Post by {AB}Sweeper on Oct 23, 2006 12:34:59 GMT -5
Now this is proberly for the newbie ppl out there but i just thought that maybe if someone hasnt been on halo very much, then they need to know this. so this is just some single player and multiplayer strategies you may or may not need to know about guns, vehicles, game types and whatever...
PS:warning!!! this is very, very big!!! so just go through this until you find something interesting...
Multiplayer
General Strategies
Your team color may change between levels; always check which team you are on before you start shooting. By default, your own teammates have a green triangle above their heads (although this may be turned off by the server).
The game type icon in the upper part of the screen will have a blue background, but the image in the icon itself will be of your team color, either red or blue. This is the fastest way of checking which team you are on.
The announcer at the beginning of a match sometimes announces variants of a game type by the name of the overall type. For instance, Team Slayer, Classic Phantoms, and Classic Rockets will all be announced as 'Slayer'. Do not rely on the announcer alone to recognize what type of game you are playing.
The single-player campaign is great for learning the controls and the weapons of Halo, but expect human players to act and react very, very differently than the AI did. Different strategies are required to succeed.
You will not have time to pick and choose weapons in multiplayer. Learn to look for weapons on the ground, and to recognize them from a distance. Pick them up while you run by without stopping. Ready the weapon you want to discard and be ready to push the action key as soon as the image of the weapon appears in your HUD--there is plenty of time, and holding still while you pick a weapon up will get you killed.
Practice, practice, practice. If you really want to do well, learn the maps. Set up a LAN game (you don't need a LAN to do this) on any of the maps, and learn as much about that map as you can. Learn the quickest routes, find out where the best weapons are hidden, practice driving that Warthog from your base to the enemy's. Look for hidden spots for snipers, shortcuts for carrying flags, and places to dodge vehicles. The better you learn the maps, the better off you will be when you sit down to play.
Weapon and Vehicle Tips
One of the secrets to successful multiplayer is to carry the correct combination of weapons. The flamethrower and the shotgun, by example, are both short-ranged weapons, and you will be in trouble if you carry them together across an open field. It would be much better to have, say, the flamethrower with the pistol or energy rifle so you will be able to handle any combat situation.
Think of plasma grenades as distractions, not as weapons. True, you might get lucky and stick one to an opponent, or have someone come around a corner onto one, but most of the time, the bright glow and three-second delay will be more than enough for other players to avoid them. Don't be afraid to toss them, just don't expect the spectacular results you had in single player.
Frag grenades, on the other hand, are much more effective. They are hard to spot (and, thus, to dodge), and they explode after about a second. This doesn't give other players much time to get out of the way even when they do spot them.
The assault rifle is one of the worst weapons for multiplayer. Human players are too agile to stay in the sights long enough for the damage to add up significantly.
The pistol is one of the better weapons for multiplayer. It can be used against long-range targets, but has a fast-enough rate of fire to make it useful for close-quarters confrontations. The pistol's damage is enough that a few well-placed shots can take down an opponent's shields and another can finish him off.
The sniper rifle is great if you are in a position to use it as intended, but its slow rate of fire makes it almost useless against human players once they get too close to use the scope. If you miss one shot without the scope, your opponent will be on top of you before you can get a second shot. If you carry a sniper rifle, carry a shotgun, pistol, or flamethrower for protection.
The shotgun and flamethrower are great at close-range, but if you are further than a few yards from an opponent, they are almost completely useless.
A charged shot from a plasma pistol can completely drain the shields from an opponent. It is extremely valuable in this regard, especially against unaware targets.
When fired at a human player, rockets are hard to hit with and easy to dodge. Splash damage is harder to dodge, so aim at the ground beneath their feet, or at a wall they are standing next to and catch them in the explosion.
Don't wait for targets with the sniper rifle at maximum zoom. You will only be able to see a tiny area, and will lose track of the rest of the battlefield. Watch an area for targets with the rifle zoomed in half way, then zoom in the rest of the way when a target appears. After you kill your target, zoom back out.
Often, the most effective use of vehicles is as weapons. Getting hit by any vehicle results in a kill, so even the relatively weak Ghost can be effective for clearing out a group of enemies who are, say, trying to defend a flag.
Vehicles make great cover. If you are approaching an enemy base and need to get out, position the vehicle so that you get out with it between you and them. Put the nose of your Scorpion against a wall, spin the turret around, and frustrate those pesky snipers.
LAAG guns on a Warthog tend to be more accurate when fired in short bursts, but the effect is irrelevant unless the target is distant. For close targets, just keep your finger on the trigger.
If you are up against a Scorpion, the driver is actually fairly exposed to incoming fire. Use a pistol or sniper rifle to target the driver and remove the tank quickly from play. If you are the one in the tank, avoid this by either turning constantly (making it hard for snipers to line up a shot) or by driving front-first into a wall, then stopping and turning just the turret around.
Don't fire directly at an opponent with a needler; the shots are easy to dodge. Move your point of aim around, firing some shots to the left of the target, some to the right. The homing ability of the projectiles will draw them to your victim. Keep moving while you do this, and your opponent will find the needles coming at him from all directions, making them tough to dodge.
Any time you are not actively fighting, reload your weapons. If you don't, you will likely have to reload while being shot at.
When you are being pursued, bounce a grenade off of a wall or object directly in front of you just before you turn. With practice (and luck), they will bounce over your head and land behind you, ready for your pursuer.
If being chased by a vehicle, never turn and run. Doing so makes you an easy target. Face your pursuer, and be ready to dodge. Run one way, then when he gets close, dodge in the opposite direction. Head for trees, other vehicles, or buildings. These all make you harder to run down.
Practice, practice, practice, part II. If you want to get good with vehicles and weapons, practice with them. Start a LAN game of Slayer on Death Island. It will be you, alone, on the island. Death Island has every weapon and vehicle in the game available, and has both open and enclosed areas, allowing you to practice with all of them to your heart's content
Vehicles
There are a number of different vehicles that you will have the opportunity to control in single and multi player modes. While one may move faster than another, or one may turn slower, all of them are controlled more or less identically.
The instinctive thing to do when you try to drive a vehicle is to attempt to steer it with the mouse. Don't! Each vehicle has a reticule of some sort. Simply point that reticule where you want to go and let the Master Chief handle the steering. The difference is a subtle one, but it is the secret of effective driving in Halo. If you try to steer with the mouse, you will find yourself making small course adjustments as you skid and turn; this will usually just make the situation worse, as it causes the Master Chief to overcompensate. If you just keep the reticule on your destination, the Master Chief will handle the tiny steering adjustments automatically and much more efficiently than you can.
UNSC Vehicles
M808B Scorpion MBT (Main Battle Tank)
The Scorpion is the most powerful vehicle you will have the opportunity to drive in Halo. It is effective against every enemy you come across, killing almost anything with a single shot from its massive main gun.
The tank is almost impossible to turn over, and almost impervious to most weapons. Its main gun has a slow rate of fire, but the secondary fire weapon is a machine gun with infinite ammunition.
It moves fairly slowly, however, and the driver is slightly exposed while in the cockpit. This means that in a multiplayer game against experienced players, a driver will likely be killed by snipers before he becomes too much of a threat. The Scorpion's slow speed makes this tough to counter, but constantly changing your course and turning while lining up a shot can be a start.
M 12 Warthog LRV (Light Reconnaissance Vehicle)
The M 12 Warthog LRV is Halo's signature vehicle. Half dune buggy, half monster truck, the Warthog is just plain fun to drive. In fact, a whole community has grown up around the sport of 'Warthog Jumping.' In addition, in the proper situation, it can be a dangerous enemy.
The Warthog is fast, agile, and offers good protection to the driver. The only real drawback is that the driver has no weapons--none at all! The Warthog is only effective when crewed by one or two additional people, be they AI or human teammates. The Warthog is mounted with an M1 LAAG machine gun that can be used to good effect, and the person in the passenger seat can fire any weapon he is armed with, including rocket launchers, sniper rifles, and fuel rod guns.
In team multiplayer, the Warthog's ability to carry three players and move quickly can be taken advantage of, turning it into a high speed troop transport. If you are not playing a team-based game, the Warthog becomes useless as anything but a fast transport or a stationary gun platform.
M 12A1 Warthog LAAV (Light Anti-Armor Vehicle)
The M 12A1 Warthog is essentially identical to the M 12, above, except that the M1 LAAG machine gun has been replaced with a triple-barreled rocket launcher. This vehicle is unique to the PC version of the game.
The M 12A1's rocket launcher can do significant damage to an enemy, but still suffers from the same drawbacks as the M 12.
The rocket launcher is a very effective weapon, and can be used to fire three shots in rapid succession. Once all three shots have been fired, though, there is a reload period of around four seconds during which the weapon is useless. It is important for the gunner to be aware of this and to manually reload the launcher if it has been fired and there is no target immediately in sight. It can be useful for defense if parked near a base in a multiplayer game, acting almost as a stationary turret.
Covenant Vehicles
Shade stationary gun
The Shade is a stationary, mounted gun with multiple barrels spewing out plasma shots. It can be fairly effective in the right situation, but its drawbacks prevent it from being too useful.
The individual plasma shots don't do all that much damage, requiring multiple hits to take down opponents. Unfortunately, the Shade's plasma shots move slowly and are easy to dodge. This means that it is effective against a slow-moving vehicle or aircraft, or when focused on a bottleneck (like a doorway), but is much less effective against infantry opponents in the open. It serves fairly well against the AI in single-player mode, but is only a distraction in multiplayer.
The gunner is extremely vulnerable to any fire from the sides and rear, and the fact that he is stationary makes him an easy target for snipers.
In the single-player campaign, you will find these manned by Grunts. If you kill the Grunt gunner, another will often take his place, creating a danger when you least expect it. To prevent this, a rocket, plasma ball (from a Banshee) or a grenade can be used to flip the Shade over. Most of the Shades in multiplayer are locked down, preventing this strategy from working.
Ghost
The Ghost is a lightly-armored, fast moving Covenant vehicle. It is armed with twin plasma guns that fire in fully-automatic mode, with a useful side effect of sometimes slowing an enemy soldier or vehicle down. It is also one of the easiest vehicles to tip over.
The Ghost is fast, small, and easily maneuvered. It can strafe, making it useful against other, more slow moving vehicles, but its real advantage is in its speed. It is great for situations where you want to move fast, and is good for getting through enemy lines, as its size and velocity make it hard to hit.
The Ghost is not a combat vehicle. It is very lightly armored, and its weapons don't pack a lot of punch. If enemies are far away, you may have an advantage in the range of the Ghost's weapons, but don't get into a prolonged fight up close. A good player on foot has an advantage over one on a Ghost up close.
Banshee
The Banshee is the Covenant's ground attack aircraft. While the manual says that it is very fast, that seems to be a relative term. It will outrun other vehicles in the game, but it actually moves more slowly than what you would expect for an aircraft. In multiplayer, the Banshee is only usable on the PC version of Halo.
It is armed with two weapons. The primary is a twin plasma burst, fully automatic, with limitless ammunition. This is a good general attack weapon, capable of doing significant damage to vehicles and troops.
The secret of effective Banshee use is learning to use the primary and secondary fire modes together.
The secondary attack is a plasma ball similar to that fired from the fuel rod gun. Upon impact, it creates a large explosion with good splash damage, capable of throwing a Warthog or Shade a good distance. Like the primary weapon, the ammunition is limitless, but the weapon has a long recharge rate. The plasma ball's trajectory is sharply curved, and it will take some practice to learn how high to aim to hit distant targets.
The Banshee is fairly easy to fly. Just get in and point the cursor where you want to go, including up or down, and hit your forward key. The Banshee cannot hover; it has to be moving to stay airborne. This can be overcome by flying backwards. The backward motion of the Banshee is extremely slow; slow enough to function as a hover, allowing you to bombard enemies below.
It can be effective to rush forward until high over a target, then immediately move the cursor down and switch to backward movement. This will cause you to become almost stationary for aerial bombardment.
If you don't use either acceleration key, the Banshee will drop quickly. This can also be used to your advantage as a method to get low quickly, either to get out of fire or into a better position to attack from.
The real drawback to the Banshee is that it is somewhat fragile. Most weapons don't do a great deal of damage, but a rocket launcher or Shade will take a slow-moving Banshee down very quickly. Stay high to avoid weapons fire and use the extreme range of your weapons to attack, or learn to make quick, strafing attacks in dense terrain where you will be able to get quickly behind a mountain or tree.
UNSC Weapons
M9 HE-DP Grenade
The M9 Grenade is a standard fragmentation grenade. It is thrown a short distance, and explodes a few seconds after becoming stationary. It can be bounced off of solid objects to get it around corners.
It is effective against the Flood, as well as against other Humans, but is less so against Covenant forces.
In Halo, using grenades in combination with other weapons is a vital strategy. Grenades are mapped to a separate key for a reason. Make sure it is set to a key that you can access easily while moving and shooting. The right mouse button (the default key) is ideal.
When you are in combat and are fighting a large group of creatures, toss a grenade or two into the largest concentration of them. In big fights, toss all four. You will find that many creatures drop grenades of one type or another, so you will rarely run completely out for long.
M6D Pistol
The M6D pistol is not a useless throwaway weapon like the pistols in so many other games. It does significant damage, much more per shot than the assault rifle, and is fairly accurate at long range. It comes with a built-in 2x scope, allowing you to target creatures from further out. Most creatures in the game will fall to a headshot or two.
This combination of factors makes the pistol function almost as a sniper rifle lite, and you will find lots of ammo for the pistol, unlike the actual sniper rifle.
Its high damage makes it a great weapon in multiplayer, one often neglected by players. Just a few shots can kill an opponent, and move quickly enough to fire accurately from a distance (unlike energy weapons).
MA5B assault rifle
The MA5B is not the assault rifle that you are used to in other shooters. It is a very inaccurate weapon, for one thing. A bullet fired from it will hit anywhere in its large reticule, making its pattern of fire more like that of a shotgun than a rifle, making it almost useless if you are any distance at all from the target.
Its high rate of fire, combined with a large clip make it extremely effective when used against large groups of weak creatures like Grunts or Spores, allowing you to spray the entire group with bullets. It is also effective against a single creature from close range where you can nickel and dime it to death or quickly wear down its defenses. In mid- or long-range fights, its usefulness is questionable. Few bullets will hit their targets, and the low damage from each bullet becomes an immediate factor.
The display on the rifle has a built-in compass (actually, it points to the nearby planet, not north, but the effect is the same). The game's levels tend to be linear enough, though, to make it unnecessary.
M90 Shotgun
The M90 shotgun is a very effective weapon. Its narrow shot pattern, combined with lots of shot pellets, make it more effective than the shotguns seen in most games.
Against larger creatures, like Elites and Warriors, the shotgun has no equal. Just get up close, point it in the general direction, and fire. It is useful for knocking Jackals off balance, following it up with a second shot for the kill. Against most other creatures, it is overkill, and the ammunition isn't all that common, so you are better off saving it for when it is needed.
Of course, it is a shotgun, and tends to be very limited in range. If something is far enough away that the reticule doesn't turn red, it will probably be futile to use it.
S2 AM Sniper Rifle
This is your typical sniper rifle. The scope can zoom in to 2x or 10x magnification, and the flashlight key will toggle a built-in night vision mode. This combination makes it useful for scouting an area as well as for sniping.
The S2 AM is an exceedingly powerful weapon, and can take out most creatures in the game with a single shot. It is, in fact, powerful enough to take out several creatures at once if they are lined up with each other.
Even when not zoomed in, the S2 AM is extremely accurate and powerful. When just held in the hands, it can easily take down most enemies in an emergency.
In a multiplayer situation, the S2 AM is a bit more tricky. In free-for-all games, the hectic action makes it all too likely that you will be torn to shreds before lining up a shot on an enemy. In team-based games, players tend to be very mobile, unlike conveniently waiting Grunts. It takes practice to be able to anticipate a target's movements well enough to make this a practical weapon, but in the hands of a master, it can be one of the most deadly.
M19 Rocket Launcher
The M19 rocket launcher is arguably the most potent weapon in the game. It holds two shells in its clip, allowing for two rapid shots before having to reload, and has a 2x zoom, allowing you to get a close-up look at whatever it is you are about to vaporize.
A direct hit from an M19 rocket will kill any opponent in the game, and although a Wraith mortar tank might take several hits, any other vehicle will fall to a single shot. The explosion caused by the rocket also creates a significant amount of splash damage, and can be used to clear out an area full of enemies.
The rockets, once fired, fly with an almost perfectly flat trajectory, allowing you to target enemies and vehicles from great distances. In fact, the only real drawback to the M19 is that the ammunition is so scarce.
When playing a multiplayer game, you will find that good players have learned to dodge incoming rockets. If you want to use it effectively, you will have to lead a moving target, and you will have to count on the splash damage rather than on direct hits. Aim the rocket at the ground or at a wall near the target, never at the target directly.
M41 LAAG
The M41 LAAG is the triple-barreled gun found mounted on the back of the Warthog reconnaissance vehicle. It fires armor-piercing rounds at a very high rate, and can be used to disassemble almost any enemy quickly and effectively.
The M41 comes with a limitless supply of ammunition. The big drawback in single-player or deathmatch modes is that the thing is stuck to thousands of pounds of vehicle that only you can drive. That means that most of the times that this gun comes into play, it will be at the hands of an NPC. You can take it over at any time, but you will remain stationary while you use it, making an excellent target for enemies.
In team-based multiplayer, the M41 loses this drawback, as it can be manned by one player while another drives. Unfortunately, the gunner is completely exposed to incoming gunfire while on the M41, making them easy for the other team to kill.
Flamethrower
The flamethrower, available only in multiplayer, (in the PC version) does exactly what it says: it throws flames.
The flamethrower is a great defensive weapon, and can be used to effectively block an entire entranceway.
It has an extremely limited range, making it almost useless out in the open, but it is great in cramped quarters because of the amount of area covered by its attack. One person with a flamethrower can hold a doorway or other chokepoint for a long time in a team game. The high damage ensures that enemies will be hesitant to walk through any door when they know that a flamethrower waits on the other side.
the rest of the multiplayer help are going to be on "multiplayer help 2"
PS:warning!!! this is very, very big!!! so just go through this until you find something interesting...
Multiplayer
General Strategies
Your team color may change between levels; always check which team you are on before you start shooting. By default, your own teammates have a green triangle above their heads (although this may be turned off by the server).
The game type icon in the upper part of the screen will have a blue background, but the image in the icon itself will be of your team color, either red or blue. This is the fastest way of checking which team you are on.
The announcer at the beginning of a match sometimes announces variants of a game type by the name of the overall type. For instance, Team Slayer, Classic Phantoms, and Classic Rockets will all be announced as 'Slayer'. Do not rely on the announcer alone to recognize what type of game you are playing.
The single-player campaign is great for learning the controls and the weapons of Halo, but expect human players to act and react very, very differently than the AI did. Different strategies are required to succeed.
You will not have time to pick and choose weapons in multiplayer. Learn to look for weapons on the ground, and to recognize them from a distance. Pick them up while you run by without stopping. Ready the weapon you want to discard and be ready to push the action key as soon as the image of the weapon appears in your HUD--there is plenty of time, and holding still while you pick a weapon up will get you killed.
Practice, practice, practice. If you really want to do well, learn the maps. Set up a LAN game (you don't need a LAN to do this) on any of the maps, and learn as much about that map as you can. Learn the quickest routes, find out where the best weapons are hidden, practice driving that Warthog from your base to the enemy's. Look for hidden spots for snipers, shortcuts for carrying flags, and places to dodge vehicles. The better you learn the maps, the better off you will be when you sit down to play.
Weapon and Vehicle Tips
One of the secrets to successful multiplayer is to carry the correct combination of weapons. The flamethrower and the shotgun, by example, are both short-ranged weapons, and you will be in trouble if you carry them together across an open field. It would be much better to have, say, the flamethrower with the pistol or energy rifle so you will be able to handle any combat situation.
Think of plasma grenades as distractions, not as weapons. True, you might get lucky and stick one to an opponent, or have someone come around a corner onto one, but most of the time, the bright glow and three-second delay will be more than enough for other players to avoid them. Don't be afraid to toss them, just don't expect the spectacular results you had in single player.
Frag grenades, on the other hand, are much more effective. They are hard to spot (and, thus, to dodge), and they explode after about a second. This doesn't give other players much time to get out of the way even when they do spot them.
The assault rifle is one of the worst weapons for multiplayer. Human players are too agile to stay in the sights long enough for the damage to add up significantly.
The pistol is one of the better weapons for multiplayer. It can be used against long-range targets, but has a fast-enough rate of fire to make it useful for close-quarters confrontations. The pistol's damage is enough that a few well-placed shots can take down an opponent's shields and another can finish him off.
The sniper rifle is great if you are in a position to use it as intended, but its slow rate of fire makes it almost useless against human players once they get too close to use the scope. If you miss one shot without the scope, your opponent will be on top of you before you can get a second shot. If you carry a sniper rifle, carry a shotgun, pistol, or flamethrower for protection.
The shotgun and flamethrower are great at close-range, but if you are further than a few yards from an opponent, they are almost completely useless.
A charged shot from a plasma pistol can completely drain the shields from an opponent. It is extremely valuable in this regard, especially against unaware targets.
When fired at a human player, rockets are hard to hit with and easy to dodge. Splash damage is harder to dodge, so aim at the ground beneath their feet, or at a wall they are standing next to and catch them in the explosion.
Don't wait for targets with the sniper rifle at maximum zoom. You will only be able to see a tiny area, and will lose track of the rest of the battlefield. Watch an area for targets with the rifle zoomed in half way, then zoom in the rest of the way when a target appears. After you kill your target, zoom back out.
Often, the most effective use of vehicles is as weapons. Getting hit by any vehicle results in a kill, so even the relatively weak Ghost can be effective for clearing out a group of enemies who are, say, trying to defend a flag.
Vehicles make great cover. If you are approaching an enemy base and need to get out, position the vehicle so that you get out with it between you and them. Put the nose of your Scorpion against a wall, spin the turret around, and frustrate those pesky snipers.
LAAG guns on a Warthog tend to be more accurate when fired in short bursts, but the effect is irrelevant unless the target is distant. For close targets, just keep your finger on the trigger.
If you are up against a Scorpion, the driver is actually fairly exposed to incoming fire. Use a pistol or sniper rifle to target the driver and remove the tank quickly from play. If you are the one in the tank, avoid this by either turning constantly (making it hard for snipers to line up a shot) or by driving front-first into a wall, then stopping and turning just the turret around.
Don't fire directly at an opponent with a needler; the shots are easy to dodge. Move your point of aim around, firing some shots to the left of the target, some to the right. The homing ability of the projectiles will draw them to your victim. Keep moving while you do this, and your opponent will find the needles coming at him from all directions, making them tough to dodge.
Any time you are not actively fighting, reload your weapons. If you don't, you will likely have to reload while being shot at.
When you are being pursued, bounce a grenade off of a wall or object directly in front of you just before you turn. With practice (and luck), they will bounce over your head and land behind you, ready for your pursuer.
If being chased by a vehicle, never turn and run. Doing so makes you an easy target. Face your pursuer, and be ready to dodge. Run one way, then when he gets close, dodge in the opposite direction. Head for trees, other vehicles, or buildings. These all make you harder to run down.
Practice, practice, practice, part II. If you want to get good with vehicles and weapons, practice with them. Start a LAN game of Slayer on Death Island. It will be you, alone, on the island. Death Island has every weapon and vehicle in the game available, and has both open and enclosed areas, allowing you to practice with all of them to your heart's content
Vehicles
There are a number of different vehicles that you will have the opportunity to control in single and multi player modes. While one may move faster than another, or one may turn slower, all of them are controlled more or less identically.
The instinctive thing to do when you try to drive a vehicle is to attempt to steer it with the mouse. Don't! Each vehicle has a reticule of some sort. Simply point that reticule where you want to go and let the Master Chief handle the steering. The difference is a subtle one, but it is the secret of effective driving in Halo. If you try to steer with the mouse, you will find yourself making small course adjustments as you skid and turn; this will usually just make the situation worse, as it causes the Master Chief to overcompensate. If you just keep the reticule on your destination, the Master Chief will handle the tiny steering adjustments automatically and much more efficiently than you can.
UNSC Vehicles
M808B Scorpion MBT (Main Battle Tank)
The Scorpion is the most powerful vehicle you will have the opportunity to drive in Halo. It is effective against every enemy you come across, killing almost anything with a single shot from its massive main gun.
The tank is almost impossible to turn over, and almost impervious to most weapons. Its main gun has a slow rate of fire, but the secondary fire weapon is a machine gun with infinite ammunition.
It moves fairly slowly, however, and the driver is slightly exposed while in the cockpit. This means that in a multiplayer game against experienced players, a driver will likely be killed by snipers before he becomes too much of a threat. The Scorpion's slow speed makes this tough to counter, but constantly changing your course and turning while lining up a shot can be a start.
M 12 Warthog LRV (Light Reconnaissance Vehicle)
The M 12 Warthog LRV is Halo's signature vehicle. Half dune buggy, half monster truck, the Warthog is just plain fun to drive. In fact, a whole community has grown up around the sport of 'Warthog Jumping.' In addition, in the proper situation, it can be a dangerous enemy.
The Warthog is fast, agile, and offers good protection to the driver. The only real drawback is that the driver has no weapons--none at all! The Warthog is only effective when crewed by one or two additional people, be they AI or human teammates. The Warthog is mounted with an M1 LAAG machine gun that can be used to good effect, and the person in the passenger seat can fire any weapon he is armed with, including rocket launchers, sniper rifles, and fuel rod guns.
In team multiplayer, the Warthog's ability to carry three players and move quickly can be taken advantage of, turning it into a high speed troop transport. If you are not playing a team-based game, the Warthog becomes useless as anything but a fast transport or a stationary gun platform.
M 12A1 Warthog LAAV (Light Anti-Armor Vehicle)
The M 12A1 Warthog is essentially identical to the M 12, above, except that the M1 LAAG machine gun has been replaced with a triple-barreled rocket launcher. This vehicle is unique to the PC version of the game.
The M 12A1's rocket launcher can do significant damage to an enemy, but still suffers from the same drawbacks as the M 12.
The rocket launcher is a very effective weapon, and can be used to fire three shots in rapid succession. Once all three shots have been fired, though, there is a reload period of around four seconds during which the weapon is useless. It is important for the gunner to be aware of this and to manually reload the launcher if it has been fired and there is no target immediately in sight. It can be useful for defense if parked near a base in a multiplayer game, acting almost as a stationary turret.
Covenant Vehicles
Shade stationary gun
The Shade is a stationary, mounted gun with multiple barrels spewing out plasma shots. It can be fairly effective in the right situation, but its drawbacks prevent it from being too useful.
The individual plasma shots don't do all that much damage, requiring multiple hits to take down opponents. Unfortunately, the Shade's plasma shots move slowly and are easy to dodge. This means that it is effective against a slow-moving vehicle or aircraft, or when focused on a bottleneck (like a doorway), but is much less effective against infantry opponents in the open. It serves fairly well against the AI in single-player mode, but is only a distraction in multiplayer.
The gunner is extremely vulnerable to any fire from the sides and rear, and the fact that he is stationary makes him an easy target for snipers.
In the single-player campaign, you will find these manned by Grunts. If you kill the Grunt gunner, another will often take his place, creating a danger when you least expect it. To prevent this, a rocket, plasma ball (from a Banshee) or a grenade can be used to flip the Shade over. Most of the Shades in multiplayer are locked down, preventing this strategy from working.
Ghost
The Ghost is a lightly-armored, fast moving Covenant vehicle. It is armed with twin plasma guns that fire in fully-automatic mode, with a useful side effect of sometimes slowing an enemy soldier or vehicle down. It is also one of the easiest vehicles to tip over.
The Ghost is fast, small, and easily maneuvered. It can strafe, making it useful against other, more slow moving vehicles, but its real advantage is in its speed. It is great for situations where you want to move fast, and is good for getting through enemy lines, as its size and velocity make it hard to hit.
The Ghost is not a combat vehicle. It is very lightly armored, and its weapons don't pack a lot of punch. If enemies are far away, you may have an advantage in the range of the Ghost's weapons, but don't get into a prolonged fight up close. A good player on foot has an advantage over one on a Ghost up close.
Banshee
The Banshee is the Covenant's ground attack aircraft. While the manual says that it is very fast, that seems to be a relative term. It will outrun other vehicles in the game, but it actually moves more slowly than what you would expect for an aircraft. In multiplayer, the Banshee is only usable on the PC version of Halo.
It is armed with two weapons. The primary is a twin plasma burst, fully automatic, with limitless ammunition. This is a good general attack weapon, capable of doing significant damage to vehicles and troops.
The secret of effective Banshee use is learning to use the primary and secondary fire modes together.
The secondary attack is a plasma ball similar to that fired from the fuel rod gun. Upon impact, it creates a large explosion with good splash damage, capable of throwing a Warthog or Shade a good distance. Like the primary weapon, the ammunition is limitless, but the weapon has a long recharge rate. The plasma ball's trajectory is sharply curved, and it will take some practice to learn how high to aim to hit distant targets.
The Banshee is fairly easy to fly. Just get in and point the cursor where you want to go, including up or down, and hit your forward key. The Banshee cannot hover; it has to be moving to stay airborne. This can be overcome by flying backwards. The backward motion of the Banshee is extremely slow; slow enough to function as a hover, allowing you to bombard enemies below.
It can be effective to rush forward until high over a target, then immediately move the cursor down and switch to backward movement. This will cause you to become almost stationary for aerial bombardment.
If you don't use either acceleration key, the Banshee will drop quickly. This can also be used to your advantage as a method to get low quickly, either to get out of fire or into a better position to attack from.
The real drawback to the Banshee is that it is somewhat fragile. Most weapons don't do a great deal of damage, but a rocket launcher or Shade will take a slow-moving Banshee down very quickly. Stay high to avoid weapons fire and use the extreme range of your weapons to attack, or learn to make quick, strafing attacks in dense terrain where you will be able to get quickly behind a mountain or tree.
UNSC Weapons
M9 HE-DP Grenade
The M9 Grenade is a standard fragmentation grenade. It is thrown a short distance, and explodes a few seconds after becoming stationary. It can be bounced off of solid objects to get it around corners.
It is effective against the Flood, as well as against other Humans, but is less so against Covenant forces.
In Halo, using grenades in combination with other weapons is a vital strategy. Grenades are mapped to a separate key for a reason. Make sure it is set to a key that you can access easily while moving and shooting. The right mouse button (the default key) is ideal.
When you are in combat and are fighting a large group of creatures, toss a grenade or two into the largest concentration of them. In big fights, toss all four. You will find that many creatures drop grenades of one type or another, so you will rarely run completely out for long.
M6D Pistol
The M6D pistol is not a useless throwaway weapon like the pistols in so many other games. It does significant damage, much more per shot than the assault rifle, and is fairly accurate at long range. It comes with a built-in 2x scope, allowing you to target creatures from further out. Most creatures in the game will fall to a headshot or two.
This combination of factors makes the pistol function almost as a sniper rifle lite, and you will find lots of ammo for the pistol, unlike the actual sniper rifle.
Its high damage makes it a great weapon in multiplayer, one often neglected by players. Just a few shots can kill an opponent, and move quickly enough to fire accurately from a distance (unlike energy weapons).
MA5B assault rifle
The MA5B is not the assault rifle that you are used to in other shooters. It is a very inaccurate weapon, for one thing. A bullet fired from it will hit anywhere in its large reticule, making its pattern of fire more like that of a shotgun than a rifle, making it almost useless if you are any distance at all from the target.
Its high rate of fire, combined with a large clip make it extremely effective when used against large groups of weak creatures like Grunts or Spores, allowing you to spray the entire group with bullets. It is also effective against a single creature from close range where you can nickel and dime it to death or quickly wear down its defenses. In mid- or long-range fights, its usefulness is questionable. Few bullets will hit their targets, and the low damage from each bullet becomes an immediate factor.
The display on the rifle has a built-in compass (actually, it points to the nearby planet, not north, but the effect is the same). The game's levels tend to be linear enough, though, to make it unnecessary.
M90 Shotgun
The M90 shotgun is a very effective weapon. Its narrow shot pattern, combined with lots of shot pellets, make it more effective than the shotguns seen in most games.
Against larger creatures, like Elites and Warriors, the shotgun has no equal. Just get up close, point it in the general direction, and fire. It is useful for knocking Jackals off balance, following it up with a second shot for the kill. Against most other creatures, it is overkill, and the ammunition isn't all that common, so you are better off saving it for when it is needed.
Of course, it is a shotgun, and tends to be very limited in range. If something is far enough away that the reticule doesn't turn red, it will probably be futile to use it.
S2 AM Sniper Rifle
This is your typical sniper rifle. The scope can zoom in to 2x or 10x magnification, and the flashlight key will toggle a built-in night vision mode. This combination makes it useful for scouting an area as well as for sniping.
The S2 AM is an exceedingly powerful weapon, and can take out most creatures in the game with a single shot. It is, in fact, powerful enough to take out several creatures at once if they are lined up with each other.
Even when not zoomed in, the S2 AM is extremely accurate and powerful. When just held in the hands, it can easily take down most enemies in an emergency.
In a multiplayer situation, the S2 AM is a bit more tricky. In free-for-all games, the hectic action makes it all too likely that you will be torn to shreds before lining up a shot on an enemy. In team-based games, players tend to be very mobile, unlike conveniently waiting Grunts. It takes practice to be able to anticipate a target's movements well enough to make this a practical weapon, but in the hands of a master, it can be one of the most deadly.
M19 Rocket Launcher
The M19 rocket launcher is arguably the most potent weapon in the game. It holds two shells in its clip, allowing for two rapid shots before having to reload, and has a 2x zoom, allowing you to get a close-up look at whatever it is you are about to vaporize.
A direct hit from an M19 rocket will kill any opponent in the game, and although a Wraith mortar tank might take several hits, any other vehicle will fall to a single shot. The explosion caused by the rocket also creates a significant amount of splash damage, and can be used to clear out an area full of enemies.
The rockets, once fired, fly with an almost perfectly flat trajectory, allowing you to target enemies and vehicles from great distances. In fact, the only real drawback to the M19 is that the ammunition is so scarce.
When playing a multiplayer game, you will find that good players have learned to dodge incoming rockets. If you want to use it effectively, you will have to lead a moving target, and you will have to count on the splash damage rather than on direct hits. Aim the rocket at the ground or at a wall near the target, never at the target directly.
M41 LAAG
The M41 LAAG is the triple-barreled gun found mounted on the back of the Warthog reconnaissance vehicle. It fires armor-piercing rounds at a very high rate, and can be used to disassemble almost any enemy quickly and effectively.
The M41 comes with a limitless supply of ammunition. The big drawback in single-player or deathmatch modes is that the thing is stuck to thousands of pounds of vehicle that only you can drive. That means that most of the times that this gun comes into play, it will be at the hands of an NPC. You can take it over at any time, but you will remain stationary while you use it, making an excellent target for enemies.
In team-based multiplayer, the M41 loses this drawback, as it can be manned by one player while another drives. Unfortunately, the gunner is completely exposed to incoming gunfire while on the M41, making them easy for the other team to kill.
Flamethrower
The flamethrower, available only in multiplayer, (in the PC version) does exactly what it says: it throws flames.
The flamethrower is a great defensive weapon, and can be used to effectively block an entire entranceway.
It has an extremely limited range, making it almost useless out in the open, but it is great in cramped quarters because of the amount of area covered by its attack. One person with a flamethrower can hold a doorway or other chokepoint for a long time in a team game. The high damage ensures that enemies will be hesitant to walk through any door when they know that a flamethrower waits on the other side.
the rest of the multiplayer help are going to be on "multiplayer help 2"
