Complete Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone AN-94 Breakdown
Season 5 of Modern Warfare and Warzone introduce a brand new battle pass, along with two new weapons: the ISO SMG and the AN-94. While the ISO was disappointing to many fans, only making it up to the the middle of the pack in this season's meta tier list, the AN-94 will likely fare much better. A fan-favorite from past games with some interesting characteristics, unique attachments, and a firing pattern that makes it a challenge to master, the AN-94 is easily a game-changer.
Modern Warfare and Warzone have seen their fair share of unique, historical, and fascinating weapons, but arguably nothing quite so special as the AN-94. Historically, it was developed as a replacement for the AK-74, but was so complex and expensive that it was never fully adopted. With its almost comically complex "recoil shifted pulse" firing mechanism, the gun can fire its first two rounds at 1800 RPM, fast enough that the recoil from the first shot isn't felt until both are fired. This was meant to improve hit probability and resulted in the iconic canted magazine angle, but in game, it just means some slick animations and effectively double damage on the first trigger pull of a burst.
In Modern Warfare and Warzone, the AN-94 uses 5.45x39mm ammunition, which is roughly on par with 5.56. Its first two shots will come out at about 1800 RPM, so quick that they almost seem like one shot. After that, if the trigger is held down, the weapon will fire at roughly 600 RPM, pretty slow for an AR. In semi-auto mode, each trigger pull will result in the same two-round "hyperburst." The same effect can be achieved with short, controlled taps of the trigger while in full auto. This means that the first shots fired will always have extremely high DPS and a spike in recoil, while continued automatic fire will be slow, controllable, and do average damage.
While its special recoil pattern and odd firing characteristics will just take honest practice to get used to, the AN-94 can still be improved with all the standard AR attachments, plus a few unique mods that aren't present on any other gun. New to the AN-94 is the POS-M3 Thermal Scope, which offers 3.35x magnification and a purple-tinted night vision plus thermal view down range. Other new attachments include the AN-94 Sonic Brake muzzle attachment and VLK PX-9 Pero skeleton stock, both of which are outshone by the new scope.
The best attachments for the AN-94 will be pretty familiar to anyone used to setting up ARs in Modern Warfare and Warzone. The Monolithic suppressor is still the best muzzle attachment, while an assortment of long and short barrels offer benefits to accuracy and mobility, respectively. The standard lasers, grip tapes, and underbarrel attachments all remain. The Commando, Merc, and Operator foregrips are still the best, while the Folded stock, FSS Close Quarters, and VLK PX-9 Pero stocks all offer benefits to ADS and movement. Ammunition comes in 30-round mags standard, and can be upgraded to 45-round and 60-round Casket magazines. Bigger mags are a must for Warzone, especially since repeated burst firing will chew through ammo.
For such an unusual gun, the AN-94 has a lot of viable builds available. It seems that the weapon is best suited to balanced, mid-range builds that can take advantage of its first-shot punch but won't be too bogged down by its slow rate of fire after the initial shots ring out. In close quarters, a steady, high rate of fire is preferable, and at longer ranges a more damaging bullet is a huge benefit. Even so, there are a two main ways to make the AN-94 exceptionally strong in Warzone, enough to even shift the meta.
When stealth and range are top priority in Warzone, the Monolithic suppressor and long barrels are the core of any good build. The AN-94's ideal ranged build includes the POS-M3 optic, Monolithic suppressor, Factory X-438mm barrel, Commando foregrip, and 60-round magazines. This setup will keep recoil down and allow for plenty of follow-up damage with a large magazine. A unique alternative for a powerful ranged build is to set up the AN-94 as a pseudo-DMR, using its two-round hyperburst to simulate a more powerful cartridge.
With a zoom scope, preferably the unique POS-M3, Monolithic Suppressor, Factory x-438mm barrel, Operator Foregrip, and Rubberized grip tape, the AN-94 will have a slow ADS speed, but almost no recoil. Keeping recoil to a minimum is so important because the trick for this setup is to switch the gun to semi-automatic fire. In semi-auto, the AN-94 will repeatedly shoot in hyperburst, dealing the damage of two full-size rounds faster than the Fennec's fire rate with each and every shot. That adds a lot of recoil, but with all of the mods detailed here and a fast trigger finger, a semi-auto AN-94 can run with the FR 5.56 and even the overpowered FAL as a competitor to the marksman rifle class.
In mid-range engagements, the AN-94 shines the most, especially if the user can land headshots with the burst function. An optic of choice, VLK AN-94 Sila barrel, Merc foregrip, 45-round magazines, and VLK PX-9 Pero stock is the perfect balanced build for the AN-94, offering a good mix of controllability and decent mobility. For even faster movement and handling, opting for the Factory 330mm barrel and stippled grip tape in lieu of 45-round mags will still deliver strong damage down range at a much faster pace. Even if the AN-94 doesn't upend the meta, it is still a very strong gun that is exceedingly fun to use. Any player looking for a little variety should consider the new AN-94 a godsend.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone are available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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