Call of Duty Season 5 Weapon Update: 4 New Guns, AMPs, and Meta Changes

---

Season 5 is one of the biggest weapon-focused updates released for Call of Duty this year. Alongside fresh firearms, Activision is introducing several unique conversion kits that fundamentally change how existing weapons behave. Whether you primarily play Warzone, Multiplayer, or Zombies, the new arsenal offers new loadout possibilities while the accompanying balance patch is expected to shake up the current meta.

Quick Overview	Details
Release	Season 5 Update (July 23)
New Primary Weapons	FG42 Assault Rifle, Gremlin SMG, Mammoth LMG
New Secondary/Melee	Mace
New Attachments	Multiple Prestige Attachments
New AMPs	Grid Breaker, Grand Conversion, AMR50 Conversion, Thermal Reflex and more
Unlock Methods	Battle Pass, Weekly Challenges, Seasonal Events
Major Meta Changes	Global weapon balancing across Multiplayer, Zombies and Warzone

Season 5 introduces four new weapons

Season 5 expands the available arsenal with weapons designed for completely different playstyles rather than simply adding stronger alternatives.

FG42 Assault Rifle

The FG42 Assault Rifle is built as a versatile fully automatic rifle that emphasizes high damage, controllable recoil, and excellent consistency at medium to long range. Rather than relying on extremely fast fire rates, it rewards accurate shooting with dependable time-to-kill values.

One of its standout features is the Ambilateral Stock Prestige Attachment. This attachment significantly increases the weapon’s fire rate, making it much more aggressive during close-range engagements. The tradeoff is noticeably stronger vertical recoil, meaning players must actively control their aim to maximize effectiveness.

FG42 Overview
Weapon Class	Assault Rifle
Best Strength	High damage output
Weakness	Slower than lightweight ARs
Prestige Attachment	Ambilateral Stock
Attachment Effect	Faster fire rate with increased vertical recoil

Gremlin SMG focuses on aggressive mobility

The Gremlin SMG is designed for players who constantly push objectives and engage enemies at close range.

Its biggest strength is exceptional mobility, sprint-to-fire speed, and hip-fire accuracy, making it ideal for aggressive Warzone Resurgence players and Multiplayer objective modes.

An interesting addition is the Cestus Barrel, which boosts melee damage, encouraging a hybrid run-and-gun playstyle where players can quickly finish opponents using close-quarter attacks.

Gremlin SMG
Weapon Class	SMG
Best Range	Close
Primary Strength	Mobility
Special Attachment	Cestus Barrel
Effect	Increased melee damage

Mammoth LMG delivers overwhelming sustained fire

Players who enjoy suppressive fire will likely gravitate toward the Mammoth LMG.

The weapon uses dual barrels to deliver sustained, heavy damage while maintaining respectable accuracy over longer engagements.

Its unique Cascade Barrel Prestige Attachment removes the traditional pre-fire delay normally associated with heavy machine guns. This allows the Mammoth to begin firing immediately after pulling the trigger, although the improvement comes with slower ADS performance.

Mammoth LMG
Weapon Class	LMG
Damage	Very High
Fire Style	Twin-Barrel Automatic
Prestige Attachment	Cascade Barrel
Effect	Removes pre-fire delay but slows ADS

The Mace joins the melee arsenal

Season 5 also introduces the Mace, giving melee-focused players another powerful close-range option.

Unlike firearms, the Mace is unlocked through Weekly Challenges rather than the Battle Pass. While its attack speed is slower than lighter melee weapons, it compensates with higher impact and strong finishing capability.

New Aftermarket Parts or AMPs expand customization

Beyond entirely new weapons, Season 5 heavily expands the Aftermarket Parts system.

These modifications allow existing weapons to perform in completely different ways instead of providing simple statistical upgrades.

Aftermarket Part	Function
Jagger 45 Grid Breaker	Converts the weapon into a rechargeable EMP device
Novaline Grand Conversion	Changes the weapon into an M1 Garand-inspired rifle
Thermal Reflex	New thermal optic compatible with most primary weapons
M15 Mod Zero AMR50 Conversion	Converts the M15 into a .50 caliber sniper platform
RK9 Calibrated Strike System	Scheduled after mid-season
Peacekeeper MK1 Gauss Accelerator	Planned post mid-season release

The Grid Breaker is arguably one of the most unique additions because it introduces EMP utility that can disrupt enemy equipment instead of focusing purely on damage.

Meanwhile, the Novaline Grand Conversion completely changes weapon behavior by recreating an M1 Garand-inspired semi-automatic experience, offering a nostalgic option without introducing an entirely separate weapon.

Players who enjoy long-range gameplay will likely pay close attention to the M15 Mod Zero AMR50 Conversion, which significantly boosts long-distance lethality by chambering powerful .50 caliber ammunition.

How to unlock the new weapons in CoD season 5

1. Purchase or progress through the Season 5 Battle Pass to unlock the FG42, Gremlin SMG, and Mammoth LMG as you advance through the seasonal tiers.
2. Complete the Weekly Challenges during Season 5 to earn the Mace and several Aftermarket Parts.
3. Continue completing later seasonal events after the mid-season update, as additional AMPs like the RK9 Calibrated Strike System and Peacekeeper MK1 Gauss Accelerator become available.

Weapon balancing is expected to reshape the meta

Perhaps the biggest change isn’t any single weapon.

Season 5 also launches with a major balance update covering Warzone, Multiplayer, and Zombies. Although complete numerical changes are released with the official patch notes, the stated goal is to refresh the overall weapon meta by adjusting underperforming and overperforming firearms.

Historically, these seasonal balance updates have included adjustments to recoil patterns, damage ranges, ADS speed, movement penalties, and attachment performance. Players should expect several current meta loadouts to become less dominant while older weapons may return to viability after receiving buffs.

Because the balancing patch launches simultaneously with the new weapons, it may take several days for the competitive community to determine the strongest builds.

Rewards and unlockables

Item	Unlock Method
FG42 Assault Rifle	Season 5 Battle Pass
Gremlin SMG	Season 5 Battle Pass
Mammoth LMG	Season 5 Battle Pass
Mace	Weekly Challenge
Jagger 45 Grid Breaker	Weekly Challenge
Novaline Grand Conversion	Weekly Challenge
Thermal Reflex	Seasonal Unlock
M15 Mod Zero AMR50 Conversion	Seasonal Challenge
RK9 Calibrated Strike System	Mid-Season Release
Peacekeeper MK1 Gauss Accelerator	Mid-Season Release

Why Season 5 could become one of Warzone’s biggest meta shifts

Rather than focusing solely on adding new guns, Season 5 expands player choice through weapon conversions, Prestige Attachments, and broad balancing changes. The FG42 provides a dependable assault rifle option, the Gremlin caters to highly aggressive players, the Mammoth strengthens heavy-support playstyles, and the Mace offers another melee alternative. Combined with the new Aftermarket Parts and an extensive balance patch, Season 5 has the potential to significantly alter the most effective loadouts across Warzone, Multiplayer, and Zombies. Players looking to stay competitive should expect to revisit their builds once the July 23 update goes live and the full patch notes are available.