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Best Riveter loadout and class build for Warzone and MW3

Learn how to make this automatic shotgun do more damage in MW3.

Image credit: Activision

The Riveter is one of the new weapons you’ll find in Warzone and Modern Warfare 3.

At first glance, it may look like an assault rifle, but it is, in fact, a shotgun with an AR receiver attached. It packs a massive punch when you use it, but it does lack in certain areas. These can be mitigated with specific attachments and perks.

In this guide, we’ll take a look at how to unlock the Riveter in Warzone and Modern Warfare 3, the best loadout, and the best class build, including perks, gear and equipment, for this unique shotgun.

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Warzone and MW3 Riveter Best Loadout and Attachments

The Riveter has some noticeable lackings in its stats in Modern Warfare 3, particularly its damage and range. So, we’ll be looking to improve those with our overall loadout.

Here’s an overview of the best Riveter attachments in MW3:

  • Ammunition: .410 Gauge Slug Shells
  • Barrel: JCX-L Suppressed Barrel
  • Optic: Slate Reflector or Cronen Mini Red Dot, or Cronen Mini Pro
  • Rear Grip: Phantom Grip
  • Underbarrel: Commando Foregrip

Starting off, we chose the .410 Gauge Slug Shells as the ammunition for this shotgun. The Slug rounds have low muzzle velocity and great stopping power, enough for doing lasting damage to your enemies. Not to mention, the bullet velocity improves quite a lot.

The attachments on the Riveter on the Gunsmith screen. | Image credit: Activision

The JCX-L Suppressed Barrel adds to the range and bullet velocity alongside providing much-needed suppression. The downside here, though, is that the ADS and sprint-to-fire speed are affected.

To make up for the ADS and sprint to fire speed, the Phantom Grip is selected as they improve that. This overall keeps them balanced.

The Slate Reflector is one of many optics available for Riveter. It's mainly dependent on your choice of which optic you want to use, but it's recommended you go with one that has a dot. For example, you can use the Cronen Mini Dot or Mini Pro in place of the Slate Reflector.

The Slate Reflector is a good optic choice due to the presence of a dot. | Image credit: Activision

Finally, the Commando Foregrip improves the aiming and much-needed recoil control.

A lot of attachments were tested with the Riveter, and ultimately, these keep it stable while improving the damage and range.

Warzone and MW3 Riveter Best class build, vest, perks, gear, and equipment

The supporting equipment each has its own strengths in making the Riveter stand out in this Modern Warfare 3 class build. Here’s a look at the overall Riveter class build:

  • Vest: Engineer Vest or Overkill Vest
  • Perk 1 – Gloves: Quick-Grip Gloves
  • Perk 2 – Boots: Running Sneakers
  • Perk 3 – Gear: Mag Holster
  • Perk 4 – Gear: Signal Jammer
  • Secondary Weapon: COR-45 or Renetti Jak Ferocity
  • Field Upgrade: Munitions Box or Heartbeat Sensor or Portable Radar
  • Tactical: Flash or Stun Grenade
  • Lethal: Frag Grenade (in case of Overkill Vest)

For the Vest, we went with the Engineer Vest. Using this, you’ll be able to spot enemy equipment, field upgrades, and killstreaks through walls. In ADS mode, you’ll be able to highlight these for the team as well. Adding to that, the Field Upgrades will recharge much quicker.

The recommended class build for the Riveter. | Image credit: Activision

You can also go with the Overkill Vest, as it will help give you an additional primary weapon slot while also improving the weapon swap speed and giving you the ability to reload while sprinting.

The Quick-Grip Gloves increase the weapon swap speed. This is crucial as when you’re out of ammo, you can quickly switch to your secondary.

In the case of boots, it’s dependent on player choice, but we found that the Running Sneakers are useful. These increase tactical sprint duration and refresh time. This is pivotal when you’re more into roaming the map and picking out enemies.

With two gear options in this class build, there’s a lot you can choose from. For our recommended build, the Mag Holster and Signal Jammer are selected. The Mag Holster will improve the reload speed of the weapon, while the Signal Jammer will emit a signal that will warn you of nearby enemy equipment as well as disrupt enemy claymores and mines.

In the secondary weapon slot, if you’re with the Engineer Vest, go for the COR-45 or Renetti Jak Ferocity, as they are great in their weapons class. If you’re with the Overkill Vest, you can go with the MCW or AMR9 alongside other Assault Rifles and SMGs with high fire rates.

The Field Upgrade is highly dependent on the situation you’re playing in. The Munitions Box can help you when you run out of ammo and equipment. If it doesn’t suit you, you can go with the Heartbeat Sensor, which can help you detect nearby enemies as well. You can also go with the Portable Radar, as it will ping nearby enemies.

For the tactical equipment, the Flash or Stun Grenade are reliable when you’re using the Engineer Vest, as you’re getting two of them. If you use the Overkill Vest, you’ll have the option to equip a lethal, which is where we recommend using the Frag Grenade.

Overall, this build looks at improving the various equipment that can support the Riveter.

How to unlock the Riveter in Modern Warfare 3

The Riveter can be unlocked via the Armory in Modern Warfare 3, which itself is unlocked when you reach level 25.

The unlock requirement for the Riveter is at the top left. | Image credit: Activision

After unlocking the Armory, you’ll have the ability to unlock specific weapons within that by completing certain challenges, including the Riveter.

Once you unlock the Riveter, you’ll be able to use it in your loadouts and customise it according to your needs.

If you’re looking for more guides on MW3, we have loadout guides on weapons like the Striker, KV Inhibitor, and the Longbow. We also have guides on the campaign mission list and rewards, as well as how to get and use double XP tokens.

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