Call of Duty Warzone Akimbo: How to get the Snake Shot Akimbo loadout for the .357 revolver in Warzone and Modern Warfare

Everything you need to know about the dominant close-quarters loadout.

Guide by Wesley Yin-Poole Former Editor-in-Chief

Updated on 11 Jan 2021

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare includes a perk that lets you dual wield pistols, and players are using it to dominate in multiplayer and Warzone.

Specifically, players are using the Akimbo perk to dual wield .357 revolvers with an established set of attachments that turn them into mini shotguns.

This explains how to get the Akimbo perk in Modern Warfare, and turn it into the Snake Shot loadout for both multiplayer and in Warzone.

Update (May 7th, 2020) - The Snake Shot has seen a nerf in the latest patch for the game, introducing a ".357 Snake Shot damage rebalance" and fixing a bug "where the damage on the .357 Snake Shot was too high at longer distances". As such, the following akimbo loadout will likely drop out of the meta. However, we're keeping this page live for those who want to still experiment with the loadout post patch.

On this page:

Akimbo explained - what it is, how to use it, and why people are using the Snake Shot Akimbo loadout in Warzone
How to get Akimbo pistols in Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare

If you're interested in other weapon combinations in Battle Royale, our best Warzone weapons might come in use.

Akimbo explained - what it is, how to use it, and why people are using the Snake Shot Akimbo loadout in Warzone

Akimbo is one of five possible attachments for each of the pistols in the game. Selecting it enables you to dual wield that pistol out in the battlefield.

While the Akimbo perk can be useful in regular multiplayer on certain close-quarters maps, it's currently dominating in the battle royale mode, Warzone, when used on a specific pistol in combination with other attachments.

The Snake Shot Akimbo loadout for the .357 revolver is the most popular Akimbo loadout of all. This turns the .357 into a devastating long-range shotgun, which when dual-wielding can down an enemy in one or two shots from short to medium range. Players are switching to the Snake Shot Akimbo loadout for fights inside buildings and during the final circle, when long-range weapons are less effective.

Note - The Snake Shot saw a nerf in the May 7th, 2020 patch for the game, introducing a ".357 Snake Shot damage rebalance" and fixing a bug "where the damage on the .357 Snake Shot was too high at longer distances". As such, the akimbo loadout below will likely drop out of the meta. However, we're keeping this page live for those who want to still experiment with the loadout post patch.

Here's the current meta Snake Shot Akimbo loadout for the .357 revolver:

Barrel - .357 Long
Laser - 5mW Laser
Trigger Action - Match Grade Trigger
Ammunition - Snake Shot
Perk - Akimbo

The Snake Shot rounds increase the damage output of the pistol so it can down an enemy with one or two shots. The long barrel increases each pistol's damage range, which counteracts the reduced damage range of the Snake Shot rounds. The 5mW laser grants more accurate hipfire, which is essential given you cannot aim down sights with the Akimbo perk.

And the Match Grade Trigger attachments increases the fire rate, which lets you unload rounds in the blink of an eye. When you have one pistol in each hand, it's easy to see why players are turning to the Snake Shot Akimbo loadout to dominate in Warzone.

Warzone Season 5 is almost here! If you want to learn more about firepower from previously, we explain the best Welgun loadout, best Cooper Carbine loadout, best Gorenko Anti-Tank Rifle loadout, best STG44 loadout, best MP40 loadout, best Automaton loadout, best BAR loadout, best Combat Shotgun loadout, best Type 100 loadout, and best Kar98k loadouts.

How to get Akimbo pistols in Call of Duty: Warzone and Modern Warfare

To unlock the Akimbo attachment for a pistol, you must complete a challenge in Modern Warfare's multiplayer. Each pistol's challenge is different, and you can find them listed in the pistol's perk slot in the Gunsmith. Once you've unlocked the Akimbo perk attachment, select it, and you'll find you dual wield the pistol out in the battlefield.

Each pistol's Akimbo perk challenge you need to complete to unlock the perk is below:

X16: Get 3 kills in 5 different matches using the Sleight of Hand perk.
1911: Get 3 kills in 5 different matches using the Mo'Money perk.
.357: Get 3 kills in 5 different matches using the Recon perk.
M19: Get 3 kills in 5 different matches using the Frangible - Wounding perk.
.50 GS: Get 3 kills in 5 different matches using the FMJ perk.
Renetti: Get 3 kills in 5 different matches using the Mo' Money perk.

The .357s' Akimbo challenge is relatively simple, but involves a bit of a grind if you haven't been using the revolver in multiplayer. To unlock the Akimbo perk you must get three or more kills with the .357 in five games.

Sounds easy enough! But the kills only count if you have the Recon perk attached to the .357. To unlock the Recon perk, you need to grind your .357 up to level 34.

This is a significant time investment, but it's well worth the effort for Warzone players, given how powerful the Snake Shot Akimbo loadout is proving to be. If you're looking to level up the .357 as fast as possible, it's probably worth using a weapon XP boost and spending time in the Shoot the Ship playlist in multiplayer. These close-quarters maps usually result in a high number of kills - and deaths - but they're great for the grind.

To get your Snake Shot Akimbo loadout in Warzone, you have to retrieve it from a loadout supply crate. These are dropped around the map during the game, or can be bought from the shop.