What is the best Jackal PDW loadout in Black Ops 6 and Warzone? A brand new Call of Duty game is upon us, which means it’s time to break out the ol’ magnifying glass to work out what the best attachments are for each weapon.
While there are a plethora of Black Ops 6 weapons to pick from, the Jackal PDW remains a firm favorite from its time in the Black Ops 6 beta. Not only is it one of the most agile SMGs in the game, but it’s also capable of hosting up to 50-round magazines, ensuring you always have enough bullets when you run into enemies. Combined with the new Omnimovement system introduced in Black Ops 6, you’re able to run and gun your way to victory without ever breaking a sweat.
How to unlock the Jackal PDW in Black Ops 6
The Jackal PDW can be unlocked by either reaching player level 43 or purchasing the Vault Edition of Black Ops 6. As a later acquisition from the Black Ops 6 Prestige system, it’s worth using a permanent unlock token should you vibe with the weapon. If you bought the Vault Edition, though, the Jackal is permanently unlocked out of the box.
Best Black Ops 6 Jackal PDW loadout
- Optic: Kepler Microflex
- Muzzle: Ported Compensator
- Barrel: Long Barrel
- Underbarrel: Ranger Foregrip
- Magazine: Extended Mag I
- Rear Grip: Ergonomic Grip
- Stock: Infiltrator Stock
- Fire Mods: Recoil Springs
We’ve kicked this loadout off with the Kepler Microflex, but you can go for any standard optic that you enjoy. The Kepler is our go-to for SMGs as it’s small, unassuming, and doesn’t get in the way. For the muzzle, we’ve gone for the Ported Compensator – a regular feature in many of our builds thanks to the first shot accuracy and vertical recoil control it provides.
Next up, we’ve got the Long Barrel that strengthens the Jackal PDW’s ability to take enemies out from a distance thanks to its damage range buff. As mentioned earlier, the addition of Omnimovement means combat is much faster compared to previous Call of Duty games, and we can take advantage of this with the Ranger Foregrip. This underbarrel provides the SMG with upgraded sprinting movement speed and regular movement speed, in addition to improved horizontal recoil control.
As for the magazine, the Extended Mag I increases each clip to 40 rounds, turning the Jackal PDW into an unstoppable force as you can blast your way out of any problem. This is the only attachment with a downside, slightly hurting the gun’s reload quickness, but this is hardly noticeable during critical moments in combat.
Up next is the Ergonomic Grip which is key for Omnimovement, speeding up the weapon’s overall aim down sight, slide to fire, and dive to fire speed. The Infiltrator Stock provides a nice boost to the weapon’s aim walking movement speed, perfect for those tense moments when you’re hunting down enemies.
The final attachment, Recoil Springs, is incredibly important for further keeping the Jackal under control. Without kitting it out appropriately, it has quite a nasty spray pattern past a certain point, making it harder to get value out of all those extra rounds in the magazine.
Best Black Ops 6 Jackal PDW class build
- Secondary weapon: Grekhova
- Melee: Knife
- Tactical: Stim Shot
- Lethal: Semtex
- Field Upgrade: Tactical Insertion
- Perk 1: Gung-ho
- Perk 2: Assassin
- Perk 3: Double Time
- Specialty: Enforcer
- Wildcard: Gunfighter
As this build uses the Gunfighter Wildcard to max out the Jackal PDW’s attachment slots, you’re going to be stuck with a pistol or launcher for your choice of secondary. You can use pretty much what you want here, but we enjoy the full-auto Grekhova.
In the Tactical slot, you’ll want to take the Stim Shot to give you an extra burst of mobility, as well as some much-needed healing, between firefights. Though we typically use the Drill Charge as our Lethal of choice on SMGs, depending on the map and its terrain you can make great use of Semtex. As you’re going to be running and gunning a lot, the Tactical Insertion Field Upgrade is a pro-rat choice that will help you spawn in a favorable position.
For Perks we’ve gone for the mobility-maxing combination of Gung-ho and Double Time, alongside Assassin to open up access to Enforcer. This is the best way to ensure you’re always on the go, and nigh-on impossible to beam down.
Best Warzone Jackal PDW loadout
- Muzzle: Suppressor
- Barrel: Long Barrel
- Underbarrel: Ranger Foregrip
- Magazine: Extended Mag II
- Rear Grip: Ergonomic Grip
As we’re going to be using the Jackal PDW as a sniper support SMG in Warzone, Gunfighter’s off the (wild)cards. The good news is we can retain most, if not all of the loadout power.
Mirroring the Black Ops 6 multiplayer loadout, we’re running it back with the Long Barrel for maximum damage range, the Ranger Foregrip to keep its horizontal recoil under control, and the Ergonomic Grip to boost mobility.
Where we’ve gone rogue is in the muzzle and magazine. Rather than the Ported Compensator, the best Warzone Jackal PDW loadout uses the Suppressor to help prevent the denizens of Urzikstan and Area 99 from spotting us while firing. Meanwhile, the Extended Mag II is crucial when fighting multiple players on the enemy team – be it in duos, trios, or squads – as you can mow down the whole squad without having to reload (provided you hit your shots, of course).
Best Warzone 6 Jackal PDW class build
- Secondary weapon: LR 7.62
- Melee: Knife
- Tactical: Smoke Grenade
- Lethal: Semtex
- Perk 1: Dexterity
- Perk 2: Tracker
- Perk 3: Ghost
- Wildcard: Overkill
To ensure you have the best chance of winning gunfights at any range, we’re utilizing the Jackal PDW as part of an Overkill sniper support setup. We’ve partnered it up with our best LR 7.62 loadout, which is capable of seeing off hostiles from afar with a single shot to the head, chest, or arms.
Our Tactical option is the trusty Smoke Grenade, due to its ability to obscure your rotations should you get caught out. Additionally, fighting enemies with unsilenced weapons within the smoke puts you at an advantage as you can gauge their position on the minimap – something they can’t do thanks to your suppressor. The Lethal slot, meanwhile, is largely up to preference, so based on our experience we’ve opted for the Semtex.
Our perk selection of Dexterity, Tracker, and Ghost is designed to amp up your invisibility while keeping you on target. Dexterity limits weapon movement while flying about, Tracker marks enemies hit by gunfire (hello, smoke value), and Ghost keeps you safe from those pesky UAVs.
If you’re prioritizing the sniping element of this setup, then the Veteran perk can be swapped in for Dexterity after you unlock it in the upcoming Hit List event (more on that in our BO6 events guide). Not only does it reduce ADS flinch, but it also extends how long you can hold your breath, among other things.
Best Black Ops 6 Jackal PDW alternatives
The best Jackal PDW alternatives in Black Ops 6 are the KSV and C9. If you’re used to running riot with the MP5 from previous CoD games, then the best C9 loadout will feel like an old friend. Conversely, if you’re looking for arguably the best SMG in the game right now, then the best KSV loadout will give you everything you need to frag out.
That’s all you need to build the best Black Ops 6 Jackal PDW loadout. While you’re here, we highly recommend checking out our Black Ops 6 maps and Black Ops 6 modes guides to see what’s coming in the FPS game at launch.