Best Modern Warfare 3 ranked play loadouts for all playstyles

Ranked Play is finally here in Modern Warfare 3, giving competitive players the chance to work their way up the ranks, climb the skill divisions, and test themselves against players of the same level. Here are the best loadouts you should have when you first load in.

Ranked Play hit MW3 alongside the big Season 1 Reloaded update, which made a number of big changes in both multiplayer and Warzone.

It’s felt like a long time coming for CDL fans and those who just want to test themselves against a level playing field, and you’ll want to make sure you’re on top of the meta straight away.

Luckily, if you’ve been playing much Modern Warfare 3 since launch, you’ll be familiar with the best guns — but here’s how you should be building them out, especially as some weapons and attachments are banned in competitive rules.

Best MW3 ranked play classes

Best Assault Rifle — MCW

• Muzzle: T51R Billeted Brake
• Barrel: MCW Cyclone Long Barrel
• Optic: Slate Reflector
• Stock: RB Regal Heavy Stock
• Rear Grip: RB Claw PSL Grip

The MCW is a fairly versatile assault rifle and this build should be optimal in most situations

If you’re looking for something slightly faster and with more mobility, you can replace the Rear Grip with the XTEN Phantom-5 Handstop underbarrel, but we would recommend trying both out — as well as any other attachments you think could be worthwhile — to find what works best for you.

Best Submachine Gun — Rival 9

• Muzzle: Purifier Muzzle Brake
• Barrel: Rival-C Clearshot Barrel
• Stock: MTZ Marauder Stock
• Underbarrel: Bruen Pivot Vertical Grip
• Rear Grip: Rival Vice Assault Grip

This build maximizes recoil control on the Rival 9 without sacrificing too much speed.

If you would prefer more speed, though you could change the stock to the Close Quarters Stock, or alternatively, use the 9mm High Velocity rounds instead of a barrel.

Best Sniper — Katt-AMR

• Barrel: Perdition 24″ Short Barrel
• Stock: Tactical Stock Pad
• Ammunition: .50 Val High Velocity
• Bolt: Ephemeral Quickbolt
• Rear Grip: Phantom Grip

Our first word of advice with sniping in ranked play is this: Unless you’re seriously talented, don’t try to be the guy hitting clips in ranked.

That said, in Search and Destroy, or for some early breaks in respawn modes, a sniper shouldn’t be ruled out, and this is the class we recommend, as it allows you to play quickly while maintaining accuracy.

For the most part, the equipment and perks you use are going to be identical across classes, but the Field Upgrade might be dependent on what you and your team need and how you play. We recommend:

• Lethal: Semtex
• Tactical: Stun Grenade
• Field Upgrade: Dead Silence OR Trophy System
• Gloves: Quick-Grip Gloves
• Boots: Lightweight Boots
• Gear: EOD Padding

The main change we’d recommend considering between maps is changing out the Lightweight Boots for Covert Sneakers, effectively providing Dead Silence, which will be particularly useful in Search and Destroy.

Obviously, this list isn’t exhaustive, and only presents the very best possible classes that you’ll see pro players using in the Call of Duty League — so don’t feel limited in your choices, as you might just find a meta-breaking gun to destroy your opponents and climb through the skill divisions.