Week 3 ~ Halo 3 ~ The Sniper Rifle and the Shotgun
September 8th 2010 05:50
Note: Due to the fast-approaching release of Halo:Reach (comes out on my 15th B-day!), I have started combining related weapons into single posts. I will also start posting the Halo 3 and Halo:Reach version of each weapon together, when possible (of course, theres not Needle Rifle in Halo 3, nor Brute Shot in Reach), starting on September 22nd. If you would like me to post on a specific weapon, from either game, comment below, and I'll try to accommodate requests.Suggestions for improvment are also welcome.
These weapons are seen as one of the most powerful combos in the game, as well as being the most versatile weapon set. This is false. I'm not saying they aren't great weapons, but how many times have you picked up the s'posedly leet combo, then have someone destroy you with a BR, out of range of your shotgun, but too close to easily snipe, especially while your aim is being knocked off by the shots? I know its happened more than a few times in my 2500 matches, especially when I first started playing. A sniper needs to be supported by someone with a short to mid range weapon, whether the sniper himself is carrying the gun, or a teammate is. A Shotgun Battle Rifle, or Sniper Battle Rifle is always better than Shotty Sniper.
Ah, the Sniper. Its a bitch of weapon to learn how to use, but it feels so sweet when you make a great snipe, you forget about all your previous misses. That is, until you see your K/D after the game. If your not a sniper, don't pick up the Sniper Rifle. Its as simple as that. However, if you use something enough, you eventually develope your own style that works. Play Team Snipers a lot. You'll die, over and over, but you will improve. Me, I hate the Sniper, but sometimes I can't resist picking it up when I see it. Because I like to camp when I have the Sniper, my K/D usually suffers a bit, but I do OK. Thats because I used to play Team Snipers. A lot. (I have a skill of about 22 in Team Snipers, and I just play for fun.) The Sniper is my 4th most used weapon, according to my Bungie.net profile. I have a little more than 1200 kills with it in ranked, however only about half of those were headshots. (On the other hand, I've been killed by snipers close to 1800 times, which is the main reason I hate the Sniper Rifle.) Now, when I get the Sniper, I don't aim for the head like I used to, because theres a greater chance of me missing. I usually drill 2 shots into the body of an opponent. In a pinch, I'll aim for the head, and I usually get the snipe, but its less consistant than if I aim for the body. Its all about the long term. When I first started playing Halo 3 a couple years ago, I always played Team Slayer, and I always ran for the Sniper. And I always died. Now I'm stuck with over 2000 deaths to make up to get my K/D to 1.00. Yeah, that means I have to go positive 2000 to break even. So, do not learn to use it ranked, cause you might care about your K/D sometime down the road. Play some Social Slayer, work on your skills, then bring it over to Ranked. Once you can cosistantly kill with the Sniper, either with headshots, 2 body shots, or a mix, start strafing and movng while you snipe if you haven't already. (For those that don't know, strafing is moving side to side, sliding accross your opponent's screen to shake their aim.) If your playing Team Snipers, never jump. I know, its hard to hit something moving horizontal, so why not vertical and horizontal? The problem lies in Halo 3's physics engine, which will hopefuly be fixed in Reach. In spite of wearing thousands of kilo's of armour, Spartans and Elites seem to float to the ground. This give the average sniper plenty of time to snipe you. It also leaves you helpless if a sniper misses, 'cause most people can adjust their aim fast enough to get off another, more accurate shot before you hit the ground. You see, while you're floating to the ground, you have no control over your momentum. Even worse, theres a delayed response to stick movements, so you can't change your movement until half a second after you hit the ground.
Practice before moving into ranked, have some mid range backup, Play some 'Snipes, and be constantly on the move, but don't go vertical (including grav-lifts, man-cannons, and the like). Also, zoom in once when you can, and use the second setting if you have to. And remember to reload!
You have probably noticed the section on the Sniper is really long. Thats cause theres lots to say. Theres not so much about the Shotgun. Its kinda hard to miss, so accuracy isn't very important. The main thing to discuss about the Shotgun is when to use it. As I said before, its usually not a good match with a Sniper Rifle, wehther you have the Sniper, or the enemy does. Its also not great outside, like in the valley of Valhalla, but its great inside, like in the bases of Valhalla, or inside the buildings of Ghost Town. Obviously, you use the Shotgun when you're in close. You might already know this, but if you run up to an opponent and fire at the body just ouside beatdown range (you'll have to learn the perfect distance from expirience), you can almost always quickly tap the button to finish them off with a beatdown. But did you know that if you aim for the head and neck and fire just inside beatdown range, its an instant kill? Its great for getting Shotgun Sprees and Open Seasons, becasue a beatdown doesn't count for your Shotgun Sprees, as I learnt while trying to get the achiement on Heretic. A Shotgun will almost alway beat a Sword, if fired at the rigth time. Same against a Mauler, though a tiny bit farther away than usual, the Mauler would have a slight advantage.
Find the perfect range, then fire away, tapping your melee button after every shot, just in case the blast from your boomstick wasn't quite enough. Stand your ground against a Sword and a Mauler, but don't rush someone with an Assault Rifle, Battle Rifle, Sniper... or anything else. Hide around corners, and let them come to you.
Sniper, courtesy of IGN, and Shotgun, courtesy of Wikia.
Overview
These weapons are seen as one of the most powerful combos in the game, as well as being the most versatile weapon set. This is false. I'm not saying they aren't great weapons, but how many times have you picked up the s'posedly leet combo, then have someone destroy you with a BR, out of range of your shotgun, but too close to easily snipe, especially while your aim is being knocked off by the shots? I know its happened more than a few times in my 2500 matches, especially when I first started playing. A sniper needs to be supported by someone with a short to mid range weapon, whether the sniper himself is carrying the gun, or a teammate is. A Shotgun Battle Rifle, or Sniper Battle Rifle is always better than Shotty Sniper.
The Sniper
Ah, the Sniper. Its a bitch of weapon to learn how to use, but it feels so sweet when you make a great snipe, you forget about all your previous misses. That is, until you see your K/D after the game. If your not a sniper, don't pick up the Sniper Rifle. Its as simple as that. However, if you use something enough, you eventually develope your own style that works. Play Team Snipers a lot. You'll die, over and over, but you will improve. Me, I hate the Sniper, but sometimes I can't resist picking it up when I see it. Because I like to camp when I have the Sniper, my K/D usually suffers a bit, but I do OK. Thats because I used to play Team Snipers. A lot. (I have a skill of about 22 in Team Snipers, and I just play for fun.) The Sniper is my 4th most used weapon, according to my Bungie.net profile. I have a little more than 1200 kills with it in ranked, however only about half of those were headshots. (On the other hand, I've been killed by snipers close to 1800 times, which is the main reason I hate the Sniper Rifle.) Now, when I get the Sniper, I don't aim for the head like I used to, because theres a greater chance of me missing. I usually drill 2 shots into the body of an opponent. In a pinch, I'll aim for the head, and I usually get the snipe, but its less consistant than if I aim for the body. Its all about the long term. When I first started playing Halo 3 a couple years ago, I always played Team Slayer, and I always ran for the Sniper. And I always died. Now I'm stuck with over 2000 deaths to make up to get my K/D to 1.00. Yeah, that means I have to go positive 2000 to break even. So, do not learn to use it ranked, cause you might care about your K/D sometime down the road. Play some Social Slayer, work on your skills, then bring it over to Ranked. Once you can cosistantly kill with the Sniper, either with headshots, 2 body shots, or a mix, start strafing and movng while you snipe if you haven't already. (For those that don't know, strafing is moving side to side, sliding accross your opponent's screen to shake their aim.) If your playing Team Snipers, never jump. I know, its hard to hit something moving horizontal, so why not vertical and horizontal? The problem lies in Halo 3's physics engine, which will hopefuly be fixed in Reach. In spite of wearing thousands of kilo's of armour, Spartans and Elites seem to float to the ground. This give the average sniper plenty of time to snipe you. It also leaves you helpless if a sniper misses, 'cause most people can adjust their aim fast enough to get off another, more accurate shot before you hit the ground. You see, while you're floating to the ground, you have no control over your momentum. Even worse, theres a delayed response to stick movements, so you can't change your movement until half a second after you hit the ground.
The Summary
Practice before moving into ranked, have some mid range backup, Play some 'Snipes, and be constantly on the move, but don't go vertical (including grav-lifts, man-cannons, and the like). Also, zoom in once when you can, and use the second setting if you have to. And remember to reload!
The Shotgun
You have probably noticed the section on the Sniper is really long. Thats cause theres lots to say. Theres not so much about the Shotgun. Its kinda hard to miss, so accuracy isn't very important. The main thing to discuss about the Shotgun is when to use it. As I said before, its usually not a good match with a Sniper Rifle, wehther you have the Sniper, or the enemy does. Its also not great outside, like in the valley of Valhalla, but its great inside, like in the bases of Valhalla, or inside the buildings of Ghost Town. Obviously, you use the Shotgun when you're in close. You might already know this, but if you run up to an opponent and fire at the body just ouside beatdown range (you'll have to learn the perfect distance from expirience), you can almost always quickly tap the button to finish them off with a beatdown. But did you know that if you aim for the head and neck and fire just inside beatdown range, its an instant kill? Its great for getting Shotgun Sprees and Open Seasons, becasue a beatdown doesn't count for your Shotgun Sprees, as I learnt while trying to get the achiement on Heretic. A Shotgun will almost alway beat a Sword, if fired at the rigth time. Same against a Mauler, though a tiny bit farther away than usual, the Mauler would have a slight advantage.
The Summary
Find the perfect range, then fire away, tapping your melee button after every shot, just in case the blast from your boomstick wasn't quite enough. Stand your ground against a Sword and a Mauler, but don't rush someone with an Assault Rifle, Battle Rifle, Sniper... or anything else. Hide around corners, and let them come to you.
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