For anyone who has come to the Forums in search of a bit of help in deciding which weapons are worth spending your hard-earned Silver on, and which ones are better off being converted into said Silver, I will be making a Guide Topic for each weapon class, per Faction.
So, without further ado, BEHOLD! The gospel, according to Simp:
“SMG” will be defined, for the purposes of this Guide, as any weapon classified by the game as either a Submachine Gun or Assault Rifle and generally used by the Assaulter, Medic, and Rider classes. BattlePass, Legacy Gold Order, Event Exclusive, and Premium Exclusive Rifles are not included in this Guide.
M50 Reising (Research Tier 1) [BR I]
- The horizontal recoil is a bit much outside of close ranges, but you shouldn’t be using this thing outside of close ranges anyway. It’s a solid starter SMG, and SMGs are King in low BR ranges (BR I - III), but don’t blow all your Silver on it. Something better is coming right away.
Sten Mk II (Research Tier 1) [BR I]
- Best BR I weapon in the US tech-tree. An automatic weapon that holds 32 rounds is VERY powerful at BR I. Get as many of these into your US BR I lineup as possible.
M3 Submachine Gun (Research Tier 1) [BR I]
- It’s bad. Just bad. It has high damage for its class, but the base model Grease Gun is ruined by its abysmal rate of fire. Sell it for Silver immediately.
M3A1 Submachine Gun (Research Tier 2) [BR II]
- Fires a bit faster than the base model, but that’s still not enough to make it a good weapon. Especially not when it jumps up to BR II. Sell this one too.
Owen Mk 1 (Research Tier 2) [BR II]
- Not bad, not great. The Owen has a good rate of fire, good damage, and a good magazine capacity, but it falls short of greatness due to its horrendous sights. You’re better off saving your Silver.
Lanchester (Research Tier 3) [BR II]
- Great weapon. It has good sights, respectable rate of fire, good damage, very little recoil, and a good capacity magazine. The only better BR II option unlocks in Tier 4, so you probably have time to drop some Silver on this while you work toward it.
M1A1 Thompson (Research Tier 4) [BR II]
- Despite the unfortunate side effect of unlocking all the way in Tier 4, the M1A1 is a powerhouse at BR II. It hits VERY hard for an SMG thanks to the larger .45 ACP ammunition. The real-world version was carried by Captain Ronald Speirs (Band of Brothers) himself throughout Western Europe, and the in-game version lives up to the iconic reputation. It’s one of the best BR II SMGs in the entire game. Having this as the spam weapon in your US BR II lineup would be very effective. Drop that Silver!
M1928A1 Thompson (Research Tier 4) [BR III]
- A solid upgrade to the M1A1 in just about every category. If opposing BR III SMGs (ZK-383, Type 100 late, Beretta M38A 40rd, etc) weren’t so great, this might be considered great too. As it stands, this is the only option for a US BR III SMG, so spend that Silver if you’re building a lineup!
M1 Thompson (Research Tier 4) [BR IV]
- A beast in close range, with a very high fire rate to go with that extra damage from the .45 ACPs. But the bite falls off pretty quickly at range, as the M1 has a pretty significant amount of horizontal recoil and dispersion. You’ll find it difficult to keep the sights on target through sustained fire anywhere outside of 10-20m. Lucky for you, there’s a really solid option for your BR IV SMG coming right after this one. So, save your Silver!
Thompson M21/28 (box magazine) (Research Tier 4) [BR IV]
- And here it is. The 21/28 has much lower horizontal recoil and the lowest dispersion of any US tech-tree SMG. It’s a laser beam of .45ACP damage that fires 700 rounds a minute and has a sub 2sec reload. This thing is a monster that can hang with just about anything at BR IV. This should be the centerpiece (spam weapon) of your US BR IV lineup and is well worth the Silver.
M1928A1 Thompson 50 (Research Tier 5) [BR V]
- No. Just no. Aside from the 50-round drum, it’s worse than the 21/28 in every way, but still jumps to BR V. The Thompson 50 is woefully under-powered around even BR IV SMGs, let alone the Assault and Automatic Rifles that it sees at BR V. Do not ever spend any Silver on this thing. You’re better off buy 41 shovels than a Thompson 50.
Hyde M1944 (Research Tier 5) [BR V]
- Functionally, it’s an StG44 with a significantly higher rate of fire and only slightly more recoil. Which, as you can probably imagine, means this thing is a beast. It can go toe-to-toe with anything it faces but the top Automatic Rifles (FG42 and Type Hei Automatic) and usually come out on top. This should be the endgame for your Assaulters and Medics. Let the Silver rain.
Hope this helps. If you’re an Enlisted vet, and have some differing opinions or helpful insights, reply with them!