On its 20-year anniversary, the head of Xbox Phil Spencer gifted gamers with a major surprise: the early launch of Halo Infinite multiplayer. While it’s still being labeled as a beta, Halo Infinite multiplayer is officially out in the wild and available to everyone for free. 343 Industries launched Halo Infinite with nine different game modes and ten maps, including the massive Big Team battle setup.
Regardless of which game mode you’re playing or the map you’re traversing, success on the battlefield comes down to what kind of gun you’re shooting with. Before you jump headfirst into live multiplayer action, be sure to check out the Weapon Drills in the Academy to get familiar with the wide range of weaponry in the game. Another important tip to know in Halo Infinite is that you don’t have to swap your secondary weapon for another secondary weapon. If you start with an assault rifle and pistol, you can ditch the pistol for a sniper rifle and rock two primary weapons. Ultimately, these are the best weapons to have equipped to emerge victorious in Halo Infinite.
Updated May 14, 2022, by Avery Lawrence Feyrer: There are a plethora of weapons at your disposal to secure victory in Halo Infinite. We've updated this post to add a few more highly effective weapons to conquer your enemies on the battlefield. To further highlight the amazing weapons to be found in Halo Infinite, we have included a video guide to accompany this list. Be sure to check it out before diving back into Infinite's awesome weapon sandbox.
16/16 Needler
It’s not Halo without the Needler. This classic Covenant weapon has remained in the series since the first Halo adventure, but has seen drastic performance improvements since then. Before, people would ridicule the Needler for the lack of overall damage it did, preferring to have nearly any other gun instead.
But since Halo 3, the Needler has been modified to improve its overall potency on the battlefield, and it’s now considered a rather reliable weapon. Every needle inflicts about 70 damage, so maintaining good accuracy in aiming down the reticle is a must with the Needler.
15/16 Pulse Carbine
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Used primarily by the Banished, the Pulse Carbine operates as a burst-firing plasma rifle. The gun doesn’t have normal bullet rounds, but instead has an energy percentage that gauges how much remaining power it has.
The Pulse Carbine has a slightly zoomed scope for some long-range action, but it’s best suited for medium range. The burst energy projectiles can track their target and can inflict up to 1,250 damage on impact.
14/16 VK78 Commando
To use Pokemon terminology, you could say that the VK78 Commando is the evolved form of the BR75 Battle Rifle. The Commando fires a single shot repeatedly, but with a low rate of fire. It operates better as a long-range option, especially with its 2x scope.
Because of its heavy recoil, the Commando demands patience and precision accuracy to be successful. The long-range rifle contains 60 total bullets in the magazine, and 20 in each separate clip.
13/16 Shock Rifle
A new weapon to the Halo universe, the Shock Rifle can be very dangerous in the right (or wrong) hands. With 12 shots in each clip, the Shock Rifle fires three electrified rounds at a time, and will cause a secondary shock effect to the inflicted enemy and other surrounding enemies.
The shock effect will cause extra delayed damage, but will also spill over to other enemies that are in close proximity. For tight areas or grouped-up enemies, the Shock Rifle can cause major damage, and is a surefire way to get multi-kills.
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11/16 MA40 Assault Rifle
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If there was a gun in Halo that could be considered 'old reliable', it would be the MA40 Assault Rifle. This handy weapon has been featured in the storied series since Halo: Combat Evolved, remaining a staple in the series. There have been slight adjustments to the assault rifle throughout the years, but the general premise of the weapon has remained unchanged.
The MA40 has 36 rounds in the magazine clip, but typically it takes a full clip to remove an enemy's shield. Because of the erratic gun spray, many players prefer the precision of the Battle Rifle compared to the MA40. Halo Infinite introduced variants of various weapons, including the MA40 Assault Rifle. Known as the Longshot, this variant dishes out more damage than the regular version, though it comes at the cost of a reduced magazine clip.
10/16 Skewer
With the Banished being introduced in Halo Infinite, new guns are inevitable. The Skewer is a high-powered spike launcher that will instantly kill anyone who finds themselves on the receiving end.
Unlike the M41 SPNKR rocket launcher, the Skewer only has one spike loaded at all times. You need to make that one shot count, because you might not get another chance due to the somewhat long reload time. The Skewer has a double zoom scope for long-range use, too.
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8/16 Mangler
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Designed by the Banished, the Ukala Workshop Spike Revolver, better known as the Mangler, operates as an up-close shotgun pistol. The closest resemblance to the Mangler is a heavy handgun revolver, as the it packs a heavy punch in its eight-round magazine clip. The Mangler is a brand new gun to the Halo series, making its debut appearance in Halo Infinite.
In multiplayer, the Mangler has quickly become a fan favorite, as it drops a Spartan shield in just two hits. Many players have invoked a strategy of firing one shot and following it up quickly with a melee hit, usually killing an enemy with the two-hit combo. If an enemy has already lost their shields, one headshot from the Mangler will usually finish off the job from a long distance.
7/16 CQS48 Bulldog
When you want to get up close and personal, there isn’t a gun better than the CQS48 Bulldog. This shotgun deals devastating damage up close, inflicting around 1,000 damage per shot.
The use of shotguns has always been a bit overpowered in Halo multiplayer, and the trend certainly continues in Halo Infinite with the Bulldog. You may not record instant kills with it, even with headshots, but combining the shotgun with a melee hit is a guaranteed takedown.
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5/16 Cindershot
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Although the Forerunners have seemingly become extinct, their technology continues to be used in the ongoing war between humans and alien races. New to the Halo series is the Cindershot, a Forerunner grenade launcher that can eliminate enemies in a matter of seconds. The Cindershot holds a maximum of six hard-light grenades that can ricochet off surfaces before exploding.
Enemy Spartans can be killed with just two direct hits with the Cindershot, and the explosions of the grenades will pull targets together. Similar to other weapons in the game, the Cindershot has a variant version called the Backdraft Cindershot. This upgrades the overall damage of its grenades considerably, allowing you to decimate anyone in your path.
4/16 BR75 Battle Rifle
First introduced in Halo 2, the Battle Rifle quickly became a favorite among the Halo community for its precision accuracy and high damage output compared to the MA40 Assault Rifle. Unlike the MA40, the BR75 is a burst rifle that favors precision aiming, especially with headshots.
While the MA40 has a slightly zoomed-in 'scope', the BR75 has a true scope to be effective at long-range. If all three shots connect with the target, the Battle Rifle inflicts around 390 damage. Depending on your style of play, the Battle Rifle is typically selected as a preferred starting weapon over the MA40 Assault Rifle.
3/16 Energy Sword
One of the most iconic weapons in video games history is found in the Halo universe. The Energy Sword that was dramatically introduced in Halo 2 as one of the most powerful weapons that the Covenant has at their disposal is back.
The sword is an instant kill, with a lunging motion to get close to enemies. There is an energy percentage associated with the sword that acts as an indicator of how much longer you can use the weapon. While some might prefer the Gravity Hammer, the Energy Sword takes the cake as the superior melee weapon, because the hammer might not kill an enemy when struck. Instead, the hammer might send them flying with the impact, while the sword will finish off your foe quickly.
2/16 S7 Sniper
Halo Infinite offers a few long-range weapon options, but none of them come close to the S7 Sniper. This classic weapon has remained a staple in the Halo series since the very beginning, and for good reason.
Each shot inflicts about 1,000 damage, regardless of where it hits — unless it’s a headshot. The S7 Sniper will drop enemy Spartans with one shot to the head, or two shots to the body. The gun only has four shots in each clip, so aim for the head.
1/16 M41 SPNKR
Among the many powerful weapons featured in Halo Infinite, there’s one that stands above the rest: the rocket launcher. The M41 SPNKR Rocket Launcher is back again and brings a high amount of chaos and destruction with it. Realistically, there’s very little skill needed to secure kills with the rocket launcher, making the weapon both incredibly useful and downright annoying.
The splash damage can cover a large area, which can be both a good and bad thing. Enemies can be hit, even if the rocket doesn’t make a direct impact, but that also means it’s quite easy to kill yourself if you aren’t careful. The Rocket Launcher can be found at various gun spawns with a 30-second timer before they’re available. Having two rockets in a clip combined with the massive amount of damage it can inflict, it’s without question that the M41 SPNKR Rocket Launcher is the best weapon in Halo Infinite.
