Call of Duty: Warzone may just be the most revolutionary game in past years. The free to play expansion of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has taken on a life of its own. The game is about to transcend companies as Treyarch prepares to launch Call of Duty: Cold War this holiday season. The Warzone community continues to have their interest peaked with frequent season changes and updates.
Related: How to Unlock the FINN LMG in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare
Season 5 of Call of Duty: Warzone finally delivered on a handful of promises. The Verdansk War Train chugs its way around the map, and the Stadium is finally open to players. Season 5 reloaded gifted players with the FINN LMG, a lightweight, rapid-fire, heavy weapon, with limited recoil and stopping power for days. The Warzone meta changes like a pubescent teenager, where does the FINN fall in its infancy?
Call of Duty: Warzone - FINN LMG: Underbarrel Recoil Patterns
The unlock challenge for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare’s newest weapon is by far the easiest one to date. Players only need to get 1 melee kill with an LMG in 7 different matches. Those with the base game shouldn’t need more than 10 minutes to wield the FINN. Warzone exclusive players will need a little more patience, but an hour of Plunder should do the trick. Once unlocked, players will want to level this gun ASAP in order to unlock its full potential. Sure the same can be said for literally every other gun, but the FINN’s gimmick isn’t unlocked until the final attachment. Players are able to turn the FINN into a scaled-down Mini-Gun. The hip firing beast can be devastating in certain situations. A more in-depth look at the build will soon follow in this article.
For now, let’s look at the recoil pattern of the FINN and its few underbarrel attachments. Keep in mind, the FINN used in this test was always equipped with a Monolithic suppressor and the Factory Adverse barrel. The Mono is a staple for ANY Warzone Loadout, and the Adverse barrels are what give the FINN that lighting fire rate. The Factory Adverse offers no buff other than increased fire rate, therefore making it a useful control.
The FINN LMG, unlike every other relevant weapon in the game, only recoils straight up. Most other weapons, such as the M4, will recoil up and to the right. Another very intriguing fact about the FINN is the bullet clump at the top of the recoil pattern. Those bullet holes are the bottom 35-40 bullets of the base 75 round magazine. Once at the top of its climb, the FINN doesn’t move any further up, even if players begin strafing left and right. How practically is that applied in Warzone? Not sure. Perhaps taking out approaching vehicles or an entire squad without taking one’s finger off the trigger will be easier. Is this a bug with the gun or its intended purpose? We’ll see when the inevitable nerf hammer comes crashing down.
As seen above, the Merc, Ranger, and Operator foregrips all show shorter vertical recoil patterns while the horizontal axis stays the same. The Commando and Tactical foregrips are used to limit horizontal recoil. Therefore, a gun with no natural horizontal recoil should be equipped with a foregrip tailored to vertical compensation. The three appear very similar, with the Merc seeming to take a slight edge. Players would be wise to mix and match to see what they’re more comfortable with. The Merc boasts increased hip-fire accuracy, while the Ranger promises better range. Finally, the Operator grants players better recoil control without sacrificing Aim Walking Speed. The Loadouts to follow utilized the Ranger foregrip per the tester's preference.
Call of Duty: Warzone - Best Loadouts for the FINN LMG
FINN LMG - Close/Mid Range
Staples:
- Monolithic Suppressor
- FTAC VC-8 Harrier Adverse Barrel - Increased rate of fire. Increased mobility.
- Tac Laser
Interchangeable:
- Player’s Choice Optic (Would recommend anything with a sold dot such as the VLK 3X)
- Sleight of Hand - Fast Reload.
There are 2 interchangeable components to this build. For example, the FINN’s iron sights are pretty nice to look at, therefor players could sub the Optic out for the 100 round mag (preferably the lightweight 5.56 Cased Telescoped rounds). This loadout does NOT feature an underbarrel attachment. Why Not? As discussed, the FINN’s natural recoil pattern is straight up. Close quarters engagements are won and lost in the horizontal department. Players who aim for the chest are going to naturally recoil straight up to the head. The difference between life and Gulag is going to be dependent on a quicker reload rather than vertical recoil control. Of course, the 100 round mag shouldn’t see a player reloading during an engagement. Players will want to pair this set up with either a Sniper Rifle or Assault Rifle of their choosing.
FINN LMG - Long Range
Staples:
- Monolithic Suppressor
- XRK LongShot Adverse Barrel - Increased Range & Control. Rapid Fire Rate.
- Tac Laser
- Vertical Compensating Foregrip (Ranger/Merc/Operator)
Interchangeable:
- Player’s choice Optic (see above)
The downside to the FINN’s rapid-fire is its accuracy drop off at long ranges. The gun itself is more naturally tailored for close/mid-range combat, unlike its predecessor, the Bruen MK9, which we know all about. Sure there’ll be those times when players are melted by a pro at 100 meters away, but that’s the player, not the gun. Thankfully, this Loadout will extend the FINN’s range while still making it a viable friend in close quarters. The FINN has a naturally tight hip-fire spread. Players being surprised around a corner should still have an easy time sending their opponent to the Gulag (or back to the lobby). However, the only interchangeable part of this set up is the Optic choice. Player’s may opt for the lightweight 100 round belt instead of guaranteed suppressive fire capabilities. Sleight of hand isn’t necessary on this set up as the Long Range FINN ought to be paired with an SMG or Assault rifle.
FINN LMG ChainSAW Loadouts
Staples:
- Monolithic Suppressor
- FTAC VC-8 Harrier Adverse (Close Range) OR XRK LongShot Adverse (Long Range)
- XRK ChainSAW Stock
Interchangeable:
- 100 Round Lightweight Mag
- Tac Laser
Finally, the gimmick is here. The final attachment players will unlock for the FINN LMG is the ChainSAW Stock. This will block any underbarrel attachment and also render an optic null-and-void (although players can still attach one). Aiming the ChainSAW will tighten up the hip-fire spread and fire like a mini-gun. Players can choose to harness their inner Terminator if they please, but the mini-gun set up isn’t the most practical thing in Warzone. Sure players will look as threatening as Arnold was, and in tight quarters they absolutely are, but the ChainSAW loses significant accuracy once a little bit of range is factored in. Per the recoil patterns above, the difference in barrels is minuscule, therefore players should opt for mobility and use the Harrier barrel.
Anybody can kill someone with their back turned, but in a heated gunfight, players should opt for old-school ADS rather than hip-fire spray & pray. While taking a building, or infiltrating any tighter space (Boneyard, Storage, Quarry) the Tac Laser on the ChainSAW will prove very useful. In fact, players are pretty much a walking death machine in those tight spaces. However, once out in the open, it’s very easy to lose the Tac Laser in the sun or background. Therefore, the ChainSAW acts mostly as an SMG and should be paired with an Assault Rifle or Sniper.
So where does the FINN fall in the Call of Duty: Warzone meta? Should players be throwing their M4’s, Graus, and Bruens to the wayside? Differences in opinion have landed the FINN in the upper weapons tier exclusively for its high rate of fire. However, skilled players wielding more classic weapons will still prove to be an even match. The FINN isn’t a must use like the Bruen was. It holds its own and will shred apart the competition in the right hands. Those ‘right hands’ aren’t simply based on gun skill, but also takes positioning, callouts, planning, and proper execution into consideration. What does the future hold for the FINN? The community will have to wait to see for future updates and seasons in Call of Duty: Warzone.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare & Call of Duty: Warzone is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One & PC