As a light machine gun (or LMG) in Modern Warfare 2, this weapon is all about raw power. Carrying enough ammunition in one magazine to face up to three enemies before reloading, the 556 Icarus comes with a simple idea behind it: shoot them until they are on the ground. To better prepare yourself to use this weapon, we have prepared the best 556 Icarus loadout, explaining which equipment and perks you need to pick, and how to unlock the 556 Icarus in the first place. On this page:
How to unlock the 556 Icarus in Modern Warfare 2
The 556 Icarus is a powerful light machine gun that you can unlock through the M4 progression platform. To have access to this weapon, you need to use the M4 until you reach level 18. After that, the 556 Icarus becomes available. Since it is part of the M4 progression tree, the 556 Icarus is a great early weapon for you to use. Besides that, 556 Icarus gives you access to a good variety of attachments in its own progression tree.
Modern Warfare 2 556 Icarus best loadout and attachments
These are the best Modern Warfare 2 556 Icarus loadout and attachments:
Barrel: FTAC Coldforge 16” barrel Underbarrel: VX Pineapple Rear Grip: XTEN Grip Stock: Corio Precio Factory Optic: Forge Tac Delta 4
The 556 Icarus is a powerful gun and it works best for a play style focused on medium-distance gunfights. While mobility is not an issue, an aggressive approach in which you chase enemies is not going to work very well with this weapon. Since there aren’t many options of barrels for the 556 Icarus, the FTAC Coldforge 16” fits perfectly for what we need, increasing Bullet Velocity and Damage Range. The Forge Tac Delta 4 optic gives us more Accuracy and Range, while the Corio Precio Factory stock increases Aiming Stability and Recoil Control. Both are important to help us follow enemies with our shots. Among the options for the rear grip, XTEN Grip is the best option mostly because it only decreases a little bit of our Recoil Control while it increases the Handling stat. As the underbarrel, the VX Pineapple offers more Accuracy and Recoil Control.
Modern Warfare 2 556 Icarus best class build, perks, and equipment
Our picks for the best Modern Warfare 2 556 Icarus secondary, perks, and equipments are:
Basic Perk 1: Overkill Basic Perk 2: Strong Arm Bonus Perk: Fast Hands Ultimate Perk: Ghost Secondary: Expedite 12 Tactical: Tear Gas Lethal: Drill Charge Field Upgrade: Deployable Cover
For this build, both basic perks were chosen having in mind that 556 Icarus is not the best gun to deal with enemies that come jumping right in front of you and that you may need to use your lethal and tactical equipment to take enemies out of their cover. While Overkill allows you to carry two primary weapons, Strong Arm makes it possible to throw your grenades farther and see their trajectory. Fast Hands as your bonus perk comes to aid you to reload the 556 Icarus faster, a gun that takes a lot of time to do so regularly. The ultimate perk Ghost will hide you from the enemy’s UAV, Portable Radars, and Heartbeat Sensors. Since running with the 556 Icarus is not the best scenario, knowing you won’t be spotted that easily in your hiding place is of great help. For the moments when you are changing locations or heard steps right behind you, take the Expedite 12 which is faster than the 556 Icarus but also quite powerful. In situations in which you are facing enemies who are hiding behind structures or inside rooms, you can use on a wall the Drill Charge which reaches enemies on the other side, or the Tear Gas which covers a large area forcing enemies to spread. The field upgrade Deployable Cover is a tool for situations in which you see yourself facing enemies but without a good cover to take your time and aim your shots. It might also be used to reinforce the cover you already have. With this 556 Icarus loadout and class build, you are ready for Modern Warfare 2. In case this gun is not your play style, you can check our best guns in Modern Warfare 2 page for some alternate options, as well as our explainer on how to unlock weapons.
