7 Aspects of Basic Weaponry

The following is covered in Level 2 on www.halo3basics.com, and I have supplemented these topics with my own thoughts.

Level 3: Basic weaponry

You need to be able to identify weapons by both sight and sound. Being able to do so can save your life. Each weapon has both strong points and weak points. I is important to know how intend on using the weapons you have in order for them to be most effective.

The site briefly describes weapon ranges in this section. I found it useful to test start a split screen custom game and get a feel for the best distance for each weapon and the maximum distance a weapon is still useful. A BR (Battle Rifle) can still can kill a weak player from long range.

When dual-wielding you are limiting need to be aware of the drawbacks. Depending on your button configuration you may not be able to throw grenades or melee opponents. Doing either will also cause you to drop your secondary weapon. You will not see a lot of players dual-wielding weapons, or expecting to face someone who is dual wielding, which can be used to your advantage if your team falls behind in a match. These weapons cannot kill in one shot though the Mauler can when you shoot both at the same time at close range.

Nade, nade, nade. Grenade first, ask questions later…
Nade (verb – to nade – to throw a grenade at / noun – frag, plasma, or sticky – grenade).
Throw grenades at opponents who are unaware of your location, groups of enemies, weak opponents, a fallen teammate’s ‘red x’ location, opponents on my tail, off walls into fences, before I die, and any other time I see fit to let one fly.
Try to keep a full set of grenades at all times.

Pistol whipping. Many opponents will count on being able to finish a charge with a melee attack, which can often end with both players dying from exchanging melee attacks. Use this to your advantage , face your opponent, walk backwards, aim down slightly and go for a stick.
When you and an opponent melee each other at the beginning of an encounter, you may want to step back for a head shot if you have a carbine, BR, or human pistol to avoid letting them get a second melee.
You also want to be aware of the weapon you are holding. Different weapons have different animation time lengths for the melee attack.
An assassination is when you melee someone from behind, and it will instantly kill them, even if they have the over shield.

I will pick up plasma weapons when I find that the opposing team is controlling the maps power weapons, or if the opposing team has a stand alone ‘all star’. A plasma pistol, yes a plasma pistol, is the last thing that player is expecting. Trust me.
The small green plasma pistol can charge a single shot when you hold down the trigger and fire when you let go. If hit with this blast your shields are completely down leaving you vulnerable to projectile weapons. Switch to a BR (Battle Rifle) and aim for the head.

When you inflict splash damage on an opponent with a rocket, it is good to finish the player off with the weapon you have in your pocket (secondary weapon). This way once the players teammates show up seeking revenge, you don’t have wait for the rocket reload animation to fire another rocket.

Be sure to read up on the guide at www.halo3basics.com, and review my additions on the different levels.