Loadouts
Loadouts - why do they matter?
If you are playing Onward with the intention of winning rounds, certain loadouts will help you with that, while others will actually hinder you and lower your chances of winning. In VRML, VREL, and other leagues, you will find that the same loadouts are used over and over... and that's because they work. Shots to kill, shots to down, point cost, fire rate, movement speed, and recoil are all factored into what becomes a "meta" loadout.
This update, 1.14.4, the meta has changed with the increasing of recoil and the movement speed debuff. Due to the large amounts of recoil that the AK5C and AK12 has, you will start to see more Augs, Mk16s, AK104s, Tars, MCXs, and even Mk18s used in league play.
Below, you will find pictures of all the loadouts that Aging Moss uses, and ones we find could be viable to use for a person whose end goal is winning the round.
These loadouts were made with the help of a spreadsheet that details all the gun statistics, which can be found HERE. This spreadsheet was made by James Bowk.
MARSOC Loadouts
S Tier:
An Aug loadout, this one is one of the best all around MARSOC rifleman loadouts if you're playing in more of a support role for your team. Having two smokes, armor, and an extra syringe, this allows you to assist your team with revives, smoke throws, as well as staying in the fight longer. This is arguably one of the best meta loadouts for MARSOC for any range.
This is a Rifleman loadout for MARSOC, featuring the Mk16. The Mk16 has less recoil than the AK5C and technically hits harder, requiring one less limb shot to kill. We use this loadout for medium-long range maps.
Going to the Specialist category here in MARSOC, the meta weapon that stands out is the MCX. It is cheaper than the Mk18, has the same shots to kill, a faster firerate, is lighter weight (so you can run faster), and comes with a built in suppressor. This loadout features Body Armor, and will shine best on small to medium range maps or even sometimes longer range maps since it doesn't have it's magazines limited by AP.
A Tier:
This is found in the Specialist category for MARSOC. While the Mk18 may not have many advantages over the MCX, it does have one - the ability to use an under barrel smoke launcher. This loadout is really good for maps like Cargo, where smoking Obj can lead to a quick and easy cap. Having 3 smokes on you allows you to post up, fire one underbarrel smoke that cannot be thrown away, then toss your two smokes around it to allow your team to push up and get that cap.
This is another Rifleman loadout for MARSOC, but this time featuring the old meta gun from last update, the AK5C. Some may prefer the AK5C due to its firerate, or could just be used to it since it was the meta weapon for so long. It has substantial side to side recoil and is more expensive than the Mk16.
B Tier:
This is another loadout option for the Rifleman loadout on MARSOC. This one features on Aug. The Aug lets you have AP and Armor, since it has an integrated foregrip, as well as a Smoke. Having AP and Armor may be useful for smaller maps or medium sized maps, especially if you know your opponent is going to be using Body Armor.
This is a variant of the previous MCX loadout. This variant has AP instead of Body Armor, meaning that it can kill quicker than the previous loadout if your opponent's are wearing body armor. Because it has AP, however, the magazines are limited, so this loadout is really only viable for short range maps such as Cargo, Tanker, Arctic, Suburbia, or USS Quest to name a few.
This is a variant of the previous AK5C loadout, this time without a foregrip. Foregrips were nerfed in the update, and really aren't needed for smaller maps like Cargo, so this loadout is great for small maps.
Volk
Loadouts
S Tier:
This loadout is for Specialist on Volk. The Tar 21 is one of our favorite meta weapons on Volk, due to the low cost. The above loadout features a Tar with a holo sight, two flashes, Body Armor, and an extra syringe. This works really well as an anchor loadout for any map, as well as a support or entry frag loadout for any map, including longer ranges.
This loadout for the the Rifleman category on Volk features the AK12, which is the old meta gun. It is still the best gun in the Rifleman category for Volk, but it is far less effective than it used to be. Due to the flash cost increase, you can no longer have Body Armor with this loadout unfortunately. We will use this loadout for medium or small maps.
A Tier:
This loadout is a variant on the previous Tar loadout for Volk Specialist. This is the standard loadout we use when we need to deploy C4 for whatever reason. Some may prefer to swap the Body Armor with a flash so they can flash after blowing the C4, but that is up to personal preference.
This is another Specialist loadout here on Volk, this time using the AK104. The AK104 hits like a Rifleman gun and still allows for quick movement speed, while allowing for a Flash and Body Armor. The lower fire rate leads to more manageable horizontal recoil, which is really nice for longer range maps.
This is a variant of the previous AK12 loadout, this time without a foregrip, which allows you to have Body Armor as well as two flashes. This loadout will be good for small maps like Cargo and Tanker, since the lack of a foregrip can lead to increased recoil during longer bursts or sprays.