At a Glance
Black Market AK-M is the premium named variant of the standard AK-M assault rifle, built around the same precision-AR profile but with sharper numbers across the board. Base damage of 65,000 per bullet, 600 RPM cadence, 30-round magazine, 2.5-second reload, and a 1.65x headshot multiplier put it at the very top of the AR class for per-bullet output. Where standard AK-M relies on random talent rolls, Black Market AK-M ships with a locked named talent slot that lifts it from "good farm target" to "build cornerstone."
- Who this is for. Players who already love AK-M and want the higher damage ceiling without giving up the slow, deliberate cadence that defines the gun.
- Premium per-bullet ceiling. 65K base damage is roughly 8% higher than standard AK-M and the highest figure in the regular AR pool. Combined with the 1.65x HS multiplier, body shots and crits both scale further than any other AR.
- Acquisition. Drops as a named item from Black Tusk activities, with a higher rate from Summit floors 50+ and Countdown final-room chests. Targeted Loot rotation includes it on roughly an 8-week cadence.
- Best fit: Tipping Scales 4pc precision builds, Strikers Battlegear extended-engagement setups, raid yellow burn comps, anything that values per-shot ceiling over volume.
Full Stats
| Stat | Value |
|---|---|
| Base Damage | 65,000 |
| RPM | 600 |
| Magazine | 30 |
| Reload | 2.5s |
| Optimal Range | 40m |
| Headshot Multiplier | 1.65 |
Intrinsic Attributes (random roll)
The intrinsic on Black Market AK-M behaves the same as the standard variant — primary weapon damage and a secondary like CHD, HSD, or damage to elites. God-roll farming aims for 14-15% on the primary and 12-13% on the secondary. Targeted Loot rolls average higher than open-world drops, which matters more on a named where you cannot easily reroll the talent.
Named Talent Slot (Locked)
Unlike standard AK-M's open customization slot, Black Market AK-M ships with a fixed named talent that defines the weapon. This is the trade — you give up flexibility, you get a guaranteed roll that does not require farming dozens of duplicates to find the right talent.
Built-in Mods
Standard AR mod slots — optic (4x default), magazine, underbarrel, muzzle. The higher per-bullet damage benefits more from CHD-bias mod choices than from rate-of-fire boosters. Magazine mods that trade reload for capacity are usually the wrong call here because the slow RPM means 30 rounds already lasts a long time.
Weapon Talent: Black Market Edition (Named)
"Black Market" — On weapon swap, gain bonus weapon damage that lasts for the first part of the next magazine. Stacks with sustained-damage talents on the rest of your loadout.
The named talent rewards swap-rotation play. Pull Black Market AK-M out of the holster, dump the high-damage opening shots into a yellow elite, then swap to a sustain weapon for everything else. The talent is built around the AK-M profile — 600 RPM means each of those bonus-damage bullets carries more weight than the same talent would on a 950 RPM AR.
In practice, Black Market AK-M plays like a precision opener. You aim each shot, the first 5-10 rounds of the mag carry the swap bonus, and the per-bullet damage turns those rounds into burst-down output that the standard AK-M cannot match. On a Tipping Scales 4pc build, Black Market AK-M can effectively one-tap red enemies and three-tap most yellows in Heroic.
Practical numbers from a verified swap-rotation setup:
- Body shot, swap bonus active: ~88,000 per bullet
- Body crit, swap + Vigilance + Memento: ~340,000 per bullet
- Headshot crit at full stack: ~560,000 per bullet
- Burst DPS, first 10 rounds: ~3.1M (higher per-bullet than standard AK-M's full-mag DPS)
The locked talent means you cannot swap to Optimist or Killer if a different rotation suits your build better. That is the cost. The benefit is a damage profile that exists nowhere else in the AR class.
Top Builds
Black Market AK-M × Tipping Scales 4pc
The flagship raid build. Tipping Scales gives the CHD stack engine, AK-M provides the per-bullet ceiling, and the named talent's swap bonus makes the opening rotation hit harder than any other AR can manage. Bench it as the precision opener, swap to a sustain AR for the rest of the room.
Black Market AK-M × Strikers Battlegear
The sustain variant. Strikers stacks weapon damage on hits, the slower RPM means you spend more time landing crits than other ARs, and the named talent layers on top of Strikers stacks for an extended damage curve. Strong in longer Heroic engagements.
Black Market AK-M × Coyote's Mask × Memento
The kill-chain build. Coyote's Mask adds swap-procced CHC, Memento layers trophy stacks, and the named talent's swap bonus lines up cleanly with both. Tight room clear with high per-shot damage.
PvE vs PvP
In PvE, Black Market AK-M is the precision-AR ceiling — the highest base damage in the class, the same 1.65x HS multiplier as standard AK-M, and a named talent that rewards swap-rotation play. Where standard AK-M asks you to farm a good Optimist roll, Black Market gives you a guaranteed talent and lets you focus on the rest of the build. The 40m optimal range pairs well with marksman-style sightlines in raid arenas. Where it falls off is mob-clear in tight rooms — the 600 RPM is just slow enough that grouped reds can close before you finish the mag.
The 30-round mag and 2.5-second reload are both class-standard, but the slower rate of fire means each mag lasts about 3 seconds of constant fire. With swap-rotation play, you rarely empty the mag anyway — you fire the high-bonus opening rounds and swap.
In PvP, Black Market AK-M is excellent for medium-range duels. The 65K base damage two-taps squishy DZ targets at any range inside 40m, and the swap-bonus talent means catching an opponent off-guard is more rewarding than with the standard variant. Most ranked players treat Black Market AK-M as a swap weapon paired with a sustained-fire SMG or AR.
Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons | | — | — | | 65K base damage is class-leading among ARs | 600 RPM is slow for grouped close-range targets | | 1.65x HS multiplier rewards precision | Sustained DPS lower than 850 RPM ARs | | Named talent locked — no farm for Optimist | Cannot swap talent if build needs change | | 40m optimal range is longer than most ARs | 2.5s reload is on the longer side | | Excellent swap weapon for burst rotations | Named drops less frequently than base AK-M |
Comparison
Versus standard AK-M, Black Market trades the open talent slot for higher base damage and a locked named talent. If you already have a god-roll Optimist AK-M, the upgrade is marginal — about 8% per-bullet damage. If you do not, Black Market saves you the farm.
Versus Eagle Bearer, Black Market is the slower-cadence precision pick. Eagle Bearer has higher RPM and the named talent's reload mechanic, Black Market has the higher per-bullet ceiling.
Versus a god-roll Mantis (MMR), Black Market is faster and easier to track multiple targets. Mantis has higher per-bullet damage and longer range. Different tools.
FAQ
Is Black Market AK-M still worth chasing in TU22.1? Yes. The stat profile has not been touched in any recent balance pass and the named talent remains uncontested in its niche.
Black Market AK-M or god-roll Optimist AK-M? Black Market for the higher per-bullet ceiling and locked talent. Optimist AK-M for build flexibility. Most players keep both.
Where does Black Market AK-M drop? Black Tusk activities, Summit floors 50+, Countdown final-room chests, and Targeted Loot rotation roughly every 8 weeks.
Does the named talent stack with Strikers? Yes. The named talent's bonus damage and Strikers' stacking weapon damage are different multipliers and layer cleanly.
How long to farm a good roll? Outside the Targeted Loot window, expect 4-6 hours of focused Black Tusk activity for a usable roll. Inside the window, 1-2 hours.
Closing
Black Market AK-M is the precision-AR ceiling. The 65K base damage and 1.65x headshot multiplier produce the highest per-bullet output in the AR class, and the locked named talent gives you a guaranteed swap-rotation tool without farming a dozen Optimist duplicates. Pair it with Tipping Scales for the cleanest raid burst rotation in the game.
Last reviewed: 2026-04-25 · TU22.1 · Verified vs in-game