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There’s a problem with that strategy, though. With only two shots in the barrel, the Double Barrel doesn’t have what it takes to be decent at mid-range no matter what attachments are used. Don’t fret, with some upgrades, the Double Barrel can be one of the best close-range weapons in all of Call of Duty: Vanguard.

Operator

Any

Unfortunately, no operator lists the Double Barrel as their favorite weapon. Favorite weapons provide extra experience toward the operator and the operator, in turn, provides extra experience toward the weapon. It makes the leveling faster for all.

The good news is that players who have been busy unlocking all of the operators will be able to use their favorite characters without any reservation. While it will take longer to unlock all of the attachments, at max level, all the operators using the Double Barrel are the same.

Attachments

There is a good reason that the Double Barrel isn’t one of the weapons available right away and that is because it would absolutely dominate in close quarters against any weapon. Akimbo makes up for the lack of firepower by dual-wielding Double Barrels.

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This means the guns are hipfire only, but the recoil with these attachments is minimal, allowing for surprising accuracy. Top this off with the Buck and Slug ammo and enemies will be getting instantly killed. There is no comparison for other close-range weapons.

Secondary Weapon

FS Fighting Knife

This loadout has a distinct identity of getting in close. So what’s the knife for? That’s fair to wonder since it would have contributed to accomplishing the “Ticket Please” achievement from the campaign but will likely never get used in the multiplayer.

If this loadout has any weakness, it’s that it isn’t as fast as some of the other close-range builds, even if it does dominate them all when it comes to actual combat. The idea is to maximize these encounters, so the light help helps the player by giving them the speed to get past the mid-range.

Perks

There are many stealth options to assist sneaky players in getting through the awesome maps in the game, but these perks don’t help out with a big and loud gun like the Double Barrel. It’s alright if players see this loadout on the map, the idea is to make it so they can’t do anything about it.

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By eliminating any movement-reducing effect with Dauntless, players can blow through effects that would ordinarily stun them. Few players can get in deep enough to steal a killstreak, but the Double Barrel can, so Engineer is a great fit. Lightweight further closes the distance of the gap when fighting.

Lethal Slot

Gammon Bomb

The Gammon Bomb helps Lucas in a number of campaign missions. Fans will already love the projectile, but it’s even more vital in multiplayer. Most grenades require cooking times that simply aren’t realistic when fighting up close.

The instant burst is most helpful for softening up a group before going in. Alternatively, if the Double Barrel runs out of ammo because of missing shots, the Gammon Bomb is a fast finisher. Waiting for a reload is a deadly proposition, especially after alerting the entire enemy team with these gun blasts.

Tactical Slot

Stim

Extra speed and healing make the Stim a no-brainer for the Double Barrel loadout. Some players might push for the No 69 Stun Grenade, but the issue there is that by the time it takes to throw it, the Double Barrel with these attachments can already have killed four players.

Using it before battle can help close gaps. More often than not, though, the idea is to use it to escape after collecting a batch of skills. Reloading takes a while and the Stim can keep the player topped off on health.

Killstreaks

Intel Spy Plane Guard Dog

This build is capable of racking up a triple kill in a fraction of a second, especially against grouped opponents. But high rewards come with high risks. Between the reload times, unlucky opponent respawns, and trying to cross hallways and fields, this loadout has vulnerabilities.

The moral of the story is not to choose and killstreak rewards that take too long to get. The Intel and Spy Plane can give players a heads up about what to expect in nearby rooms. The guard dog is usually not great, but behind enemy lines, it can get a killstreak of its own.

Field Upgrade

Armor Plates

When charging into combat, veterans know to aim for center mass. Aim assist defaults to center mass and new players will generally try to hit the middle of whatever is coming at them. Armor Plates negate all of these attack mechanisms.

It’s a slow cooldown, which can be frustrating, but barring a lucky headshot, it almost guarantees a killstreak each time they are slapped on. How many other field upgrades can say that?

Call of Duty: Vanguard was released on November 5th, 2021, and is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

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