Halo Reach Multiplayer: Turning Frustration Into Domination

Did you just get dominated in Halo Reach Multiplayer? Are you reading this article because you are frustrated with your Halo Reach Performance and want to improve? I know how you feel. I have spent so much time in Halo Reach Multiplayer futility, I almost gave up on the game. The thing about Reach Multiplayer is that you can have one of those games where you dominate and you feel great. But if you have more bad games than good ones, it can be extremely frustrating. You scream at the screen, throw your controller and cannot understand why you are playing so poorly. I could never understand how I could be so good at the Campaign and in Firefight, yet it did not translate into wins in the Multiplayer realm. Obviously, it's the human element. Human competitors are unpredictable and there are such varying degrees of talent out there. One game, your playing well because the other players are mediocre and you are just better. The next game, you spend mostly on the ground while racking up dying frenzies. There is one key element to changing your game entirely. Attitude.

After months of Reach futility, I decided to analyze my mindset. I could see how the game was making me angry and how my frustration translated into a higher death count. I started to focus more on forgetting the times when I die and moving on calmly to the next manuever. I am an avid golfer and I realized a long time ago how attitude truly affects the outcome of the game. I can remember countless times when I had a bad shot and that one bad shot ruined the whole game. My anger and frustration affected every shot after that and the afternoon would be ruined. At one point I told myself to take a deep breath and focus on getting on with the game.

I applied this technique to my Halo game and saw instant results. The point is to remember that you are going to die. It is extremely hard to go through a game without dying once. I have rarely seen this from any player in a Multiplayer game. I know I have seen it less than 20 times and I have played thousands of games. Anyway, Halo Reach Multiplayer is just like any other competition. If you allow yourself to get angry, you are setting yourself up for a fall. Remember that you are good at this game, if you are missing some key elements, you might just be looking for the right coach or that one tip that can be a game changer.

I've also learned that there are times when you just cannot seem to get into the groove, when your shots and movements are somehow off. I usually take a break from Multiplayer and head over to firefight for a game or two. I notice that if I play a bit in firefight and just focus on one aspect of my game that seems to be lacking, or some of the tip and tricks I've learned when I come back to Multiplayer, I am relaxed and focused again.

Sometimes the key to dominance is in forgetting that last death, or that last game, or that dude who just teabagged you and moving on confidently.

Happy Gaming Folks!

-Andrew