Best AS VAL Warzone loadout: Class setup, attachments, perks

The AS VAL doesn’t dominate in Warzone as much as it does in Black Ops 6 multiplayer, but the AR is still viable in the battle royale’s Season 1 meta.

Throughout Warzone’s history, there have been several ARs that don’t have a fast enough time-to-kill speed to compete with SMGs, but also don’t have a long enough damage range to contend against long-range meta weapons.

Sometimes, these weapons fall out of favor. However, there is always a chance that they become valuable sniper support options. Because when you use a sniper rifle, you want a versatile secondary weapon that can hold its own in gunfights from any distance.

And that’s precisely what the AS VAL accomplishes in Warzone Season 1. The fast-firing AR does a little bit of everything well.

Best Warzone AS VAL loadout

Dexerto

• Barrel: Suppressed Reinforced Barrel
• Underbarrel: Vertical Grip
• Magazine: Extended Mag II
• Rear Grip: Commando Grip
• Fire Mods: Recoil Springs

Even though Raven Software increased the AS VAL’s magazine size from 20 in multiplayer to 30 in Warzone, the weapon still lacks enough ammunition to take on multiple enemies simultaneously. So, we recommend using an Extended Mag II to address that issue.

And despite the AS VAL dishing out loads of damage, the AR suffers from an incredibly difficult-to-control recoil pattern. The Vertical Grip significantly improves horizontal recoil while the Recoil Springs helps reduce vertical and horizontal recoil.

Since we want this loadout to compete with SMGs, the Commando Grip improves sprint and aim down sight speeds. Finally, the Suppressed Reinforced Barrel gives you a fighting chance against long-range meta weapons with increased bullet velocity and damage range.

Best Perks, Equipment & Combat Specialty for AS VAL

Dexerto

• Perk 1: Dexterity
• Perk 2: Quick Fix
• Perk 3: Tempered
• Wildcard: Overkill
• Lethal: Throwing Knife
• Tactical: Smoke Grenade

Being able to outmaneuver your opponents is crucial in Warzone, and you are going to need all of the help available with a slower AR loadout. That’s why Dexterity is the best Perk 1, it reduces weapon motion while sliding, diving, and jumping and reduces fall damage.

Perk 2 doesn’t offer many intriguing options. So, Quick Fix is the logical choice here because it triggers health regeneration after inserting a plate or getting an elimination. Additionally, you can hip-fire your weapon while equipping a plate, which will save you on more than one occasion.

We could also see Sprinter as a popular choice because it allows you to tactical-sprint indefinitely. Yet, this is deceiving. You can tactical-sprint indefinitely with the dedicated melee weapon, meaning this perk will only be useful if you’re playing so aggressively that you don’t have time to pull out your weapon before fighting.

Perk 3, on the other hand, is a difficult choice. You could make a case that Ghost, Gung-Ho, Birdseye, and Alertness are all the obvious selections, but we decided to go with Tempered since it allows you to achieve full armor with two plates instead of three.

Dexerto

Frag Grenades are also a good option, but we went with Throwing Knives to finish off downed enemies. Finally, Smoke Grenades provide cover while rotating across open areas or running away from enemies.

AS VAL pros and cons

Where is the AS VAL in the Warzone meta?

The AS VAL and AK-74 both lead Black Ops 6 ARs in time-to-kill speed up to around 37 meters. Poor accuracy holds both weapons back, but it’s still surprising that the AS VAL is only the 17th most popular weapon, according to WZRanked.

If you can get used to the recoil, there aren’t many ARs better than the AS VAL and the weapon performs especially on Area 99, thanks to the map being smaller. This is our top choice for a sniper support weapon in Season 1.

How to unlock AS VAL in Black Ops 6

The AS VAL is unlocked by reaching level 55, making it the last weapon you get before reaching Prestige. Thankfully, Double XP tokens carry over from MW2 and MW3 in Warzone, so the task is easier.

Black Ops 6 AS VAL alternatives

If the AS VAL doesn’t check off every box of what you want from an AR, the AMES 85 is an underrated option that deserves more attention. In addition, some players believe that the GPR 91 is the best AR in Warzone, and rightfully so.