17:16 Fun plasma rifle fact, it continues to be fully automatic even while overheating, meaning if you just hold down the fire button you can get the entire next volley to fire at max speed without the fire rate build up.
13:46 Finally, some recognition for the Plasma Pistol, I used to hate this thing but when I started play CE on MCC I fell in love with it. An uncapped ROF, a shield destroying Charged Shot, plentiful replacements, decent damage on practically all enemies, and pretty accurate to boot! What's not to live about this little monster?
One time I "challenged" myself by playing through H1 on Legendary with only Plasma Weapons, it was that day I learned outside of vehicle combat, and Hunters, the Plasma Pistol is easily the most effective overall weapon on the game. It's even good enough against Flood to not really require the Shotgun against them. Turned out to me one of the easiest playthroughs of my life. I also learned a few neat tricks, like that Covenant vehicles, which normally have limited health bars, take no damage when noone is occupying them. So quickly exiting and re-entering your Ghost allows you to prevent it from taking damage
Playing through CE on Heroic difficulty is teaching how wonderful the plasma pistol is. I can run through a whole mag of assault rifle before breaking shields. Charged shit plus a handful of basic shots and they are dead with the plasma.
33:03 Outside of maybe the end of Two Betrayals where it pays to pick off the Covenant from far away the Shotgun will _never_ leave your hands past getting it in 343 Guilty Spark and losing it in cutscenes/level transitions.
31:49 It is a surprisingly _realistic_ Shotgun in a video game, it just WRECKS everything. The only Shotgun in videos games that I know of with a similarly realistic range is the EMP Shotgun from War for Cybertron, I got cross map headshots with that monster.
Ehhh I think what's missing from this conversation is that when shotguns have a more believable range they're usually still sitting next to weapons that've had _their_ ranges smushed for multiplayer maps. Proportionally I don't think the typical video game shotgun is all that silly.
If it was realistic it would barely do damage to any armored units and it still has a wild spread like any other game, the only thing that is mildly realistic is the non-instant damage falloff from distance but then real life 12g buckshot can still be somewhat effective at 100 meters while this is a 8g buck that disappears after 40 meters.
Honestly, I don't think the Rocket Launcher being the tier you put at for campaign is all that puzzling. I've used it plenty and almost don't even care to use it that much. It has it's use as a super insta grenade, that's it. As for your tier list overall, yeah no disagreements for campaign. Adding this Edit addendum ex post facto: Tried something new and don't entirely agree with my answer anymore or at leas,t it's altered at the very least of 2-5%. It's very useful in Two Betrayals in some sections, you know, the ones where a whole swarm of Flood can charge you in certain parts? It's very useful as a fast precise super grenade, clearing out some trouble areas if you're carrying it with you. It's alot faster in grenades inthat sense too. Especially since waht's actually more annoying than Rocket Flood is Shotgun Flood. Having it blow up instantly especially vs Shotgun Flood swarms is invaluable. Kind of what Vadum already said in the video, but I'd add that idea more to Two Betrayals.
@@patrickashmen2098 yeah, in a vacum, a Wrath is a very hard encounter to go against without the rocket launcher. But int the Halo CE campaing, as said in the video, there is no maps where there will be wraths but you have no acess to vechicles to counter it.
I don't know how to feel about him not mentioning the fact that; when using explosives on flood carrier forms, their bodies have a habit of flying directly towards your head and exploding in you're face with the force of a small frag. Sometimes they somehow get plasma nades on them. I hate them in this game.
One thing good about plasma grenades you didn’t mention is sticking a carrier form and then killing it before the grenade explodes. The grenade explodes when the carrier explodes so all the infection forms die and the grenade explodes earlier. Its good because you can explode the grenade basically when you want, and there are no infection forms afterwards
The plasma grenade has a great trick you can do with the flood. Throw it in front of your feet and run right through it. The detonation timer is just long enough that you can safely pass through it and flood chasing you from behind get cleared out. It's like a mine you leave behind that the flood run right into.
I tried this a few times in my first halo ce run just to see if it would work, i never knew for sure but running through the library first time on heroic no less was certainly an experience that made me come up with some crazy ideas that’s for sure
I think the only thing you missed about the Needler is it's insane tracking range, making it's effective range around the second-third longest in the game. And it is smart enough to prioritize seeking Elites when fired across long ranges, while also ignoring most outdoor cover because you can fire over enemies's heads and it will still lock on and track down to them. In situations where you can't get a Sniper, it is extremely effective for zeroing in on, and wiping out the Elites in a squad from a safe distance, before you close in to deal with the fodder up close.
I second this. Additionally, It has the niche of a suppressive tool in multiplayer. The long range can demolish any snipers who are scoped in and aren't paying attention. You would also be surprised the amount of damage you can get on someone around a corner, due to the ricochet mechanic. The thing about the needler is, it actually allows you to manipulate the way other players have to move around the map.
It's terrible in Halo 1's multiplayer but is honestly a solid Elite killer in campaign, it actually works very similarly in most Halo games, you need to give the needles time to actually track the target, so despite being a relatively slow projectile, it's much more effective the farther you are from the target
@@dogshrapnel I'd say H1's, 3's, and Reach's both work like that for sure. Halo 2's is more of a close-mid range Brute killer than anything. Dual wielding it on Gravemind makes Legendary much easier. Halo 4's and 5's though, are absolute power weapons.
Not to overlook the fact that it's so satisfying to make the enemies explode with a delay. I know this is a tier list, but the needler holds a special place in my heart.
Honestly, outside of 5, CE, and Infinite, the Halo Sandbox just felt more of just Battle Rifle/DMR over everything rather than a dynamic sandbox with different weapons serving different roles
This is way more interesting than any other tier list I've seen. You actually rate the weapons' usefulness in both the campaign and multiplayer, pull up stats from mod tools, and even mention their performance in previous versions of the game. Well done. I'd love to see this detail in future Halo weapon tier lists. I discovered something about the Needler that makes it surprisingly more useful in the campaign. If you position yourself behind some short cover where the enemy can see only your head, they'll shoot at you but won't hit you because they're programmed to shoot at your chest which is behind cover. Meanwhile, you have free reign to shoot at them because your projectiles spawn from your head instead of your chest, meaning they won't be blocked by whatever cover you were using. It almost always ensures a supercombine because the enemy AI is so focused on shooting at you that they'll rarely dodge the needles.
As a og halo fan who grew up playing CE I absolutely love this video!!! Its always nice to see someone going in depth in CE as it can be slept on because its an older game but it still holds up to this day especially in quality, cant wait to see more halo vids from you man keep up the amazing work!!!
Great video! CE is my comfort game but even I learnt lots from this! As an aside, I think something underappreciated about CE is the Chain Reaction mechanic. It adds an extra level of engagement to firefights, especially in enclosed spaces like the tight corridors of The Autumn. You're tearing through a covenant position and then you see a grunt pull out a sticky nade, you headshot him before he throws it but now you're diving for cover because there are nades all over the floor. It goes off and BOOOOOM, everything but you is dead hahahaha. So many memories
The list for campaign was honestly pretty much objective truth. I pretty much forgo picking up the rocket launcher at all except on the library and maybe TB where it’s nice to have a third “grenade”.
I feel like this is precisely why they made the decision to make CE:A as basically a new renderer layer laid ontop the original game; so that none of the minor little sandbox features that'd might've been lost in translation to a full-blown remake in a more updated version of the Halo engine (particularly if the engine no longer supported it outright) would've been left behind or glossed over.
@@IronBladee which I think is pretty match to this idea. I don't like to have a overpowered weapon either, so adding more choices is always better. also, I think dmr in spv3 is what sniper rifle and magnum combined, pretty fun and not easy to use
I think the Sniper is a tiny bit lower. Probably top of B. The Sniper's versatility issues really bite it. The ammo is just rare enough that you really don't want to kill Grunts or even Jackals with it outside of Truth and Reconciliation, and using it in closer quarters is usually going to waste shots. It's also really, really rough how poorly it does in the second half of the game. It's very similar to the Rocket Launcher to me. It's good in some specific scenarios, and unweildly anywhere else. Better than the rocket launcher, because it's slightly more versatile, and has better sections where it's good, but fundamentally similar to it.
That’s a fair assessment, although on the missions you find the weapon, I feel there’s plenty enough ammo to go around to kill most enemies, especially on Halo where all 3 life pods that you find have a lot of sniper ammo available. I like to use it vs Elites and Jackals most of the time considering how tricky it can be to kill the latter at times.
The Sniper Rifle should be kept at A because of its stealth mechanic where even if u shoot and kill an enemy, the nearby enemies won’t react to the source of the gunshot but their fallen ally instead, letting you snipe away as long as they don’t see you or survive the mag
Great detailed video! Halo CE's balance and sandbox was my favorite. I loved all the roles and utility every weapon had, and how you spawned with a great jack of all trades gun. At the time it was very refreshing compared to games like Unreal or Quake where you had a pea shooter and were useless on spawn. I enjoy Halo Infinite but out of all the Halos, Halo CE is the one I always jump back into from time to time, its just such satisfying gameplay. Just to gush a little more, I just love the feeling of the magnum and how you lead shots, its just a great feeling weapon. I love the power and intensity of explosions in CE, no other Halo had that down. CE explosions sounded amazing, shook the screen. Love the physics stuff you can do, it was just dialed in perfectly compared to the other Halos, the tricks with nades and getting power weapons, that was such cool tech. Rocket Launcher felt the most satisfying and powerful here with a fast projectile and great explosion. Its not just nostalgia the game still holds up, and has such a high rewarding skill ceiling. Love it!
The tier list video is S+…nicely done. Huge Halo CE fan and I’m excited to go back and play again. Side Note: I agree on needler usefulness wise but satisfaction wise it’s S+. Isn’t this the only Halo where you can multiple supercombine the same enemy? And the chain reaction plasma grenade detonations are so awesome…when they don’t kill you haha.
I enjoyed this video a lot. I learned quite a bit about how damaging mechanics in halo actually work. I also never expected the difference between campaign and multiplayer to be that huge. I'd love to see breakdowns for other halo games with the same level of breakdown on damage calculations
10:20 Can I just say I miss how we could carry LUDICROUS amounts of ammo? Because I swear we've been getting less and less for maximum ammo as the games went on. 4 has arguably the lowest max capacity in the whole series.
The AR has an extra effect where it has penetration that works against unshielded covenant and flood. It actually works better over time as a corridor sweeper for crowd control, compared to the shotgun or pistol whose projectiles have the explosive effect. With it also being a hitscan weapon and good at suppressing sidestepping elites, it's probably my favorite gun in the game. Paired with the plasma pistol with my last legendary playthrough to try something besides the typical stale pistol/shotgun combo, PP excels at killing anything, especially at midrange with its perfect accuracy and rapid fire. It tends to hitsun all enemies quickly too with its moderate damage, especially blowing off flood limbs
Halo 2 tier list would be amazing next, this was an extremely well edited and put together tier list, I love how you go in depth about every weapon and mechanic and explain everything for people who aren't super knowledgeable about all the ins and outs of Halo, I've beat the campaign no less than 6 times and I never knew you could reload cancel and double melee
Oh, you have no idea lmao. Most of the time spent on this project was highly-specific clip-gathering. I can imagine my sanity leaving the building for the next weapons tier list for h2 lol. Thank you!
@ 11:15 "While there's a 70% damage penalty to their shields--" I thought this 0.7 was a multiplier of damage done to the surface type, meaning it's only 30% damage reduction? Please correct me if I'm wrong
The flamethrower also allows for area denial to prevent the enemy from directly aiming at you and gives a chance to quickly advance, get away or protect an objective. Similar to a smoke grenade or flashbang. The player at 36:24 successfully uses it to get away quickly.
This is how I gave it its own niche in my campaign mod. I found it to be too similar to the shotgun so I made it more of a defensive weapon. Flamethrower does lower damage, consumes less ammo but you can burn the flood bodies which stops infection forms and does damage over time to flood combat forms. A shame bungie didn't have the time to finish it for release.
I'd say that the Needler really got it's shine in Halo 3, holy crap that weapon is cracked, I personally love H2's needler with it's duel weilding, I feel as though itn't as viable an option, but H3's it really got it's shine. Also needler rifle is a fun one too from Reach.
It's a shame the later iterations don't really treat the super combine like an explosion like CE did. Detonating nades and blasting all sorts of things every which way.
@@junioraltamontent.7582 It's a shame, I think H2's Needler got it worse off, especially since I think it was pretty cracked in the development builds of H2 and in retail it was nerfed into the ground. I'd say the H3 one is where it shines best, while it did lose the explosion ability, the tracking on it can be insane at times lmao. I find it useful to go to on close range/mid range maps. Also Halo Reach has a fairly decent needler, but I'd say it's far lower compared to the needle rifle.
@@l9m241 Most def. I "rush needler" on Pit and usually can get one or two free kills on people trapped in the rocket hallway. Hell yeah bro #needlergang
In the campaign the needler is actually insane in H2 if you tap fire the trigger instead of holding it, makes it fire twice as fast and causes supercombines almost instantly.
I would absolutely love to see you do a tier list like this for the other games man, great work on this one. Its backed up by actual data and not just gut feelings and you clearly put more effort into this than is typical for this format. Well done, i enjoyed the watch a lot more than i expected.
I'm enjoying videos like these. I would watch all of these if you make more, no matter how long they end up being. Just listening to this on my second monitor for hours is so chill.
Absolutely love the video! I'm an OG CE player and this was great. Only thing I've got to say is that you missed one of the best features of the CE plasma pistol! It is the only plasma pistol that does not drain battery while you're holding an overcharged shot.
Just found your channel through this video. Loved it! Hope you do more Halo weapons tier lists! Or even enemy or level tier lists! Your purely analytical style is much preferred to common bias on TH-cam. I love learning about the exact damage each weapon does and the buffs or nerfs they receive for certain enemies.
9:55 I love the CE assault rifle! They did it dirty in Halo 3😢 At least it's viable again in Halo Infinite. I just wish it sounded cool like it did in the first game...
Oh it's very viable in Halo 3's campaign, you can tap RT and shoot for a far away distance while it's efficency is still good i use it even in legendary
@@thefallen2220 yeah you are absolutely right, the first bullet is always accurate. But I mean in terms of looks, sound, mag capacity, fire rate (and of course DPS) I think CE version is better imo I also wish we had a Halo 2 version of the assault rifle, I really miss it in H2
Hey man, I love your tier list, one of the most extensive and non boring ones I’ve seen, hoping you make ones on the other games too. Hope you find success here
its easy to tell how much knowledge you have about Halo and it was well translated in the video! 10/10 makes me want to get back into halo 1 multiplayer, such a classic
I didn't like Halo CE a whole lot my first time around (normal difficulty), but your video made me want to give it another shot. I played on Heroic with the help of your knowledge and I had a lot more fun.
good analysis. I never thought about how much more effective the plasma rifle was than the plasma pistol in multiplayer. I just thought it was more fun to use
This is extremely in depth: you mention multiple quirks/gameplay tech and misconceptions I wasn't aware of being a thing before! As far as the rankings, I don't really disagree with them within the criteria you set up too much, but i'm not sure I agree with all of those criteria: I feel like Heroic should be the standard campaign weapons are ranked against rather then Legendary; and I think factoring in ammo availability sort of undermines the point of comparing things: If you run out of ammo with a gun you just... switch or pick up another weapon, so it's not an actual downside or detriment to the gun itself, since there's almost never a time where there's not another gun on the ground to switch it out with to actually leave you stuck with an empty gun. With that in mind, I feel like the AR should be lower in both campaign and MP, both without the ammo availability point in it's favor, and because I think the camo melee combo with it is overstated as a point in it's favor given it's relatively niche utility (At least when your team doesn't plan around it). The Plasma pistol is also lower in campaign due to the ammo availability thing, but it's an amazing weapon, and the only other thing i'd hold against it is frankly, how tedious it is to spam the trigger with your finger, which is quite literally a skill issue. I'd also put frags lower, in part because of the availability thing, and in part just due to my experiences with them, but the thought of shooting an enemy to stun/aggro them to keep them closer to where it landed never occured to me before, so that might impact my opinion. I'd also bump the Needler (and sniper) up in the campaign, both due to the ammo availability thing, and something sort of related: It being relatively bad or not-worth-it against non elites (or the flood/sentinels for the sniper) isn't exactly a big deal to me when you can just... switch it out to something better in an instant, since there will almost assuredly be a Plasma pistol or something else on the ground nearby. And of course, I'd put rockets much higher due to the ammo thing, though I think the ammo point has more validity against it then other weapons since "saving" rockets is actually a thing I'd do, depriving me of another slot. Also, in general, in addition to what I said there, i'd also bump everything down a tier or so proportionally to each other, just because I view C as "average" or meh as a starting place (wheras you seem to use that for B?), and I wouldn't have a split up S tier, but that's less a difference in relative placements and more just us using a different scale. So my campaign ranking would be: S: Shotgun, Sniper, Rockets, Plasma A: Plasma Pistol, Magnum, Frag B: Plasma Rifle C: Assault Rifle, Needler And our MP lists are mostly identical, other then the AR being much lower (In an unorganized team, you aren't going to be getting camo/using it with the AR much, though I also admit to not remembering double melee is a thing quite often. More then that, though, I just find the DPS wholly insufficient in practice: Even point blank I feel like I get pistol'd to death before I even break the enemies shields), and the fuel rod being up in S. Maybe also the Plasma rifle lower, but I've yet to really had the chance to mess around with Plasma stun due to only having played on Gearbox and pre-latest update MCC Lastly, I do agree with you that CE's sandbox is more more niche based then other games in the series, with the only thing really approaching it is Infinite with maybe reach way out if you look with binoculars. I'd argue it doesn't even really have "power weapons", in that the while the Shotgun, Sniper, and Rockets are capable of instant killing players, they aren't wholly above the other guns and are as much defined by their niches and utilities as the other guns... I just don't feel the AR and to a lesser extent the Plasma Rifle really have a distinct role going for them, but I freeily admit this could just be due to my lack of opporunity to mess with the stun, and lack of experimentation with the AR's melee and camo tech.
Allow me to explain why I value ammo availability as much as I do for the campaign, especially for weapons like the sniper rifle and rocket launcher. This circles back to the 3 rules I set for the list, with one of those being playing through the campaign “as efficiently as possible”. I’d rather use weapons that have more readily-available ammo than those that aren’t as much. Most of the time, I’m not going to want to waste time trying to either find ammo or search for another weapon that offers what I need for a given encounter. I’d rather just continue on with the mission. This is why I heavily value the Plasma Pistol as a top 2 gun. It’s incredibly powerful in CE, has a highly-efficient battery, and is the most common gun in the game. I don’t have to think when using it. I just kill things, then hold the action button if I’m at like 10% or less, which can take a while to get to. As for the Sniper Rifle during the second half of the game, let me explain why I don’t value this weapon as much, and would rather use something more versatile. Say I’m holding a Pistol and a Sniper Rifle on Keyes. My Pistol has to reload, so I backpack reload and switch to my sniper rifle. Thing is, every enemy around me is Flood. Unless I have nades, I’m sitting there twiddling my thumbs waiting for the Pistol to reload in the back. I’d rather use two weapons that are not only good vs Flood, but can also fight Elites when I run into them. That’s why I prefer Plasma Pistol + Shotgun, with the Pistol sometimes replacing the Plasma Pistol, on these later missions. Their combined might, along with both grenade types, take on pretty much everything the rest of the game throws at you. The Sniper Rifle cannot share this distinction since it’s deadweight vs Flood, Sentinels, and Banshees. As I said in my video, the fact the Grenades are so powerful in this game is also why I don’t value the rocket launcher that much, either, outside of very niche situations. Plasma Grenades are better squad wipers thanks to their EMP side effect, and frags are more numerous than rockets while offering similar explosive power. Both of these don’t take a weapon slot and like you said, most of the time you have a rocket launcher, you’re not using it because you’re saving it for specific encounters. That’s not versatile at all and is why it’s low on my list. As for some of the MP points, I’d highly consider watching some competitive 2v2 matches on maps that feature camo. Quick camo is a highly crucial strategy that lets the user get to full camo faster. It’s not a situational thing. This happens everytime Camo spawns, whether it’s every minute or every two minutes depending on the map. The fact the AR is a spawn weapon that gives you this ability is why I value it so much, that as well as it having the best melee attack in the game. Its damage output absolutely shreds people up close. If you’re accurate enough, you can kill someone in exactly one second, only needing 15 bullets. You don’t even really need to coordinate with someone to use quick Camo itself. It can be done in any mode, 4v4s or BTB. It’s especially scary on BTB when someone’s quick camoing and is using a Sniper Rifle. They’re practically untouchable. Learn to use Halo 1’s plasma rifle. It’s obscenely powerful now on MCC. Some people have it as an S tier MP weapon now and I don’t really disagree with them. Its stun is strong and is one of the best overshield strippers around. And yes, Halo 1’s power weapons are monsters in multiplayer. This game absolutely has power weapons. The sniper rifle is bordering on OP on MCC, and the Rocket wins games for those who control it the most, especially when backed by a quick Camo AR.
This is one of the most based and logical tier lists I've ever seen. No bias here. I really wish you would do a list on every game, even if Halo CE is your favorite.
I would have to agree on you there for the Sniper Rifle in Multiplayer. I had thought for a long time that the Sniper was overpowered, as in maps like Sidewinder, there would always be a guy camping on the opposing side with the Sniper Rifle, and It was almost impossible to get past him.
Without thinking about it, I subconsciously agree with everything you said from just plain experience from every weapon over the years. Same conclusions. Awesome.
This was really enjoyable, through analysis and clear explanation on why you put everything where it is and your enjoyment of Halo was showing every minute. CE is my favorite Halo and its nice to see more content about it.
As someone whose multiplayer shooter experience mostly comes from TF2, there's some solace in knowing we're not alone in our struggle with overpowered sniper rifles.
100% agree on the shotgun man. I would host servers on Halo CE for PC back in 2004-6 and people *loved* playing shotgun only, no shield games (specifically on the map Longest. just pure chaos, where the shotgun's insane stats really shined). Shotgun/pistol was also the go-to combo in the meta back then (so much blood gulch). people don't remember how absolutely dominant this weapon was
i was coming to love the needler in Halo 2, combined with the covenant carbine, it was my main weapon against the Brutes. Firing so much needles into the Brutes to get them explodet was very effective. I was feeling like to put the hole available bullets from other weapons against one Brute to kill them, the needler was my weapon of choice - i was surprised by myself to use this weapon so much in this game 🤣🏹
This was an incredible video. I absolutely adore the passion you seem to have for this game. Never seen or heard of this channel but I'm glad TH-cam blessed me with it. You earned a sub and I'd love to see one for halo 2 and 3
I gave this video a Like, not because I enjoyed it, but because even after all these years of playing MCC and the originals back in the day, I learned a number of things new to me.
Such a good video. Not even a huge Halo fan but I ended up watching the whole thing, your presentation of in-depth mechanics and how that translated to high-level gameplay/strategy was easy to follow and fascinating.
16:11 Oddly reverse of what you're used to in the Marathon trilogy as the Zeus-class Fusion Pistol (the Plasma Pistol's equivalent) was the most ideal for taking down Hunters as not only did it do bonus damage but it also caused them to explode which could take down nearby enemies as well.
Very informative video. I just started my first legendary CE campaign and this should help me a lot. I never imagined that the plasma pistol is that good in CE.
Glad to see the Assault Rifle getting some Cred!! I absolutely love this weapon. The sound of it and the feeling of power while firing it into hordes of enemies is only matched with the shotgun. I did play through the game on heroic recently and never dropped the assault rifle basically. On Legendary there may be some instances when you need to replace it. Its just so iconic and just gives a weird sence of joy firing it. I love shooting small bursts of it at lower difficulties too.
For me it's: S. Shotgun. Obviously the best weapon in the game. Kills flood dead, rips through elites. It's range is limited but it's damage output is crazy. A. Plasma pistol and Pistol. The plasma pistol can get through shields quickly with a great rate of fire, great accuracy and great burst shot. The pistol is just a halo 2/3 battle rifle in disguise. B. Sniper Rifles and rocket launchers. A bit situational but they can be quite useful to snipe some of the more dangerous enemies and vehicles at the start of a fight. Their main downsides is that their ammo can feel too precious. C: the assault rifle. It's nice for killing grunts and miniflood but it doesn't work well against elites, whom I consider to be the actual threat most of the time. Jackals, hunters and shielded sentinels aren't that impressed either. So it's actual specialty is killing all those things that just don't scare me. D: the plasma rifle and Needler. Plasma rifle is just a worse plasma pistol. Especially after you realize how fast the plasma pistol can go. It's maybe not that bad but it's just never really the best choice. The needler is fun and creative but it's projectiles can be evaded by elites and it works too slowly, especially against larger groups of enemies. I didn't put grenades because there is essentially no tradeof since they don't take a weapon slot. I try to use them at the rate I can replace them.
Remember, not sure if you mentioned this, it's important to click once for each shot when firing the pistol to maintain accuracy. When you hold down the fire button, it's spread is a lot wider. Great video.
Great list. Personally for Campaign I'd bump snipe up to S and swap the plasma pistol with the magnum. Sniper + magnum is the best combo for the first half IMO. Totally agree about the shotgun though, it's absolutely insane. For multiplayer rankings it really depends on whether you are playing btb or 2v2/4v4. In btb I'd put snipe in it's own tier lol, but for 2s/4s I'd swap it with rockets, which are usually the most important weapon on the map. I'd rate pickups as camo > rockets > OS > snipe. It's awesome to see a video that doesn't treat CE's multiplayer as a joke.
Only thing I can see going for the Rocket Launcher is the fact you can reload it on the floor without spending any ammo, so it's an infinite ammo grenade when utilizing this exploit, but even then I don't think it's that great on a regular Legendary campaign mission. It's a fun tactic for LASO though, where ammo is much more scarce. Your ranking placements for campaign (which I've played far more than multiplayer) make perfect sense and mirror my own sentiments.
I really hate how slow Halo CE's rocket travels, that could bring it to being a low C tier, the only thing makes up for it is that it's double barreled and AOE explosions on CE are like mini nukes at times. Excellent tier list and explanations.
This was awesome, and I'd love seeing this done for the other Halo games. I think the only ranking I disagree with is the Plasma Rifle for campaign. I'd probably at least move it up a full tier. It's easier to use than the Plasma Pistol, it takes forever to run out of ammo with it, and most of the elites in the campaign use it, so even on the rare chance that you're running low on ammo for it, you can find a new rifle pretty easily. My go-to in the campaign is usually the Plasma Rifle and the Magnum, unless it's a Flood mission, then it's Plasma Rifle and Shotgun. Otherwise, I can't say I disagree with anything else here.
I agree with every placement on your campaign tier list. (I haven't played multiplayer) I just wanted to say that I use double melee + plasma grenades on hunters, it's really fun. You get up close behind them, melee > stick > melee, and then bait them to attack you so they are far enough away not to damage you with the explosion. I spent a good couple hours on Silent Cartographer figuring out how to pull it off consistently and it's my favorite way to kill hunters now.
You really consider every aspect of every weapon, this is so well considered and thought out. I'd love to hear your thoughts about the ambitious sandbox of Halo 2!
For future tier lists, I recommend ranking them AFTER talking bout their pros and cons. Keeps the suspense going and makes the viewers guessing. Great video though!
Leave it to Vengeful Vadam to not only consider multiplayer but ALSO the single player campaign! As someone who cares far more about the single player, I'm really happy to see this :)
This was a great & fair assessment of CE's magnificent sandbox! I would love to see you tier list all the weapon sandboxes of all Halo games & in the end, also do a tier list of sandboxes as a whole.
Cool tier list. Its also like a guide basically. I cant say I am the biggest HALO fan out there but I enjoyed playing it. Its nice to learn some of this meta, so maybe when I decide to replay it I may play more efficiently. I mean, I knew the basic like the best combo for most missions is Plasma Pistol + Magnum Pistol, shot gun for flood combat forms, AR for infection swarms. But I never knew melee damage depended on the weapon or that different types of enemies have all kinds of resists to certain damage types. The game kinda never explains that to you. However, it shows that this game was even more complex for its time than I originally knew. the multiplayer tier list was very interesting as well.
Halo CE had such a well balanced sandbox where practically everything was useful in a specific situation, which I feel Halo Infinite is kind of crawling back to rather than earlier games which had a hard precision weapon meta that punished using anything else
Halo infinite is a VERY close second when it comes to sandbox for me. Honestly might be right next to CE instead of behind it. 343 did a fantastic job with each of the weapons and their gameplay mechanics. Only thing I don't like is the bloom on the commando and sidekick, but the positives greatly outweigh the negatives.
@@justarandomperson3700 Bloom on the Sidekick is probably the thing keeping it pretty balanced, as currently it's a rapid fire mean machine on PC, Commando feels like the bloom is excessive though
@@justyouraveragem4a136 They can get rid of bloom while replacing it with something more skilful. Bloom can randomly reward players for spamming shots which is the problem. Replacing bloom with predictable recoil patterns similar to CSGO/2 for example would make gunfights less rng based. Slowing down projectile speeds would also help instead of the hitscan we have now.
@@justarandomperson3700 true true, that would be beneficial, and would also make the BR less of a point and click gun, allow more diversity with other guns like the AR, Commando, and DMR (I refuse to call it bandit) etc.
19:12 My time playing through CE on Heroic with Catch (and Boom and Sputnik) on had me recoiling at this moment. Because on POA and the interior portion of Truth and Rec and Keyes are where I died the most all because of how often the enemies threw grenades right before they died. It's like if every enemy had Martyrdom equipped like it was the good old days of Modern Warfare.
@@cosmictreason2242 I'm glad I _didn't_ have that Skull on for my Heroic playthrough... I completely forgot that one existed. Welp, time to contemplate a Challenge Playthrough with all those Skulls on.
17:16 Fun plasma rifle fact, it continues to be fully automatic even while overheating, meaning if you just hold down the fire button you can get the entire next volley to fire at max speed without the fire rate build up.
It actually fires faster in the pre overheat range
Same applies to the needler
Also stunlocks elites
"Pistol is low S tier"
*I can't believe you've done this*
Master Chief developed crippling arthritis after Halo: Combat Evolved and struggles to load shells into the shotgun with ease.
13:46 Finally, some recognition for the Plasma Pistol, I used to hate this thing but when I started play CE on MCC I fell in love with it. An uncapped ROF, a shield destroying Charged Shot, plentiful replacements, decent damage on practically all enemies, and pretty accurate to boot! What's not to live about this little monster?
One time I "challenged" myself by playing through H1 on Legendary with only Plasma Weapons, it was that day I learned outside of vehicle combat, and Hunters, the Plasma Pistol is easily the most effective overall weapon on the game. It's even good enough against Flood to not really require the Shotgun against them. Turned out to me one of the easiest playthroughs of my life.
I also learned a few neat tricks, like that Covenant vehicles, which normally have limited health bars, take no damage when noone is occupying them. So quickly exiting and re-entering your Ghost allows you to prevent it from taking damage
@@LordEmpyreal Wait, Covie vehicles have to be manned to take damage?
@@kabob0077 Yep, unmanned they become invulnerable objects. Though they will retain their previous health when you get back in them.
@@LordEmpyreal Huh, didn't know that.
Playing through CE on Heroic difficulty is teaching how wonderful the plasma pistol is. I can run through a whole mag of assault rifle before breaking shields. Charged shit plus a handful of basic shots and they are dead with the plasma.
33:03 Outside of maybe the end of Two Betrayals where it pays to pick off the Covenant from far away the Shotgun will _never_ leave your hands past getting it in 343 Guilty Spark and losing it in cutscenes/level transitions.
Facts
Having played Halo for the first time recently, by gods you are SO right. Just what kind of Shells did Key's packed, like jeez.
@@daddysempaichan Twelve rounds of 8-guage magnum 00 buck, baby!
@@kabob0077 No, no, 0000 buck!
31:49 It is a surprisingly _realistic_ Shotgun in a video game, it just WRECKS everything. The only Shotgun in videos games that I know of with a similarly realistic range is the EMP Shotgun from War for Cybertron, I got cross map headshots with that monster.
Ehhh
I think what's missing from this conversation is that when shotguns have a more believable range they're usually still sitting next to weapons that've had _their_ ranges smushed for multiplayer maps. Proportionally I don't think the typical video game shotgun is all that silly.
honestly it's still not that realistic, the spread is still massive, it just does more damage over distance
If it was realistic it would barely do damage to any armored units and it still has a wild spread like any other game, the only thing that is mildly realistic is the non-instant damage falloff from distance but then real life 12g buckshot can still be somewhat effective at 100 meters while this is a 8g buck that disappears after 40 meters.
@@Tacticaviator7 And if we were gonna go that route... MJOLNIR is pretty much bulletproof and you'd need plasma weapons to burn through it.
mannn i hope WFC comes back
Honestly, I don't think the Rocket Launcher being the tier you put at for campaign is all that puzzling. I've used it plenty and almost don't even care to use it that much. It has it's use as a super insta grenade, that's it. As for your tier list overall, yeah no disagreements for campaign.
Adding this Edit addendum ex post facto: Tried something new and don't entirely agree with my answer anymore or at leas,t it's altered at the very least of 2-5%.
It's very useful in Two Betrayals in some sections, you know, the ones where a whole swarm of Flood can charge you in certain parts? It's very useful as a fast precise super grenade, clearing out some trouble areas if you're carrying it with you. It's alot faster in grenades inthat sense too. Especially since waht's actually more annoying than Rocket Flood is Shotgun Flood. Having it blow up instantly especially vs Shotgun Flood swarms is invaluable. Kind of what Vadum already said in the video, but I'd add that idea more to Two Betrayals.
It's fun to use though
Wraiths without a rocket launcher is tough
@@patrickashmen2098 yeah, in a vacum, a Wrath is a very hard encounter to go against without the rocket launcher. But int the Halo CE campaing, as said in the video, there is no maps where there will be wraths but you have no acess to vechicles to counter it.
Instant grenade super combination hallway of doom initiator (tm)
I don't know how to feel about him not mentioning the fact that; when using explosives on flood carrier forms, their bodies have a habit of flying directly towards your head and exploding in you're face with the force of a small frag. Sometimes they somehow get plasma nades on them. I hate them in this game.
One thing good about plasma grenades you didn’t mention is sticking a carrier form and then killing it before the grenade explodes. The grenade explodes when the carrier explodes so all the infection forms die and the grenade explodes earlier.
Its good because you can explode the grenade basically when you want, and there are no infection forms afterwards
I wish I thought of this
Thanks for the trick
Damn bro thx, this is some big brain moves.
I do this by mistake. I always thought of it as a glitch or something.
The plasma grenade has a great trick you can do with the flood. Throw it in front of your feet and run right through it. The detonation timer is just long enough that you can safely pass through it and flood chasing you from behind get cleared out. It's like a mine you leave behind that the flood run right into.
ooh imma try that
My friend used to do that same trick in MP too. Always a laugh riot.
I tried this a few times in my first halo ce run just to see if it would work, i never knew for sure but running through the library first time on heroic no less was certainly an experience that made me come up with some crazy ideas that’s for sure
I do this with the frag but I throw it straight down right after I jump. Sometimes I miss the jump and get caught in the blast but I still survive lol
I think the only thing you missed about the Needler is it's insane tracking range, making it's effective range around the second-third longest in the game. And it is smart enough to prioritize seeking Elites when fired across long ranges, while also ignoring most outdoor cover because you can fire over enemies's heads and it will still lock on and track down to them. In situations where you can't get a Sniper, it is extremely effective for zeroing in on, and wiping out the Elites in a squad from a safe distance, before you close in to deal with the fodder up close.
I second this. Additionally, It has the niche of a suppressive tool in multiplayer. The long range can demolish any snipers who are scoped in and aren't paying attention. You would also be surprised the amount of damage you can get on someone around a corner, due to the ricochet mechanic. The thing about the needler is, it actually allows you to manipulate the way other players have to move around the map.
It's terrible in Halo 1's multiplayer but is honestly a solid Elite killer in campaign, it actually works very similarly in most Halo games, you need to give the needles time to actually track the target, so despite being a relatively slow projectile, it's much more effective the farther you are from the target
@@dogshrapnel I'd say H1's, 3's, and Reach's both work like that for sure.
Halo 2's is more of a close-mid range Brute killer than anything. Dual wielding it on Gravemind makes Legendary much easier.
Halo 4's and 5's though, are absolute power weapons.
Not to overlook the fact that it's so satisfying to make the enemies explode with a delay. I know this is a tier list, but the needler holds a special place in my heart.
I hope you do this for all the other Halo games as well, great stuff 👍
It'll definitely need to be multi-parters for the other games since there's way more weapons, but yeah, I'm down!
@@TheVengefulVadam *cue Halo 5 weapon variants in MP*
@@anaveragesynapticmain5668 That would be one long-ass video!!!
and then a tier list on which needler is best?
Honestly, outside of 5, CE, and Infinite, the Halo Sandbox just felt more of just Battle Rifle/DMR over everything rather than a dynamic sandbox with different weapons serving different roles
This is way more interesting than any other tier list I've seen. You actually rate the weapons' usefulness in both the campaign and multiplayer, pull up stats from mod tools, and even mention their performance in previous versions of the game. Well done. I'd love to see this detail in future Halo weapon tier lists.
I discovered something about the Needler that makes it surprisingly more useful in the campaign. If you position yourself behind some short cover where the enemy can see only your head, they'll shoot at you but won't hit you because they're programmed to shoot at your chest which is behind cover. Meanwhile, you have free reign to shoot at them because your projectiles spawn from your head instead of your chest, meaning they won't be blocked by whatever cover you were using. It almost always ensures a supercombine because the enemy AI is so focused on shooting at you that they'll rarely dodge the needles.
I love how analytical this is, you should do this with infinite
But that game sucks
@@Sam_Hyde_Apologist and?
@@andrewwolfe5479 bad things don't deserve good things.
@@Sam_Hyde_Apologist the guns aren't bad
@@andrewwolfe5479 Eh I like the ravager cinder shot and heatwave, mangler is alright. I don't care much for the other new weapons.
As a og halo fan who grew up playing CE I absolutely love this video!!! Its always nice to see someone going in depth in CE as it can be slept on because its an older game but it still holds up to this day especially in quality, cant wait to see more halo vids from you man keep up the amazing work!!!
Great video! CE is my comfort game but even I learnt lots from this!
As an aside, I think something underappreciated about CE is the Chain Reaction mechanic. It adds an extra level of engagement to firefights, especially in enclosed spaces like the tight corridors of The Autumn.
You're tearing through a covenant position and then you see a grunt pull out a sticky nade, you headshot him before he throws it but now you're diving for cover because there are nades all over the floor.
It goes off and BOOOOOM, everything but you is dead hahahaha. So many memories
The list for campaign was honestly pretty much objective truth.
I pretty much forgo picking up the rocket launcher at all except on the library and maybe TB where it’s nice to have a third “grenade”.
I'm afraid that one day a remake of this game will be made but all these beautiful sandbox features will be lost.
A remake should honor and expand on these features rather than just mindlessly plopping modern and expected ones on.
I feel like this is precisely why they made the decision to make CE:A as basically a new renderer layer laid ontop the original game; so that none of the minor little sandbox features that'd might've been lost in translation to a full-blown remake in a more updated version of the Halo engine (particularly if the engine no longer supported it outright) would've been left behind or glossed over.
@seanhyland2022 isn't that what spv3 does? I have played it for weeks and I'm pretty sure it has this standard
@@liaogregor4047 Weapons like the Brute Plasma pistol are easily replaceable and already have weapons that did the same or similar job in the sandbox
@@IronBladee which I think is pretty match to this idea. I don't like to have a overpowered weapon either, so adding more choices is always better. also, I think dmr in spv3 is what sniper rifle and magnum combined, pretty fun and not easy to use
I think the Sniper is a tiny bit lower. Probably top of B.
The Sniper's versatility issues really bite it. The ammo is just rare enough that you really don't want to kill Grunts or even Jackals with it outside of Truth and Reconciliation, and using it in closer quarters is usually going to waste shots.
It's also really, really rough how poorly it does in the second half of the game.
It's very similar to the Rocket Launcher to me. It's good in some specific scenarios, and unweildly anywhere else. Better than the rocket launcher, because it's slightly more versatile, and has better sections where it's good, but fundamentally similar to it.
That’s a fair assessment, although on the missions you find the weapon, I feel there’s plenty enough ammo to go around to kill most enemies, especially on Halo where all 3 life pods that you find have a lot of sniper ammo available. I like to use it vs Elites and Jackals most of the time considering how tricky it can be to kill the latter at times.
The Sniper Rifle should be kept at A because of its stealth mechanic where even if u shoot and kill an enemy, the nearby enemies won’t react to the source of the gunshot but their fallen ally instead, letting you snipe away as long as they don’t see you or survive the mag
Great detailed video! Halo CE's balance and sandbox was my favorite. I loved all the roles and utility every weapon had, and how you spawned with a great jack of all trades gun. At the time it was very refreshing compared to games like Unreal or Quake where you had a pea shooter and were useless on spawn. I enjoy Halo Infinite but out of all the Halos, Halo CE is the one I always jump back into from time to time, its just such satisfying gameplay.
Just to gush a little more, I just love the feeling of the magnum and how you lead shots, its just a great feeling weapon. I love the power and intensity of explosions in CE, no other Halo had that down. CE explosions sounded amazing, shook the screen. Love the physics stuff you can do, it was just dialed in perfectly compared to the other Halos, the tricks with nades and getting power weapons, that was such cool tech. Rocket Launcher felt the most satisfying and powerful here with a fast projectile and great explosion. Its not just nostalgia the game still holds up, and has such a high rewarding skill ceiling. Love it!
The rocket projectile in Halo 1 is really quite slow, the later games improved on that. But I agree, best game in the series as far as I'm concerned.
Ironic how future halo would take the exact opposite approach and just make you useless on spawn.
The tier list video is S+…nicely done. Huge Halo CE fan and I’m excited to go back and play again.
Side Note: I agree on needler usefulness wise but satisfaction wise it’s S+. Isn’t this the only Halo where you can multiple supercombine the same enemy? And the chain reaction plasma grenade detonations are so awesome…when they don’t kill you haha.
I love your videos man! This one should be entertaining. I like that you have separate rankings for campaign and multiplayer
This is by far the most in depth and useful Halo weapon guide I’ve ever seen. Wish I saw it 24 years ago lol
Rapid firing the energy pistol is the only way to consistently survive legendary
Why you speaking facts tho? 🔥
Especially when you're playing one of the levels that doesn't have any magnum spawns... sheesh!
@@QuintessentialWalrusI think that’s only Truth and Reconciliation. The shotgun replaces it otherwise.
I enjoyed this video a lot. I learned quite a bit about how damaging mechanics in halo actually work. I also never expected the difference between campaign and multiplayer to be that huge. I'd love to see breakdowns for other halo games with the same level of breakdown on damage calculations
I… *still* haven’t beaten CE, but I also found all of this really interesting.
10:20 Can I just say I miss how we could carry LUDICROUS amounts of ammo? Because I swear we've been getting less and less for maximum ammo as the games went on. 4 has arguably the lowest max capacity in the whole series.
The consequence of Chief not keeping his belt from CE
That's why I always use it, it's so fun to blast away
Finally a Halo tier list video that isn't incredibly annoying. Excellent vid.
The AR has an extra effect where it has penetration that works against unshielded covenant and flood. It actually works better over time as a corridor sweeper for crowd control, compared to the shotgun or pistol whose projectiles have the explosive effect. With it also being a hitscan weapon and good at suppressing sidestepping elites, it's probably my favorite gun in the game. Paired with the plasma pistol with my last legendary playthrough to try something besides the typical stale pistol/shotgun combo, PP excels at killing anything, especially at midrange with its perfect accuracy and rapid fire. It tends to hitsun all enemies quickly too with its moderate damage, especially blowing off flood limbs
Halo 2 tier list would be amazing next, this was an extremely well edited and put together tier list, I love how you go in depth about every weapon and mechanic and explain everything for people who aren't super knowledgeable about all the ins and outs of Halo, I've beat the campaign no less than 6 times and I never knew you could reload cancel and double melee
Amazing video, learned so much (the plasma rifle nerfing as it loses battery is insane)
Excellent work! Very exhaustive clip gathering to keep up with the narrations. Definitely a definitive analysis of the armory.
Oh, you have no idea lmao. Most of the time spent on this project was highly-specific clip-gathering. I can imagine my sanity leaving the building for the next weapons tier list for h2 lol. Thank you!
Glad to see you working so hard on such great games my dude@@TheVengefulVadam
@ 11:15 "While there's a 70% damage penalty to their shields--"
I thought this 0.7 was a multiplier of damage done to the surface type, meaning it's only 30% damage reduction? Please correct me if I'm wrong
That’s correct, I dun goofed :(
@@TheVengefulVadam oof
Welp… he was right for .5 😊
@@danbanasik2212 hahaha
This was a delightful watch in the background as I started a new CE campaign.
I learned a fair amount, thanks!
The flamethrower also allows for area denial to prevent the enemy from directly aiming at you and gives a chance to quickly advance, get away or protect an objective. Similar to a smoke grenade or flashbang.
The player at 36:24 successfully uses it to get away quickly.
This is how I gave it its own niche in my campaign mod. I found it to be too similar to the shotgun so I made it more of a defensive weapon.
Flamethrower does lower damage, consumes less ammo but you can burn the flood bodies which stops infection forms and does damage over time to flood combat forms.
A shame bungie didn't have the time to finish it for release.
I'd say that the Needler really got it's shine in Halo 3, holy crap that weapon is cracked, I personally love H2's needler with it's duel weilding, I feel as though itn't as viable an option, but H3's it really got it's shine. Also needler rifle is a fun one too from Reach.
It's a shame the later iterations don't really treat the super combine like an explosion like CE did. Detonating nades and blasting all sorts of things every which way.
@@junioraltamontent.7582 It's a shame, I think H2's Needler got it worse off, especially since I think it was pretty cracked in the development builds of H2 and in retail it was nerfed into the ground.
I'd say the H3 one is where it shines best, while it did lose the explosion ability, the tracking on it can be insane at times lmao. I find it useful to go to on close range/mid range maps.
Also Halo Reach has a fairly decent needler, but I'd say it's far lower compared to the needle rifle.
@@l9m241 Most def. I "rush needler" on Pit and usually can get one or two free kills on people trapped in the rocket hallway. Hell yeah bro #needlergang
In the campaign the needler is actually insane in H2 if you tap fire the trigger instead of holding it, makes it fire twice as fast and causes supercombines almost instantly.
I would absolutely love to see you do a tier list like this for the other games man, great work on this one. Its backed up by actual data and not just gut feelings and you clearly put more effort into this than is typical for this format. Well done, i enjoyed the watch a lot more than i expected.
I'm enjoying videos like these. I would watch all of these if you make more, no matter how long they end up being. Just listening to this on my second monitor for hours is so chill.
This video was SO damn good I have to watch it a second time as you inspired me to actually attempt CE on legendary for the first time.
Absolutely love the video! I'm an OG CE player and this was great. Only thing I've got to say is that you missed one of the best features of the CE plasma pistol! It is the only plasma pistol that does not drain battery while you're holding an overcharged shot.
The Halo 2 variant doesn't do that either. You can hold it infinitely in that game as well.
@@BrandonFlint-ro2ns OMG you're totally right, nice catch! Looks like I gotta spend more time in Halo 2. Ohhhh daaaaarn 😂
Just found your channel through this video. Loved it! Hope you do more Halo weapons tier lists! Or even enemy or level tier lists! Your purely analytical style is much preferred to common bias on TH-cam. I love learning about the exact damage each weapon does and the buffs or nerfs they receive for certain enemies.
This video makes me want to play Halo CE again.
9:55 I love the CE assault rifle! They did it dirty in Halo 3😢
At least it's viable again in Halo Infinite. I just wish it sounded cool like it did in the first game...
Oh it's very viable in Halo 3's campaign, you can tap RT and shoot for a far away distance while it's efficency is still good i use it even in legendary
@@thefallen2220 yeah you are absolutely right, the first bullet is always accurate. But I mean in terms of looks, sound, mag capacity, fire rate (and of course DPS) I think CE version is better imo
I also wish we had a Halo 2 version of the assault rifle, I really miss it in H2
@@chipsdubbo5.56The perfect AR would be H3 design, H2A functionality IMO that's the most useful AR in the series
@@chipsdubbo5.56 I wish the brutes weren't so spongy to AR shots
@@thefallen2220 absolutely!!
This was outstanding and I learned more than I thought I would! Please do halo 2, it’s such a unique fps both in campaign and multiplayer
Grunts and Jackals, FOOD. That cracked me up so much. Such a great video 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I just beat all campaigns on legendary excited to watch your tier lists!
Hey man, I love your tier list, one of the most extensive and non boring ones I’ve seen, hoping you make ones on the other games too. Hope you find success here
I loved this so much! Kudos for putting it out while working on Halo 2 Uncut! Would love to see a weapon tier list for the other Halos as well!
its easy to tell how much knowledge you have about Halo and it was well translated in the video! 10/10
makes me want to get back into halo 1 multiplayer, such a classic
I didn't like Halo CE a whole lot my first time around (normal difficulty), but your video made me want to give it another shot. I played on Heroic with the help of your knowledge and I had a lot more fun.
good analysis. I never thought about how much more effective the plasma rifle was than the plasma pistol in multiplayer. I just thought it was more fun to use
This was awesome, incredible breakdown
This is extremely in depth: you mention multiple quirks/gameplay tech and misconceptions I wasn't aware of being a thing before! As far as the rankings, I don't really disagree with them within the criteria you set up too much, but i'm not sure I agree with all of those criteria: I feel like Heroic should be the standard campaign weapons are ranked against rather then Legendary; and I think factoring in ammo availability sort of undermines the point of comparing things: If you run out of ammo with a gun you just... switch or pick up another weapon, so it's not an actual downside or detriment to the gun itself, since there's almost never a time where there's not another gun on the ground to switch it out with to actually leave you stuck with an empty gun.
With that in mind, I feel like the AR should be lower in both campaign and MP, both without the ammo availability point in it's favor, and because I think the camo melee combo with it is overstated as a point in it's favor given it's relatively niche utility (At least when your team doesn't plan around it). The Plasma pistol is also lower in campaign due to the ammo availability thing, but it's an amazing weapon, and the only other thing i'd hold against it is frankly, how tedious it is to spam the trigger with your finger, which is quite literally a skill issue. I'd also put frags lower, in part because of the availability thing, and in part just due to my experiences with them, but the thought of shooting an enemy to stun/aggro them to keep them closer to where it landed never occured to me before, so that might impact my opinion. I'd also bump the Needler (and sniper) up in the campaign, both due to the ammo availability thing, and something sort of related: It being relatively bad or not-worth-it against non elites (or the flood/sentinels for the sniper) isn't exactly a big deal to me when you can just... switch it out to something better in an instant, since there will almost assuredly be a Plasma pistol or something else on the ground nearby. And of course, I'd put rockets much higher due to the ammo thing, though I think the ammo point has more validity against it then other weapons since "saving" rockets is actually a thing I'd do, depriving me of another slot.
Also, in general, in addition to what I said there, i'd also bump everything down a tier or so proportionally to each other, just because I view C as "average" or meh as a starting place (wheras you seem to use that for B?), and I wouldn't have a split up S tier, but that's less a difference in relative placements and more just us using a different scale.
So my campaign ranking would be:
S: Shotgun, Sniper, Rockets, Plasma
A: Plasma Pistol, Magnum, Frag
B: Plasma Rifle
C: Assault Rifle, Needler
And our MP lists are mostly identical, other then the AR being much lower (In an unorganized team, you aren't going to be getting camo/using it with the AR much, though I also admit to not remembering double melee is a thing quite often. More then that, though, I just find the DPS wholly insufficient in practice: Even point blank I feel like I get pistol'd to death before I even break the enemies shields), and the fuel rod being up in S. Maybe also the Plasma rifle lower, but I've yet to really had the chance to mess around with Plasma stun due to only having played on Gearbox and pre-latest update MCC
Lastly, I do agree with you that CE's sandbox is more more niche based then other games in the series, with the only thing really approaching it is Infinite with maybe reach way out if you look with binoculars. I'd argue it doesn't even really have "power weapons", in that the while the Shotgun, Sniper, and Rockets are capable of instant killing players, they aren't wholly above the other guns and are as much defined by their niches and utilities as the other guns... I just don't feel the AR and to a lesser extent the Plasma Rifle really have a distinct role going for them, but I freeily admit this could just be due to my lack of opporunity to mess with the stun, and lack of experimentation with the AR's melee and camo tech.
Allow me to explain why I value ammo availability as much as I do for the campaign, especially for weapons like the sniper rifle and rocket launcher. This circles back to the 3 rules I set for the list, with one of those being playing through the campaign “as efficiently as possible”. I’d rather use weapons that have more readily-available ammo than those that aren’t as much. Most of the time, I’m not going to want to waste time trying to either find ammo or search for another weapon that offers what I need for a given encounter. I’d rather just continue on with the mission. This is why I heavily value the Plasma Pistol as a top 2 gun. It’s incredibly powerful in CE, has a highly-efficient battery, and is the most common gun in the game. I don’t have to think when using it. I just kill things, then hold the action button if I’m at like 10% or less, which can take a while to get to.
As for the Sniper Rifle during the second half of the game, let me explain why I don’t value this weapon as much, and would rather use something more versatile. Say I’m holding a Pistol and a Sniper Rifle on Keyes. My Pistol has to reload, so I backpack reload and switch to my sniper rifle. Thing is, every enemy around me is Flood. Unless I have nades, I’m sitting there twiddling my thumbs waiting for the Pistol to reload in the back. I’d rather use two weapons that are not only good vs Flood, but can also fight Elites when I run into them. That’s why I prefer Plasma Pistol + Shotgun, with the Pistol sometimes replacing the Plasma Pistol, on these later missions. Their combined might, along with both grenade types, take on pretty much everything the rest of the game throws at you. The Sniper Rifle cannot share this distinction since it’s deadweight vs Flood, Sentinels, and Banshees.
As I said in my video, the fact the Grenades are so powerful in this game is also why I don’t value the rocket launcher that much, either, outside of very niche situations. Plasma Grenades are better squad wipers thanks to their EMP side effect, and frags are more numerous than rockets while offering similar explosive power. Both of these don’t take a weapon slot and like you said, most of the time you have a rocket launcher, you’re not using it because you’re saving it for specific encounters. That’s not versatile at all and is why it’s low on my list.
As for some of the MP points, I’d highly consider watching some competitive 2v2 matches on maps that feature camo. Quick camo is a highly crucial strategy that lets the user get to full camo faster. It’s not a situational thing. This happens everytime Camo spawns, whether it’s every minute or every two minutes depending on the map. The fact the AR is a spawn weapon that gives you this ability is why I value it so much, that as well as it having the best melee attack in the game. Its damage output absolutely shreds people up close. If you’re accurate enough, you can kill someone in exactly one second, only needing 15 bullets. You don’t even really need to coordinate with someone to use quick Camo itself. It can be done in any mode, 4v4s or BTB. It’s especially scary on BTB when someone’s quick camoing and is using a Sniper Rifle. They’re practically untouchable.
Learn to use Halo 1’s plasma rifle. It’s obscenely powerful now on MCC. Some people have it as an S tier MP weapon now and I don’t really disagree with them. Its stun is strong and is one of the best overshield strippers around.
And yes, Halo 1’s power weapons are monsters in multiplayer. This game absolutely has power weapons. The sniper rifle is bordering on OP on MCC, and the Rocket wins games for those who control it the most, especially when backed by a quick Camo AR.
This is one of the most based and logical tier lists I've ever seen. No bias here. I really wish you would do a list on every game, even if Halo CE is your favorite.
I would have to agree on you there for the Sniper Rifle in Multiplayer. I had thought for a long time that the Sniper was overpowered, as in maps like Sidewinder, there would always be a guy camping on the opposing side with the Sniper Rifle, and It was almost impossible to get past him.
Without thinking about it, I subconsciously agree with everything you said from just plain experience from every weapon over the years. Same conclusions. Awesome.
This was really enjoyable, through analysis and clear explanation on why you put everything where it is and your enjoyment of Halo was showing every minute. CE is my favorite Halo and its nice to see more content about it.
Best halo weapon tier list I've seen, you know what you're talking about.
As someone whose multiplayer shooter experience mostly comes from TF2, there's some solace in knowing we're not alone in our struggle with overpowered sniper rifles.
it's op because it wasn't designed for pc😅
100% agree on the shotgun man. I would host servers on Halo CE for PC back in 2004-6 and people *loved* playing shotgun only, no shield games (specifically on the map Longest. just pure chaos, where the shotgun's insane stats really shined). Shotgun/pistol was also the go-to combo in the meta back then (so much blood gulch). people don't remember how absolutely dominant this weapon was
Incredible video. You explain your rationale very well and it's hard to argue with your reasoning. Good stuff
The campaign tier list is pretty spot on.
i was coming to love the needler in Halo 2, combined with the covenant carbine, it was my main weapon against the Brutes. Firing so much needles into the Brutes to get them explodet was very effective. I was feeling like to put the hole available bullets from other weapons against one Brute to kill them, the needler was my weapon of choice - i was surprised by myself to use this weapon so much in this game 🤣🏹
I used to not really care much for CEs plasma pistol until I did my first legendary deathless run on the library and I will never diss it again.
Thank you for the video. Perfect timing I just started playing Halo:CE for the first time never played any of the halo games.
This was an incredible video. I absolutely adore the passion you seem to have for this game. Never seen or heard of this channel but I'm glad TH-cam blessed me with it.
You earned a sub and I'd love to see one for halo 2 and 3
Very nice and extensive tierlist man ! Didn't even know the weapons performed differently from campaign to multiplayer
I wish the Needler at least did bonus melee damage in this game since you smack enemies with the needles sticking out the top, but alas.
I gave this video a Like, not because I enjoyed it, but because even after all these years of playing MCC and the originals back in the day, I learned a number of things new to me.
Such a good video. Not even a huge Halo fan but I ended up watching the whole thing, your presentation of in-depth mechanics and how that translated to high-level gameplay/strategy was easy to follow and fascinating.
16:11 Oddly reverse of what you're used to in the Marathon trilogy as the Zeus-class Fusion Pistol (the Plasma Pistol's equivalent) was the most ideal for taking down Hunters as not only did it do bonus damage but it also caused them to explode which could take down nearby enemies as well.
Bro I just want you to keep pumping out interesting Halo content, tier lists would suffice.
Very informative video. I just started my first legendary CE campaign and this should help me a lot. I never imagined that the plasma pistol is that good in CE.
I appreciate the usage of Guerilla to show the stats of different weapons against different entities in the game.
Dude, as much as the flamethrower is kind of a meme, it SHREDS overshield up close. Its quite insane actually.
Absolutely. They just get incinerated in about a second, sometimes less.
Glad to see the Assault Rifle getting some Cred!! I absolutely love this weapon. The sound of it and the feeling of power while firing it into hordes of enemies is only matched with the shotgun. I did play through the game on heroic recently and never dropped the assault rifle basically. On Legendary there may be some instances when you need to replace it. Its just so iconic and just gives a weird sence of joy firing it. I love shooting small bursts of it at lower difficulties too.
Wow I had no idea the amount of faction drawbacks the sniper had. You legit magdumped that 1 sentinel TWICE and it still survived. YIKES!
For me it's:
S. Shotgun. Obviously the best weapon in the game. Kills flood dead, rips through elites. It's range is limited but it's damage output is crazy.
A. Plasma pistol and Pistol. The plasma pistol can get through shields quickly with a great rate of fire, great accuracy and great burst shot. The pistol is just a halo 2/3 battle rifle in disguise.
B. Sniper Rifles and rocket launchers. A bit situational but they can be quite useful to snipe some of the more dangerous enemies and vehicles at the start of a fight. Their main downsides is that their ammo can feel too precious.
C: the assault rifle. It's nice for killing grunts and miniflood but it doesn't work well against elites, whom I consider to be the actual threat most of the time. Jackals, hunters and shielded sentinels aren't that impressed either. So it's actual specialty is killing all those things that just don't scare me.
D: the plasma rifle and Needler. Plasma rifle is just a worse plasma pistol. Especially after you realize how fast the plasma pistol can go. It's maybe not that bad but it's just never really the best choice. The needler is fun and creative but it's projectiles can be evaded by elites and it works too slowly, especially against larger groups of enemies.
I didn't put grenades because there is essentially no tradeof since they don't take a weapon slot. I try to use them at the rate I can replace them.
The plasma rifle stun makes it op against legendary elites
Remember, not sure if you mentioned this, it's important to click once for each shot when firing the pistol to maintain accuracy. When you hold down the fire button, it's spread is a lot wider. Great video.
Great list. Personally for Campaign I'd bump snipe up to S and swap the plasma pistol with the magnum. Sniper + magnum is the best combo for the first half IMO. Totally agree about the shotgun though, it's absolutely insane.
For multiplayer rankings it really depends on whether you are playing btb or 2v2/4v4. In btb I'd put snipe in it's own tier lol, but for 2s/4s I'd swap it with rockets, which are usually the most important weapon on the map. I'd rate pickups as camo > rockets > OS > snipe.
It's awesome to see a video that doesn't treat CE's multiplayer as a joke.
Only thing I can see going for the Rocket Launcher is the fact you can reload it on the floor without spending any ammo, so it's an infinite ammo grenade when utilizing this exploit, but even then I don't think it's that great on a regular Legendary campaign mission. It's a fun tactic for LASO though, where ammo is much more scarce. Your ranking placements for campaign (which I've played far more than multiplayer) make perfect sense and mirror my own sentiments.
Great breakdown was fun to watch and very informative. CE "the only Halo that matters"
Awesome Video 💙💙💙
Halo 2 Weapons Tier List would be SICK!!! That game was the GOAT of online multiplayers, lots of weapons/ weapon combos.
I really hate how slow Halo CE's rocket travels, that could bring it to being a low C tier, the only thing makes up for it is that it's double barreled and AOE explosions on CE are like mini nukes at times.
Excellent tier list and explanations.
I agree with everything said here
Also, I don't blame you for playing that Blood Gulch snipe tac twice. That was sick af
This was very well done. Definitely would love to see more for each Halo game, especially Halo 2 and 3
This was awesome, and I'd love seeing this done for the other Halo games. I think the only ranking I disagree with is the Plasma Rifle for campaign. I'd probably at least move it up a full tier. It's easier to use than the Plasma Pistol, it takes forever to run out of ammo with it, and most of the elites in the campaign use it, so even on the rare chance that you're running low on ammo for it, you can find a new rifle pretty easily. My go-to in the campaign is usually the Plasma Rifle and the Magnum, unless it's a Flood mission, then it's Plasma Rifle and Shotgun. Otherwise, I can't say I disagree with anything else here.
Well, after watching this, I need halo 2 weapon tier list more than I need breathing
Awesome video!!!
Gave me some pointers for my next Legendary run, great video dude!!
Anytime, brother ❤️
Can't argue with the campaign rankings at all and haven't played the multiplayer since I was a child so no comment there. Great stuff! More please :)
I agree with every placement on your campaign tier list. (I haven't played multiplayer) I just wanted to say that I use double melee + plasma grenades on hunters, it's really fun. You get up close behind them, melee > stick > melee, and then bait them to attack you so they are far enough away not to damage you with the explosion. I spent a good couple hours on Silent Cartographer figuring out how to pull it off consistently and it's my favorite way to kill hunters now.
You really consider every aspect of every weapon, this is so well considered and thought out. I'd love to hear your thoughts about the ambitious sandbox of Halo 2!
Happy Thanksgiving Needler Gang! WORT WORT WORT
For future tier lists, I recommend ranking them AFTER talking bout their pros and cons.
Keeps the suspense going and makes the viewers guessing. Great video though!
I'll keep that in mind!
Very good video! Loved to hear about the sandbox balancing as a regular Infinite player
Leave it to Vengeful Vadam to not only consider multiplayer but ALSO the single player campaign! As someone who cares far more about the single player, I'm really happy to see this :)
This was a great & fair assessment of CE's magnificent sandbox! I would love to see you tier list all the weapon sandboxes of all Halo games & in the end, also do a tier list of sandboxes as a whole.
I'd love to see you redo the campaign section of this list but rating Ruby's Rebalanced Halo CE. The weapons feel a lot different in that mod
"Just remember, you matter more than you think you do." Thank you, I needed that. Insta-subbed.
Cool tier list. Its also like a guide basically. I cant say I am the biggest HALO fan out there but I enjoyed playing it. Its nice to learn some of this meta, so maybe when I decide to replay it I may play more efficiently. I mean, I knew the basic like the best combo for most missions is Plasma Pistol + Magnum Pistol, shot gun for flood combat forms, AR for infection swarms. But I never knew melee damage depended on the weapon or that different types of enemies have all kinds of resists to certain damage types. The game kinda never explains that to you. However, it shows that this game was even more complex for its time than I originally knew.
the multiplayer tier list was very interesting as well.
Halo CE had such a well balanced sandbox where practically everything was useful in a specific situation, which I feel Halo Infinite is kind of crawling back to rather than earlier games which had a hard precision weapon meta that punished using anything else
Halo infinite is a VERY close second when it comes to sandbox for me. Honestly might be right next to CE instead of behind it. 343 did a fantastic job with each of the weapons and their gameplay mechanics. Only thing I don't like is the bloom on the commando and sidekick, but the positives greatly outweigh the negatives.
@@justarandomperson3700 Bloom on the Sidekick is probably the thing keeping it pretty balanced, as currently it's a rapid fire mean machine on PC, Commando feels like the bloom is excessive though
@@justyouraveragem4a136
They can get rid of bloom while replacing it with something more skilful. Bloom can randomly reward players for spamming shots which is the problem.
Replacing bloom with predictable recoil patterns similar to CSGO/2 for example would make gunfights less rng based. Slowing down projectile speeds would also help instead of the hitscan we have now.
@@justarandomperson3700 true true, that would be beneficial, and would also make the BR less of a point and click gun, allow more diversity with other guns like the AR, Commando, and DMR (I refuse to call it bandit) etc.
19:12 My time playing through CE on Heroic with Catch (and Boom and Sputnik) on had me recoiling at this moment. Because on POA and the interior portion of Truth and Rec and Keyes are where I died the most all because of how often the enemies threw grenades right before they died. It's like if every enemy had Martyrdom equipped like it was the good old days of Modern Warfare.
Boom plus grunt funeral is a completely different game
@@cosmictreason2242 I'm glad I _didn't_ have that Skull on for my Heroic playthrough... I completely forgot that one existed.
Welp, time to contemplate a Challenge Playthrough with all those Skulls on.