Halo Infinite Season 2 is here, and so is its assortment of incredible weapons. What are they, what do they do, and how do they work?
Halo has always been famous for its supreme assortment of iconic weapons. From that classic assault rifle, to the insanely over-powered pistol in Combat Evolved, there have been few missteps when it comes to the game's arsenal of unique guns and melee weapons. Halo Infinite is no different, offering us an assortment of UNSC, Banished (Covenant) and Forerunner Weapons worth its salt. Of course, it's no surprise that the game absolutely nails its weaponry – it's a shooter, after all, and a top shelf one at that.
You see, Halo Infinite launched almost a whole month earlier than originally intended, when its multiplayer portion was plopped into beta in celebration of Xbox's 20th Anniversary. Now, let's be real, we know that y'all are all looking forward to that juicy campaign to come around and blow everyone's socks off in December. Look, in the meantime we have some pretty excellent multiplayer to enjoy, with some insanely good maps, so quit complaining and dive-on in! Indeed, perhaps learning more about all the weapons featured in Halo Infinite will help you in the campaign...
Halo Infinite Season 2 Weapons
Halo Infinite Season 2 introduces no new weapons to the game's multiplayer, nor its single-player campaign. That doesn't mean that there is nothing to get hyped about, though. After all, the game already features an absurdly vast assortment of weapons and items. And they actually tweaked some weapons with nerfs & buffs, which you can check out below. The new Battle Pass has tons of cosmetic additions, as well, so that's something to look forward to. Honestly... Season 2 is just looking great, so we ain't going to complain that there are no new weapons. Which weapons are there already, though? Well, you'll just have to read on...
What Are All The Weapons in Halo Infinite?
Halo Infinite features a plethora of fantastic weapons. Each of them fit into one particular sub-genre of weapons, each of which have a large selection of different options. There are the UNSC weapons, otherwise known as "those human ones", there are the Banished weapons, otherwise known as "for goodness sake, just call them Covenant Weapons", and there are the Forerunner weapons, which are not a joking matter. Let's break them all down for you, shall we?
UNSC Weapons
These are those pesky human weapons that the Covenant have feared for years. The standard selection for spartans and any marines of the UNSC, these weapons are grounded and far more realistic than their alien counterparts.
MA40 Assault Rifle
Halo Infinite's assault rifle is the newest variation of that Combat Evolved classic that we've come to love over the years. It is a wonderful weapon, with many memories attached, and is certainly no pushover in Halo Infinite either. Featuring a high fire-rate, 36 rounds in each magazine, and great handling, it is still one of the best UNSC weapons that you could hope for.
The assault rifle is, of course, most effective at more medium ranges, but can also be used in a pinch at shorter ranges. That being said, it should absolutely be avoided during long-range encounters, as it has some pretty intense recoil on it. If you want something with longer range, you want to stick to the Battle Rifle...
BR75 Battle Rifle
The latest version of the BR75 Battle Rifle lands yet another classic hit. It's an accurate and sexy piece of ass, and extremely powerful at both medium and long range. Whilst it's a little bit of a pain during close-quarters encounters, that can be forgiven for its head-shotting glory.
An absolute must-choose in any kind of competitive match, the Battle Rifle is one of the easiest weapons to use in Halo Infinite and also one of the most powerful. Combining this with a solid secondary is a must though, so perhaps think about pairing it with something like the CQS48 Sidekick to assist you at close-range.
VK78 Commando
This is a completely new weapon in Halo Infinite, and certainly doesn't fail to deliver with its mashup of assault rifle and battle rifle-style handing. With fully automatic turned on, it retains a slower rate of fire than something like the MA40, but is far more accurate. With a smaller magazine and very high recoil, though, it does take a bit of getting used to.
The best way to play the VK47 Commando is at a medium-range, as it offers a lot of accuracy with the 3x tactical optic. This optic also means that you can, at a pinch, treat the Commando a bit like a DMR, but it's not recommended.
MK50 Sidekick
The equivalent of Combat Evolve's classic Magnum Pistol, the Sidekick is a bloody powerful little pistol that can even take on higher-level enemies when used effectively. In fact, we would recommend the MK50 Sidekick as a secondary for any UNSC-based loadout, despite it being a bit of a step-back from that classic Magnum.
Honestly, there's not really much to say here: it's a pretty basic pistol. What we will mention, though, is that this one is a little harder to use than we initially would have expected from a Halo pistol. That being said, it is fantastic at a pinch.
CQS48 Bullfrog
An incredible tactical shotgun, and perfect for close quarters combat and taking on some of your tougher opponents. Featuring a very high rate of fire for a shotgun, the Bullfrog is full automatic, but still features a pump action. Combined with that seven-round mag, it's certainly worth a shout out.
Keep in mind that you won't be one-shotting with this bad-boy, so that rate of fire is actually really important if you want to stay alive. Make sure that it is fully loaded before getting into engagements, and utilize its slightly longer range to your advantage as best as you can.
S7 Sniper Rifle
This is an absolute classic – that gorgeous UNSC Sniper Rifle. It has a zoomable scope, with both 5x and 10x magnification, and can one-shot kill if you land a headshot. The S7 Sniper Rifle is certainly one of the best weapons featured in Halo Infinite, and you need to look out for campers who might be hiding in wait for you with this bad-boy. Come on guys, not cool.
Make sure that you have a solid side arm with you, unless you're weirdly good at no-scoping, because it can be tough to survive a close or medium-range encounter when wielding the S7 Sniper Rifle. That's common sense, though, so there's really no point in us saying much more.
Rocket Launcher
There's not really much to say about a double-barreled Rocket Launcher, is there? It blows stuff up, and is quite efficient at doing so. Also, what's with its official name? M41 SPNKR? Yeah, let's just call it a Rocket Launcher, that's too many letters to remember. Making its return after being conspicuously absent from Halo 5, there's a lot of fun to be had with the Rocket Launcher in Halo Infinite.
Halo Infinite's Rocket Launcher has a very wide blast radius, but is much slower and more cumbersome. This, combined with minimal lethality within the explosion, means that you need to use this bad-boy very accurately to have much success. Either way, though, who doesn't like a good ol' Rocket Launcher?
Hydra
This one is one of few weapons returning from Halo 5, and isn't particularly exciting. Featuring two different fire modes, the Hydra is a bit of an odd weapon in Halo Infinite. One mode sees you shooting multiple missiles in short succession, and the other features a tracking missile that will lock on to an enemy Spartan.
With a six-rocket drum, the Hydra needs to be reloaded with each rocket individually, significantly slowing its reload time. It takes four direct hits to kill an enemy Spartan, and it is pretty effective at all ranges, but far less powerful than your standard Rocket Launcher. Whether this is a good choice for you very much depends on what you're looking for out of a launcher.
Banished / Covenant Weapons
Weapons of the Banished, formerly known as the Covenant and the Brutes, vary from comprehensively irritating to comprehensively powerful. There's a lot to love here, and many of these weapons are insanely powerful if placed into the right hands.
Pulse Carbine
Another brand new weapon in Halo Infinite, the Pulse Carbine is an absolute monster in close-to-medium range encounters. This particular weapon has Covenant origins and fires bursts of plasma that have decreased impact at range. Keep in mind that the Pulse Carbine will overheat, so you need to allow it to vent as much as possible. Also make sure you are aiming accurately at close range as the Pulse Carbine fires very small little bolts that are easy to miss if you do not fire it accurately enough.
Seeing as the bolts track a little bit when fired, the Pulse Carbine is best used at medium range, where if you are not perfectly accurate, the tracking will do the trick. However, if you have fantastic aim, then using this bad-boy at close range is insanely deadly, and will get you a ton of kills.
Needler
The return of the Needler is upon us, and what can we even say about this classic hand cannon? With a 26-round magazine, these spiked darts will stick to your enemy before exploding in a deadly blast that few enemies can survive. It sounds a bit overpowered, doesn't it? Well, the Needler has been balanced by providing a delay between when the darts are shot, and when they explode.
We also have to admit that Needlers look cool as fork, especially when those needles explode in that bright pink light we've all become accustomed to over the years. It's absolutely deadly, and an insane amount of fun. That all being said, though, it is a bit of an acquired taste, and if you are not a Halo-head like we are, then you could struggle to be effective.
Plasma Pistol
This bad-boy is another classic, but has been seriously nerfed in Halo Infinite. Without the ability to EMP vehicles, it is actually kind of pointless, as it is an absolutely awful pistol in its own right. Sure, charging up the blast and destroying enemy shields is still possible, but who has time for that?
The best way to use the Plasma Pistol is in combination with something else that can one shot an enemy once its shields are down. You remove the shields with a charged blast from the Plasma Pistol, whip out something else, and down your enemy quick-as-anything. Other than for that purpose, this is a pretty useless weapon in Halo Infinite.
Energy Sword
The world-famous, game-defining Energy Sword is back in Halo Infinite, and we have absolutely no complaints. Of course, the Energy Sword is a one-hit-kill, but is also a melee weapon... so completely useless at long and medium range. You need to get up-close and personal, which can be very hard, but very effective if you are a Halo pro. In that case? Well, in that case you have it in the bag!
Now, here's the deal: the Energy Sword now consumes 15% of its power each time you use it, so it is slightly less OP in Halo Infinite. That being said, when combined with various items in the game, the Energy Sword is more powerful than ever. In other words, get to know the game well, combine that knowledge with an Energy Sword, and bam! You're a Halo Legend!
Gravity Hammer
This melee weapon functions a little differently to the Energy Sword, and feels a lot different in Halo Infinite. It's insanely slow to swing, and requires perfect timing to be at all effective. The trade off? Well, if you slam someone, they're a goner! Oh, and the area of effect has been increased, so it's much more effective if you do land a hit.
With such a big area of effect, there is a lot to love with the Gravity Hammer, but as has always been the case, there really is quite a steep learning curve here. Get the know the weapon in custom games with bots before you try it out on real-life players. If you're not ready, you'll have your ass handed to you.
Mangler
Another brand new weapon in Halo Infinite, the Mangler is fine, but not much more than that. It's a slower pistol, a little more like a Revolver in similar games, that will down an enemy with three headshots. It's not the best, to be honest, and feels a little sluggish and hard to handle, but perhaps time will prove us wrong here.
Look, the Mangler is fun, and has a pretty sick melee animation, but can be very hard to be effective with. Three perfect shots will down an enemy, but one missed shot will spell death. This particular weapon is for Halo players who are worth their salt.
Disruptor
Absolutely superior to the Plasma Pistol, the Disruptor is a gorgeous and incredibly effective pistol in the right hands. It's an automatic weapon, and deals shock damage over time, rather than a sudden burst of damage. The biggest selling point though, is where the Plasma Pistol suffers the most in Halo Infinite: EMPing vehicles.
Those shock-bullets we were just talking about also act as EMP's, and will disable vehicles in their tracks. Thus, when paired with another weapon, it is the ideal weapon to take out vehicle-hunting in a larger multiplayer map. We actually really like this weapon, but would say that it is best not to use against other players as they will certainly kill you before the long-time damage kicks into effect.
Stalker Rifle
Halo Infinite's version of that standard Covenant Sniper rifle we've all grown to love, the Stalker Rifle is a very slow weapon but will take out an enemy Spartan in three shots if you aim for the head. It's certainly not as powerful as what we've come to know, but it's a decent addition to Halo Infinite's arsenal, and certainly a good complementary weapon to take out with you.
We're aware that the Stalker Rifle might be a bit disappointing to players who are used to previous games' alternatives. The quick overheat certainly doesn't help the weapons case, but we have to admit that its accuracy and high damage is absolutely critical in any conversation or decision that's made regarding the Stalker Rifle. It's solid, but not the best we could have hoped for.
Ravager
The Ravager was a bit of a meme in Season 1. It looks cool and yeah, shooting flaming red plasma is fun. But it basically dealt no damage and was super clunky to use. However, gone is Season 1 and so is this terrible version of the Ravager. This Banished Grenade Launcher got a serious buff in Halo Infinite Season 2.
Now the Ravager could become one of the best new guns in Halo Infinite. With the new buff, you can kill enemies in just two-hits, which is a major increase in damage in comparison to the original version. So this bad boy might actually come in handy now...
Skewer
This long-ranged sniper is absolutely insane against vehicles. It's almost like a cannon mounted on your shoulder, dealing crazy damage and one-hit killing any Spartan who dares get in your way. Honestly, we have to say this is one of, if not the, best long-range weapons in the bloody game. Absolutely insane!
We have to acknowledge how powerful the Skewer is against vehicles as well. It will one-shot vehicles like the Mongoose or Ghost, and will deal serious damage against larger vehicles. It is honestly crazy impressive. Just keep in mind that it is crazy slow and takes ages to reload.
Shock Rifle
This is a heavy sniper, and a pretty insane one at that. It is very light and doesn't weigh you down too much, but does fire very slowly. It only has a four-round magazine, but shares the same 5x / 10x zoom as the S7 Sniper Rifle. You can easily one-shot kill other players with this bad-boy, but keep in mind that if you miss, you're cake.
We are probably a little too obsessed with this sniper rifle, but honestly, we won't apologize for that. It's a beast. To make matters even better, the Shock Rifle even features shock damage that can spread amongst enemies who are close to your target, damaging a bunch of players all at once. Can we ask for more? Oh wait, we can: this thing is crazy effective against vehicles too, featuring an EMP-style blast.
Forerunner Weapons
The Forerunners were introduced in Halo 4, and no matter whether you are or aren't keen on the fourth and fifth installment in the main-line Halo series, the weapons they brought with them are pretty bloody lit. Seriously, check some of these out!
Heatwave
This is a brand new Forerunner Weapon in Halo Infinite, but is basically just the Scattershot. It shoots ricocheting bullets, and can deal a ton of damage when used properly. These ricochets can damage more than one enemy, too, so that gives you a couple of solid advantages.
The Heatwave is most effective in tight indoor spaces where the bouncing ricochets will deal the most damage. That being said, if you are accurate and in close-quarters with another enemy, you can down some Spartans pretty bloody easily. Two shots, in fact. Isn't that just crazy neat?
Sentinel Beam
Sentinel Beam is back, and its as badass as ever. Dealing insane levels of damage, this weapon is deadly in the right hands. In fact, it is probably the best version of this particular weapon. In Halo Infinite, its recoil is turned up but so is its damage, which can be dealt on multiple opponents at once since its beam can split.
Keep in mind, though, that the Sentinel Beam does have a very limited supply of ammo, and it has a very slow recharge, so make sure that you don't let it overheat. Don't get yourself into trouble with low ammo, so bring something else with you to swap out when the going gets tough. Honestly, it will be worth it!
Cindershot
The final weapon in our list is another brand new Forerunner weapon: the Cindershot. This grenade launcher shoots bouncing grenades that will then detonate into fragments. It's crazy powerful if used correctly, but can also take a long time to train with, so make sure to play plenty of private games against bots before you try it out in a proper multiplayer match.
Get ready to own with this weapon, seriously, it's an absolute blast - both figuratively and literally! You can also convert the Cindershot to fire laser-guided missiles, and they absolutely rule! This is one of, if not the, best weapons in Halo Infinite, and a fantastic new addition to the Halo arsenal. We honestly couldn't ask for more!
How Many Weapons Are In Halo Infinite?
There are currently 24 weapons in Halo Infinite, broken down between UNSC Weapons, Banished Weapons, and Forerunner Weapons. Each weapon has its benefits and disadvantages, with each class as well as each species of weapon having a variety of different features. Halo has some of the most robust and deep lore in any video game franchise, and the weapons explored in each game have different characteristics and histories due to the lineage of their respective origins. It's fascinating stuff, but we won't go into too much detail here. More-or-less: Halo Infinite has an absolute truckload of weapons!
Will More Weapons Come to Halo Infinite?
Halo Infinite features a plethora of fantastic weapons, but more will likely come with the games' different seasons. These seasons will operate similarly to a Call of Duty or Battlefield game, bringing new maps, weapons, and all sorts of goodies with them. There's a Battle Pass to check out already, and a ton of cool stuff to unlock, but this will be multiplied ten-fold as the game continues to grow and evolve.
Seriously, guys, Halo Infinite is an absolute beast, and features some fantastic multiplayer. From what we've played, this could be the best installment the series has seen since Halo Reach in 2010, but lets keep our pants on for now and see what becomes of it when the game officially launches. For now, though, enjoy the Beta, try out some of these fantastic weapons, and have jolly ol' time!