Smoke specializes in area-denial and the recent change in his loadout is understandably seen as a nerf because the deployable shield, which was removed from his loadouts, really allowed him to hold an angle for a long time, especially when he was supported by anti-grenade or anti-projectile operators like Wamai or Jager.
However, it’s not doom and gloom for Smoke mains because the replacement to his deployable shield has a good synergy with his special gadget, the Remote Gas Grenade. All in all, Smoke is still one of the most powerful area-denial operators in the game, and in this article, we’re going to take a look at how players can take advantage of the recent change to his loadout.
5. FMG-9 with Scope 1.5x and Compensator + P226 Mk 25 with Suppressor and Laser + Proximity Alarm
This is a very solid loadout setup for Smoke especially because his FMG-9 will be equipped with a scope 1.5x that will allow him to target his enemies with good accuracy, especially at close to medium range, which is where Smoke deals with his opponents most of the time anyway. That’s because Smoke is an anchor, and his role is mainly to deny area to pushing attackers with the use of his Remote Gas Grenade. The FMG-9's recoil can be surprisingly high because of its rapid rate of fire, however, the compensator will greatly stabilize it by reducing its recoil diamond size.
The bigger the recoil diamond size of a weapon is, the more tendency it has for horizontal and random recoil from all directions. So with a compensator on its barrel, the FMG-9 in this loadout setup will be a lot more stable and the user can focus on holding down its vertical weapon kick. As for the suppressed P226 Mk 25 handgun, Smoke can use it for disabling enemy gadgets silently, which is important when he’s flanking. The suppressed P226 Mk 25 is also great for finishing off opponents when the FMG-9 needs to be reloaded in the middle of combat because of its low recoil.
Excels in:
- Being able to target opponents with good accuracy especially at close to medium range with the scope 1.5x on Smoke’s FMG-9
- Reducing the FMG-9's tendency for horizontal and random recoil from all directions with the use of the compensator barrel attachment
- Inflicting a good amount of damage per shot with the FMG-9 submachine gun which also has a very fast rate of fire for a primary weapon
- Allowing Smoke to shoot enemy gadgets silently with the use of the suppressed P226 Mk 25 handgun which is very useful for flanking
- Alerting the defending team to enemy presence on at least two paths of attack with the two proximity alarms as Smoke’s generic gadget
Build Details:
- Primary weapon - FMG-9 with Scope 1.5x and Compensator
- Secondary weapon - P226 Mk 25 with Suppressor and Laser
- Generic gadget - Proximity Alarm
Recoil test on the FMG-9 in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:
4. FMG-9 with Scope 1.5x and Extended Barrel + SMG-11 with Red Dot A and Flash Hider + Barbed Wire
This loadout setup greatly enhances Smoke’s offensive capabilities. It’s basically the setup that provides him with the most firepower. That’s because the extended barrel will add 12% damage to Smoke’s FMG-9 and it will also greatly reduce its range damage drop off. So with this setup, Smoke can be sure that he’ll be dealing high damage to his enemies regardless of the distance. That goes so well with the scope 1.5x too because it will allow Smoke to see enemies well even at long range, so with this loadout setup, not only will Smoke be dealing high damage, he’ll have great accuracy as well.
The SMG-11 as Smoke’s secondary weapon will allow him to deal with multiple enemies coming at him at the same time. That’s because when dealing with multiple enemies, there’s a high chance that the primary weapon will have to be reloaded in the middle of the engagement. So having another fully automatic weapon to switch to when the primary needs to be reloaded is such a great perk and could surprise the enemies because the SMG-11 is basically like a mini-primary weapon anyway. It’s fully automatic, inflicts a good amount of damage per shot, and has a rapid rate of fire.
Excels in:
- Inflicting high damage to enemies regardless of range because the extended barrel in Smoke’s FMG-9 submachine gun will greatly reduce its range damage drop-off
- Dealing higher damage to enemies with Smoke’s FMG-9 than normal because the extended barrel now adds 12% damage to weapons
- Providing the Smoke player with a good amount of zoom level through the scope 1.5x on his FMG-9 without sacrificing a lot of peripheral view
- Having another fully automatic weapon in the SMG-11 as your secondary weapon which is great for dealing with multiple enemies at the same time
- Slowing enemies down with the two barbed wires as Smoke’s generic gadget and they’re also great early warning devices as they make a lot of noise when enemies try to destroy them
Build Details:
- Primary weapon - FMG-9 with Scope 1.5x and Extended Barrel
- Secondary weapon - SMG-11 with Red Dot A and Flash Hider
- Generic gadget - Barbed Wire
Recoil test on the FMG-9 in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:
3. M590A1 with Reflex B and Laser + SMG-11 with Red Dot A and Flash Hider + Barbed Wire
This is a great loadout setup for Smoke because it provides him with a lot of versatility. Obviously, with the M590A1 shotgun, he’ll be an offensive powerhouse at close range, but he can also use it to rework the map with rotation holes and lines of sight that the defending team can use for flanking or surprising enemies. Having close range superiority also works well with Smoke’s role because he can push back enemies with his Remote Gas Grenade and regain control of the room in a matter of seconds since he can enter the effects of his Gas Grenade.
That’s also a great way for him to get close to enemies and surprise them with a heavy punch from the M590A1 shotgun. For sudden encounters, Smoke won’t even have to go into aim-down-sights stance to be more effective with the M590A1, because the laser will greatly tighten its hip fire spread, so even hip firing will be very deadly. The barbed wires also have great synergy with Smoke’s Remote Gas Grenade as they can slow enemies down and that could make them more susceptible to the effects of the Gas Grenade. They’re also excellent early warning devices for guarding flanking spots.
Excels in:
- Being an offensive menace at close range due to the heavy punch per shot from Smoke’s M590A1 shotgun which can down an opponent with just one shot at its effective range
- The hip fire pellet spread from Smoke’s M590A1 shotgun will be greatly tightened due to the presence of the laser attachment
- Having a clear unobstructed view of the surroundings when aiming-down-sights on the M590A1 shotgun due to the frame of the reflex B 1.0x sight which doesn’t take up a lot of screen space
- Having a fully automatic weapon in the SMG-11 secondary weapon that can frag opponents at distances beyond the reach of the M590A1 shotgun
- Slowing enemies down with the two barbed wires in Smoke’s generic gadget slot and they can also act as early warning devices as they make a lot of noise when enemies try to destroy them
Build Details:
- Primary weapon - M590A1 with Reflex B and Laser
- Secondary weapon - SMG-11 with Red Dot A and Flash Hider
- Generic gadget - Barbed Wire
Aim-down-sights pellet spread test on the M590A1 in this setup at 5m range:
Aim-down-sights pellet spread test on the M590A1 in this setup at 10m range:
2. FMG-9 with Scope 1.5x and Suppressor + SMG-11 with Red Dot A and Flash Hider + Proximity Alarm
The suppressed FMG-9 submachine gun is the second-best primary weapon for Smoke because it also goes well with his Gas Grenade. Unlike a lot of area-denial effects in the game, the Smoke’s Gas Grenade has quite a lot of height, so it can obstruct vision quite well too. And since Smoke can get inside the effects of his Gas Grenade without getting hurt, he can use it as cover to not be easily seen by enemies, and from there, he can shoot them without a directional threat indicator and muzzle flash as the suppressor on the FMG-9 will remove them.
That’s primarily the reason why this loadout setup ranks so high in the list. But overall, even when Smoke uses it for shooting enemies without the effects of the Gas Grenade, the suppressed FMG-9 is still a very solid weapon. That’s because the enemies won’t immediately realize where they’re being shot from as its gunshots will be silent and they won’t have a directional threat indicator. The silent gunshots will also help Smoke guard against enemy flankers as he will be able to hear the sound cues that they make better.
Excels in:
- Shooting enemies without a directional threat indicator and a muzzle flash from Smoke’s FMG-9 which can make it so that enemies won’t immediately realize where they’re being shot from
- The silent gunshots from Smoke’s FMG-9 will make it harder for enemies to determine where he is and it will also help him hear sound cues from enemies who are near him
- The scope 1.5x will provide an ample amount of zoom for Smoke to see his enemies better in his sights while also not losing out a lot when it comes to peripheral view
- Having a powerful secondary weapon in the SMG-11 which is basically a mini-primary weapon due to it being fully automatic and having a rapid rate of fire
- Guarding spots in the objective spot with the two proximity alarms in Smoke’s generic gadget slot that will alert the defending team of enemy presence
Build Details:
- Primary weapon - FMG-9 with Scope 1.5x and Suppressor
- Secondary weapon - SMG-11 with Red Dot A and Flash Hider
- Generic gadget - Proximity Alarm
Recoil test on the FMG-9 in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:
1. M590A1 with Reflex B and Laser + SMG-11 with Red Dot A and Flash Hider + Proximity Alarm
A lot of Smoke users were broken hearted by the removal of his deployable shield and it certainly was a great utility for him, however, it’s not a total loss because the proximity alarm when used correctly is just as good as the deployable shield for Smoke. In a lot of ways, it even has a better synergy with Smoke’s Remote Gas Grenade because he can use the proximity alarms to gather intel on where the enemy is pushing. The proximity alarm has an indirect area-denial effect too because a lot of times, when enemies enter a spot and a proximity alarm sounds off, they will back away.
So this utility is a really good partner to Smoke’s Remote Gas Grenade, and that’s why this loadout setup is at number one. For dealing with enemies, Smoke will have the M590A1 shotgun as his primary weapon and the SMG-11 for his secondary. This allows Smoke to be a master at close range while also being able to excel at medium range. For dealing with enemies at close quarters combat, he can use the M590A1 shotgun and its hip fire pellet spread will be tight due to the laser attachment. As for fragging opponents at medium range, the SMG-11 will be an effective weapon as it’s fully automatic and with proper crosshair placement, it’s actually a headshot machine.
Excels in:
- Dealing heavy stopping power per shot with Smoke’s M590A1 which can also be used for creating rotation holes, lines of sight, as well as for destroying unreinforced hatches
- Having a clear view of the surroundings while aiming-down-sights with Smoke’s M590A1 due to the frame of the reflex B 1.0x sight that doesn’t eat up a lot of screen space
- Having a tight hip fire pellet spread on Smoke’s M590A1 shotgun due to the presence of the laser attachment which makes it even deadlier at close range
- Having a very powerful secondary weapon in the SMG-11 machine pistol which is excellent for finishing enemies at distances beyond the reach of the M590A1 shotgun
- Gathering intel on enemy positions especially where they’re pushing, with the use of the two proximity alarms in Smoke’s generic gadget slot
Build Details:
- Primary weapon - M590A1 with Reflex B and Laser
- Secondary weapon - SMG-11 with Red Dot A and Flash Hider
- Generic gadget - Proximity Alarm
Aim-down-sights pellet spread test on the M590A1 in this setup at 5m range:
Aim-down-sights pellet spread test on the M590A1 in this setup at 10m range:
Attention operator, please be advised. There is a new directive from Six. Read up on these related articles, and prepare for deployment:
