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Top 10 Tips to Get Out of Platinum in Overwatch

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By Emily Barnes

Overwatch is a first-person shooter multiplayer game that revolves around team play, ability usage, counter gameplay, and overall game sense. The game has arcade modes, quick play, and most importantly competitive mode. Competitive mode ranks players into these categories based on their skill level: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Masters, and Grandmasters.

Most of the player base lands somewhere around Gold and Platinum and many players find the jump from Platinum to Diamond to be very challenging and almost impossible to complete. This list includes the top ten tips to get out of platinum in Overwatch and make your way to the top percent of players in Diamond and above. So, if you’re ready to climb the ranks of competitive Overwatch, keep reading.

10. Don’t be a Toxic Teammate

Top 10 Tips to Get Out of Platinum in Overwatch - Don’t be a Toxic Teammate

One of the most recognizable parts of the Overwatch community is the tendency for its players to be very passionate about winning their games. This can often lead to teammates getting toxic when their teammates make mistakes, and in reality, there are many mistakes to be made. You can overextend and get killed by not being near your healers or the enemy team could be countering your character of choice. In these scenarios, if your teammate is doing something you disagree with, always make a callout in a positive fashion. People will always play better in positive environments than toxic ones, and at the end of the day, everyone wants to win and have fun. Try to help your teammates do well and in turn, your games will turn out much better than if you responded to them with anger.

9. Recognize Mistakes

Top 10 Tips to Get Out of Platinum in Overwatch - Recognize Mistakes
Overwatch – Credit: Blizzard Entertainment

There is definitely more than one way to recognize and improve your mistakes. Overwatch has a replay system where you can rewatch your matches to see your mistakes first person or third person. This is a great way to analyze your gameplay and decide on your own what mistakes you may be making: positioning, ultimate usage, counter picks, etc. Another great way to recognize your own mistakes is to promote and participate in clear communication with teammates about what went wrong during a match, and what could have been done better. Overwatch is most definitely a team game, and discussing your team’s downfalls in a constructive manner will only improve all teammate’s skill levels.

8. Know the Roles

Top 10 Tips to Get Out of Platinum in Overwatch - Know the Roles
Overwatch – Credit: Blizzard Entertainment

Every player who wants to play Overwatch seriously needs to have a serious understanding of each role, how every character plays into their role, and what your role should be contributing to your team overall. It may seem self-explanatory, but it really isn’t and a lot of thought should go into it. For example, Mercy is a healer, but her damage boost is arguably her best ability. Knowing when you should heal and when you should damage boost can easily boost yourself to Diamond. Knowing that as Reinhardt you are the main tank and your primary goal is to create space for your teammates.

7. Play as a Team

Top 10 Tips to Get Out of Platinum in Overwatch - Play as a Team
Overwatch – Credit: Blizzard Entertainment

You can queue up for games as a solo player and the majority of the time as a Diamond level player I play alone. However, for those looking to climb out of Platinum, I highly recommend utilizing the “looking for group” tool that Overwatch has to find other players to play with. Even just playing with one other person can cause you to win many more games than on your own if you can strategize with this person and combine your abilities and ultimate’s. You can also find full teams in the looking for group tool to ensure you can communicate with each one of your teammates and that everyone has a mutual understanding and agreement on strategy and team compositions.

6. Trust your team

Top 10 Tips to Get Out of Platinum in Overwatch - Trust your team
Overwatch – Credit: Blizzard Entertainment

Nothing bad can come from trusting your teammates. Even if you lose or they make a mistake, at least your team had a positive environment. When you trust your teammates, your team will synergize much better which ends up in more impactful team plays. Trusting your teammates to hit their shots and use their abilities or ultimates at the right time can enable them to perform to the best of their abilities. In a game that involves such heavy communication, it is very important to treat others how you would want to be treated.

5. Know Your Hero

Overwatch – Credit: Blizzard Entertainment

Realistically each hero should be played differently. Hitscan heroes such as Mccree, Soldier, and Ashe should be played from a distance and preferably on high ground. Supports such as Ana, Zenyatta, and Mercy are vulnerable and should play around natural cover away from the enemy’s line of sight. Knowing when to utilize Mccree’s stun ability can allow you to stun enemies at critical moments such as when a Reaper is using his ultimate. Another example is recognizing when your team’s Ana hits an anti-grenade on your enemy team, they cannot be healed. This means your team should go very aggressively in order to capitalize on her grenade.

4. Plan Ahead

Overwatch – Credit: Blizzard Entertainment

When you are placing yourself on high ground or in the backline, always stay hyper-aware of the enemy team and their position. If you’ve lost sight of the enemy damage heroes for a few seconds, there is a very high probability that they are flanking you. Once you reach high Platinum players have enough game sense to target backlines in order to challenge the support heroes on a team. This is where having an escape route is very important and utilizing callouts to inform your teammates if you are diving and attacked. Always plan for enemies to attack you and save your abilities to get yourself out of a fight.

3. Watch Better Players.

Twitch Tv Logo – Credit: Twitch

Overwatch is a mental game more so than an FPS. More decision-making goes into the game than shooting. Therefore, watching professional players and studying how they play and make decisions will only benefit your own gameplay. Twitch and YouTube are saturated with an Overwatch community of Top 500 players who create informative content and stream their gameplay on a daily basis. Watching Overwatch being played at such a high skill level can expose you to their strategies and callouts, and therefore you can incorporate this into your Platinum games. You will also learn the easy way; you will learn from their mistakes without affecting your own SR.

2. Adapt to Existing Conditions

Overwatch – Credit: Blizzard Entertainment

On certain maps, certain team compositions are going to be extremely effective while others are not. Also, there are certain heroes that are extremely effective or ineffective against other heroes in the game. The tank Winston has a high health output and he is a large target, and the damage character Reaper is extremely effective against him. Running a Winston into a Reaper will only charge the Reaper’s ultimate ability extremely quickly, which will be very bad for your team. Another example of a common hero counter is a Pharah versus hit scan heroes. Pharah literally launches herself into flight with rockets and can be extremely hard to hit with many characters in the game. However, characters like DVA, Soldier 76, and Mccree can shoot her out of the sky and even dive her to force her to come down. Knowing when to switch to counters will undoubtedly make you climb SR, and this is why it is also extremely important to make sure your playable character is diverse and to not one trick.

1. Team Composition

Overwatch – Credit: Blizzard Entertainment

There are many known team compositions in Overwatch: dive, bunker, brawl, and more. Certain characters fit into these team compositions extremely well, and it is very important to know which characters work well together. An ideal brawl composition, for example, would be Reaper, Mei, Brigitte, Moira/Lucio, Reinhardt, and Zarya. Using these characters and playing them close together to focus on your enemy teammates will be extremely powerful and almost unbeatable. In order to out brawl a composition like this, your enemy team is going to have to counter you well. An example of a great bunker composition would be Orisa, Sigma, Bastion, Symmetra, Baptiste, and Mercy. This composition is extremely hard to counter on defense and when playing in ranks lower than Diamond will almost always work. As long as your team is communicating, picking characters based on your composition, and focusing targets your team will be very difficult to beat.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Overwatch is a very immersive gaming experience because the game really promotes strategy and mental work in order to win your games more consistently. Working with a team can be difficult at times but when it works and flows smoothly the game is extremely fast-paced, action-packed, and fun. Climbing through the ranks of Overwatch may be frustrating, but if you’re having fun the overall experience is extremely rewarding for players of any rank.

You can definitely gain enough SR by actively utilizing these tips to get out of the Platinum rank. Then, you can focus on getting to Masters, and after that Top 500. Many players in the highest ranks of Overwatch started out stuck in Platinum, and you can learn a lot from their tips and tricks.

Abby Espiritu is a writer and self-proclaimed video game fanatic. While pursuing a Bachelor of Arts (double major) in American Studies and Modern Culture & Media at Brown University, she stumbled upon a Video Games Studies course where she got to read and write about video games for an entire semester. While she loved the class immensely, she wondered what the heck she would do with all the information she had learned. Luckily for her, she actually found something to do with it - make a living writing about video games! In addition to her articles on GamingTopTens, Abby also writes for fellow gaming site The Gamer. When she isn’t writing about, religiously playing, or obsessing over her favorite RPG’s (like Persona 5 and Fire Emblem: Three Houses) Abby can be found writing for a variety of sites and publications, such as Scribd and Flex Media Group. Beyond her writing endeavors, Abby is also an onscreen and voiceover actress as well as a casting production assistant based in New York City. When she isn’t working, you can probably find her in one of three places: watching a Broadway show in NYC, attending an anime convention in full-on cosplay, or sitting on her couch playing video games. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter: @missabbyespirit

Game Guides

The 10 Best Armor Sets in The Witcher 3

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Which are the best armor sets in The Witcher 3?

Armor has always been an essential part of RPG games, and it’s not all about the visual look and aesthetic.

When you’re placed into a world full of enemies and battles to be fought, your normal body isn’t going to be enough to protect yourself from potentially massive amounts of damage. All attacks in-game do a specific amount of damage whether it’s 100, 200, or 5,00 damage.

There are also multiple types of damage including piercing damage, environmental damage, monster damage, and many more.

 

The Best Armor Sets in The Witcher 3

This is where armor can really save the day and enable you to succeed in your play.

Armor takes away some of the damage that attacks do, and each armor differs in just how much damage and what specific kind it will be most resistant to.

The different visual appeal makes them fun to collect and discover, so keep reading for the list of the top ten sets in The Witcher 3.

 

10. Kaer Morhen Armor

Top 10 Best Armor Sets in The Witcher 3 - Kaer Morhen Armor

We are starting with one of the easiest armor sets to discover: the Kaer Morhen, your starting armor.

This armor can eventually be crafted into a much stronger version, the Warrior’s leather jacket. You will simply combine the Kaer Morhen, one cured leather, two pieces of wire, and two leather scraps.

The Warrior’s leather jacket is a medium type of armor and has some hefty stats.

This armor provides a 9% increase in resistance to piercing damage and bludgeoning damage.

On top of that, your resistance to slashing damage will increase by 18%, your resistance to damage from monsters by 12%, and finally, your resistance to elemental damage will increase by 15%.

This armor may be found at the beginning of the game, but its upgraded version is not to be overlooked.

 

9. Assassin’s Armor Set

Top 10 Best Armor Sets in The Witcher 3 - Assassin's Armor Set

The Assassin’s Armor Set is a moderately resistant set that makes up for what it lacks in being available early on.

This set is a great option towards the beginning of your playthrough but can be replaced with something better later on.

However, a pair of Assassin’s Gauntlets provide a significant critical hit boost, an increase of 10% to be exact. Your resistance to piercing damage and bludgeoning damage will both increase by 2%, slashing damage resistance will increase by 5%, and your chances of finding herbs will go up by 5%.

While this armor may not be especially defensive, the increase in critical hit chance will be very effective in battle.

 

8. Viper School Armor Set

Top 10 Best Armor Sets in The Witcher 3 - Viper School Armor Set

This set becomes available with the Hearts of Stone expansion.

You will complete the “Open Sesame!” Quest and buy the armor diagram from Countless Mignole.

The items required to craft the Viper School Armor set include linen, leather straps, hardened leather, wire, and cured draconid leather. This set requires the player to be level 39, and this armor has very high defensive stats.

The player’s resistance to piercing and slashing damage will increase by 30%, resistance to monster and elemental damage will increase by 40%, and your resistance to poisoning will increase by a whopping 50%. With this armor on you are going to be a tough enemy to defeat!

 

7. Griffin School Armor Set

Top 10 Best Armor Sets in The Witcher 3 - Griffin School Armor Set

The Griffin School Gear includes a full armor set and weapons.

Each of these is upgradeable, and the Griffin armor can be used to craft the Enhanced Griffin Armor.

You will need one shirt, two hardened leather, a meteorite silver plate, five leather straps, and two monster eyes. When wearing this armor your sign intensity, resistance to piercing damage, and resistance to bludgeoning damage will all increase by 5%.

Your resistance to slashing damage will increase by 10%, and your resistance to monster damage will increase by 15%. This armor is best for players who will prioritize swift movements and attacks over defense.

 

6. Toussaint Knight’s Tourney Armor (Crafted)

Top 10 Best Armor Sets in The Witcher 3 - Toussaint Knight's Tourney Armor (Crafted)

The Toussaint Knight’s Tourney Armor is a heavy armor that is available in three versions: crafted, magic, and master.

For this list, I chose the crafted Toussaint Knight’s Tourney armor. When completing the Night of Long Fangs quest you must pick Syanna’s route.

Then the relic form on this armor can be found at the Land of Thousand Fables. First of all, this armor increases Geralt’s Vitality by 500.

On top of that, your resistance to piercing damage, bludgeoning damage, and slashing damage will all increase by 43%. This piece of armor provides a unique increase of chance to deflect projectiles with the Quen magical sign by 25%.

 

5. Hen Gaidth Armor Set

The Hen Gaidth Armor Set becomes available with the Blood and Wine expansion.

The set can be found while completing the “What Lies Unseen” quest while inside the Unseen Elder’s lair.

This set has a red and black visual look that resembles something Dracula would have worn, and it’s definitely a resistant heavy armor.

Your resistance to slashing and monster damage will both increase by 35%. Your resistance to piercing damage will go up by 40%, resistance to bludgeoning damage will increase by 30%, and finally, your resistance to bleeding will increase by 50%!

 

4. Manticore School Armor Set

Some sets of armor will include a bonus when wearing multiple pieces from the same set, and the fourth set on our list is a perfect example.

The Manticore School Armor Set is introduced with the Blood and Wine expansion. You can craft this powerful armor set with the following ingredients: two cured Draconid leather, two Dimeritium plates, two monster eyes, and two monster ears.

This armor provides the player with 240 points to their Vitality.  Your resistance to toxicity increases by 10, your resistance to piercing damage increases by 19%, and your resistance to slashing damage by 24%. Furthermore, your resistance to damage from monsters increases by 31%. This armor has great defensive stats and a boost to critical hit damage as well at an increase of 25%.

 

3. Wolf School Armor Set

Scavenger Hunt: Wolf School Gear was added on as a DLC to the original Witcher 3 game, and the point of the mission is to obtain the diagrams for the Wolf School Gear.

South of the Kaer Morhen signpost is an old signal tower that contains the diagrams. The armor can be crafted with one shirt, two pieces of hardened leather, five leather straps, two monster eyes, and one meteorite silver plate. The Wolf School Armor Set gives the player a 105-point increase in Vitality.

Your adrenaline, resistance to piercing damage, and resistance to bludgeoning damage will all increase by 5%. Then your resistance to slashing damage will increase by 10%, and your resistance to monster damage will increase by 15%.

 

2. Ursine School Armor Set

The second set on this list is undoubtedly one of the most powerful pieces of armor available in The Witcher 3, rightfully earning its high placement.

The Ursine School Armor is found in Skellige at the peak of Yngvar’s Fang.

The player only has to be level 20 to find this armor and can craft the armor with these ingredients: one shirt, one dark steel plate, four pieces of linen, one monster bone, and two pieces of hardened leather. Geralt’s Vitality will increase by 135 points.

Your adrenaline grain, resistance to piercing damage, and resistance to bludgeoning damage will all increase by 5%. Slashing damage will decrease by 15% and your resistance to monster damage will go up by 20%.

 

1. Feline School Gear Set

The number one most valuable and resistant armor on this list is none other than the Feline School Gear Set.

The Feline set is from the Cat School, and this specific set can be crafted.

Follow a road around the western cliffside near Novigrad’s temple. You will end up walking behind the houses until you discover a path that goes behind the tower. You will need Keira Metz’s amulet in order to make it through this part of the quest.

Once you’ve equipped this armor Geralt’s Vitality will increase by 135 points and his attack power will increase by 10%. Your piercing damage will increase by 6%, your resistance to slashing damage and damage from monsters will increase by 8%, and finally, your resistance to elemental damage will increase by 30%.

 

Summary

There is a long list of available armor pieces in the Witcher 3, complicated even more by upgradeable options and customizations.

Even though the base game is plenty filled with discoverable and craftable items, the multiple expansions after the release have added even more options to the game. This can seem intimidating to anyone who has just begun their Witcher 3 journey.

However, exploring a world filled with valuable treasures is rewarding and exciting! You will fight your way through dark caves riddled with monsters, cross great distances, and fight many battles to find these armor sets.

Whether you are trying to find the best lightweight armor or simply collect them all, I hope this list made it easier to decide which specific set to look for. If you are interested in more descriptive guides on the best items in The Witcher 3, take a look at our Top Ten Silver Swords list! and our Top Ten Steel Swords List!

Here’s a quick recap of the 10 best armor sets in The Witcher 3:

  1. Feline School Gear Set
  2. Ursine School Armor Set
  3. Wolf School Armor Set
  4. Manticore School Armor Set
  5. Hen Gaidth Armor Set
  6. Toussaint Knight’s Tourney Armor (Crafted)
  7. Griffin School Armor Set
  8. Viper School Armor Set
  9. Assassin’s Armor Set
  10. Kaer Morhen Armor

What’s your favorite armor set in The Witcher 3? Leave a comment below.

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Game Guides

Top 10 Best Bows in WoW Classic

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By Samuel Riedeman

World of Warcraft (WoW) is one of the most famous video games ever. The time between WoW’s release in 2004 and its peak in 2010 is commonly known as “Vanilla”, or Classic, WoW. This time period is the source of many players’ nostalgia: the era the game became the most popular MMORPG in the world. Unfortunately, the hunter class became an infamous joke to some players. The meme continues today where hunters’ pets are blamed for bad pulls, or a hunter rolled need on something they couldn’t use, as the story goes. But don’t allow the negativity to keep you from playing a class you enjoy. So go out there, roll a hunter, and dream about the awesome weapons you will collect. In this list, we are looking at the top 10 best bows in WoW Classic.

10. Hoodoo Hunting Bow


Top 10 Best Bows in WoW Classic - Hoodoo Hunting Bow
Image Credit: classic.wowhead.com

When players entered the Zul’gurub raid, they had a chance to summon Wushoolay through a random event called Edge of Madness. Players would find the subregion of Zul’gurub just past Zanza’s Rise. Tablets in the area would allow alchemists to learn the formula for Gurubashi Mojo Madness, which required Blood of Heroes, Massive Mojo, Black Lotus, and 6 Powerful Mojo. This would be used to extinguish the brazier in the area and begin the event, randomly summoning either Gri’lek, Renataki, Hazza’rah, or Wushoolay.

Wushoolay is a troll ghost and elemental shaman who will use strong lightning attacks against your party. Upon defeat, the boss has a chance of dropping the Hoodoo Hunting Bow. This bow has a large tiki face on it and does decent damage. The bow does 35 damage per second (DPS) and adds +10 Agility and +4 Stamina. With the effort required to acquire this bow, the Hoodoo is a great badge of honor for your hunter in WoW Classic.

9. Mandokir’s Sting


Top 10 Best Bows in WoW Classic - Mandokir’s Sting
Image Credit: classic.wowhead.com

Players can return to Zul’gurub for the chance of receiving Mandokir’s Sting, a bow in the shape of a cobra. This weapon drops from an early boss in the raid, Bloodlord Mandokir. Considered an optional boss, the Bloodlord is a difficult fight but with great rewards. Mandokir begins the fight on his raptor mount, Ohgan. Once he dismounts, both Ohgan and Mandokir will engage the raid. This encounter is tricky and features unique mechanics where Mandokir will even resurrect fallen raid members.

Upon defeat, the Bloodlord has the chance of dropping a bow, Mandokir’s Sting. While this weapon doesn’t have any unique effects, the damage is decent at 37.5 DPS while also adding +11 Agility and +8 Stamina. Even if the stats don’t impress, the appearance is awesome and shows you are a skilled raider as well.

8. Bow of Taut Sinew


Top 10 Best Bows in WoW Classic - Bow of Taut Sinew
Image Credit: classic.wowhead.com

Located in southern Silithus, players can obtain the Bow of Taut Sinew within the Ruins of Ahn’Qiraj raid. This 20-person outdoor raid takes players to the home of the Qiraji, a bug-like race that were sealed within their ruins behind the scarab wall following the “War of the Shifting Sands”. After some Qiraji escaped their prison, Anachronos, the bronze dragon, helped the adventurers of Azeroth open the Scarab Wall to prevent further invasion. Within this raid, players would encounter Ayamiss the Hunter, the second to last boss. Ayamiss is a wasp beast who attacks from above and utilizes wasp minions as well as her poisonous stinger.

The Bow of Taut Sinew appears bug-like as if it was crafted from a limb of the Qiraji. The appearance is unique and the bow has good stats. The bow has 38.64 DPS and gives the user a bonus +22 Attack Power as well as +8 Nature Resistance.

7. Striker’s Mark


Top 10 Best Bows in WoW Classic - Striker’s Mark
Image Credit: classic.wowhead.com

One of the most well-known raids of Vanilla WoW is Molten Core, full of many iconic bosses. Within Blackrock Mountain, the Molten Core raid is home to Ragnaros the Firelord. The favorite among Ragnaros’s pets, Magmadar is a two-headed core hound and the second boss of the raid. Among the loot drop from the core hound is the bow, Striker’s Mark. The epic weapon appears to be made from bone and features a skull above the purple grip. Striker’s mark has 39.6 DPS as well as +22 Attack Power and improves your chance to hit by 1%.

6. Rhok’delar, Longbow of the Ancient Keepers


Top 10 Best Bows in WoW Classic - Rhok'delar, Longbow of the Ancient Keepers
Image Credit: classic.wowhead.com

To begin the quest to obtain this legendary bow, players must receive an Ancient Petrified Leaf by defeating Majordomo in the Molten Core raid. Players learn that this leaf belonged to Vartrus the Ancient in Felwood. Vartrus offers the two quests required to craft this bow. “A Proper String” tasks players to collect a Mature Black Dragon Sinew from Onyxia. Found in the Onyxia’s Lair raid, Onyxia is the daughter of Deathwing and sister of Nefarian, as well as the broodmother of the Black Dragonflight in Azeroth. “Stave of the Ancients” requires hunters to defeat four demonic corrupters in Felwood and forced players to complete this quest alone. Once a hunter collected the heads of the four demons, Vartrus would reward them with an Ancient Rune Etched Stave. Together, these items were used to create Rhok’delar, Longbow of the Ancient Keepers as well as Lok’delar, Stave of the Ancient Keepers.

Rok’delar would improve your chance to get a critical strike by 1% and +17 ranged Attack Power while Lok’delar improved your chance to get a critical strike by 2% and added +45 Attack Power when fighting Demons. Not only would hunters receive a fantastic weapon upon completing this quest, but also great bragging rights. This weapon remains one of the most iconic weapons in WoW Classic because of how challenging it is to obtain!

5. Heartstriker


Image Credit: classic.wowhead.com

Another iconic raid from the early days of World of Warcraft was Blackwing Layer. This was the home of Nefarian, the black dragon also known as Deathwing. This was an important point in the Cataclysm story where the player could confront the infamous Nefarian and attempt to defeat him themselves. The third boss in this raid was Broodlord Lashlayer, who guards the Halls of Strife, blocking the way into Nefarian’s inner sanctum. The Broodlord is a Drakonid and players must traverse two “suppression rooms” full of traps and minions before they can reach him. Once he is defeated, players have a chance to receive the Heartstriker, a bow ornated with two black and red dragons. The Heartstriker has 44 DPS and adds +24 Attack Power when equipped.

4. High Warlord’s Recurve


Image Credit: classic.wowhead.com

This is the first of two PvP bows on this list, both of which are incredibly difficult to obtain. In World of Warcraft Classic, the Honor System is used to track PvP progress. Honor is collected through Honorable Kills (HKs) when a player kills another player of the opposite faction in the open world or battlegrounds. Not all HKs are counted equally, however, so a player’s Honor rating is tracked with Honor Contribution Points (CPs). This is so objectives in battlegrounds like capturing flags or bases will also reward Honor. CPs calculate your rating and reward you with a rank. In the Horde, these range from a Rank 1 Scout to Rank 6 Stone Guard, etc.

As a player collects Rank Points and ranks up, a PvP vendor will have items for sale depending on the rank. The Horde vendor is Sergeant Thunderhorn, located in the Hall of Legends of Orgrimmar. Each new rank unlocks armor, mounts, and a weapon at the highest rank. Horde players must collect 60000 Rating Points to reach Rank 14, High Warlord, and unlock epic-quality weapons. Only then would a Horde hunter be able to obtain the High Warlord’s Recurve bow. This weapon has 46.1 DPS and +36 ranged Attack Power when equipped.

3. Grand Marshal’s Bullseye


Image Credit: classic.wowhead.com

In the same fashion as the Highwarlord’s Recurve, the Grand Marshal’s Bullseye is unlocked through PvP ranks. In the Alliance, ranks range from a Rank 1 Private to Rank 6 Knight, and so on. As a player collects Rank Points and ranks up, a PvP vendor will have items for sale depending on the rank. The Alliance vendor is Captain O’Neal, located in the Champions’ Hall in Stormwind. Each new rank unlocks armor, mounts, and a weapon at the highest rank. Alliance players must collect 60000 Rating Points to reach Rank 14, Grand Marshal, and unlock epic-quality weapons. Only then would an Alliance hunter be able to obtain the Grand Marshal’s Bullseye bow. This weapon has 46.1 DPS and +36 ranged Attack Power when equipped.

2. Huhuran’s Stinger


Image Credit: classic.wowhead.com

Very similar to the Bow of Taut Sinew, this weapon drops from a Qiraji wasp in an Ahn’Qiraj raid. This time players must enter the Temple of Ahn’Qiraj raid, different from the Ruins of Ahn’Qiraj. Players learn that the disturbance in the Ruins and Temple of Ahn’Qiraaj were caused by the old god, C’thun. Now heroes must enter Temple of Ahn’Qiraj, challenge C’thun’s most wicked servants, and slay the god. The fourth boss of the raid, Princess Huhuran is a large wasp who also uses poison against the raiding party. Upon her defeat, hunters have a chance to receive Huhuran’s Stinger, seemingly crafted from the Princess’s corpse. The bow has 46.3 DPS and adds +18 Agility to the player.

1. Soulstring


Image Credit: classic.wowhead.com

The Naxxramas raid has introduced some of the most iconic bosses and the strongest weapons in the game at the time. This included the Epic bow, Soulstring. In order to obtain this weapon, players must defeat the Four Horsemen and loot it from their chest. The four members were all former Paladins who were turned into undead. Located in the Military Quarter of Naxxramas, the Four Horsemen were powerful Death Knights who guarded Kel’Thuzad, the final boss of Naxxramas. This encounter was known to be very difficult as raid groups must face all four bosses at once. Upon defeat, their chest could contain many rare items, including the Soulstring. This bow had 50 DPS, the highest at the time. Additionally, the weapon would improve your chance to get a critical strike by 1% and add +16 Attack Power.

Conclusion

While these bows may be forgotten on the live servers, every weapon on this list is a great option if you’re playing Classic as a hunter. Nostalgic players of the Vanilla era have rejoiced as World of Warcraft Classic has come to give these players a taste of the past. Whether you’re returning or it’s your first time in the world, maybe you, too, can enter an era of Azeroth before the time of Cataclysm. If the warrior class is more your thing, Check out our guide best weapons for the warrior class!

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Game Guides

Top 10 Call of Duty Warzone Weapons That Fry

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Top 10 Call of Duty Warzone Weapons That Fry - MP5 (Cold War Version)

By Erika Lentz

In order to annihilate your enemies, you need to obtain the best weapons and in-game accessories. For instance, certain Black Ops Cold War guns are perfect for Warzone. You should also check out the blueprint weapons released in Season 5 of Warzone. Not only can you get a slick appearance for your weapon, but there are a ton of operator skins available as well. With the right setup, you can slaughter enemies and look great doing it. There are a ton of ways to blaze through Warzone like it’s nothing but remember that we’re here to talk about some killer weapons. So, check out our list of the top 10 Call of Duty Warzone weapons that fry.


10. Grau 5.56

Call of Duty: Warzone (©Activision and Infinity Ward)

The Grau 5.56 is an assault rifle and one of the most popular weapons of any type in Call of Duty: Warzone. It can be unlocked as part of the Season 2 Battle Pass (Tier 15). In order to obtain the Grau 5.56, you will need to get 5 kills in one minute with an assault rifle (any specific assault rifle) 25 times. This seems daunting but it is simple to achieve when you play in multiple different game modes. There are currently 22 different blueprints that you can unlock for the Grau. These don’t change weapon stats or gameplay but they do look pretty awesome.

This fully automatic assault rifle has an overall rating of right around 70. Its highest stats are accuracy (70), damage (72), fire rate (72), and control (70). More specifically, it has damage stats of 42 for the head and 28 for the chest, stomach, and limbs.

You also want to think about the best attachments for each of the weapons that you use. For the Grau 5.56, we recommend the Monolithic Suppressor, Tempus 26.4” Archangel, Commando Foregrip, Tac Laser, and 60 Round Mags. The Monolithic Suppressor increases your range and suppresses noise, helping you stay concealed from enemies. The Tempus 26.4” Archangel also increases your range as well as bullet velocity. The Commando Foregrip improves recoil stabilization and aiming stability. The Tac Laser improves your aim down sights accuracy. Finally, the 60 Round Mag attachment increases your magazine to 60 rather than 30.

9. Bruen MK9

Call of Duty: Warzone (©Activision and Infinity Ward)

The Bruen MK9 is a type of fully automatic light machine gun (LMG) that can add some serious firepower to your arsenal. It was released as part of Season 3. In order to get a Bruen MK9, you will need to get 3 kills with an LMG (any type) on enemies near smoke in 15 different matches. Currently, there are 9 blueprints available for the Bruen MK9.

The Bruen MK9 is rated slightly higher overall than the Grau 5.56 but is still just under 70. Its best stats are accuracy (78), damage (73), range (74), and fire rate (73). Its specific damage output is 46 for the head and 31 for the chest, stomach, and limbs.

This LMG can also benefit from a good attachment selection. We recommend the Monolithic Suppressor, XRK Summit 26.8”, Commando Foregrip, Tac Laser, and VLK 3.0x Optic. The XRK Summit 26.8” improves damage range, bullet velocity, and recoil control. The VLK 3.0x Optic increases the level of zoom.

8. M4A1

Call of Duty: Warzone (©Activision and Infinity Ward)

The M4A1 is a fully automatic assault rifle that is described as a great all-purpose battle rifle. It is good for both close- and long-range combat. You can unlock it at Rank 1. It has more available blueprints than many other weapons, with 37 currently being available.

The M4A1’s is rated just between our previous two entries, about 70 overall. Its highest stats are accuracy (71), damage (72), fire rate (75), and control (71). Regarding specific damage output, it has a damage of 42 for the head and 28 for the chest, stomach, and limbs.

The best attachments you can get for the M4A1 are the Monolithic Suppressor, Corvus Custom Marksman, Commando Foregrip, 60 Round Mags, and VLK 3.0x Optic. The Corvus Custom Marksman increases your long-range damage and improves recoil control, making you quite deadly even at a distance.

7. Stoner 63

Call of Duty: Warzone (©Activision and Infinity Ward)

The Stoner 63 is a fully automatic LMG released with the Cold War integration, and is unlocked at level 4. Right now, there are two blueprints available for the Stoner 63 (Blue Lightning and Queen’s Guard).

The Stoner 63 has an exceptionally large magazine size (75) compared to many other weapons throughout the game. It has decent stats overall, but it really shines when it comes to damage output. It has a damage of 51 for the head, 37 for the chest, and 34 for the stomach and limbs.

For the Stoner 63, the best attachments are the Agency Suppressor, 17.8” Calvary Lancer, Field Agent Grip, 120 Rnd Speed Mag, and Axial Arms 3x. The Agency Suppressor gives you better vertical recoil control and fully conceals the muzzle flash. The 17.8” Calvary Lancer provides a significant damage boost to this already powerful weapon. The Field Agent Grip improves recoil control. The 120 Rnd Speed Mag increases ammo capacity to 120. The Axial Arms 3x improves optic sight.

6. MP5 (Cold War Version)

Top 10 Call of Duty Warzone Weapons That Fry - MP5 (Cold War Version)
Call of Duty: Warzone (©Activision and Infinity Ward)

The Cold War MP5 is a fully automatic sub-machine gun (SMG), released with the Cold War integration and it unlocks at level 4. There are currently 6 blueprints available for the Cold War MP5.

This gun provides a fast rate of fire as well as good control and visibility. This gives you the ability to use it at various combat distances, though close to mid-range is ideal. The MP5 Cold War has a damage output of 47 to the head, 33 to the chest and stomach, and 28 to the limbs.

For the Cold War MP5, the best attachments available are the Agency Suppressor, 9.5” Task Force, Field Agent Grip, Salvo 50 Rnd Fast Mag, and Raider Stock. The 9.5” Task Force drastically improves the effective damage range and bullet velocity and slightly improves damage output. So, this lets you use this gun effectively at even further distances. The Salvo 50 Rnd Fast Mag increases magazine capacity to 50. The Raider Stock improves sprint recovery and aiming movement speed.


5. FFAR 1

Call of Duty: Warzone (©Activision and Infinity Ward)

The FFAR 1 is a type of bullpup, fully automatic assault rifle released with the Cold War integration. You can unlock this gun at level 40. Currently, there are 9 blueprints available for the FFAR 1.

The FFAR 1 has slightly lower ammo capacity and moderate damage output, but it makes up for it with a fast fire rate and reload speed. Regarding damage output, this weapon provides 45 damage points to the head, 33 to the chest, and 30 to the stomach and limbs.

The best attachments to add to the FFAR 1 are the Agency Suppressor, 19.5” Task Force, Field Agent Grip, Salvo 50 Rnd Mag, and Raider Stock. The 19.5” Task Force is almost identical to the 9.5” Task Force. It is simply designed for a different weapon.

4. DMR-14

Top 10 Call of Duty Warzone Weapons That Fry - DMR-14
Call of Duty: Warzone (©Activision and Infinity Ward)

The DMR 14 is a semi-automatic tactical rifle that was released with the Cold War integration. It can take a while to obtain, but it is definitely worth the wait. You can unlock this weapon at level 49. There are only 2 blueprints (Solid Core and Totemic) available, but they both provide a super slick appearance.

Though it is not a sniper rifle, the DMR 14 has the longest range for a tactical rifle in Warzone. It has an overall damage rating of 58. You’ll also see that it has a good fire rate and minimal amount of recoil, making it a great weapon for long range combat.

For the DMR 14, we recommend the Agency Silencer, 16.3” Titanium, Field Agent Foregrip, 30 Rnd Mags, and Axial Arms 3x. The Agency Silencer fully conceals muzzle flash and also provides decent vertical recoil control improvement. The 16.3” Titanium increase your fire rate. The Field Agent Foregrip improves both the horizontal and the vertical recoil control.

3. M16

Call of Duty: Warzone (©Activision and Infinity Ward)

Another Cold War integration release, the M16 is a classic in the Call of Duty series. It has been a popular choice since the original Call of Duty: Black Ops. The M16 is a 3-round burst tactical rifle that you can unlock at level 10. There are currently 11 blueprints available for this weapon.

The M16 has great control and accuracy and well as a decently quick rate of fire. It is one of the best options for close range combat. It has an overall damage output of 50. For the best improvement, we recommend the Agency Silencer, 16.3” Titanium, Field Agent Foregrip, Salvo 60 Rnd Fast Mag, and Axial Arms 3x.

2. MAC-10

Top 10 Call of Duty Warzone Weapons That Fry - MAC-10
Call of Duty: Warzone (©Activision and Infinity Ward)

Our final SMG on this list, the MAC-10, is fully automatic. It was released in Season 1 and you can unlock it by getting to Tier 15 of the Season 1 Battle Pass. It has 2 blueprints available (Blood Dozer and Gallantry) that make it look absolutely brutal.

The MAC-10 has a fairly low damage output compared to other weapons on this list. That said, it has a seriously fast rate of fire which completely makes up for it. It has a damage output of 30 to the head, 25 to the chest and stomach, and 22 to the limbs.

To get the most out of the MAC-10, we recommend using the Agency Suppressor, 5.9” Task Force, Field Agent Grip, STANAG 53 Rnd Drum, and SAS Combat Stock. The 5.9” Task Force will slightly increase damage and significantly increase the effective damage range and bullet velocity. The STANAG 53 Rnd Drum increases magazine size to 53. The SAS Combat Stock provides a small increase to your shooting movement speed and aim walking movement speed.

1. CR-56 AMAX

Top 10 Call of Duty Warzone Weapons That Fry - CR56 AMAX
Call of Duty: Warzone (©Activision and Infinity Ward)

Our final selection, the CR-56 AMAX, is another fully automatic assault rifle that came as part of Season 4. In order to unlock it, you must reach Tier 31 of Season 4 Battle Pass. Currently, there are 8 blueprints for you to choose from.

The CR-56 AMAX has an overall rating of about 68. Though this is a bit lower than some of the other weapons on this list, it is still your best choice because of its versatility. It is great for mid-range combat, but it can also be configured for a variety of situations. Damage is its highest stat (76). More specifically, it does 56 damage points to the head, 42 to the chest, and 35 to the stomach and limbs.

The best attachments for the CR-56 AMAX are the Monolithic Suppressor, XRK Zodiac S440, Commando Foregrip, 45 Rnd Mag, and VLK 3.0x Optic. The XRK Zodiac S440 makes this weapon even more deadly than it already is by improving damage range, bullet velocity, and recoil control.


Conclusion

As you can see, no matter what style of combat you prefer, there is a weapon and attachment setup for you. The list we have here are your best choices but be sure to check out all of the available weapons and attachments for yourself.

And don’t forget that you need access to the best equipment just as much as your in-game persona does. For starters, you need a good system to support your gameplay. PC gamers can look to either desktop or laptop computers for this. Then, you’ll need to think about the gameplay, itself. There’s nothing worse than a low-quality keyboard that can’t handle your skills. So, make sure you invest in a good gaming keyboard.

Those of you who are impressed by visuals will benefit from a good gaming TV or gaming monitor to display the battle in vibrant color and detail. Audiophiles need a high quality gaming headset to get the full experience of surround sound, base, and all other audio elements that the game has to offer. These are just some of the core components of a good gaming setup, though. There are so many other accessories out there for you to choose from. Try them out and see what works best for you.

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