Halo 4 brings a huge number of new and revamped weapons to the table and it can be difficult to know where to start. We break down each weapon of the human, Covenant and Prometheans and tell you exactly which one to use and in what situation.
Don’t get caught out when you first jump into Halo 4’s multiplayer. It can be a brutal, nasty place. Make sure you’re prepared…
Battle Rifle – 36 Rounds
The Battle Rifle makes its triumphant return in Halo 4 after last being seen in Halo 2 (edit: though there was a variation that appeared in Halo 3). It’s been through a bit of redesign though and now looks like the heavy weapon it really is. Just as in Halo 2, Halo 4’s Battle Rifle fires a three-round burst every time you pull the trigger making it a deadly weapon in the right hands.
Three consecutive bursts, aimed directly at an enemies’ head is enough to see off their shields and administer the finishing blow. Train yourself to aim accurately while moving as well as hammering the trigger as fast as you can and the Battle Rifle will become your best friend. It also has a single zoom scope making it one of Halo’s many perfectly balanced close to long-range weapons.
How successfully you are with the BR will come down to your trigger finger and ability to aim down the sights while on the move. Still, it beats trying to shoot someone with the Assault Rifle any day of the week.
Assault Rifle – 32 Rounds
The go-to Halo gun and one of the easiest weapons you can use. This is a spray-and-pray weapon that’s inaccurate at both long and close you range. You have to be standing directly in front of you enemy for the full effect to be felt, but if you manage to unload an entire clip into them they’ll be open for a devastating melee hit that should finish them off.
The Assault Rifle has been around since Combat Evolved and it might be the most iconic Halo gun, but as an accurate multiplayer weapon, it leaves a lot to be desired. The Assault Rifle is best used as a secondary gun; think of it like a fancy pistol, used when your primary rifle has run dry and your foe is right on top of you.
At a distance it’s useless and it empties it clip far too quickly, but if you’re smart and use it only when you need to, Halo’s Assault Rifle can still find a useful place in your arsenal.
DMR (Designated Marksman Rifle) – 14 Rounds
The DMR returns from its initial run in Halo: Reach and we’re very glad it did too. While some may consider the DMR and the BR to be weapons that offer similar sorts of strengths – long-range power shots – the truth is, the DMR requires players to be much more accurate.
The DMR fires a single powerful round and as a rifle it sits somewhere between an assault rifle and a sniper rifle. It’s quick to reload making it more use at close range but the DMR really comes into its own over medium to long-range firefights. Battles where you have plenty of time to ensure good clean shots find their targets. Depending on where you hit your enemy, the DMR can down a Spartan in 3-4 hits. It’s also our own personal favourite for these very reasons.
Sniper Rifle – 4 Rounds
One of the most practical and unchanged weapons in gaming, the sniper rifle has barely been altered since its first appearance in Combat Evolved. It might look slightly different in Halo 4, but it performs exactly the same job as it always has. Fans of hanging back and picking off enemy players might be upset to see that 343 hasn’t given the sniper rifle any more bullets, but some players out there have developed their sniping skills into what we can only describe as super powers.
There has to be a balancing factor and the limited ammo clip is it. That said, and although the sniper rifle remains unchanged, it is still one of the most effective weapons in Halo 4. A single on-target headshot is enough to drop any Spartan, it’s just a skill that’s not easily acquired. As before, the sniper rifle requires a deft hand and a slick trigger finger.
Rocket Launcher – Two Rounds
Like Halo 4’s sniper rifle the rocket launcher remains unchanged from previous games. It’s still devastatingly effective at close range and it’ll still lock on to vehicles if you give it time. With a lot more upper tier power weapons in play during Halo 4’s multiplayer the focus has been slightly shifted away from the rocket launcher, but there’s no way you’ll ever be able to run past one without picking it up.
Magnum – 8 Rounds
There’s a lot of love for Halo’s magnum and with Halo: Reach returning it to prominence the Halo 4 iteration remains much the same. An excellent weapon to fall back on (changing weapons is after all faster than reloading when you’re in a pinch), the pistol still isn’t quite the power-house cannon of Combat Evolved, but it will serve you well if you’re out of options.
The pistol also works well as a ranged weapon if you double it up with the power of a shotgun, too. It might not have the stopping power of an Assault Rifle, but that’s what the shotgun is for, right?
Shotgun – 6 Rounds
The trusty Halo shotgun is another weapon that returns to Halo 4 with barely any changes (343 obviously weren’t keen on tinkering with the UNSC weapons). At close range the Shotgun is still devastating and with some of Halo 4’s maps containing a range close quarters combat opportunity it’s better to have a shotgun set-up saved to you classes in case the situation presents itself.
Remember, save your shotgun for close encounters.
Rail Gun – 1 Round
The Rail Gun is new to Halo 4 and is basically a miniaturised version of the MAC guns that the UNSC ships fire. What that means is that the Rail Gun sends out an explosive slug that needs to charged up for a few seconds.
Like the Spartan Laser it takes a bit of skill to find your target, but with some substantial splash damage, it’s not the end of the world if you miss. With a limited number of shots the Rail Gun should be treated in the same way as the Rocket Launcher; if you get the chance to use it, go right ahead, just don’t rely on it when a team of Spartans is chasing you down.
SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) – 72 Rounds
Another new addition to Halo 4 the SAW is a mixture of Halo 2’s Sub Machine Guns and an Assault Rifle. The SAW throws out bullets at an incredible rate, but if you fire in short bursts you can maintain a decent level of accuracy and do a lot of damage in close quarters.
It’s more useful than the standard Halo Assault Rifle (it does more damage for one thing), but it can take a while to reload leaving you exposed if you’ve yet to deal enough damage to whatever it is you’re trying to kill.
Spartan Laser – 4 Shots
The Spartan Laser is best used against vehicles. It takes a long time to charge your shot and only the very lucky will ever score a hit on an actual player (though it does happen more than you’d think). This is best used in gametypes that rely on vehicles like Capture The Flag. There’s nothing more satisfying than blowing up a Warthog full of players making off with you flag.
Like the Rocket Launcher though, this is a fire and forget weapon and one that’s only ever any real use if you can use it opportunistically. You pick and choose your battles with the Spartan Laser.
Sticky Detonator – Round
First seen in the Halo 4 reveal the Sticky Detonator should be treated like the Covenant’s Plasma Grenade. If you can make it stick to a player they’re pretty much finished. It has a medium amount of splash damage but only really does enough damage if its stuck to a player helmet (probably with them looking on in horror).
Unlike the Plasma Grenade the Sticky Pistol has a far greater range to it make it much more useful. Don’t forget though, you have to pull the trigger to detonate the charge. You can use this to your advantage by letting your unsuspecting stuckee run towards his mates before you blow him up. Good times.
Grenade – x2
The UNSC Grenade is great to throw into a group, just don’t expect all of your targets to go down. These things are best thrown in groups. If you get a team of players all throwing Grenades at a particular target they’ll be dead before they know what’s going on.
Covenant Carbine – 18 Rounds
Moving on to the Covenant weaponry and like many of the UNSC favourites some of these remain largely unchanged from previous games, but that doesn’t diminish from their tactical importance. The Covenant Carbine is one such unchanged weapon. Great at range with a nice full clip of ammo the Carbine can do a huge amount of damage. Its range isn’t that far short of the UNSC’s Sniper Rifle, but unlike the sniper rifle it isn’t limited to the number of, or speed at which you can fire, shots.
It’s all about the quantity of shots you fire off with the Carbine. With no cool down time between rounds you can effectively spam the trigger and as long as you can keep your aim, it takes a surprisingly few number of shots to take out a fully shielded Spartan.
Plasma Pistol – 100 Battery Units
On its own the Plasma Pistol isn’t much use, they only really cause the player damage when the Grunts use them in groups and then you really in trouble. The best use of the Plasma Pistol, and this has been the same since Combat Evolved, is against player’s shields. Hold the trigger to charge it up and then fire it at the first person you see. Just make sure you have a beefy enough weapon in reserve so that you can finish of your foe quickly.
Needler – 18 Rounds
The Needler has steadily been improved over the years and its modern iteration in Halo 4 is the best its been in a long time. Though many complained its 18 rounds of exploding needles were pretty much useless in Halo 4 it’s a more than viable option. Working best in close quarters and in areas with little to no cover to hide behind, you need surprisingly few of your needles to stick before the resulting explosion is of sufficient size to kill.
The Needler loses its efficiency over large spaces, but up close it’s deadly. And so few players actually use it you actually have the element of surprise on your side if you chose to run into battle with it. It’s best used as a secondary weapon, but for close quarters, only a shotgun blast works better than the Covenant Needler.
Energy Sword – 100 Battery Units
Ah yes, the Energy Sword. One of Halo’s most iconic weapons and one of the most deadly multiplayer choices you can choose. It takes a real pro to use the Energy Sword effectively, but with 343 choosing to allow all players the ability to sprint (in Halo: Reach it was an ability all by its self) the deadly coupling of sprint and sword has been largely neutered. That’s not to say the Energy Sword is any less effective, but that its much more expected now to see players sprint across the map before upper-cutting an unsuspecting player.
In Halo 4 the Energy Sword is still very much a lucky draw weapon that you can find on certain maps but once it’s in play you’ll find teams of Spartans will waste their lives fighting over it. Locking-on is still a crucial aspect (and the timing of it appears to remain unchanged from previous Halo games) as well as hiding the sword as your secondary weapon only to whip it out once you’ve closed in on your target.
Storm Rifle – 100% Energy Core
Replacing the standard Plasma Rifle (the preferred weapon of the Covenant’s Elites) the Storm Rifle is Halo’s most inaccurate gun. Holding down the trigger will see shots fire in all directions after a few precious seconds so players using it will see better results when firing in short bursts. Very short bursts.
Inaccurate at range the Storm Rifle is supposed to be a medium-to-close ranged weapon but considering its erratic fire rate you’re best playing it safe and using it in close quarters. Used in this manner its shots are surprisingly effective – especially against shields – and as long as you keep your trigger finger under control you should be able to use its fast rate of fire effectively against anyone unlucky enough to find you bearing down on them with this at close range.
Beam Rifle – 100% Energy Core
Another rifle brought over from Halo: Reach that remains pretty much unchanged, the Beam Rifle sends out a powerful uninterrupted plasma beam that when held over a target long enough (between two and three seconds) is enough to cause a huge amount of damage. It’s deadly accurate even when fired across a huge open space and it’s this that makes it an interesting alternative to the Sniper Rifle.
If you catch a player in open ground with no cover anywhere near them, the Beam Rifle will be able to make short work of them. It does come with drawbacks. You’ll burn through its energy core really quickly and timing your shots perfectly can mean the difference between life and death (for your target, that is). Also, because its beam is uninterrupted it provides every enemy player with a handy ‘he’s right here’ guide whenever you fire it meaning you’ll have to be on your toes if you don’t want everyone knowing exactly where you’re hiding.
Concussion Rifle – 100 Battery Units (6 shots)
One of the Covenant’s power-hungry weapons the Concussion Rifle fires what basically amount to flying grenades. With only six shots, which are enough to kill any Spartan and destroy any vehicle the Concussion Rifle is only limited by its range, which isn’t very good.
Slow to fire and even slower to reload the Concussion Rifle is best used as a powerful addition to an Assault Rifle and if you’re playing on a vehicle-heavy map it’s a must. There aren’t too many weapons in Halo’s multiplayer that are amazingly effective against a Warthog, Wraith or tank, but grab a Concussion Rifle and you’ll be at least halfway to causing it some serious damage.
Gravity Hammer – 100 Battery Units
The Gravity Hammer is far less prominent in Halo 4 than it has been in previous games and though it occupies the same ground as the Covenant Energy Sword its huge size makes it slower and much harder to wield. It does cause a substantial amount of splash damage though so it really is best used against groups of enemies. They’ll see you coming a mile off though, the Gravity Hammer is huge and you can’t hide it, too. It’s strapped to your back like a massive ‘keep away from me’ sign.
Plasma Grenade x2
The classic Plasma Grenade is still one of Halo’s multiplayer best weapons. Will sticking other players with this, watching as the few seconds they have left is spent running around aimlessly, before blowing up in a shower of blue? Fans of the Plasma Grenade will be happy to know that it’s as deadly as it’s always been and it’s far more useful than both the old UNSC variant and the new Promethean Pulse Grenade. Always keep two handy and train yourself into throwing one instinctively at player’s heads.
Binary Rifle – 2 Rounds
The Promethean equivalent of the Sniper Rifle is about as deadly as the UNSC rifle and comes with the added bonus of disintegrating your whoever it was you shot in a shower of light. With a limited capacity this power comes at a cost and the Binary Rifle should only be used by those who hit their targets on the first shot. Powerful enough to stop anyone in their tracks – pretty much regardless of where you hit them – the Binary Rifle is incredibly powerful.
Miss your mark however and you’ll be open to attack and with the limited rounds this really is only worth turning to if you’re that good of a sniper and let’s face it, we always overestimate how good we are.
Boltshot – 10 Rounds
The Boltshot is more like the Covenant’s Plasma Pistol but instead of making your enemies shields disappear opening them up for a killer blow, the Bolsthot offers something more like a one-handed shotgun blast. Charge it up and get into range and this thing is devastating. It’ll only use half you allocated rounds too, which means even if you miss you’ll have a fighting chance of surviving the ensuing gunfight. A great alternative pistol the Bolshot is a handy shotgun-style equivalent to have in your back pocket.
Incineration Cannon
The Promethean rocket launcher the Incineration Cannon fires about five (at least we think its five) balls of energy that explode and bounce about and cause tons of damage. As you’d imagine the splash damage is huge but the Incineration Cannon takes an absolute age to re-charge. It’s really a mixture of a rocket launcher and a shotgun and is the perfect choice for taking out groups of player’s stupid enough to run around in packs and vehicles, too.
As a high-end weapon you’ll have to spot this on the map, but just be wary it takes an age to reload. Don’t get caught out.
Lightrifle – 15 Rounds
One of our favourite Promethean weapons the Lightrifle is the perfect mid-to-long range rifle that’s actually pretty handy up close, too. With a healthy magazine size with powerful shots this is like the UNSC’s DMR but with what seems like a slightly faster rate of fire.
It does depend on how quick you are on the trigger, but stick to headshots and fire liberally and you’ll be surprised how quickly this will put down players.
Pulse Grenade x2
A curious beast in the single-player, the Promethean Pulse Grenade is actually much more useful in Halo 4’s multiplayer. Once it lands it creates a ball of energy that will disintegrate anyone silly enough to run through it. It’s less effective as an actual grenade, but if you’re careful and time your throws you can force players to run through its deadly radius.
This is also useful as an area denial tool. You can box players into tight spaces or even cover an exit if you’ve got a bunch of them running up behind you. It’s an interesting addition to the series and is different enough to Halo’s other grenades that it more than finds itself a place.
Scattershot – 5 Rounds
Though you could describe this as the Promethean equivalent of the shotgun the Scattershot is actually quite a bit more powerful with (if you can believe it) less range. Instead of firing small pellets the Scattershot fires sizable balls of energy with a projection arc that dips quite quickly. They spread out faster than you’d imagine too, but they can on occasion bounce, catching players unawares.
Hit somebody up close with this and they’ll immediately disintegrate. The Scattershot also has a surprising amount of splash damage over a large area making it the perfect indoors gun. Just don’t expect to do much when players refuse to come near you while you wielding it.
Suppressor – 50 Rounds
One of Halo 4’s worst weapons it’s hard to imagine what the Suppressor is really good at apart from, well, suppressing enemies with an impressive, yet undeadly, barrage of bullets. The Suppressor is really inefficient at both close and long range but it will fire off a ton of shots. It has the largest bullet capacity of any weapon, but its horrendous aim – which starts off bad and only gets worse the longer you hold the trigger – makes it difficult to recommend. You might find it useful in close quarters combat, but outside of interiors it’s actually hard to hit anything even they’re standing directly in front of you a few feet away.
Playing Halo 4? Have a favourite weapon? Lets us know below.
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