Introduction
Lone Wolves (LW) is the one of the most difficult playlists to play. The games are tough, the competition is fierce, and ranking up is a pain. Most players, even Generals, tend to have LW as one of their lowest ranks. This is because even skilled players become frustrated and give up at level 48 or 49. Playing Free For All (FFA) gametypes are difficult as you are completely on your own. If you are used to playing team-based games, then FFA will be difficult for you; however, I am here to help you change that. This guide is for both newcomers and advanced players alike. Whether you are skilled or not, you must understand that the most important thing in LW is to think, and to think fast. You have to be able to analyze each player and what is going on at any moment since no one can communicate to you. This ability takes time to naturally develop so it is not something you can simply pick-up.
Moreover, FFA requires some raw skill, solid intellect, and a good mentality. If you are a support player or someone who just lacks the ability to four-shot consistently, do not fret. The great thing about FFA is that you do not always have to be the most talented or accurate player to win. If you can outsmart your opponents, manipulate spawns, and control weapons, you can actually beat most players without ever having to four shot. With that being said, there still will be situations where you have to 1v1 someone, and if you cannot BR at all, you will lose. I strongly urge players to practice their BRs in addition to studying this guide..
I have played 2000+ games of Lone Wolves, 1800+ games of Rumble Pit, and 580+ games of DLC FFA, 300 games of Legendary Brawl and 400 games of Mythic Brawl so understand that most of my knowledge is derived from the thousands of FFA games I have played; however, I do not claim to be omniscient. I still learn things every time I play FFA. The wonderful thing about XBOX LIVE is that you will run into thousands of different players, offering the most diverse amount of competition. This guide is not necessary flawless or complete, as ideas, tactics, themes, strategies, may be changed if the majority of people change their FFA habits which calls for a different type of gameplay.
How to Play
Though the title sounds rather odd, there is a correct way and a wrong way to play FFA in Halo. FFA is generally composed of several things: killing, kill-stealing, power-ups, power weapons, melee, and spawns. If you wish to succeed in any FFA match you MUST utilize power weapons and power-ups. A power weapon is what “boosts” a player’s score from 10 to 14 in a matter of seconds; power-ups enable you to survive carnage or sneak around the map. Since you have no teams, kill stealing will happen. Expect players to melee, as most people wielding Assault Rifles (ARs) will try to go for a melee kill. Finally, you need to know what to do when you spawn. There are four gametypes you will encounter when playing Lone Wolves: Slayer/Slayer BRs, Crazy King of the Hill (CKOTH), Oddball, and Swords. Each gametype requires a different strategy and thought process.
I have made a section for each gametype. For more experienced players, I strongly urge you to skim through sections that you think you already know as you will never know what you will find. Please be sure to check the videos that have been included with this guide.
Gametype 1: Swords
Swords is a gametype in which every player spawns with an Energy Sword. People who started playing Halo 3 a few years after it came are confused why this gametype exists. Steppin' Razor is an achievement that requires a player to get a Triple Kill with the sword in ranked FFA; however, Bungie soon realized it was very difficult for many players to get so they added Swords in LW to offer more opportunities.
This gametype has no starting grenades, but there are grenades on the map, and power-ups are also available. The four things you need to do in Swords are: use grenades, use power-ups, attack with melee, and attack groups. You should throw frags at groups of people who are fighting one another. If two players clash twice, both of their shields are gone, making an easy double kill. Plasma grenades are also effective, but they do not bounce, so making the grenade toss is slightly difficult. Sticking people with plasma or spike grenades is strongly suggested. The best way to stick people is by moving towards them, allowing them to believe that you have no grenades. At the last second, you should jump backwards and throw a grenade. Caution: If you are to close, and you stick the player who lunges at you, you will commit suicide. Jumping may still allow you to dodge the lunge or the explosive radius of a grenade. Plasmas have a low vertical explosive radius but a wide horizontal explosive radius. Frags have a medium explosive radius both vertically and horizontally. Spike grenades have a small horizontal explosive radius, but a high vertical explosive radius. Do not mindlessly spam grenades as they are rare. Smarter people will be looking for grenades. Make sure you memorize grenade spawns in all maps. Most grenades spawn every ten or twenty seconds.
Utilizing power-ups is essential if you wish to win a match of Swords. Most matches last more than six minutes, so the Overshield (OS) and Active Camo (AC) will be up at least two or more times during the game. Spawn time for both on ANY map is three minutes after pick up. Sword matches are ten minutes long so expect new power-ups to be back around 6:53-6:30 (three minute spawn time + estimated time it took for the person to grab when the game started). Camping next to the OS at the start of the game is a good idea, but can backfire since it can delay the chance of using OS later in the game. If you do pick up the OS, the best way to use it is to let the person attack you first. Just let them melee/lunge at you and then melee them back. Avoid bashing each other the same time, otherwise you will clash and your OS will be wasted. If you have AC, the best thing to do is find people who are in groups. Go near them and always go for a melee and NOT the lunge. Some players will see the red dot and realize you have camo and then melee randomly and this can actually hit and kill you. When you have AC, you want to kill someone and then get to cover to avoid being spotted by other players who will spam grenades to keep you visible. Finally, it is good idea to enter areas where there are multiple levels so players are unable to tell whether you are above, below, or in front of them.
Using melee is essential in Swords. A melee will almost always beat a lunge, not to mention how lunges often glitch and not even register a hit. Because people will use melee a lot, expect clashes to occur. Since clashes can last a long time, I would avoid fighting someone in the open. Other players may spot you and spam grenades. Attacking groups of people is the best way to get kills. Just jump in the middle and melee each player.
As the skill gap is minimal in this gametype, you should not get too stressed about losing. At the same time, you should be able to get top 3 with the tips above.
Gametype 2: Kill of the Hill (KOTH)
This gametype is another extremely frustrating gametype for competitive players. What you need to realize is that losing and winning these games is heavily influenced through having "lucky" spawns. Nonetheless, there are ways to ensure you a top three finish. The main thing to remember in KOTH is to not worry about your K/D. If you do, you will be too scared to go for the hill and gain time which is the main point of the game.
Your initial spawn is the most important spawn of the entire game. Everyone is alive at this time, so you must plan accordingly so it may be a good idea to review the locations of power weapons, OS, AC, etc. If you spawn near OS or AC, grab them IMMEDIATELY. You want use these power-ups more than once so you should not risk waiting a few seconds before grabbing them. If you have AC, make your way into the Hill and do not move, shoot or crouch. AC functions by reflecting images of the environment; consequently, crouching will make the image more skewed allowing a person to realize you are standing there, particularly if they have a good TV. If you have OS, you will be quite visible due to the different colored shield, so you will need to jump around and strafe in the hill. Regardless if you have AC or OS, only shoot if you must; you would be surprised how often other players do not notice others who are not shooting or even moving.
One common mistake players make is the with their grenades. People often throw grenades into the Hill when they spawn and this is not the best strategy. People already have a short life expectancy in the hill and are often weak so throwing a grenade is not even necessary unless you want to kill the person who is ahead of you in score. A better and more tactical strategy would be to throw grenades at the spawn points around the map or the pathways leading to the hills. By doing so, you may weaken someone who is rushing the hill making it easier you to kill them should they get into the hill.
Working with other players is common in KOTH. If you wish to work with another player (or trick them into doing so), simply teabag the ground a few times. This will establish a momentary truce with the player and that you are going to work with them. Use discretion when killing people in the Hill. Remember, they can trick you too. Do not use party/private chat with them as that is cheating.
Knowing how to move around in a CKOTH game is difficult and unfortunately based on random spawns. The Hill moves randomly every 30 seconds. If there are 10 seconds or less left in the Hill before it moves, do not go there. It takes 3 seconds to spawn and anywhere from 5 to 15 seconds to get to the new Hill. The best place to stand for changing Hills is the midpoint. In other words, standing in the center area that allows equal access to all Hills. For example, stand in Green Box on The Pit, or Top Green on Guardian, or Rocket Spawn on Epitaph (Bruteshot spawn in Epilogue).
Gametype 3: Odbball
Oddball is probably the most annoying gametype to even play in an FFA. Just like KOTH, there is a certain degree of probability or "luck" involved in playing. If you get a bad spawn in the beginning of the game, you may not place top three at all. You should not feel bad for losing a game of Oddball. The gametype is almost completely random. The movement of the Ball, the spawns, and what players do are all random. With that being said, there are some strategies to give you an edge over other players.
First off, your initial spawn is CRUCIAL in this gametype. If you spawn near the Ball, you almost have a guaranteed top three finish. If you spawn near a weapon or a power-up, I highly recommend getting it. You want to slay everyone and make your way to the ball as fast as possible. AC is particularly good for sneaking around people to grab the Ball whereas OS allows you to take a more or less direct path to the ball as you can take on more damage.
Running the Ball like a flag in CTF is a difficult thing to do and can cause you to win or lose. For maps with many levels, you should always keep the ball on the bottom. You can always jump down a level, but not up. Maps with multiple levels would be Construct, Blackout, and Epitaph/Epilogue. For Guardian, you should always run the ball to Bottom Blue. If you can get there, all players will spawn Green, Elbow, S1/S2, and Camo. No grenades can get to you and it will take at LEAST five to eight seconds for the first opponent to get to you. If you are close to dying, just jump of the map. You can earn up to 2 seconds while falling down. Again, like KOTH do not worry about your K/D.
For Snowbound/Boundless, the Ball will inevitably end up in a base and people will hide behind the shield doors but you should NOT do that. A better strategy is run BEHIND a base, especially with a Bubble Shield. By doing so, players will not spawn behind you and if you are near death, you can throw the ball outside the map. The same idea applies for Foundry - try to keep the Ball away from the bases as much as possible. If the ball ever makes to a base, you will spawn across the map and have almost no access to it.
Killing the Oddball carrier requires critical thinking. When the carrier dies, you should ask yourself, do I have access to it or did I just give it to someone else by killing the carrier? I tend to kill carrier if I am very close to it so that others do not take it away. Another point to consider is whether you are second and the person with the Ball is about to win. In most cases, I suggest letting the person win to end the game and to secure your second place. Games that drag on may result in you coming in third or even fourth place.
Going for weapons is somewhat of a controversial topic in Oddball. Unlike KOTH, the Ball is more or less in constant movement which means getting a weapon may make you walk even more when you decided to go for the ball. Some people also have the tendency to kill all players that they see which means you may run into a trigger happy person who ends up killing you. Obviously, getting a close quarters weapon like the shotgun is a great idea since you can easily kill the Oddball carrier but you must remember that if you die with it, others will have access to it making your next attempt rather challenging.
Gametype 4: Slayer (BRs)
Slayer and Slayer BRs are the most common gametypes you will run in LW. As a result, to rank up or do well in this playlist, you must have the ability to kill, steal kills, and utilize weapons and power-ups. To win a game of Slayer/Slayer BRs, you need to: 1) utilize the BR and grenades to their full potential, 2) control power-ups/power weapons, and 3) understand melee.
The BR is the most dynamic weapon in Halo 3. It is by far the best weapon to use in any gametype and any map for the majority of situations. Probably the only disadvantage of the BR is that it does little to no damage to vehicles but this is not applicable in to LW since vehicles are quite absent in LW. As LW involves a lot of close quarters fighting, players will be quite vulnerable to headshots so you should use your pistol in AR starts while going for a BR or Carbine. The BR can work well in close, mid and even long range. They key is to use the BR together with other weapons.
Learning how to bounce grenades and then shooting with your BR is the most destructive thing you can do. If timed correctly, the player will die instantly, with only mere seconds to react to the grenade toss. If you are running forward and you throw a grenade, it will travel at a greater speed because you are adding your own momentum to it. Because of this, you should always add a little run with your grenades. Even if you are running backwards, you should run forward briefly to make sure you grenade will travel further AND faster. Contrary to popular opinion, all grenades travel the same distance. They illusion of distance is a result of the bouncing properties of each grenade. Frag and plasma bounce but a frag tends to bounce or roll with more ease than a plasma, and spike grenades do not bounce at all.
Different grenades also have their own situational uses. Plasmas are the best around corners because your opponents will not hear them easily when thrown or when they land. Spikes are best used in narrow hallways or door frames/entrances and for sticking people and vehicles.. Frags are best used in situations where opponents are charging you directly (simply bounce the grenade at the wall next to you or directly at the ground so the grenade flies up and blows up in your opponent’s face) or when you see groups of people fighting. You should only use the BR only after you have thrown the grenade. Sometimes your opponents may be unaware of you or your grenade and shooting them could cause them to run away from the potential explosion of your grenade.
BRing is very important in LW because you must be able to steal kills and win your BR duels. Stealing kills is something most people complain about, because they do not understand WHY their kills are being stolen. Unlike team games, DO NOT SHOOT people that you CANNOT KILL. Many players do not think and will shoot anyone they see only to have their kill(s) stolen. If you want to be the one stealing kills here are several tips: 1) if you are going to shoot someone across map, wait until someone else starts shooting them, 2) do NOT shoot people that have full shields as they can run away easily, 3) look for people who are Meleeing each other (most of the time one player or both will lose their shields), 4) watch for people running in the most frequently fought areas, and 5) use weapons such as the Carbine, Sniper, BR or Magnum to steal kills as they have a headshot bonus.
If you happen to have a 1v1 with someone and you want to win, there are several things you can do. Throw a grenade as SOON as your opponent sees you, In most situations, a grenade + one shot BR is faster than a Four Shot. Next, use your environment to project yourself (almost every single object in Halo absorbs bullets and some even explosions. Remember to lead your shots appropriately – if the people are far away, then aim to the side of their head. Finally, you should always shoot your opponent three times in the body and then to the head. Aiming to the body is much easier than the head and prevents any random bullet spread of the BR. Most people do not know that only the fourth or final shot has to be a headshot – same thing applies for the Carbine and Magnum..
If you are in a match between equally skilled opponents, the main things that will separate one player from another are power-ups and power weapons.
You should always try to kill or fight your way to a power weapon. Weapons such as the: Shotgun, Sniper, Rocket Launcher, Energy Sword, etc., are considered power weapons. You may have noticed that the top two players have much higher score than the bottom four. This is because using power weapons can quickly boost your score in a short time. For most maps power weapons have a three minute respawn time. The only caveat with going for power weapons is that spending time searching for a power weapon rather than fighting can cost you a few kills and time.
Power-ups are also an essential component. If you spawn near a power-up, you should always immediately grab it so you can control and know when it respawns. If you spawn near AC, you should use AC to navigate through dangerous areas to secure power weapons (such as Rockets in the middle of Epilogue) or to assassinate opponents. If you use OS, you should be much more aggressive with opponents or run through dangerous areas. The effects of OS and Camo will only last 30 seconds, so camping with them is pointless. AC and OS on ALL maps respawn every three minutes when picked up.
Let's now talk about melee. The likelihood of two players exchanging melees is high, particularly in Oddball and Swords. The risk in using melee is that a third party can kill you and your opponent in the process. Sometimes you and your opponent will trade kills – this can be a good and a bad thing. The good thing is that if that opponent is low on the scoreboard, it is better to allow that individual to have the kill rather than another player who is closer in points to you. For instance, let’s say I have 10 kills, John has 8 kills, and Tim has 5 kills. If I trade a kill with Tim (5), then it is better that both of us die and give each other kills than John; (8) my score goes to 11 and Tim goes to 6 while John is stuck at 8. Tim is a now a bigger threat to John than before.
It is important not to forget that some weapons have a melee bonus (as in they do more damage with a melee attack than other weapons). These would include: Energy Sword, Gravity Hammer, Bruteshot and Brute Spiker. All these weapons will easily beat the AR + melee combo. Plasma weapons are also great but sometimes a poor host or poor hit registration can render them ineffective.
Using dual weapons is something that never really seemed to catch on in Halo 3 like it did in Halo 2 since you started with an SMG in Halo 2 in many gametypes and the AR did not exist. Dual weapons are limited in use and many players don't use them. Some dual weapons are still extremely effective in close range combat not only because they can kill fast, but also cause your opponent to panic because of all the bullets coming at them. Dual weapons are also an excellent counter against people who rush with the AR since dual weapons are most deadly at melee range. Some great combinations include: SMG + Plasma Rifle, SMG + Spiker, SMG + Pistol, Plasma Rifle + Pistol.
As Slayer (BRs) is probably the most important gametype, I have three videos below. One is without commentary.
Vehicles
Vehicles are not too common in FFA. In lower ranked games, I strongly urge using a Ghost if available since most players will struggle to kill you and you change the pace of the game. Splattering is quite risky in most case since lag can make your splatter ineffective and even newbs can stick you without trying. In higher ranked games, I strongly suggest avoiding vehicles, unless you know what you are doing. Sometimes it may be a good idea to use a Mongoose, but only to get from one place to another.
Check out the gameplay on the right for an example of how and when to use vehicles.
Equipment
The introduction of equipment was rather controversial among competitive players when Halo 3 was released which is why MLG and Gamebattles excluded their use in competitive settings, including FFA. Unfortunately, LW features equipment on nearly every map which can make gameplay frustrating but not as frustrating as armor abilities in Halo 3 since each piece of equipment can only be used once and most of them can destroyed while in use. The use of equipment is quite self-explanatory but I will still include some notes about each one to remind you. For more serious or advanced players, I suggest memorizing the time each one can be used.
• Power Drainer – should be used in rooms/areas with groups of people. Make sure you have a BR, Carbine, Sniper, or Magnum to one-shot. A Power Drainer lasts 7 seconds.
• Bubble Shield – should only be used as a means to get away or to lure opponents. Make sure you have a Shotgun, Mauler, or Hammer. A Bubble Shield lasts 20 seconds.
• Regenerator – should be used when your shields are half depleted and in high risk situations. Make sure you have a Bruteshot, Shotgun, and Spike/Plasma grenade to win those melee battles inside the Regenerator. A Regenerator lasts twelve seconds.
• Gravity Lift – should be used to get to advantageous locations. It may be a good idea to bring a close ranged weapon and a long range weapon. Grave Lifts can also be used as defense against people rushing. A Grave Lift lasts 30seconds.
Spawn points
Spawns are probably the most important aspect in Halo 3. No more is this statement true than in Lone Wolves. Spawning near opponents or weapons can either hurt or help you. Memorizing spawn points may sound like an arduous task, but it is worthwhile as you can either spawn kill or prevent people from spawning. In any gametype, there are initial spawns. Initial spawn points differ from regular spawns in that people only spawn at these locations when the game starts. You need to know what your game plan is as soon as you spawn. To learn where everyone else spawns, simply load up Forge, go into Monitor mode and change the gametype to Slayer. Then look for the spawn points emitting blue rings – these are initial spawn points. After any game, you should go into theater and watch what everyone else did on their spawn.
In addition, the start of the game is probably the most unique part of the game. Everyone is alive and all power-ups and power weapons are available. Your job in the very beginning is either to grab a power-up/power weapon or RUN for cover. For instance, if you spawn elbow on Guardian in the start of the game, you have no choice but to run to bottom green as you will get flanked from S2 or AC. If spawn next to OS on Guardian, you should rush the guy at elbow or rush top blue after getting the snipe.
There are ways to block people from spawning. The two ways that can be done is by throwing a grenade or by standing in a certain spot. For instance, if you stand on the little edge between Gold and Blue room on Guardian you are blocking spawns of both of those areas. This is because you are contesting both spawn areas. The spawn system works by assigning numerical values to each spawn point on the map. The closer a person is to spawn point, the more negative it becomes. In other words, it is highly unlikely for a person to spawn there. Grenades function the same way as they temporarily contest spawns because there is action going on. Bungie made spawn points in a way that you “should not” spawn into explosions. If you watch/play MLG, you will notice how most players will throw grenades into Shotgun room on The Pit. The explosions assign a negative value to the spawn point/spawn area which means a player will spawn at a more positive spawn point like Snipe Tower.
This video is from a Lone Wolves game. Note how I was able to predict each player's offensive strategy in the start of the match. While every person is different, people will always go for the nearest power weapon or power-up as soon as they spawn. Memorize starting points, as those will always be the same.
Player Psychology
Lone Wolves can put a lot of stress on a player’s mind. Constantly playing games like Oddball or Swords can be frustrating. Bad spawns, no BRs, and annoying players can make you quit or give up. Since you are alone in this playlist, it is probably the hardest playlist to stay motivated. There is no doubt that winning a game of LW requires skill, but having the right mindset can separate players between first and second.
Keeping a cool head is difficult in the world of online gaming. Lagg happens, deal with it. If a player did not die, then they did not die. If you scream or complain rather than concentrating on your gameplay, then you will lose the game. If you ever become bothered by players tea-bagging you, then you have just allowed an opponent to disrupt your concentration. Whatever happens, just remain calm. If you are losing by a point, just tell yourself “one kill at a time.” If you lose a game or become frustrated from playing, take a break for fifteen minutes or mess around in a custom game. Everyone loses games, so do not worry about “the last game.” If you go in with the attitude that you are going to kick everyone’s butt, then you will be more confident in your sniping and BRing. This may sound odd but I always melee the wall, ground, or air after a sick kill. In a way, it mimics behavior that you make when you are successful in real life and gives you confidence. Just like when you throw your hands in the air when you cheer, meleeing the wall after a kill is similar to cheering for yourself.
At the same time, there are several things you can do to manipulate players. For one, if you ever pull a clutch kill on someone – whether be an out-BR or a sick no-scope, you should shoot, melee, or teabag the dead body. You should only do this for a second since you could end up getting killed. Doing this action repeatedly will make some players quite angry. Why is it good to make a player angry? They will charge you a lot more and will play much stupider than before. For instance, they will rush into a Bubble Shield when you are holding a Shotgun. If players teabag you, then just laugh. Having a little sense of humor will keep you in a positive mindset and relieve some in-game pressure.
There are also advanced ways of psychologically fooling players. For instance, you are in a Bubble Shield/behind a shield door with a BR out and a Shotgun on your back and a player sees you. You should shoot the Bubble/shield door with your BR or tea bag the ground to tease a player to come after you. As they do, switch to your shotgun and melee. The melee will cancel the noise of the shotgun cocking and it will further entice your opponent to come after you. As the player comes in shoot them in the face and then teabag their body. You can also trick people with a Ninja by having your back turned.
Other ways to manipulate players would be with suppressive fire and grenades. If you are coming around a corner and you are unsure a person is there, you should shoot past it to alert your opponent that you are nearby. This will make your opponent think that you know where they are at. It can also force an opponent to run away. Grenades are what I like to call personal “announcements.” If someone is crouch walking near you and you through a grenade it can alert/scare your opponent. Sometimes your opponent may jump to avoid the splash damage of the grenade which will give away their position on radar. Be careful as this strategy can backfire. Crouch walking AFTER a series of explosions will cause opponents to believe that everyone in the area is dead.
It also possible to manipulate someone’s movement. The best way to explain this type of manipulation is to illustrate with the following situation: Say you are playing Guardian and you are in Blue room and you see an opponent at S3. You should first throw a plasma grenade at S2 and then shoot the player at S3. The player knows he must go for cover and may run down to S2 where you grenade is waiting for them. Note: The plasma makes little noise when it lands and has a slightly longer detonation time. Gameplay of with lots of teabagging below (lol).
Overall, LW is composed of numerous different aspects. Learning how to play each gametype and controlling power-ups/power weapons is essential if you wish to place in the top three. Understanding how to utilize your environment, equipment, and the understanding of spawns will allow you to control the flow of the game. Player psychology cannot be forgotten as your own attitude can dictate your performance.
