Warzone, like many battle royales, puts a premium on long-range engagements. Due to the large, open layout of much of the Warzone map, sniper rifles are highly effective and sought-after weapons in Verdansk.
It is somewhat difficult to compare snipers to anything outside their own category since their damage model is so different from the other weapons in the game. The biggest stats to pay attention to for sniper rifles are their one-shot kill potential, how fast they shoot, and how high their bullet velocity is.
The is a huge variety of different sniper rifles, each with its own statistical advantages and disadvantages. Here is a tier list ranking every sniper rifle in Warzone from best to worst!
Tier S
- HDR
- AX-50
HDR
The HDR is the best sniper rifle in the game for long-range encounters. This weapon is capable of downing a fully armored opponent in a single shot if you hit the head, an ability that is only shared by a few other rifles on this list. This one-shot kill machine is great for long-range duels, or for opening up encounters with a quick kill.
What truly sets this gun apart is its extremely high bullet velocity, which can be further enhanced by equipping the 26.9” HDR Pro barrel. Faster bullet velocity means you don’t have to lead your target as much, which takes a lot of the guesswork out of long-range sniping. This rifle may be the biggest and the slowest, but it’s the most reliable for very long-range fights.
AX-50
The AX-50 has the same damage model as the HDR, so it is also capable of downing fully armored targets in a single lethal blow. It also has a faster fire rate, reload time, and aim-down-sights speed, which makes it a superior weapon for those who want to play at a faster pace with their sniper rifle.
The big drawback for the AX-50, when compared to the HDR, is the bullet velocity difference. With the AX-50 you have a decent bullet velocity, but you will have to lead your target significantly more than with the HDR. Beyond that though, the AX-50 brings a lot of its own unique advantages for the mobility-minded sniper and is more effective in medium ranges than the slower firing HDR.
Tier A
- Kar98k
- SP-R 208
Kar98k
The Kar98k is one of the most interesting sniper rifles in the game. This weapon is capable of one-shotting fully armored players at close and medium ranges, however, its damage drop off, low bullet velocity, and significant bullet drop severely limit this gun at longer ranges. This weapon should be used to win encounters at medium ranges, where you can take full advantage of its fast aim-down-sights time and devastating one-shot kill potential.
While the Kar98k won’t win long-range sniper duels, it makes up for it by being perhaps the most mobile and deadly medium-range gun in the game, if you can land your headshots consistently.
SP-R 208
The SP-R 208 was added to Warzone with Season 1 and came over from Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. This marksman rifle is very similar to the Kar98k in use and function. It can down enemies in a single shot to the head or chest, but it has significant damage drop off that makes it unideal for very long range engagements.
The reason to select the SP-R 208 over the Kar98k is its bullet velocity. While it has a slower ADS time than the Kar98k, the bullet velocity makes up for the lost time and also makes this weapon effective at slightly longer ranges than the Kar98k since you won’t have to lead targets as much.
Tier B
- Pellington 703
- LW3 Tundra
- Rytec AMR
Pellington 703
The Pelinton 703 was also added to the game from Black Ops Cold War. While it has never quite reached the upper echelons of the sniper meta, its fortunes have been steadily rising in Warzone Season 2, as it has found its place as a long-range sniper duelist weapon.
The Pelington is a highly effective standard bolt-action rifle that can help you get the drop on your enemy with its fast ADS time and fast bullet velocity. While the HDR will out damage it, the Pelington 703 will always have the advantage of shooting first and faster due to its rapid ADS time. So if you are hunting other snipers, the Pelinton 703 is a surprisingly good option to choose, especially when equipped with attachments to further increase its bullet velocity and ADS time.
LW3 Tundra
The LW3 Tundra is a bolt-action sniper rifle that is very easy to use at long ranges due to its best-in-class bullet velocity. This rifle belongs squarely in Tier B. Guns like the AX-50 and HDR outperform this weapon in most categories. But the LW3 Tundra can still hold its own on the battlefield, and is a legitimately good option for those who are looking to mix it up with a decent, but slightly off-meta, sniper rifle.
Rytec AMR
The Ryztec AMR is a very strange weapon that defies categorization completely. On one hand, it has a high damage model with a slow ADS time and is one of the four weapons that can down a fully armored opponent in one shot. On the other hand, it is a semi-automatic rifle with a high fire rate.
This gun can be built out for short to medium-range encounters, or you can invest in it as a long-range sniper rifle. Unfortunately, no matter which direction you choose, there is probably going to be a gun that is more capable. For longer range, the HDR, AX-50, and the Pellington 703 are a better way to go. For shorter-range fights, the SP-R 208 and Kar98k are going to outperform it.
So while this gun is totally viable, it ends up in the middle of the pack because it lacks a strong role in the Warzone Season 2 meta.
Tier C
- M82
- SKS
M82
The M82 is a semi-automatic rifle that is designed to be used at longer ranges, so this weapon fills a weird role in the meta in a similar fashion to the Rytec AMR. The M82 really only makes sense for players who are fans of long-range sniping but don’t want to rack a bolt between every shot. For everyone else, it makes more sense to go with one of the many superior bolt-action rifles listed higher up on this list.
SKS
The SKS is more similar to a slow-fire-rate assault rifle than a traditional sniper rifle. So you probably won’t be winning many long-range engagements with this gun. Unfortunately, this weapon at its ideal range is outclassed by tactical rifles like the m16 or the AUG. While it can be fun to run around with an SKS, this weapon is not anywhere near the top of the Warzone Season 2 meta.
Tier D
- EBR-14
- MK2 Carbine
- Dragunov
- Crossbow
EBR-14
The EBR-14 suffers from the same issues as the SKS, but it’s even worse. This semi-automatic rifle is designed to be fired quickly and is best used at medium ranges. It is next to useless at longer ranges and will be outclassed by most ARs, tactical rifles, and the SKS itself at medium ranges. In Warzone season 2, there isn’t much of a reason to pick up the EBR-14, unless you just like the way it looks.
MK2 Carbine
The MK2 Carbine is the only lever-action rifle in the game. It comes with a magazine size of 6 rounds which are reloaded one by one. In Warzone Season 2, this weapon is currently more of a novelty than anything. It can be fun to pick up a lever-action rifle every now and again, but that doesn't make this weapon viable. With only six bullets, a slow reload, and significant damage drop-off, there is rarely a situation where a player would want this gun.
Dragunov
The Dragunov used to be the only semi-automatic sniper in the game when Warzone first released. Since then, it has only continued to slide downward in the meta. While this gun is capable of winning some mid-range fights, it is worse than all of its other sniper counter-parts, including the EBR-14 which is also a low-tier gun.
Crossbow
The crossbow feels more like a meme weapon than anything. While it is still a weapon that kills people, it doesn’t have a strongly defined place in the Season 2 meta, and it is so limited that it doesn’t feel like it’s worth using in Warzone.
The big selling point of the Crossbow is that it is capable of one-shot kills to the body. It can also be outfitted with a variety of arrow types like explosive tips or thermite tips. However, this weapon also has massive drawbacks. It has the slowest fire rate of any weapon in the sniper category and it has a high rate of bullet drop. This makes it challenging and even dangerous to try to deploy this weapon effectively.
Like the MK2 Carbine, the crossbow can be a fun weapon to mess around with, but it is not a serious contender in Season 2.
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