One of the highlights of the Call of Duty games is trying out all the weapons, along with all their attachments. That rings true for Call of Duty: Vanguard, the latest installment in the long-running series. On launch day, there are over 30 weapons to try out, many of which have 70 attachments to experiment with, so there’s no shortage of things to do. There are plenty of viable weapons in Vanguard, but, as expected, some have quickly become fan favorites.
Shortly after launch, the community has gravitated toward the STG44, which is the starting assault rifle in the game. While it technically isn’t the best Vanguard has to offer, it’s well worth using, especially during the early stages of the game. Considering there are so many attachments to use, it can be intimidating to figure out which ones are best. That’s where we come in.
These are the best STG44 loadouts in Call of Duty: Vanguard.
Recommended reading:
- Call of Duty: Vanguard review: Innovating in the wrong direction
- Call of Duty: Vanguard multiplayer guide — 10 tips and tricks to get started
- How do clans work in Call of Duty: Vanguard?
STG44 overview
As always, let’s first touch on a basic overview of the weapon before jumping into the builds. The STG44 is a popular choice due to its low recoil and ease of access, and although it doesn’t have the fastest time to kill (TTK), it’s a consistent weapon that is fairly easy to master. Since this weapon is easy to control, it’s likely you’ll be able to pull off at least one headshot, which significantly speeds up the TTK. This might seem obvious, but it’s worth pointing out since the weapon doesn’t have much kickback. The other thing to be aware of is that it’ll take noticeably more shots to kill past 50 meters, but many of the maps in Vanguard are small, so this won’t often be a factor. This 50-plus meter range will be much more important in Warzone.
Behind the Automaton assault rifle, the STG44 is arguably the easiest to control, so it’s best used at long range. This doesn’t mean you can’t build the STG44 for close-quarters, but it’ll mainly excel from afar. Below are a few of the best STG44 loadouts.
Close-range
Muzzle
Mercury Silencer
Barrel
VDD 320mm 02B
Optic
Slate Reflector
Stock
Removed Stock
Underbarrel
M3 Ready Grip
Magazine
.30 Russian Short 30 Round Mags
Ammo type
Hollow Point
Rear grip
Fabric Grip
Proficiency
Vital
Kit
Fully Loaded
The STG44 is an assault rifle, yes, but you can run it like an SMG if you build it a specific way. For this setup, you’ll want to focus on fast aim down sights (ADS) speeds, along with lightweight mobility, allowing the weapon to feel like an SMG while still retaining some ranged properties of an assault rifle. Start off with the Mercury Silencer Muzzle, which gives you some recoil control and keeps you from appearing on the minimap when firing. Follow that up with the VDD 320mm 02B Barrel for a boost to ADS speed, aim walking movement speed, and sprint to fire speed, which will help you during those up-close battles.
You can get away with skipping an Optic if you’d like, but it doesn’t hurt to use one, so we advise going with the Slate Reflector, since it doesn’t penalize your ADS times. After that, the Removed Stock is an excellent choice for a close-range loadout, as it boosts your movement speed, sprint to fire speed, and ADS times. To further enhance the weapon, go with the M3 Ready Grip Underbarrel, which improves your ADS speeds, sprint to fire times, and aim walking movement speed. This, once again, makes the weapon feel less like an assault rifle and more like an SMG.
From there, we recommend equipping the .30 Russian Short 30 Round Mags for a boost to your damage and bullet velocity. It does slightly penalize your fire rate and recoil control, but the damage output is worth it. Up close, you don’t need to worry much about recoil control. After that, we like using the Hollow Point Ammo Type, as it increases limb damage. This won’t improve the TTK by default, but if an enemy is already injured, this attachment could help decrease the number of shots to kill. You can use the Frangible Ammo Type if Hollow Point isn’t for you.
Next, you should use the Fabric Grip Rear Grip for even better ADS speeds, sprint to fire speeds, and hip fire recoil recovery. The key to this build is to use the Vital Proficiency, which increases the hitbox for critical hits, meaning you’ll consistently achieve faster TTKs. Finish off the build with the Fully Loaded Kit for more ammo. With this loadout, you’ll be able to run and gun while still being able to secure mid-range eliminations.
Perks
Perk slot 1
Ghost
Perk slot 2
Radar
Perk slot 3
Overkill
With this build, there are a few different perk options that work well, but our go-to is typically Ghost, Radar, and Overkill. Depending on your playstyle, you might want to swap these out for others. For instance, if you play super aggressively, Ninja might be a good option, along with High Alert instead. Many of the perks in Vanguard are well-balanced, with most of them being viable options. If you decide to use Overkill, remember to bring a long-range weapon with you such as a sniper to complement the close-quarters STG44 build.
Equipment
Lethal
Thermite
Tactical
Stim
With equipment, on the other hand, there is less room for experimentation, since only a handful of them stand out. The MK2 Frag is a solid choice since they roll toward your opponents, but the Thermite is great as well. We almost always recommend using Stims since they immediately trigger health regeneration.
Long-range
Muzzle
Mercury Silencer
Barrel
VDD 760mm 05B
Optic
MK 3 Sunfilter
Stock
VDD 34S Weighted
Underbarrel
Carver Foregrip
Magazine
8mm Kurz 45 Round Drums
Ammo type
Lengthened
Rear grip
Stippled Grip
Proficiency
Vital
Kit
Fully Loaded
The long-range build is the polar opposite of the previous, focusing on recoil control and accuracy above all else. Keep the Mercury Silencer Muzzle equipped since it boosts recoil control and keeps you suppressed. Then, swap over to the VDD 760mm 05B Barrel for a substantial improvement to recoil control and range while reducing scope sway and gun bob. You can then upgrade to an Optic with higher magnification, but try to pick one that doesn’t hurt your ADS speeds too much, like the MK 3 Sunfilter.
To further enhance stability, use the VDD 34S Weighted Stock. This attachment is ideal, as it boosts recoil control, accuracy, and flinch resistance, which will help you secure long-range eliminations. Next, go with the Carver Foregrip for even more recoil control and hip-fire accuracy. When it comes to the Magazine, you should use the 8mm Kurz 45 Round Drums with this loadout. Although this doesn’t deal as much damage as the .30 Russian Short 30 Round Mags, it provides you with more bullets in your clip, which is essential at range. Plus, the Russian Short Mags tank your recoil control, so it’s best to ditch them when building a weapon for range. Speaking of range, you’ll want to use the Lengthened Ammo Type for faster bullet velocity.
After that, we recommend the Stippled Grip Rear Grip for added recoil recovery and an enhancement to your initial accuracy. Finally, go with the Vital Proficiency and Fully Loaded Kit, just like in the previous build. With this build, you’ll find it easy to consistently get three to four shot kills (sometimes fewer), which is highly competitive, especially at range. Remember, the goal here is to preserve accuracy and recoil control, so if you find yourself struggling to connect, there’s still a little room to swap certain attachments for others that improve your control even more.
Perks
Perk slot 1
Cold-Blooded
Perk slot 2
High Alert
Perk slot 3
Overkill
With this loadout, you probably won’t be running around as much, so it’s safe to swap over to Cold-Blooded so you won’t be targeted by enemy killstreaks, and you won’t trigger the High Alert perk. Speaking of which, High Alert is a great perk to use since you’ll have more awareness when hanging back and picking off enemies from afar. Finally, Overkill is a solid choice, but so is Demolition, which gives you an extra Lethal on spawn.
Equipment
Lethal
Thermite
Tactical
S-Mine
Once again, there isn’t a ton of room for experimentation with Equipment, so go with whatever you’re comfortable with. We like Thermites and Stims, but the S-Mine is a great Tactical option that will cover your back if you plan on holding down a particular spot.
All-around
Muzzle
MX Silencer
Optic
Slate Reflector
Stock
VDD 27 Precision
Underbarrel
Carver Foregrip
Magazine
8mm Kurz 45 Round Drums
Ammo type
Hollow Point
Rear grip
Fabric Grip
Proficiency
Vital
Kit
Fully Loaded
For the final build, let’s touch on a setup that is a combination of the previous two. It has decent ADS speeds and mobility, while also preserving some recoil control and range, making it ideal in many situations. It won’t excel tremendously well from afar or up close, but it’ll be effective enough to cover most of your bases. For this, swap over to the MX Silencer Muzzle to keep you suppressed while improving your accuracy. The Mercury Silencer works decently, but it does hurt your range, so it’s a trade-off.
Then, we actually recommend skipping a Barrel in this case. This might sound odd, but all the Barrels have penalties that hurt this build, so it’s best to skip it. That isn’t to say Barrels are bad, but for this specific class, skipping the Barrel is advised. After that, you should swap back over to an Optic with a low zoom like the Slate Reflector. We also like the VDD 27 Precision Stock for this class setup, as it improves ADS speeds and horizontal recoil control, which is an unusual combo.
Follow that up with the Carver Foregrip Underbarrel for even more recoil control and hip-fire accuracy. In this case, we still recommend keeping the 8mm Kurz 45 Round Drums to ensure you have plenty of ammo without penalizing your recoil control and accuracy. From here, you can go with the Hollow Point or Lengthened Ammo Type. We like Hollow Point, but once again, it doesn’t impact the TTK by default, so it comes down to personal preference. To make up for some of the attachments that hurt ADS speeds, we like to compensate by using the Fabric Grip Rear Grip. And finally, go with the Vital Proficiency for that increased critical hitbox and the Fully Loaded Kit for more ammo.
Perks
Perk slot 1
Ghost
Perk slot 2
Radar
Perk slot 3
Lightweight
For this class setup, there are lots of viable perk options since it’s meant to be an all-around loadout. Ghost is never a bad choice, but if you’re a more confident player, you can get away with using Fortified or even Ninja. Then, Radar is also an easy pick since it lets you see enemies firing unsuppressed weapons on the minimap. If you plan on running around more, Lightweight is a great choice for the third slot, but so is Scavenger.
Equipment
Lethal
Thermite
Tactical
Stim
The trusty Thermite/Stim combo is hard to ignore in this case, but you can try other pieces of equipment to see what works best for you. The Gammon Bomb is actually pretty decent, as is the Demolition Charge.