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The best Call of Duty Vanguard Kar98k loadout

The Kar98k is back and it’s better than ever in Vanguard. Equip our custom loadout to create the fastest quickscoping sniper rifle in the entire game

The stock version of the Kar98k in Call of Duty Vanguard's preview menu

Want to know what the best Kar98k loadout is in Call of Duty Vanguard? The Kar98k has been a dominant force in Call of Duty over the past few years, becoming an instant pick in Modern Warfare, Cold War, and Warzone. What makes this sniper rifle stand out is its mobility and one shot kill potential – if you love quickscoping, this is the best weapon for you.

It’s rare to find stock versions of weapons that are viable at a high level, but the Kar98k might be the best stock weapon in the game. The default setup works really well for traditional sniping, especially in Vanguard which features large maps with plenty of sniping lanes. However, if you want to play aggressively, there are some attachments that can drastically change the Kar98k.

There’s no point having the fastest quickscope animation if you need two shots to kill an enemy. For our Vanguard Kar98k loadout, we’re focusing on improving the Kar98k’s aim down sight speed without negatively affecting the weapon’s damage output.

BEST VANGUARD KAR98K LOADOUT

The best Vanguard Kar98k loadout is:

  • Muzzle: Scythe Compensator
  • Rear Grip: Fabric Grip
  • Optic: MK 18 Sunfilter
  • Stock: Short Stock
  • Proficiency: Quickscope
  • Kit: On-Hand
  • Ammo Type: Lengthened

Although the Kar98k doesn’t need a muzzle, the Scythe Compensator manages to reduce the vertical recoil control without introducing any negative effects. The Fabric Grip also improves the sniper rifle’s aim down sights time, sprint to fire speed, and hip fire recoil recovery, though this does negatively impact the weapon’s horizontal recoil control.

One of the Kar98k’s biggest weaknesses is the amount of time it takes to reload a single clip – it takes just over six seconds to swap out a magazine. It might be tempting to equip the 8MM Jaeger 3 Round Mag, but this magazine reduces your ammo capacity down to just three bullets. The stock magazine might take a while to reload, but you can afford to miss a few shots and still win the fight.

The MK 18 Sunfilter optic has been designed with quickscoping in mind – this attachment drastically increases the idle sway control in exchange for a faster aim down sights speed. Unlike a normal sniper rifle, idle sway isn’t a big factor when using the Kar98k as you won’t be looking down the scope for longer than two seconds. There’s also a slight hit to the weapon’s vertical and horizontal recoil control, but this shouldn’t be an issue if you land a shot to the torso or head.

Get to studyingLearn about every Vanguard map here

Equip the Short Stock to completely transform the Kar98k into a quickscoping monster. This stock makes the sniper rifle lightweight, but it hurts the weapon’s accuracy, mainly the vertical and horizontal recoil control. This is balanced with upgraded mobility stats in key areas: movement speed, sprint to fire time, and most importantly, aim down sights time.

When it comes to picking a proficiency, there’s only one real option: Quickscope. This proficiency increases your accuracy for a short time after you aim down sights – the perfect attachment for the Kar98k. As for the kit, we’ve gone for On-Hand to complement the aggressive sniper build – On-Hand lessens the downtime after using equipment so you can throw grenades quickly and immediately get back to sniping.

The last attachment worth picking is the Lengthened ammo type which drastically improves the Kar98k’s bullet velocity. This is particularly useful when firing the sniper rifle from range as your shots travel through the air faster, allowing you to hit the target sooner. You also won’t need to account for bullet drop when shooting from afar.

That’s all you need to build the best Kar98k loadout in Call of Duty Vanguard. Give our best Call of Duty Vanguard guns guide a read to find out what weapons you should be picking. We recommend pairing the Kar98k with the best Machine Pistol loadout to blast your enemies away when you run out of sniper bullets. Don’t forget to check out our Call of Duty Vanguard perks guide to build the perfect loadout.