TOP 7: Halo Weapons

With Halo 4 being released next week, I thought it’d be a good idea to take a look at some of the things that made Halo games as enjoyable as they are, and because it was such a special number to Bungie, who have unfortunately, moved onto to developing other things, I’ve decided to do 7 lists of 7.

To start things off with a bang, I’m going to name my top 7 choices of weapons, yes, those wonderful tools that fire projectiles in all the colours of the rainbow, which can melt faces or perforate with lead. Choosing which of them made the list was exceedingly difficult, like choosing a favourite child, but here we go…

7) Needler

The Needler was introduced in Halo: Combat Evolved,  and at first glance this little weapon seemed kind of useless. Its pink needles would fly sluggishly through the air tracking their targets, easily dodged at long ranges, and when they made contact, they appeared to do minimal damage. The true beauty of this weapon was when it was used at medium-close range, where the needles were much harder to dodge and you could hit an enemy with a burst of 6-8 needles, upon which the enemy would instantly die in a bright pink explosion. Not only was it extremely rewarding to see Elites die in pulse of pink death, but they gave the Needler a significant buff in Halo 3 and Reach, making it even more lethal. In Halo 2 it was dual-wieldable, but its effectiveness was significantly reduced. To this day, the Needler remains the comic relief of the Halo weapons.

6) Spartan Laser (AKA: Splazer)

Despite being a relatively new addition to the Halo series, making its debut in Halo 3, the Spartan Laser has in my mind earned its place among the best Halo weapons. With the accuracy of a Sniper Rifle and the stopping power of a Rocket Launcher, it’s both an anti-vehicular and anti-infantry weapon, and it kicks ass. I don’t think any other weapon is so superbly effective against vehicles, being able to accurately destroy them across a map, and also, it’s a laser, it’s like your own personal mini-Death Star, and it’s awesome.

5) Rocket Launcher (AKA: Rocks)

The Rocket Launcher was introduced in Halo: Combat Evolved and the name should give you an idea of what it does. Not all that unique to Halo, but many a game has been won by careful and effective use of this wonderful implement of destruction. Plus the splash damage it causes is ridiculous.

4)  Energy Sword 

 The Energy Sword was introduced back in Halo: CE but it wasn’t actually possible to use until Halo 2. The sword is just plain fun to use, especially when you have active-camo.  Assuming the enemy doesn’t have an over shield, the Energy Sword will kill them with one swipe, and can lunge a good distance very quickly. As a rule of thumb when against someone with an energy sword; if their shields are up and they’re running at you from a somewhat close distance, turn and run.

3) Magnum

Long-time fans of this weapon should know this weapon quite well, and I’d imagine some of them would take umbrage to the fact that it’s number 3. The pistol has gone through a lot of changes since its debut. The magnum was introduced in Halo: CE, where it was completely overpowered, a few shots to the head could kill someone, it had a large magazine, a decent fire rate and its range was comparable to a sniper. In Halo 2 it was nerfed to the point where it was useless, as they increased the fire rate but took away both its power and the magnification level that was so conducive to its range. In Halo 3 the magnum’s power was almost restored to its previous glory, but the scope was still missing, and the fire rate was reduced. In ODST, they essentially took the Halo 2 magnum, and added a scope and increased its killing power, but still, not the level of the Halo: CE magnum. Finally, in Reach, the pistol was returned to its original state, but with one nerf that made it so it wasn’t as overpowered, which is that they reduced the magazine size, so it returns to being a little death dealer, but not so much so that it renders using other weapons useless Now there is where fanboys will ask what could possibly beat the magnum, to which the answers are simple.

2) Sniper Rifle

Once again, a very apt name for the weapon is, a sniper rifle, but it’s also so much more. To me, the Sniper represents the epitome of Halo finesse, the perfect killing instrument for the Halo player who wants to do more than wade into a firefight spraying and pray. If it weren’t for the relative scarcity of the Sniper in regular playlists, it would probably be my top choice, but alas, the Sniper Rifle is not readily available, and as such must be viewed as a gift to be cherished whenever possible, but not to be relied upon at all times.  On a side note; I used to have a sniper with me at all times, in the form of a keychain. :P 

    1) Battle Rifle (AKA: BR)

Well, here we are the best weapon in Halo. Sure, other weapons might look cooler, do more damage and more people rush for them at the beginning of a match (assuming you don’t spawn with it), but, aside from the Sniper, no other weapon is as reliable or as deadly in the right hands. I may be slightly biased in this regard, but I didn’t consider a match of Halo to be complete unless you spawned with a Battle Rifle. The BR was first introduced in Halo 2, but was sadly missing from both ODST and Reach. If nothing else, at least Halo 4 is bringing the BR back.

Honourable Mention:

Plasma Pistol

Carbine

Riley D.