Is Halo 3 Better WITHOUT the Battle Rifle?

[@AscendHyperion]

So, are you jumping in Auto Slayer tonight? Come chill in my Discord! discord.com/invite/NPAQxGa

[@jackcolson4745]

actually trying out the new community forge mode test because there's a map where the automag spawns, and you can have automag battle rifle duels to see which weapon is best. so far perfect kills are faster with the automag.

[@grantcorbett2251]

I definitely prefer AR starts in Halo because I feel like it leads to more varied gameplay as people more often use map weapons. With BR starts everyone just fights with that or the power weapons.

[@DJDonkeytron]

There is ONE BIG CAVEAT to your otherwise very valid points... Its going to be VERY hard to break a spawn trap on a 4v4 map if you dont start with a CE magnum, H2 BR or H5 magnum etc.

[@ParagonGoetia]

@@DJDonkeytron It is worse with the BR, H3 is the best example. AR makes it actually more difficult to kill at spawns.

[@SpartanChief17C]

Where specifically can I find the Auto Slayer playlist on MCC? I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before. I always get stuck with being sniped by BRs

[@ryanelliott71698]

I always felt that the br should be treated as a pickup weapon that’s placed in the map. To limit its value and give other weapons a chance where as before they’d be forgotten.

[@benniebees]

And reduce the power level difference between the power weapons and autos, such that the winning team doesn't snowball their win so easily.

[@benniebees]

@@Arbyfig But i think 12 rounds is an insane amount of ammo.. Rockets get 4, sniper rifle gets 12... 12 is a lot.. not little. Keep in mind that all you have to do is bodyshot and switch weapons to get kills. And if you are fighting as a team, bodyshots will let your team clean up the kill. I think 12 starting ammo is already way too much for the sniper rifle.

[@shanez1215]

The problem with that is matches can end up heavily one sided after a team collects all the precision weapons. Also, Sprint increases the scale of the naps heavily favors precision weapons.

[@benniebees]

@@colbyboucher6391 yes.. I agree that this is appropriate for competitive play, but not for casual play. Casual play should be about maximizing gameplay enjoyment for ALL players, not just the ones with the power items.

[@ahtheorange]

Actually whenever I play Halo 3 with my friends, (four player split screen), I always change the setting for the Custom Game Mode: Slayer/FreeforAll were you spawn with the Assault Rifle and the Magnum, or just sometimes the Assault Rifle by itself.

[@Kirtahl]

I have been preaching this for years man. The game just gets stale when you only hear brrah brrah brrah all day. I love the climb to power in autoslayer. Just hope 343 realise this.

[@AscendHyperion]

I mean, 343 instantly adjusted the precision weapon meta in Halo 4 and further so in Halo 5. In two very different ways, granted, but I usually assert in fairness, Halo 5 did the best of trying to have both an identifiable meta, and a balanced sandbox

[@northstar_6585]

I think the problem is that the br is one of the most nostalgic satisfying and fun guns to use and I also think that 343 has become kinda scared to do new things because they get chastised for anything that they do

[@Kirtahl]

@@northstar_6585 assault rifle is my nostalgia

[@TekTekila]

I never really felt that climb to power, because either you steamroll the enemy team with your better weapons ; or you die and you just can't compete anymore against the weapons they wield.

[@theelite5135]

Especially in halo reach it’s just as problematic, the game is so much more enjoyable with the removal of Dmr spawns, not that it’s bad with it though but it’s a improvement without it in my opinion.

[@beesknees8296]

Ask a kid I always played competitively in H3’s prime so I was rocking with the BR all the time. Now that Im older and dont give a shit, I think the game is so much more fun just using all the weapons in the sandbox. I actually dual wield, use brute shots, needlers, etc. 12 year old me would not give any of those weapons a chance but now I can appreciate experiencing H3 from a casual standpoint.

[@samuelzuleger5134]

Hear ya. I am more of a Reach guy, but I do much the same for that. Sure, I love the DMR, but my old CE ways came back (played that in *its* prime), and I almost always rock plasma pistol in either 3 or Reach. Annoy the shit out of people with the noob combo or if they are driving a vehicle.

[@sergeantmarcusstackerM1903]

As a map pickup or gun for SWAT, definitely As a starting gun, the map turns into a sweatfest as you’re trying to survive the tryhards and pros

[@hollowsteel]

Yeah pretty much.

[@greatguylocalguy]

I think it's the other way around honestly. When someone else has a BR from the map and you have an AR or an SMG, you get shit on 10/10

[@GallowayJesse]

Tryhards = better players

[@hollowsteel]

Yourmum Ghey wait even better: tryhards = people who don't understand the concept of having fun.

[@tjsshooting1926]

@@hollowsteel some people have fun with competition. The halo games that are the most enjoyable to me is when everyone one the map has concept of map control, team br, and power weapon/ov timing

[@Pupler.]

After I recently replayed ODST I realized that in H3 there was never a situation where a battle rifle wouldn't be effective It was much more fun without it in my opinion

[@LordEmpyreal]

It was pretty neat the way they separated the BR into two weapons with ODST's SMG, and Magnum (scoped SMG for consistent damage at most ranges, automag for headshot kills). But ultimately I just end up grabbing a Carbine and going to town. It's kind of a shame the Halo 3 automag isn't more like the ODST one. It would make Recon Slayer a little more interesting, as you'd see more SMG play and quick swaps to the Magnum for final blows.

[@somehaloguy9372]

@@LordEmpyreal automag is more accurate than the carbine. Carbine sucks at killing jackal snipers in 1 shot because it rarely lands where you want it to

[@LordEmpyreal]

@@somehaloguy9372 Yeah, the BR in 3 had a similar problem with Jackal snipers sometimes. But you have plenty of chances more often than not, and they're hardly a common threat at ranges the Carbine struggles with.

[@Kyrnyx]

Autos are TERRIBLE in campaign/firefight especially on LASO. You're always gimping yourself using anything other than a noob combo and it tilts me.

[@kickflipz]

Ur just trash my guy

[@creepyclown7547]

I’ve always found halo more fun when BR/DMR/Carbine are all map pick ups. Especially in halo 3. Halo 5 was very well balanced and if you had an AR in close range against a BR you weren’t helpless and could outplay them because you’re in you’re respective range. The BR ruins respective range of weapons and dominates all. I always play Auto slayer on MCC to enjoy halo with Br pick ups and to enjoy the rest of the sandbox. Dual magnums in H3 is incredibly fun and helps one of the worst magnums in the series become a viable weapon

[@bakes1324]

This also has to do with the fact that the AR especially, is significantly better than in the past in halo 5.

[@kickflipz]

Mad cuz bad

[@bakes1324]

@@kickflipz no Halo 3 multiplayer is bad

[@ok4976]

@@kickflipz trash

[@Ricardo2-dsm]

@@kickflipz ok tryhard

[@milkmonstrosity]

The big issue with old precision weapons was that they really had no weaknesses. Unlike a Plasma Rifle, which has trouble hitting its targets but is excellent against shields (and in CE had a suppressive role), or a shotgun, which has immense power and lands hits consistently but has short range, the main precision weapon of the title would succeed in all areas. Magnum kills in 3 hits, fires fast, and has long range. And then the BR kills quickly and has great range as well. Sure some weapons are stronger, but those weapons also are also rarer and tend to have their own weaknesses regardless, such as the Rocket Launcher in close quarters, Energy Sword at a distance, and the Sniper Rifle being able to be suppressed by constant gunfire from the comparatively faster and near equally accurate loadout weapon. Halo 5's weapons may have been bad for PVE gameplay, but their design was good when it came to PVP, because everything had a fighting chance, even if some things were still clearly better or worse.

[@MasterHall117]

I can agree with this, Halo 5’s PVE version of the variety of weapons it had wasn’t too good when the AI like the Snipers still could one shot you on Legendary modes, but some of them still held their own like the Hydra which was too powerful for my liking (tracing rockets, 2 shots and a kill). But PVP helps, snipers matched, rockets, Vehicles, heck! The AR got a boost and so did the Magnum so even older weapons can stand a chance against power weapons

[@Orinslayer]

@@MasterHall117 Eh, the AR didnt really get a boost in halo 5, its as strong as the halo 4 godAR which is powerful enough to kill in half a mag, and can be accurate at range too if bursted or tapped.

[@nighthero_gaming9021]

AR should kill faster close range than ANY long ranged gun

[@justincaviness797]

Hell even the rocket launcher at distance has issues.

[@andyfriederichsen]

And the AR, which usually has the most weaknesses and has practically no reason to be used like an actual weapon.

[@QuintessentialWalrus]

This video is a blessing, I've been saying this for over a decade. Every Bungie Halo is like this to varying degrees. 343 did many strange things with the Halo series, but their commitment to auto starts was always the right move, and I think they finally nailed it in Halo Infinite -- even big team battle is fun with auto starts in Infinite, for the first time in the series!

[@gravy7944]

God they put br starts in regular team slayer

[@mileator]

Halo Infinite absolutely NAILED it with the assault rifle.

[@ARavingLobster]

After I accidentally started playing the auto Playlist, I honestly never went back.

[@brandonflores8640]

Tried auto slayer for the first time tonight. I can safely say that my halo addiction is reinvigorated.

[@Evan-or6ip]

YES i thought of this once i started playing auto slayer and fell in love with it. It encourages you to play around with all the different weapons, rather than only ever taking power weapons to go along with your BR

[@Rotcivcom]

Not to mention that people also dual weild way more in auto slayer

[@TenthSgtSnipes]

This is why I will always argue for AR starts, and why that typically was the default for halo 3

[@Rotcivcom]

I just think the AR and the SMG should be stronger. The AR is waaay more useful on the campaign than on MP, and the SMG is useless in pretty much all circunstances. AR should be more viable on mid range and SMGs should be more precise close range

[@TenthSgtSnipes]

@@Rotcivcom No the AR needs to stay where it is. The smg should be more viable in close range I’ll agree, but the video clearly shows why increasing viability of spawn weapons defeats the purpose of the sandbox

[@Orinslayer]

@@TenthSgtSnipes In halo 4&5 the better AR actually does damage haha, I actually think it killed faster than the SAW in halo 4.

[@TenthSgtSnipes]

@@Orinslayer Yeh which meant you had less reason to trade up. It’s dumb.

[@rickygforce4217]

@@TenthSgtSnipes I mean, I still saw plenty of reason to trade up in H5 when the unnerfed AR was powerful. Tbh, I think the AR should be halfway between the powerful, high-range variants in H5 and the weaker, less reliable ones in Reach/H3. Powerful but not more so than most pick-up weapons.

[@jamesmerrill613]

My favorite weapon across all the Halo titles is the plasma rifle. It is however almost always outclassed by precision weapons like the CE magnum, and the BR.

[@Rotcivcom]

I never thought I'd see someone with the same favourite weapon as I

[@justarandomperson3700]

The ce plasma rifle on the og xbox can easily shut down any weapon or power up in the game except camo. Can't say the same for the gun in later games vs a br.

[@Horgler]

The plasma rifle was invaluable during the later missions, especially when coupled with the shotgun.

[@sainsburyshopper]

Campaign wise it's invaluable against elites in CE because it stunclocks as well as strips shield. In multi the magnum was god. Truth is Halo 3 isn't the only game with SERIOUS balance issues in the sandbox. The DMR in Reach is one of the best weapons in the game as well as the most abundant, the magnum in CE dominates and Halo 2 has as much BR bias as 3, if not more.

[@LordEmpyreal]

It's the same for me too, even had the second-most Plasma Rifle kills in Halo Reach matchmaking on Halo tracker. And in Halo Reach it was the weakest it has ever been, and hardly appeared in any maps or modes for matchmaking. If it wasn't for the Magnum, the Plasma Rifle would be an excellent pick in CE, but Halo 3 was probably the best iteration of it in terms of viability when considering the BR in the sandbox. Dual Plasma Rifles was the only automatic pick in the game that actually outperformed the BR at mid-close ranges, and it dual wielded so well with the Magnum and Mauler too. And a single Plasma Rifle in your pocket was absolutely worth dropping your AR for, since it was so reliable at winning melee duels. But it wasn't worth keeping when you got your hands on any of the power weapons, since the BR was too important to put down. At least it had its place as the best non-pw secondary in the game.

[@eclipse9304]

When I fired up autoslayer for the first time it was some of the most fun I've had in matchmaking. Not only because of the better sandbox but also you're not getting peppered from across the map so much.

[@rookie4582]

I can not stress how much I agree with about this. And I absolutely despise bigger Halo KZbinrs are blinded by nostalgia and their pure BR dominance.

[@chrisblack6258]

I strongly agree wit you!

[@rm55dxs63]

As a soulless sweaty with no desire for rng fun, i get the message but i disagree with everything. I love that everyone uses the same precision gun and it becomes based on the shooting

[@rookie4582]

@@rm55dxs63 Could you explain your disagreement more my guy?

[@blackfoot8975]

@@rm55dxs63 Exactly. I prefer my 1 on 1 dmr/br gunfights over the low iq spray and melee trade randomness of ar starts. I feel like people just want to grab power weapons and wreak havoc on players who have no way of defending themselves. Reminds me of cod killstreaks.

[@stephen8805]

@@blackfoot8975 The BR is too inconsistent.

[@KoPT01]

I agree with this video entirely. Auto starts makes the whole sandbox more viable, AND when you actually DO pick up the BR from the map, it feels far more rewarding to use than when it is just the default loadout weapon.

[@kanto20]

The BR is way too centralizing for sure.

[@kanto20]

@@tonythegreat4275 Ruby Rebalanced is a single player mod.

[@kanto20]

@@tonythegreat4275 campaign, whatever. It's not pertinent to the multiplayer sandbox which is what I care about in this context. The BR is too centralizing there

[@kickflipz]

No

[@andyfriederichsen]

@@kanto20 Giving the AR a faster projectile speed than it has now would fix things.

[@LydCal999]

@@andyfriederichsen that fix is only relevant to 3, which is the only game with projectiles, and I doubt that would even help much given how quickly the spread makes the AR's damage falloff.

[@americancombatleagues7526]

The problem with AR starts is how defenseless you are against a team that gains control. Take Halo 3 Pit for example - if the other team has gained control of your wall & has Battle Rifles you're at a huge disadvantage off spawn with just AR's, add snipers and rockets to that equation and you may be stuck in your base for a long time. Precision weapons ensure that at no point can a team be completely dominated, you always have a means of defending yourself or turning the tides of the game.

[@CoyoteRecon]

Hey at least the halo 2 battle rifle wasn’t in halo 3

[@xero1782]

Best BR imo

[@aceskeletonne7446]

I kinda wish it was, rather I kinda wish the random spread of the second two shots of halo 3s br wasn't a thing, I do like needing to lead my shots at long ranges tho, a nice middle ground between halo 2 and 3s br would be ideal

[@AscendHyperion]

Yeah if Halo 2 was a more concurrent game it would be fun to pick apart cause it was so premature in it's designs and ideas. I just don't think people would be as interested anymore.

[@tdestroyer4780]

The turning sensitivity was perfect in h2. In halo 3 it felt so slow and didn't hit as accurately.

[@Orinslayer]

@@AscendHyperion Just because you think we wont care doesn't mean we wont watch it. :)

[@mrsuccess1947]

The presence of BR starts ruins a fun map like Sand Trapped. What should be a game which involves massive team based Elephant fights quickly tends to devolve into one team sitting stationary ontop of one of the mounds and taking potshots at players who spawn on less covered sides of the map. 100% BR starts should be removed in BTB.

[@gietpudemee9155]

I 100% agree!

[@FGirao]

We should really realize how Halo 5 made all weapons naturally viable, not forcedly viable like the boltshot in Halo 4

[@arthureaterofworlds5176]

Bungie era fanboys: "Um actually it ruins the meta and makes the game less fun because how a gun that isn't precision will kill you,"

[@Rotcivcom]

​@@arthureaterofworlds5176 I'm a huge bitch for Halo 3, but I agree that Bungie sucked at making most weapons viable. Even on the campaign I'm always just using a BR or a Carbine + a power weapon, just in case a vehicle gets too close to me. In Halo 5 I probably used all weapons in every level of the campaign, while in Halo 2 I barely drop my BR or Carbine and I never dual-wield

[@S1erra107]

@@Rotcivcom then came Destiny, and Bungie’s weapon balance has been fantastic ever since

[@comdnoive]

@@S1erra107 Scout Rifles

[@S1erra107]

@@comdnoive D1 they were pretty valuable, in D2 vanilla they were meta, and in the current meta they're solid. and even if they werent' meta, they were 100% viable in their own ranges, even being able to contest snipers. But crucible maps aren't really tailored to long range, so rapid fire scouts are the only real meta presence.

[@drag00n77]

theres a reason why bungie made the DMR a 5 shot with heavy bloom but everyone complained

[@Orinslayer]

I swear halo tryhards ruined the game, everything is catered to these idiot mlg types that cant even play without the best guns.

[@drag00n77]

@@Orinslayer true.they had playlists for that but i guess the whole ass game needs to be a sweat fest

[@Windjammer19]

Thank you. That shit was worthless outside of 50m. Now you can't leave your fucking base in warzone without getting cross mapped by the whole team.

[@sheahon1179]

Congratulations sir, you just gave me a feeling I haven't had in 5 years, that of a truly intriguing question about Halo. I literally spent more than an a hour thinking about this one question and analyzing Halo's sandbox to come up with my answer. It really helped me define what my perception of a good Halo sandbox is. I divide the sandbox into 3-5 major categories, the bottom teir of the pyramid is utility and load out weapons which can be expanded into 2 separatelayers for a 5 step structure, the middle is pickup and specialist weapons which can also be expanded, and the top is power weapons. For context, a Plasma Pistol or PP is a utility weapon, a gun mostly used for a specific utility it possesses. A AR is a load out weapon, a general purpose gun designed to anchor combat and around which the sandbox is designed. A BR is a pickup weapon, designed to be good in a fire fight in almost every scenario. A shotgun is a specialist weapon, something that absolutely dominates in its specific range but quickly loses its edge outside of that purpose. And a sniper is obviously a power weapon, good at almost all ranges and rarely ever loses fights. So to answer your question I think that the AR is undertuned. Specifically that it's damage is *slightly* low, and that it's range is significantly low. The AR and BR match up should be tuned such that if both players are aiming at the chest the AR will win by if the BR is aimed at the head while the AR is at the chest for maximum damage output by both sides then the BR will win. Furthermore the range of the BR should be such that fire fights can occur anywhere with a midrange, and the BR has at the least has a pretty good match up. So it's range and damage are fine. Almost every weapon needs to have a neutral match up against the AR though. For example, a Plasma Pistol should be such that it can charge a full bolt in the time it takes the player to close from the AR's effective range to the PP's effective range. That way the AR and PP have a relatively neutral match, but the AR has an advantage if it engages first. Meanwhile if the PP can get the drop it has the edge but even if it doesn't it's most effective tactic still has a relatively even chance for victory. In this way the AR keeps its match ups with Utility weapons intact but increases it's viability against pickup weapons like the shotgun, BR, and DMR. Keeping the base of the pyramid as wide as possible while still being useful as far up the pyramid as possible. Amazing video! You have very quickly become one of my favorite content creators!

[@giygas9305]

I remember when MCC came to PC with Reach, Every. Single. Game. Mode. Started you with the DMR. People were getting pissed off lol.

[@Wylie288]

Can we go back? I want the Carbine or DMR in H4. The BR fucking sucks its inconsistent as hell. Three round burst was a terrible idea in real life, and its a terrible idea in-game

[@giygas9305]

@@Wylie288 I’ve played less than 10 matches in Halo 4 my entire life, so I don’t have much say in the weapon sandbox lol.

[@Tentaclear1]

As far as people disliking halo 5’s sandbox, I think the issue isn’t that every weapon is viable, but that every weapon just kills enemies in every situation, while the addition of ADS and strong bullet magnetism (plus the multitude of tracking weapons) makes it so fights can take place at any range. No longer are there close range SMG against AR gunfights because you can just hang back and fire from behind cover with weapons that are meant for close range. There aren’t any weapons like the Mauler or the classic plasma rifle that have their own gimmick, every weapon is an automatic with crazy magnetism or a precision weapon that has crazy range.

[@ToaDrakua]

If I recall, Aozolai tested the bullet magnetism and found that Halo 5's it is actually on par with or less than Halo 3's. So it isn't so much the bullet magnetism that's the issue people have, it is the lack of a defined meta, which I honestly prefer.

[@dream8870]

lol if you believe you can spray and pray from range with an ar and a smg your crazy man, unless you have the long barrel attachment those guns would never be viable from that distance and you’d be out gunned with, a dmr, lightrifle, br, and magnum

[@arcelay4764]

Just because you dont have to be at melee distance to kill with those weapons doesnt mean that they work at longer ranges.

[@Tentaclear1]

Let me clarify, I don’t think you can dominate any range with an AR or SMG but their ability to deal good damage (particularly the AR) at longer ranges combined with their fast TTK up close means they outperform precision weapons on small-medium maps. And yes, I am actually a huge fan of a more diverse sandbox and having more weapons be viable. And I think that it would be to everyone’s benefit if some weapons had other purposes instead of just “kill fast.” No surprise then that I love using the plasma caster or the grenade launcher, which are more unique.

[@Tentaclear1]

Rushin / SunDiegoRussia Just because I criticize it doesn’t mean I hate it, if you read my follow up you’d know I genuinely have fun with H5

[@thebeanracer9669]

Prbably one of the reasons halo cbe multilayer still thrives and so does halo 5 due to the magnum being a competitor to the br. Halo 5 multilayer gets slightly too much hate imo.

[@roastingminer6919]

Yep, halo 5 slightly balances that out, cbe doesn't even need to worry about it.

[@cqbjones4861]

I can appreciate weapon balance, but imo halo 5 multiplayer is fucking boring. All guns just kill at range even automatics. There’s no utility weapons except for the plasma pistol because that gun physically can’t be anything else while still being the plasma pistol. By trying to make more variety, they lessened the variety. That is not even talking about advanced movement and the absurd bullet magnetism.

[@roastingminer6919]

@@cqbjones4861 yh i get u, its like they removed skill and the game is realy just who can keep the gun within the magnetism range.

[@dream8870]

@@cqbjones4861 hmm everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but for me i can’t sit in the older halos for more than an hour without falling half asleep, I guess my attention span is rather small but most matches are so mediocre in halo ce to 3 whoever controls powerups and weapon spawns basically will always win the game, those games for me also seems like they go on forever aswell, h5 multiplayer is something i enjoy more than any other halo multiplayer, nostalgia does not play such a high effect over me as it does some others, i’ve just learned to adapt with some new set of skills in h5, being that every shot counts even more now especially in a really high competitive level, you miss one shot in you could cost your squad a win, this is most notable in high level ctf in h5

[@peacelove6455]

@@cqbjones4861 "All guns just kill at range even automatics." Nonsense. The last weapon balance patch Halo 5 got reduced the range of all automatics.

[@gietpudemee9155]

The only thing missing from the title is 'Halo 2 and' before Halo 3. To be real, Halo 2 suffered even more under the Battle Rifle than Halo 3, even though Halo 3 had a much bigger sandbox. Other than that awesome video!!!

[@LordEmpyreal]

Without the BR they would have suffered even worse under the power weapons though. It was less a problem of the BR being too strong, and more a problem of autos and sidearms being too weak.

[@gietpudemee9155]

Your right about that. Especially the normal Plasma rifle pretty much does no damage before it's user is dead.

[@LordEmpyreal]

@@gietpudemee9155 I always found the Plasma Rifle to be the most useful auto/sidearm in Halo 3. Even on its own it is an exceptional primer for a melee kill, beating out all but a PP overcharge or Mauler. But either dual PRs or a PR/Magnum combo are exceptional, even beating out BRs in duels where an AR would lose. And Plasma/Mauler slays Shotguns and Swords any day. That combo is pretty much a CQC power weapon. I'd rather have a Plasma Rifle in my pocket than pretty much anything else if I don't have a power weapon.

[@justarandomperson3700]

@@LordEmpyreal Brute shot + melee will also beat a PR and can be used in many more ways than that.

[@LordEmpyreal]

@@justarandomperson3700 Brute Shot is not an automatic or sidearm though. It's in a weird spot where you can't really categorize it with other weapons of the sandbox. I usually just think of it as the Brute's extremely crappy and weird utility weapon that sometimes wrecks BRs but usually just knocks them around a bit lol.

[@cpslo]

Thought the title was blasphemy, but I started playing auto slayer for the first time and you’re absolutely right

[@basman5591]

It's hilarious to think that questioning set trend in Halo is considered controversial. It's safe to say that a lot of Halo fans are set in their ways.

[@LordEmpyreal]

It has more to do with just how dominating a good setup becomes when you don't have the tools to break it. A solid spawn trap can be hard enough to crack when you have a BR, it's completely impossible when you don't.

[@gabenewell3955]

Literally every side of any argument won’t budge the community was destroyed and who’s fault that is is another argument all together

[@shanez1215]

Honestly, it's mostly a difference of perspective. Competitive "sweaty" players want players to have a fairly powerful jack of all trades weapon that lets them engage at all ranges because it increases the "skill gap" between players, so if you die, it'll be because you were outplayed rather than were carrying the wrong weapon. The other argument is that if one team is able to get all the precision weapons on the map, they can lock it down and spawn kill their opponents, as usually respawn rates are low enough that running out of ammo isn't a problem. They feel that auto starts ends up like rock paper scissors basically and can cascade quickly when one team gains an advantage. Casual fans prefers auto starts for the reasons mentioned in this video and also the increased freedom of exploring the map (imo, Halo 5 BTB would be way more fun with AR/Pistol starts). Halo matches with precision starts feel really sweaty really fast because of how easily a player can be punished. This has been a conflict since Halo 2's sandbox changes. Halo 5 caters to both, but the heavy bullet magnetism and increased scale of maps/mobility means every weapon needs more accuracy, damage and range, so you lose a lot of that fun CE sandbox goodness. One of the consequences of sprint is increased map scale, which only naturally benefits accurate hitscan weapons.

[@LordEmpyreal]

@@shanez1215 comp players don't want a utility weapon simply because of skill gap. The main reason it's so crucial is that in AR starts you literally can not break a strong spawn trap, because they will just pummel you with Snipers, rockets, and BR'sfor the rest of the game and you can't fight back. That fundamentally destroys play.

[@thebigbadpinkman]

I don't even need to watch the video to tell you that the BR ruins the weapon sandbox. Outside of power weapons, why would you ever use anything other than the BR. It creates a boring game play loop.

[@MasterHall117]

I always dual wield plasma rifles cause I can get the shots to land... but dang does BR’s limit me

[@tdestroyer4780]

The ar and dual wield weapons are better at close range, but the br isn't that much worse. Especially on low latency lobbies.

[@FilianFlipsandClips]

I love the br but I can full agree with this. When I play precision slayer, unless its power weapons or a plasma pistol to replace my secondary I just dont really pick up anything

[@ryuseioh3507]

the Br can very easily challenge and come out on top of other power weapons.

[@kickflipz]

Ur just trash kid

[@iKiwed]

I agree 100000% This is also why I don't like the Halo 5 magnum. It's coarse and rough, and it gets everywhere.

[@chrisblack6258]

I agree!

[@zanolsena]

I knew I would agree with every point going in, as I've held this opinion for years and its one of the main reasons I dislike Halo 3's multiplayer. But honestly, more than anything, you've made me want to boot up the MCC and play some Auto Slayer, because it sounds like a blast without the BR around to police all the fun.

[@bradpierstorff1367]

Auto Slayer is amazing except whenever i get Construct as a map. I find in that map, sight lines are to great and what ends up happening is people trade up for the copious amounts of BR’s in the map and then you just get peppered constantly unless you manage to find your own, especially on the top floor. I personally think that the BR’s need different spawns and less of them or that Construct should not be on the map pool for AR Slayer. Aside from that though I have lots of fun on all the other maps.

[@roastingminer6919]

Me: hasnt watched the video Also me: this is heresy, we must silence this heretic. Edit: ive finished the awesome vid, i feel the br was added because it took over a role that the old (halo cbe) magnum had. If u look at halo 5, u can see that the magnum is useful again and u can zoom with it and is a similar, yet different type of weapon to the br. This is probably why the br feels OP in halo 3 and 2 (well we all knw halo 2 br 😳)

[@rdraken]

A friend of mine who is a massive pre 343 halo fan hates everything about halo 5. when i said that the assault rifle was way better in 5 his only reply was "ADS = not halo." he also followed up with a tangent saying that outside of halo 1 the assasult rifle was best in halo 3. with all of the evidence to his point being "it isn't halo 5 therefore better" when i noticed that they buffed the damage from the assault rifle and specifically increased the precision damage on it i kinda fell in love with the assault rifle for the first time.

[@AscendHyperion]

Don't worry man. Your buddy clearly has no idea how Halo works and doesn't seem too interested in learning. Just keep rockin' 😎

[@hollowsteel]

I have come to despise the battle rifle, it just completely invalidates any other weapon. It completely discourages use of actually fun weapons.

[@just_doug]

100% agree, it also has the most boring design of any weapon in halo. IMO if you kill me with a BR, you didn't beat me at halo, you beat me at call of duty.

[@stardust_2339]

The issue isn't the BR being too strong, hell Halo 3 has the weakest and most skill based iteration of it. Everything else is just simply crap compared to it and that's the real issue.

[@justarandomperson3700]

Agreed. Just look at the plasma rifle for example. It's projectiles are very slow AND the gun is inaccurate with a terrible looking crosshair, but it takes down shields faster. Too many cons for just one pro.

[@Horgler]

Everything needs to be viable again like it was in CE. Fluff weapons need to go as well, or at least be given a more unique place in the sandbox.

[@fabiancorona9153]

@@Horgler So, pretty much Halo 5s sandbox. And yet people didn't like all the weapons having a purpose

[@jktwice8235]

@@justarandomperson3700 Literally you can control FFA matches with the Plasma Rifle using it with beatdowns. It's OP.

[@justarandomperson3700]

@@jktwice8235 You can also sit back and strafe with a BR or carbine and stay out of melee range, or shoot + melee with a mauler or brute shot to near Insta kill someone faster than the PR. Plasma rifle is only worth picking up when duel wielding. Anything it can do by itself is better done by other weapons.

[@mikegolf5427]

Like you said: Competition wise: BR all the way Fun mode: exclude BR for some variety and full use of the map.

[@relt745]

I honestly enjoy auto slayer WAY more than regular slayer. I'm not punished heavily for choosing more outlandish weapons. (Until someone picks up the on the map, BR that is 😂😂) I hope auto slayer comes to Infinite. Answering the end question, I'd say the other weapons are too weak. I personally like the way 343 balanced the weapons in Halo 4, making most weapons have a more reasonable time to kill. Like seriously, have you ever TRIED killing someone with a plasma rifle? Even IN auto slayer?

[@aceskeletonne7446]

The plasma rifle is useful for stripping shields and then going for a melee, using it to soften up targets as oppose to just straight up killing, so it has its uses, the spiker tho is absolutely useless

[@relt745]

@@aceskeletonne7446 I use it for that purpose. I'm just saying, it's a little ridiculous when you manage to shoot an unshielded guy with like 10 super heated plasma bolts and for him to walk off just fine. The bolts themselves are fairly hard to hit too. Atleast give it the slowdown affect like in H1 😂 Also, I use the spiker in H3 auto slayer and sometimes even precision slayer and I can do work. The Halo REACH spiker is pretty useless tho

[@aceskeletonne7446]

@@relt745 yeah I miss the stunning of effect the PR had in CE, in later games it just became a covenant smg that does more damage to shields than health

[@ChouRaiyuki]

@@aceskeletonne7446 the stun helped separate it from the AR as well. Heck if I remember right the plasma pistol stunned as well so you could even have some nice duels with a plasma pistol provided you weren't getting M6Ded in 3 shots

[@LordEmpyreal]

Dual Plasma Rifles is literally the strongest automatic weapon in the game. And it kills pretty quick. There's two reasons why, first is Plasma Rifles suffer the least from the dual wield damage reduction, going from an 18 shot kill to a 20, that's only 1 extra shot per gun, for an Auto that's negligible, every other dual wield weapon suffers a longer kill time penalty while dual wielding. The other is that it's actually not functional to try to take advantage of comboing it's shield drain with the SMG, as the projectile speeds are so different, that you end up only actually hitting the target with one gun at a time anyway, which reduces the kill time too much. Similar story with the Spiker, though instead of its projectile speeds being the problem, it's the spike projectiles' tendency to fall with gravity. If we are talking more than just Automatics, then Plasma Rifle/Magnum for mid range, and Plasma Rifle/Mauler for close are a killer combo. The latter is my favorite way to deal with the Shotgun in close quarters, as they'll never get close enough to kill you. And as was said earlier, if you can't get your hands on a Sword, Shotgun, or even a Mauler, a single Plasma Rifle is your best bet for a close range melee kill, 3 shots and a whack is all it takes. That's a lot better than an AR's 6.

[@Jackal7783]

I think halo 2 and 3 have more fun multiplayer experiences without the battle rifle

[@MakeItPerfectlyWrong]

Agreed. Otherwise It just turns into a cover shooter at range :(

[@Jackal7783]

@@deathtrooper2048 what

[@crumply5959]

I honestly think that 343 did a good job buffing the assault rifle in halo 5

[@dream8870]

that headshot multiplier is deadly

[@hyperdrivehour]

This is a very interesting idea and I've definitely noticed how different auto slayer feels. Personally, I feel the solution is to not have precision weapons like the BR, DMR, and carbine be starting weapons as a consistent setting (like Halo 3, the BR is generally the starting weapon), and instead giving use to the AR and pistol more. The issue with a lot of the guns in Halo 3 is that they're utility, not meant for killing and get outclassed by the BR. With that being said, that doesn't make them bad. But Halo 5 is what happens when you try to make every gun good at killing, and personally, I feel that utility weapons belong in Halo, and not every weapon by itself should be easy to get kills with. Just some thoughts I have :)

[@LordEmpyreal]

You say that now. Let me know how it feels when a team sets up on you after they win the first skirmish in an AR starts game. Without access to the BR on spawn a good setup goes from a temporary advantage to a completely unbreakable cycle of pain.

[@dud5606]

​@@LordEmpyreal With infinite it really doesnt have to be this way, especially if they give us a pistol that can somewhat compete with the br and mid range.

[@LordEmpyreal]

@@dud5606 This is about Halo 3 though. ARs in Halo 3 sucks because even when the pistol is a secondary, it underperforms way too much.

[@dud5606]

@@LordEmpyreal Yeah probably. Though I never had a situation where i felt i had no way of defeating my enemies without pickups. Unless ofcourse enemies control ALL power weapons.

[@samuelzuleger5134]

Or, and hear me out on this one, why not have multiple modes? Like the BR set up? Then have a version of play where the BR is the standard loadout. Like a more arena-style play where every weapon can shine? How about auto-slayer! Want a version where you can pick and choose? Custom loadout version! Why not have a version where loadouts are random! That could be fun! Oh, Halo 3, Reach, and Halo 4 (never played 5) all have these, at least to one extent or another.

[@sivarogue1490]

This is an interesting topic I never thought I'd see anyone talk about. I'm definitely subscribed

[@ExplosiveBolts]

Pistol, BR, and DMR have always been a thorn in the side of Halo's balance.

[@joshtaylor9773]

I always liked the DMR a lot more. Reach introduced bloom (which I know a lot of people don't love) but I like that you couldn't spam the DMR at longer ranges like you could the BR. The DMR firing a single shot is also way better because you actually got a half second to hear the beeping of your shields being down. The BR on the other hand can kill instantly from about a quarter shield if all 3 shots hit your head.

[@IRONMANHALO66]

finally some one points out the flaws of the precision weapon meta so I have a few things to add from my personnel experiences playing halo and also gears of war both multiplayers are similar but handle the weapon meta differently see gears of war has a shotgun meta the utility weapon is a shotgun you also spawn with a full auto rifle this encourages fights to get up close however the auto can still pick players off in the open however the upgrade weapons change how fights play out you can grab a single shot rifle to more accurately pick off players or an upgraded shotgun or flamethrower to more easily pick off opponents this encourages players to fight in choke points or power positions it should also be noted the sniper has far more benefit due to the fact you lack strong long range lethality out of spawn this isn't to say the starter weapons are bad either most players prefer to stick with the basics because they are powerful the upgrade weapons tend to offer a niche or a convenience that the starters don't while not discouraging players from well using the starter weapons something I hear a lot from halo players especially with the assault rifle is that it's a noob weapon that's supposed to be bad to encourage players to use the utility weapon but that's just well kinda dumb why make a gun just to be bad if a noob plays with this gun and does poorly as intended often they won't go "oh I need to switch to my utility weapon" they'll go "this game isn't fun" the assault rifle should be just as much of a utility weapon as the magnum or battle rifle is every weapon needs to be good and more importantly FUN to play with honestly I hope infinite makes the starter weapons strong and makes the upgrade weapons have a cool niche or purpose outside of just dealing more damage I'm really happy with the look of the new commando rifle a full auto that can deal high damage at mid range could really break the constraints and perceptions of the precision weapon meta I really hope we can get away from the toxic idea that full auto weapons in halo need to be bad to punish noobs and that their purpose in the sandbox is to suck and be thrown away why have cool guns just to make them suck every gun needs a place and to be fun to play with

[@Rotcivcom]

I agree with you, specially because I've been playing a lot of Gears 5 and Halo MCC, and I get your points 100%. Regarding the Commando Rifle, I just think it looks a bit overpowered. It seems to be a precision auto weapon; and one that deals way too much damage too fast. If the AR in Halo Infinite is more like a close ranged smg, which is really deadly up close, but still formidable mid range, it might be preffered over the commando. I just fear the next meta will be going after the Commando all the time

[@justarandomperson3700]

100% agreed. Quake and other shooters years before halo already showed that auto weapons don't have to be weak noob weapons. That shit was started with halo.

[@justarandomperson3700]

@@Rotcivcom The demo was played on normal. The AR in hce can cut through enemies like its nothing on normal but is very weak in multiplayer. Its still too early to say what looks too strong or not.

[@Starlesslemon]

AR starts are so much better. BR starts ruin the sandbox because the BR is too good of an all around weapon. AR starts see the rest of the weaker weapons used much much more.

[@lessonmet5291]

This is why I don't like the BR as much because a typical slayer game punishes you for trying to be creative with other weapons because everyone else will use it against you. At least with Halo 5, one of its permanent modes is Super Fiesta where the game will start with unpredictable weapons and every player adapts each time they respawn.

[@skdhaliwal4292]

Aside from the carbine and power weapons everything else in halo 3 is laughably useless compared to the battle rifle. The sandbox is just a illusion, sure you can use other weapons but good luck beign effective or winning any gunfight against the battle rifle. To be honest bungie did a terrible job balancing weapons. Halo 4 & 5 were steps in the right direction.

[@stefans4562]

Halo 5 has the best Halo Sandbox. Most weapons are very useful in many situations.

[@freeziboi3249]

Deadass

[@MasterHall117]

Something 343 did right that Bungie did not! Wait till the toxic Bungie stans hear bout this one

[@Orinslayer]

@@stefans4562 Just started playing halo 5 again after binging mcc halo 3. Halo 4 &5 are actually a lot of fun and feel more balanced than halo 3. Except they brought back the super sword from halo 2. :P

[@luigimrlgaming9484]

@@Orinslayer I think I felt halo 4 more just easier to kill people with about anything which you can go to cod to do that

[@SpartanBrix]

What I love about Halo Infinite, and what makes it my favorite is how it treats power weapons as powerful weapons. A guy with a BR and a guy with an AR can go up against each other and both can have a good chance of winning. But with 3 and other games, there’s always a meta. The only meta I can identify in Infinite was removed from the game, the Mangler + melee combo. This makes it so much more fun, the fact that you can go into a fight with pretty much any weapon (excluding some like the Plasma Pistol, Sniper, etc) and have a decent chance at most of winning. That’s what makes it so much more fun for me, and I honestly wish Halo 3 has this type of gunplay, cause if it did, it would by far be my favorite Halo and I’d play it a lot more often.

[@BillyCobbOfficial]

Team Swat has always been my favorite Halo game type, therefore I need the BR

[@AscendHyperion]

Haha I think in a funny way, SWAT is a great example of a purposeful and non-sandbox injuring application of the BR. But our focus here is how the BR damages the full sandbox in modes like precision slayer.

[@jasonbondar3]

The br doesn't belong in swat, dmr gang and pistol gang

[@potatotablet727]

I'd prefer Needler SWAT

[@BillyCobbOfficial]

@@jasonbondar3 you disgust me

[@deltadude7417]

@@potatotablet727 in halo 4? That I can get behind

[@FallingApplesVids]

One of the core pillars of Halo's gameplay design is the idea of comboing two weapons together in order to deal with a combat encounter based on what weapons are available to you at the time, what enemies you are dealing with and how the physical environment limits you. Despite this philosophy, however, the utility weapon(s) of every given Halo game has reduced this concept of "what 2 weapons can I use?" to "what weapon can I use with the magnum/BR/DMR/carbine". Halo 4 and 5 tried to combat this problem presented by utility weapons by adding more utility weapons to the game and making every other low-mid tier weapon more effective in any given situation. Having the BR, DMR, magnum, covenant carbine and lightrifle all in the same sandbox on top of giving every other none precision weapon ADS and a headshot damage multiplier diluted the influence of the magnum (H5's true utility weapon), but at the same time it robbed much of the sandbox of it's uniqueness; yes, there are alternatives to the magnum and weapons other than precision rifles are more usable in most circumstances, but this also makes them all inhabit the same role in the sandbox with little variation. I think the best way to mitigate the damage dealt by utility weapons on Halo's sandbox would be to only have one such weapon in a given sandbox and to treat it like a mid-tier power weapon rather than a loadout weapon or the weapon by which all others have to be balanced around. Using the BR for example, keep it's ability to 4 shot someone (3 bursts to the body, last burst to the head, breaking the shields and head-shotting them) but increase its skill ceiling by decreasing its fire-rate and increasing the duration of its 3 shot burst. Along with decreasing the BR's reserve ammo from 3 spare mags (108 rounds) to 2 (72 rounds), featuring the weapon less in campaign and multiplayer and buffing the player's base weapon switch speed to incentivise combos, the BR fits a new role as a mid-tier power weapon, similar to the brute shot or mauler. It would be powerful in it's own right, with the ability to finish off weakened opponents with a headshot at close, medium and long range, but it can now be outclassed by a player who combos a plasma rifle and assault rifle at close or medium range or an enemy comboing a focus rifle and BR at long range rather than solely relying on the BR itself.

[@RickyUltra]

This is a really great point dont get me wrong i love the br but halo has such a fun and creative weapon sandbox and its not utilized enough because of the precision meta. I like auto slayer but i can never find matches of it in the mcc

[@OnStrike69]

Absolutely LOVE this video. I would personally like to see a breakdown of the weapons in the halo sandbox from a multiplayer from you. It sounds like you'd have some insightful takes.

[@superjesse645]

So funny thing is after I watched this video I did indeed swap to auto slayer and never take H3 precision slayer anymore. Clearly you have succeeded at something, my good sir.

[@badgeractual8881]

Reach had a similar problem with the DMR, there was no reason to ever drop it and made combat stale since most the games turned into long range proding

[@jlk461]

Even among its fellow precession weapons there was no real reason to use another, no situation where it would not perform less effectively than its peers. The pistol had a higher rate of fire, but it lacked severely lacked power, it could barely break shields in a single mag, and in PvP trying to reload it instead of just switching to your other gun would get you killed just about every time no matter what they were using. (maybe with a MUCH faster reload it could have been a contender) The needle rifle was cool looking, full auto (with an in between rate of fire), had more ammo capacity (both over all and in the magazine), and could supper combine on unshielded targets, but in terms of raw damage per shot it just could not stack up to the DMR (maybe with a faster fire rate it would give it a run for its money), but as is in a 1 on 1 duel where both players landed all their shots the DMR would win 100% of the time no matter the range (and the pistol's accuracy dropped quite a bit at long ranges, where as the other two were just as accurate at point blank as shooting across the map).

[@emilylefebvre646]

One thing worth noting: Halo 2 and 3 launched with auto slayer as the default Team Slayer playlist. The BR was designed around the idea that it's a lower tier power weapon. Precision slayer playlists were included after Bungie got heat from MLG players and CE fanatics, I love it but I actually agree that auto slayer is a bit more rewarding since it gives the pretty competent Halo 3 magnum some time to shine. AR is still fantastic in precision slayer though, people who try BRing close range have no clue what they're doing.

[@GallowayJesse]

BR beats AR in every situation

[@emilylefebvre646]

@@GallowayJesse Incorrect, actually, close to even on the closer end of mid range the AR is far better due to the BR's slow firerate. I'd suggest learning how to spray with the AR, it'll genuinely help you in BR Team Slayer.

[@GallowayJesse]

@@emilylefebvre646 Nope. BR's time to kill is 1.34 seconds, the AR's time to kill is 1.40 and that's only if every bullet hits, which is almost never with the AR. If the AR is beating the BR then the BR is missing shots. Even in melee range the BR still wins. There is no situation where the AR can kill faster than the BR which is why in high ranking matches an AR will almost never win against BR.

[@sonicsucks2961]

@@emilylefebvre646 Halo 3 magnum should never get time to shine it's god awful. Slow as hell and can't even scope with it.

[@emilylefebvre646]

@@sonicsucks2961 It's a three shot kill with decent accuracy, pretty decent magnum. The problem is people want it to be something it isn't trying to match, if you want the Halo CE magnum go scavenge a carbine - the Halo 3 Magnum is what it always should have been: a sidearm.

[@themostselfishman]

This is such an important video. Between this and a healthy balanced sandbox is why Infinite is so impressive.

[@altairgame]

I paid $60 not for using the same weapon 80% of the time. If there are some players with 10,000 kills with a BR and like 5 with the plasma rifle, spiker or smg in total, i dont know what was bungie smoking if they couldn't see a problem. Halo 2 Anniversary Multiplayer auto slayer is the perfect balance between old and new sandbox where all guns all viable and with a purpose (except for the needler)

[@Rotcivcom]

This. Precision Halo 2 Anniversary is just your average BR meta; while H2A auto slayer feels way more diverse. I like the fact that they added the Assault Rifle because in some cases it's preffered over dual wielding SMGs, while at other times, I'd rather have a Plasma Rifle and a SMG in each hand to fight up close.

[@arceusland]

Nah homie you just paid 60 dollars. End it at that lol.

[@traviscot5554]

another thing reason why i dont like br starts is that 1v1s rely on mistakes rather than advantages, if you miss one burst with the br your basically dead meat

[@odinulveson9101]

Very informative video among many, you earned a sub today. Oh I know the utter despise I had of the Br after H2, while I was glad the Ar came back for h3, it had lackluster gun sounds, feelt p-weak and while the br no longer was hit scan it STILL dominated even with all the other weapons in the sandbox. Thr br was too good of a generalist jack of all trades weapons. I savored the screeching that the br were not in reach. To bad. So I got attached to the DMR. But, felt a bit symphaty for the br camp, I kinda understood the outcry. So when H4 and H5 included all three main camps weapons. Ar, Br and Dmr and felt IMO decently balanced. Some fanatic br users were outraged, they had... have this insane vision that br is all, END all. Dont you dare use other wrapons or you arent " skilled ". Well hope those fans are satisfied, the dmr arent in H. I, yet anyway. There are rumors that some influental insiders will make it stay that way, while grumbling that they have to accept the ar is back and the commando is a new " threat ". Its just rumors, I dont believe it fully. Bring Dmr back it can easly fill in gaps and coexist with pistol, ar, br, sniper and commando. Being between the latter two.

[@FightCain]

You're very articulate with your words and knowledge that you made me realize why I find myself liking Auto-Slayer more.

[@tehuselessguig3138]

we're not talking enough about how the dmr has the exact same problems but worse, due to the fact that it's single-fire and therefore even more limiting.

[@scarlettecastle2504]

Marine: "Hey chief. You an AR or BR guy?" MC: "..." Noble 6: "I'm a DMR gal myself."

[@luciusbouslough4706]

Wooooo Ascend Hyperion back at it again with another banger vid.

[@Nerdasaurus13]

I personally like both styles. Auto Slayer provides a more casual environment and really lets you play in the whole sandbox. Precision Slayer however let's you fight at almost any range with your basic loadout and even let's you challenge power weapons, forcing players to play a bit smarter with them and leverage their strengths rather than them being better than the loadout weapon in almost every situation. Personally I think Reach AR/Magnum starts offer the happiest medium, the Magnum in Reach providing most of the benefits of a Precision weapon start but the heavy bloom making it considerably less dominant than the DMR/BR so it bullies less of the sandbox.

[@ORLY911]

This is something i hope Infinite rectifies, make autos more useful, make them powerful in their niche of close range, stop nerfing them when "MLG Pros" complain they were killed across the map by one rofl.

[@sunfade]

autos were already useful in halo 3. just because you can't cross-map someone like in h5 doesn't mean it's useless. in h3 the ar is good for cleaning up people with no shields or just shooting them a few times and finishing with a ,melee. the smg is pretty much the same thing but works better at close range. the spiker is pretty much just a brute version of the smg. the plasma rifle absolutely melts shields and lets you basically instakill them with a melee. in h5 all the autos are not only incredibly strong off the start, but they can also zoom in and increase their range way further than any auto should be able to shoot in halo

[@commanderblargh6300]

@@sunfade "The AR isn't useless, you just have to use melee with it or clean up enemies that already have their shields popped." In other words, it's useless. Anything that can be done with AR in close range can be done with the BR. Why use the AR to clean up an unshielded enemy when you can literally just shoot them in the head with the much more accurate BR?

[@sunfade]

@@commanderblargh6300 because you’re not always gonna have a br

[@marcussmith6010]

BR starts for a competitive playlist: a great sweaty time with friends Auto starts for a casual playlist: a great time laughing with friends about the insanity of the sandbox

[@lebendigesgespenst7669]

When I was young I kind of actually hated halo 2 and 3 multiplayer as opposed to that of Halo: CE solely because of the BR meta. Nowadays it’s alright, although pure original halo 2, with all its intricate smash bros melee-esque meta around glitches and cancels, is still a bit much for me sometimes but I digress. I just wanted to write this comment to say that I think you present something interesting here which has some true merit behind it from my own personal experiences

[@HighStakesBBall]

Nice use of music switch at each transition. This is a very well crafted video for sure.

[@TekTekila]

Halo's sandbox revolves around power weapons and control around those weapons. AR start gives so little power over players spawning that when a team wins the first encounter on the map, they easily snowball for the 2 to 3 spawns after that. Plus, automatic weapons have a very low skill ceiling. Meaning that the whole AR start does not lead to control sensation for the player. But it does provide a more casual-friendly environment because of that lack of skill cap. I'm more incline towards the "stock loadout" philosophy you can find in Team Fortress 2 for example, in which base weapons are suited for most situation, just like BR ; and side-grades are meant to cover more specialized situations. Maybe some weapons lack power compared to the BR, but I never felt rewarded for my skill with an AR or SMG kill. Automatic weapons in Halo are blend and boring to wield because of that gamefeel. Plasma weapons do have a niche in shield shredding, Needler is satisfaying to use to an extent because it's so unique, but humans weapons that are neither power weapons or BR are just not fun at all. And I'm pretty sure they're meant to be weaker and easier to use because they're only an entrance to the game.

[@andyfriederichsen]

Halo 3 had more weapon issues than people think. The SMG had bullets that were far too fast (fastest projectiles in the game) and was a bit too accurate. The assault rifle had crap accuracy even when firing in bursts and had bullets that were less than half the speed of the projectiles from the magnum and battle rifle.

[@handsomeivan1980]

playing auto slayer, always this thought in ur head when holding an ar "oh god he has a br"

[@lewislewis4240]

For me auto slayer was the most fun experience when playing halo 3 back in the day and with in MCC

[@deltadude7417]

Ngl the battle rifle is my least favorite gun, I only use it because it’s meta and I would be smacked around if I didn’t

[@chenaniahmay4541]

This is what I've felt since I was a kid back when Halo 2 was big on Xbox Live. I have more fun with AR starts. I always hated BR starts because it turns into a headshot contest. I liked the close range AR beat down combo.

[@monarchschwoop52]

I completely agree, though I did like it that I could start with whatever weapons I wanted in warzone, but that’s a warzone only thing. If a mode similar to warzone is in infinite I’d like to have my own load out for that mode only as it’s more realistic for a war simulation. I liked that your team mates in 5’s campaign had different starting weapons like a shotgun or plasma pistol

[@unalloyedbee8691]

I find that when I play auto slayer I have more fun

[@Bifstak]

I'll queue up for auto slayer this time. Thanks for the remarkable analysis of the strong starter dynamic.

[@gcsdoodles153]

When I watched this video it made me think about ducks having feathers that cover their butt quacks...

[@sirduckoufthenorth]

How

[@absbrah38]

Based, I agree that halo is better with just the autos whilst the br remains a pickup weapon And yes, when I'm forced to do competitive just to get a season point I use assault rifle don't fight me I can beat ppl with assault rifle

[@KingLou97]

That’s why I only do auto slayer on MCC.

[@synx5196]

I think br slayer being such a common mode in matchmaking is what undermines the weapon sandbox

[@somehaloguy9372]

The Mauler can't insta kill anything unless it's dual wielded. It takes 2 point blank shots to kill someone at full health.

[@weslindsey5909]

That was its strength you could dual weild it. Mauler was nasty with the smg.

[@Coltara]

Its not so much the BR but the fact that everyone now has God aim because of "Modern aim controls" that has made the game seem stale.

[@dred2997]

I think this is my problem with halo 5s multiplayer. In a lot of games you spawn with a Br or Magnum and you don't really have to swap out for anything else.

[@dream8870]

you can swap for lightrifle, dmr, smg if you’re into that, shotgun, snipers obviously, boltshot toxic homing pistol, plasma rifle melts you literally, brute plasma rifle does the same but use in cq (close quarters) opening them up for a melee finisher, you have the gravity hammer as well, and you already have an idea how that’s used, scattershot, if someone has camo and they melee you, it’s a closed deal for them sadly, carbine as well can out gun even a magnum with how fast it shoots and it’s a forgiving weapon as well, only weapon i see in h5 sandbox thats not really viable is mainly the smg it’s really bad

[@EthanRom]

Having a magnum br combo is pretty bad in Halo 5 imo cause you’re constricting yourself to two precision weapons. I would usually swap one out for a close range weapon so I can cover both close to medium range.

[@bingusthegreat9733]

One of the reasons why I love the 343 games is that they made it so more than two weapons were viable

[@mhmtakeyatime9000]

I fully agree.

[@Ricardo2-dsm]

I also fully agree

[@a_demon]

I absolutely love your choice of music lol. Not lying.

[@CurtisDey]

Any idea what the list is for the video? Cuz I completely agree

[@lustrazor44]

The Magnum from CE was removed in 2/3 literally for this reason.

[@ghostbamm8836]

Auto slayer is the best. It just feels way fairer.

[@chapsonacouch245]

This is exactly why I like to play AR slayer a lot. BR works best as a map pickup. Great video!

[@kinglukethe7th524]

All I want in the MCC is BTB's starting weapons to be changed to the assault rifle and magnum. I think it would encourage closer range engagements which would make battles feel bigger as a result

[@Lolbloko]

I completely agree with you, in the context of Halo 3. This reason is why I play a lot more of Combat Evolved. CE has that precision meta but adds weapon quirks on top of it. The AR may not kill as good as the magnum but it’s ability to quick camo makes it very appealing if you can grab the powerup. Later Halo games removed these quirks and made the meta entirely focused on the BR.

[@DJDonkeytron]

I can't tell if that High Citadel is from Bungie or from 'No god anywhere'. Halo 5 forge is WAY too underrated.

[@freddyfrog70]

this is why i like halo 5's req system ( not the loot box rng shit) but the warzone req system. everyone starts with magnums then as you progress through the match, you gain access to the br and the the dmr slowly. not stright up.

[@TheVengefulVadam]

Halo 3 has probably the best Auto Slayer gameplay in the OG trilogy.

[@dr.pastrami5272]

Back in the day when custom LAN parties were a thing, the BR & carbine were always banned from the sandbox. The parties were always a mix of casuals and hardcore players. At the time I hated the change but looking back at it now, it made sense. Everyone had a blast everytime we would congregate.

[@nikitasavtchenko4418]

None of my friends understand why I prefer auto slayer. Thank you for validating me.

[@balmoreblue7550]

The mere SUGGESTION of such a thing is heresy.

[@Cameron088]

I will stand by my point Bungie had always been great at make the campaigns and game modes, but had always sucked at weapon balancing 343 may not be the best at the Campaign, but they have tried ti make every weapon balanced and useful

[@DannyGGchannel]

I 100% agree with your stance. This is a huge reason why Reach started to get stale when everyone has DMR mini sniper in their pocket. Halo 5 did a really good job of balancing all the weapons in the sandbox (though the magnum was maybe a hair too powerful)