This week, we got an extensive look at the entire UNSC (not Covenant or Promethean) arsenal for Halo 4. There is a video, and accompanying the video on Halo Waypoint are many, many words. Most of these words won’t be new to you; they are just talking about the weapons, and we already know about most of them. The video below contains short gameplay clips using each of the Human weapons.
The sharp-eyed Halo aficionado will recognize such weapons as the Assault Rifle, Battle Rifle, DMR, Magnum, Rocket Launcher, Sniper Rifle, Shotgun, and Spartan Laser. Those of you who have been keeping up with the Halo 4 news will see the Rail Gun and Sticky Detonator. But wait, there was one more weapon in that video, wasn’t there? The SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) is making its debut in the Halo series. In traditional shooters, a SAW is a heavier, fully-automatic weapon with a large clip and a good amount of recoil.
Below, I’ve condensed the info we have on each weapon to the juicy, important parts.
Assault Rifle
Same old, same old, but with a little more range and a little more accuracy.
Battle Rifle- 2X Zoom
Like getting back on the bike after a couple years, you still know exactly how to use it.
DMR- 3X Zoom
The DMR has undergone some changes for Halo 4. It fires more slowly, but is more accurate. You don’t have to be worrying about the reticle bloom as much. Also, it sounds AWESOME.
Magnum
The new Magnum has also changed a bit. When using it, all of your animations are faster, so throwing grenades, switching weapons, etc. is faster with a Magnum equipped. It isn’t as powerful as the primary weapons, but is great when paired with an automatic weapon to finish off the enemy with a quick headshot.
Shotgun
In general, it sounds the Shotgun is very similar to its predecessors. Close-range: Good. Long-range: Bad.
SAW
The SAW is still being fine-tuned, but it currently acts as somewhat of a go-between for the AR and the Turret. It fires quickly and looks awesome doing it, but isn’t very accurate and can burn through ammo. I’m betting that the SAW will be great for battling vehicles when on foot.
Sticky Detonator
This new weapon fills a similar niche to the Reach Grenade Launcher. It is an extremely tactical weapon that a well-practiced player can use very effectively.
Railgun
This one-hit-kill weapon takes a bit of learning to use effectively. The charge time on it is much less than a Spartan Laser, but long enough that you have to use a bit of planning.
Spartan Laser
Mostly the same as previous versions; slightly better than the Reach version, slightly worse than the Halo 3 version.
Rocket Launcher
Since everything in Halo 4 moves a bit faster, the new Rocket is slightly faster and has a slightly larger splash area.
Sniper Rifle
The Sniper is basically the same, but the overall consensus is that it feels a bit easier to use than in Reach or Halo 3, but it’s not as powerful as the Halo 2 version.
So there you have it, a quick breakdown of the UNSC armory. I’m not done yet, though.
I will strongly encourage the long-time Halo fans to check out the “Halo Bulletin” on Halo Waypoint for 8/8/2012 and read the long-ish “Office of Halo Intelligence” segement written by Frank O’Connor. ”Frankie” has been with the Halo franchise since 2004, and may be the most knowledgeable person on the game in the world. There is a great piece there where Frank talks about the way that 343 Industries has grabbed the reins and made a spectacular game. Any doubts I had about the first non-Bungie Halo vanished after reading it. Check it out, you won’t be disappointed.
