Halo 3 Magnum

Type: Spartan
Rate of Fire: Semi-Automatic
Clip Size: 8
Maximum Ammunition: 40
Range: Close to Mid
Found On: (A starting weapon for Team Slayer games) Epitaph, Guradian, Last Resort, The Pit

General

The starting weapon in Team Slayer games (not Team BR’s) you would think this weapon is used more than it is, however this weapon is overshadowed by the Battle Rifle. It is also often forgot about in entirly as a starting weapon, a mistake that can be punished as this weapon is far easier to kill a man with no shield with a magnum compared to the Assault Rifle.

Tactics

The Magnum is very strange in its range, although it can shoot medium range this is no that effective usually. Though at close-medium range this gun this quite useful, with good team work this gun can become a Battle Rifle without a scope. However, you should always pick up a Carbine or Battle Rifle to replace your pistol. Make sure in Team Slayer games that you swap your Magnum and not Assualt Rifle, otherwise in up close battles you could lose.

Although the Magnum can be dual-wielded , this is not advised. Essentially the magnum is a baby Battle Rifle, so grenades go hand in hand with the Magnum. Combining with an SMG in a Team Duals match can be devastating but it’s a hard combo to master.

If Facing…

Assualt Rifle: At close range, generally, this is fight already lost. But at a medium distance it’s fight worth taking on as you will usually come out victorious. Always remember to avoid going for the punch as the Assault Rifle will always defeat you.

Battle Rifle: This is also a fight not worth taking on at any distance, usually you will lose to a Battle Rifle in any circumstance. Try to avoid a confrontation and throw grenades down to scare your opponant away.

Sniper Rifle: Like the Battle Rifle, this is  fight already lost at long or close distance. However in a mid to close distance, some good evasive tactics may allow the Magnum to come out on top. Remember to strafe and do not jump back or forward as this makes for an easy no scope.

Vehicles: The magnum is terrible against any vehicle.

The new small vehicle for Halo 3

The mongoose is a quadbike like vehicle that has 1 driver and 1 passenger. Unless going for the Mongoose Mowdown achievement, the mongoose is useless in all Slayer gametypes. Do not ever get on a Mongoose with intention to splatter someone with it, it will not work on a frequent basis, about 1/50 attempts, not a good chance of killing.

Although for Objective gametypes its very effective for a quick flag grab or bomb transportation. It can catch the opponants off guard and it is very quick at getting the flag back. The Mongoose has a large downside in which it is extremely hard for the passager todeal a great amount of damage rom the back, its prone to any explosion from a frag, brute shot or rocket. Aswell its very easy for any gun damage the people on the mongoose.

Needler

Type: Covenant
Rate of Fire: Automatic
Clip Size: 19
Maximum Ammunition: 76
Range: Mid Range
Found On: Boundless, Epitaph, Epilogue, Guardian, High Ground, Last Resort, Narrows, The Pit, Snowbound.

General

The Needler is somewhat of an enigma in the Halo arsenal, with no comparable Spartan alternative or discernable similarities to any other weaponry in the series. It functions by firing a even stream of over-sized, luminous pink needles (hence the name) at enemies, which attach themselves like leeches to opponents and explode concurrently after a short delay.

Tactics

The Needler excels in an extremely limited range of circumstances. Unlike the conventional distinction between the long, medium and short ranges of combat, a more apt method of contrast for the Needler is between open and close-quarters battles. As the Needler requires you to unleash close to a full clip of ammunition per kill it is of the utmost importance your opponent has minimal room to manoeuvre or evade your fire. So naturally the Needler is in its element on the more claustrophobic maps such as Guardian, The Pit and Narrows but is significantly less useful on the more expansive maps like Last Resort and Snowbound/Boundless. As if that wasn’t restricting enough, the Needler is never to be used in a two on one scenario (in which you are the one), its usage should be exclusive to one on one action. Don’t become completely disheartened though because in the correct circumstances the Needler can be one of the most lethal weapons on the entire game, it’s all about knowing when and where to use it.

Unlike most Covenant weapons the Needler is not particularly adept at draining enemy shields, nor is it an optimal finishing weapon. Instead a Needler kill invariably involves emptying a single clip of fire into the enemy. It is not recommended you attempt to use the Needler in conjunction with grenades, a Battle Rifle or any other secondary method of attack. Additionally, as a consequence of the delay between the impact and explosion of the Needler bullets you are more susceptible than ever to the infuriating ‘death grenade’ of your enemy, as he/she will more than likely realise they are dead half a second or more before they are. This gives them plenty of chance to bombard you with every Frag Grenade, Plasma Grenade, Power Drain or any other tricks they have up their Mark VI sleeve, before they hit the deck. Finally, the Needler has a lengthy reload time so if you haven’t taken down your enemy in one clip you would be best advised to change your weapon.

If Facing…

Battle Rifle: As a general code of conduct, the Battle Rifle is the ideal weapon to take down a Needler (Rockets notwithstanding). A good player will weave in and out of your fire and promptly take you down with some precise headshots. However, in close quarters situations, especially when you have the first shot you may find yourself emerging victorious. At any distance other than mid range, look for cover or swap weapons as swiftly as you can.

Assault Rifle: The Needler is arguably the most efficient way to kill a player wielding an Assault Rifle. Nine times out of ten a player using an Assault Rifle will attempt to charge you and go for the melee finish. In this situation back off and maintain fire. As he/she will be desperate to land that melee on you its a good bet they’ll charge straight for you, leaving them easy prey.

Sniper Rifle: At long distance always look for cover as this is not a battle you can win. However at short distances, where your enemy is looking for the no scope, the Needler can be lethal against Sniper Rifles, providing they miss.

Vehicles: Don’t like the Covenant tag fool you. Unlike the Plasma Pistol, the Needler is useless against Vehicles of all shapes execept the Mongoose.

Best maps to use on

At the start on The Pit the Needler is good protection for the Rocket Launcher as it’s a very narrow corridor making dodging the Needler near imposible.

Sniper Rifle

Type: Human
Rate of Fire: Semi Automatic
Clip Size: 4
Maximum Ammunition: 20
Range: Long and Close
Found On: Blackout, Epilogue, Guardian, High Ground, Last Resort, Narrows, The Pit, Valhalla, Isolation, Sand-trap, Construct, Rats Nest, Ghost Town, Foundry, Avalanche.

General

The Sniper Rifle is one of the most and best used Weapons in the Halo Saga, this is because of its one shot kill capability (if the bullet travels through the head). A Medal is also gained if you get a sniper head shot. Its relatively quick reloading time makes this a very effective weapon, especially at long range where the opponents will have a hard time even hitting you. With 4 bullets a clip and with 1.33 bullets firing off every second a mid-skilled player can easily pick of 2-3 kills every 2 clips or so. As most people into FPS’s will know, Sniper Rifles have ‘zoom in’ capability which is also what Halo incorporated with the 5x and 10x zoom. Utilizing the Sniper Rifle in a desolate open space is advised.

Tactics

As this weapon only takes a maximum of two shots to the body and one shot to the head, it a very dangerous weapon. Gaining high ground is an advantage that should be used not just for the Sniper Rifle but for every weapon. On maps like The Pit a sniper can do a great deal of damage without a great deal of cover from team mates. However sniping on Construct and Isolation is quite challenging as the enemy are always able to put fire on a sniper making it very difficult. In a one on one situation at mid distance, there are 2 options. Firstly, you could choose to try “no scope” or “quick scope”. This is risky as there is good chance of dying and giving away a power weapon and a kill to the other team. The other option is to try to run away you may not get a kill but you will keep the sniper rifle. The Battle Rifle or Carbine is the enemy of an Sniper user, not only does it put alot of pressure on the sniper but it knocks the scope off and causes disarray and confusion, as your aim will be jolted away.

If its inevitable that you are going to die. However, if  worst comes to worst, try to jump off the map (if this is possible such as on a map like Guardian). If this isnt possible then fire all the ammo out of the gun so there is no ammo or at least reduced ammo for the other team. People do not know this tactic and giving the enemy a sniper in the later stages of a close game can just be a deciding factor.

Sniper Rifle or Beam Rifle

Beam Rifle

When deciding to choose the Sniper Rifle or Beam Rifle (this choice will only come up in the Team Snipers playlist) it is matter of personal preferance. in actual fact the Beam Rifle is better. It never has to reload, it can shoot faster and the beam is harder to see a bullet trail to locate the person who shot it. In my opinion i prefer the Sniper Rifle, i believe its easier to use. Though this maybe due to the fact that I have had more practice with this weapon because it is on more maps.

Best Maps used on

The Sniper Rfile and Beam Rifle should be used on any map as it is a game winning weapon. They are both dominant on the levels they appear on.

Rules

First team to 50 kills wins the match.
12 minute time limit, team with most kills at end of the time wins if 50 kills isnt reached.

Team Slayer is the bread and butter of Halo 3

3 or 4 players per team
Max party size = 4 players
Heroic map pack required

Gametypes

Team Slayer
Team BR’s

Maps

Construct
Guardian
High Ground
Isolation
Boundless (Snowbound Varient)
Pit Stop (The Pit Varient)
Valhalla
Foundry-Heroic DLC-required
Standoff-Heroic DLC-required
Blackout-Ledgendary DLC-not required
Ghost Town-Legendary DLC-not required

Snipe Tower Overview

Green Overview

Gold Overview

Blue Overview

As you will come to know, there are many variations to these ‘callouts’, but we feel that the names shown on here are the most common/most frequently utilized.

Tips

As we mentioned before, the Snipe Tower is key, one great advantage of holding Snipe Tower is that when shooting from S3/S2 across to Blue the enemies will have a extremely hard time shooting you continuously due to the high rimmed edge of the corner, use this to your favour. However, like every map, positions have flaws and one major dissadvantage of standing in S2 is that it is hugely open to grenade attacks from Top Middle and Elbow. As well as that some less experienced players may ignore S3 but more than often, enemies spawning Blue room/Window will travel across Top Middle to Jump up to S3 suprising you at S2. Guardian is not really dominated by power weapons compared to other maps such as Construct, but the Hammer (spawn Bottom Middle) can get quite frustrating at times so watching someone doesnt sneak up on you through S1 is vital. One weapon that does push the opposing team back is the sniper (spawn at S1). If the opening battle is won and your team has control of the Sniper tower the Sniper can be used freely, however we suggest not to rush the sniper at the start of the match as normally in a Guardian match, everyone travels to Sniper Tower and you could well be rushed by assualt rifles.

Due to the magnetism of the sniper, many people tend to avoid the active camo at the beginning, this can be used to pick up a few easy kills. However this is not to say you go full pelt at the enemy, play it smart, try to get around them and pick up a few ‘back smacks’ (assassinations). More on Powerups will be explained on a seperate page (LINK HERE).

If you have spawned Elbow/Green, one way to use your overshield advantage to the maximum is to wait and hear if anyone travels over the mancannon to S2 as if they don’t, it could be half a shield wasted. Another advantage of this technique is that once picked up, it gives you 3 seconds of invunerability!, so if picked up after someone has just finished coming over the mancannon, there is little chance of even having any overshield burnt down.

The last major power weapon on Guardian is the Shotgun, this can be extremely dominant and our best advice if faced with a shotgun opponent (if no escape is available) is to death stick them with a plasma grenade. Overall however Team shooting is very important in Guardian and we suggest the person covering S3 or Elbow should pick up the Carbine (longer distance weapon than the assault rifle). The BR is the substitute for this example over on Gold Side. (spawn at Top Gold, just on the entrance to the Jump Up)

Predicting Spawns

Preciting spawns can be the difference between winning and losing, this involves throwing grenades or aiming at points in the map where the opposing team is likely to spawn. Guardian is a small map so predicting spawns is relatively easy. For example, if your team is set up at Snipe Tower and you have finished off the kills previously at Blue, it is likely that the enemies will spawn at Gold or Green/Elbow. Communication can severely increase your odds at predicting spawns here. Blocking spawns is also a way of determining the spawns of the opposing team, due to Bungies relatively complex spawn system compared to other games such as COD, players will spawn away from the opposing team. An example of this would be if 2 of your team is set up on Snipe Tower and the other 2 are hovering around Gold and Blue Rooms. It is very likely that the opposing team will spawn in Green. But be on the look out because these are odds, not certainties and a back smack could come your way if your not cautious.

Weapon and Power Up Spawn Timers

Battle Rifle- 30
Carbine- 30
Spiker- 30
Sniper- 180
Hammer- 180
Plasma Pistol- 90
Plasma Rifle- 10
Bruteshot- 120
Mauler- 45
SMG- 10
Shotgun- 180
Magnum- 30
Bubble Shield- 60

Overshield – 180 (Spawn at S2)

Active Camo – 180 (Spawn at Camo)

Playlists and Gametypes

Ranked Playlists

Lone Wolves
Slayer, Swords, OddBall
Slayer BR’s, Crazy King

Team Slayer
Team Slayer
Team BR’s

Team Objective
Oddball, Crazy King

Team Doubles
Slayer, Team BR’s , Team Snipers, Oddball, Crazy King

Hardcore Playlists

MLG
Team Oddball, Team Slayer

SWAT
Team SWAT, Shwatguns, SWAT Magnums

Team Snipers

Shotty Snipers, Team Snipers

Social Playlists

Rumble Pit
Slayer, Crazy King, Mosh Pit , Oddball, Swords

Social Slayer
Team Slayer, Team BR’s, Swords

Multi Team
Team Slayer, Team Swords, Hammerzeit, Team Oddball, Team Crazy King, VIP

The names are as follows:

Open Side Overview

Close Side Overview

Basement Overview

Rockets Overview

Sniper Overview

Weapons on the Map (respawn timer)

Assault Rifle
Battle Rifle
Brute Shot
Energy Sword (180 seconds)
Mauler
Plasma Pistol
Sniper Rifle (180 seconds)
Spartan Laser (120 seconds)
Spiker
Flamethrower
Missile Pod

Equipment and Grenades (respawn timer)

Bubble Shield
Power Drain
Frag Grenade
Plasma Grenade

Strategy for Team Slayer

The starting battle usually comes to a fight in the middle of the second tier, however avoiding this and jumping up a lift allows you grab a Battle Rifle, Sniper Rifle and Sword and also rain down fire on the opposing team . In addition,  if some of your team mates die at the bottom they will spawn at the top with you making it easier for your team to gain map control. Power weapon control is not as important as other levels compared to Construct, however the Energy Sword can become quite dominant. But do not walk around with the Sword brandished as a good player will back away from you, making you look quite the fool.

Construct is a map that heavily based around map control, more than power weapon control. A good strategy is to have one man covering each of the purple lifts with a man in the lobby. This means that each of the lifts are covered and there is protection from people coming through sword. The extra man should cover the gold lift on the open side so he can watch the open ramp, but remember to make sure the power cores behind him have been destroyed otherwise this man is easily defeated. When people come up the lifts the team should then try to focus fire around whihc lift or lifts they are coming up making it very hard for the opposing team to become settled.

The spawning system on Construct can be strange at times, it feels that the opposing team can spawn very close to you. This is because usually if you have a team mate on the top tier, then your team will spawn with that player. Presuming hes not in combat. The last team mate should always try to stay alive at the top as its far harder to attack coming up the lifts compared to fighting on the same tier.

Consrtuct in Team Slayer is about map control first and foremost, if map control is gained and maintained throughout the matched it is very unlikely that team will lose. When trying to break a the opposing teams set up  look for splitting up to take different lifts and try using the open ramp as its not expected by most. Be patiant, do not jump up the lift. Just because there is no one on the radar doesn’t mean someone is camping the lift. In addition, a lesser known way is to walk up the pillars leading up to the Sword spawn room. This can cause a distraction from one the purple lifts leaving your team mates able to go up that lift to flank.

Strategy for Lone Wolves

There is only one weapon when it comes to FFA(Free for All) on Construct, the Energy Sword. Although more veteran players of the Halo 3 series may class this as a “Noob” tactic, it is what wins the matches. Patrolling lobby, open purple and close purple is the best area, an escape route is always avaliable unless against enemies from many sides. Be weary on  Construct, camping the lifts is a very popular tactic (often with a Mauler) and it works effectively so remember to be patient before going up a lift and go up the sword beams.If  not a Slayer BR’s game, pick up a BR, try to steal kills as this is what the Battle Rifle is best at in Lone Wolves.

Playlists and Gametypes in Matchmaking

Ranked Playlists

Lone Wolves
Slayer
Slayer BR’s

Team Slayer
Team Slayer
Team BR’s

Team Doubles
Team Slayer
Team BR’s
Team Snipers
Team Crazy King

Squad Battle
Big Team Slayer

Hardcore Playlists

MLG
MLG Team Slayer
MLG Team King of the Hill

Team SWAT
Team SWAT
SWAT Magnums

Team Snipers (Map renamed to Snipestruct)
Team Snipers

Social Playlists

Rumble Pit
Slayer

Social Slayer
Team Slayer
Team BR’s

Multi Team
Team Slayer

Type: Human
Rate of Fire: Automatic
Clip Size: 60
Maximum Ammunition: 180
Range: Short
Found On: Blackout, Epitaph, Guardian, High Ground, Last Resort, Narrows, The Pit, Valhalla.

General

Formerly a starting weapon in Halo 2, the SMG is often overlooked because of the Assault Rifle. However, as a dual wielded combo it can be quite powerful. The SMG has a very high rate of fire, quick reload times (if single wielded) and is strong against enemies with no shields. Despite these advantages, the SMG unfortunately has numerous significant disadvantages, including its very limited range, high recoil and extremely high recoil when dual wielded. The SMG is also weak at taking down shields, unlike the plasma rifle, the covenant alternative. As with most dual wielding weapons, the SMG is far weaker when single wielded. However, with dual wielding comes the loss of grenades and what with the SMG’s strength in finishing enemies, rather than removing their shields, the absence of grenade is a big loss.

Tactics

Surprise is the key when using dual wield weapons, a battle rifle user does not stand much of a chance when ambushed by SMG’s. When seen with dual wield weapons players will back away, throwing grenades down as they go, do not follow your kill in this situation as a Battle Rifle is dominant as you will be damaged from the grenades. So after a conflict with the enemy, dropping the second weapon is often a good idea because a good player will always call out to team mates and you then lose the element of surprise.

When facing a player with SMG’s back off from the player if using a battle rifle. Backing round a corner, shooting and throwing grenades, is a good tactic, this will hopefully lure them in into the grenades. This makes for an easy Battle Rifle head shot, the same principle applies for a Sniper/Beam Rifle although running away in general is a better idea as it’s not worth sacrificing a power weapon.

Dual Wield weapons are a very good support weapon as they provide a very good distraction and divert attention from Battle Rifle fire on other team mates. For team games they can help out in assists even if it doesn’t get the kills, remember Halo is a team game and even a few shots can help out a team member. However using in free for all is not advised as they are not the best weapons for finishing kills compared to the Battle Rifle.

If Facing..

Assault Rifle: If faced by an Assault Rifle, resist the temptation to melee the opponent, a frequent mis-step of the SMG user. In a melee war the Assault Rifle will usually emerge victorious against most weapons, so back off from the enemy, jumping, strafing and maintain fire.

Battle Rifle: Unless at close range, don’t attack the opponent as you will never win this fight in most circumstances. If attacked by a Battle Rifle user at Mid-Distance try to run away as this is a fight that cannot be won. Dropping the second weapon is a good idea so you can throw grenades to scare the attacker away. SMG’s are very good against Battle Rifle users and charge them as they shouldnt be able to kill you first.

Sniper/Beam Rifle: Don’t attempt to attack a Sniper at Mid or long range, unless at close range stay, away from anyone with a Sniper Rifle. Try to look for alternatives to takedown the sniper without charging head on. Do not try to melee someone who has a Sniper Rifle as a good sniper will No Scope beat down, stay close and strafing and jumpingbut not too close.

Vehicles: Unknown to most, dual SMG’s are surprisingly good against vehicles, especially careless Banshee pilots. This is due to its very high rate of fire.

Best Maps to use on

The Pit is a good level to use on as ambushing a Snipe on the tower will not be expecting SMG’s. And the SMG’s on The Pit are conveniently placed at the foot of the Sniper Tower on the air lift side.