With Insurgency: Sandstorm expanding to console platforms, many new players are stepping into its intense tactical firefights for the first time. A common stumbling block? Building a loadout. New players often blow through their supply points on gear they don’t need, sacrificing mobility or utility in the process. This guide will walk you through how to build an efficient and effective Rifleman loadout—step by step—so you can jump into Push or Frontline modes with confidence.

This isn’t meant to be an exhaustive meta breakdown, but rather a clear and practical guide with minimal fluff, focused entirely on helping you make the most out of your 15 supply points.

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Start with the Basics: The Gas Mask

Your first priority—before even choosing your weapon—should be equipping the gas mask. It’s arguably the single most important piece of gear in the game. While it offers protection against chemical mortars, its true strength lies in sound suppression. Without a mask, your character emits vocal cues like yelling “grenade!” or coughing in smoke—cues that enemies can hear and use to pinpoint your location. Wearing a gas mask muffles these sounds, preserving your stealth and reducing the chance of giving away your position unintentionally. The slight visual vignette around the edges fades into the background with regular use. Whether attacking or defending, always wear your mask.

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Rethinking Armor: Not Worth the Cost

Armor may sound appealing for extra survivability, but it rarely justifies the cost. While it can reduce damage from explosives and offer minimal bullet resistance (potentially letting you survive one or two extra hits), it severely compromises your mobility and aiming speed. On top of that, it consumes valuable supply points. The cost-to-benefit ratio is just not favorable for most scenarios—especially not for new players who rely more on positioning and reaction than tanking hits.

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Carriers: Light and Situational

Carriers are far more situational than armor and can be quite helpful. The Light Carrier is often the best middle-ground: it lets you carry an extra grenade or more ammo without significantly slowing you down. It’s a solid choice if you’re planning to use a weapon with low ammo capacity (like the FAMAS or AS VAL), or if you want to carry multiple utility items. The Heavy Carrier, on the other hand, is rarely useful for Riflemen. It’s heavy, expensive, and should only be considered by Gunners or Demolitions who need to carry large amounts of explosives or suppression gear.

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Weapon Selection: Keep It Simple

Let’s assume you’re playing as the Rifleman class on the Security side. While every weapon in Sandstorm is viable with the right loadout, the AUG A3 stands out as a great beginner-friendly rifle with solid performance and manageable recoil. It’s reliable and flexible, a fantastic default choice.

When it comes to attachments, don’t go overboard. Start by equipping a 1x to 2x optic—the holographic sight is a great baseline and works well for most engagements. Pair it with a flash hider—a cheap and effective way to hide muzzle flash without sacrificing control. These upgrades offer solid utility without draining your point pool.

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Do You Need a Secondary Weapon?

Short answer: probably not. Secondary weapons are useful if you’re playing Marksman or running a shotgun, but in most cases, it’s better to use those supply points elsewhere—like on grenades or underbarrel attachments. Staying light and mobile pays off far more than having a backup pistol you might not use.

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Grenades: Your Offensive Toolkit

If you’re attacking on Push, smoke grenades are your best friend. Bring at least one—ideally two. This is where the Light Carrier becomes invaluable, letting you take an extra smoke or a frag grenade. The key is adaptability: smoke for pushing, frag for clearing corners.

A personal favorite setup: two smokes for advancing under cover. You could also swap one out for a frag if you’re expecting dug-in defenders. This decision will depend on the flow of the match and your role in the squad.

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Underbarrel Attachments: Maximize Remaining Points

If you have points left (say, four or five), go back and consider an underbarrel upgrade. The smoke launcher is a standout option when attacking, giving you two more smokes—hugely valuable for supporting teammates and disrupting enemy lines of sight. If you’re defending or not relying on smoke, swap it out for a recoil grip, aiming grip, or loading gripdepending on your play style. Console players might find the recoil grip particularly useful.

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When Defending: Adjust Accordingly

Defending requires a different loadout philosophy. Here, smoke isn’t as essential. Instead, consider taking incendiary grenades to block off doorways and choke points, forcing enemies into predictable routes. You could bring two, or mix one incendiary with a frag depending on preference.

Also, switch out the underbarrel smoke launcher for a standard grip attachment. This makes your weapon more controllable in direct confrontations. Small adjustments like these can make a major difference when holding a fixed position.

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Final Loadout Tips

1. Don’t overspend supply points just because you have them. Sometimes less is more.
2. Utility is more impactful than full attachments. Grenades, smoke, and mobility win fights.
3. Adapt for offense and defense—don’t run the same loadout blindly every round.
4. Gas mask always. This one’s worth repeating.

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Building your loadout in Insurgency: Sandstorm is more about mindset than min-maxing. Think about what role you’re playing, how you want to move, and what your team needs. Smart choices with your 15 points can make the difference between dominating an objective or dying on approach. Keep it efficient, stay light, and always be ready to adapt to the flow of battle.