556 Icarus

_{LMGs aren’t the most popular weapon type for Call of Duty players to use, but they hit hard and are a load of fun to use. This particular weapon slots into the light machine gun (LMG) category and there’s always a possibility of it slotting into the meta. Armed with a rate of fire that’s easy to control and high damage output, there’s no reason why the 556 Icarus shouldn’t dominate over the course of a match. However, its sluggish mobility means it’s difficult to react to any incoming targets.}

_{The 556 Icarus is one of these light machine guns, and it’s basically the chunkier cousin of the classic M4. With how weapon platforms work in MW2, it offers the same iron sight and several of the same attachments of the M4. So if you enjoy the AR, you could find a new friend in the Icarus, too. The Icarus is a lightweight squad-support weapon in the M4 platform that offers increased ammo capacity that “does not significantly impact mobility. It’s a solid weapon in the platform that you will need to use to level up the full suite anyway.}

Read: Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Weapons

_{556 Icarus LMG Overview}

_{The 556 Icarus is a strong LMG that you can use to mow down opponents in MW2. Call of Duty players may not use the most popular weapon types, but they hit hard and are a load of fun to use. Infinity Ward seems to have taken note and has introduced the Icarus 556 to the fight. This LMG, like others, is still mainly ideal for sitting behind cover and throwing severe lead down range. But even if you’re moving between hard points, it isn’t a death sentence should you come across an enemy. This LMG is light enough to go head to head with someone at close range. The 556 Icarus is a very strong weapon to use in MW2 if you know the right build for it.}

_Design

_{The design of the 556 Icarus is based on a real-life Fightlite MCR. FightLite has released the new version of their squad automatic weapon, the MCR (Mission Configurable Rifle). The MCR is based upon the older ARES-16 AMG-2 that has been on the military/LE market for almost a decade and is an AR-based solution to the M249 SAW.}

_{How to Unlock The 556 Icarus In Modern Warfare II:}

_{Some of the Modern Warfare 2 weapons are unlocked from the beginning, and some need to be unlocked later as you progress. Among the weapons that need to be unlocked by reaching a particular level, the 556 Icarus is one. This will be unlocked by leveling the M4 to a specific level.}

_{To unlock the 556 Icarus LMG in Modern Warfare 2 Beta, you need to upgrade your M4 Assault Rifle to level 18. The M4 comes pre-unlocked and ready to use in your loadout. Play some matches using a custom M4 build of your choice until it reaches level 18, after which you will unlock the 556 Icarus as an LMG and a Receiver option for the M4 Platform. You can check the weapon level and unlocks in the Progression tab within the gunsmith.}

_{Weapon Stats}

_{Serving as the lightweight squad-support counterpart of the M4, the 556 Icarus is a light machine gun in Modern Warfare 2 that offers more ammo capacity than others of its type. While it provides solid stats in range, fire rate, and recoil control, its mobility suffers a substantial toll, which could hamper its performance in combat. Nevertheless, those who become accustomed to how the weapon “feels” in battle in Modern Warfare 2, will be able to utilize its large ammunition capacity to wreak havoc on their enemies The 556 Icarus is quite possibly the strongest LMG currently available in Modern Warfare 2.}

_{The LMG category is one of the few categories that receive little to no love in FPS games like this one, where the shooting is almost as important as the movement, but the Icarus is an incredible tool that anyone looking for high rates of fire, damage, and long-range performance should heavily consider.}

_Damage

_{The Icarus 556 has a high damage output, allowing players to gun down any enemy operators in sight. The rapid fire rate also increases the damage output on a per second basis. With the right positioning, expect to hold down entire lanes, sight lines, and sections of the map.}

_{Fire Rate}

_{The Icarus 556 has one of the better fire rates among the weapons selection for Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. Paired with the high damage output, you can expect to mow down enemy operators within seconds.}

_Accuracy

_{Accuracy is key when using a heavy weapon like the 556 Icarus. When it comes to base stats, the Icarus has better range, accuracy, and recoil control than the M4.}

_Recoil

_{The 556 Icarus’ recoil is also tough to manage with sustained fire, but thankfully, its damage potential means that it doesn’t take too many accurate hits to go down. Due to the high recoil of the Icarus 556, expect to use the gun behind cover in a crouched position. This allows the highest amount of recoil mitigation. Otherwise, you can opt to use attachments that reduce overall recoil and improve handling.}

_Mobility

_{Since mobility is crucial for the Icarus LMG to compete with other weapons in the game, increased ammo capacity bumps up the weight of the gun, which significantly impacts mobility. Players must take advantage of ideal positions to gun down any entry or exit points that enemy operators may swarm in and out of.}

_Reload

_{In Modern Warfare 2, users of the 556 Icarus may easily dispatch adversaries from a long distance. The main drawback, though, is that reloading will take a lot longer because of the large ammo capacity. Therefore, it is advised that players establish a secure hiding spot or defensive cover before attempting to reload while engaged in combat.}

_Range 

_{The Icarus 556 LMG works best in the medium range sight lines. You can hope to hold down entire sections of core 6v6 maps with the help of the Icarus 556. In open areas, hide behind cover or deploy a shield and gun down enemy operators with ease. But it doesn’t fare well against enemies operating in the longer sight lines so stray away from those fights.}

_{M4 Weapons Platform}

_{The 556 Icarus is the first and only LMG available on the M4 platform, which is one of the weapons platforms available in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2022) and Warzone 2. The M4 is the first weapon unlocked in the M4 Platform in Modern Warfare 2, shown within the in-game Gunsmith as the first weapon receiver. By upgrading M4, you can have access to 556 Icarus. The M4 Platform is manufactured by Tempus Armament, which is a Weapons Platform Progression Map. By leveling up each receiver, you will unlock attachments that can be used across all weapons within the platform.}

_Blueprints

Blueprints can be viewed in the armory section of the weapons tab. Currently; no blueprints are available for the 556 Icarus LMG and will be listed once the game officially launches.

_Bugs

_{There seems to be a problem with the 556 Icarus. When you resupply from an ammo box, it automatically reloads your weapon unless your mag is full. This might be regarded as a bug given that the game was still in the Open Beta phase. At some point after Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is formally published on October 28, 2022, Infinity Ward will probably patch the game and its problems at some point, perhaps with a Day One Patch.}

_Attachments

_{The Gunsmith system has been redesigned in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, so you may customize your weapon to fit your own playstyle. You’ll have access to the 556 Icarus weapon after you upgrade M4 to level 18. There are many attachments available for this automatic LMG weapon. Only a few attachments are available during the Modern Warfare 2 Open Beta, as all of them will be available when the complete game launches on October 28. You can still experiment with the 556 Icarus right now to make it fit your style of playing requirements as best you can.}

_{The Icarus is the LMG variant of the M4 and, in our opinion, it’s the easiest-to-use LMG in MW2. With the right attachments, it has the ability to perform well. Modern Warfare 2 guns can only have a maximum of five attachments. The five attachments for the 556 Icarus will increase your ability to deal damage while allowing for increased recoil and slightly quicker movement.}

Muzzle	Bruen Spearhead SuppressorEcholine GS-X SuppressorKomodo Heavy CompForge-Tac Castle CompC400 Door Knocker
Optic	Cronen Mini Red DotSZ ReflexSZ Lonewolf OpticForge-Tac Delta 4Thermo-Optic X9SZ MiniHybrid FirepointHMW-20
Stock	No StockOrdnance Ravage-8Demo Fade Pro StockTempus P80 Strike StockDemo Precision Elite FactoryCorio Precio Factory
UnderBarrel	FSS Shark Fin 90VX Pineapple Vert GripSPW 40MMForge-Tac Ripper 56Lock Grip Precision-40
Rear Grip	D15 GripSakin ZX GripXten GripPhantom GripSupport CP90 Grip
Barrel	FTAC COLD FORGE 16′ BARREL FTAC SB
Laser	4MW Laser BoxCorvus PEQ Beam-5
Ammunition	5.56 Nato

Perks

You can choose the Double Time and Scavenger perks for your base perks. With an LMG like this one, the former will speed up your mobility, while the latter will enable you to collect additional ammo for your 556 Icarus. When your second 75-round magazine is empty, you will need something.

Players can make use of the Fast Hands and Ghost perks for bonuses and ultimate benefits. While Ghost will render them invisible to UAVs, portable radars, and heart sensors, rapid hands will enable them to reload, operate equipment, and switch weapons more quickly.

Alternative

If you find that the 556 Icarus doesn’t quite cut it for you, then there are other options for you to try out, such as the RPD. The slow reload is no longer a problem. When the recoil of a 556 Icarus LMG with a grip to RPD is compared, the RPDS has less recoil with extreme damage, and we also highly recommend the RPDS’s sights. So we actually think these benefits are worth sacrificing the slightly faster time-to-kill.