Call of Duty: Modern Warfare released its Season 1 update on December 3rd, in what was described by Activision as the largest amount of free content ever released at once for a Call of Duty game. This may be so, but there was also the addition of a payed Battle Pass system with 100 tiers of content to unlock.

Free content includes new maps, old CoD maps re-made in Modern Warfare’s engine, new game modes, and new co-op operations. There are also free tiers to the Battle Pass available to everyone. More content will be released as the season continues, and even more weapons have been teased beyond the ones released so far in Season 1.

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The free tiers of the battle pass include two new weapons for Modern Warfare. These new weapons are already some of the most compelling armaments in the game. For anyone who plays Modern Warfare seriously, they are both well worth the time it takes to work through the free Battle Pass tiers.

season one promo art

The Holger-26

The new Holger-26 is unlocked for those who reach tier 15 in the free Battle Pass. This is no small feat, as the tiers take quite a while to unlock. It will take a lot more than just some casual play to unlock these weapons in a short amount of time. However, there are some tricks for leveling up quickly in Modern Warfare's Battle Pass tiers.

The Holger-26 is an LMG that can compete toe-to-toe with the PKM, long considered one of the best weapons in Modern Warfare. The Holger is a very modular LMG with one of the fastest firing rates in the class. It has the same fire rate and damage range as the PKM, which is nothing to scoff at. Even with slightly lower damage than the PKM, its time to kill is impressive. However, it beats out all the other LMGs with its super quick reload even though it still has a 100-round magazine. It has a slow aim-down-sights speed, but this can be mitigated with attachments.

The Holger-26 has a sprint-to-fire speed and reload speed on par with an AR, and with the right modifications it can actually become a G36-C. The G36-C is a great gun, but giving up on the 100-round drum magazines is not recommended, especially since they maintain a quick reload speed. While still not quite as good as the PKM, the ability of the Holger-26 to straddle the line between an LMG and an AR makes it a very viable choice with a lot of versatility.

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The RAM-7

The RAM-7 is a lot harder to unlock, coming in tier 31 of the battle pass. However, it is worth grinding it out. This is an AR that can come close to being an SMG much like the Holger can balance between LMG and AR. This is because the RAM-7 is a bullpup rifle with an extremely high rate of fire and the ability to unlock 9mm cartridges. Its small size makes it maneuverable and quick to fire, while its high rate of fire makes it perfect for dishing out damage. The RAM-7 can easily compete with the best ARs and SMGs in CoD.

In fact, the RAM-7 does the same damage as the M4A1, which up until now has been the undisputed best weapon in Modern Warfare. The RAM-7’s identical damage combined with its even higher rate of fire makes for an absolutely ridiculous time to kill. It may have a slightly lower damage range, but this is not much of a downside when considered against its damage and blistering aim-down-sights speed. It has a slightly unusual recoil pattern, but it is very controllable and does not make much of a difference to keeping the gun on target.

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In short, the RAM-7 is now the best weapon in the game, joining the ranks of other S-tier Modern Warfare weapons as the new king to be dethroned. With the addition of some very close-range maps to the game, the RAM-7 will likely shine even more. The long range of the M4A1 gives it an edge in some of Modern Warfare's more sprawling maps, but as the community keeps asking for more hectic, close-quarters arenas, maneuverable guns like the RAM-7 will have an edge.

The RAM-7 may eventually be balanced into oblivion, just as the 725 Shotgun was nerfed out of the meta. However, for now it is an extremely viable and versatile weapon, able to be customized for short- to mid-range combat and rapid handling. More weapons are sure to come in the future, but a gun as competitive as the RAM-7 will likely not be introduced again for quite some time.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare is out for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

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