Assault Rifles are the go-to weapons in most competitive First Person Shooter games. They are usually reliable at any distance, have a great fire rate, and are pretty deadly in most games.
That is not that different in Battlefield 2042. Although there are viable and reliable weapons in all categories, there is at least one Assault Rifle in the game that works well at any distance and has a fast Time to Kill.
That being said, one interesting thing about this Battlefield is that no weapon completely overshadows others, so there is always a reason to pick one of the weapons from the game.
Either way, within the same category, it is usually not that hard to find the weapon that works better in most situations within a category.
So if you want to find out what is the best Assault Rifle in Battlefield 2042, this guide will walk you through it and let you know which one to pick.
Choosing the Best Assault Rifle
If players are looking for an Assault Rifle with an excellent Time to Kill that they can reliably use in most situations, the best choice is also the first one.
The M5A3 is the first available Assault Rifle in the game, and it is also one of the best starting weapons in Battlefield 2042. Besides being a great initial weapon, it is most likely the best rifle in the game.
Other Rifles might have similar or better status, but none of them can be consistently used as well as the M5A3 in several different situations. All of its rifle’s statuses are good, and there are many different ways to build the M5A3 by mixing and matching its attachments in ways you can make it work very well in most situations.
If you are looking for consistent efficacy in several different scenarios, go with the M5A3 Assault Rifle.
It doesn’t mean that the other rifles don’t have their own advantages, though, since they work quite differently from one another.
M5A3: The Most Balanced Assault Rifle
This rifle is so balanced that all its stats — Firepower, Accuracy, Range, and Handling — are right in the middle, with 50 points out of 100. However, to ensure that you will be effective in a match, you will need the best M5A3 attachments in Battlefield 2042.
This Assault Rifle can be built in almost any way. For instance, it has 6X Magnification scopes for long distances, but it also has Holo Scopes that enhance Target visibility.
Ammunition also comes in all types for the M5A3. It has High Power Ammo for fast TTK, Subsonic to help you stay hidden, and even an Armor-Piercing type when dealing with a vehicle.
The other good thing about this rifle is the fact it is one of the best initial weapons in Battlefield 2042, so you can pick it up when you start the game and use it effectively throughout the ranks. This is a rifle that will remain relevant even after you unlock all other weapons in the game.
AK-27: The Most Traditional Assault Rifle
The AK-27 is harder to handle and is slightly less Accurate than the M5A3, which is curious because it has a longer range. Unfortunately, this longer Range doesn’t help much when the trade-off for it is less Accuracy.
This weapon, in many ways, feels more like your traditional, longer-range Assault Rifle. Unfortunately, none of its better statuses feel like much of a positive thing when you realize what you lose when you choose to go with this gun.
SFAR-M GL: The Most Destructive Rifle
Although this weapon can be pretty effective at shorter ranges and has the Ammunition and Underbarrel to deal with Vehicles, its uses are far more limited than any other Assault Rifle.
You can use this weapon along with a Sundance’s Grenade Belt to quickly take down vehicles and level up fast in Battlefield 2042 due to the Armor Piercing Grenades that come with the SFAR-M GL’s standard Underbarrel.
That being said, it does lack the necessary attributes to be effective when trading shots at a significant distance since it has the worst Handling and stability of the four Assault Rifles.
AC-42: The Extreme Rate of Fire
The AC-42 would be a better version of the M5A3 in many ways if only it had a Full Auto mode. This rifle has the same Firepower and Handling, but it has slightly superior Accuracy and Range.
Another advantage of the AC-42 over the M5A3 is the superior Rate of Fire. It is one of the things that make this weapon have an impressive Time to Kill.
When it comes to its disadvantages, there’s a big one. If you are good with the trigger and prefer to fire your guns in small bursts, the AC-42 might work fine for you, but the lack of a Full Auto fire mode does make it inferior to the M5A3.
This Assault Rifle also has fewer attachments, and many of them are redundant. When it comes to Ammunition, you can’t count on Subsonic ammo to stay hidden. It also lacks Armor Piercing Ammunition. Although this is not a big deal, it becomes even more of an issue when combined with the lack of a Full Auto mode.
Final Thoughts
The Assault Rifles in Battlefield 2042 work surprisingly differently from one another. You have one that works better at a distance, a balanced one, one that is very effective at closer ranges, and even one that can destroy vehicles like no other.
The Assault Rifles are so distinct that some of them sometimes feel like weapons of a different category.
Please note that, although the recommended Assault Rifle — M5A3 — works well in most situations, others do specific things better than it. So choosing the best rifle for your playstyle is not the same as identifying the best of the four Assault Rifles.
Try other weapons if the M5A3 doesn’t feel like a good fit, but make sure you’ve unlocked its best attachments and used the weapon’s maximum potential before moving on.
The good thing about having a consistent weapon is that you can get yourself in many different situations without worrying much about your loadout.
So, for instance, if you are playing Mackay, you get really high and shoot people from above with this weapon, but you can also use his grappling hook to sneak behind enemy lines and get away without being noticed.
With time and practice, you will learn how to quickly switch between attachments instead of trading weapons, allowing you to make the most out of the M5A3.