Unleash chaos with the Maelstrom, Black Ops 6’s first fully automatic shotgun that redefines close-quarters combat. Whether tearing through multiplayer matches or dominating Warzone, mastering the Maelstrom’s rapid-fire power and precision with the best loadout and class build is your key to victory. Ready to storm the battlefield with unstoppable firepower? Dive into our ultimate guide to unlock, equip, and optimize the Maelstrom for every mode on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox.
However, the Maelstrom is one of the best shotguns in the game if you can manage this, thanks to how quickly it fires, so our build is mostly geared around increasing the damage range and accuracy as much as possible. We also want to enable fast-paced movement and handling with the stock and laser attachments.
So without further ado, here’s the best Maelstrom loadout in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and how to unlock the gun to begin with in Season 1 Reloaded.
How to unlock the Maelstrom in Black Ops 6
To unlock the Maelstrom in Black Ops 6, players need to be above level 24 to access the Armory, where the Maelstrom can be selected. Then, they must complete the Armory Challenge by earning 250,000 XP to unlock the weapon. Originally introduced during the Merry Mayhem event, the Maelstrom is now available through this XP-based challenge. Alternatively, players can unlock the Maelstrom by purchasing the Bad Manners bundle in the store for 1,800 COD Points, which grants the “Party Etiquette” blueprint and permanent access to the weapon in multiplayer and Zombies modes.
To unlock the Maelstrom in Black Ops 6, you need to complete the Merry Mayhem event in Season 1 Reloaded. This involves earning a total of 600,000 XP during the event, which runs until Thursday, Dec. 19th. Earning this much XP will mean you’ve unlocked all the rewards, of which the Maelstrom is the very final one.
Alternatively, if you don’t have the time to commit between now and then, you can also buy the Bad Manners bundle from the in-game store. This costs 1,800 COD Points and will grant you the Party Etiquette blueprint for the Maelstrom, which unlocks the gun for you to level up.
Best Maelstrom loadout in Black Ops 6
The best Maelstrom loadout in Black Ops 6 is designed to maximize its effectiveness in close to mid-range combat by enhancing damage range, muzzle velocity, and handling. Key attachments include Full Choke (Muzzle) to tighten pellet spread, Reinforced Barrel to boost damage range, Extended Mag II for increased ammo capacity, CQB Grip to improve sprint-to-fire and slide-to-fire speeds, and Rapid Fire to increase the rate of fire. This setup improves hip-fire spread and overall mobility, making the Maelstrom a versatile shotgun for aggressive playstyles. Complementing the loadout with perks like Gung-Ho, Fast Hands, Double Time, and Enforcer further enhances sprint speed, reload times, and weapon swapping, while Perk Greed allows equipping four perks for added combat advantages.
Here is the best Maelstrom loadout in Black Ops 6:
- Muzzle: Modified Choke
- Barrel: Reinforced Barrel
- Rear Grip: Ergonomic Grip
- Stock: Balanced Stock
- Laser: Strelok Laser
The most important thing to note with the Maelstrom is that you ideally want to be aiming down the sights when you’re firing, thanks to the Modified Choke, which reduces the pellet spread considerably but only when ADSing. It’s a minor inconvenience for a major buff as it almost guarantees all of your pellets will land.
Finally, there’s the Strelok Laser, which is all about buffing your hipfire to ADS accuracy. It makes the laser visible when aiming down the sights, but it’s a small price to pay since you don’t want to be walking everywhere while aiming, you want to just pull the gun up quickly when in combat. (If you opt to not use the Modified Choke, you can also replace the Strelok Laser with the Fast Motion Laser for better hipfire accuracy.)
Best Maelstrom class in Black Ops 6
The best Maelstrom class in Black Ops 6 focuses on maximizing the shotgun’s close to mid-range effectiveness by enhancing its damage range, fire rate, and hip-fire accuracy. Key attachments include the Full Choke or Modified Choke muzzle to tighten pellet spread, Reinforced Barrel to increase damage range, CQB or Ergonomic Grip for better handling, and Rapid Fire to boost the firing speed. The loadout often pairs with a Balanced or Light Stock and a laser attachment like Strelok or Steady Aim to improve aiming and mobility. Complementing the weapon setup with perks such as Gung-Ho, Fast Hands, Double Time, and Scavenger through the Perk Greed wildcard further enhances sprint speed, reload, and ammo resupply, making the Maelstrom a formidable choice in aggressive, close-quarters combat across multiplayer and Zombies modes.
The Reinforced Barrel is essential for that small damage range buff, and since this is a shotgun, bullet velocity also comes into play due to the short range, as opposed to weapons like assault rifles where bullet velocity usually isn’t that important to consider. Then on the mobility side of things we have the Ergonomic Grip to buff your slide to fire, dive to fire, and ADS speeds, while the Balanced Stock buffs the following speeds too: Strafing movement, movement, hipfire movement, and aim walking movement. That’s a lot of moving.
Here is the best class to use with the Maelstrom in Black Ops 6:
- Pistol: Grekhova
- Melee: Knife
- Tactical: Stim Shot
- Lethal: Combat Axe
- Field Upgrade: Sleeper Agent
- Perk 1: Dexterity
- Perk 2: Assassin
- Perk 3: Double Time
- Wildcard: Perk Greed
- Perk 4: Ghost
As is the case with most weapons, you’ll want the Grekhova as your trusty sidearm thanks to how quickly you can switch to it and mow enemies down with its fire rate. The Knife is always the best melee choice to go with this.
When it comes to equipment, since you’ll be sprinting and diving constantly, the Stim Shot is essential to keep you alive, as it heals your wounds and refreshes tactical sprint. Meanwhile, the Combat Axe is a helpful tool to quickly throw at any enemies you don’t manage to kill with one magazine of the Maelstrom. Since you’ll be behind enemy lines often, the Sleeper Agent field upgrade is one of the most situational tools in the game but it can be very effective here as it disguises you as a member of the enemy team.
On the perk front, you’ll want all red perks for the Enforcer specialty, as this grants a temporary buff to both your movement speed and health regen rate whenever you kill enemies. The three best red perks to opt for are: Dexterity for the improved accuracy when moving and reduced fall damage; Assassin to stop enemies from getting kill streaks (though take note that neither this or Bruiser are great options, Assassin is just the better choice of the two for this class); and Double Time to allow you to sprint pretty much constantly.
For the wildcard, we’d recommend Perk Greed alongside Ghost as this combo will keep you invisible to enemy radar effects. (You could also opt for Ninja to move quieter, Flak Jacket to protect you from incoming explosives, or Tac Mask to protect from tactical grenades.) If you don’t want to run Perk Greed, choose Gunfighter, and as one of your extra attachments, make sure you pick a bigger magazine – that’s the one weakness this gun has currently.
How does the Maelstrom’s fully automatic fire change close-range combat in Black Ops 6
The Maelstrom’s fully automatic fire radically transforms close-range combat in Black Ops 6 by allowing players to unleash a rapid barrage of buckshot, enabling incredibly fast time-to-kill potential-often down to just two shots within 190 milliseconds at close range. This high rate of fire compensates for its relatively limited damage per shot, making it lethal in tight spaces where quick follow-up shots can overwhelm opponents before they can react. Unlike traditional shotguns, the Maelstrom’s consistent pellet spread and manageable recoil allow players to hip-fire effectively without aiming down sights, maximizing speed and aggression in close quarters. However, its effectiveness sharply diminishes beyond about 5.7 meters, reinforcing its role as a dominant weapon for aggressive, run-and-gun playstyles focused on close engagements.
How does the Maelstrom’s automatic fire improve its effectiveness in tight spaces
The Maelstrom’s fully automatic fire significantly enhances its effectiveness in tight spaces by enabling a rapid succession of shots that quickly overwhelm opponents before they can react. This high rate of fire, combined with its substantial pellet spread, allows players to consistently deal damage at close range without needing to aim down sights, maximizing speed and aggression in confined environments. Additionally, attachments like reinforced barrels boost its small-area damage, while ergonomic grips and balanced stocks improve mobility and control, allowing players to slide, dive, and strafe effectively while maintaining accuracy. These factors make the Maelstrom exceptionally lethal in close-quarters combat, turning tight spaces into zones of dominance through fast-paced, relentless firing.
