As a regular player who has spent countless hours switching between pistols, melee weapons, and launchers, I have learned that the secondary slot is not just a backup plan. In Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone 2, the right secondary can win close-range fights, finish downed Operators, clear objectives, or punish vehicles and streaks. Over multiple patches and seasonal updates, I have tested these weapons repeatedly, and even now in 2026 I still find myself returning to the same hierarchy that solidified around Season 5 Reloaded, when the 9mm Daemon entered the rotation. My ranking below separates handguns and melee tools from rocket launchers because their roles are so different.

How I Rank Secondary Weapons

Because the combat knife, pistols, and rocket launchers do not compete in the same way, I use two separate sets of criteria. For handguns and melee weapons, I care most about how quickly I can move, how fast the weapon fires, how often I need to reload, and how much ammo I have. For rocket launchers, I care about lock-on capability, splash damage, reload time, and ammo reserve.

Handguns and Melee Weapons Tier List

Best Secondary: FTAC Siege

The FTAC Siege is the pistol I always recommend first. It has the highest fire rate among all handguns, which gives it the fastest time-to-kill against both armored and non-armored Operators in close quarters. Its mobility and handling are still strong enough to keep me competitive when pushing buildings or clearing rooms. The downside is obvious: poor damage, range, and recoil control make it nearly useless at longer distances. But for a secondary that I pull out when things get chaotic, the FTAC Siege is the most reliable close-range option.

Best Secondary Contender: X13 Auto

The X13 Auto is another full-auto pistol with a very fast fire rate. It has slightly better mobility and handling than the FTAC Siege, but in practice the FTAC Siege still wins most close-range duels. I like the X13 Auto when I want a full-auto sidearm that feels a little snappier, but it remains the second-best option rather than the top choice.

Great Secondary Weapons

The Basilisk is one of the hardest-hitting handguns in the game, only behind the .50 GS in raw damage. Since Season 4, I have seen a huge surge in its popularity because it has excellent recoil control for a heavy pistol and the second-best damage in its class. The .50 GS may beat it in range and damage, but the Basilisk feels much more usable thanks to better recoil control and mobility.

The GS Magna looks almost identical to the .50 GS, but it is effectively a full-auto version with better accuracy, recoil control, and mobility. It keeps high damage and range, and I appreciate that it boasts the best accuracy among all handguns. However, it still cannot match the FTAC Siege in pure close-range speed.

The .50 GS has the best range and damage among all handguns. A single headshot can eliminate a non-armored Operator, which feels incredibly satisfying. The trade-off is a slow rate of fire, low magazine capacity, and poor recoil control. I use it when I want a pocket marksman pistol, but I know I need to land my shots.

Good Secondary Weapons

The 9mm Daemon arrived with Season 5 Reloaded and immediately became my favorite low-caliber semi-auto pistol. It has the highest accuracy and mobility among all handguns in that update, and its high ammo reserve and solid damage per shot make it more useful than some of the weaker pistols. It is not a top meta pick, but it is a very good sidearm if you want a precise semi-auto option.

The X12 is a low-caliber semi-auto pistol with better handling and mobility than most of its peers. Its overall time-to-kill is low compared with full-auto handguns, but it beats the P890 in every important stat: damage, fire rate, range, recoil control, mobility, and handling.

The P890 is the default pistol, and it deals more damage per shot than the X12 and X13 but less than the .50 GS and Basilisk. It has better accuracy than the X12, but in nearly every other category it falls behind. Unless I am grinding camos or simply have no other option, I avoid the P890.

Worst Secondary: Melee Weapons

Melee weapons like the Combat Knife, Dual Kodachis, and Tonfa all function essentially the same. They are gimmicky choices for Warzone 2 and Modern Warfare 2, and I rarely see them used outside camo challenges or meme loadouts. They can be fun, but they are not meta.

Rocket Launcher Tier List

Best Rocket Launchers

The RPG-7 is my favorite launcher because it is the ultimate fire-and-forget weapon. It has no lock-on capability, but it offers high splash damage and is very easy to use. I can clear objective points, destroy ground-based streaks, and disable enemy vehicles without much thought. Its reload time is fast for the category, and it works well on almost every map and mode.

The PILA is the first launcher most players unlock, and it remains a workhorse. Its splash damage is lower than the RPG-7, but the lock-on ability for ground and air streaks is excellent. The lock-on range is extensive, so I can deal with UAVs, helicopters, and gunships from a safe distance. It is adaptable and reliable, much like a solid assault rifle in the secondary slot.

Great Rocket Launcher

The JOKR is almost an S-tier launcher. It has a fast reload speed for its class, massive splash damage, and the same excellent lock-on component as the PILA. The major drawback is that the JOKR must be locked on to fire, and the rocket launches straight up before crashing down. This means I need to use it outdoors and adapt to the delay. Once I got used to that, it became devastating against both infantry and killstreaks.

Worst Rocket Launcher

The STRELA-P only stands out because of increased direct-impact damage to vehicles and killstreaks. Outside of that, it is extremely average. It lacks the RPG-7's splash damage, has no lock-on capability, and its reload speed is not impressive. I rarely find a reason to pick it over the other three launchers, so I generally stay away unless I am specifically completing launcher camo challenges.