If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Best FTac Recon loadout and class build for Warzone and MW3

Long range combat with a close range twist in MW3.

The FTac Recon is one of Warzone and Modern Warfare 3's Battle Rifles, originally featured in the prior game.

Thanks to one of Modern Warfare 3's new systems known as Carry Forward, a large portion of the weapons you can use are from its previous game, all of which are usable, customisable, and carry across existing progression attained inside of Modern Warfare 2.

The FTac Recon in particular was a strong gun at the launch of MW2, and in MW3, it continues to be a solid pick in the Battle Rifle class, and is one you can build and approach from different angles.

In this guide, we'll be running through how to unlock the FTac Recon in Warzone and Modern Warfare 3, the best loadout and attachments to use, and the best class build you'll want to put together to complement the gun.

On this page:

Warzone and MW3 FTAC Recon best loadout and attachments

The list of attachments we're recommending are focused on improving the FTac Recon's capability to hit enemies at medium to long distances. While in itself it's a solid all-round battle rifle and can even be used in a full-auto firing mode, it shines most prominently when using it in semi-auto mode, hitting shots at long distances.

Before delving into why we've chosen these attachments, here are the best attachments to use with the FTac Recon in Modern Warfare 3:

  • Rear Grip: Support CP90 Grip
  • Barrel: Bull Rider 16.5" or 419MM EXF Barrel
  • Underbarrel: VX Pinapple
  • Optic: HMW-20 Optic or Hybrid Firepoint
  • Stock: Demo Precision Elite Factory

The Support CP90 Rear Grip will give the rifle more aiming stability and flinch resistance, though it does reduce the weapon's mobility and handling stats, but on the whole, the stability and resistance to flinch are much more important considering the playstyle we're thinking about.

For the barrel slot, running the Bull Rider 16.5" is the best option due to its increase in recoil control, damage range, and bullet velocity – all useful for back-to-back shots and consistent accuracy.

The FTac Recon in the Gunsmith screen, equipped with our recommended attachments.

Since you have to level the FTac Recon to its max level of 22 to unlock this particular attachment though, an alternative you could use until then is the 419MM EXF Barrel – unlocked at weapon level 6.

In terms of what to pick for the underbarrel slot, the VX Pinapple grip works great since it increases the accuracy with additional aim walking steadiness, with recoil and gun kick control boosts on top.

Next we move onto the key attachment that really is going to make this whole build tick – the HMW-20 Optic is fundamental to completing this loadout since it's going to grant a 8.0x magnified sight that'll be exactly what you need to attack from medium to long distances.

Left: The HMW-20 Optic in the Gunsmith menu, showing its stats and visual appearance. | Right: How the scope looks in-game.

Alternatively, if you'd prefer something more close-quarters, a standard red dot sight, or the Hybrid Firepoint – which lets you toggle between x4.3 magnification and a standard reflex sight – are great picks too that you might find suit your playstyle better and give the gun more viability at closer ranges.

As for the FTAC Recon's final attachment, we're picking the Demo Precision Elite Factory stock which will provide a improvements to recoil and gun kick control, helpful for when attacking targets at longer ranges.

Warzone and MW3 FTAC Recon best class build, vest, perks, gear, and equipment

Keeping with the idea of finding a safe position to take out enemies, this build is aimed at improving your survivability and accuracy at longer distances.

Here are our recommended picks for the class build, perks, and equipment to complement the FTac Recon in Modern Warfare 3:

  • Vest: Overkill Vest
  • Perk 1 - Gloves: Marksman Gloves
  • Perk 2 - Boots: Stalker Boots
  • Perk 3 - Gear: Mission Control Comlink or Ghost T/V Camo
  • Secondary: Striker w/ Suppressor
  • Tactical: Scatter Mine or Decoy Grenade
  • Lethal: Claymore
  • Field Upgrade: N/A

In terms of the Vest, since the FTac Recon is so focused on long range encounters, an additional primary weapon is a good shout, particularly one that can take on enemies at close range, and so we're going with the Overkill Vest for this build.

We'll get to explaining about the second primary weapon in a moment, but as for its core abilities, the Overkill Vest grants you an increased weapon swap speed as well as the ability to reload whilst sprinting, handy to have when moving locations or when needing to swap to your secondary.

When it comes to the secondary weapon, since the FTac Recon's primary place in this build is a semi-automatic rifle that won't really serve much of a great purpose at close range, we're setting our eyes on a fitting close-range backup for this class.

The recommended class build we're recommending and discussing for use with the FTac Recon.

A perfect fit for this need is the Striker SMG, which when equipped with a red dot, suppressor and other handy attachments, will be a strong option to have at the ready when the situation demands a change in combat distance.

As for the perks we've picked, we've gone for options that are going to boost the usability of the FTac Recon - and the Striker too depending on the situation - as well as a couple of potential picks for the third slot's perk.

A solid Striker SMG build to use with the FTac Recon in this loadout.

In the first slot, we're going for the Marksman Gloves which reduce your sway and flinch whilst aiming down sights - a similar area that the Stalker Boots are amplifying too thanks to the increased strafe and ADS movement speed they provide.

As for the third perk in the Gear slot, there are a couple of options that are worth considering here.

You could pair a support-focused killstreak set with Mission Control Comlink that reduces the number of kills/score you need to earn kill/scorestreaks by 1/125. Alternatively, a more stealthy option would be the Ghost T/V Camo that'll hide you from enemy radar sources and sensors whilst you're moving.

The Ghost T/V Camo perk, found in the Gear slot.

With the Striker SMG equipped with a suppressor and .45 Auto High Grain Rounds that hide enemy skulls when you defeat an enemy, this is a nice way to stay mobile without giving away your position.

When it comes to equipment, as a result of the Overkill Vest, you'll only have access to Lethal and Tactical slots - that means no Field Upgrade. You could try the Gunner Vest but you'll lose access to the Boots perk slot, so it's whichever you prefer.

When it comes to the Lethal and Tactical equipment to take however, you could opt for something more offensive like the usual Frag and Flash/Stun Grenade, or you could go for something a little more defensive like Scatter Mines and Claymores - picking these will be handy to cover your six whilst you're watching over a particular sightline or objective.

Decoy Grenades, a suggested option for a potential Tactical greande option you could pick.

If you wanted to mess around with the enemy, you could also try Decoy Grenades, which show enemy red dots on the radar to players on the opposing team, an effect which can and has proven to be very effective, and a good way to draw enemies out into your line of fire as they investigate.

As with all recommendations, you should see how each weapon, attachment, and perk feels to really get a sense of its working for you, and with so many options to choose from, there are a lot of minor tweaks you could make that might make a big difference for you, so be sure to add your own spin if something isn't working for you.

How to unlock the FTAC Recon in Modern Warfare 3

For many of the Modern Warfare 2 weapons returning in Modern Warfare 3, they've had their requirements adjusted and are no longer a part of the core player level progression track as MW3 features its own bespoke set of unlocks.

In the case of the FTac Recon, whilst its own unlock requirements have not changed, it is affected by the new unlock requirements for other weapons.

This is due to the fact that, to unlock the FTac Recon, you need to reach weapon level 13 with the M4, and the M4 isn't unlocked until a challenge is completed - a challenge that only reveals itself once you reach player level 55.

The M4's weapon level progression track showing the FTac Recon, unlocked at M4 weapon level 13.

If you own MW2, you might find this challenge is easier to complete if you reach player level 4 in the Multiplayer, and then jump back over to MW3 - if you've achieved that, then you'll have the M4 ready to use in MW3, and can start using and levelling it to unlock the FTac Recon.

Another point to make note of, if you're an owner of the Vault Edition of MW2, you will have had it automatically unlocked in that game and as such, should have instant access to the FTac Recon in Modern Warfare 3.

If you're on the lookout for more Modern Warfare 3 weapons to try, be sure to check out our guides on the best primary weapons, and the best weapons per class in our best guns guide. If it's specific loadouts you're looking for, there are plenty to comb through amongst our recent Modern Warfare 3 guides posts listed on this page.

From Assassin's Creed to Zoo Tycoon, we welcome all gamers

Eurogamer welcomes videogamers of all types, so sign in and join our community!

In this article
Follow a topic and we'll email you when we write an article about it.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (2023)

PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PC

Related topics
About the Author
Josh Mckenna avatar

Josh Mckenna

Contributor

Comments