Best MW3 Striker loadout and class setup

Want to build the very best Striker loadout in Modern Warfare 3? SMGs have always been among the most popular weapons for most Call Of Duty players in recent memory, and it's no surprise. Their high mobility and close-range prowess fits perfectly with the narrow pathways and chaotic nature of Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer modes. And as things stand, the Striker is the best of all of them.

Reliable to a fault, the Striker can rip through enemies in no time at all at the right range, while also keeping you light enough to dance between high-octane encounters and stay alive against the odds. If you want to score a Nuke on Rust, Scrapyard, or any of the fastest-paced maps in the game, then make sure you're equipped with the best Striker loadout in MW3. Read on to find out how to build it from scratch!

Why use the Striker in MW3?

If it weren't for the MCW, then the Striker would have been the undisputed king of all guns in the Modern Warfare 3 beta. It's neither the fastest-firing SMG on offer, nor the one with the highest damage profile. But the balance it strikes between handling, speed, and DPS makes the Striker an incredibly reliable and easy to use weapon, particularly on small chaotic maps like Rust.

It's unlikely to perform well at longer ranges, but then that's really not how you should be using the Striker. This is a run-and-gunner's dream SMG, and with the below attachments it becomes even more reliable and effective at flank attacks and working your way steadily through an enemy team's backline.

Best Striker loadout in MW3

• Muzzle: VT-7 Spiritfire Suppressor
• Barrel: Striker Recon Long Barrel
• Stock: Lachmann MK2 Light Stock
• Magazine: 48 Round Mag
• Optic: Slate Reflector

Together, these five attachments serve to eliminate virtually every downside of the default Striker SMG. A larger magazine, lighter stock for staying mobile, a clean optic for good target acquisition, a long barrel to improve its meagre range, and a suppressor to keep you off the enemy's radar during wide flanks. There's nothing more the Striker needs. Let's go over each of the attachments in this Striker loadout one by one.

Muzzle: VT-7 Spiritfire Suppressor

We definitely want a suppressor of some sort on the Striker to help keep us off the enemy's radar while shooting. The best choice here is the VT-7 Spiritfire Suppressor, because it doesn't weigh down the Striker as much as the Monolithic Suppressor, and only gives a minor reduction to bullet velocity and recoil control.

Barrel: Striker Recon Long Barrel

The Striker Recon Long Barrel is a game-changer attachment for this Striker loadout. It dramatically extends the effective range of the Striker so that you can mow down enemies more reliably. Damage profiles for Modern Warfare 3 weapons work in bands of damage that stretch out to certain distances, and by increasing the max range, you also increase all those range bands, meaning you deal the maximum damage up to a further range as well.

Stock: Lachmann MK2 Light Stock

To offset the added weight of the Striker Recon Long Barrel, we've opted for the Lachmann MK2 Light Stock to boost our sprint and movement speed, allowing you to stay very light on your feet with this Striker build. If you're using the Striker (or any SMG really), it's incredibly important to stay on the move and remain in an enemy's sightline only long enough to kill them before ducking away again. The Lachmann MK2 Light Stock helps you to achieve this playstyle.

Magazine: 48 Round Mag

With the increased health pool of Modern Warfare 3 (150 health instead of 100), the Striker's default 30-Round Mag doesn't feel like quite enough to reliably ensure the kill - particularly if you're facing multiple enemies in quick succession, which happens a lot in the kinds of environments where the Striker excels. The 48 Round Mag is the best use of our fourth attachment slot for our Striker loadout, because it gives us some extra freedom to keep shooting before we have to stop and reload.

Optic: Slate Reflector

Optics are always more of a personal preference than the other attachment categories, but we'd really recommend putting some sort of close-range sight on the Striker, because its ironsights are quite gnarly. Our top choice is the Slate Reflector, because its size and shape gives us a really nice clean view of a fast-moving target while aiming. But feel free to switch it out for another Optic if you prefer.

Best Striker class setup: Secondary weapon

KV Inhibitor or MCW.

Despite adding the Striker Recon Long Barrel to our loadout, the Striker is still an SMG at heart, and not well-suited for long-range encounters. So ideally you should pair it with another primary weapon that can handily deal with snipers across the map.

If you want to go fully into sniper territory, the KV Inhibitor is a fantastic choice. This powerful semi-automatic sniper can be built into a quickscoping demon of a gun, and it makes for the perfect counterpart for the nippier but equally deadly Striker.

For a full-auto alternative, the MCW is a great choice, particularly when kit out for extended range and bullet velocity as we show in our MW3 best MCW loadout guide.

Best Striker class setup: Perks and Equipment

Frag Grenade, Battle Rage, Overkill Vest, Covert Sneakers, Ghost T/V Camo, Ordnance Gloves.

The Overkill Vest is a must-have item for our Striker loadout, because it gives you the Overkill perk that allows you to carry two primary weapons. This way you can pick up one of the long-ranged rifles mentioned in the previous section. The Vest will also allow you to quickly switch between these weapons to deal with different situations as well as reload whilst sprinting.

Because the Striker is perfect for flank attacks, we'd recommend the Covert Sneakers for your boots, to help you sneak up on unsuspecting enemies. Similarly, the Ghost T/V Camo will keep you off the enemy's radar so they don't notice you sneaking around behind them.

As for your lethal and tactical options, you can pick whatever you like really. But we'd recommend the ever-useful Frag Grenade, because there's no real defence against a perfectly cooked Frag and when combined with the Ordnance Gloves you'll be abole to throw grenades further and reset fuses on any thrown back to you. Additionally, Battle Rage should help you stay alive after each encounter and work your way towards the very best killstreaks in Modern Warfare 3.

For more Modern Warfare tips and tricks, check out our guide to the best perks in-game for optimal loadouts.

Best Striker alternatives in Modern Warfare 3

AMR9 or Renetti.

The AMR9 is a great alternative option to the Striker if you want to stay within SMG territory. But while the Striker is the undisputed best full-auto gun for close-range encounters, the AMR9 is the best SMG for pushing the gun's effective range into Assault Rifle territories, giving you a bit of extra versatility without much downside.

Another interesting alternative to the Striker is the Renetti pistol. While it's limited to a 3-shot burst by default, the Renetti can be outfitted with the FAK Ferocity Carbine Kit, turning it into a full-auto SMG with surprising damage output. If you're looking for a Striker alternative that is classed as a secondary weapon, there's nothing better than a Renetti.

That's everything you need in order to put together the most powerful Striker loadout available in Modern Warfare 3 right now. For more top-tier weapon recommendations, look no further than our list of the best guns in Modern Warfare 3, alongside our in-depth MW3 best loadouts guide.