This is a tier list for the best guns and weapons in Zombies mode of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (MW3). Learn the top guns for Zombies mode, as well as an overall tier list for the best guns, Shotguns, and LMGs!

Best Guns Lists
Best Guns Tier List	Best Ranked CDL Loadouts
Best Weapons Zombies	Best Guns Campaign

Best Guns for Zombies

1. FJX Horus (SMG)

Best FJX Horus Attachments
Barrel	Martis Heavy Barrel
Optic	Jak Glassless Optic
Magazine	48 Round Mag
Muzzle	L4R Flash Hider
Underbarrel	SL Skeletal Vertical Grip

The FJX Horus is without a doubt, the best gun to use in Zombies for Season 5. With its high rate-of-fire, precise accuracy, as well as its recent buff to damage and recoil control, you can pretty much defeat Mega Abominations in the Red Zone easily, as well as other high tier zombies lurking in the area.

This makes it a great gun to use to clear out Tier 3 Contracts and also Dark Aether Rifts.

FJX Horus Best Loadout and Build

2. Crossbow (Marksman Rifle)

Best Crossbow Attachments
Optic	Cronen Intlas MSP-12
Arms	SO Momenti
Bolts	Brightblaze 20" Bolts
Wire	28-Strand Cable
Stock	FTac Piercer

The Crossbow can be equipped with the Thermite Bolt for a bit of crowd control since you can kill large groups of zombies with a single shot due to the explosive effect the Thermite Bolt has.

In addition, the ammo count can also be increased up to 3 bolts when Pack-a-Punched, allowing you to take on multiple zombies charging at you.

Crossbow Best Loadout and Build

3. Reclaimer 18 (Shotgun)

Best Reclaimer 18 Attachments
Muzzle	Xten Full Choke
Barrel	Discourager 900 Heavy Barrel
Ammunition	12 Gauge Slug
Grip	Center Mass Grip Tape
Stock	Hinge LAF Light Stock

The Reclaimer 18 is an automatic shotgun that is best used in crowd-control situations. When facing a horde, you can mindlessly spam this shotgun to mow them all down in just mere seconds due to its high spread and fast rate-of-fire.

You can also play it safe by using Slug Rounds, since this increases the range of your bullets, and thus allowing you to shoot down zombies from afar. Keep in mind that slugs reduces bullet spread!

Reclaimer 18 Best Loadout and Build

4. MCW (Assault Rifle)

Best MCW Attachments
Muzzle	L4R Flash Hider
Barrel	16.5" MCW Cyclone Long Barrel
Rear Grip	RB Claw-PSL Grip
Underbarrel	Bruen Tactical Vertical Grip
Optic	DF105 Reflex Sight

The MCW is a great weapon for newcomers in Zombies mode. By default, it already has impressive damage, accuracy, and rate-of-fire even without attachments, making it a reliable weapon for beginners looking to hop in their first few Dark Aether Rift runs.

For veterans, they can opt to kit the MCW out with attachments that will improve its powerful base statline to speeden up the time it takes to clear out Contracts with the limited time they have in one Zombies session.

Best MCW Loadout and Build

5. Renetti (Pistol)

Best Renetti Attachments
Muzzle	Sonic Suppressor S
Optic	Slimline Pro
Underbarrel	Bruen Bastion Angled Grip
Magazine	50 Round Drum
Conversion Kit	JAK Ferocity Carbine Kit

The Renetti with the JAK Ferocity Carbine conversion kit speeds up your mobility by a mile, letting you reposition faster in situations where zombies manage to trap you in a corner.

Overall, this pistol combined with the Conversion Kit is a good pick up as you'll have access to one of fastest shooting secondaries in the game partnered with a drastic increase to movement speed.

Renetti Best Loadout and Build

6. Holger 26 (LMG)

Best Holger 26 Attachments
Barrel	Chrios-6 Match
Muzzle	VT-7 Spiritfire Suppressor L
Rear Grip	Intruder Grip
Magazine	100 Round Drum
Optic	Slate Reflector

The Holger 26 is a neat LMG to use to shoot through zombies chasing you in a single line, since most of the time you'll be kiting and lining them up before gunning them down. This weapon's rate-of-fire, damage output, and ammo capacity is perfect to use for getting you out of those sticky situations.

Best Holger 26 Loadout and Build

7. WSP Swarm (SMG)

Best WSP Swarm Attachments
Barrel	WSP Ruthless-L Barrel
Optic	Jak Glassless Optic
Magazine	50 Round Mag
Muzzle	S-37C DL Breacher Device S
Conversion Kit	Akimbo Brace Stock

The WSP Swarm is excellent for dealing with large packs of zombies due to its ability to dual wield with the Akimbo Brace Stock Conversion Kit. This essentially greatly increases your ammo capacity, letting you mow down hordes of zombies without having to stop to reload often.

WSP Swarm Best Loadout and Build

8. RGL-80 (Launcher)

The RGL-80 is the only Grenade Launcher available in Zombies mode. It is extremely impactful when it comes to dealing with huge packs of zombies as it can inflict splash damage resulting in a weapon that provides excellent crowd control.

This particularly shines in higher-threat zones where there are larger hordes and stronger enemies.

RGL-80 Best Loadout and Build

9. Tonfa (Melee Weapon)

The Tonfa is the only melee weapon that can deal exceptional DPS (Damage Per Second) against zombies due to how fast you can swing with it. When upgraded to Pack-a-Punch Level 3, you can quickly take out Special Zombies like the Mangler, Disciple, and even Mega Abominations!

Unlike other melee weapons, which are mostly used as backup when you run out of ammo for your primary weapon, the Tonfa can act as your main go-to weapon while doing various activities in Urzikstan.

Tonfa Best Loadout and Build

10. Ray Gun (Wonder Weapon)

The Raygun is one of the Wonder Weapons that can only be obtained and used in Zombies mode. This gun shoots green energy-like bullets that can deal a strong single-target hit that scatters among close enemies.

One of the advantages of the Raygun is that you can use it even while you're down, as it is considered a Handgun.

Note that since this is a Wonder Weapon, you can only obtain this via Mystery Boxes, Schematics Crafting, and Reward Rifts.

How to Get Ray Gun Schematics

Zombies Best Guns Tier Lists

Jump to a Section!
Best Weapons Overall	Best Shotguns	Best LMGs

Best Weapons Tier List

Tier	Zombies Guns
S Tier	・FJX Horus (SMG) ・Crossbow - Thermite Bolts (Marksman Rifle) ・WSP Swarm (SMG) ・MCW (Assault Rifle) ・RGL-80 (Launcher) ・Renetti (Pistol) - JAK Ferocity Carbine Kit ・Holger 26 (LMG) ・Reclaimer 18 (Shotgun) ・Tonfa (Melee Weapon) ・ Ray Gun (Wonder Weapon)
A Tier	・ M4 (Assault Rifle) ・ AMR9 (SMG) ・ Striker 9 (SMG) ・ Longbow (Sniper Rifle) ・ TAQ Eradicator ・ Bruen Mk9 (LMG) ・ Riveter (Shotgun) ・ Kastov 762 (Assault Rifle) ・ TAQ-56 (Assault Rifle)
B Tier	・ Striker (SMG) ・ HCR 56 (LMG) ・ Kastov 545 (Assault Rifle) ・ M16 (Assault Rifle) ・ M13B (Assault Rifle) ・ Lachmann-556 (Assault Rifle) ・ Holger 556 (Assault Rifle) ・ Cronen Squall (Battle Rifle) ・ Bas-B (Battle Rifle) ・ MX9 (SMG) ・ Haymaker (Shotgun) ・ Karambit (Melee)
C Tier	・ RAAL MG (LMG) ・ RAPP H (LMG) ・ MTZ-556 (Assault Rifle) ・ DG-58 (Assault Rifle) ・ Lockwood 680 (Shotgun) ・ SO-14 (Battle Rifle) ・ The Scorcher (Wonder Weapon)
D Tier (Don't Use)	・ FTAC Recon (Battle Rifle) ・ Lachmann-762 (Battle Rifle) ・ Bryson 890 (Shotgun) ・ Bryson 800 (Shotgun) ・ KV Broadside (Shotgun) ・ MX Guardian (Shotgun) ・ Lockwood 300 (Shotgun) ・ Expedite 12 (Shotgun)

This list was last updated on August 23, 2024

All Zombie Weapon Locations

Best Shotguns Tier List

Tier	Weapon
	・ Reclaimer 18
	・ Haymaker
	・ Bryson 890 ・ Bryson 800
	・ Lockwood 300 ・ Expedite 12 ・ KV Broadside ・ MX Guardian ・ Lockwood 680

The best shotgun in Zombies is the Reclaimer 18 for its tight spread and high damage output. It excels in close-range combat, but allows you to use it in mid to long range through the use of 12 Gauge Slugs Ammunition.

Shotguns rated D tier are not recommended.

Best LMGs Tier List

Tier	Weapon
	・ Holger 26 ・ RPK ・ Pulemyot 762
	・ Bruen Mk9 ・ DG-58 LSW
	・ HCR 56 ・ 556 Icarus
	・ RAPP H
	・ RAAL MG

The best LMGs in Zombies are the RPK and Pulemyot 762. The RPK is extremely powerful for its light weight and large ammo capacity. On the other hand, the Pulemyot 762 has an extremely large ammo capacity and great range in return for low mobility.

Both weapons have high firepower that can easily decimate enemies through a barrage of bullets. LMGs rated at D tier are not recommended.

Zombies Best Weapons List Criteria

① Balance Between Fire Power and Ease of Use The weapons in this list were rated not only based on Damage but also on other stats that excel in Zombies mode like Rate of Fire and Mobility. The purpose of this list is to enumerate weapons that can dominate while being fairly easy to use.

② Utility and Purpose The idea is to create a list of weapons that either work well for general use or excel in very specific situations. This is a list of weapons tailored specifically for scenarios you will encounter in Zombies Mode.

③ Class Diversity One of the considerations in making this list is to have varying types of weapons to cater to different playstyles. Although weapon stats and uses are still the primary factors considered, the aim is to have a list that will cater to all types of players.

Modern Warfare 3 (MW3) Related Guides

Zombies Mode Walkthrough and Guide

All Zombies Guides

Zombies Guides and Lists
Zombies Missions	Zombies Season 2
Zombies Season 1	Zombies Map
Zombies Weapons	Crafting Schematics
Aetherium	Challenges and Enemies
Zombies Perks	Zombies Ammo Mods
Zombies Field Upgrades	Zombies Gear
Contracts	Zombies Power-Ups

All Zombies Guns and Weapons

All Zombies Guns and Weapon Guides
Best Guns	Refund Weapon Upgrades
Weapon Rarity	Pack-a-Punch
Reduce Weapon Cooldown	Insured Slots and Contraband
Wonder Weapons	Ray Gun
Wunderwaffe DG-2	The Scorcher
V-R11	Rarity vs Pack-a-Punch
Wonder Weapon Rarity Glitch	-