It’s pretty versatile thanks the number of attachments it has in Modern Warfare 2 - meaning regardless of how the player approaches the enemy, this weapon fits perfectly in any situation. To save you some time when playing Modern Warfare 2, we have prepared this explainer with the best M4 loadout and perks to get the most of the weapon. On this page: Looking for other suggestions? Our best guns in Modern Warfare 2 page can help you decide what to use next.
How to unlock the M4 in Modern Warfare 2
You don’t need to unlock the M4 in Modern Warfare 2, since it is the first open Assault Rifle available. However, you must reach level 4 to access custom loadouts where you’ll be able to customise each aspect of your class. The M4 is the first weapon in the assault rifle’s progression tree, and by leveling it up, you will unlock some others along the way, such as the M16.
Modern Warfare 2 M4 best loadout and attachments
Our picks for the best Modern Warfare 2 M4 loadout and attachments are:
Optic: Cronen Mini Red Dot (Unlocks at FSS Hurricane Lv. 2) or Forge Tac Delta 4 (unlocked at 556 Icarus Lv. 9) Stock: Corio Precio Factory (Unlocks at M4 Lv. 7) Rear Grip: Phantom Grip (Unlocks at FSS Hurricane Lv. 12) Muzzle: Forge-Tac Castle Comp (Unlocks at 556 Icarus Lv. 10) Barrel: Hightower 20" Barrel (Unlocks at M4 Lv. 15)
It’s worth noting that if you own the Vault Edition of Modern Warfare 2, you’ll have access to the full suite of M4 Platform attachments, including the ones mentioned above, right away without the need to level any weapon. By using these attachments, you will be prepared for most situations while having a consistent weapon on your hands. The Cronen Mini Red Dot is a good call to increase the weapon’s precision. As an alternative, if you find yourself wanting to lean more into longer-range encounters, the Forge Tac Delta 4 is a good alternative with its 4x zoom functionality. Picking the Corio Precio Factory for the M4’s stock slot, you gain aiming stability and recoil control, making shooting distant opponents an easier feat. With the Phantom Grip, you will give a boost to your Aim Down Sight speed and Sprint to Fire Speed. On the other hand, the Forge-Tac Castle Comp helps with recoil control keeping the weapon steady. The Tempus Hightower 20" Barrel adds a lot to the M4, making it shoot faster whilst improving its Hip Fire Accuracy and damage range. If you’re looking to experiment further, bear in mind that attachments are unlocked by using various other weapons in Modern Warfare 2 – for example, the Corio RE-X Pro sight is unlocked across all compatible weapons by unlocking the .50 GS handgun at level 13, then levelling it to level 4. As such, it’s worth trying out multiple weapons to unlock as many attachments as possible, then tweaking as you see fit. Additionally, once you fully level up a weapon, you’ll gain access to the Weapon Tuning feature that will allow further, precise tweaking to the weapon’s stats via its attachments – use this to enhance the weapon more specifically to your preferences. Getting stuck into multiplayer? We explain the best guns in Modern Warfare 2 and how to unlock all weapons and attachments - as well as individual pages on putting together an MP5 loadout, FTAC loadout, M4 loadout, Kastov 762 loadout, SP-R 208 loadout, TAQ 56 loadout, 556 Icarus loadout, Vel 46 loadout, M16 loadout and FSS Hurricane loadout. At launch, you might be wondering where the Battle Pass and Hardcore Tier 1 modes are, as well as how to claim Modern Warfare 2 Twitch drops. Elsewhere, learn how to turn off crossplay on PlayStation and Xbox, get and use Double XP, level up fast, get gold camo, check KD and unlock all MW2 Operators. Playing the story? We have explainers on how long the Modern Warfare 2 campaign is and all safe code combinations.
Modern Warfare 2 M4 best class build, from perks to equipment
Our picks for the best Modern Warfare 2 M4 secondary, parks and equipment are:
Basic Perk 1: Overkill (unlocked at Lv. 21) Basic Perk 2: Scavenger (unlocked at Lv. 26) Bonus Perk: Fast Hands (unlocked at Lv. 8) Ultimate Perk: Quick Fix (unlocked at Lv. 44) or Ghost (unlocked at Lv. 52) Secondary: Expedite 12 (unlocked at Lv. 9) Tactical: Stun Grenade (unlocked at Lv. 15) Lethal: Proximity Mine (unlocked at Lv. 1) Field Upgrade: Munitions Box (unlocked at Lv. 16)
Both Basic Perks aim for making your life easier during the fast combats you end up finding yourself in. Overkill is necessary to use two Primary Weapons, while Scavenger is the classic ability to grab ammunition from dead bodies. For the Bonus Perk, we recommend Fast Hands, allowing you to reload, use equipment and swap to your secondary gun faster, especially key when carrying a second primary weapon. As your Ultimate Perk, Ghost is a great option considering the duration till it becomes active. By having it, you become invisible to the enemy’s UAVs, Portable Radars, and Heartbeat Sensors. Alternatively, another good pick is Quick Fix, which incrases your survivability during combat and activates health regeneration on kill. Whilst you can’t manually equip these in a custom perk package until you reach the required levels, you can pick the Assault perk package available right away which contains all but Fast Hands from our recommended perks. Instead, you’ll get Hardline, a worthy alternative that’ll help you net killstreaks in one less kill or 125 less score – depending on if you’ve chosen to earn streaks via kills or score. Expedite 12 is a powerful Shotgun that serves pretty well as a secondary to use when changing areas or hunting enemies in narrow corridors. It’s a “one shot, one kill” type of gun. As for your Tactical, the Stun Grenade is extremely helpful in situations in which you need to enter a room or corridor. Throw it there and enter holding the Expedite 12. Since the Stun Grenade isn’t accessible till level 15, you could pick a Flash Grenade instead which will serve a similar purpose, blinding the enemy rather than stunning and slowing them. Now the Proximity Mine is useful when you want to take advantage of some covering and the M4 capacity of reaching far enemies. Place it near one of the entrances where you are to protect yourself. As an alternative, the Frag Grenade can be effective for clearing out rooms, or a more offensive playstyle in general. Finally, the Munitions Box is a good pick since you are not going to have a bigger magazine for the M4. It also replenishes your tactical and lethal explosives. Since you don’t gain access to the Munitions Box until level 16, the Portable Radar unlocked at level 5 can be a good choice till then, but ultimately, the Field Upgrade choice is entirely dependant your preference – pick whatever you find best suits your playstyle. If you’re looking for more on Modern Warfare 2, check out our guides on the M16, how to play Hardcore Tier 1 modes or read up on the launch date for Season 1 and the first Battle Pass.
