When I first played with the MG42, I was shocked. That gun shreds. I played Blitz on Das Haus and I ended the game with 89 eliminations. And the funny thing is that I didn’t use any attachments. I literally used the gun as it was built by default. For that reason alone, it made it in our list of the most overpowered weapons in Call of Duty: Vanguard.
After playing a few games, my weapon was already at a decent level where I could start using some of the available attachments. I didn’t stop there though. I went out and made it my mission to find the best MG42 loadout in Call of Duty: Vanguard.
In this comprehensive MG42 loadout build, I’ll show you my findings and help you build an LMG that is so quick and accurate that hardly anyone stands a chance in close, medium, and long-range engagements.
Let’s get into it.
The Best MG42 Loadout
When it comes to LMGs, people don’t tend to think that you can just run around and gun everyone down. With this loadout, that’s totally possible. Yeah, you might not be as good at close-range combat with the LMG as you would with the MP-40, but it’s actually not far off.
Whether you’re playing Das Haus or Red Star, the MG42 is a very versatile weapon that can be of help regardless of how far your enemy is. Take a look at the best MG42 class setup below:
- Muzzle: F8 Stabilizer
- Underbarrel: M1930 Strife Angled
- Barrel: VDD 680MM 31M
- Magazine: Default
- Ammo Type: Lengthened
- Optic: Nydar Model 47
- Rear Grip: Fabric Grip
- Stock: VDD Skeletal
- Proficiency: Frenzy
- Kit: On-Hand
If you’re interested in finding out why I picked each of the attachments for this weapon or are looking for alternatives, then continue reading further.
Muzzle -F8 Stabilizer
The best muzzle for this MG42 build is easily the “F8 Stabilizer” as it focuses on increasing your weapons’ accuracy and damage range by two and one points respectively. The downside is a reduction of one point in terms of sprint to fire speed and hip-fire accuracy.
Potential Alternatives: If you want to improve your accuracy without any reduction in sprint to fire speed or hip-fire, go for the “L Brake”. If you want more recoil without any drawbacks, go for the “G28 Compensator”.
Underbarrel – M1930 Strife Angled
The “M1930 Strife Angled” will improve your accuracy, aiming stability, and aim walking steadiness by two, one, and one points accordingly. The only downside to using this is your sprint to fire speed, which is reduced by one point.
You can unlock this attachment at weapon level 24.
Potential Alternative: If you want to put an emphasis on your ADS without any downsides to the build, go for the “Mark VI Skeletal”. The only real downside to that attachment is that you’ll only unlock it at weapon level 65.
Barrel – VDD 680MM 31M
My barrel of choice for this LMG is the VDD 680 31M. Using this attachment, your weapon will be highly accurate and controllable with reduced scope sway and gun bob. On the downside, you’ll see a reduction in the sprint to fire speed and hip-fire accuracy.
Potential Alternative: If you want to make the MG42 even more powerful than it already is, go for the “Krasnick 450MM B42MG”. With that, you’ll see an improvement in bullet velocity, range, and accuracy but will decrease your fire rate, hip-fire accuracy, and ADS.
Magazine – Default
The default MG42 has plenty of ammunition. You can literally hold the left mouse button or R2/RT in a tight high-traffic area and get 3, 4, or even 5 kills with a single mag. For that reason, I don’t see the need to use another mag that may actually make the overall build slower or less effective.
Potential Alternative: In case you’re not a huge fan of the pretty slow reload time, what you can do is use the “8MM Klauser 50 Round Fast Mags” instead. That will reduce your ammo rounds by 75 but will increase your reload speed by 30%.
Ammo Type – Lengthened
For ammo type, the one that made the most sense was “Lengthened” as that increases the weapon’s bullet velocity by whole three points without any drawbacks. It is the last on the list, which isn’t ideal as you’ll have to reach weapon level 67 to fire use it, but it’s definitely worth it.
Potential Alternative: If you want to make your weapon even more powerful to help you finish off opponents which are trying to take cover behind a wall, then using “FMJ Rounds” would be perfect for the job.
Optic – Nydar Model 47
My optic of choice for this MG42 class is the “Nydar Model 47”. It’s simple, clear, and overall great for this LMG. You’ll also likely unlock it just after one game.
Potential Alternative: If you’re looking for even more simplicity, you can go for the “Slate Reflector”, which I’ve used for my STG-44 loudout, combat shotgun class, and many more. It’s great. If you’re after a more comprehensive optic, the “G16 2.5x” is a great choice.
Rear Grip – Fabric Grip
The reason why I went for the “Fabric Grip” attachment is to improve the mobility and recoil of the build a little bit more. Using this attachment, you’ll see an improvement in aim down sight speed (ADS), sprint to fire speed, and hip fire recoil recovery by one point for each. You’ll also unlock this attachment at weapon level 11, which is great.
The only real downside is the minimal reduction in horizontal recoil control by just 3.8%, which is nothing.
Potential Alternative: If you love spamming the MG42 down high-traffic tight corridors like me, you’ll benefit from using the “Polymer Grip” as that will improve your flinch resistance and accuracy and recoil during a sustained fire by one and two points respectively.
If you want to improve your aim down sight speed with no drawbacks to the build, go for the last rear grip, the “Leather Grip”, which you’ll unlock at weapon level 67.
Stock – VDD Skeletal
My stock of choice is the VDD Skeletal as it has a heavy emphasis on mobility and accuracy. With this attachment, you’ll see an increase in aim walking movement speed, aim walking steadiness, and initial accuracy and recoil by four, four, and one points accordingly.
On the downside, you’ll see a reduction in the sprint to fire speed and hip-fire accuracy but to achieve such a level of mobility and accuracy with an LMG, it’s worth the sacrifice.
Potential Alternative: If you care more about accuracy than movement speed, then go for the “VDD 64M”. This attachment will improve aiming stability, accuracy, recoil, and flinch resistance quite a lot at the expense of movement speed and aim down sight speed by three and two points respectively.
Proficiency – Frenzy
As I am a big fan of chaotic game modes, “Frenzy” is always my go-to proficiency. Being able to regenerate my health right after the elimination of an opposing player does wonders for keeping me alive for longer. The only downside is that you need to reach weapon level 55, but trust me when I say this, it doesn’t take long to get to that level at all.
Potential Alternative: If you’re playing less populated and slower game modes such as standard search and destroy, you will probably not have much use of the “Frenzy”. As an alternative, you can go for “Tight Grip”. That will help your recoil and accuracy by a tremendous amount during sustained fire.
Kit – On-Hand
As I love playing Blitz on Das Haus (pretty chaotic I know), using the “On-Hand” kit actually helps a lot. It basically helps your weapon recover much quicker after use. If you find yourself having to ADS right after you exit a fight, this kit will do wonders for you.
Potential Alternative: If you’re more interested in leveling up faster in Vanguard, then you should use the “Surplus”, which you will unlock at weapon level 29.
Final Thoughts
Overall, the MG42 is a phenomenal weapon for close, medium, and, long-range combat. With quick ADS, incredible fire rate, accuracy, and high TTK (time-to-kill), you’ve got yourself a recipe for success. To achieve the best MG42 build, feel free to copy my recommendations above.
If you’re yet to unlock some of them, you’re probably better off not using any but it never hurts to try. If you end up finding alternative attachments that work better than what I have suggested, please do let me know and I will update this already insane build.
