It has been slammed as one of Warzone’s worst weapons but with the right loadout, the Sidewinder can be surprisingly viable and even competitive at times in Season 4 Reloaded.
Not every gun is blessed in Warzone with some failing to attract much of a fan base at all. This battle royale has its fair share of frustrating guns but perhaps none have been as poorly received as the Sidewinder.
Despite its heritage as an ACR, the Sidewinder bears no resemblance to the legendary MW2 AR or even this year’s MCW. It is a slow-firing, awkward battle rifle that has a lot of recoil. Not exactly the traditional recipe for a meta Warzone gun.
Yet if you can control that recoil with our optimized loadout and are comfortable with semi-auto weapons the Sidewinder is a surprisingly competent rifle that some Warzone players will enjoy using.
Best Sidewinder Warzone loadout
- Muzzle: Casus Brake L
- Barrel: Tempus Predator Precision Barrel
- Optic: JAK Glassless Optic
- Underbarrel: Bruen Heavy Support Grip
- Magazine: 30 Round Drum
By far the biggest problem with the Sidewinder is its absurd recoil which makes it difficult to keep on target. Therefore it’s best to focus on building around this with the sole goal of making it more accurate.
To make the Sidewinder recoil significantly less it is recommended to combine all three of the Casus Brake L muzzle, Bruen Heavy Support Grip underbarrel, and Tempus Predator Precision Barrel. As a bonus the barrel also increases Damage Range and Bullet Velocity which are both important stats in Warzone.
Furthermore, the JAK Glassless Optic is fantastic for minimizing visual recoil making it much easier to keep targets in sight as the gun bounces around. The fifth and final attachment is the 30 Round Drum which lowers mobility but the 50% increase in magazine capacity provided is more than worth the trade-off.
Sidewinder Warzone Loadout: Perks and Equipment
- Perk 1: Double Time
- increases the duration of Tac Sprint
- Perk 2: Sleight of Hand
- Reload faster
- Perk 3: Quick Fix
- Starts health regeneration when killing a player or inserting a plate
- Perk 4: Resolute
- Gives you a speed boost when hit by enemy shot
- Lethal: Throwing Knife
- Tactical: Smoke Grenade
Even though the Sidewinder isn’t a gun suited to aggression, Double Time remains the best Perk 1 with it having a greater impact than any other Perk. Use your second slot to take Sleight of Hand for quicker reloading and helping get you back in the fight.
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Quick Fix is what we opt for with Perk 3 thanks to it giving you better healing throughout a match. Being able to kickstart your healing while you do something as mundane and common as inserting an armor plate can be a huge help.
Going back to a more traditional meta pick, for Perk 4 it’s recommended to use Resolute. This Perk gives you a boost of speed whenever you are hit with an enemy shot, which helps you get out of a sticky situation much easier.
Since we’re using Resupply our choice of equipment is extremely important. Given the goal is to provide utility for teammates it makes sense to equip a Smoke Grenade to cross open areas easier. Finally, a Throwing Knife is one of the meta choices for Lethal weapons thanks to its quick and efficient way to down an enemy.
How to unlock Sidewinder in Warzone
The Sidewinder is unlocked by accessing the Armory at level 25, activating the Sidewinder, and then completing 8 Daily Challenges. Since that can take some time, some players may prefer extracting with one in Zombies which will also unlock the battle rifle.
Best alternative to Sidewinder in Warzone
Given that the Sidewinder performs best in semi-auto, it has the most in common with a marksman rifle like the KVD Enforcer. Both hit hard and offer competitive TTKs if you can control their recoil and keep shots on target.
While Sidewinder might not dominate the Warzone Season 4 Reloaded meta, there are plenty of weapons that do so check out guns like the FJX Horus, Kar98k, Holger 26, and Superi 46.