HR: UNSC Weapons - Propipe Display

I just updated the entry on the UNSC Grenade Launcher - aka Propipe.  An interesting thread bubbled up to the top of the interwebz today that revealed the display on the Propipe actually tells you how many entities are within the kill radius of the grenade that you recently launched.  This is extremely useful for timing when to release the trigger and kill bad guys.

HR Weapons - Groupings

Weapons in Halo fall into classes.  Weapons within those classes have similar behaviors and will be comfortable to players who are familiar with any weapons in that class.  If you don't know, you can check your Halo Reach commendations on bungie.net and see what's at the top.  This will give you a good idea of the type of weapons you currently gravitate towards.

Note 1: The weapons listed below in each class do not necessarily count towards the associated commendation.  I've only listed them to indicate that weapon may be comfortable for you if you have a higher ranking in that commendation.

Note 2: Though the bungie.net commendations represent your current proclivities, that can be changed if you are motivated.

"Trigger Man", "Assistant" commendations. Fully automatic projectile weapons:

• Chain Gun
• Assault Rifle
• Spiker
• Needler - This is slightly different because of its "combine" ability, but is favored by similar players.

"Trigger Man", "Assistant" commendations. Energy weapons:

• Plasma Repeater
• Plasma Turret
• Plasma Pistol "Green Gun" - This isn't automatic like the other weapons in this class, but is useful in many similar instances.

"One Shot", "Crack Shot" commendations.  Headshot-capable weapons:

• Needle Rifle - This actually has an automatic fire mode, but is rarely used that way.
• Magnum
• DMR

"Close Quarters", "Any Spree" commendations: Close encounter weapons:

• Energy Sword
• Shotgun
• Gravity Hammer

"Grenadier", "Assistant", "Mobile Asset", "Heavy Weapon" commendations.  Supporting heavy weapons:

• Concussion Rifle
• Grenade Launcher "Pro Pipe"

"Mobile Asset", "Heavy Weapon" commendations.  Killing heavy weapons:

• Fuel Rod Cannon 
• Rocket Launcher
• Plasma Launcher "n00b tube"

"Mobile Asset", "Crack Shot" commendations.  Long-range precision weapons:

• Sniper Rifle
• Focus Rifle "Laser Beam"
• Spartan Laser - This is technically a heavy weapon, but requires a steadier hand than the typical heavy weapon.

"Grenadier", "Assistant", "Mobile Asset" commendations.  Grenades:

• Plasma Grenade
• Frag Grenade

HR: UNSC Weapons - Medusa Missile

Basic description: Vehicle mounted, auto-tracking missile. Fully automatic, 4 round magazine, infinite ammo.  Target locks after being painted by the reticle.  Fire and forget capability after locked.

NEW FOR HALO REACH: Brand new in Reach.

Restrictions: Missiles harmlessly bounce off shielded Covenant Seraphs.

Uses: Short to long range.  Good for killing other starfighters, instantly kills unshielded Seraphs and Banshees, takes two bursts of 4 missiles to kill Phantom gunships.

Best for: Sabre pilots.

HR: UNSC Weapons - ALA Cannon (M1024)

Basic description: Vehicle mounted auto cannon. Fully automatic, infinite ammo, never overheats.  Fires a projectile, mounted in pairs on the Sabre starfighter.  Has a smart targeting reticle that allows pilot to automatically lead the target.

NEW FOR HALO REACH: Brand new in Reach.

Restrictions: Slightly less accurate and slower kill time on unshielded ships compared to Medusa Missiles.

Uses: Short to long range.  Good for killing other starfighters, is the only weapon capable of taking down the shields on Covenant Seraphs.

Best for: Sabre pilots.

HR: UNSC Weapons - Automatic Grenade Launcher (MG460)

Basic description: Vehicle mounted grenade launcher. Single shot, single reload, infinite ammo, can not be detached. Launches a grenade that does impact damage and splash damage. Grenade explosion can be delayed by holding trigger down, will not explode until trigger is released.

NEW FOR HALO REACH: Brand new in Reach.

Restrictions: Slow reload leaves player vulnerable on misses. Grenades bounce much more erratically than thrown grenades.

Uses: Medium to long range. One-shot kills, EMP damage from splash damage. Can launch grenades near targets and time explosion to do remote damage. Excellent for knocking Banshees out of the sky, killing vehicles and turret emplacements.

Best for: Players who can time a grenade arc and delayed explosion well.

HR: UNSC Weapons - Target Locator (H165)

Basic description: "God power."  Calls in a 7-missile orbital artillery bombardment.  1 round magazine, 3 max capacity. Recoil does not apply, extremely accurate. Designates a target area that completely gets obliterated.

NEW FOR HALO REACH: Brand new for Reach.

Restrictions: Has a finite recharge time.  Can not be reloaded.

Uses: Long to very long range. Instantly kills everything.  Only see in Campaign so far.

Best for: Players that can stay alive and laze a target from a safe location.  Player is completely exposed during target designation.

HR: Covenant Weapons - Fuel Rod Gun (Type-33)

Basic description: Heavy rocket launcher-class weapon. Fires energy mortars, 4 round magazine. High recoil, inaccurate. Nearly identical to previous Fuel Rod Gun.

NEW FOR HALO REACH: Looks slightly different, but functions very similar to previous incarnations.

Restrictions: Splash damage can result in suicides, limited ammo.  Takes more direct hits to kill vehicles than UNSC Rocket Launcher

Uses: Short to long range. Is instant kill against infantry on direct hits, has significant splash damage.  Ideal for countering against vehicles.  Fires at a fast rate.

Best for: Conservative players that can reserve the power weapon to take out vehicles.

HR: Covenant Weapons - Concussion Rifle (Type-50)

Basic description: Semi-automatic magazine-fed grenade launcher class weapon.  Fires directed energy bolts that have a pressure wave effect in addition to direct damage. 6 round magazine. High recoil, inaccurate. Similar in damage to the previous Brute Shot,  fires the same munition the Revenant does.

NEW FOR HALO REACH: Brand new weapon in Reach.

Restrictions: Inaccurate, limited ammo, suffers from gravity effect and will drop as the energy bolt travels over distance.

Uses: Short to long range. Very difficult to be accurate at long range, but will travel a long distance.  Excellent anti-vehicle weapon as concussion effect can easily flip light vehicles.  Takes shields down very quickly for infantry.

Best for: Heavy weapon players. Players that like the previous Brute Shot, or Fuel Rod cannon will be comfortable with this immediately.

HR: Covenant Weapons - Spiker (Type-25)

Basic description: Fully automatic suppression weapon. Fires projectiles instead of energy bursts (like other Covenant weapons), 40 round magazine, 160 max capacity. Medium recoil, fairly inaccurate. Nearly identical to previous Brute Spiker.  Similar in function to the UNSC Assault Rifle.

NEW FOR HALO REACH: Reticle bloom affects accuracy.  Bullets are "instant-hit" instead of "real-time travel over distance."  This means you hit when you shoot, regardless of range, no need to lead targets anymore.

Restrictions: Suffers from significant reticle bloom, shoot in bursts to increase accuracy.

Uses: Short to medium range. Can be paired with a magnum for finishing headshots, which is faster than reloading. Good as a team weapon to focus fire on common targets. Works well when backed up with Needle Rifle fire.  Use in same situations as the AR, but ammo is generally not as readily available.

Best for: AR players. Players that like to run and gun will be comfortable with this weapon.  Is *significantly* more accurate and effective when fired in bursts instead of continuous automatic fire.

Halo Reach Commendations

Commendations are cool little recognitions that the game pops up to recognize stylistic things that you do.  They are designed to showcase what "type" a player is, since folks will tend to gravitate towards one type of commendation over another.  It's not explicitly clear what does what on same of the commendations, but here is some info I've found on the ones that pop for using specific weapons:

[Updated 10/19/10]

• Crack Shot: DMR, Needle Rifle, Sniper Rifle, Focus Rifle
• Sidearm: Magnum, Plasma Pistol
• Trigger Man: Assault Rifle, Spiker, Plasma Repeater, Plasma Rifle, Needler
• Heavy Weapon: Rocket Launcher, Spartan Laser, Fuel Rod Cannon, Plasma Launcher, Grenade Launcher, Concussion Rifle, Target Locator
• Close Quarters: Melee, Shotgun, Energy Sword, Gravity Hammer.
• EMP (not a commendation): Plasma Pistol, Grenade Launcher, Armor Lock
• Supercombine: Needler, Needle Rifle

I think that the Needler is an automatic weapon and counts towards Trigger Man but haven't confirmed it yet.  Jack of All Trades is mysterious because it counts "incredible feats", but this is the one I've progressed the furthest, so it must count lots of stuff.

There is an achievement to advance a commendation to silver, but I'm fairly confident that everyone will eventually get this just with playtime.

HR Weapons - Summary

Most of the weapons from the Beta appear to be largely unchanged, so I'll just link them here.  There are a handful of weapons that were not in the Beta, I will post details about them in the next few days.

New infantry weapons:

• HR: Covenant Weapons - Concussion Rifle (Type 50): This fires sparkly red stuff, the same thing that the Revenants fire.  Has a very similar damage effect to the Brute Shot.  It has a mild amount of splash damage, and also some "push" effect which can push people and vehicles around.
• HR: Covenant Weapons - Spiker (Type 25): The Brute Spiker returns in this game and functions just like it did before (albeit without dual wielding).  Is fully automatic and shoots projectiles, is a similar weapon to the UNSC Assault Rifle.
• HR: Covenant Weapons - Fuel Rod Cannon (Type 33): Carried by leaders or Spec Ops Grunts, the Fuel Rod Cannon looks slightly different than it did in previous games, but functions very similar.  Shoots green energy "grenades" and can do significant damage.
• HR: UNSC Weapons - Target Locator (H165): I've only seen this in campaign and Firefight so far (not in multi-player) but allows you to summon orbital rounds that obliterate the target area.  Is basically the "God button."

 New vehicle weapons:

• HR: UNSC Weapons - Automatic Grenade Launcher (MG460): The side turrets on the Falcon can be either chain guns or grenade launchers.  The chain guns are like all the other ones and can overheat.  The grenade launcher works just like the UNSC grenade launcher where you can fire and forget, or hold the trigger and release where you want it to explode.  Great for knocking Banshees out of the sky.
• HR: UNSC Weapons - ALA Cannon (M1024): The Sabre (space ship) comes with two types of weapons, an auto cannon and a set of missiles.  The auto cannons fire repeatedly and never overheat or run out of ammo.  They are excellent for taking down the shields on Seraphs and have a leading circle in the targeting reticle.  Press 'Y' to switch between weapons.
• HR: UNSC Weapons - Medusa Missile: The other weapon on the Sabre is a set of target-tracking missiles.  If you keep the reticle on a target long enough, it will lock and allow the missiles to automatically key in on the target.  Fires in a burst of 4.  Excellent for Banshees and for Seraphs after their shields are down.

Previously profiled Covenant weapons:

• Plasma Grenade
• Needler
• Gravity Hammer
• Plasma Pistol "Green Gun"
• Focus Rifle "Laser Beam"
• Plasma Repeater
• Energy Sword
• Plasma Turret
• Needle Rifle
• Plasma Launcher "n00b tube"

Previously profiled UNSC weapons:

• Bullets
• Spartan Laser
• Sniper Rifle
• Chain Gun
• Shotgun
• Rocket Launcher
• Assault Rifle
• Combat Knife
• Frag Grenade
• Magnum
• DMR
• Grenade Launcher "Pro Pipe"

HR Maps - Powerhouse

Powerhouse is an asymmetrical outdoor map that shows up in all the 4v4 and FFA gametypes.  It hosts Slayer, CTF, Stockpile, Oddball, Headhunter, Crazy King, and Territories.  It has several power weapons, so controlling those will tend to tilt the board in your favor.  These are the things you should know (click for huge):

1. Gravity Hammer - This is on the floor in this little room.  It is the closest power weapon from spawn, and the first that teams go for.  The fastest way there is to loadout with Scout and sprint the whole way.  It helps to have one person for backup, expect company.
2. Grenade Launcher (Pro Pipe) - This is on the floor against the farthest left wall of the downstairs shower.  It is rarely claimed, so cruise by later in the match to grab it for great effect.
3. Rocket Launcher - This is the most popular power weapon on the map, and most teams will send several people to claim it.  Since it only holds 4 rockets, it is spent quickly and will continually respawn, so check back often.  It is leaning against the wall in the water spillway.  The fastest way to get there and back is via jetpack.
4. Focus Rifle (Laser Gun) - Because this map is pretty spread out and has decent sightlines, the Focus Rifle can be used pretty well, even if as supporting fire.  It is on the ground near the stairs.  This should be prioritized below the Hammer and Rockets because a team of two can take down the shooter pretty easily if the other team grabs it.  This pairs well with jetpack on this map as the shooter can hover up high and provide covering fire.

HR Maps - Boneyard

I get on a plane to Japan in 12 hours which means, sadly, that I've likely logged my last game of the Halo Reach Beta.  Hopefully they extend it so that I can get my Warrant Officer Grade 3 stripes and my shiny new helmet.  I leave you with some tidbits.

[Updated 12/6/10: This is no longer true in the production release.] After Phase 1, several weapons caches become available.  Directly to either side of the first pair of generators are Covenant weapon caches.  Each one holds a Plasma Launcher (n00b tube) and Focus Rifle (laser gun).  These pictures show the caches along with paths from each generator.  Click for huge.

Though good teams will both fight for these caches, Spartans get their own weapons cache as well.  The UNSC weapons cache is located above the indoor generator in Phase 2.  It holds two of each: Rocket Launcher, Sniper Rifle, Spartan Laser.  This cache will continually respawn more goodies as long as the game runs, so visit it often.  Click for huge.

Reach Beta - More Subtleties

An extensive breakdown of some of the subtleties in Reach has been posted on bungie.net.  Here's the newest tidbits:

• Field of vision is wider than H3, may consider increasing look sensitivity by 1 to compensate
• Gravity is stronger in Reach, so jumps are less "floaty"
• As posted here, bullets are "instant hit" now, but bullet contrails may look funny and not represent actual shot
• Crouching slightly improves accuracy
• Crouching reduces fall damage
• Melee will take down shields completely, but will NOT break through shields.  This is a pretty big difference and may be manifesting in many frustrating ways.  But if you charge in with AR and punch, the other guy will not die if he had *ANY* shields left (even 1%) before the melee.  You can compensate in the Reach Beta by punching twice quickly (though the double punch is considered a Beta bug and may go away in production.)
• [Update] Needle rifle is not "instant-hit" like the DMR.  3 needles to an unshielded body will combine kill, as will 1 head-shot.
• Needle rifle has automatic fire capability by holding down the trigger.  Recommended to use it in 3-shot bursts or single-shot mode for accuracy though.
  

HR: Covenant Weapons - Plasma Grenade (Type-1)

Basic description: a.k.a, "stickies" or "blue spiders." Usually one at a time unless launched from Plasma Launcher. Bounces off of walls and ceilings, but will stick to people, vehicles and floors. Causes EMP damage like frag grenades. Loadouts vary from 1 to 3, usually can carry 2 max. Nearly dentical in function to previous games.

NEW FOR HALO REACH: Does significantly more damage than in previous games. Stickiness is slightly increased in the beta. Can be "unstuck" with Armor Lock.

Restrictions: Seems to take more to kill Warthogs in Reach.

Uses:Any range, stickies are instant kills as is nearby splash damage. Generally takes more than one to kill a vehicle, even Warthogs. Is a still one-shot kill when boarding tanks. Pairs well with jet pack and evade.

Best for: New players to spam congested areas, flushing out corners, Covie Slayer gametype, killing vehicles.

HR: Covenant Weapons - Needler (Type-33)

Basic description: Fully automatic, ~20 needles per magazine, ~80 max capacity.  Medium accuracy, projectiles track targets slightly, can "combine kill" by filling a target with needles until they explode.  Takes slightly less than a full magazine to combine kill.  Very similar in function to previous games, can only be single-wielded. Available as a primary weapon loadout option for Elites in Invasion gametypes.

NEW FOR HALO REACH: Magazine and capacity sizes haven't been verified yet, can not be dual wielded.  "Leading" reticle.

Restrictions: Moving quickly will tend to break target lock and projectile tracking.  Does not appear to suffer from much (if any) reticle bloom, but needles to not lock as tightly as in previous games.  New "leading" reticle is available to direct where to shoot at moving targets.  Following the "leading" reticle makes this weapon *significantly* more accurate.

Uses: Short to medium range, does best in tight corridors or against slow moving jet pack players.  Pairs well with active camo.

Best for: New players who don't need to worry about accuracy, or players who like to run and gun.  Also good for sneaking into places up to medium range and finishing the kill without need for up close encounters (like Sword or Shotgun).  Good as front line support with Needle Rifle fire behind.

HR: Covenant Weapons - Gravity Hammer (Type-2)

Basic description: Hand held melee weapon, is the Brute equivalent of the Elite energy sword. Is a one-strike kill, either directly or very nearby splash damage. Splash damage also pushes other players away from the radius. Melee effect is not as effective. Holds enough charge for about 10 kills. No reticle bloom. Similar in function to previous games.

NEW FOR HALO REACH: None known.

Restrictions: Is very large and obvious when carried as primary or secondary weapon, expect to draw enemy fire. Very short range, does little to no damage outside of splash damage radius.  Can not pick up ammo on the field.

Uses: Very short range. Instant kill. Good for closer quarters combat, protecting or gaining objectives. Pairs extremely well with sprint.

Best for: Fast reflex players, protecting objectives, or clearing rooms.

HR: Covenant Weapons - Plasma Pistol (Type-25)

Basic description: a.k.a., "green gun." Very fast single shot rate of fire, medium accuracy, does not require reloading. Can be "overcharged" by holding down the trigger. Overcharges immediately drain infantry shields, stop vehicles for about 2 seconds, and may stall jet packs (haven't tried this yet). Must vent and cool down after overcharge is fired. Can switch weapons to undo overcharge. Very similar in function to previous games. Haven't tested reticle bloom. Overcharge shots have slight tracking ability. Is typically the secondary weapon for Elite loadouts.

NEW FOR HALO REACH: May stall jetpacks (unverified).

Restrictions: Single shots are basically useless and do next to no damage. Overcharges take time and may drain energy while held.  Can not pick up ammo on the field.  Holding overcharge will continually drain the battery.  Switch weapons to undo.

Uses: Short to medium range. Almost impossible to get kills by itself, but works very well with any precision weapon (Magnum, DMR, Needle Rifle) for headshots with one-two kill. Very good against vehicles. Pairs well with armor lock when going after vehicles.

Best for: Players pairing with precision weapons, or as part of two-man fireteam combo.

HR: Covenant Weapons - Focus Rifle (Type-52)

Basic description: Fully automatic, scoped, continuous fire, sniper weapon.  Appears to be the replacement for the Convenant Beam Rifle, and is the counterpart to the human sniper rifle, but functions very differently.  Unknown capacity, but can overheat if continuously fired for too long.  Trigger can be held to produce a continuous beam of destruction, most effective against infantry, similar but much more powerful than the Sentinel Beam in previous games.  Unknown if headshots are effective.  Considered a power weapon and can kill in ~1.5 seconds of continuous fire.

NEW FOR HALO REACH: Brand new for Reach.

Restrictions: Continuous beam makes tracking back to yourself extremely easy.  Targets that can find cover quickly are hard to kill because there is no "instant kill" headshot ability.  Does not appear to be affected by reticle bloom, but will unscope if shot at.

Uses: Medium to long range, but is more effective and usable at short range than human sniper rifle.  Pairs well with jet pack to reach sniper perches or gain temporary height.

Best for: Snipers or long range support with team shooting.  Good for pinning targets down behind cover while teammates flank for kills.

HR: Covenant Weapons - Plasma Repeater (Type-51)

Basic description: Fully automatic, medium accuracy, infantry suppression weapon.  Covenant equivalent of the Assault Rifle.  Never needs to be reloaded.  Shoots plasma energy instead of bullets, so is more effective at dropping shields than doing health damage.  Fires faster and longer than Plasma Rifle from previous games, but is approximately the equivalent of dual wielding Plasma Rifles.  Generally available as a primary weapon loadout option for Elites in all gametypes.

NEW FOR HALO REACH: Brand new for Reach.  Weapon will never fully overheat, will just slow down its rate of fire.  Hit reload button to "vent" and regain full firing speed.

Restrictions: Loses effectiveness at range.  Can not pick up ammo on the field.  Continuous fire will slow down firing rate, requiring a vent cycle.  Recommend firing in bursts.

Uses: Short to medium range.  Good for rushing in and dropping shields, causes good havoc in firefights.

Best for: AR players and those that like to run and gun.