Operation: Rank Up Report #0047

Day 345 – 10:06:19 PST

Somewhere in California

AGB – Lead Writer

The Haunting of Verdansk is in full swing, and while there are plenty of frightening features to explore, there are still plenty of challenges to do in Modern Warfare and Warzone, and a few bundles that you might have missed.

Let’s get to ranking up:

Operator of the Week

This week, I’m featuring two bundles that may have gotten overshadowed from some sinister special guests.

On the left is Ghost with his “Apparition” skin. Find it in the “Ghost: Fighting Spirit” bundle, which co-headlined the Store last week alongside the “16-Bit Tracer Pack” bundle.

As for our Allegiance representative, I chose Grinch in his Gilded Assassin skin, which is available as part of the “Golden Scales” bundle. That seven-item pack also includes three gold-encrusted weapon blueprints, including a Combat Knife variant, as well as a Calling Card, Emblem, and a new Quip for Golem.

Top Rank Up Tip – Season Six’s Toughest Officer Challenges

Infinity Ward threw a few curveballs at us this time for Officer Challenges; namely, some objectives that involve Optic attachments. These add another layer for potential challenge stacks, a strategy that I detailed in the 41^st Rank Up Report.

This time around, given that I got Max Rank so early this season, I’m going to be upfront and detail some tips for the ten challenges I felt were the toughest.

No time to waste, let’s crush these difficult Officer Challenges:

ACOG Longshots – Get 40 Longshot Kills while using an ACOG Optic – Rank 59 (6,000 XP)

First, you need to equip a weapon with an ACOG Optic; here’s a quick list of the three common ones across all weapons:

·      Scout Combat Optic

·      VLK Rogue

·      Cronen C480 Pro Optic

Check your weapon for specific ACOG optics that also count towards this challenge, such as the one Raines has above on the Al Rukh SMG blueprint, a weapon we’ll revisit in our Gunsmith Custom Creation).

Next, Longshot distances are tied to specific weapon categories, with Marksman Rifles sharing the same distance as Assault Rifles and LMGs. That includes the new SP-R 208, which can one-shot enemies to the head, neck, or upper-chest at any range just with its default ammo.

I recommend using one of those three optics on this rifle for Warzone play. Those who play Modern Warfare Multiplayer can also head to Hardcore modes, where all player health is reduced significantly, and use Sidearm like the .357, which is powerful enough to one-shot enemies in these modes and has a much shorter Longshot distance overall.

Equipment Dismantler – Destroy 25 pieces of enemy equipment – Rank 65 (9,000 XP)

I covered this one in the 44^th Rank Up Report for Season Five, but to reiterate: use the Spotter Perk and head to building-heavy locales in Warzone, such as Downtown or, based on my drops lately, Barakett Promenade.

Trophy Systems also count towards this challenge; because seasoned players frequently put these on vehicles, shoot them off at any chance you get to weaken these small-yet-mighty rocket and equipment interceptors.

Again, like the prior season, you may want to wait until the Spotter Officer Challenge is unlocked at Rank 147, as its objective, which is to “Equip the Spotter Perk and Destroy a total of 7 Enemy Killstreaks, Equipment, and Vehicles” (1,500 XP), overlaps with this one.

Cluster Strike – Call in the Cluster Strike Killstreak 25 times – Rank 85 (12,000 XP)

Although Multiplayer Operators can throw on Hardline and rack these up through four Killstreaks (usually aided by Personal Radars and UAVs), I found this easier to complete within Warzone thanks to Supply Run Contracts.

Specifically, drop in on Supply Run Contract, pick it up, locate a vehicle, speed over to the target Buy Station, and get a heavily discounted Cluster Strike within the first few minutes of play. At this point, I’d keep playing and rack up Cash in $3,000 increments – either through Kills, Supply Box scavenging or Contracts – to keep the Cluster Strikes coming in droves.

Hybrid Point Blank – Get 50 Point Blank Kills while using a Non-thermal Hybrid Optic – Rank 97 (9,000 XP)

This challenge errs on the side of ridiculousness but isn’t too hard with some proper planning. Essentially, you want a weapon that can melt opponents up close and not even bother using the actual sight itself.

Use a 4.0x Flip Hybrid or Integral Hybrid Optic on a fast-firing SMG, such as the Fennec. Then, kit it for all the Movement Speed and Sprint to Fire Speed buffs it can muster through attachments like No Stock and the 5mW Laser and play as aggressively as possible.

If you’re going with this method, you might want to wait until you unlock the Rank 148 Challenge (Point Blank Speedster – Get 2 Point Blank Kills within 60 seconds of each other 30 times for 9,000 XP) and stack them for a potential 18,000 XP run.

Popcorn – Kill 2 or more Enemies with a single piece of Lethal equipment 15 times – Rank 100 (9,000 XP)

Like the Longshot challenge, this can either be completed in Warzone or Hardcore Multiplayer, and I tend to either use C4, Thermite Grenades, or Molotov Cocktails.

In Warzone, target vehicles to cause massive explosions that can easily destroy anyone inside or near the vehicle. As for Hardcore Multiplayer, it’s all about taking advantage of reduced player health and proper placement of equipment pieces, such as on objectives, in sniping perches, or within chokepoints. Just be sure to not hit your teammates within the blast radius or lingering damage effects, lest you be kicked for being a traitor to the squad.

Merciless – Get 10 Kills without dying 2 times – Rank 119 (6,000 XP)

Before Warzone dropped, this could be done in Multiplayer with some great teammates who would assist you by running constant UAVs.

Within Warzone, I found this challenge easier to complete by racking up $10,000 as quickly as possible to get a Loadout Drop before the end of the first circle collapse.

Then, using a loadout that fits the playstyle of whatever safe area mostly falls on – e.g. SMGs and Shotguns for building-heavy places, Sniper Rifles for long sightlines – head to a hot zone or towards the edge of the circle to pick off any stragglers before they get their own custom loadouts.

Sliding 4 Attachments – Get 25 Sliding Kills while Using 4 Attachments – Rank 154 (6,000 XP)

Three ideas come to mind for weapons that can be used here: Akimbo Sidearms, a Shotgun, or a fast-firing SMG.

Kit your weapon of choice with four attachments (or three for Akimbo Sidearms, since you need to use one for Akimbo) that maximize Hip Fire Accuracy. At that point, it’s all about hitting the crouch command after Sprinting or Tac Sprinting, then firing while sliding.

Ideally, you slide right into or extremely close to the enemy so that the chance of missing is slim to none.

Gunsmith Custom Creation

As you could infer, I wrote this guide after reaching Max Rank for the season. The reward for doing so is this Legendary SMG blueprint: The Slipper Clutch.

A great weapon as is, but this same weapon family has another weapon blueprint that’s found at Tier 20 of the Season Six Battle Pass: The Al Rukh.

With these Season Six Blueprints combined, we’re creating an SMG creation that is more consistent at mid-range with a quick aim down sight (ADS) speed; a creation that I’m calling the “All Clutch.”

To create this, start with the Al Rukh to get those Light Tracer Rounds, as well as the Commando Foregrip, which stabilizes recoil and aiming, and 5.56 NATO 30-Round Mags, which fundamentally changes the weapon’s damage profile. Instead of the high fire rate from normal 9mm magazines, the 5.56 NATO magazine turns the weapon into a quasi-Assault Rifle, allowing it to perform better than 9mm ammo at ranges outside of 20 meters, a common engagement range within Warzone.

Because we’re using the 30-Round Mags, we’ll want to also keep Sleight of Hand to cut down reload times significantly. Although there is a drum mag we could use instead, it’s a bit too heavy for how I’m configuring this weapon.

Rounding out this weapon is the FORGE TAC CQB Comb and 407mm Lightweight Barrel from the Slipper Clutch. The ADS reduction benefit of the CQB Comb cancels out the penalty from the Lightweight Barrel, which still increases range by a significant amount.

Combined, this weapon is a force to be reckoned with inside 75 meters in Warzone or Multiplayer. It’s fast enough to outspeed most mid-range weapons when it comes to ADS, yet still has the range to compete with them bullet-for-bullet. For this reason, it’s in my SMG rotation for my standard loadouts, which I’ll show soon as a treat for the Haunting of Verdansk…

But for now, I’ll see you online.

Stay frosty.

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