The Assault Rifle Mk II is the Weapon Workshop upgrade of the classic AK-pattern Assault Rifle, added in the Gunrunning update. The conversion is a bigger deal than most: damage per shot jumps from 30 to 40 at the same 380 RPM fire rate, which actually pushes its damage per second slightly above the Carbine Rifle Mk II. It also unlocks the Mk II ammo family: tracer, incendiary, armor piercing, and full metal jacket rounds.
The costs, as of July 2026: the base Assault Rifle is cheap and unlocks at low rank, and the Mk II conversion is $98,750 at any Weapon Workshop. A serious build adds the heavy barrel ($49,000, Bunker research required), armor piercing rounds ($63,200, research required), a grip ($14,080), a muzzle brake (around $34,000), and the small scope ($23,730), landing a full build at roughly $283,000.
Is it worth it? It is the classic mid-tier answer: a genuine upgrade over the standard rifle, but if you can only afford one rifle conversion, the Special Carbine Mk II ($135,000) handles better and the Carbine Rifle Mk II ($107,500) recoils less. The Assault Rifle Mk II wins on raw per-shot damage, which makes it the best rifle platform for specialized ammo - each armor piercing or incendiary round counts for more.
The loadout that works: heavy barrel first (it holds long-range damage at 50 percent of point blank instead of the usual 30), then armor piercing rounds for armored enemies and PvP, a grip and any muzzle brake to tame the sluggish recoil, and the holographic sight ($19,600, research) for close work. Suppressed builds work too, but the rate of fire limits it as a stealth gun.
For money making it is a fine workhorse for heist setups, Bunker defense, and contact missions, though nothing about it is mandatory. If your loadout already has a maxed Special Carbine Mk II or Combat MG Mk II, skip this one until the collection itch hits.
