Warzone FAL loadout makes it the best SMG in the game

Calum Patterson
FAL in Warzone being reloaded

The FAL has been growing in popularity in Warzone throughout Season 4, after it was made ground loot. But, while many players are setting it up as a long-range AR, some expert players have discovered how to make it a dominant close-range weapon.

The FAL is characterized by semi-auto fire, with controllable recoil and high time-to-kill — as long as you don’t miss. But, miss a couple of your shots and a fully-automatic weapon will punish you, making it a weapon reserved typically for the better aimers.

However, thanks to Modern Warfare’s extensive weapon customization, it’s possible to transform the FAL from a long-range, semi-auto weapon, into potentially the most deadly close-range gun.

FAL in Modern Warfare
A classic Call of Duty weapon, the FAL has had a resurgence in Warzone.

As detailed by Call of Duty YouTuber, Swagg, in his July 21 video, the FAL will need a few attachment tweaks to make it viable at close-range. But, once you have these attachments unlocked, you might be surprised at how capable it is.

Dubbing it the SMG killer, Swagg explains that the time-to-kill on the FAL at close-range with these attachments is “actually disgusting.”

Close-range FAL Warzone attachments

  • Muzzle: Monolithic Suppressor.
  • Barrell: 13.0″ OSW Para.
  • Stock: No Stock.
  • Underbarrell: Commando Foregrip.
  • Perk: Burst.
Warzone FAL Loadout
You can swap out the burst perk for Sleight of Hand, if you prefer.

Swagg does clarify that the Burst perk is really just a matter of preference, and that he actually opts for Sleight of Hand instead, to keep his reloads snappy when fighting up close.

This wouldn’t be recommended as a Primary Weapon, particularly because you’ll lack the magazine capacity to take on lots of enemies without reloading, but rather as a backup for pushing into buildings, where you expect a battle.

You can see Swagg putting the weapon to expert use in his video, pushing into contested areas like Superstore and coming out on top.

One slight downside to using the FAL as an SMG, rather than just using an SMG, is that you’ll be splitting Assault Rifle ammo between both your Primary and Secondary Weapon. That means you might find yourself running low on ammo for both your weapons more quickly.


If you’re looking to get the perfect loadouts for other weapons, check out all our Warzone loadout guides here.

Related Topics

About The Author

Calum is Dexerto's Managing Editor, based in Scotland. Joining Dexerto in 2017, Calum has years of experience covering esports, gaming and online entertainment, and now leads the team to deliver the best coverage in these areas. An expert on all things Twitch and gaming influencers, he's also an expert in popular shooters like Apex Legends, CS2 and Call of Duty. You can contact Calum at calum.patterson@dexerto.com.