The 556 Icarus is a superb weapon in modern warfare 2and which allows players to consistently kill enemies from a safe location.
As the Light Machine Gun (or LMG) in Modern Warfare 2, this weapon is all about raw power.
Carrying enough ammo in a magazine to take on up to three enemies before reloading, the 556 Icarus comes with a simple idea: shoot them until they’re on the ground.
To better prepare you to use this weapon, we have prepared the best loadout 556 Icarusexplaining the gear and perks you should choose, and how to unlock the 556 Icarus in the first place.
On this page:
How to Unlock 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 get access to this weapon, you must use the M4 up to level 18. After that, the 556 Icarus becomes available.
As part of the M4 progression tree, the 556 Icarus is a great first weapon to use. On top of 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
Here are the best Modern Warfare 2 556 Icarus loadouts and attachments:
- Barrel: FTAC Coldforge 16″ cannon
- Sub-barrel: VX Pineapple
- Rear handle: XTEN handle
- Store: Leather Factory Price
- Optical: Forge Tac Delta 4
The 556 Icarus is a powerful gun and it works best for a mid-range combat focused playstyle. While mobility isn’t an issue, an aggressive approach where you’re chasing enemies won’t work very well with this weapon.
As there are not many gun options for the 556 Icarus, the FTAC Coldforge 16″ perfectly matches what we need, increasing bullet speed and damage range.
The Forge Tac Delta 4 the optic gives us more precision and range, while the Leather Factory Price stock increases aiming stability and recoil control. Both are important in helping us track enemies with our shots.
Among the options for the rear handle, XTEN handle is the best option mainly because it only lowers our recoil control a little while increasing the handling stat.
As a sub-barrel, the VX Pineapple offers more accuracy and recoil control.
Modern Warfare 2 556 Icarus best build, perks and gear
Our picks for the best secondary, perks, and gear in Modern Warfare 2 556 Icarus are:
- Core Advantage 1: Exaggerated
- Core Benefit 2: strong arm
- Bonus benefit: Fast hands
- Ultimate benefit: Phantom
- Secondary: Accelerate 12
- Tactical: Tear gas
- Deadly: Drilling costs
- Field Upgrade: Deployable cover
For this build, the two base perks were chosen keeping in mind that 556 Icarus isn’t the best gun to deal with enemies jumping right in front of you and you may need to use your lethal gear and tactics to get enemies out of cover.
Whereas Exaggerated allows you to carry two main weapons, strong arm allows you to throw your grenades further and see their trajectory.
Fast hands because your bonus perk comes to help you reload the 556 Icarus faster, a weapon that takes a long time to do regularly.
The ultimate advantage Phantom will hide you from enemy UAVs, handheld radars and heartbeat sensors. Since running around with the 556 Icarus isn’t the best-case scenario, knowing that you won’t be spotted in your hideout so easily is a big help.
For those times when you change location or hear footsteps right behind you, take the Accelerate 12 which is faster than the 556 Icarus but also quite powerful.
In situations where you face enemies hiding behind structures or inside rooms, you can use on a wall the Drilling costs which reaches the 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 where you see yourself facing enemies but without good cover to take your time and aim your shots. It can also be used to reinforce the coverage you already have.
With this Class 556 Icarus loadout and build, you’re ready for Modern Warfare 2. If this gun isn’t your playstyle, you can check out our best guns in the Modern Warfare 2 page for some alternate options, as well as our explainer on how to unlock weapons.
