The AS44 is one of the the meta assault rifles of choice in Call of Duty: Vanguard, as the fast-firing gun can rip through enemies with ease, providing you find a way to manage the recoil.
When you consider the pedigree of assault rifles in the game, it’s a pretty prestigious position to be in. The best STG-44 Vanguard class is proving to be one of the best Vanguard guns right now, helped by the fact that assault rifles occupy that sweet spot between the mobility of an SMG and the obscene chaos of a light machine gun. The best AS-44 Vanguard class is a cool look at what might have been in first-person shooters too: it’s an early assault rifle that was designed in 1944, shipped in limited quantities in 1945 before development was stopped in 1945 with the death of the designer, Alexey Sudayev. Then the AK came along in 1947 and… well, it became one of the best guns in every Call of Duty to feature it.
Anyway, pulling ourselves away from memory lane: if you’re an amazing player, you can control the AS44’s fearsome recoil yourself, but if you’re not, you might want to check out our build which focuses on flinch resistance, recoil reduction, and even a fun buff to headshot damage to reward your accuracy in mid-range fights.
Without further ado, here’s the best AS44 Vanguard class setup.
Best Vanguard AS44 class
- Muzzle: F8 Stabilizer
- Barrel: Zac 650MM Precision
- Optic: Slate Reflector
- Stock: Zac 12B Custom
- Underbarrel: M1941 Hand Stop
- Ammo Typo: Lengthened
- Rear Grip: Polymer Grip
- Proficiency: Sleight of Hand
- Kit: Fully Loaded
As said above, the aim of this build is to temper the AS44’s recoil and let you get rounds on target. The gun fires so fast that kills won’t be a problem – lining up your shots will.
With that in mind, and before we jump in, it’s worth highlighting that while the optic here is the Slate Reflector, any sight with 1 to 2x magnification is a solid shout here. Make a comfort pick and choose something that you can quickly acquire targets with.
The F8 Stabilizer is a vital choice as it bumps up your range but also brings the recoil down to a manageable level by itself. The Zac 650MM Precision Barrel helps with horizontal recoil and has a cool secondary bonus of upping headshot damage, meaning as the recoil kicks the gun up over an enemy’s head, you should get a quick kill.
Elsewhere, Sleight of Hand will let you reload faster; essential as you’ll be running out of rounds mid-firefight a whole lot. Fully Loaded as a kit choice will let you tote more ammo about, starting with a couple more magazines. You might also consider taking Scavenger as a perk, letting you pick up extra rounds from enemies you’ve taken out while you’re running about.
Finally, the Zac 12B stock and M1941 Hand Stop both buff your recoil control in different ways, and should combine to let you play the AS44 aggressively, pushing through busy areas of the map and enemy-held strongpoints without too much worry.
With this in mind, try not to get overconfident near blind corners. You fire fast, but you’ll still lose out to one-hit kill weapons like the shotguns and sniper rifles. Against these enemies, play off of the fact that they can only fire in semi-automatic, whereas you have a literal hose filled with bullets, just waiting to make their acquaintance.
Boost your offensive options by pairing the gun with stun grenades and a gammon bomb, and you’ll be an intimidating opponent at mid and close range.
Several of these attachments are quite late in the unlock process, so if you’re hoping to dominate in the upcoming Vanguard ranked mode, it’s probably time to start unlocking. Maybe if you’re lucky you’ll be able to get a Blitz match on Shipment, eh?
