As the latest entry in the long-running annualized series, Call of Duty Vanguard is also a fantastic return to the World War II era with Sledgehammer Games trying once more to recapture that original Call of Duty feel. As part of this, there are a lot of weapons from the World War II period in the Vanguard weapons list at launch. 

The Call of Duty Vanguard weapons list contains an impressive 38 base guns, launchers, and melee weapons that you can use in the game’s campaign, multiplayer, and Zombies experiences. The three core modes include these weapons, with multiplayer and Zombies also having progression for each of them. 

The Call of Duty Vanguard weapons list is not only massive, but they are quite detailed, with every single weapon in the game having its level associated with it and various features that you can unlock for them along the way through this system. 

Some of them have attachments that you can unlock to customize the weapon to your liking then more. Every one of them has camo skins that you can equip to make it look the way you want it to. The best part is that this progression system is true for all 38 weapons in the game.

In total, there are nine main weapon categories in the Call of Duty Vanguard weapons list that you can choose from. There are assault rifles, SMGs, LMGs, marksman rifles, sniper rifles, shotguns, handguns, launchers, and melee weapons. 

In most of those categories, there are multiple options that you can choose from for battle, but the problem that players will quickly run into is that not all weapons are immediately available to you. There is usually only one in each category that you can access at the start of your journey. 

Furthermore, you do not even have access to any of the weapons to customize for your loadout until level four, when you can start creating your loadouts. Fortunately, we will let you know all of the various weapons in the full Call of Duty Vanguard weapons list for every weapon category and how to unlock every one of them, starting with the fan-favorite assault rifles category. 

Assault rifles and the next category are likely to be the most popular weapon categories in this entire Call of Duty Vanguard weapons list. Depending on your playstyle, go for a standard AR capable of dominating the mid-range and doing okay in the short-range to long-range on the fantastic big maps like Berlin and Castle, depending on the gun. 

In the assault rifle category in Vanguard at launch, there are seven rifles to choose from, making it also the largest category of weapons in the game at this time. As such, there are plenty of choices when it comes to figuring out which of these guns will best suit you. 

Full list of assault rifles

STG44

Automaton

Itra Burst

Bar

AS44

NZ-41

Volkssturmgewehr (Volk for short)

Unfortunately, you will not get all of these guns from the start of the game. When you reach level four and can start customizing your loadouts, only the STG44 will be available for this category by default. It is a great weapon and one that many pros are using right now. 

However, if you want to check out the other ARs in the category, the only way to unlock them (and other weapons in the game) is to level up your overall account level. That is how every weapon in the game is unlocked, so you must level up if there is a weapon you want. 

You can, of course, grind your way through matches. Still, we also recommend using any double experience bonuses that you might have in your account and/or taking advantage of double XP weekends to level up as fast as you can. 

The second one is unlocked at level eight with the Automaton when it comes to the other six ARs in the category. The Itra Burst follows up after that at level 16, the Bar at level 25, the AS44 at level 33, the NZ-41 at level 41, and the Volk lastly at level 55, which is also the max base player level in the game at this time, excluding the seasonal prestige system. 

Moving on from the ARs, we come to the second-most popular category in Vanguard: SMGs. If you want something that is more close-range-focused but possibly also great for mid-range, the submachine gun category is here for you. 

This is also the category to select if you are looking for a gun for objective-based game modes like Domination and Hardpoint. You will likely run into other players quite often in smaller areas where you need these guns’ fast firing and reliability. 

In total, there are six SMGs to choose from in this group, making it also the second-largest category in the Call of Duty Vanguard weapons list.

Full list of SMG guns

MP-40

Sten

M1928

Owen Gun

Type 100

PPSH-41

As you might already expect, the MP-40 is the base gun that you already have unlocked for your loadout selection at level four. You will need to get to level 10 to unlock the second one, the Sten at level 10, with the other guns unlocking after that roughly every 10 levels or so. 

The next one is the M1928 at level 20, the Owen at level 29, Type 100 at level 39, and the PPSH-41 a little while later at level 51. They are all pretty different, with some being an all-around SMG, others focusing on fire rate, others on longer ranges, and so on. 

From there, we come to the LMGs next on the list. Light machine guns are a powerful force, especially when we are returning to Vanguard. They have a ton of ammo, solid fire rates, and longer ranges that can help to lay the suppression on thick in the middle of battle. 

Light machine guns are a fantastic choice for needing a gun that is great for drawn-out battles, like in the Blitz combat pacing where there are large maps like Berlin and up to 48 players on the map at once. They can suppress enemies, slow them down with continuous fire, and stay in the fight for a long time. 

Full list of LMGs

MG42

DP27

Type 11

Bren

As you might imagine, only having four machine guns in the game at this time means that players are dealing with fewer choices than in the past two categories. This also means that it will take longer to unlock some of them, with bigger gaps between the four than ARs and SMGs.

By default, you will have the MG42 LMG unlocked for your account, allowing you to try out the category with this gun. If you want others, though, you will have to level up quite a bit. The next one, the DP27 is not available until level 18, with the Type 11 following after at level 37, and the Bren finally at level 53. 

Marksman rifles are next on the list. They include guns that are not assault rifles but not quite sniper rifles yet. These are your highly accurate rifles that are excellent for mid to long-range fights while not necessarily being as slow as the sniper rifles in the next group. 

Sadly, there are only three marksman rifles at this time, but they are different enough from one another to make a case for each of them to be worth checking out. If you want a change of pace and try something more longer-range-focused, which works great in Vanguard, then a marksman rifle might be for you. 

Full list of marksman rifles

M1 Garand

SVT-40

G-43

Interestingly, this group is that, unlike the categories before this one, none of these three weapons are available from the start of the game. This is a bit annoying as it means that you will have to progress through the game a little bit, even to check out a marksman rifle. 

Fortunately, it is not too long as the first one, the M1 Garand, unlocks at level six. However, the other two will take you a good bit to get, with the SVT-40 unlocking at level 27 and the G-43 is coming 20 levels later at level 47. If you like these weapons, you will need to take a lot of time to progress if you want to try all of them. 

Like with the marksman rifles, the sniper rifles only have three of the 38 guns in the Call of Duty Vanguard weapons list at launch. This is unfortunate since sniper rifles will possibly be a bigger part of the competitive scene once again. They are quite popular in their own right. 

Sniper rifles are probably the next most popular group after the ARs and SMGs, except for shotguns, but that would be about it. With that said, the three sniper rifles in the game are slightly different, offering a different change of pace depending on the one you want.

Full list of sniper rifles

Type 99

3-Line Rifle

Kar98k

Like the marksman rifles, there is a huge gap in unlocking each of these guns. At the same time, unlike the last category, there is a default one that you can use at the beginning of the game, and that is the Type 99 that is available from the start. 

The Type 99 is fine, but the other two sniper rifles are arguably much better in the end and more popular, so you will most likely want to grind for them. The 3-Line Rifle is next, requiring level 22 to get it. The Kar98k is the last one, coming up at level 43 in the progression system. 

When it comes to shotguns in Vanguard, close-range powerhouses are sometimes hard to control but devastating in the right hands. If you can aim them right, they can be the perfect counter to SMGs in the right hands, with possible one-shot kills up close. 

There are four shotguns to choose from in Vanguard, with each feeling slightly different from the other ones. There are semi-auto, auto, and the standard double-barrel shotgun.

Full list of shotguns

Einhorn

Combat Shotgun

Gracey Auto

Double Barrel

The standard Einhorn revolving shotgun will be available to you by default when you start customizing your loadout. If you want one or the other, you will have to reach level 14 for the Combat Shotgun, 31 for the Gracey Auto, and 49 for the classic Double Barrel shotgun. 

When it comes to the handguns in Vanguard, there are five to choose from at launch, each having its interesting quirks and abilities, ranging from the standard semi-auto pistol to the revolver to the fully-automatic machine pistol that can shoot rather quickly. 

Full list of pistols and handguns

Ratt

Top Break

1911

Klauser

Machine Pistol

Every player starts with the Ratt pistol by default, which is an alright gun, but there are better options for sure. The Top Break comes up next at level 12, the classic 1911 pistol arrives after that at level 23, the Klauser unlocks at level 35, and the Machine Pistol is last at level 45. 

Finally, we have two more categories left: launchers and melee weapons. When it comes to rocket launchers, both those for enemy players and vehicles/scorestreaks, there are four of them in total that you will be able to unlock in Vanguard. 

Full list of rocket launchers

M1 Bazooka

Panzerschreck

Panzerfaust

MK11 Launcher

The first one, the M1 Bazooka, will not be available by default and require you to unlock it at level 11. The Panzerschreck comes after at level 26, the Panzerfaust comes after that at level 34, and the MK11 Launcher is the last one you unlock at level 52. 

There are some melee weapons that you can unlock in Vanguard, too, but there are only two of them at this time.

Full list of melee weapons

FS Fighting Knife

Combat Shield

Interestingly, the FS Fighting Knife is that you would expect it to be one of the few default weapons in the game when you start. However, that is not the case. You will have to reach level 22 to zip around the map with a knife in hand quickly. 

And then there is the very popular and beloved Combat Shield. If you want this unique defensive weapon in your possession, you will need to reach level 42 in the game to unlock it, so it will require some solid amount of grinding your base account player level to reach it.