The Best LAPA Loadouts in Call of Duty: Warzone

While most of the focus in Call of Duty: Warzone is currently on the new Vanguard weapons, one SMG in particular has quietly been on top for a while now. The OTs 9 was previously the king of SMGs and although it’s still excellent, the LAPA is better in many ways. It launched in October 2021, serving as the last Cold War SMG to be added to the game. For whatever reason, this weapon seems to have been overlooked by much of the community, as it’s quite rare to encounter a player using it. The thing is, it’s a versatile gun that can be built in a few different ways.

It’s an absolute beast of a weapon, especially on Rebirth Island. But how should you build it, and what kind of equipment should you bring along with it? These are the best loadouts for the LAPA SMG.

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LAPA overview

As always, let’s take a closer look at the LAPA, with details on how to use it effectively. The first thing to take into account is that the LAPA is highly effective past 11 meters, which is right around the distance that the OTs 9 stops being as effective. We’ll be comparing the LAPA to the OTs 9 a lot here, since it was previously the top dog of SMGs. Within 11 meters, the LAPA is still excellent and remains competitive against the OTs 9, with a negligible difference in time to kill (TTK) according to TrueGameData.

Aside from that, pretty much everything else about the LAPA is standard. It has a base reload time of 2.32 seconds, a base aim down sights (ADS) speed of 192ms, and a fire rate of 700RPM. The one other quirk with the LAPA is that its iron sights are pretty terrible, so you’ll always want to use an Optic of some kind unless you’re going with a hip-fire build. The iron sights tend to block much of the screen, which is a shame since it means you’ll almost always have to use an optic, but the rest of the weapon’s benefits make up for it.

These are the recommended builds.

Close-range

Recommended build:

First, let’s touch on a fantastic close-range LAPA build, tailored around movement speed, sprint-to-fire speed, and hip-fire accuracy. Though the iron sights are atrocious with this weapon, you won’t need to use them since you’ll be mostly hip-firing with this build. That way, you can save the attachment slot to use for something else. With this being a hip-fire build, you’ll really only want to use it within 11 meters or so, and the closer you are to your target, the more likely you are to hit your shots.

Start off with the Sound Suppressor Muzzle with this build for suppression, keeping you off the enemy minimap when firing. It also boosts your sprint-to-fire speed, allowing you to start shooting faster after running, which is ideal for a hip-fire setup. Follow that up with the 7.9″ Rifled Barrel for a boost to fire rate. This is highly effective when used with an up-close loadout like this one, as it boosts the TTK. The Barrel does slightly penalize your damage range and bullet velocity, but that won’t matter with a close-quarters class.

With this being a hip-fire build, you’ll want to use the SWAT 5mW Laser Sight since it boosts hip-fire accuracy. It makes your ADS speeds slower, but again, this is a non-factor with a hip-fire setup. Next, go with the Bruiser Grip Underbarrel, which gives you extra hip-fire accuracy and movement speed with no penalties. Finish the build with the STANAG 50 Rnd Magazine for maximum ammo. You can also go with the Salvo 45 Rnd Fast Mag at the expense of five bullets, which can make or break certain gunfights. TThe faster reload speed is nice, though.

Perks

Mid-range

Recommended build:

For this loadout, swap over to the Agency Suppressor Muzzle, which keeps you from appearing on enemy UAVs, but also boosts your vertical recoil control, bullet velocity, and damage range. All of these benefits will help you out at mid-range. The regular Sound Suppressor should be skipped in this case, since it hurts your bullet velocity and range. Speaking of range, we recommend switching over to the 12.4″ M03 Reinforced Barrel for a boost to your effective damage range and fire rate. You’ll find the faster fire rate to be a bit more forgiving if you aren’t an accurate player.

Next, use the Optic of your choice, such as the Microflex LED or something similar. You don’t want to pick anything with zoom greater than 2.0x, since that’ll severely hurt your ADS speeds. Since this is a ranged setup, you’ll want to come equipped with the Field Agent Grip Underbarrel, which improves your vertical and horizontal recoil control. The weapon is already relatively easy to control, but this attachment makes it even more user-friendly, especially at range. Finish the build with the STANAG 50 Rnd Magazine to ensure you have plenty of rounds to secure eliminations from afar. It’ll take you more bullets to eliminate a player after the first damage drop-off, so the more ammo, the better.

All-around

Recommended build:

Next, you’ll absolutely want to come equipped with an Optic, since the iron sights are so bad. We like the Microflex LED, but go with whatever you’re comfortable with. If you can stand the iron sights, more power to you — that frees up an attachment slot. Most players will likely need an Optic. To enhance performance up-close, go with the Raider Stock. This will boost your ADS firing move speed, your aim walking move speed, and your sprint-to-fire times. Finally, go with the STANAG 50 Rnd Magazine, as always.

With this being an aggressive build, you should consider bringing Molotov Cocktails with you so you can use them to clear out a room and deal slight burn damage over time. Throwing Knives work well, too, so pick whichever suits your style. Finally, we like running Stims with this loadout since they give you a massive temporary speed boost. If you know how to use them, you can out-maneuver an opponent before they can even react.

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