THE FINALS AKM Guide (Season 12)

The AKM is the baseline Medium assault rifle — the gun every other Medium weapon gets compared against. Big magazine, solid damage, works at basically any range that isn’t a sniper duel. As of Season 12 it’s rated at the very top of the meta for the class, and it’s the default pick for support-minded Mediums. Here’s why.

What it is

A classic-pattern assault rifle with a large magazine, real mid-range punch and enough recoil to keep you honest. Where the FCAR asks for trigger discipline, the AKM asks for trigger willingness — you can hold angles and lay down suppression without instantly running dry.

Engagement range

• Sweet spot: 15 to 35 meters. Long enough to contest Medium-versus-Light fights across a street, short enough to brawl inside buildings when the Cashout drops there.
• Tap or burst at range. Full-auto spraying past 35 meters turns your mag into confetti. Short bursts keep the pattern tight.
• Inside 10 meters it’s fine, not great — a Light with an SMG or a Heavy with a shotgun will usually beat you there. Back off, hold the angle, make them come to you.

Attachment ideas

Build the AKM around sustained fire:

• Recoil control first, always. The pattern climbs; damping it lets you land more of the big mag on target.
• A mid-range optic (2x-ish) if you play back from the objective — the AKM’s strength is holding lanes, not clearing corners.
• Magazine or reload speed both work well. With this much ammo per mag, a faster reload effectively extends your uptime more than a bigger mag does.

Pros and cons

Why it’s a top-tier Medium gun:

• Huge magazine — you can pre-fire angles, suppress a push, and still have rounds left when the fight actually starts
• Strong mid-range damage that punishes Lights trying to pick from distance
• Forgiving: you don’t need perfect tracking to get value
• The psychological effect is real — nobody pushes an AKM calmly holding an angle

What to watch out for:

• Recoil is real. Uncontrolled full-auto at range is wasted ammo
• Loses close-range duels to dedicated CQC weapons
• Bigger mag means a longer reload if you’re caught empty at the wrong time

Who should run it

Support Mediums and team anchors. The AKM pairs naturally with Healing Beam, Defibrillator, Jump Pad and Goo Grenade — you hold mid-range angles while your Light flanks and your Heavy anchors, and your job is to not run out of bullets when three enemies appear. If you’re the player who pre-fires doorways and keeps the enemy team’s attention glued to you while a teammate flanks, this is your gun.

Players who prefer dueling might look at the FCAR instead — it rewards precision more than suppression. And if you want the full kit, the Medium build guide has the complete loadouts.