Best Call of Duty Black Ops 6 Jackal PDW loadout and class setup

Here’s how to make the most of the Jackal PDW’s impressive power in Black Ops 6

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Activision

Looking to build the best Jackal PDW loadout in Black Ops 6? The Jackal PDW dominated the meta in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’s beta, plowing through matches with explosive full-auto Submachine Gun bullet spray. Despite not being quite as top-tier in the main game, the Jackal PDW is still a mighty effective weapon for putting your finger to the trigger and getting headshot multipliers.

In this guide, we’ll break down our preferred Jackal PDW loadout, including the best attachments, secondary weapon, perks, and other equipment needed to make the most of this heavy-hitting SMG in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 multiplayer.

Why use the Jackal PDW in Black Ops 6?

SMGs are always notorious for delivering a rapid fire rate, and the Jackal PDW achieves this without offering up massive recoil as a tradeoff, which is much appreciated. While there are better guns for mid and long range firefights, when it comes to dashing around the map and shooting someone up close, the Jackal PDW delivers.

If you’ve preordered the Vault Edition of Black Ops 6, the Jackal PDW also comes with a fancy blueprint variant dubbed Scourge, which not only pastes a pink electrical glow over this gun but also amps up the overpowered factor by providing you with several attachments that you won’t need to work to unlock. If you want to blow past the competition fast, in other words, the Jackal PDW (and its Scourge blueprint) will serve you well.

Best Jackal PDW loadout in Black Ops 6

• Barrel: CHF Barrel
• Underbarrel: Ranger Foregrip
• Rear Grip: CQB Grip
• Magazine: Extended Mag I
• Stock: Infiltrator Stock

This loadout is designed to improve overall movement, while providing decent bumps to firepower as well as recoil control. Basically, the goal here is to turn you into an aggressive, super fast, and deadly operator at close engagements, which is where the Jackal PDW shines.

Barrel: CHF Barrel

Stick the CHF Barrel on the Jackal PDW to amp up firepower. You’ll take a dip in accuracy, but once again, the Jackal PDW is never going to be the most accurate weapon in your arsenal. If you do prefer a more accuracy-orientated build, feel free to use the Long Barrel instead. You can even forego a barrel entirely and go with a muzzle like the Suppressor.

Underbarrel: Ranger Foregrip

The Ranger Foregrip is a great way of making up for the accuracy decrease that the CHF Barrel provides. Your mobility will also get a bump, making it all the more easy to hop into position with the Jackal PDW or launch yourself into a sprint to avoid enemy fire.

Rear Grip: CQB Grip

The CQB Grip provides another increase to handling via boosts to sprinting, sliding, and diving. It’s a great addition to the overall dexterity of this firearm and comes highly recommended, especially as a supplement to the Ranger Foregrip.

Magazine: Extended Mag I

SMGs burn through bullets at a staggering rate, and the Jackal PDW is no exception to this stereotype. The Extended Mag I is my go-to magazine for most guns, and is very welcome here to add an extra dose of staying power to this weapon. You can even go as high as the Extended Mag II if you like, though I prefer not to, as our overall build here stresses handling, and the heaviness of the Extended Mag II is a little counterintuitive.

Stock: Infiltrator Stock

Last but certainly not least to our loadout is the Infiltrator Stock, which betters your aim-walking speed and makes it easier to mow down the opposition while on the prowl. That said, you can also go with no stock if you like to continue buffing movement speed. If this is your preference, consider putting a laser on the Jackal PDW - the Steady Aim Laser is a good option.

Best Jackal PDW class setup: Secondary weapons

XM4

You’re going to need a weapon that’s just a tad bit better at picking off enemies from afar, and it might as well be an Assault Rifle. The XM4 is a reliable choice that won’t do you wrong, and can be equipped if you choose the Overkill Wildcard, which lets you use another primary weapon as your secondary. Depending on how you outfit it, the XM4 is very much a jack-of-all-trades that works well at all ranges.

Best AK-74 class setup: Equipment and Perks

Equipment: Semtex, Stim Shot, Assault Pack.

Go with Semtex for your lethal equipment and the Stim Shot to heal up between firefights and refresh your Tactical Sprint. The Assault Pack is generally always my first recommendation for field equipment, though you might get some benefit out of the Neurogas, which lets you disorient foes in a gas cloud to either pick them off at your leisure or get away quickly.

Perks: Dexterity, Gung-Ho, Double Time, Enforcer.

All of our perks are designed to supplement the speed and manoeuvrability of this class setup, really letting you get into enemy faces. Dexterity grants reduced weapon motion while jumping sliding, and diving. Meanwhile, Gung-Ho reduces movement penalties when reloading and also lets you reload while using your Tactical Sprint. Double Time , finally, greatly boosts the duration of your Tactical Sprint.

Choosing three red perks will give you the Enforcer Specialty Perk, which grants you a temporary buff to movement speed and health regeneration whenever you kill enemies, which you’re ideally going to be doing a lot of with the Jackal PDW.

Best Jackal PDW alternatives in Black Ops 6

C9, Tanto .22.

If you’re into Submachine Guns, the C9 and the Tanto .22 are both good alternatives. You can expect better accuracy with the C9, and the Tanto .22 has a slow fire rate but top-of-the-line firepower. It’s up to you to decide which SMG you prefer - go on and experiment with all three.

That’s all we’ve got on the best loadout for the Jackal PDW. If you like the power of Submachine Guns, check out our guide to the best SMGs in Black Ops 6. For Assault Rifles, head to our guide on the best ARs . We’ve also got guides to the best guns and the best loadouts , if you’d prefer a broad overview of everything Black Ops 6 has to offer. Good luck!

Call of Duty: Black Ops 6

PS4 , PS5 , Xbox One , Xbox Series X/S , PC

Rock Paper Shotgun is better when you sign in

Sign in and join us on our journey to discover strange and compelling PC games.

All 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints and where to get them

These areas have the highest chance of giving you Blueprints

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Looking for more Arc Raiders Blueprints? It’s a special day when you find a Blueprint, as they’re among the most valuable items in Arc Raiders. If you find a Blueprint that you haven’t already found, then you must make sure you hold onto it at all costs, because Blueprints are the key to one of the most important and powerful systems of meta-progression in the game.

This guide aims to be the very best guide on Blueprints you can find, starting with a primer on what exactly they are and how they work in Arc Raiders, before delving into exactly where to get Blueprints and the very best farming spots for you to take in your search.

We’ll also go over how to get Blueprints from other unlikely activities, such as destroying Surveyors and completing specific quests. And you’ll also find the full list of all 75 Blueprints in Arc Raiders on this page (including the newest Blueprints added with the Cold Snap update , such as the Deadline Blueprint and Firework Box Blueprint), giving you all the information you need to expand your own crafting repertoire.

In this guide:

• What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?
• Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes
• Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders Blueprints obtained from quests Blueprints obtained from Trials Best Blueprint farming locations

What are Blueprints in Arc Raiders?

Blueprints in Arc Raiders are special items which, if you manage to extract with them, you can expend to permanently unlock a new crafting recipe in your Workshop. If you manage to extract from a raid with an Anvil Blueprint, for example, you can unlock the ability to craft your very own Anvil Pistol, as many times as you like (as long as you have the crafting materials).

To use a Blueprint, simply open your Inventory while in the lobby, then right-click on the Blueprint and click “Learn And Consume” . This will permanently unlock the recipe for that item in your Workshop. As of the Stella Montis update, there are allegedly 75 different Blueprints to unlock - although only 68 are confirmed to be in the game so far. You can see all the Blueprints you’ve found and unlocked by going to the Workshop menu, and hitting “R” to bring up the Blueprint screen.

It’s possible to find duplicates of past Blueprints you’ve already unlocked. If you find these, then you can either sell them, or - if you like to play with friends - you can take it into a match and gift it to your friend so they can unlock that recipe for themselves. Another option is to keep hold of them until the time comes to donate them to the Expedition.

Full Blueprint list: All crafting recipes

Below is the full list of all the Blueprints that are currently available to find in Arc Raiders, and the crafting recipe required for each item:

Note: The missing Blueprints in this list likely have not actually been added to the game at the time of writing, because none of the playerbase has managed to find any of them. As they are added to the game, I will update this page with the most relevant information so you know exactly how to get all 75 Arc Raiders Blueprints.

Where to find Blueprints in Arc Raiders

Below is a list of all containers, modifiers, and events which maximise your chances of finding Blueprints:

• Certain quests reward you with specific Blueprints .
• Completing Trials has a high chance of offering Blueprints as rewards.
• Surveyors have a decent chance of dropping Blueprints on death.
• High loot value areas tend to have a greater chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Night Raids and Storms may increase rare Blueprint spawn chances in containers.
• Containers with higher numbers of items may have a higher tendency to spawn Blueprints. As a result, Blue Gate (which has many “large” containers containing multiple items) may give you a higher chance of spawning Blueprints.
• Raider containers (Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, Medical Bags, Grenade Tubes) have increased Blueprint drop rates. As a result, the Uncovered Caches event gives you a high chance of finding Blueprints.
• Security Lockers have a higher than average chance of containing Blueprints.
• Certain Blueprints only seem to spawn under specific circumstances: Tempest Blueprint only spawns during Night Raid events. Vulcano Blueprint only spawns during Hidden Bunker events. Jupiter and Equaliser Blueprints only spawn during Harvester events.

Raider Caches, Weapon Boxes, and other raider-oriented container types have a good chance of offering Blueprints. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints have a very low chance of spawning in any container in Arc Raiders, around 1-2% on average. However, there is a higher chance of finding Blueprints in particular container types. Specifically, you can find more Blueprints in Raider containers and security lockers.

Beyond this, if you’re looking for Blueprints you should focus on regions of the map which are marked as having particularly high-value loot. Areas such as the Control Tower in Dam Battlegrounds, the Arrival and Departure Buildings in Spaceport, and Pilgrim’s Peak in Blue Gate all have a better-than-average chance of spawning Blueprints somewhere amongst all their containers. Night Raids and Electromagnetic Storm events also increase the drop chances of certain Blueprints .

In addition to these containers, you can often loot Blueprints from destroyed Surveyors - the largest of the rolling ball ARC. Surveyors are more commonly found on the later maps - Spaceport and Blue Gate - and if one spawns in your match, you’ll likely see it by the blue laser beam that it casts into the sky while “surveying”.

Surveyors are quite well-armoured and will very speedily run away from you once it notices you, but if you can take one down then make sure you loot all its parts for a chance of obtaining certain unusual Blueprints.

Blueprints obtained from quests

One way in which you can get Blueprints is by completing certain quests for the vendors in Speranza. Some quests will reward you with a specific item Blueprint upon completion, so as long as you work through all the quests in Arc Raiders, you are guaranteed those Blueprints.

Here is the full list of all Blueprints you can get from quest rewards:

• Trigger Nade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Sparks Fly”.
• Lure Grenade Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Greasing Her Palms”.
• Burletta Blueprint: Rewarded after completing “Industrial Espionage”.
• Hullcracker Blueprint (and Launcher Ammo Blueprint): Rewarded after completing “The Major’s Footlocker”.

Alas, that’s only 4 Blueprints out of a total of 75 to unlock, so for the vast majority you will need to find them yourself during a raid. If you’re intent on farming Blueprints, then it’s best to equip yourself with cheap gear in case you lose it, but don’t use a free loadout because then you won’t get a safe pocket to stash any new Blueprint you find. No pain in Arc Raiders is sharper than failing to extract with a new Blueprint you’ve been after for a dozen hours already.

One of the best ways to get Blueprints is by hitting three stars on all five Trials every week. |Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blueprints obtained from Trials

One of the very best ways to get Blueprints is as rewards for completing Trials in Arc Raiders. Trials are unlocked from Level 15 onwards, and allow you to earn rewards by focusing on certain tasks over the course of several raids. For example, one Trial might task you with dealing damage to Hornets, while another might challenge you to loot Supply Drops.

Trials refresh on a weekly basis, with a new week bringing five new Trials. Each Trial can offer up to three rewards after passing certain score milestones, and it’s possible to receive very high level loot from these reward crates - including Blueprints. So if you want to unlock as many Blueprints as possible, you should make a point of completing as many Trials as possible each week.

Best Blueprint farming locations

The very best way to get Blueprints is to frequent specific areas of the maps which combine high-tier loot pools with the right types of containers to search. Here are my recommendations for where to find Blueprints on every map, so you can always keep the search going for new crafting recipes to unlock.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Dam Battlegrounds

The best places to farm Blueprints on Dam Battlegrounds are the Control Tower, Power Generation Complex, Ruby Residence, and Pale Apartments . The first two regions, despite only being marked on the map as mid-tier loot, contain a phenomenal number of containers to loot. The Control Tower can also contain a couple of high-tier Security Lockers - though of course, you’ll need to have unlocked the Security Breach skill at the end of the Survival tree.

There’s also a lot of reporting amongst the playerbase that the Residential areas in the top-left of the map - Pale Apartments and Ruby Residence - give you a comparatively strong chance of finding Blueprints. Considering their size, there’s a high density of containers to loot in both locations, and they also have the benefit of being fairly out of the way. So you’re more likely to have all the containers to yourself.

Buried City

The best Blueprint farming locations on Buried City are the Santa Maria Houses, Grandioso Apartments, Town Hall, and the various buildings of the New District . Grandioso Apartments has a lower number of containers than the rest, but a high chance of spawning weapon cases - which have good Blueprint drop rates. The others are high-tier loot areas, with plenty of lootable containers - including Security Lockers.

Spaceport

The best places to find Blueprints on Spaceport are the Arrival and Departure Buildings, as well as Control Tower A6 and the Launch Towers . All these areas are labelled as high-value loot regions, and many of them are also very handily connected to one another by the Spaceport wall, which you can use to quickly run from one area to the next. At the tops of most of these buildings you’ll find at least one Security Locker, so this is an excellent farming route for players looking to find Blueprints.

The downside to looting Blueprints on Spaceport is that all these areas are hotly contested, particularly in Duos and Squads. You’ll need to be very focused and fast in order to complete the full farming route.

Image credit:Rock Paper Shotgun/Embark Studios

Blue Gate

Blue Gate tends to have a good chance of dropping Blueprints, potentially because it generally has a high number of containers which can hold lots of items; so there’s a higher chance of a Blueprint spawning in each container. In my experience, the best Blueprint farming spots on Blue Gate are Pilgrim’s Peak, Raider’s Refuge, the Ancient Fort, and the Underground Complex beneath the Warehouse .

All of these areas contain a wealth of containers to loot. Raider’s Refuge has less to loot, but the majority of the containers in and around the Refuge are raider containers, which have a high chance of containing Blueprints - particularly during major events.

Stella Montis

On the whole, Stella Montis seems to have a very low drop rate for Blueprints (though a high chance of dropping other high-tier loot). If you do want to try farming Blueprints on this map, the best places to find Blueprints in Stella Montis are Medical Research, Assembly Workshop, and the Business Center . These areas have the highest density of containers to loot on the map.

In addition to this, the Western Tunnel has a few different Security Lockers to loot, so while there’s very little to loot elsewhere in this area of the map, it’s worth hitting those Security Lockers if you spawn there at the start of a match.

That wraps up this primer on how to get all the Blueprints in Arc Raiders as quickly as possible. With the Expedition system constantly resetting a large number of players’ Blueprints, it’s more important than ever to have the most up-to-date information on where to find all these Blueprints.

While you’re here, be sure to check out our Arc Raiders best guns tier list , as well as our primers on the best skills to unlock and all the different Field Depot locations on every map.

ARC Raiders

PS5 , Xbox Series X/S , PC

Rock Paper Shotgun is better when you sign in

Sign in and join us on our journey to discover strange and compelling PC games.