Contents show Our best M16A4 build Best secondary weapon Best device choice Best faction for M16A4 How to unlock M16A4
One of the most contested weapon categories in XDefiant are the assault rifles, and among them M16A4 stands near the top of the bunch. It’s an amazing weapon that can burst down enemies from range with precision and ease. Admittedly, it takes some practice to master its burst, but once you’ve done that, you’ll have an incredible gun at your side. A good build can make a good gun even better, and that’s what we aim to bring to you with this guide.
Our best M16A4 build
The M16A4 will be your main weapon in this loadout, along with its attachments, secondary weapon, device, and Faction choice. Our loadout focuses on improving your fire rate and burst potential, while providing some extra manoeuvrability. The trade-off is that your recoil will suffer, but that’s something you can learn to play around. Here’s what we’ve picked:
- Faction: Any
- Muzzle: Compensator
- Barrel: Rapid Fire Barrel
- Front Rail: Superlight Grip
- Optics: Reflex Sight
- Rear Grip: Quick Draw Grip
- Secondary Weapon: 93R
- Device: Sticky Grenade
By using this build, you should seek to take down enemies in 3-round bursts from long to mid-range. Note that most of the attachments we use are high level unlocks, meaning that it’s a good idea to use weapon boosters to get them faster. The M16A4’s recoil is mostly vertical, which is why we combine Compensator and Rapid Fire Barrel to minimize losing control in that aspect, while increasing the weapon’s fire rate. Superlight Grip helps offset the ADS Speed loss, which is further boosted with the Quick Draw Grip.
| Attachment type | Chosen attachment | Effect | Weapon level to unlock |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muzzle | Compensator | +7% Vertical Recoil Control -10% ADS Speed -5% ADS Stability |
Level 27 |
| Barrel | Rapid Fire Barrel | +5% Rate of Fire -20 % Horizontal Recoil Control -20% Vertical Recoil Control |
Level 39 |
| Front Rail | Superlight Grip | +10% ADS Speed +2.5% Movement Speed -10% Recoil Recovery |
Level 4 |
| Optics | Reflex Sight | +1 Sight Picture | Level 2 |
| Magazine | Default | / | Level 1 |
| Rear Grip | Quick Draw Grip | +10% Sprint-Shoot Time +10% ADS Speed -15% ADS Stability |
Level 34 |
| Stock | Default | / | Level 1 |
Best secondary weapon
Because this gun is best used from longer ranges, having a short range backup option is a good idea to shore up its weakness. That’s where the 93R comes into play, providing a short-range rapid-fire solution for when the enemy gets too close.
Best device choice
The best grenade to go with the M16A4 is without a doubt the Sticky Grenade. This device can add a lot of damage to supplement your burst fire. Alternatively, the default Frag Grenade can work just as well, in case you don’t have the Sticky unlocked yet.
Best faction for M16A4
The M16A4 is an incredibly versatile and potent weapon, which can be utilized by any faction in XDefiant. For example, you can play as Cleaners to add their passive damage bonus to your bullets, or as Libertad to support your team from range while healing. The same goes for Echelon, Phantoms, DedSec, and GS-Kommando – all can find good use with this gun.
How to unlock M16A4
Before being able to utilize it, you will first need to unlock M16A4. To do that, you need to get 20 headshot kills while using Assault Rifles. You can use the default M4A1 to do it, or an AK-47, which is also pretty easy to unlock early on. Just control your aim and keep your crosshairs around the neck-to-head area of your targets. You may need to play a couple of matches for those headshots to add up.
