We may earn a commission when you buy through links in our articles. Learn more.

Best Warzone 2 battle rifle

If you're looking for something that packs a punch, the best Warzone 2 battle rifle will ensure you can take fights in Al-Mazrah on your terms

Best Warzone 2 battle rifle: an FTAC Recon battle rifle with Orion camo, imposed over a blurred image of the Warzone 2 map

What is the best Warzone 2 battle rifle? Battle rifles are a new addition to the Call of Duty weapons roster in Modern Warfare 2 and they’ve been finding their feet as a great alternative to assault rifles and marksman rifles, offering a hybrid combination of features. We’re talking about the range versatility of the AR mixed in with the range and damage of the marksman, if you’ve got the patience to use it.

At the moment, there are only a couple of options when it comes to the battle rifles in Warzone 2 though, so while we’ve picked the one we’d consider the best, we’ll jump into descriptions on each of the other choices to give you the chance to pick your favourite. And if you’re not sold on battle rifles just yet, be sure to check out our guides to the best Warzone 2 guns, which help form the Warzone 2 meta in-game.

Best battle rifle in Warzone 2

The best battle rifle in Warzone 2 is the FTAC Recon. As mentioned, there’s only a couple of other choices in the battle rifle category, so we’ll talk through those here too.

FTAC Recon

When looking at what damage the battle rifles in Warzone 2 have to offer then the best gun you can possibly pick for yourself is the FTAC Recon. A shining star in both the beta and MW2 multiplayer, the FTAC Recon packs a punch. Unlike the other three battle rifles, this one only holds a 10-round mag as opposed to 20, but with damage as high as it can deal out, land those shots and you won’t need those extra bullets.

The FTAC Recon is unlocked early in the game through the M4, but once it’s unlocked you’ll want to work at getting the right attachments to equip to take full advantage of its prowess in the mid-to-long-range fights. To find out what’s best, we’ve got the best Warzone 2 FTAC Recon loadout guide for you.

TAQ-V

The TAQ-V is a formidable opponent to the FTAC Recon insofar as it offers up great control at long range. But it’s not quite as damage focused as our top pick. However, what it lacks in those two areas it surely makes up for with its recoil control and accuracy.

This battle rifle is competitive at short-to-medium range fights and when equipped with our best Warzone 2 TAQ-V loadout, it makes for a truly devastating weapon in the battle rifle category. If you’re looking to focus more on the long-range then it might be worth taking a look at our best Warzone 2 sniper rifle guide as well.

SO-14

The SO-14 is one of the most versatile battle rifles in the game. Switching the gun up between its semi-auto and fully-auto firing mode plays into the battle rifles position as an assault rifle/marksman rifle hybrid at long and medium-range.

However, it suffers with low recoil control and questionable handling, but if you want to use it, you can control both of those with our best Warzone 2 SO-14 loadout guide.

Don’t write the SO-14 off too early for its weaknesses. As we’ve rightly said, this battle rifle is the game’s most versatile and if you can get it under control, you’ve got yourself a fierce weapon of choice.

Lachmann-762

The Lachmann-762 doesn’t possess the same dependability as the others on our list thanks to its high recoil, low mobility, and questionable stability. What the Lachmann-762 does possess though is high damage rates and superior rate of fire.

It’s a great weapon to get you started, and considering it’s the first battle rifle unlocked in MW2, you’ll get your hands dirty with it early on. As you progress through the ranks and unlock attachments, we’d encourage you to bolster your gun with the best Warzone 2 Lachman-762 loadout, which will give you better mobility for Al-Mazrah.

That’s everything you need to know about the battle rifles in Warzone 2. It’s a new weapon type to get your head round, but it offers an alternative from running around with the best Warzone 2 shotgun, best Warzone 2 assault rifle, and best Warzone 2 LMG.

Variety is the spice of life after all, so why not give yourself a break and try out the battle rifle meta.