Retro Game Walkthroughs For
"Halo"
(Xbox)

This is a walkthrough guide to the weapons available on Halo, not
a level guide.



Halo has a wide assortment of weapons to use in multiplayer
battles which are comprised of the human and Covenant (alien)
weapons that you come across in the game's single-player story
mode, Campaign.
Each weapon is suited for certain combat situations and has
their own strengths and weaknesses that make it a preferred or
non-preferred weapon of choice given the situation. Shooters are
encouraged to know their weapons characteristics like it was the
back of their hand. After all, the gun is in the front of your
hand and what's behind it is an open target. Being fully aware
of what your weapon is capable of and knowing its strengths and
weakness can give strong advantages over the competition.

Don't forget that each weapon can also be used as a melee
weapon. Melee attacks are physical attacks with the weapon that
can deal a great deal of damage. Depending on the weight and
size of certain weapons, some are better choices for melee
attacks as they might allow you to quickly strike dealing a lot
of damage or it might strike hard but takes the shooter time to
put the weapon back in hand, thus delaying your next move.

Always be aware of the amount of ammo left in your weapons and
especially the current clip. Failing to keep track of ammunition
left can place a shooter is a bad situation and ultimately will
result in a death. Also keep in mind that all of your weapons
can hurt the shooter as well (known as the �suicide shot�).
Teammates can also be injured or even killed by a shooters
weapons so it is wise to stay alert to what's around your target
before firing.

Human Weapons

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M6D Pistol
Available in Multiplayer
General Info
This pistol is a recoil-operated, magazine-fed handgun. It is
issued with a smart-linked scope capable of 2x magnification
(press in the right thumbstick). It fires 12.7mm semi-armor
piercing, high-explosive rounds. It can shoot either
semi-automatic or automatic fire (pull and hold right trigger
for automatic fire).

Shot placement is very important. The only shot that guarantees
immediate and total incapacitation is one roughly centered in
the head, above a horizontal line passing through the ear
opening and below the crown of the alien skull.

Weapon Tactics
This is easily one of the better guns in the game and is also
your last resort at many times. Due to the scope feature (press
in the right thumbstick), the pistol is perfect for either
semi-long range or short-range combat. It is capable of
auto-fire (pull and hold the right trigger) and has a very
strong kickback upon fire, but not enough to negatively affect
the shooter's accuracy. Because it discharges 12.7mm semi-armor
piercing, high-explosive rounds, the pistol is more than
substantial as a powerful, lightweight weapon that can often
kill its targets with only a few shots.


MA5B Assault Rifle
Available in Multiplayer
General Info
This rifle is gas-operated and magazine-fed. It fires 7.62mm
armor-piercing rounds. Rate of fire is limited by a soldier's
own ability to aim, fire and change magazines. Short, controlled
bursts are more accurate than fully automatic fire.

The MA5B's integrated computer displays rounds left in the
magazine and the relative direction of the gas giant, Threshold,
for point of reference. This feature is particularly useful for
orienting you in areas where it's easy to get turned around and
lose your sense of direction.

Weapon Tactics
Although being fully capable of automatic fire, the MA5B Assault
Rifle is probably the weakest weapon in the game. This weapon is
best used in short-range combat situations. It is preferred that
the shooter use short bursts of fire rather than auto-fire in
these situations, as it increases the accuracy. Never use this
weapon in long-range combat. If you must, though, use auto-fire
(hold down the right trigger) to slightly increase accuracy.


M90 Shotgun
Available in Multiplayer
General Info
The shotgun is a pump-action magazine-fed (dual tubular
non-detachable type) weapon. It fires 8 gauge magnum (3.5�)
rounds. This weapon is very effective against targets at a close
range and may be used to engage several targets simultaneously
at medium and long range.

Weapon Tactics
Death in a barrel; the shotgun is the preferred weapon of an
advanced mercenary looking for the one-shot kill. Use this
weapon primarily in close-range combat situations. It is
virtually useless in long-range situations. Aim for the head and
you're virtually guaranteed a one-hit kill. The shotgun has a
powerful kickback, but like many of the other weapons it doesn't
affect the shooter's performance, with the exception that there
is a recoil delay time of about 1 second as the shooter
automatically pumps the shotgun after each blast. Because this
is primarily a close-range weapon, it is best to have equipped
the sniper rifle, pistol or rocket launcher for long-range
battle.


S2 AM Sniper Rifle
Available in Multiplayer
General Info
This rifle is a gas-operated magazine-fed weapon. It is issued
with a smart-linked scope with two levels of magnification
(press in the right thumbstick once for 2x, press again for 10x,
and once more to deactivate). Also, while still in zoom mode you
can press the white button to activate light amplification. It
fires 14.5mm armor-piercing fin-stabilized discarding sabot
rounds.

Warning: The 14.5x114mm APFSDS round is an anti-material
munition. It can easily over-penetrate several armored soldiers.
Be sure of what is on the other side of your target before
firing.

Weapon Tactics
It's the stuff that precision in the field of pinpoint accuracy
and legendary skill is made of. This is a long-range weapon
only, but if you can manage to fire it at short-range without
using the scope it's more than capable of killing opponents with
one or two shots. But never rely on this weapon for short-range
combat. Find a nice spot, sit back, zoom in 2x to scope out your
surrounding environments - and 10x to zoom in further � and pick
them as they cross your path. Stay alert to who or what is
behind your target before firing, though, as this weapon is more
than capable of over-penetrating its target and taking out
whatever is behind it as well.

Conservation of ammo is the backbone characteristic of this
weapon. Be careful with your shots, as the bullets leave a
contrail that can be visibly seen when fired and opponents will
follow this to find where you're hiding. Make sure to glance at
the radar often because snipers have been known to get into a
deep trance of finding their targets and have often been killed
by an opponent who sneaks up close to them.

Be sure to keep track of where everyone is on the battlefield
and continually keep moving. If you don't see anyone on the
battlefield after a few seconds or minutes then they probably
have you in their scopes. Continual movement is the key to
avoiding sniper fire.


M 19 SSM Rocket Launcher
Available in Multiplayer
General Info
The M 19 SSM is a man-portable and shoulder-fired rocket
launcher. It has two major components, the launcher and the
magazine. The magazine (the expendable part of the system)
contacts two 102mm shaped-charged, high-explosive rockets. It is
designed for fast, easy detachment from the launcher. The
launcher contains the sighting and fire control systems.

Weapon Tactics
Arguably the most fun weapon in the game. Launch your opponents
into oblivion with one blast. Never aim directly at your target,
as the speed at which your rockets travel is rather slow and can
be easily avoided at long-range. Instead, aim around the feet of
your targets, trying to hit the ground right in front of them.
This is the ultimate one-shot kill weapon if a shot is
well-placed.

When fighting against others with rocket launchers it is best to
try to stay in the air. Continual jumping sometimes gives you an
advantage, and when the situation arises jumping from higher
areas of elevation down on an opponent gives you a great
advantage over your target.

The rocket launcher has a recoil of about 2-3 seconds, which
makes this a seemingly bad choice when in non-tight close-range
battle. It carries 8 rounds so make sure that whatever you point
at you kill or its over for you. As you reload or run out of
ammo it's best to switch the weapon quickly or throw grenades.
Opponents have been known to both run out of rocket launcher
ammo, panic and then throw a barrage of grenades at each other,
forgetting that they have another weapon.


M9 HE-DP Grenade
Available in Multiplayer
General Info
The M9 high-explosive, dual purpose grenade is a thrown
fragmentation device. Use it to suppress or disable vehicles,
except tanks. It can be thrown, rolled, bounced or ricocheted
into places direct fire weapons can't reach. Increase the angle
of the throw to toss it further, or to get it over obstacles. Be
careful not to throw it too close to your own locations.

Weapon Tactics
This is a thrown, rolled, bounced or ricocheted weapon only.
Between this and the plasma grenade, this grenade is obviously
the weaker of choice. It has a delay time of about 3 seconds,
which doesn't start counting until the grenade is non-moving,
but emits a powerful blast capable of destroying anything it
touches. Use this wisely and preferably at mid-range, as you
don't want to get caught up in a situation where your own
grenades are surrounding you, thus becoming the �suicide
grenade.�



Covenant Weapons
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Plasma Rifle

Core powered output: 100-150 Kv @ 2-3 dA
Rate of Fire: 420 to 600 RD/MIN
General Info
This is a directed energy weapon. It is capable of either
semiautomatic or automatic fire (pull and hold the right trigger
for automatic fire). Continuous rapid fire overheats the weapon
� this in turn depletes the weapon's power core. We currently do
not understand how to replace or recharge a power core.
Note: This weapon will deplete its energy source as you use it.
It is wise to replace it as often as possible.

Weapon Tactic
Between this and the Plasma Pistol, most would attest that this
is the better choice. It's well-suited for close-range or
long-range combat and like the Plasma Pistol it stuns its
targets upon impact. This weapon is very effective against the
tank, but its energy core can deplete fast if shooters abuse its
automatic fire (it also has semiautomatic fire). Like the human
pistol, this is a great overall weapon and also makes good of
melee attacks due to it being lightweight.


Plasma Pistol
Available in Multiplayer

==> Core power output: 100-150 Kv @ 2-3 dA
==> Overcharge power output: 1.5 Mv @ 2-3 dA
General Info
This weapon is a semiautomatic directed energy weapon. If you
pull and hold the right trigger, the weapon may become
over-charged; when the right trigger is released the bolt is
launched. After the over-charged is launched the weapon
temporarily stops functioning as it dumps waste heat. Use of the
over-charge capability rapidly depletes the weapon's power
core.
Note: This weapon will deplete its energy source as you use it.
It is wise to replace it as often as possible.

Weapon Tactic
While most would say this weapon is completely useless, it
actually isn't. It's more or less just different from your
regular assortment of choice weapons. This weapon is capable of
emitting a powerful bolt blast (hold down the right trigger and
release when the gauge is full) that is fully capable of
completely bringing down an opponent with 400% shield. Use the
bolt blast or fire it regularly, but always keep in mind that
its energy core wears down as you use it (even faster when you
abuse the bolt blast) and you must replace the weapon
continually. This weapons stuns targets for a short amount of
time as well.

Accuracy is not really needed due to the fact that the emissions
scatter to the target and other close targets around him. This
is a good weapon to use on vehicles, especially the tank or any
vehicle loaded with passengers and is known to be able to take
out an entire Warthog and tank fleet with one bolt blast when
health is around 200%.


Needler
Available in Multiplayer
General Info
Very little is known about this weapon other than that it is a
magazine fed weapon capable of automatic fire. Its projectiles
penetrate soft targets no matter what the angle of impact. They
ricochet off of hard surfaces at oblique angles, however, and
are always deflected by energy fields, the only exceptions to
this being the shields generated by the MJOLNIR battle suit and
the Elite's combat armor. The composition and energy signature
of its projectile is unknown. The manner of its projectiles home
in on their target is also unknown.
Weapon Tactic
Definitely amongst the best and most effective of the Covenant
weapons in the game, the Needler is a preferred alien armament.
It projects a matter than completely follows soft targets (and
ricochets off of hard surfaces) and then penetrates the skin or
armor and then explodes while semi-inside the target. Unlike the
other alien weapons, this weapon is magazine fed and runs out
extremely fast. Use this only as a last resort in a bad
situation and unleash the whole clip at your target. Even if you
die first, the rounds that have penetrated the target can still
explode in your target and kill him, thus giving you your final
dying wish. You died as a man with a gun.


Plasma Grenade
Available in Multiplayer
General Info
This weapon is similar to your own hand grenade in that it is a
thrown anti-infantry and anti-vehicle weapon. It has some kind
of internal mechanism that allows it to distinguish between
targets and background. For example, it will stick to a soldier
or vehicle, but not a tree or wall. It has a three-second fuse
that is activated after it sticks to a target or otherwise comes
to a rest.

Weapon Tactic
The best overall grenade in this game by far. The plasma
grenades are capable of sticking to soft surfaces such as the
human body (it used the same unknown technology as the Needler)
and emits a powerful green blast that sends its targets flying.
It is a perfect weapon for a last resort. A well placed plasma
grenade can stick to the target (it can't be removed once stuck)
and send them oblivion. It can also be placed on the ground as
has a reaction delay time of about 3 seconds. For close-range
combat this grenade is preferred over the human fragmentation
grenade as it is easier to see on the ground. But be aware that
if you're going to use this make sure it sticks to its target;
otherwise it's almost useless because it can be easily avoided.

Halo: Combat Evolved characters, weapons and vehicle walkthrough.

By Silent Thunder

A walkthrough that will guide you through every single weapon and vehicle you will encounter in the game. Also I will go through the characters and enemies in the game that you will meet whilst you play. I have included some detailed uses of the weapons and when and how to use them efficiently through out the game. I hope it helps!


Human Characters:

Captain Jacob Keyes – He is the most respected man aboard the ship, The Pillar of Autumn. Captain Keyes is twenty-six years into his military career and still he is fighting as strong as ever. He is leading the assault on the Covenant and with the respect of all his soldiers he will hopefully succeed. He will need your help though with many different objectives, which he will tell you over your radio and through Cortana. At the beginning Captain Keyes is caught long with many marines and they’re in serious trouble. He will call upon you to help; so be prepared to fight for and along side this great, respected leader in a battle that has only just begun. Just remember what he says goes.

The Marines – These guys are highly trained and efficient at their jobs – what else would you expect from the best? But now the Covenant has invaded the Pillar of Autumn and so the marines are seriously out numbered. The Covenant has far superior weapons and has a few clever tactics up their sleeves so you’ll need to watch the marine’s backs. With all this against the marines it is starting to look like they are fighting a losing battle. But stop that negative thinking right now because these guys never loose and you will have to lead them. As you have a superior rank to them they will do as you say, but don’t let this go to your head, there is war going on out there. The marines are equipped with assault riffles; pistols, shotguns, sniper rifles and some even have rocket launchers on their backs. Also they all carry a few fragmented grenades on them at all times. They are all trained in an area of experts and so use this to your advantage when you command them. Tip: Keep together and you will have a better chance of survival.

Cortana – Cortana is the highly advanced AI at the core of the Pillar of Autumn. She is equipped with all types of skills that are extremely useful out in the battlefield and when you are stuck behind a locked door. She will often give you tips on how to approach certain tasks and how to achieve your objectives in the most efficient way. Her design is unique; it allows her to be uploaded into a battle suit, just like yours. Often you will receive messages from Captain Keyes through Cortana so listen out for them as they provide useful information. Some of her skills include hacking into the Covenant battle network which allows her to open sealed doors and pick up on communications between these alien creatures.


The Covenant:

Very little is known about the covenant as most of their campaigns have been successful in wiping out large numbers of humans, so nobody could report back and inform anyone of their origins, societies and motivations. Not one single Covenant troop has ever been caught a live so there are no leads there either. Here’s some intelligence I’ve gathered on the alien creatures:

The Grunts – Very small creatures compared to the other giants out there and they appear to quite fat and chubby as they waddle around with chunky arms, legs and a large body. As they are quite weak they travel in medium to large packs. They are also quite cowardly and when they see you approaching they will often make a run for it. Where do they run? Not just away, but too stronger more powerful allies with better equipped weapons and tactics. This can be advantage to you though here’s how: When you have a few plasma grenades on you and you see a single grunt on his own and a larger group of elite soldiers near by. Throw the plasma grenade onto the grunt, it will stick and the grunt will run away screaming for help. The way it thinks it can get help is by going up to the Elites, but little does it know it is now also going to kill its friends along with itself. All thanks to a well placed plasma grenade. The grunts themselves are equipped with Needlers, plasma pistols and sometimes plasma rifles. Also they carry a few plasma grenades on them, which they will drop when they die, allowing you to pick them up. Sometimes you will find Grunts asleep so use the silent but deadly melee attack on them it will kill them in one if they don’t know of you presence, if they do it will take about three hits. They are easy to kill so try not to over kill them. One shot to the head with a pistol will kill them in one.

The Jackals – This medium sized alien has an outstanding sense of sight hearing and smell. If you make any kind of noise near by they will soon alert other, stronger forces to your position. As they will if they see you. Remember: They will be able to see you probably before you see them, so be on the look out. When you do see them you’ll easily see what they’re up to and where they are going as they carry around a bright energy shield that comes in blue, green and yellow. The most effective weapon against this shield and other stationary shields is either the plasma pistol or rifle, when the shield goes red it means that it is almost broken. Remember: The shields do recharge. These shields prevent them from being killed, as they are a very weak type of troop. It is very hard to get a clear shot on these aliens as the shield covers their whole body. Your best bet is to shoot their hand where they are holding the shield or sneak around the back of them, but this is difficult as they may hear you or see you. Armed with a plasma pistol their main job is to scout ahead. They are also brilliant snipers, with a superb shot. They generally stick together and walk in a wall kind of formation that allows them to easily over power any enemy. Several marines tackling one of these creatures may not even be enough.

The Elites – These are the guys you want to avoid if you can, alternately you could just blow them a part with well-placed plasma grenade and releasing a heavy shower of machine gun bullets over them. Either way just be warned about these guys. They’re big, strong and intelligent. They carry the entire Covenant weapons and grenades and are highly trained in using them. Like you they have a rechargeable shield that is extremely strong and will take a while to wear off, once it is off it’s quite an easy kill. There are different varieties of the Elites each trained to perfection. Most will be armed with the plasma rifle, if they run out of ammo they aren’t afraid to hit you around the face or head with it so watch yourself when dealing with them, as they deliver a mighty blow. The top Elites carry and use a plasma sword, which is an awesome weapon. All they need to do to kill you is strike you once, cutting you into two. Again these guys are extremely strong, but plasma grenades should do a nice trick against them. As well as being highly trained in wielding such a weapon they are also trained in how to move with it too. They can run as fast as they like and jump as high as they like. Oh yeah and I best remember to tell you one last thing, they’re invisible. But when they are invisible they don’t have an energy shield protecting them so they are weaker. And you can easily see the Elites carrying a sword as you can still see a long blue plasma sword approaching you.

The Hunters – Don’t get in the way of one of these 12-foot tall beasts. With heavy, almost bullet proof armour and a giant metal shield attached to the armour this creature is more than a challenge. They usually work in pairs and trash anything that gets in the way of them and killing you. Using pistols, shotguns and assault rifle wont work as the bullets will be propelled right back at you. Using a sniper rifle to the head of this giant beast will do the trick as will the use of alien weapons as they pierce the tough skin. The Hunters themselves use giant green plasma cannons that are attached on either side of their bodies. They also have a giant metal shield that can cover their whole body when they wish this reflects even alien weapons and the sniper rifles bullet so get a shot of the skin when the shield is lowered. They also use the shield as a weapon when they melee you. This will destroy your health in one so stand clear as they swing at you.


The Flood:

Young Flood – Later in the game you will meet little head crab like creatures that throw themselves across floors and rooms. They do this to try and get a host, which they then control. You will never find a solitary flood they are always in their masses. Several flood will do little to your health apart from taking your shield energy lower, but a huge swarm of them and you are theirs. If there are to many of the annoying little creatures you can simply throw a fragmented grenade at them, this will wipe out all of them in one, or alternately you can just mow them down with the assault rifle. If you encounter one or two simply melee attack them by pressing ‘B’. If you miss them don’t worry because when they hit your heavy armour they will just be crushed and explode.

Pregnant Flood – The young flood have to come from somewhere right? Right and this is where. You will often see in the middle of a swarm of flood a fat ugly giant waddling flood that appears to have no face. This is the young flood’s mother and she wants to give birth, the only way it can do this is by exploding and allowing the young flood to escape from its stomach. You will want to steer clear of these creatures as when they explode it causes quite a bit of damage around the area. You can easily tell when a pregnant flood is about to give birth because it will lay on the ground for two seconds, then blow. This is enough time for you to run up to the pregnant flood making it drop to floor and then running off again, not hurting you at all. Then you can just shoot the young flood. You can use these creatures to your advantage too if you want, if you shoot them from a distance and it has flood around it, it will kill the flood next to it as it explodes. Leaving only a few young flood that have recently hatched to mop up.

The Flood’s Hosts – If the young flood succeed in killing a Covenant or human troop they then will take the body and use it as a host. Not only do they take the body, but they also take the weapons and grenades the host was using before. So these creatures can be armed with literally anything. From Needlers to Rocket Launchers and Sniper Rifles. They also can jump very far and high and so have a certain element of surprise, which doesn’t help their victim. The best weapon against them is the shotgun as it just blasts through the ugly creatures. They are quite easy to pick out from any crowd as they look like mutated zombies. A well-placed plasma grenade will also efficiently deal with any flood presence in the area. Remember: The Covenant aren’t allies with the Flood so use this to your advantage, if they are together they won’t bother with you, but with each other. This allows you to slip by.


Your Armour and Your HUD (Heads Up Display) – The Heads Up Display (HUD) is your view of the world through your battle suit’s visor. Here’s a brief run through of what is on the HUD and how to respond to it:

The Weapon Indicator – You can find this in the upper-left corner of your HUD. It displays information about the weapon you are currently using. This clearly shows how many magazines you have left and how many rounds left in a magazine. Also look at this before entering a major battle and make sure your weapon is loaded. A message on the HUD will appear saying: “Low Ammo” when you need to reload. The weapon indicator also shows how many grenades you have left. Press the black button to change grenades from plasma to fragmented.

The Targeting Reticle – This is the aiming device that you use to get clear shots of enemies, when the reticle turns red it means there is a clear shot of an enemy. This reticle changes depending on what type of weapon it is.

Navigation Points – Often when you are completing objectives you will need to go to certain locations around Halo. It is quite difficult sometimes to find your way around the massive landscape and so to help you find your way a red Nav’ point will appear: follow this. When you get closer a number of kilometres will appear, this is how far away you are from your destination. So you can work out how long it will take. They will often lead you to other crew members and other areas of interest.

Flashlight Indicator – When you turn on your flashlight, by pressing the white button, a bar will appear under your health bar and as the flashlight drains power from your suit’s energy the bar will go down until it’s completely run out and will turn off. It will then recharge, luckily this doesn’t take a minute then you can reuse it again. You can turn the flashlight off by pressing the white button again.

Health and Shield Indicators – Your health is measured by a bar found in the top left corner of your HUD, as you receive damage it will go down and will not recharge unless you can find some health power ups. The bar itself is marked by the blue cross next to it. As your health goes down it has three stages, each with its own colour. Blue being excellent, yellow being okay and red being critical. Above your health bar is a larger bar marked with a blue shield symbol. This indicates how low or high your shield levels are. If they are empty your controller will vibrate and the bar will flash red until it’s recharged. When you are out of combat the shield will recharge itself and does not require any power ups. Although you can pick up over shields during the game.

The Direction of Fire Indicators – When you are under fire large red arrows will appear at the top, bottom, left or right on your HUD to indicate where the enemy fire is coming from. The large red arrow being on your right meaning that the enemies fire is coming from your right, etc.

The Motion Tracker – Found in the bottom left corner of your HUD this radar is vital in how you approach what is around the corner and what is ahead. It shows enemy and allies on the radar and gives a rough view of how far away they are from you. The red dots are enemy troops and the yellow dots are allies. Look out for both.


Melee Fighting – Got a weapon in your hand but it has no ammo, or there is an enemy right in your face? Simply by pressing ‘B’ you will use the gun as a blunt instrument, hitting the attacker in his head, this will dish out a lot of pain and your enemy will be quite shocked that you hit him instead of shooting him. A key thing to remember is that the Covenant and Flood can also melee you as well. If you hit an enemy from behind it will kill them in one, whatever the creature or alien. Melee fighting is stealthy and silent, nobody will be alerted to your presence when you melee.


Human Weapons:

M9 HE-DP Grenade – Also known as a fragmented grenade this is a highly effective explosive that can be used in many different ways to deal with enemy and their vehicles. Don’t waste these grenades on a solitary alien on his own, but use it when there are large groups of enemy. They are quite rare to come across, but you can always find them near one of the many crash sites in the game, along with a lot of other weapons. You can also use these grenades to disable any vehicles you want, it won’t destroy tanks in one, but it will have a lot of damage on it. The great thing about these grenades is that you can throw them round corners by throwing them against walls, this causes a rebounding action. These grenades are great for surprise attacks also because when you throw the grenade it only takes a couple of seconds to go off, no time for any one to run away. Just make sure you’re not near them when they go off.

M6D Pistol – This neat little weapon comes with 2X zoom, which can be very handy for picking off enemy from a distance where they can’t get you. To activate the zoom in option and to deactivate it press down the right thumb stick. It is quite a powerful gun because if you aim for the heads of some of the aliens it will kill them in one and severely damage others. The aliens that it will kill with one shot are the Grunts and if you get a clear shot on a Jackal it will also have the same desired effect. On the Elites it doesn’t really do much, but you can use the zoom in option to scout ahead and so you can be prepared for what’s about to come. Using this weapon to melee and enemy is a bad idea as when you melee someone Master Chief, you, always flicks the gun into the air and then catches it again, wasting time, which then allows you to be killed. The bullets themselves only pierce heavy armour slightly, so it’s best to use a different weapon when attacking a heavily armoured enemy.

MA5B Assault Riffle – You will always be equipped with this weapon as it is an all-purpose assault rifle. You can fire 60 rounds in one magazine and you can pick up 10 magazines at one time in total. So it will keep going for a long time when fully loaded. You can check your ammo by looking at the small computer built into the gun. You don’t really need to aim with this weapon, as the bullets will just spray the alien in pain. Grunts are easily killed with weapons, as are the Jackals. With the Jackals you will first need to knock their shield out of the way, by using a melee attack, then they are left vulnerable, an easy kill. It is a great weapon to use when melee fighting as it is big and heavy and unlike the pistol you don’t throw it in the air, wasting valuable time. Also unlike the pistol the assault rifle’s bullets do pierce the armour of enemies, so this would be a great weapon to use against the Elites.

M90 Shotgun – One of the best guns in the game. It’s an awesome weapon that you can use to just blast through all those Flood and Covenant scum! It works best on the Elites and Flood, as these guys are the toughest creatures out there, but when faced with the shotgun they don’t stay standing for very long. Always try and aim for their heads as it will guarantee a kill, or at least shoot it their backs, as this will leave them severely damaged. It’s a pump action magazine-fed weapon that fires 8 rounds in each magazine. You can carry 6 magazines at one time in total. The most effective use of this weapon is short range as it blows the enemy apart. You can always get the attention of an enemy at long range by firing in the air near by the target. It will soon come running towards you. But don’t waste the ammo, as it’s hard to find. Using this weapon for melee fighting is highly advised as it’s extremely tough and can easily break alien skulls.

S2 AM Sniper Rifle – When you are using this excellent weapon you’ll want to be hiding; behind rocks, in trees, etc. as you don’t want to be seen using this weapon, otherwise your targets will move away from where you were about to get a clean shot. Whenever you are using the Sniper rifle always aim for the heads, if you hit them it’s a guaranteed kill. Equipped with two levels of zoom, 2X and 10X, it is quite easy to get a clear shot on your target. To activate zoom in levels press the right thumb stick, once for 2X, twice for 10X and finally three times to deactivate zoom options. Not only does it have handy zoom options, but it also comes equipped with night vision. Note: You have to be zoomed in to activate this. Simply press the white button and darkness will become light. As this uses heavy-duty bullets it’s easy to fire a bullet through two marines, even if they are armoured, so look who is on the other side of a target first. Once again this weapon’s ammo is rare so don’t waste the ammo, but do use it, as it will save a lot of time on killing.

M19 SSM Rocket Launcher – You won’t often stumble across the rocket launcher and so only use the ammo to disable and destroy enemy vehicles or to take out gun turrets. The rocket launcher works on both short range and long range attacks as it is equipped with a 2X zoom, activated by pressing the right thumb stick and pressing it again to deactivate it. On a ghost this weapon will totally annihilate it, leaving just a burnt carcass of the ship. Shooting Banshees down from the sky is a hard task but with the zoom and a sturdy hand on the controller you should be able to pull it off, a single hit on the flying ship will bring down to your level. I recommend only using the rocket launcher on vehicles and gun turrets, but there is nothing stopping using it against large groups of enemy troops, nothing would survive and it would be very effective.

M41 LAAG – This is the warthog’s anti aircraft gun emplacement located in the back of the vehicle. It can rotate a full 360 degrees and shoot at almost any angle, it’s great at shooting targets at long range and medium range, but it can’t quite the angle for short range. So kill the enemy before they get to close. The bullets the gun fires out of its three turrets uses are armour-piercing rounds. As I said it is an anti aircraft weapon and is very effective at it, Banshees won’t resist for long when you return fire at them; likewise with the Ghosts. This gun is one of the few guns that can actually shoot through an energy shield after a number of hits, which is a great advantage against enemies with these shields.


Covenant Weapons:

Plasma Rifle – This is an awesome piece of Covenant technology. The plasma rifle fires plasma energy at the enemy who then get injured severely, also as it is plasma energy you are firing it can take out any energy shields with three shots, which then leave the holder in the open. You can use it to fire rapid fire or single shots, to fire rapidly hold down the right trigger and fire at a target. Remember when using rapid fire the gun can over heat as it is being used too much, you will then need to stop firing and let it recharge. When you get hit by this you will probably notice your movements being slowed down, well when you use the weapon use this to your advantage, if a lot of enemy is right behind you. Just fire into them, they will then slow down enough for you to make a get away. Also this weapon is great for long distance as the plasma energy keeps travelling and only solid objects can stop it. Finally using this weapon in melee fighting is highly advised as it delivers a strong punch into an alien skull.

Plasma Pistol – Another ingenious piece of Covenant weaponry. Like the plasma rifle it fires plasma energy but, unlike the plasma rifle, it can’t fire rapidly. Only single shots can be fired and they aren’t as effective as the plasma rifle. But something that is more effective then the plasma rifle is the fact that you can create giant green plasma balls and fire them at the enemy. To create these giant plasma energy balls all you have to do is hold down the right trigger, then release when you have a target. With this you can kill Grunts in one and take out any energy shields, revealing its holder unprotected. Finally this weapon is brilliant when melee fighting as it is used as a fist to knock out the opponent.

Needler – When you see heat-seeking pink glass shards following you and finally attaching themselves upon you and then finally exploding inflicting lots of pain, you know there is a Grunt or a Jackal after you, armed with a Needler gun. Needler guns are a magazine fed weapon that are quite common amongst Grunts and they’re a real pain, because they look pathetic but really do cause some serious harm to your health. But when you hold them it’s wonderful, the ammo almost has no limits because there is so much lying on the floor. As it’s a heat-seeking weapon you don’t need a clear shot or target, just shoot near the enemy and the glass shards will find their target and explode on them. Automatic fire is also possible with this weapon, by holding down the right trigger down.

Stationary Gun Turret (Shade) – This gun turret can be used as an anti-aircraft, anti-vehicle and an anti-infantry weapon. The gunner sits in a well-protected armoured seat where he can fire unlimited plasma energy rounds at anything. But the sides and back of this armoured seat are unprotected and so you can easily take the turret down with any sort of weapon. The turret can swing a whole 360 degrees and as it swings it can easily knock any person or creature near by out. The sniper rifle is the best weapon to use against turrets as you can get almost any angle you want from a distance. As this is a plasma-firing turret it can easily burn through energy shields, so use it to your advantage.

Plasma Grenades – A unique grenade that can be found on almost any Covenant troop. It’s quite unique because unlike the human’s grenade it can stick to targets, like vehicles and creatures or aliens. It contains a mechanism that allows it to distinguish between the background and targets; for example it will stick to aliens but not to trees or rocks. It takes three second to explode that allows you enough time to run away from one that has just landed near by. If a plasma grenade sticks to you unfortunately there is no way of getting it off.


Human Vehicles:

M12 Light Reconnaissance Vehicle (The Warthog) – You will occasionally find these around Halo where previous battles have been fought. They are one of the quickest ways to travel around halo, and have a nice anti-aircraft gun in the back, which can be used at the same time as driving as long as you have a marine as a gunner. It also has a passenger’s seat where you can just shoot from. When you are approaching a large group of enemy forget about stopping and shooting them all, simply drive through them, they’ll be kill instantly. Watch out for the Elites though as they can jump out of the way. These can pretty much drive over anything like rocks and through rivers. You’ll be surprised how smaller gaps you can drive through!

Scorpion Main Battle Tank – You will very rarely find this tank and when you do you’ll want to keep it for as long as possible. When you drive it you’ll have the full protection and enemy troops will find it hard to attack you with success. The tank uses one weapon the propelled rocket, before you can fire you have to wait for it to reload, this is indicated by 4 white dots above the tank, when all four are there you are ready to fire. It has unlimited fire power and you can fire at anything, vehicles, infantry and aircraft, even Banshees, which is quite a hard task, but with practice it is possible. You can have four passengers in the tank; they sit on the sides, which is quite dangerous so make sure you don’t crush them when driving. This tank can be driven almost anywhere, but watch out for rocks because sometime, even though it’s a tank, it can become lodged on a rock.

Drop ships – You don’t actually get to control these, but you do sometimes have to board them to complete a certain missions objective. Also sometimes they will give you extra back up by dropping off some marine support or dropping off a Warthog that you can then use. When you are travelling around Halo you may stumble across a crash site where a drop ship has had a rough landing. You will need to call for another drop ship to pick up survivors and then you can just pick up any ammo, health or grenades left behind from the dead. Look out for flares let off from any survivors at these crash sites.


Covenant Vehicles:

Ghosts – You, like the Covenant (obviously) are able to drive this fast, sleek vehicle. It is armed with two cannons that fire heated plasma energy that can fire at, again, anything. You will be able to distinctively hear the Ghost before you see it as it creates a high pitch humming noise when in use. Only Elites travel in this way and the only way of knocking them off without destroying the Ghost at the same time is by shooting them off. Or if you’re not worried about using the Ghost after you kill its pilot blow it up by simply shooting it with your assault rifle or fire a rocket at it. Ghosts can’t actually fly; they hover, so you can easily tell the difference between them and the Banshees.

Banshees – These are the vehicles that can fly and they are another awesome display of Covenant intelligence as they can fly as high as you want them to and are armed with heated plasma guns. These guns are great for long distance shootings, as the plasma’s energy will keep going until it hits a target. They’re not the strongest of vehicles and can’t stand to much infantry guns shooting at them. Like the Ghosts you will definitely be able to hear them before you see them. This ship screams as it flies through the air, like, well a Banshee does.

Drop ships – Like the human drop ships except they aren’t here to help you this time, they’re here to drop off more Covenant troops. They don’t come in ones or twos they come in masses so when they land they can easily over power any of their enemies near by. They are heavily armoured and so you shouldn’t try and shoot them down, as you’ll be wasting ammo. Also unlike the human drop ships these ones are armed with plasma gun turrets, they will continuously fire at you until the ship has left the area.


Well that is every single character, weapon and vehicle in the game, I hope this helped you get a clearer understanding of the game and all that is in it. Enjoy the game!

By Silent Thunder.