Equipping guns in Call of Duty, particularly in modes like DMZ and Warzone where managing your arsenal is crucial, involves navigating your Loadout section to select weapons from your available inventory.
Understanding Your Loadout System
Your Loadout is the central hub for customizing your weapon setup before deploying into a match. This dedicated section allows you to handpick your primary and secondary firearms, along with perks, tactical equipment, and lethal equipment. In the game interface, below your backpack is the Loadout where you will equip your weapons, either from your Insured Slot or your Contraband Inventory. This distinction is vital for understanding weapon persistence and customization options.
Key Components for Equipping Weapons
When preparing for a mission or match, you'll draw your weapons from two primary sources, each with its own characteristics:
Insured Slots
Insured Slots represent your most reliable and customizable weapon options. These are personal weapon blueprints that you own and have full control over.
- Customization: Fully customize attachments, camos, and reticles.
- Persistence: Weapons equipped from an Insured Slot are generally returned to your inventory if you successfully exfil (extract) from a match or, in some cases, after a cooldown period even if you fail to exfil.
- Availability: Initially, you'll have one Insured Slot, with the possibility to unlock more through in-game challenges or progression.
- Reliability: These are your go-to weapons for consistent performance.
Contraband Inventory
Contraband weapons are those you acquire during gameplay, often by looting enemies, finding them in caches, or purchasing them from Buy Stations.
- Acquisition: Found or earned during a match.
- Customization: Limited to no customization. You use them as they are found.
- Persistence: Contraband weapons are permanently lost if you are eliminated in a match and fail to exfil with them. They do not have a cooldown and are gone for good.
- Variety: Offers a diverse range of weapons, sometimes with unique attachments, that you might not typically use.
Step-by-Step Guide to Equipping Guns
Follow these steps to customize and equip your weapon loadout:
- Access the Main Menu: From the game's main lobby, navigate to the Weapons or Loadout tab.
- Select a Loadout Slot: Choose an empty loadout slot or select an existing one you wish to modify. Most games allow multiple custom loadouts.
- Choose Your Primary Weapon:
- Select the Primary Weapon slot.
- You will then be prompted to choose between your Insured Slot weapons or your Contraband Inventory.
- Browse through the available weapons and select the one you want.
- Choose Your Secondary Weapon:
- Select the Secondary Weapon slot.
- Again, pick from your Insured Slot or Contraband Inventory.
- Customize Your Weapon (Insured Slots Only): If you've selected a weapon from an Insured Slot, click on it to access the Gunsmith. Here you can:
- Add or change attachments (optics, barrels, magazines, stocks, etc.).
- Apply weapon camos or blueprints.
- Modify reticles.
- Equip Perks, Tacticals, and Lethals: Proceed to customize the rest of your loadout, including your choice of perks, tactical equipment (e.g., flash grenades, smoke grenades), and lethal equipment (e.g., frag grenades, throwing knives).
- Save Your Loadout: Once you're satisfied with your setup, ensure you save the loadout. It will then be available for selection before your next match.
Customizing Your Weapon (Attachments & Camos)
For weapons from your Insured Slots, the Gunsmith feature is where true customization happens. This allows you to fine-tune your weapon's performance to match your playstyle. Experiment with different attachments to improve accuracy, control, range, or mobility. Similarly, apply various camos and emblems to personalize your look.
Managing Multiple Loadouts
Call of Duty titles typically allow players to save multiple custom loadouts. This is incredibly useful for adapting to different combat scenarios, map types, or team compositions. You might have one loadout optimized for long-range engagements, another for close-quarters combat, and a specialized one for specific objectives.
Insured vs. Contraband: A Quick Comparison
| Feature | Insured Slot | Contraband Inventory |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Personal blueprints, owned by player | Acquired in-game (looted, purchased) |
| Customization | Full Gunsmith access | Limited to no customization |
| Loss on Death | Returned after cooldown/successful exfil | Permanently lost upon death (if not exfiled) |
| Reliability | High, consistent performance | Situational, use what you find |
