Top AK-74 Loadout Guide for Black Ops 6: Class Setup, Attachments, and Perks

If your aim is to find an assault rifle that delivers a solid combination of precision and substantial damage at extended distances, the AK-74 may be the ideal choice for you in Black Ops 6. To assist you in maximizing this weapon’s potential, we’ve compiled the ultimate loadout featuring essential perks, attachments, and more.

No Call of Duty title is complete without a legendary Kalashnikov, and in Black Ops 6, the AK-74 takes that spotlight. Despite being an exceptionally powerful assault rifle, it often remains an underrated choice, overshadowed by popular submachine guns like the KSV and C9 within the gaming community.

Nevertheless, the AK-74 boasts an impressive time-to-kill (TTK) speed, making it a formidable option. However, its significant recoil can be challenging to handle, indicating that it’s best suited for skilled players who have confidence in their shooting accuracy.

To fully harness the capabilities of the AK-74, equipping it with a carefully tailored loadout is crucial. Below, we’ll outline the top setup featuring attachments, perks, and equipment that complement this iconic rifle.

Optimal AK-74 Loadout for Black Ops 6

Optic: Merlin Reflex
Barrel: Reinforced
Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
Rear Grip: Quickdraw Grip
Magazine: Extended Mag

AK-74 Loadout selection screen in Black Ops 6. — Image Source: Dexerto / Activision

When creating a loadout for the AK-74, managing recoil should be a primary consideration due to its challenging nature. To address this, we recommend the Vertical Foregrip for the underbarrel, enhancing your ability to control horizontal recoil and ensuring more consistent shots.

Reliable recoil control means little if you’re unable to aim down sights quickly. Therefore, we’ve included the Quickdraw Grip at the rear, which enhances aim-down-sight (ADS) speed. Moreover, since the built-in iron sights aren’t the best, we suggest installing the Merlin Reflex optic to improve targeting accuracy.

While the AK-74 is known for its already considerable long-range damage, adding a Reinforced barrel will elevate its damage even further and increase bullet velocity for those distant shots. Lastly, equipping an Extended Mag ensures you have ample ammunition during firefights, preventing premature reloads.

Quickdraw Grip featured on the AK-74. — Image Source: Dexerto

Top Perks, Equipment & Wildcard for AK-74 Loadout

The Recon combat specialty proves advantageous by enabling visibility of adversaries through walls for a brief period after respawning. This synergizes effectively with the AK-74’s notable bullet penetration capabilities, allowing it to penetrate more surfaces than many other firearms.

To optimize your assault rifle experience, consider the following perks and equipment:

Wildcard: Tactical Expert
Perk 1: Flak Jacket
Perk 2: Forward Intel
Perk 3: Double Time
Lethal: Frag
Tactical: Concussion
Field Upgrade: Assault Pack

AK-74 class setup in Black Ops 6. — Image Source: Dexerto

This class setup features Flak Jacket as the primary perk, providing essential protection against explosive damage, which is prevalent in the game. Forward Intel extends your minimap visibility, indicating the direction enemies face when they are pinged, aiding you in locating opponents, while Double Time enhances your Tactical Sprint duration.

For the Wildcard, we have chosen Tactical Expert, allowing you to carry additional Tactical Grenades. The Concussion grenade is highly effective in disorienting foes, especially useful when pushing into fortified areas. For Lethal, the Frag grenade is our recommendation, although you can select whatever suits your play style.

Lastly, the Assault Pack serves to replenish your ammunition, particularly beneficial if you manage to maintain a long kill streak.

Perks for AK-74 loadout. — Image Source: Dexerto

Pros & Cons of the AK-74

Advantages	Disadvantages
Exceptional time-to-kill	Lower firing rate
Strong damage over range	Considerable recoil
Favors skilled players	Average mobility and handling

AK-74’s Position in the Black Ops 6 Meta

WZ Stats, the AK-74 currently ranks as the sixth most utilized firearm in Black Ops 6, with a pick rate of 1.91%. It trails behind the C9 and KSV SMGs, boasting significantly higher pick rates of 14.3% and 11.5% respectively.

Additionally, when it comes to long-range weaponry, it faces stiff competition; the AEK-973 currently reigns supreme in this category at 11.4%, while the XM4 and AS VAL follow close behind with 10.6% and 10% respectively.

While the AK-74 may not be leading the charge early on, it firmly secures its spot in the ‘best of the rest’ category, and we could see its usage increase as more players unlock the weapon and its attachments in the coming days.

Unlocking the AK-74 in Black Ops 6

You can unlock the AK-74 by achieving Level 10 in Black Ops 6. Fortunately, this makes it one of the earlier unlocks available, meaning you won’t have to invest too much time before gaining access to this powerful weapon.

AK-74 Alternatives in Black Ops 6

Consider exploring the best loadouts for the XM4 and XMG as they are also high-accuracy options that excel at both medium and long ranges, similar to the AK. Additionally, ensure you’re utilizing optimal controller settings and maximizing your FPS by following our guide to the best PC settings.

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