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One of the first meta SMGs of MW3 was Rival-9 even before the start of Season 1. Apparently, anything with a “9” in its name is considered overpowered among MW3 weapons, and Rival-9 isn’t an exception. Rivalling the WSP-9, Striker-9, and the new HRM-9, this Rival-9 loadout stands its ground as one of the best SMGs in MW3 and Warzone Season 1 Reloaded.
Best Rival-9 Warzone Loadout
- Muzzle: Bruen Cubic Comp
- Barrel: Rival-C Clearshot Barrel
- Underbarrel: Chewk Angled Grip
- Rear Grip: Rival Vice Assault Grip
- Magazine: 40-Round Mag
Perks:
- Fast Hands
- Mountaineer
- Cold-Blooded
- Resolute
Lethal:
- Frag Grenade
Tactical:
- Smoke Grenade
After a recent update, Rival-9 has turned into a robust, heavy-damaging, killing machine in Warzone and MW3. However, this SMG has the worst recoil pattern possible! The horizontal recoil of this weapon is so hard to control, which leads to us having to choose some accuracy-based attachments like the Bruen Cubic Comp muzzle.
The Cubic muzzle helps you decrease the horizontal recoil, and the Chewk Angled Grip underbarrel shares the same goal. And even by having these two, you still get some horizontal recoil on Rival-9. The best we can do is to reduce gunkick by Rival Vice Assault Grip, and Rival-C Clearshot barrel.
Now if you’re playing Warzone Trios and Quads, make sure to slap a 50-Round Mag under your weapon. If you play Solos or MW3 Multiplayer, however, pick the 40-Round Mag for the best Rival-9 loadout.
Besides, make sure you have the Fast Hands perk; Rival-9 isn’t the best SMG for reloading speed. The Mountaineer perk allows you to win the Vondel Resurgence Rooftop battles, where your opponent jumps down and opens a chute and you won’t need one. Next is the Cold-Blooded perk, allowing for cancelling the enemy’s High Alert effect in Warzone. Last but not least, is the Resolute perk, gifting you faster movement speed when shot.
Ranked Play Build
- Barrel: Rival-C Clearshot Barrel
- Underbarrel: Bruen Heavy Support Grip
- Rear Grip: Rival Vice Assault Grip
- Magazine: 40-Round Mag
- Optic: Nydar Model 2023
Gladfully, Rival-9 is also available in MW3 Ranked Play mode. Since this game mode runs by CLD rules, some of the attachments like the Cubic muzzle are not available. The Rival-C Clearshot barrel is still here alongside the Rival Vice Assault Grip for the gunkick control. The Bruen Heavy Support Grip gives you an advantage over managing the horizontal recoil.
Make sure you have the 40-Round Mag under your SMG for dealing with more than one/two threats without reloading. And mount the super-accurate Nydar Model 2023 on your weapon. This is one of the best Rival-9 loadouts to use in MW3 Ranked Play, although you could ignore the optic and go for a muzzle.
Call of Duty: Warzone and MW3 are currently available to play on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC.
