The best Automaton Warzone loadout

a soldier in warzone aiming down the sights of an automaton — (Image credit: Infinity ward)

The Warzone Automaton is one of those weapons that doesn't have the most ridiculous time-to-kill, but does boast the accuracy required to hold its damage and potential at longer ranges than most. Remember back in the day when we all used the M4A1 or M13? Same energy here.

So then, here are a couple of Automaton Warzone loadouts. I've gone for the builds which exploit the weapon's strong recoil-reducing attachments, while ensuring they don't lose out too much on damage.

The best low-recoil Automaton Warzone loadout

Attachments

Muzzle: MX Silencer
Barrel: Anastasia Sniper
Optic: ZF4 3.5x Rifle Scope
Stock: Anastasia Padded
Underbarrel: Carver Foregrip
Magazine: 6.5MM Sakura 75 Round Drums
Ammunition: Lengthened
Grip: Pine Tar Grip
Perk: Tight Grip
Perk 2: Surplus

Secondary

Bullfrog

Perks

Cold Blooded
Ghost
Combat Scout

Throwables

Claymore
Heartbeat Sensor

The Automaton has quickly asserted itself as a seriously strong contender in Caldera. This is the loadout to try if you're looking to utterly maximise your range values and create a minimum-recoil monster. As with all ranged weapons, we want a silencer. The MX is the one to go for here, as it also helps your gun's accuracy and recoil control.

Win more with these Warzone loadouts

Best Warzone loadout: The gear to choose
Best M4A1 Warzone loadout: Top all-purpose AR builds
Best MP7 Warzone loadout: Effective SMG setups
Best Grau Warzone loadout: Strong AR builds
Best M13 Warzone loadout: Attachments to choose
Best Kilo 101 Warzone loadout: Boost the punchy AR

Couple your muzzle attachment with the rest of these powerful attachments and your Automaton will barely have any noticeable recoil. The Anastasia Sniper is the one we're going for here. The Empress 620mm Precision barrel requires headshots for maximum damage making it far less reliable, despite its improved accuracy. With the Pine Tar Grip, Carver Foregrip, and Anastasia Padded stock, you'll be able to churn out a constant stream of rounds at enemies from long distances. The Lengthened ammo and 6.5mm Sakura 75 Round Mags mean you'll have a long way until you run out, too.

It's rare that a gun's first perk slot does a huge amount as well, but in this case, Tight Grip works wonders—it boosts your accuracy when you fire at a constant rate. It's got no downsides either, besides the inescapable opportunity cost.

Finally, the optic. Usually, I like a nice 2x scope, or something like it. However, with the Automaton, since I'm building for maximum range, the ZF4 3.5x Rifle Scope is the real star. That extra bit of magnification and a really nice, clean scope mean it's easy to hold your aim on targets without losing them to distance.

This being a high-range loadout, I'm using Cold Blooded, although EOD works well, too. I prefer the former, though, because it negates the impact of Combat Scout, an extremely powerful perk for all manner of encounters. Speaking of which: I'm using Combat Scout. It lights enemies up like a Christmas tree through walls when you hit them (provided they don't have Cold Blooded), and allows you to get those follow-up shots when they're fleeing. With good communication, you can easily wipe out an entire team if their coordination is worse than yours.

warzone automaton loadout — (Image credit: Infinity Ward)

The best mid-range Automaton Warzone loadout

Attachments

Muzzle: Chord Muzzle Brake
Barrel: ZAC 600MM BFA
Optic: G16 2.5x
Stock: Empress Broadsword
Underbarrel: Mark VI Skeletal
Magazine: 6.5mm Sakura 45 Round Mags
Ammunition: Lengthened
Rear Grip: Stippled Grip
Perk: Tight Grip
Perk 2: Surplus

Secondary

OTs 9

Perks

Cold Blooded
Ghost
Combat Scout

Throwables

Semtex
Stun Grenades

This is a much more versatile Warzone Automaton loadout. For it I'm using some slightly less laserbeam-like attachments in favour of ADS speed. These'll give you the draw on your enemies, especially if they're running a ranged Automaton or STG44. The most important changes here include the switch to the ZAC 600mm BFA barrel, which is more accurate than the previous loadout's, but sacrifices bullet velocity, and the Empress Broadsword stock, which improves your accuracy at the start of bursts of fire along with ADS speed.

Next, the Mark VI Skeletal underbarrel attachment does nothing but improve ADS speed, and the Stippled Grip removes the damaged ADS from the previous loadout. With these attachments you should notice a massive difference between this and the long-ranged loadout. It makes the Automaton feels much more like an assault rifle, and a lot less like you're carrying a giant minigun around.

Finally, you'll be using this as a loadout to explore the map and get lots of kills, so chuck on a Semtex and Stun Grenades. And by the way, the reason Ghost is on this class is because you can feasibly run the Automaton without Overkill for your first loadout drop : it holds its own somewhat at all ranges. Just make sure you grab a second weapon with another loadout drop, preferably one of the best Warzone SMGs to keep you competitive when clearing buildings.