AEK-973 Warzone Loadout: Legacy Preset
October 30, 2026 · Updated November 10, 2026 · 4 min read
Warzone legacy preset
Current Warzone uses a fixed Legacy preset for this weapon. Its attachments cannot be edited in Gunsmith, and old build codes cannot be imported.
Source check: 2026-11-10 · 1 independent source families
On this page
AEK-973 is part of Warzone’s Legacy weapon pool. In current Warzone, choose its provided preset or an available Blueprint from the Legacy tab. You cannot recreate an old custom Gunsmith setup for it.
Best AEK-973 loadout in current Warzone
Use the Legacy preset supplied in game. The official Season 1 notes say Legacy weapons are already configured for Warzone and cannot be edited in Gunsmith. There is no verified evidence here that a particular paid Blueprint is stronger, so we do not recommend buying one for a presumed advantage.
How to equip it
- Open Create-a-Class and choose a primary or secondary weapon slot.
- Open the Legacy tab.
- Choose AEK-973 and equip its available preset or Blueprint.
- If it is locked, check its XP requirement in Armory Unlocks.
What changed
With the November 2026 Season 1 integration, weapons from Modern Warfare II through Black Ops 7 remain available as Legacy weapons. They do not support editable attachments, Modern Warfare 4 mastery camos, reticle challenges, cosmetic Gunsmithing or build sharing.
A multiplayer setup for this weapon belongs to its original game. Do not use an old Warzone attachment guide as an editable current-season build.
Sources
Checked: 10 November 2026. Applies to the fixed Legacy weapon system in current Warzone; this is not a claim that the weapon is the strongest choice.
Historical build archive — before 6 November 2026
The original guide below was researched on 30 October 2026. Its attachment choices, rankings, share codes and statistics are historical reference only. They do not describe the fixed preset supplied in current Warzone, and the old custom setup cannot be recreated through its current Gunsmith.
Full Auto Mod turns this Black Ops 6 marksman rifle into something else, with a 603ms TTK inside 40m. In Warzone Season 6 it remains below the meta: WZStats has it 84th for Long Range in Tier B, and CODMunity calls it Below Average. It can win mid-range fights, but no replacement gun is listed, so treat it as a side option behind higher-ranked rifles.
Best AEK-973 loadout
This is CODMunity's Long Range build, and warzoneloadout.games lists the same five picks. CODMunity last updated it on 2025-12-04, before the 14 October 2026 patch.
| Slot | Pick | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Barrel | Gain-Twist Barrel | +35% bullet velocity |
| Fire Mods | Full Auto Mod | -25% ADS time, -7% sprint-to-fire time, -9% reload time, +144.1% fire rate, +5% ADS movement, -15% gun kick, -26% horizontal recoil |
| Magazine | 5.45 Extended Mag I | +30 magazine size, +8% ADS time, +10% sprint-to-fire time, +40% reload time |
| Muzzle | Compensator | -26% gun kick, -30% vertical recoil |
| Optic | Volzhskiy Reflex | Optic; effect not listed |
| Perks | Scavenger, Sprinter, Adaptive | WZStats: Downed enemies drop ammo, equipment and plates; Lets you reload during tactical sprint and eases movement penalties; Better explosive defense, movement and handling |
| Equipment | Heartbeat sensor, Frag | WZStats: Limited-use tablet that shows rough enemy positions nearby; Cookable grenade |
| Secondary | VMP | WZStats' top pairing; next are MPC-25 and REV-46 |
Why this build works
Full Auto Mod does the heavy lifting: +144.1% fire rate, -25% ADS time, -9% reload time and -26% horizontal recoil. Gain-Twist Barrel adds +35% bullet velocity for 1161m/s overall. Compensator trims gun kick by 26% and vertical recoil by 30%. The 5.45 Extended Mag I brings 60 rounds but adds +40% reload time, which helps explain the 3822ms reload. TTK reads 603ms at 0-10m and 10-40m, 817ms at 40-80m and 907ms at 80-120m, with ADS at 263ms. Season 5 raised the mod's headshot multiplier from 1.25x to 1.38x, and upper torso and arm multipliers from 1x to 1.1x. Season 4 Reloaded improved its ADS from 325ms to 245ms.
How to play it
Treat 40m as the line where this gun is at its best, since TTK climbs to 817ms past it. With 263ms ADS and 220ms sprint-to-fire it can move between positions without much delay, and aiming high benefits from the improved multipliers. WZStats still lists slow TTK as a con and low recoil as the pro, while the 5.1/10 EaseScore warns against expecting easy control. Reloads are the risky moment at 3822ms. A VMP, MPC-25 or REV-46 covers very close fights.
Alternative setups
Long Range, Warzone (CODMunity): Gain-Twist Barrel, Recoil Springs, Compensator, Volzhskiy Reflex, Vertical Foregrip. CODMunity lists 817ms inside 10m and 817ms from 10-40m, with 325ms ADS. Last updated 2025-12-04.
Recommended, Battle Royale (WZStats): KEPLER RED HOT, Compensator, Reinforced Barrel, Extended Mag II, 7.62x39mm Overpressured.
Unlock notes
The sources list these requirements for the main build: Gain-Twist Barrel: Level 14; Full Auto Mod: Armory Unlock; 5.45 Extended Mag I: Armory Unlock; Compensator: Level 28; Volzhskiy Reflex: Level 5 on the Tsarkov 7.62.
Sources
- CODMunity: AEK-973 loadouts
- WZStats: AEK-973 loadouts
- Warzone Loadout: AEK-973
- CODMunity: Warzone patch notes
Checked: 30 October 2026. Reflects Warzone Season 6, latest balance patch 14 October 2026.