Best Assault Rifle in MW4: Hyeon Burst, M4 and Every AR Build

Hyeon Burst and M4 are the best assault rifles in MW4 after the 28 October patch. Each sits in the top tier of 2 of the 3 live meta lists. Axion does too, and each of the 3 tops 1 list.

M4 opens at player level 14 and fires fastest of the 8, at 810 RPM. Hyeon Burst opens at 21 and fires a 3-round burst at 375 RPM. Axion opens late, at level 52.

Han 86 drops to A. The patch cut its neck and upper torso damage by 9% and raised its max damage range by 7%. Kastov 762 and Oden sit in A with it. Patriot XMR and Cronen Squall complete the class of 8.

Season 1 went live on 6 November and added the Cronen Osprey, the 9th AR. It is free at Battle Pass Tier 16, fires at 882 RPM and maxes at weapon level 70.

Other classes: best SMG, best sniper and best LMG. The full launch board sits in best MW4 loadouts.

Tiers follow 3 live meta lists read after the 28 October patch. Hyeon Burst, M4 and Axion each sit in the top tier of 2 of them. Han 86 falls from S to A.

S

Hyeon Burst S on 2 of 3 listsM4 S on 2 of 3 listsAxion S on 2 of 3 lists

A

Kastov 762 buffed, S on 1 listOden nerfed, A on 2 listsHan 86 nerfed, A on 2 lists

B

Patriot XMR A on 1 listCronen Squall B on 1 list

• Hyeon Burst, S: a hard-hitting 3-round burst at 375 RPM. Its Hyeon Hyperburst Apex now keeps full-auto max damage over 26% more range.
• M4, S: the highest fire rate of the 8 ARs, at 810 RPM. Its max damage range grew 3% on 28 October.
• Axion, S: subsonic .300 BLK rounds, open late at level 52.
• Kastov 762, A: heavy 7.62x39mm hits, with firm recoil to hold down. Its max damage range grew 11% on 28 October.
• Oden, A: heavy 12.7x55mm rounds, and a sniper rifle at weapon level 65. The patch trimmed its torso damage and the range of Oden Sentinel.
• Han 86, A: the easiest AR in the class to use, and yours from player level 4. The patch cut its neck and upper torso damage by 9%.
• Patriot XMR, B: high-impact rounds at mid to long range, with less recoil penalty on 2 attachments since 28 October.
• Cronen Squall, B: long-range accuracy and controllable recoil, open last at level 55.

MW4 assault rifle stats at launch

AR	RPM	Rounds	Max level
Han 86	740	30	72
M4	810	30	72
Kastov 762	600	30	68
Hyeon Burst	375	30	68
Cronen Squall	673	20	67
Patriot XMR	645	25	72
Axion	705	30	69
Oden	413	20	65

Damage and time to kill vary by build and range, so the table keeps to the fixed numbers on each weapon card.

Han 86 opens at player level 4 and M4 at 14. Hyeon Burst follows at 21, Patriot XMR at 27, Kastov 762 at 34, Oden at 39, Axion at 52 and Cronen Squall at 55.

What the 28 October patch changed for ARs

AR	Change on 28 October
Han 86	Max damage range 1120 to 1200 (+7%); neck and upper torso multipliers 1.1 to 1.0 (-9%)
M4	Max damage range 990 to 1020 (+3%)
Kastov 762	Max damage range 950 to 1050 (+11%)
Oden	Neck and upper torso multipliers 1.2 to 1.1, lower torso 1.1 to 1.0; Oden Sentinel max damage range 870 to 820
Hyeon Burst	Hyeon Hyperburst Apex: full-auto max damage 37 to 34, full-auto max damage range 970 to 1220 (+26%)
Patriot XMR	Recoil penalty of the EXP Haste 80L 14" barrel 8% to 6%, of the FJX Fury IV Grip 5% to 4%

Axion and Cronen Squall were not touched. No AR changed in the 29 and 30 October updates.

Each table gives 5 attachments, the Pick 3 perks and the equipment. An attachment unlocks once, then opens on every gun that takes it. Launch picks for every class sit in best MW4 loadouts.

High Alert opens at player level 8, Fast Hands at 20, Ghost at 24, Scavenger at 28, Ninja at 30 and Cold-Blooded at 36. Each perk slot has 2 picks open from level 4 for the climb. Frag Grenade, Flash Grenade and Portable Radar are all open from level 4.

Han 86 build and class

This build keeps Han 86 quiet from close rooms to long lanes.

Why it works: the suppressor and Ninja keep your shots and steps quiet. Ghost keeps you off enemy UAVs and Portable Radars.

M4 build and class

This M4 class pairs a suppressor with a long barrel for mid-range lanes.

Slot	Pick
Muzzle	XRK Mil-Tac Suppressor
Barrel	18" LE Crosswind
Laser	SA Laz-500
Optic	ZLR Type C
Stock	Demo Dozer Stock
Perks	High Alert, Blood Rush, Scavenger
Equipment	Frag Grenade, Flash Grenade, Portable Radar
Unlocks	Player level 14
Max weapon level	72
Apex	M4 Hurricane: a top-loading 5.7x28mm conversion with a higher fire rate; blocks barrel and magazine

Why it works: High Alert pulses your vision when an enemy out of view spots you. With M4 Hurricane on, drop the barrel and keep the other 4.

Kastov 762 loadout

Kastov 762 hits hard per shot, so this build stacks recoil control.

Why it works: the barrel slot stays empty, so Kastov ARC fits at weapon level 68 with no swap. Fast Hands speeds up reloads, equipment and weapon swaps.

Hyeon Burst loadout

Hyeon Burst fires a 3-round burst, and this build steadies each one.

Why it works: Hyeon Hyperburst blocks no slot, so all 5 attachments stay on at max level. Scavenger refills your ammo from fallen enemies.

Cronen Squall loadout

This build adds range and rounds to a rifle made for long lanes.

Why it works: no laser or underbarrel here, so Cronen Maelstrom fits at weapon level 67 with no swap. The 30 Round Mag adds 10 rounds.

Patriot XMR loadout

Patriot XMR hits hard with substantial recoil, so this build works on control.

Slot	Pick
Muzzle	HET-S6 Comp
Laser	SA Laz-500
Underbarrel	FSS Fireline Grip
Rear grip	FJX Fury IV Grip
Stock	XRK Ranger D4
Perks	High Alert, Fast Hands, Scavenger
Equipment	Frag Grenade, Flash Grenade, Portable Radar
Unlocks	Player level 27
Max weapon level	72
Apex	Patriot XMR Volt: an underbarrel launcher of 50,000V stun darts; blocks barrel

Why it works: the compensator and FSS Fireline Grip both cut recoil. The barrel slot stays empty, so Patriot XMR Volt fits at weapon level 72.

Axion loadout

This standard build carries the Axion to its Apex at weapon level 69.

Slot	Pick
Barrel	Matuzek S5-Brace
Optic	Slimline Elite
Underbarrel	FSS Fireline Grip
Rear grip	GS50 Grip
Stock	Cronen Blackstone-6P
Perks	High Alert, Fast Hands, Scavenger
Equipment	Frag Grenade, Flash Grenade, Portable Radar
Unlocks	Player level 52
Max weapon level	69
Apex	Axion Reaver, also listed as Axion Clearcut: a chainsaw-style rear grip for hipfire; blocks optic, laser, stock and rear grip

Why it works: with Axion Reaver on, run the 100 Round Drum and the XRK 09-RTAC Pro barrel.

Oden loadout

This build adds 10 rounds and recoil control to the heavy-hitting Oden.

Slot	Pick
Muzzle	Oden Thunder-S
Barrel	Rockfall-900 Barrel
Laser	XRK Clutch-LS
Underbarrel	FSS Fireline Grip
Magazine	30 Round Mag
Perks	Ghost, Fast Hands, Cold-Blooded
Equipment	Frag Grenade, Flash Grenade, Portable Radar
Unlocks	Player level 39
Max weapon level	65
Apex	Oden Sentinel: a semi-auto sniper conversion with a bipod, suppressor and scope; blocks barrel and muzzle

Why it works: the 30 Round Mag lifts the base 20 rounds to 30. Cold-Blooded hides you from thermal optics, Recon Drones and Snapshot Grenades.

Pick the AR that fits your map and mode.

AR	Strength	Best use
Han 86	Close to long range	Any map and any mode
M4	Highest fire rate, 810 RPM	All-round play
Kastov 762	Heavy impact per shot	Steady, controlled fire
Hyeon Burst	Hard-hitting 3-round burst	Precise bursts
Cronen Squall	Long-range accuracy	Long lanes and large maps
Patriot XMR	Mid to long range	Long lanes
Axion	Stopping power at most ranges	Hipfire pushes with Axion Reaver
Oden	Heavy 12.7x55mm rounds	Long lanes with Oden Sentinel

M4 fits every map and mode, so it works as a 1st class. Han 86 still fits every map too, from player level 4.

Season 1 adds 3 AR attachments as event rewards. The Wager Match Event gives the Hyeon Auto, a full-auto Apex for Hyeon Burst. It also gives the Kastov 545, a 5.45x39mm Apex for Kastov 762. Another event gives the M16 Burst attachment, which turns the M4 to controlled bursts.

Cronen Squall, Patriot XMR and Oden Sentinel pay off on maps with long sightlines.

DMZ uses the same guns and the same camo grind. Warzone joined that shared camo grind with Season 1.

• Play Kill Confirmed, Hardpoint and Domination. Kills and objective score both feed weapon XP.
• Run a Double Weapon XP Token from a new gun's 1st match. Token rules and dates: MW4 double XP.
• Level M4 1st. Each attachment unlocks once, and a level that would repeat an owned attachment is skipped with a Bonus Level Up.
• Every AR after that climbs faster, since the 8 builds share suppressors, lasers, grips and optics.
• DMZ grants weapon XP too. Unlock and max levels for all 33 guns: MW4 weapons list.

Weapon leveling takes your ARs to max level on your login. Each Apex opens at the end, from 1 gun to all 8.

8 Military camos come from weapon levels, then 3 Special camos follow on each AR. On Han 86 the Military camos open at weapon levels 10, 18, 25, 34, 42, 50, 57 and 65. How those camo steps fill up in matches against bots is explained where we cover MW4 bot lobbies.

Gold asks for all 11, then 15 eliminations in 1 Multiplayer match. Platinum asks for Gold on all 8 ARs, then 50 headshots against players.

Harmonic Break asks for Platinum on all 33 weapons, then 25 double kills. Divergence comes with 33 Harmonic Break challenges and opens Mercurial Drift, the 1st Multiplayer mastery camo. Full ladder: MW4 mastery camos.

The Mercurial Drift camo service runs it on your login: every gun from zero to Divergence, then Mercurial Drift.

Playing on Xbox and saw a translucent green M4? That is the Inner Circuit blueprint, the MW4 Xbox camo.