Operation: Rank Up Report #0038

Day 266 – 12:18:22 PST

Somewhere in California

AGB – Lead Writer

Season Four is coming to an end, so there’s no time to waste.

Let’s get to Ranking Up:

Operator of the Week

As this is Season Four’s final Rank Up Report, I’m showing off not just one, but two Legendary Operators.

The Allegiance’s representative is Zane, who makes an iconic Rank Up Report return in his Legendary ‘The Icon’ skin, adorned with all gold everything to outshine your enemies. With this skin, you can roll into Verdansk or any Multiplayer map and rush in with confidence knowing you have just as much brass as you do brawn.

See also, the King’s Highway assault rifle, a Legendary blueprint weapon that is a gold standard when it comes to mid-range combat efficiency.

And for the Coalition, we have Charly in ‘The Outrider’ skin, part of the ‘Earth Expeditionary Force’ Store bundle. If you are skilled enough with the right loadout, Charly will be more than prepared to nuke the entire Multiplayer lobby from orbit or give your enemies in Warzone™ a game over, man.

Top Rank Up Tip – Season Four Officer Challenges Pt. 2

Back in Rank Up Report #35, I broke down the 10 toughest Officer Challenges of Season Four… out of the first 50.

Now, at season’s end, I’d like to revisit this challenge board and give tips on the 10 toughest challenges from the last half. Just like Seasons’ prior, there are your Four Piece Dinner (earn Quad Feeds) and Bloodthirsty Killer (5 Kills without dying) challenges, but I’ve covered these time and time again in previous Rank Up Reports, which you can cycle through on the Modern Warfare Landing Site for some extra tips and tricks.

With that in mind, I’m looking at challenges that are different, yet still difficult in their own ways, starting with everyone’s favorite 1v1 area in Verdansk: the Gulag:

Prison Fighter – In Warzone, win your Gulag match 2 times – Rank 111 (1,500 XP)

Although raw accuracy, quick reactions, and weapon knowledge are key tools to getting back into Verdansk, I recommend reading the “Captured: Prisoner of Warzone” section of the Official Warzone Strategy Guide for another important skill: map knowledge.

There are three Gulag layouts in total, and this section has strategies for all of them, plus some general tips.

Ammo Provider – In Warzone, Purchase as Munitions Box from the Kiosk 10 times – Rank 112 (9,000 XP)

In practice, this and the Armor Shopper (Rank 79 – Purchase Armor Plate Box 25 times – 15,000 XP) were the hardest for me. But, if you are usually a team player, you probably already purchase Munitions and Armor Boxes for your squad.

If not, I recommend playing Solos and picking up Supply Run Contracts, which give you two minutes to get to a designated Buy Station. Reach the Buy station in time and use the discount on either a Munitions or Armor Box. 

Four Leaf Clover – Get 200 Kills using a weapon with 4 attachments – Rank 116 (9,000 XP)

By far one of the longest challenges here, don’t be surprised if you are still working on this one.

The easiest way to tally up four attachment kills is to prioritize picking up Epic blueprints in Warzone or using them as-is in your loadouts, as they come with only four attachments.

Launcher Kills – Get 3 Multi Kills using Rocket Launchers – Rank 120 (1,500 XP)

Launcher Destroys – Destroy 15 Vehicles – Rank 128 (3,000 XP)

You can easily chase down these two challenges if you go for destroys – not just disables – of vehicles carrying enemies, as the explosion will count towards launcher kills if your rocket strikes the vehicle. 

Also, a reminder: if there is a Trophy System on a vehicle, shoot it with a regular gun before engaging with your launcher, otherwise the system will intercept your rockets.

Finisher – Execute 2 Finishing Moves – Rank 132 (1,500 XP)

Dead Silence, high mobility weapons (e.g. Kali Sticks), reconnaissance tools (e.g. UAVs and Heartbeat Monitors), and teammate callouts or distractions can all help you sneak up behind an enemy for a Finishing Move.

Note that you can perform Finishing Moves on downed enemies in Warzone, so try sending your rival into the Gulag or out of the game with flair, if you can.

Distance Marksman – Get 2 Longshot Kills within 60 seconds of each other 5 times – Rank 137 (3,000 XP)

If you want to be fancy, go into Warzone and snipe to your heart’s content across rooftops and zones galore.

Alternatively, different weapon classes have different distances to be considered Longshots – for example, an assault rifle Longshot is about 40 meters – so play with whatever weapon class you’re most comfortable with, and stretch your engagements out to the closest limit of that range.

Above all else, be quick, but know a minute is still a long time in Call of Duty.

Munitions – Get 5 Hipfire kills with your secondary – Rank 153 (1,500 XP)

Point Blank – Get 20 Point Blank Kills – Rank 154 (6,000 XP)

Sprayer – Get 2 Hipfire Kills within 60 seconds of each other 5 times – Max Rank (1,500 XP)

Three out of the last four Officer Challenges can all be solved with one attachment: Akimbo.

This makes your hangdun – or should I say, handguns – super effective at Point Blank range, especially if you have a fast trigger finger or use Akimbo on a heavy-damage weapon like the .357. It forces you to hip-fire, but the firepower trade-off is enough to wipe the floor with someone at extreme close distances.

Use an Akimbo sidearm class, potentially combining it with attachment-based challenges (Four Leaf Clover) for maximum efficiency.

Don’t have Akimbo? Learn to unlock it, and how to use it, here.

Gunsmith Custom Creation

Another Season, another Max Rank reward:

For those alongside me on the journey towards Ranking Up, you can earn the Sandbar weapon blueprint by hitting max rank this season.

This blueprint is based on is a sleeper pick among assault rifles, as it couples  a steady rate of fire and solid base recoil control and stability.

Objectively speaking, it is one of the most forgiving assault rifles in the game; if you are just joining us as a newer player in Modern Warfare Multiplayer and/or Warzone or prefer a weapon with a low floor for mastery, this assault rifle is for you. Even if you are the most skilled player in the game, this rifle can still provide a lofty skill ceiling, yet your situation won’t be FUBAR’d if you aren’t hitting all your shots.

And so, our Gunsmith Custom Creation of the Week: the Pacesetter.

I made this class for my brother, who has not played Call of Duty in a decade, to bring him up to speed within this fast-paced, ever-evolving series and set him up for success, hence “Pacesetter.”

This configuration keeps the Tac Laser – a great all-around attachment – on the Sandbar, and the base “look” but that’s all. The 100 Round Drum Mags and Integral Hybrid – also found on the Sandbar – are given their distinct look thanks to the Regal Retribution blueprint, found in the ‘Fool’s Gold’ weapon bundle from Season One. 

The 100 Round Drum Mag gives plenty of ammo to waste and is surprisingly quick to reload, while the optic is a personal preference. A two-for-one optic is great for utility in engagements, but feel free to go with your favorite optic attachment.

I used the final two attachment slots on the Muzzle Brake and the M203 40mm High-Explosive underbarrel launcher from the Silent Stalker blueprint, part of the ‘Las Tigres’ Store bundle from Season Three. The Muzzle attachment is great for recoil stability, essentially making the recoil more predictable, while the underbarrel launcher is for groups of enemies or to destroy vehicles.

All these blueprints combined gives you this Pacesetter Gunsmith Custom Creation. However, in order to make this exact configuration, you must fully level up Assault Rifle Alpha to be able to mix and match these attachments, including their cosmetic appearance.

In other words, as my brother – or you – use this weapon, learning how to control its up-and-to-the-left recoil and the range its most effective at, it will gain these attachments and many more.

And who knows? Maybe he’s had enough explosives and swaps the underbarrel launcher for a Commando Foregrip to further stabilize recoil. Or he becomes a more accurate player, and decides he doesn’t need a 100 Drum Mag, taking a 60 Round one instead for better mobility.

But his journey towards finding what he’s good at and Ranking Up – as well as the journey you take and the one I’m on – is for another Report. 

For now, I’ll see you online.

Stay frosty.

For more information and the latest intel on Warzone, visit www.callofduty.com/warzone and follow @CallofDuty on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. 

For more information and the latest intel on Call of Duty®: Modern Warfare®, check out: www.callofduty.com, www.youtube.com/callofduty and follow @InfinityWard and @CallofDuty on Twitter and Instagram and Facebook.

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