Black Ops 7: I Already Know What I’m Using My First Prestige Token On

Following the triumphant return of a classic prestige system in its predecessor, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 is keeping a traditional Prestige system in place, and with said system comes Prestige Tokens. These unlocks will work just as they always have, with players earning one token per Prestige, which can be used to permanently unlock any item. This is a huge boon since Prestiging locks everything until players rank up again, so every token spent is an important choice. Black Ops 7’s Vault Edition muddies the water a bit, though, as players like myself who have purchased this version of the game will get to make use of a Prestige token on day one. And for me, the target of this early Permanent Unlock is a no-brainer, as it's a blast from the past.
While I would have been tempted by the M8A1, as it was my favorite weapon in Black Ops 2 and my choice of gun in the Black Ops 7 beta, it being unlockable at level 10 means I’ll have access to it in the blink of an eye. Instead, I’m turning my attention to another returning BO2 icon: the MSMC. Now going by the name MPC-25, I’m expecting this gun to be a powerhouse just as it was in Black Ops 2. In that game, the weapon shined not only because of its sleek aesthetic, but its statistics. It had laser accuracy, solid range for an SMG, and a quick time-to-kill, essentially making it a flawless piece of weaponry.
Adding to the idea that the MSMC’s direct successor is going to be strong is its unlock level. Typically, players have to wait until level 55 to obtain this weapon, meaning that the only people who could potentially be running around with this gun on launch day are those who unlock it via their Vault edition Permanent Unlock token and those with a stockpile of Double XP tokens. Though the final unlock isn’t always the very best item players can get, it’s rarely the worst, and the legacy of the MSMC makes me confident Treyarch won’t underpower its successor. The strength of other legacy guns in BO6, from the Olympia to the LC10, only adds to that confidence. Some of the other top-tier unlocks for this particular game come around max level, too, such as the Juggernaut equivalent known as the Rhino (level 54), the controversial Active Camo field upgrade (level 51), and the ever-popular Ninja perk (level 53).
On top of all this is the fact that the MPC-25 wasn’t tested in the Black Ops 7 beta. This means that it could be an incredibly powerful gun that has slipped under the radar, whereas the Dravec 45 that dominated lobbies in the test period will likely be noticeably weaker upon release. Additionally, the MPC being a level 55 unlock that players acquire so late (and potentially skip by as they continue on their journey to Master Prestige) could help it dodge the first round or two of weapon nerfs. Essentially, if players like myself gamble on the MPC-25 being good, and we get lucky, then we could dominate Black Ops 7’s persistent lobbies for several weeks.
While Black Ops 7’s MSMC successor is described as having top-tier damage, handling, and mobility, it will apparently have higher recoil and limited range in comparison to the classic BO2 weapon. As such, I’d recommend the following MPC-25 loadout to players, assuming that these attachments are available for this SMG:
It’s worth noting that this setup is largely guesswork since BO7 has not yet launched, and I’m basing my build on the attachments available for other SMGs, meaning that the MPC-25 may lack some of these options. It’s also worth considering how each Black Ops 7 gun has an exclusive attachment tied to the game’s weapon prestige system. In the case of this specific submachine gun, it’s the 8.6” MFS Stratus-X Barrel, which in my opinion has too many trade-offs to justify. Supposedly, the attachment will fully solve the recoil problem at the cost of reduced damage and range, with the caveat that headshots will do more damage. If you’re extremely accurate, it’s worth a try, but I think the setup above does the trick while keeping damage reliable. I may end up swapping the Extended Mag for a Fire Mod of some kind, but I think my planned loadout will successfully recapture the MSMC vibes myself and other old school Call of Duty fans are craving.