Operation: Rank Up Report #0032

Day 224 – 06:19:18 PST

Somewhere in California

AGB – Lead Writer

Good morning, afternoon, or evening community. Today is an awesome day - let’s get to Ranking Up.

Operator of the Week

If you reach Tier 20 of the Season Four Battle Pass system, you get a new skin for everyone’s favorite chic Canadian, Talon, our featured Operator of the week. 

AKA “Jean Jacket Talon” around the virtual AGB Studio, this man is simply dressed to kill. No seriously: if he wasn’t an Operator, he’d be a model, and I HAVE to attempt that flannel under the denim jacket look this fall…

Okay, the “Lead Writer Eye for the Call of Duty Guy” section is over – here’s how you unlock his full (non-metal) jacket wardrobe and more rewards in his Operator Mission: 

(Note: Talon must be your selected Coalition Operator)

1.    Get 15 kills using a gun with 3 attachments 

2.    Revive a teammate in Warzone from the shop 1 time (‘Northwest Passage’ skin, shown on left side)

3.    Get 5 headshot kills

4.    Execute 1 Finishing Move (‘Yukon Skin’, shown on right side)

Talon is holding a version of the SKS marksman rifle, which is part of both our Top Rank Up Tip AND our Gunsmith Custom Creation of the Week.

Top Rank Up Tip

Before we talk about the weapon of the week, what exactly is the blueprint it is based on?

If you haven’t checked, the Missions tab just got a serious boost in objectives and rewards. One of these Missions is the Demonstrator Royale within the Warzone tab:

Show a display of true performance by completing challenges highlighting the key strengths of each weapon class.

This is one of the new Missions across multiple Mission tabs, which have dozens of objectives to complete for XP rewards and loot, including Double XP Tokens, personalization items, and even weapon blueprints. For anyone who wants to rank up quickly, my top tip is to complete these in combination with your Daily and Weekly Challenges, Operator Missions, and your Weapon Mastery Challenges.

Enter, Demonstrator Royale, a Mission where you can earn the base blueprint of our Gunsmith Custom Creation of the Week, the Thicket:

How do you unlock this weapon? You’re in luck – here’s my tips for completing all seven objectives in this mission set, and what you unlock for accomplishing each one:

GENERAL TIP: PLAY WARZONE RUMBLE AND PLUNDER

Respawn-based game modes in Warzone will not only give you multiple lives, but also the ability to pick your own loadout. That guarantees you access to at least one weapon in the category that each mission requires you to use.

An easy trick is to go down Custom Loadouts 1-7, put the designated weapon type in order by objective (e.g., assault rifle in Loadout 1, shotgun in Loadout 2), and swap to that next loadout once the objective complete notification pops up.

1. Get 10 Kills with Assault Rifles – 2,000 XP / Double XP Token (30 Minutes)

Pick your favorite Assault Rifle and aim for medium-range engagements, where this weapon class usually shines.

2. Get a Point Blank Double Kill using a Shotgun 3 times – 3,000 XP / What’s the Frequency Calling Card

Don’t like those Downtown building snipers? Rappel up an elevator shaft and use the confined spaces to your advantage when trying to get into point blank range.

3. Get 10 kills with Sniper Rifles – 4,000 XP / IW For Life Spray

Any sniper rifle kill counts towards this simple objective. Remember bullet drop if you are trying to down a target past 100-or-so meters. The distance markings on a high-magnification scope will help calculate the physical arc of your projectile at extreme ranges.

4. Get 10 Kills with an SMG while sliding – 5,000 XP / Carnival Affair Calling Card

While sprinting or tactical sprinting, hit the crouch button in order to slide. Because you can’t aim down sights while sliding, I recommend using an SMG with attachments that decrease hip fire spread – e.g., the 5mW Laser and Merc Foregrip – to maximize your hit potential.

5. Get 20 kills with Light Machine Guns – 6,000 XP / Head Bang Spray

Like the third objective, just bring any LMG into the Warzone to complete this one. LMGs can be a bit unruly when it comes to recoil, so you might want to mount this kind of weapon to significantly reduce its kick. Learn more about mounting and other general weapon use tips here.

6. Get a kill within 2 seconds of switching to a Pistol 5 time(s) – 7,500 XP / Dust Storm Calling Card

“Remember, switching to your pistol is always faster than reloading.” This quote applies here perfectly, but also with this caveat: the Amped perk allows for faster weapon swap speeds, which can help immensely when trying to complete this objective.

7. Get 4 kills or assists while in a vehicle – 10,000 XP / Thicket Blueprint

If you want, take a shotgun as a primary weapon, if you like using them – while your teammate drives an ATV, SUV, Tac Rover or, for some serious style points, a Helicopter. Remember: assists count too, so even if you hit one shot and your teammate finishes the job, that’s one tally towards getting the Thicket blueprint!

Gunsmith Custom Creation of the Week

This Custom Creation is for those who were SKS fanatics in Season Three: if you unlock the Thicket, as well as got to Tier 100 of the Season Three Battle Pass and purchased the ‘Surprise Weapon’ Store bundle released last season, then you can make this:

Alternatively, you can build this weapon out by levelling up the SKS, and you’ll need to do that anyways to put this custom creation together. However, the appearance of that weapon will not look like “The Demon.” The name of my creation is based on the blueprint reward for the Demonstrator Royalty Mission set.

I kept the optic and underbarrel attachments from the Thicket, as I prefer a clear sight picture along with stability both in recoil and in aiming. Next, I took the FTAC Landmark Barrel for a good boost to this weapon’s effective range. Then, to counteract the aim down sight (ADS penalty) that barrel has, I took the Sawed-off Stock – which completely alters the weapon’s look to make it fabulous – and 10 Round Mags from the Confetti Killer.

What monster have I created? One that is one of the fastest ways to kit the SKS in terms of movement and ADS speed, while still maintaining great accuracy, stability, and effective range. 

And, with that custom creation in my regular loadout rotation, I’ll see you online.

Stay frosty.

For more information and the latest intel on Warzone, visit http://www.callofduty.com/warzone and follow @CallofDuty on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. 

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