Thermite is one of the original operators, but nine years later, he’s still one of the operators that have the biggest impact in any match he’s in. That’s because Siege is a tactical game where positioning plays a major role, and his special gadget, the Exothermic Charge, can really take out the defenders at a disadvantage when it comes to positioning.

His Exothermic Charge can completely destroy a reinforced wall and he has two of them. That means a lot because when a wall is destroyed completely, the attackers can come in without having to crouch or vault over. In this article, we’re going to discuss the best loadout setups that will maximize Thermite’s effectiveness with his role in the game’s current meta.

5. 556XI with Magnified B scope, Flash Hider, and Vertical Grip + M45 Meusoc with Suppressor and Laser + Stun Grenade

This loadout setup offers the best recoil control possible on Thermite’s 556XI assault rifle. While its recoil pattern tends to veer to the left after the third shot, its recoil diamonds are not that big, so its horizontal and random recoil from all directions is not that strong. So the best way to lower its weapon kick is by lowering its vertical recoil. Having both the flash hider and the vertical grip attachments will have a great effect in lowering the weapon’s recoil because they specialize in that particular benefit.

So with this loadout setup, regardless of the range, Thermite will have good accuracy, because his shots from the 556XI assault rifle will be very stable and easy to control. Add to that the 2.5x zoom level from the magnified B scope when Thermite is aiming-down-sight on the weapon, and he’ll really have good accuracy at any range. The three stun grenades in his arsenal are great for blinding and deafening opponents in their entrenched positions when the attacking team is pushing after Thermite performs a hard breach.

Excels in:

• The flash hider will add a lot of vertical recoil control on Thermite’s 556XI assault rifle and it’ll also hide its muzzle flash which could make it a bit harder for enemies to know where Thermite is shooting from
• Like the flash hider, the vertical grip also specializes in lowering weapons’ vertical recoil, and with both of them present in Thermite’s 556XI assault rifle, he’ll have great control over its weapon kick
• The magnified B scope with its 2.5x zoom level will allow thermite to see his opponents really well from any distance, and because of that, he’ll have great accuracy partnered with the shooting stability from the other attachments
• The suppressed M45 Meusoc handgun will be an important tool for Thermite when it comes to a stealthy approach to the mission building as it’ll allow him to shoot CCTV cameras and other defender gadgets quietly
• The three stun grenades in Thermite’s arsenal will allow him to blind and deafen enemies hiding in their entrenched positions which is great for pushing after Thermite has performed a hard breach

Build Details:

• Primary weapon - 556XI with Magnified B scope, Flash Hider, and Vertical Grip
• Secondary weapon - M45 Meusoc with Suppressor and Laser
• Generic gadget - Stun Grenade

Recoil pattern test on the 556XI in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:

4. 556XI with Magnified B scope, Suppressor, and Vertical Grip + M45 Meusoc with Muzzle Brake and Laser + Stun Grenade

This is one of the most viable loadout options for Thermite because overall the suppressor on his 556XI will bring in great results. That’s because the suppressor will remove the 556XI shots’ directional threat indicator as well as the weapon’s muzzle flash, so in terms of visual cues, it could be harder for enemies to immediately know where Thermite is shooting from, especially at medium to long range. It’ll also be harder for them to know it through audio cues since the suppressor will also silence the 556XI’s shots.

So even though Thermite isn’t exactly a stealth or long-range operator, the effects of the suppressor will just be an overall positive for him. But since the suppressor doesn’t provide additional recoil control, it’s important for Thermite to partner it with at least one attachment that does. In this loadout setup, that would be the vertical grip attachment which will allow Thermite to hold down the 556XI’s recoil well since it specializes in lowering the vertical recoil of weapons.

Excels in:

• Removing the directional threat indicator from the 556XI’s shots as well as its muzzle flash, making it harder for enemies to easily know where Thermite is shooting from through visual cues
• It’ll also be harder for enemies to hear where Thermite’s shots are coming from since the suppressor will greatly muffle the gunshot sounds from the 556XI assault rifle
• Maintaining a good amount of recoil control on Thermite’s 556XI assault rifle through the vertical grip attachment which specializes in lowering weapons’ vertical weapon kick
• Since Thermite will be able to silently shoot defender gadgets using the 556XI in this setup, it’ll be better to equip his M45 Meusoc with a muzzle brake for better recoil and a laser for the +10% ADS speed boost
• The stun grenades will be great for dealing with opponents hiding behind cover as it can be used for blinding them, and even if they don’t get blinded, as long as it detonates near them, it’ll rob them of their hearing for a few seconds

Build Details:

• Primary weapon - 556XI with Magnified B scope, Suppressor, and Vertical Grip
• Secondary weapon - M45 Meusoc with Muzzle Brake and Laser
• Generic gadget - Stun Grenade

Recoil pattern test on the 556XI in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:

3. M1014 with Iron Sight and Laser + M45 Meusoc with Suppressor and Laser + Stun Grenade

This setup is high-risk, high reward for Thermite, and that’s why it’s just in the middle rank in this list. Obviously, the elephant in the room is the M1014 shotgun’s very limited range. Most of the time, when defenders know that a wall is being breached, they go away from it and position themselves with cover. The good thing about Thermite’s Exothermic Charges is that their breaching action is quite quick, so there’s a good chance for some defenders to not be able to get away from the wall or hatch far enough.

And in those situations that this loadout setup would excel, as the M1014 shotgun will provide Thermite with the close quarters combat superiority. Of course, that scenario won’t always happen, and that’s why of course this loadout setup will work best with the support of teammates along with their utilities as well as Thermite’s own utilities, like the stun grenade. The stun grenades will allow Thermite to blind enemies and deafen them even when they’re behind cover, and that’ll allow him to close the distance enough for his M1014 shotgun to be effective.

Excels in:

• The M1014 shotgun will provide Thermite with superiority in close quarters combat due to its high destruction rate per shot and heavy damage per pellet. At its optimal range, it could down an opponent with just one shot.
• The iron sight on Thermite’s M1014 is not that great for holding angles as it’s big and blocks the front view of the user a lot, however, for flick shots, it’s quite good because of its +10% aim-down-sight speed boost
• The laser attachment on Thermite’s M1014 shotgun will allow him to go into aim-down-sight stance faster than normal because of its +10% ADS speed boost and since it’ll be partnered with the iron sight, Thermite will have +20%
• The suppressed M45 Meusoc handgun will be very useful for Thermite when it comes to a stealthy approach inside the mission building as it’ll allow him to shoot defender gadgets silently
• The three stun grenades in Thermite’s arsenal will allow him to temporarily blind and deafen enemies even when they’re behind cover and that could allow him to close the distance between him and them for his shotgun to be effective

Build Details:

• Primary weapon - M1014 with Iron Sight and Laser
• Secondary weapon - M45 Meusoc with Suppressor and Laser
• Generic gadget - Stun Grenade

2. 556XI with Magnified B scope, Flash Hider, and Angled Grip + M45 Meusoc with Suppressor and Laser + Smoke Grenade

Because of his role as a hard breacher, Thermite is kind of one of the noisiest operators around. With his Exothermic Charges, he’s practically announcing his presence when he’s breaching reinforced walls or hatches. When a wall is breached for example, defenders are expecting Thermite to come. So it’s definitely okay to play him without much stealth. That’s why this loadout setup which is designed for offense is in such a high ranking in this list. With this setup, Thermite will be able to deal with high traffic situations better.

That’s mainly because of the angled grip on his 556XI assault rifle. The angled grip now adds +20% reload speed bonus on the weapon it’s attached to, and that’s great for dealing with multiple enemies. That means that even when Thermite needs to reload his 556XI in the middle of combat, all he needs to do is take cover for a bit, reload, and he’ll be able to get back into action quickly. This loadout setup basically increases the chances of Thermite being ready to shoot at during times when he needs to.

Excels in:

• The angled grip attachment will allow Thermite to reload his 556XI assault rifle 20% faster than normal and that will increase his effectiveness in dealing with multiple enemies at the same time
• The flash hider on the 556XI’s barrel will be the attachment that will provide the additional recoil control of the weapon which is important in making sure that the weapon is stable and can be shot accurately
• The magnified B scope will provide Thermite with a 2.5x zoom when he’s aiming-down-sight on his 556XI assault rifle, and that’ll allow him to target his opponents with great accuracy regardless of range
• The suppressed M45 Meusoc will provide Thermite with some degree of stealth because he’ll be able to use it for shooting defender gadgets like cameras with much less chance of giving away his position
• The two smoke grenades in Thermite’s arsenal are great for providing cover for the attacking team’s push and defuser plant play after breaching the objective spot’s wall with Thermite’s Exothermic Charge

Build Details:

• Primary weapon - 556XI with Magnified B scope, Flash Hider, and Angled Grip
• Secondary weapon - M45 Meusoc with Suppressor and Laser
• Generic gadget - Smoke Grenade

Recoil pattern test on the 556XI in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:

1. 556XI with Magnified B scope, Flash Hider, and Horizontal Grip + M45 Meusoc with Suppressor and Laser + Smoke Grenade

Thermite’s main role as a hard breacher often puts him in the front lines, and once he’s successful in destroying a wall, the attacking team often needs to capitalize in that moment and not waste time, because if they take their time too much before pushing, it’ll just give the defenders more time to get in position and gather up to respond to them. That’s why speed and controlled aggression is important, and the horizontal grip on Thermite’s 556XI will provide him with that speed. 

The horizontal grip is the newest attachment in the game and it provides operators with a 5% movement speed boost when they’re holding the weapon that it’s attached to. That’ll allow Thermite to be faster when he’s leading the push, and that 5% speed boost, even though it might look very small on paper, will make it harder for enemies to hit him while he’s moving, therefore, increasing his survivability. And even though the horizontal grip doesn’t provide additional recoil control, Thermite will still have good control on his 556XI due to the presence of the flash hider on its barrel.

Excels in:

• The horizontal grip giving Thermite a 5% movement speed boost will help a lot when he’s on the front lines after breaching because it’ll allow him to go from one place to the next faster and be harder to hit
• The flash hider will help Thermite maintain a good amount of recoil control on his 556XI assault rifle since it specializes in reducing weapons’ vertical weapon kick
• The 2.5x zoom level from the magnified B scope on Thermite’s 556XI will allow him to hit his targets with great accuracy since he’ll be able to see them well, and its arrow tip reticle is great for pinpoint shooting
• Being able to shoot defender gadgets such as CCTV cameras, Kapkan EDDs, and others, without giving away your position through the use of the suppressed M45 Meusoc as Thermite’s secondary weapon
• The two smoke grenades as Thermite’s secondary gadget will provide a lot of cover for the attacking team’s push as they’ll obstruct the enemy’s vision and will allow the attacking team to advance with more cover

Build Details:

• Primary weapon - 556XI with Magnified B scope, Flash Hider, and Horizontal Grip
• Secondary weapon - M45 Meusoc with Suppressor and Laser
• Generic gadget - Smoke Grenade

Recoil pattern test on the 556XI in this setup with the author’s own recoil control applied:

Attention operator, please be advised. There is a new directive from Six. Read up on these related articles, and prepare for deployment:

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