Discover the new best Warzone Season 1 loadouts for assault rifles and SMGs, featuring the Cronen Osprey, HAN-86, VEL-46, CSG-35 and top creator builds.
Call of Duty: Warzone Season 1 is already giving players several interesting options for their long-range and close-range loadouts. With Modern Warfare 4 weapons now integrated into Warzone, the Cronen Osprey and HAN-86 are among the assault rifles worth considering, while the VEL-46, ISO Nightshade and newly introduced CSG-35 offer different approaches to close-range combat.
Not every worthwhile weapon needs to sit at the top of a tier list, either. The Axion remains an alternative for players who want to experiment with a different assault rifle configuration.
We've selected seven loadouts from creators including DiazBiffle, Metaphor, EyeQew and Booya, with particular attention to options for mouse-and-keyboard and controller players.
Best Assault Rifle Loadouts in Warzone Season 1
The most important decision when choosing an assault rifle is how you intend to fight. Sustained fire, recoil management, sight picture and ammunition capacity can all influence how comfortable a weapon feels across Warzone's larger maps.
Here are four configurations worth exploring.
Cronen Osprey: DiazBiffle's Season 1 Assault Rifle Build
The Cronen Osprey is one of the two new weapons introduced through the Season 1 Battle Pass, and its main attraction is its exceptionally high fire rate.
According to the official Call of Duty weapon information, the 5.56 assault rifle fires at 882 rounds per minute. That gives it a distinctive identity among assault rifles, although maintaining accuracy during sustained fire remains an important consideration.
The weapon tends to kick upward and to the right, making recoil management particularly relevant when fighting enemies across open terrain.
DiazBiffle's Cronen Osprey configuration is one of the creator builds worth exploring for players interested in making the most of this new rifle.
Its appeal lies in the weapon's ability to maintain consistent offensive pressure, particularly during engagements where opponents repeatedly move between cover positions.
However, a high fire rate also means ammunition management matters. Missing several consecutive shots can quickly reduce the rounds available for a second opponent.
The Cronen Osprey is available through Tier 16 of the Season 1 Battle Pass.
For mouse-and-keyboard players looking for a different long-range assault rifle setup, Metaphor's HAN-86 configuration deserves attention.
One distinctive choice is its 45-round magazine rather than the larger 60-round alternative. This provides a different approach to ammunition capacity, with players needing to be more deliberate about when to reload during extended squad engagements.
The build also features the ZLR Type C optic, making sight picture and target tracking central considerations.
This is especially relevant for mouse-and-keyboard users who prefer controlling their aim manually while following opponents across medium and longer distances.
Importantly, the configuration is not exclusively usable with mouse and keyboard, nor does the creator's input preference establish a measurable performance advantage.
Instead, it represents a specific approach to the HAN-86 that players can evaluate according to their own aiming preferences.
For those who prefer longer engagements over constant building pushes, Metaphor's setup provides an interesting starting point.
HAN-86: EyeQew's Long-Range Build for Controller Players
Controller users looking for an alternative HAN-86 configuration can explore the long-range build shared by EyeQew.
Unlike Metaphor's 45-round setup, EyeQew's configuration features a 60 Round Drum, 5.56 NATO High Velocity ammunition and a Cronen R808 4X Scope.
These choices establish a clear emphasis on longer sightlines and sustained engagements.
The enlarged magazine provides additional ammunition before reloading, a useful characteristic when multiple enemies are involved in the same fight.
Meanwhile, the magnified optic is intended for more deliberate aiming at distance. Its disadvantage is that acquiring nearby, fast-moving targets can become less comfortable than with a lower-magnification sight.
High Velocity ammunition also complements this approach by prioritising projectile speed, although the precise performance improvement depends on the weapon's current statistics.
EyeQew's configuration is therefore an alternative for players who want to use the HAN-86 primarily as a ranged weapon rather than relying on it for every combat situation.
The difference between the two HAN-86 builds illustrates why personal preference matters: Metaphor's configuration uses a smaller magazine and a different sight setup, while EyeQew prioritises ammunition capacity and magnification.
Axion: An Off-Meta Alternative With the Locus PX3 Canted Optic
The Cronen Osprey and HAN-86 may attract attention among Season 1 assault rifle choices, but players interested in experimenting beyond the most discussed configurations should also consider the Axion.
One particularly interesting setup features the Locus PX3 Canted Rifle Scope.
This gives the Axion a different sight configuration to consider, particularly for players who are sensitive to optic presentation and how comfortably they can track opponents.
The Axion is worth evaluating as an alternative rather than assuming that a less prominent weapon is automatically inferior.
Players should focus on whether the configuration feels manageable during repeated engagements, how effectively they maintain their aim and whether its handling matches the distances they encounter most frequently.
There is not enough comparative evidence here to place the Axion above the more prominent assault rifle choices, but it offers another option for anyone looking to move beyond familiar Season 1 builds.
Close-range combat presents a different set of priorities.
Movement, responsiveness, ammunition capacity and recoil all become important when opponents appear suddenly around corners or several enemies challenge a position in quick succession.
Three SMGs stand out among the configurations selected here: the VEL-46, ISO Nightshade and CSG-35.
VEL-46: DiazBiffle's Close-Range Setup
The VEL-46 remains a relevant option for players who prefer using an SMG during aggressive close-range engagements.
DiazBiffle's Season 1 configuration is aimed at that role, making it an interesting companion to assault rifles such as the Cronen Osprey or HAN-86.
The main consideration when building around the VEL-46 is how much handling and mobility a player wants to prioritise against recoil stability.
An aggressive close-range setup can be useful when entering buildings, changing positions between fights and reacting to opponents at short notice.
However, these advantages do not automatically translate into effectiveness at longer distances.
Players using the VEL-46 should look to control engagement distance rather than challenge assault rifles across exposed areas.
For those regularly playing Resurgence, particularly in locations with numerous buildings and confined spaces, it is an SMG worth comparing against the other Season 1 options.
Another SMG worth considering is the ISO Nightshade, particularly for players who prefer taking fights at very short distances.
Booya's Super Close-Range configuration provides a dedicated option for this style of combat.
Unlike an assault rifle intended to cover open sightlines, a close-range SMG is most useful when players can approach opponents through buildings, cover and narrow routes.
That distinction matters in Warzone because a weapon's effectiveness depends heavily on the distance at which it is being used.
When choosing between the ISO Nightshade and VEL-46, players should consider which configuration feels more comfortable during rapid target acquisition and repeated close-range engagements.
The ISO Nightshade is particularly worth exploring for those who want a dedicated secondary weapon rather than attempting to make one gun handle every distance.
Booya's configuration is available below for players who want to reproduce the creator's setup.
CSG-35: Metaphor's New Mouse and Keyboard SMG Loadout
The CSG-35 is one of the most notable additions to the Season 1 close-range weapon selection.
Introduced through Tier 36 of the Battle Pass, the SMG has an officially listed fire rate of 1,200 rounds per minute, the highest in its class at launch.
This immediately makes ammunition management a major consideration.
With such a rapid firing cycle, players can consume a substantial portion of their magazine during a short engagement, especially when tracking an opponent who is moving unpredictably.
The official weapon description also identifies an important limitation: recoil becomes more difficult to manage as engagement distance increases, particularly beyond approximately 20 metres.
Metaphor's CSG-35 loadout offers a configuration specifically worth examining for mouse-and-keyboard players.
For those using this input method, consistent tracking and controlled firing are especially important when dealing with a weapon that combines a high firing rate with increasingly demanding recoil at distance.
The CSG-35 also features the CSG Crossfire Apex attachment, which enables an Akimbo configuration. However, this introduces a different approach to the weapon, sacrificing precision for dual-wield firepower, and should not be confused with Metaphor's standard loadout.
Players interested in a new, dedicated short-range SMG have a clear reason to explore the CSG-35, particularly when pairing it with an assault rifle designed for longer engagements.
The most useful way to evaluate these weapons is to consider how they work together rather than looking for a single gun that can cover every situation.
For longer-range engagements, the Cronen Osprey and HAN-86 provide different approaches to sustained assault rifle combat. Metaphor's HAN-86 offers an option for mouse-and-keyboard players, while EyeQew's configuration is another choice to explore for controller users.
The Axion is worth keeping in mind for those interested in experimenting with an alternative assault rifle.
At close range, the VEL-46 and ISO Nightshade offer dedicated SMG options, while the new CSG-35 introduces an exceptionally high firing rate alongside its ammunition and recoil considerations.
Some combinations worth exploring include:
Cronen Osprey + VEL-46: An assault rifle and SMG pairing for players who want dedicated weapons for medium-range and close-range fights.
HAN-86 (Metaphor) + CSG-35 (Metaphor): A combination featuring two creator configurations of particular interest to mouse-and-keyboard users.
HAN-86 (EyeQew) + ISO Nightshade: A magnified long-range assault rifle paired with an SMG intended for much closer engagements.
Axion + CSG-35: An alternative assault rifle choice supported by one of the new Season 1 SMGs.
The Season 1 update also introduces Weapon Augments that can influence combat performance. According to the official Warzone Season 1 patch notes, Sharpshooter supports longer-range engagements, while Breacher focuses on close-quarters performance.
These additional systems make it worthwhile to evaluate weapons in the context of an entire loadout rather than judging them solely by individual statistics.
The early Season 1 weapon landscape offers several viable directions to explore, but creator recommendations alone do not establish a definitive competitive ranking.
For now, the most practical approach is to choose a primary weapon that matches your preferred engagement distance, pair it with an appropriate secondary and compare the available configurations as more Season 1 gameplay evidence becomes available.
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