TheHaloSeries has a long history of including some of the best and most iconic weapons in the FPS genre. Each game in the series has introduced new toys to play with and new mechanics. Everything aboutHalo Infinite’s weapons are meant to promote skillful gunplay. You won’t find 20 assault rifles in these games that all basically do the same thing and reward you for mindlessly spaying bullets at every enemy your spot.
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This isn’t a list of the most powerful or useful weapons, but rather those that most embody what in means to be a Halo weapon. Aesthetics and function are important, and those that fully embrace the skillfulness of the game by allowing for gun duels and perfect kills will rank higher than those that allow the player to fire and forget.
The aptly-named Mangler pistol made its very first appearance in Infinite. It initially took over the multiplayer meta due to it being easily accessible and capable of a one-shot-melee kill. It’s since been nerfed, but it’s by no means useless in its current state. The current Mangler is able to three-shot a Spartan, but this requires a ton of skill to pull off.
The pistol is actually even more useful in the game’s open-world campaign. It’s frequently used by Brutes, so you’re able to pick it up often, and since it’s a headshot weapon it’s great at cutting through the majority of enemies you encounter.
9M50 Sidekick
Each Halo game has had some variant of the human pistol. In the very first game, the Magnum was dominant in both multiplayer and Campaign because it was, well, completely broken. Since then, we’ve had versions that were really weak (Halo 3) and versions that once again dominated the game (Halo 5), but the Infinite version seems to have found an exciting balance.
In multiplayer, its lightning-fast fire-rate and precision make it a high-skill dueling weapon. Earning a perfect kill takes 7 shots, but it isn’t easy, and average players will often need to reload or swap to secure a final blow. In the campaign, the sidekick is as reliable as the name suggests and is capable of cutting through Grunts with ease, though you might want a bit more firepower for the bigger baddies.
8Stalker Rifle
Keeping with the theme of skillful headshot weapons, the Stalker Rifle has an interesting place in Infinite. It’s capable of taking down enemy Spartans more quickly than any weapon you spawn with, but many players struggle to land shots — particularly from the hip — and opt to stick with their Assault Rifle instead. If you have the aim, though, get ready for some epic three-shot perfect kills.
The Stalker is exceptionally precise at longer ranges and has a two-stage scope to fully accommodate sending in shots from a distance. If you start taking fire from this beast, get to cover immediately, or you’ll be surprised by how fast you fall.
7CQS48 Bulldog
When Halo Infinite was first announced, there was a bit of controversy over the Bulldog shotgun. Since the beginning of the franchise, Halo has always had one human shotgun: a pump-action terror that could take down Spartans with a single shot when at pointblank range. But, the pump-action shotty is missing in Infinite in favor of the Bulldog. Many, however, would say this is for the better.
The Bulldog fully embraces what makes Halo’s multiplayer one of the best around: the gun duel. you’re able to’t take out a Spartan with one thoughtless shot. It’s going to take 3 or 4, depending on how close you are to them. As a full-auto shotgun with a wide spread, this thing can go through those shots quickly, so if your opponent has better movement than your shots, they’ll have a chance at out-maneuvering and surviving your attack.
6M392 Bandit
Introduced in Infinite’s 3rd season, the Bandit is very similar to the DMR rifle from several past Halos. In Infinite, this rifle maintains its pinpoint precision and 5-shot kill, but the long-range scope of past iterations is missing. This keeps it from directly overlapping with something like the Stalker rifle, but make no mistake, the Bandit is still accurate and powerful.
With a blazing-fast perfect kill in multiplayer, this thing can outperform most other precision weapons in the game, but it will take a whole lot of skill to do so. It’s unforgiving, so only pick it up if you know how to land your shots.
One of the more unique shotguns to come to the shooter genre in recent years, the Heatwave is a multi-function plasma weapon that demands a lot from its user. Not just aim, but choice. The Heatwave has two fire modes: one fires a horizontal shot that is fairly easy to land, but it’s unlikely to hit a bipedal adversary with the whole blast. This is why you can switch it to the vertical fire mode that’s capable of hitting another Spartan with full damage. This shot is much harder to land, however.
The horizontal shot will usually kill a Spartan is about three shots, but the vertical one can do it in two, so you really have to choose how much you trust your own skill with the Heatwave. Add in the fact that Heatwave projectiles bounce off walls, and you have very intriguing weapon that’s capable of some crazy gameplay moments.
4Energy Sword
The Energy Sword has been a staple of the franchise since the very beginning. In the first game,Bungieleft us wishing we could pick it up, but instead we had to suffer as gold Elite after gold Elite charged us, and after we took them out, the sword would simply explode.
InHalo 2, we got the opportunity to use it ourselves, and it’s never disappointed since. In Infinite, the Sword is as powerful as ever and will cut through Covenant and Spartans as easily as a knife cuts through a birthday cake. Just be wary of an opponent who also has a sword. Those duels are quite different from the gun duels Halo is most known for, but just as tense and exciting.
3Shock Rifle
It took a bit of time for Halo veterans to figure out how the Shock Rifle worked, and if it was actually any good. Once its functionality was sorted out, however, many agreed that the Shock Rifle was the best new addition that Infinite added to Halo’s lineup of weapons.
The Shock Rifle functions unlike just about any weapon in the game. It fires in a wild, electric, three-round-burst, and a perfect kill is possible in multiplayer if you manage to land the entire burst on your opponent’s head. But, this is easier said than done because of how quickly and sporadically Halo players move. If you may’t land headshots, the Shock Rifle is almost useless, but when you hit with that full burst, especially without using its scope, get ready for a satisfying “Perrrrfect!”
2S7 Sniper Rifle
The Halo series has had the best sniper rifle in shooters basically since the beginning. Bungie learned right away that a hitscan sniper rifle that kills in one shot to the head — and two shots to the body — makes for a supremely satisfying weapon that’s hard to match. Since its introduction, these mechanics have been emulated by dozens of other shooter games, and Infinite perhaps does the hitscan sniper rifle better than anyone else.
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The S7 keeps true to what made the weapon so successful for so long, but in keeping with the rest of the game, it’s a challenging a skillful weapon, even more so than some of the older variants of the rifle. The most important thing it maintains, however, is the skillful and exciting capability to no-scope enemy Spartans from the hip. There are few things more satisfying in video games than landing one of these shots, which is why they’ve been the centerpiece of Halo montages for the last 20 years.
1BR75 Battle Rifle
The king of Halo Infinitehas to be the BR75 Battle Rifle. Another weapon that’s been around the series for a long time, the Battle Rifle is a staple of Halo pro tournaments and your starting weapon in Infinite’s ranked mode. This is for good reason: no other weapon in the genre embodies the gun duel more completely than Halo’s Battle Rifle, and Infinite’s version is the best since Halo 2.
The Infinite BR is a 4-shot kill in multiplayer and has the perfect balance between ease-of-use, skill, rate of fire, and headshot capability. In campaign, there’s really no other weapon you want in your hands for the majority of encounters due to its raw reliability.343 IndustriesAbsolutely nailed this weapon in Infinite, and it’s unquestionably the best weapon in the game overall.
