Primary Weapons
More than any other factor, a primary weapon defines a player’s role on the battlefield.
In general, the more effective a primary weapon is, the more expensive it is in the pre-battle armory and the later it appears in the skill unlock tree.
That being said, every weapon has a place on the battlefield – even the lowliest SMG has its situation where it excels – so be careful not to pre-judge a weapon based on its armory cost or barracks level alone.
Submachine Guns
These weapons are great at short ranges and excel with run-and-gun play styles.
Submachine guns (SMGs) suffer only slight accuracy penalties for moving while shooting, but are poor at long-ranged combat and lowering your stance won't help much. Like other primary weapons, they do more damage than backup weapons and have better overall performance.
Tip: Adding a suppressor to your SMG results in a great infiltration weapon. Sneak around and catch the enemy unaware!
Shotguns
These weapons dominate in close combat situations but are of limited use anywhere else because their effectiveness decreases with range.
Shotguns don’t have accuracy penalties – they have one accuracy setting regardless of stance or movement.
Tip: You can fire your shotgun at any point during reloading. Just don’t forget to re-initiate the reload once you’re done waxing the enemy!
Tip: Shotguns are best used in urban areas of missions, where you can get close to the enemy before they see you.
Assault Rifles
A default primary weapon when creating a new character, assault rifles have a good rate of fire and have more killing power than submachine guns.
Good for mid-range combat with no great strengths or weaknesses. Assault rifles (along with improved assault rifles and battle rifles) have the most attachment types available of all weapon types.
Tip: If you’re new to MAG and aren’t sure which weapon to take, stick with the default assault rifle.
Improved Assault Rifles
These are improved versions of assault rifles, usually due to technological or manufacturing advances.
They are usually a little more accurate and may have a higher rate of fire than normal assault rifles, but they are also more expensive and don’t do any more damage than standard assault rifles.
Tip: Try adding an 4X optical sight to your assault rifle. You’ll be much more effective against distant targets because of the increased zoom level.
Battle Rifles
These are basically assault rifles that fire bigger bullets with the same initial accuracy. They do more damage than normal assault rifles, but are harder to control.
Tip: To improve stability, try adding a fore-grip to your battle rifle!
Light Sniper Rifles
Also called designated marksman rifles, these weapons are a cross between an assault rifle and a sniper rifle and are one of the default primary weapons.
They are fairly accurate even while not in scope mode, have a fast rate of semi-automatic fire, and do a lot of damage to the enemy.
Tip: Light sniper rifles are good for sniping in urban environments or in close support with your squad on the move!
Tip: A foregrip is usually a better choice for light sniper rifles than a bipod.
Medium Sniper Rifles
These are the classic sniper rifles you’ll find on just about any battlefield on the planet. With a high-power scope mounted on them, they are the most accurate weapon in the MAG.
They do a lot of damage and a moderate amount of recoil, but have a slow rate of fire.
Tip: While standing, you will have a lot of barrel wander. Try crouching, going prone (better), or using a bipod on the ground (best) for more stability.
Heavy Sniper Rifles
True terrors of the battlefield, these heavy caliber weapons are also called "anti-materiel" rifles as their primary function is to disable lightly armored vehicles and assets. They also disable enemy troops (to say the least).
Heavy sniper rifles usuall kill a light or medium armored enemy in one body shot in MAG and do some damage to enemy vehicles and turrets.
They have a lot of recoil and barrel wander, so each comes with a built-in bipod.
Tip: Use the built-in bipod by going prone and hitting O.
Tip: The heavy sniper rifles are great against enemy bunker turrets. Though it takes a few shots, you can destroy a turret from a safe distance.
Light Machineguns
These weapons are designed for use while on the go. They fire the same size of bullet as assault rifles, but use a lot more of them. A foregrip is usually the best choice of attachment for these weapons. Light machineguns are a default primary weapon (available at character creation).
Tip: Light MG’s have a lot more ammo (100 rounds!) than assault rifles, but take a lot longer to reload. Make sure you reload in cover and when friendlies are nearby.
Heavy Machineguns
These are a much larger version of the light machineguns, firing heavier bullets and doing much more damage.
These weapons have a lot of kick and are best when used prone and with a bipod.
Tip: Make sure you deploy your machinegun in a position with good cover, or you’ll be sniper fodder.
Backup Weapons
These are pistols and personal defense weapons (PDWs) and are built for close-ranged combat.
They are mostly used when the player's primary weapon is out of ammo or the primary weapon is bad for close combat.
Backup weapons can be fired when on the run with little penalty to accuracy.
Sidearms
The default backup weapon is a pistol.
Because they're not precise weapons, sidearms are not a good choice for long-distance combat. However, movement has almost no effect on sidearm accuracy, which makes them good close-quarters weapons.
Pistols with the suppressor attachment are virtually undetectable in a combat environment.
Tip: When your primary weapon runs out of ammo, it’s always faster to switch to your pistol than to reload your primary weapon. Pistols don’t have a lot of stopping power, but they have enough to finish an already wounded enemy at close range.
Personal Defense Weapons
Smaller versions of submachine guns, personal defense weapons (PDWs) may be selected instead of pistols as the player’s backup weapon.
Like pistols, PDWs are good up close but not at long range. They have fully automatic fire, but their magazines are relatively small.
Tip: If your primary weapon is a sniper rifle, it may be best take a PDW and keep it equipped any time you’re moving from point A to point B.
Knives
All players have this close combat weapon by default. Your combat knife doesn’t take up a gear slot, but it can’t be removed from your loadout either.
To use the knife, press R3. You will instantly swipe your knife and then return to the weapon/item you held previously).
Tip: Knives are great for quietly taking out enemies behind enemy lines since they don’t make much noise when used.
More than any other factor, a primary weapon defines a player’s role on the battlefield.
In general, the more effective a primary weapon is, the more expensive it is in the pre-battle armory and the later it appears in the skill unlock tree.
That being said, every weapon has a place on the battlefield – even the lowliest SMG has its situation where it excels – so be careful not to pre-judge a weapon based on its armory cost or barracks level alone.
Submachine Guns
These weapons are great at short ranges and excel with run-and-gun play styles.
Submachine guns (SMGs) suffer only slight accuracy penalties for moving while shooting, but are poor at long-ranged combat and lowering your stance won't help much. Like other primary weapons, they do more damage than backup weapons and have better overall performance.
Tip: Adding a suppressor to your SMG results in a great infiltration weapon. Sneak around and catch the enemy unaware!
Shotguns
These weapons dominate in close combat situations but are of limited use anywhere else because their effectiveness decreases with range.
Shotguns don’t have accuracy penalties – they have one accuracy setting regardless of stance or movement.
Tip: You can fire your shotgun at any point during reloading. Just don’t forget to re-initiate the reload once you’re done waxing the enemy!
Tip: Shotguns are best used in urban areas of missions, where you can get close to the enemy before they see you.
Assault Rifles
A default primary weapon when creating a new character, assault rifles have a good rate of fire and have more killing power than submachine guns.
Good for mid-range combat with no great strengths or weaknesses. Assault rifles (along with improved assault rifles and battle rifles) have the most attachment types available of all weapon types.
Tip: If you’re new to MAG and aren’t sure which weapon to take, stick with the default assault rifle.
Improved Assault Rifles
These are improved versions of assault rifles, usually due to technological or manufacturing advances.
They are usually a little more accurate and may have a higher rate of fire than normal assault rifles, but they are also more expensive and don’t do any more damage than standard assault rifles.
Tip: Try adding an 4X optical sight to your assault rifle. You’ll be much more effective against distant targets because of the increased zoom level.
Battle Rifles
These are basically assault rifles that fire bigger bullets with the same initial accuracy. They do more damage than normal assault rifles, but are harder to control.
Tip: To improve stability, try adding a fore-grip to your battle rifle!
Light Sniper Rifles
Also called designated marksman rifles, these weapons are a cross between an assault rifle and a sniper rifle and are one of the default primary weapons.
They are fairly accurate even while not in scope mode, have a fast rate of semi-automatic fire, and do a lot of damage to the enemy.
Tip: Light sniper rifles are good for sniping in urban environments or in close support with your squad on the move!
Tip: A foregrip is usually a better choice for light sniper rifles than a bipod.
Medium Sniper Rifles
These are the classic sniper rifles you’ll find on just about any battlefield on the planet. With a high-power scope mounted on them, they are the most accurate weapon in the MAG.
They do a lot of damage and a moderate amount of recoil, but have a slow rate of fire.
Tip: While standing, you will have a lot of barrel wander. Try crouching, going prone (better), or using a bipod on the ground (best) for more stability.
Heavy Sniper Rifles
True terrors of the battlefield, these heavy caliber weapons are also called "anti-materiel" rifles as their primary function is to disable lightly armored vehicles and assets. They also disable enemy troops (to say the least).
Heavy sniper rifles usuall kill a light or medium armored enemy in one body shot in MAG and do some damage to enemy vehicles and turrets.
They have a lot of recoil and barrel wander, so each comes with a built-in bipod.
Tip: Use the built-in bipod by going prone and hitting O.
Tip: The heavy sniper rifles are great against enemy bunker turrets. Though it takes a few shots, you can destroy a turret from a safe distance.
Light Machineguns
These weapons are designed for use while on the go. They fire the same size of bullet as assault rifles, but use a lot more of them. A foregrip is usually the best choice of attachment for these weapons. Light machineguns are a default primary weapon (available at character creation).
Tip: Light MG’s have a lot more ammo (100 rounds!) than assault rifles, but take a lot longer to reload. Make sure you reload in cover and when friendlies are nearby.
Heavy Machineguns
These are a much larger version of the light machineguns, firing heavier bullets and doing much more damage.
These weapons have a lot of kick and are best when used prone and with a bipod.
Tip: Make sure you deploy your machinegun in a position with good cover, or you’ll be sniper fodder.
Backup Weapons
These are pistols and personal defense weapons (PDWs) and are built for close-ranged combat.
They are mostly used when the player's primary weapon is out of ammo or the primary weapon is bad for close combat.
Backup weapons can be fired when on the run with little penalty to accuracy.
Sidearms
The default backup weapon is a pistol.
Because they're not precise weapons, sidearms are not a good choice for long-distance combat. However, movement has almost no effect on sidearm accuracy, which makes them good close-quarters weapons.
Pistols with the suppressor attachment are virtually undetectable in a combat environment.
Tip: When your primary weapon runs out of ammo, it’s always faster to switch to your pistol than to reload your primary weapon. Pistols don’t have a lot of stopping power, but they have enough to finish an already wounded enemy at close range.
Personal Defense Weapons
Smaller versions of submachine guns, personal defense weapons (PDWs) may be selected instead of pistols as the player’s backup weapon.
Like pistols, PDWs are good up close but not at long range. They have fully automatic fire, but their magazines are relatively small.
Tip: If your primary weapon is a sniper rifle, it may be best take a PDW and keep it equipped any time you’re moving from point A to point B.
Knives
All players have this close combat weapon by default. Your combat knife doesn’t take up a gear slot, but it can’t be removed from your loadout either.
To use the knife, press R3. You will instantly swipe your knife and then return to the weapon/item you held previously).
Tip: Knives are great for quietly taking out enemies behind enemy lines since they don’t make much noise when used.