Best Tanto .22 loadout in Black Ops 6 beta

The Tanto .22 has emerged as one of the best weapons in the Black Ops 6 beta after the SMG was introduced in weekend two, but you’ll need the meta loadout to get the most out of it.

While many players automatically flock to Assault Rifles, the smaller maps on display during the BO6 beta mean that SMGs are extremely powerful. The Tanto .22 is arguably the best of the bunch, following a nerf to the Jackal PDW.

So, here’s the best loadout to help you dominate close-range fights, including the ideal attachments, Perks, and Equipment.

Best Black Ops 6 Tanto .22 loadout attachments

• Optic: Merlin Reflex
• Muzzle: Muzzle Brake
• Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
• Underbarrel: Ranger Foregrip
• Fire Mod: Rapid Fire

Kicking off our best Tanto .22 loadout in BO6 is the Muzzle Brake, which provides a huge buff in recoil control and speeds up how quickly the SMG goes back to normal after firing a shot. This pairs nicely with the Ranger Foregrip, which also reduces the horizontal recoil to keep it on target.

The Tanto can occasionally feel a little underpowered at very short ranges, so the Rapid Fire mod brings down the TTK and makes it extremely competitive. Then, the Reinforced Barrel drastically improves its range and bullet velocity, making it an absolute monster at mid-range as well as close-range.

Finally, we went for the Merlin Reflex, as it’s a clean Optic that provides extra accuracy without slowing it down too much. However, if you can manage with the iron sights, you could easily swap this for the Quickdraw Grip.

Best Perks & Equipment for Tanto .22

• Perk 1: Ghost
• Perk 2: Gung-Ho
• Perk 3: Double Time
• Perk 4: Dexterity
• Wildcard: Perk Greed
• Lethal: Frag
• Tactical: Stim Shot
• Field Upgrade: Assault Pack

Activision

The best Tanto .22 loadout is nothing without the right Perks, and we recommend starting with Ghost to keep you hidden from enemy UAVs. Gung-Ho is also perfect for SMGs, as it allows you to stay on the move by reloading while sprinting.

This pairs nicely with Double Time, which increases the duration of your tactical sprint and makes it much easier to get around the map. With the help of the Perk Greed Wildcard, you can also throw Dexterity into the mix, reducing weapon motion while jumping, sliding, and diving so you can make full use of Omnimovement.

By running three red Perks, you also get the Enforcer Combat Speciality, which offers a health regen and movement boost after every kill, letting you play aggressively and stay on the front foot.

When it comes to Equipment, the Frag is perfect for quickly clearing a room of enemies, while the Stim Shot gives you a quick fix of health and speed. You can also use the Assault Pack Field Upgrade, to restock your Equipment and ammo on the fly and continue your killstreak.

Tanto .22 pros and cons

Pros	Cons
Low recoil that’s easy to handle	Fire rate is a little slow
Better range than other SMGs	Can be outgunned at close range without the right attachments
Can three-shot kill with meta attachments	Lacks the mobility of other SMGs
Suits the smaller maps in BO6

Is the Tanto .22 meta in Black Ops 6?

The Tanto .22 has quickly established itself as one of the meta guns during the beta, as it can be seen donating nearly every lobby. Since the maps we’ve tested out so far are on the smaller side, players are clearly flocking to this SMG as it has a rapid TTK at both close and mid-range.

This is backed up by the numbers too, as the Tanto is the most-searched weapon in the beta according to WZStats, beating out the Jackal PDW by over 1.5%. While Activision doesn’t share official pick rate data, the fact that it’s so popular on websites like this shows that the community is very interested in it.

In my own experience, I found that it’s extremely competitive at all ranges, and I never felt like I was at a disadvantage in any fight unless I ran into a Sniper Rifle. This explains why players are so eager to use it, as it’s one of the most versatile guns available right now.

Of course, the devs will likely look to balance every weapon in the game before the full launch, so we’ll have to wait and see if the SMG can continue its meta dominance come October 25.

How to unlock Tanto .22 in BO6

You need to get to Level 30 in the BO6 beta to unlock the Tanto .22 SMG. This is the maximum rank that can be achieved in the beta, so you’ll need to put in plenty of hours to get hold of it before the servers go offline.

If you want to speed up the process, check out our guide on how to level up quickly.

Best Tanto .22 alternatives

If you’re looking to move away from the Tanto, the Jackal PDW is still a deadly SMG despite its hefty nerf. You could switch to the C9, which is incredibly easy to use but packs a punch in close-quarters fights.

For more, make sure to check out how to earn yourself free Monster Energy rewards in Black Ops 6 and how to help fix the packet burst issues that have plagued the beta.