Smoke’s Remote Gas Grenade is one of the most feared special gadgets in the game, and that’s because it’s a very lethal area denial utility that can quickly cover a large area in a cloud of poisonous gas. It can take out even a 3-health operator in a matter of seconds and is of course a very effective gadget for preventing attackers from planting the defuser.
That’s one of the reasons why Smoke, despite being one of the oldest operators in the game, is still hugely popular even in Siege Esports. On top of that, he also has a wide array of weapons and gadgets to choose from when he goes in the field, and the best combination of those are what we’re going to be focusing on in this article.
5. FMG-9 with Holo A and Flash Hider + P226 MK 25 with Suppressor and Laser + Barbed Wire
If you look at the recoil pattern image of Smoke’s FMG-9 submachine gun, you’d see that it has a pretty strong vertical recoil. That’s why when you equip its barrel with a flash hider, it will be a lot easier to control. That’s because the flash hider specializes in decreasing weapons’ overall vertical recoil, so if what the Smoke player wants is to prioritize having good recoil control over the FMG-9 over other benefits, this loadout setup is a very viable one.
Not only will the flash hider reduce the overall vertical recoil of the FMG-9, but it will also remove its muzzle flash which will make it a bit harder for enemies to spot where Smoke is shooting them from. Conversely, it also removes the chances of Smoke’s vision being blurred while he’s shooting, because some muzzle flash can be really strong, and the muzzle flash will remove all of that. The Holo A 1.0x sight on the other hand will be a good sight for weapons like the FMG-9 with a challenging recoil because its double circle reticle means there's less chance of you losing sight of it.
Excels in:
- The flash hider barrel attachment will decrease the overall vertical recoil of Smoke’s FMG-9 submachine gun, allowing the player to have good control over it even during long bursts.
- Smoke’s FMG-9 submachine gun having a flash hider on its barrel meals that its shots won’t have a muzzle flash which can make it a bit harder for enemies to notice where Smoke is shooting from
- The Holo A 1.0x sight has a wide reticle area which usually can provide a full view of the target, and its double circle reticle lessens the chances of you losing sight of during long sprays
- The P226 MK 25 with a suppressor as Smoke’s secondary weapon is great for when he needs to shoot enemy gadgets like drones or claymores while trying to not give away his current location
- The two barbed wires would be great for slowing down enemies, which could make them susceptible to Smoke’s Gas Grenade, especially because it can kill operators very quickly.
Build Details:
- Primary weapon - FMG-9 with Holo A and Flash Hider
- Secondary weapon - P226 MK 25 with Suppressor and Laser
- Generic gadget - Barbed Wire
Recoil pattern test on the FMG-9 in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:
4. FMG-9 with Holo A and Compensator + P226 MK 25 with Suppressor and Laser + Barbed Wire
Even though with that we can see on the FMG-9's recoil pattern image, its recoil mostly only goes vertically. We can also see that its recoil diamond starts to become bigger after the third shot. So it’s safe to assume that it becomes even bigger and bigger after the fourth. For those who don’t know. The bigger the recoil diamond is, the stronger the horizontal and random recoil from all directions. That’s why upon testing it out on Siege’s shooting range, I found out that you can have the best recoil with the FMG-9 by equipping it with a compensator.
The compensator will lower its horizontal recoil by 35%, and of course, that includes the random recoil from all directions as well. That’s why with the compensator, Smoke’s shots will be a lot more stable. Because it’s just easier to handle vertical recoil than horizontal. For his secondary weapon, Smoke will run with the suppressed P226 MK 25 handgun which is a very good weapon to switch to when the FMG-9 needs to be reloaded in the middle of combat, as it has good firepower and a weapon kick that’s very easy to control.
Excels in:
- Decreasing the FMG-9's tendency for horizontal and random recoil from all directions by 35% by attaching the compensator to its barrel which will make its gunshots a lot more stable
- The Holo A 1.0x sight is a great sight for high recoil and rapid firing weapons like the FMG-9 because its double circle reticle ensures that the user will not lose track of it while firing
- The suppressed P226 MK 25 as Smoke’s secondary weapon is great for combat when the FMG-9 needs reloading, as well as a utility for shooting enemy gadgets silently
- The laser on the suppressed P226 MK 25 handgun will provide Smoke with a 10% aim-down-sight speed boost which will be great for sudden enemy encounters at close range
- The two barbed wires as Smoke’s generic gadget will allow him to slow down enemies on the flanks and prevent him and other defenders from being caught off guard from those flanks
Build Details:
- Primary weapon - FMG-9 with Holo A and Compensator
- Secondary weapon - P226 MK 25 with Suppressor and Laser
- Generic gadget - Barbed Wire
Recoil pattern test on the FMG-9 in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:
3. FMG-9 with Holo A and Extended Barrel + P226 MK 25 with Suppressor and Laser + Proximity Alarm
This loadout setup is for Smoke players who prioritize inflicting as much damage as possible over other benefits. That’s because the extended barrel on Smoke’s FMG-9 will increase its base damage from 34 to 38, and that’s a huge increase considering that usually, you will be hitting enemies' multiple times with this fully automatic weapon. So let’s say that you hit an enemy three times. That’s already 12 bonus damage just from equipping the extended barrel.
Another thing that makes the extended barrel a great attachment is that it also lowers weapons’ range damage reduction. So with the extended barrel on the FMG-9, the weapon will be inflicting high damage, regardless of the range. As for Smoke’s secondary gadget, the two proximity alarms in his arsenal will let him and other defenders know through sound cues when enemies have entered a particular area, and that could tell Smoke if it’s the proper time to detonate his pre-placed Gas Grenade.
Excels in:
- The extended barrel increasing the FMG-9's base damage from 34 to 38 will allow Smoke to take down enemies quicker, and the faster you kill enemies, the higher your survival rate comes up
- The extended barrel also decreases the range damage drop-off of weapons, so with it on Smoke’s FMG-9's barrel, he’ll be hitting enemies with high damage per shot regardless of the distance
- The Holo A 1.0x sight would be a perfect sight for the FMG-9 because its reticle area is quite wide, so it usually provides a good view of the target, and its reticle is very easy to see
- The P226 MK 25 handgun with a suppressor will be a great utility for Smoke when he needs to silently shoot enemy gadgets lying around like drones or claymores
- The proximity alarms can warn Smoke and other defenders when enemies enter their radius, making them great early warning devices which can prevent the defending team members from being caught off guard
Build Details:
- Primary weapon - FMG-9 with Holo A and Extended Barrel
- Secondary weapon - P226 MK 25 with Suppressor and Laser
- Generic gadget - Proximity Alarm
Recoil pattern test on the FMG-9 in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:
2. FMG-9 with Holo A and Suppressor + SMG-11 with Holo A, Flash Hider, and Vertical Grip + Proximity Alarm
The FMG-9 with a suppressor would be the best primary weapon for Smoke players who prefer to have a fully automatic weapon as their primary weapon. That’s because the suppressor will remove the directional threat indicator as well as the muzzle flash from the FMG-9's shots. It will also greatly silence the weapon’s gunshots, and all of those perks will make it hard for enemies to immediately know where Smoke is shooting them from, especially at a distance of 30 meters and more where suppressed shots will be inaudible.
It also works well in conjunction with Smoke’s Gas Grenades as he’s one of the very few operators that can enter the radius of their area denial device without getting hurt. As mentioned before, Smoke’s Gas Grenades cover a large area in a large cloud of poisonous gas, and that gas is quite thick and yellow. Now since Smoke can enter that said poisonous Cloud, he can also shoot enemies from it. And with the perks from the suppressor that I mentioned, it can be very hard for enemies to counterattack Smoke with good accuracy.
Excels in:
- The suppressor will remove the directional threat indicator and muzzle flash from the FMG-9's shots, making it harder for enemies to notice visually where Smoke is shooting them from.
- Smoke’s enemies will also find it harder to determine where Smoke is shooting from through the game’s audio because the suppressor on the FMG-9 will greatly silence its gunshots
- Smoke will have good control over his aim on his FMG-9 submachine gun because of the double circle reticle from the Holo A 1.0x sight which is great for high recoil and high rate of fire guns like the FMG-9
- Smoke having another fully automatic gun as his secondary weapon in the SMG-11 machine pistol which fires very rapidly and is basically like a mini submachine gun
- The two proximity alarms can warn Smoke and the other defenders when enemies have entered the objective spot or are flanking, and that can help Smoke determine when to use his Gas Grenades
Build Details:
- Primary weapon - FMG-9 with Holo A and Suppressor
- Secondary weapon - SMG-11 with Holo A, Flash Hider, and Vertical Grip
- Generic gadget - Proximity Alarm
Recoil pattern test on the FMG-9 in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:
1. M590A1 with Iron Sight + SMG-11 with Holo A, Flash Hider, and Vertical Grip + Barbed Wire
The shotgun and machine pistol combo are still the best weapon combination for Smoke despite all the huge changes that came to the game with the Year 9 Season 1 update. With this setup, Smoke can have close quarters combat superiority with the M590A1 shotgun while also having the capability to frag opponents at medium and even long-range with the SMG-11 machine pistol. So with this loadout setup, Smoke will have a lot of versatility when it comes to range.
Another great thing that’s seldom talked about when it comes to the M590A1 aside from its heavy damage per pellet, is its iron sight. Unlike many shotguns in the game, the M590A1 actually has a really good iron sight which is good for accuracy and doesn’t take up a lot of screen space. There’s even more reason to equip the iron sight on the M590A1 now that one of the biggest changes to the game is that iron sights now provide the player with a 10% aim-down-sight speed boost on the weapon it’s attached to, which is great for sudden enemy encounters.
Excels in:
- Smoke having close quarters combat superiority because of the M590A1 shotgun which packs a lot of punch per pellet and can take down an opponent with just one shot at its optimal range.
- The default iron sight from the M590A1 is one of the few good iron sights in the game and is actually great for aiming and its main frame doesn’t consume a lot of screen space.
- The default iron sight on Smoke’s M590A1 will also provide him with a 10% aim-down-sight speed boost which is great for sudden enemy encounters, and makes it so that the player won’t have a need for a laser attachment
- Smoke having a fully automatic secondary weapon that he can switch to in the SMG-11 when he needs to shoot enemies that are beyond the effective reach of his M590A1 shotgun
- The barbed wires can be used to slow down enemies on flanks as well as to slow down enemies trying to enter the objective spot, which could also make them more susceptible to the effects of Smoke’s Gas Grenades
Build Details:
- Primary weapon - M590A1 with Iron Sight
- Secondary weapon - SMG-11 with Holo A, Flash Hider, and Vertical Grip
- Generic gadget - Barbed Wire
Attention operator, please be advised. There is a new directive from Six. Read up on these related articles, and prepare for deployment:
