 560mm DA Barrel. This is the weapon’s secret sauce, converting it to a burst-fire type, preserving your accuracy and ammo. This Barrel is unique in that it doesn’t require you to continuously pull the trigger, despite being a burst attachment.

After that, we advise picking an Optic suited for long-range. On PC, the SVT-40 PU Scope 3-6X is fantastic, since your field of view can be altered to suit your needs, which will change the way magnification is perceived. If you’re on console, it’s best to use the G16 2.5x. From there, equip the Romuald TAC YR Stock, giving you a nice recoil boost during initial firing, making it more effective at range. It’s also recommended to use the m1930 Strife Angled Underbarrel for an even greater boost to horizontal recoil control.

All of the Magazine types have downsides, but we’ve gravitated towards the 6.5mm Sakura 125 Round Box, since it boosts the fire rate and offers enough ammo to down multiple players before having to reload. If you want something lighter, we recommend using the British 50 Round Fast Mag, which will allow you to compete with most assault rifles in terms of aim down sights (ADS) speeds. With this being a ranged build, we suggest going with Lengthened Ammunition, giving you better bullet velocity.

Now that Taped Grip has been patched, we advise swapping over to the Polymer Grip instead. This grants you flinch resistance and improved accuracy and recoil control during sustained fire — perfect for ranged battles. Follow that up with the Surveil Perk, giving you improved bullet velocity, and On-Hand Perk 2 for better ADS speed.

The Perk meta has finally opened up, making more options viable on Caldera, Rebirth Island, and Fortune’s Keep. There are plenty of great choices, but depending on your playstyle, we recommend utilizing Serpentine for Perk 1, which reduces the damage taken from bullets, explosives, and fire while sprinting. After that, we suggest using Tempered, allowing you to reach max armor with only two plates instead of three. Finally, since so many players are running Snapshot Grenades, we advise going with Battle Hardened for Perk 3. This Perk negates Snapshots and also reduces the effects of Flashes, Stuns, and Gas grenades.

When it comes to Equipment, there are lots of viable choices. We like to use traditional Frag Grenades since they were buffed earlier this year, causing far more damage. Aside from that, the Snapshot Grenade is an effective choice, as it reveals enemies through walls.