Sure, all SMGs are designed to dominate close-range shootouts, though nothing does it quite as well as the KSV in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6. Bringing the fastest time-to-kill of any SMG to the table, the best Black Ops 6 KSV loadout is a force to be reckoned with in the right hands.

As you’d expect from the likes of the best Black Ops 6 weapon loadouts, the KSV brings together great damage and handling in one neat package that is only improved by adding attachments into the mix. While the PP-919 loadout might have the best range, it can’t beat the king of close-range engagements when things get messy.

Best Black Ops 6 KSV loadout

The best Black Ops 6 KSV loadout is:

• Optic: Kepler Microflex
• Muzzle: Compensator
• Barrel: Long Barrel
• Underbarrel: Vertical Foregrip
• Magazine: Flip Mag
• Rear Grip: Ergonomic Grip
• Stock: No Stock
• Fire Mods: Recoil Springs

Although the KSV dominates up close, it is admittedly less consistent at range. Using the Gunfighter Wildcard, this flaw can be ironed out somewhat to make the KSV much more versatile.

The KSV’s iron sights can be a little cumbersome at times, so I prefer to use a clear optic like the Kepler Microflex, Merlin Reflex, Merlin Mini, Accu-Spot Reflex, or Volzhskiy Reflex. However, you could also use this slot on the Fast Motion Laser if you’d rather. This would improve diving, sliding, and jumping hipfire spread.

To reduce the annoying kick of the KSV, you should use the Compensator, Vertical Foregrip, and Recoil Springs. The Compensator significantly improves vertical recoil while the Vertical Foregrip does the same for horizontal recoil control. The Recoil Springs improve both vertical and horizontal recoil control, making the KSV much easier to use outside of point-blank range.

Building on this, I recommend the Long Barrel. This pushes the measly 10m effective range of the KSV closer to 20m, dealing maximum damage further out. While it still won’t quite beat out the PP-919 or assault rifles, it at least lets you fight back and take advantage of the KSV’s rapid time-to-kill.

Given the KSV is largely a close-range SMG that relies on mobility, it’s important to boost the overall handling of the weapon. Look no further than the Flip Mag, Ergonomic Grip, and No Stock option.

With a standard 30-round magazine and high 800 RPM, you will find yourself reloading frequently with the KSV. However, larger magazines come with significant hits to handling and mobility that take away. Thankfully, the Flip Mag offers the simple benefit of faster reloads without affecting the magazine capacity. It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s the best one there is.

On the other hand, the Ergonomic Grip improves slide to fire speed, dive to fire speed, and even boosts aim down sight speed. As you can imagine, these are incredibly strong bonuses to have when you’re leaping around your enemies. Make sure to take advantage of the new omni-movement system, though, or you won’t reap the rewards.

Finally, removing the stock provides faster movement speed, hipfire movement speed, and strafing movement speed. This pairs perfectly with the Ergonomic Grip to ensure you’re able to slip in and out of combat easily.

KSV class setup

Here’s my recommended class setup to pair with the KSV:

• Secondary: 9mm PM
• Tactical: Stim Shot
• Lethal: Impact Grenade
• Field Upgrade: Scrambler/Sleeper Agent
• Perk 1: Gung-Ho/Dexterity
• Perk 2: Assassin
• Perk 3: Double Time
• Specialty: Enforcer
• Wildcard: Gunfighter

The KSV has close-range firefights on lockdown so it’s best to use the secondary slot for a sidearm with more range like the 9mm PM. Coming with best-in-class range, which can be improved further, it’s a reliable sidearm for a KSV loadout.

The rest of the class setup is fairly standard as far as SMGs go, playing into the fast-paced nature of the weapon type.

The Stim Shot lets you heal between—or during—fights so you’re never caught out, while the Impact Grenade’s instant detonation rewards your precision with incredible damage. The Semtex is a strong alternative to the Impact Grenade, though you’ll have to account for its short detonation time.

There are a handful of strong Field Upgrades to pair with the KSV, so don’t be afraid to play around to find your favourite. With that said though, the Scrambler and Sleeper Agent Field Upgrades work very well. Scrambler will disable enemy radar, equipment, and Scorestreaks in the area, giving you greater freedom to rush around. Sleeper Agent fills a similar role by letting you masquerade as the enemy. Activate it and infiltrate the enemies’ spawn or stronghold before taking them out.

As usual, the Enforcer combat specialty works wonders in this SMG loadout. Activated by using three Enforcer perks, it provides a temporary buff to movement speed and health regeneration after kills. Is it selfish? Yes. But you can always be a team player with your Scorestreaks.

Begin by picking either Gung-Ho or Dexterity in the first slot. I often prefer Gung-Ho so I’m not slowed down when reloading and repositioning but Dexterity is arguably the better option so long as you use omni-movement frequently enough.

Then, choose Assassin in the second slot. With Assassin, enemies will drop Bounty Packs that grant Score towards your Scorestreaks when collected. This is where you can be a good teammate since you can put it towards a UAV and Counter UAV.

Lastly, put Double Time in the third slot. This will increase the duration of tactical sprint, which is invaluable for repositioning and flanking. Bankroll can also be a fun alternative to get the ball rolling on your Scorestreaks.

That’s the best KSV build you can get, so good luck grinding the Black Ops 6 Mastery Camos. If you just can’t get enough of sprinting and diving around the map and annoying the enemy, then you should also try the AS Val loadout. This max-level unlock has all the perks of the KSV with added range.