Introduction:
The Battle Rifle (BR) is the most fundamental weapon in Halo 3. Although the Carbine rivals the BR in terms of accuracy and rate of fire, you are not able to spawn with one. Also, many maps have more BRs than Carbines. As a result, you will find yourself using the BR in every playlist (except Team Snipers). If you want to become a skilled player, you have to understand how to use the BR effectively. If you really want to become proficient with this weapon, I strongly suggest playing MLG settings as you ALWAYS start with a BR and player movement is 110% making it a little more challenging to land headshots.
In this guide I will explain the how the weapon works, the advantages and disadvantages, and how to use it with other weapons. If you have more specific questions, then please post them in my Blog.
Function
The BR is a precision weapon that fires semi-automatic three-round bursts. The common misconception people have is that the BR is more powerful than the Assault Rifle (AR). This is actually incorrect. Bungie actually stated in a What's Up Weekly Update that the BR fires smaller rounds, while the AR fires larger rounds. The only reason why the BR can sometimes kill faster than the AR is the headshot bonus. The BR fires bullets in a concentrated area. When a person loses shields, you can fire one burst to the head and all three bullets of the burst will land on the same area. That is why in many BR v. AR battles, the AR user will drop the shields faster, but the BR user will kill the AR user. Please note that in this situation, I am excluding other factors such as the use of melee or grenades. The BR fires concentrated shots into a small area; therefore, your ability to aim will place great influence on whether or not you can kill.
In Default settings it takes four (well usually five or more due to poor hosts) shots to kill a fully shielded opponent. The trick with 4-shotting is to shoot your opponent three times ANYWHERE on the body and then shoot to the head. It does NOT make a difference where the first three shots land. I repeat: it does NOT matter. The only shot that matters is the fourth shot. The same concept applies to the Magnum and Carbine. I still suggest aiming to the middle of body as it is a much easier target to hit when the person is strafing. It also minimizes the effects of the BR's bullet spread (explained below). The only disadvantage of this tactic is that you are not practing your headshot skill. Many people aim for the head for all four shots so that they can maintain their aiming ability (it actually becomes a habit for most skilled players).
Bullet SpreadThe BR has a bullet spread by nature. This range of the spread can be minor or major depending on the distance. To illustrate this point, take a look at the pictures below.
As you can see, if you shoot your BR at a wall in close range you will notice how the three bullets will land in close proximity of one another. However, if you shoot across a map, you will notice that the distance between each bullet will be greater. That is because there is a positive correlation between distance and bullet spread. In other words, as the distance increases so does the bullet spread. This is why it is hard to kill someone across Valhalla (of course having host or not can also make a difference).
Because the bullets can appear anywhere randomly within the circle of the reticule it is best to aim just above the torso or at the neck. You can also still get a headshot if you hit the neck. Also, by shooting the neck area for the first three shots, you are guaranteeing that none of the bullets of each burst will miss. This is especially important to keep in mind when shooting long range.
What I consider to be medium range
Bullet spread quite minimal
What I consider to be the beginning
of long range shooting
Bullet spread more obvious
Host and the BR
Having host is a great advantage when wielding a BR. It will allow you to hit targets with ease and with more accuracy. Having host means that your XBOX is the “host” connection for other players in the game. Having host is equivalent to starting your own server and then have everyone else join in. Information, such as packets, is instantly processed (more or less). If you have host (especially a good one), then your shots will register on your opponent instantly. It also means that you do not have to lead your shots as much. To tell if you have host, is somewhat difficult but there are simple ways. If you can kill the birds on any map, see the cameras move on The Pit, then your are host. Only the host can kill the birds on maps such as Guardian, The Pit, Last Resort, etc., and only the host can see the cameras move on The Pit. If you are playing a map other than these, the other way you can tell if you have host is by the delay of explosions and death. If you have host, then Fusion Cores/Coils and vehicles will blow up instantly when shot.
Understanding your Reticule
If you examine the BR’s reticule (crosshair) you will notice that it is smaller than the AR. A Sniper Rifle’s reticule is the smallest and the Rocket Launcher (RL) has the biggest crosshair. The reticule indicates the area of damage you will cause if you fire the weapon. Generally speaking, the smaller the crosshair the more concentrated the damage is. Therefore, if you want to hit your target, you need to ensure that your reticule is on your opponent’s body (or slightly in front if you are leading shots). Unlike automatic weapons such as the SMG or the AR, in principle, the BR’s spread will not exceed the size of the reticule (in short to medium range combat).
Aim Assist and Bullet Magnetism
Aim assist is when your reticule automatically follows your opponent. You can test this by not touching your controller and having someone walk in and out of your reticule. Although this is a good thing, it can also be a little frustrating in that strafing can easily be negated through aim assist. If you play on a higher sensitive, I think it is easier to manage aim assist so try a sensitivity 4 or more. Bullet magnetism is the phenomena of your bullets from your gun homing into your target despite not fully aiming. The only reasons I think it exists is to make it so that it is easier to hit players and so that online lag does not interfere with your aiming. There are many videos on YouTube for both of these items so I encourage you to take a look.
BR and Other Weapons
The main thing to keep in mind when using other weapons with the BR is: shields. As mentioned before, the main advantage the BR, Carbine, or Magnum, have over all other weapons is the headshot bonus. Therefore, you want to drain the shields of your opponents as fast as possible. The best tool to which you have access in every playlist are grenades. Grenades are your personal “assists.” Frag grenades, in particular, will drop most, if not all, of your opponent’s shields. This will enable you to kill them with one to two shots.
There are two tactics to use grenades with the BR. The first tactic is to throw and shoot. If you shoot before you throw the grenade it may give away your position or allow the opponent to back away from your grenade. You can shoot as the grenade explodes causing instant death. This is one technique I have mastered quite well, and it helps you a LOT in FFA. The other tactic is to throw a Plasma grenade somewhere near your opponent and then shoot. The shooting will force your opponent to seek cover, but he/she will then walk into your plasma grenade. Plasmas also make little noise so your opponent may not hear it land near them. Spike grenades are quite difficult to use since their explosive radius is more conically shaped, so you need to throw them in narrow hallways.
In addition, other weapons that work great are the Plasma Pistol and Plasma Rifle. These weapons were designed to drain the shields. Once the shields are down, switch to your BR and clean up your opponent. Always shoot the head more than once. Sometimes there is lag and your ten plasma shots only removed half of your opponent’s shields so it might be better to shoot once or twice. Other weapons like the Bruteshot can be used but can be “clumsy” at times due to its rate of fire and projectile direction. Depending on the situation, using two weapons may be slower than going for a regular four shot.
Let's now look at some of the overall advantages and disadvantages of the BR.
Advantages
Disadvantages
Summary
The BR is the most versatile weapon in Halo 3. Learn and take advantage of its characteristics. At the same time, realize its limitations in close range and how bullet spread can weaken its effectiveness over great distances. The BR is the most dynamic weapon in Halo 3. Its greatest strength is that it can be used effectively with other weapons and grenades in almost any situation. Experiment with different weapon combinations and perfect them. Master the BR and can change your gameplay!
