Hello Halo fans! This is something that has bothered me as well as a lot of other people. The Designated Marksman Rifle has the same damage output as the Battle Rifle. Now, I did a fair amount of research and came up with these facts:
*A Battle Rifle, by definition, uses full-power rifle rounds. It is mainly intended for mid-range firefights.
*A Designated Marksman Rifle, by definition, uses enhanced variants of standard rifle rounds to fulfill a sniper or supportive role.
The Halo Battle rifle uses M634 Experimental High-Powered Semi-Armor-Piercing 9.5x40mm rounds(currently not a real round, but if you draw it on paper it is a pretty bulky round) that would carry incredible kinetic force and take down most armor with ease.
The DMR uses M118 7.62x51mm Full Metal Jacket Armor-Piercing rounds(longer round, but has less kinetic transfer) Designed to pierce armor and be used as an assault rifle round.
With all this being said, it would seem that the Battle Rifle would be more effective than the DMR, but it is not. 3 BR rounds does the exact same damage as one DMR round. I’m no rocket scientist, but the math doesn’t remotely add up.
Now for the part I’ve been dreading to speak about. Along with this power imbalance, the DMR also fires slightly faster than the BR, has better range and accuracy(understandable for its classification), and has better ammo efficiency. That being said, a sharp shooter could wipe the floor with people that are comfortable with the BR. So in terms of gameplay, you would either need to inhumanly master the BR, or hope your DMR wielding enemy is a lousy shot.
So what can be done? The logical answer would be to power up the Battle Rifle ever so slightly so that it has an edge in mid to close-range combat over the DMR. However, not too many people agree with this claim and is of hot debate. What do you think should be done?
The BR’s 3-shot burst is inconsistent, and can do anywhere from 33% to 100% in terms of actual damage. That’s about 33% per shot. The DMR on the other hands requires only one shot to do 100% of the damage it is supposed to.
The DMR is better than the BR, Carbine and unscoped Light Rifle, which should not happen in a loadout shooter.
You cant just buff the BR because we have 8 other loadout weapons to think about. My normal answer for an overpowered gun is to buff the ones around it, so that nothing gets nerfed. But I just feel that isnt a viable option here.
A DMR nerf is the most efficient way to improve sandbox balance as it stands now.
One DMR round does the same damage as 3 BR rounds with one shot.
One of the BR bullets can miss and change the whole 1 v 1 battle
You have to wait for all of the BR shots to hit while full damage from DMR is already received.
When shooting long range with the BR, you have no aim assist with the BR, so you are only left with your knowledge of your sensitivity while you’re getting shot up long range with a DMR user that’s getting aim assist.
> One DMR round does the same damage as 3 BR rounds with one shot.
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> One of the BR bullets can miss and change the whole 1 v 1 battle
>
> <mark>You have to wait for all of the BR shots to hit while full damage from DMR is already received.</mark>
>
> When shooting long range with the BR, you have no aim assist with the BR, so you are only left with your knowledge of your sensitivity while you’re getting shot up long range with a DMR user that’s getting aim assist.
They are both hitscan weapons, so this is not the case.
> The BR’s 3-shot burst is inconsistent, and can do anywhere from 33% to 100% in terms of actual damage. That’s about 33% per shot. The DMR on the other hands requires only one shot to do 100% of the damage it is supposed to.
>
> The DMR is better than the BR, Carbine and unscoped Light Rifle, which should not happen in a loadout shooter.
The BR is consistent in its effective range, getting bored of reading that “the BR isnt as effective in cross map engagements, how inconsistent”
Halo isnt a loadout shooter, its an arena shooter, or should i say it was, and shud still be.
To the OP, buffing the BR does NOTHING, the DMR (as you mentioned in your post) will still change the core gameplay to be nothing like a halo game, any weapon with a niche or advantage over the spawn weapons should be a weapon spawn on map, when i play against 4 DMRers, i feel like im in a game of team snipers. Team snipers isnt halos core gameplay.
> You cant just buff the BR because we have 8 other loadout weapons to think about. My normal answer for an overpowered gun is to buff the ones around it, so that nothing gets nerfed. But I just feel that isnt a viable option here.
>
> A DMR nerf is the most efficient way to improve sandbox balance as it stands now.
DMR nerf is only viable if every map that it has an advantage on is either changed or deleted, if all the maps still have sniper range encounters than a DMR is still the better choice.
> > You cant just buff the BR because we have 8 other loadout weapons to think about. My normal answer for an overpowered gun is to buff the ones around it, so that nothing gets nerfed. But I just feel that isnt a viable option here.
> >
> > A DMR nerf is the most efficient way to improve sandbox balance as it stands now.
>
> DMR nerf is only viable if every map that it has an advantage on is either changed or deleted, if all the maps still have sniper range encounters than a DMR is still the better choice.
I don’t think it’s the range that bugs people, it’s more the fact that it can beat the BR, Carbine and unscoped Light Rifle in their own niche.
> > The BR’s 3-shot burst is inconsistent, and can do anywhere from 33% to 100% in terms of actual damage. That’s about 33% per shot. The DMR on the other hands requires only one shot to do 100% of the damage it is supposed to.
> >
> > The DMR is better than the BR, Carbine and unscoped Light Rifle, which should not happen in a loadout shooter.
>
> The BR is consistent in its effective range, getting bored of reading that “the BR isnt as effective in cross map engagements, how inconsistent”
>
> Halo isnt a loadout shooter, its an arena shooter, or should i say it was, and shud still be.
> You cant just buff the BR because we have 8 other loadout weapons to think about. My normal answer for an overpowered gun is to buff the ones around it, so that nothing gets nerfed. But I just feel that isnt a viable option here.
>
> A DMR nerf is the most efficient way to improve sandbox balance as it stands now.
I both agree and disagree. The DMR is only considered over powered because it is too well rounded. The assault rifle would tear apart the DMR in close range, same for the Storm Rifle and Suppressor. The Covenant Carbine has incredible rapid fire that acts as an excellent supportive team role. The Light Rifle has a 4-shot kill when scoped, and is most useful for sniping. The main problem is that the DMR dominates semi-close, mid, and long ranges. The semi-close and mid ranges should be dominated by the Battle Rifle, as that is its intended role. That is why I propose a slight boost in the damage of the individual BR rounds. As it stands, it takes five full 3-round burst to kill with a headshot. The first 12 rounds pop the shields, while it takes another 3-round burst to get a headshot. I find this to be a horrid waste of ammo and imbalance of powers.
> You cant just buff the BR because we have 8 other loadout weapons to think about. My normal answer for an overpowered gun is to buff the ones around it, so that nothing gets nerfed. But I just feel that isnt a viable option here.
>
> A DMR nerf is the most efficient way to improve sandbox balance as it stands now.
> There is a high volume of power weapons in this game, and they certainly live up to their name as “power” weapons now. Every one of them has received some sort of a substantial buff, so we need fast-killing spawn weapons so they don’t become free kills.
>
> Enter the DMR, LR, automatic weapons, Magnum, and Boltshot. Each of these has good killing potential, and kills faster than the last. All of them(sans) DMR fills a very specific niche, though. But that’s okay, the DMR is not meant to fill a niche, it is meant to be an all-purpose weapon.
>
> Weapons like the Magnum, Assault Rifle, Storm Rifle, and Suppressor provide more than excellent close-range counters to the accuracy and power that come with the DMR. The Light Rifle provides a very similar counter at long range. All of the current weapons fit very carefully into a puzzle, and not just the spawn weapons; all of the power weapons have a very delicate balance, too.
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> Two of these puzzle pieces are misshapen, though. The BR and Carbine do not follow suit in this game with the other weapons. Using the LR or automatic weapons against a BR is not a skillful endeavor like it is against the DMR, it’s a free kill due to the BR’s inability to counter anything but the single shot Plasma Pistol. The Carbine is in a similar situation, albeit much less so.
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> Using a weapon should never be a guaranteed kill under any circumstances. Nerfing any of the loadout weapons to the BR’s level will just make the power weapons take less skill to use properly. Missing shots or choking is punished less since you are given almost half a second more to react compared to the DMR, and in a game where only about 5 of the power weapons aren’t instant kills, this is a big deal.
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> In the hypothetical situation we have everything nerfed to the BR and Carbine’s levels, the game will be entirely dominated by the first ordinance drop(unless everyone in the game gets nothing but Needler/Speed Boost/Pulse Grenades) because there would be no proper counter to any of the power weapons that players can spawn with. It will only be worse in Big Team and Dominion where players are given a high amount of power weapons more frequently.
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> But with a buffed BR and Carbine that kill just slightly faster than the DMR, we have the DMR to fill every role while the BR and Carbine provide a skillful counter to medium range. Combine the buffed BR and Carbine with the current powerful sandbox, and we have a counter to the DMR in any situation. The other weapons are(and will be) viable choices, but will not fit any role like the DMR can. Every loadout weapon would be more useful as map pickups, since most players do not want to sacrifice the versatility of the DMR, even if they do have better close-range ability. This may change if the BR and Carbine were to be buffed, since a large degree of the combat in Halo takes place at a medium range, where these weapons would be the absolute best.
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> In closing, a DMR nerf wouldn’t make the BR and Carbine more attractive choices, it would just make the AR and LR even easier, and reduce the skill gap currently in place with power weapons. A buff to both weapons would allow players to use both weapons more freely than they are able to now, but without punishing those who use the DMR.
And that is why the DMR nerf is not the “most efficient” way to deal with the imbalance of primary weapons.
> I don’t think it’s the range that bugs people, it’s more the fact that it can beat the BR, Carbine and unscoped Light Rifle in their own niche.
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>
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> You are missing the point completely. It is not consistent, that is a fact.
>
> And Halo IS a loadout shooter now. Get over it.
This is funny, firstly, you’re right, most people get bugged by the fact that the weapon is better than all the others but, most of the people consist of very new halo players, people like myself will have an issue with the DMR playing out like a mini sniper, team DMRs doesnt play like a halo game and many things are absent from this type of gameplay, team BRs and even Team assault rifles, plays like a halo game.
Secondly, you are missing the point completely, whats funny is that a few have linked me that video before, that range is outside of the BRs effective kill range, go watch any pro play (from halo 2/3) not many engagements will be like that, most of them will be far closer. Its like moaning that you cant shoot people cross map with a shotgun, dont expect long range magic with a close range non-long range weapon.
Thirdly, you are again, missing the point, Halo is an arena shooter, you can completely change the game and try to make it something else BUT, at the end of the day, Halo 1/2/3 are Halo games, if i create a COD game with cod features and call it Halo, if it doesnt play like a Halo game, its only a Halo game by name. Fact.
> > I don’t think it’s the range that bugs people, it’s more the fact that it can beat the BR, Carbine and unscoped Light Rifle in their own niche.
> >
> >
> >
> > You are missing the point completely. It is not consistent, that is a fact.
> >
> > And Halo IS a loadout shooter now. Get over it.
>
> This is funny, firstly, you’re right, most people get bugged by the fact that the weapon is better than all the others but, most of the people consist of very new halo players, people like myself will have an issue with the DMR playing out like a mini sniper, team DMRs doesnt play like a halo game and many things are absent from this type of gameplay, team BRs and even Team assault rifles, plays like a halo game.
>
> Secondly, you are missing the point completely, whats funny is that a few have linked me that video before, that range is outside of the BRs effective kill range, go watch any pro play (from halo 2/3) not many engagements will be like that, most of them will be far closer. Its like moaning that you cant shoot people cross map with a shotgun, dont expect long range magic with a close range non-long range weapon.
>
> Thirdly, you are again, missing the point, Halo is an arena shooter, you can completely change the game and try to make it something else BUT, at the end of the day, Halo 1/2/3 are Halo games, if i create a COD game with cod features and call it Halo, if it doesnt play like a Halo game, its only a Halo game by name. Fact.
Maybe I should have put a ‘4’ after ‘Halo’. Could’ve saved you the effort of writing that paragraph.
It’s called balance. The game can’t be 100% true to canon, because if it was, Forerunner weapons would absolutely destroy everything, and the UNSC’s stuff would be practicably worthless.
> It’s called balance. The game can’t be 100% true to canon, because if it was, Forerunner weapons would absolutely destroy everything, and the UNSC’s stuff would be practicably worthless.
That is not entirely true. The Battle Rifle from Halo 2 and 3 took down elites and Startans in 4 bursts. That being said, it now takes roughly 6 bursts to take down an elite minor (try in Spartan Ops) With that logic, it would appear that the Battle Rifle was nerfed considerably between the games. Also, in terms of Forerunner weaponry, if you read the novels and such, you would know that the Forerunners never invested much into weaponry. In fact, their weapons in Halo 4 were designed specifically for anti-organic use, making it less practical against shields and heavy armor(use a light rifle on unshielded enemy and compare the body’s kill rate between other weapons).
> > It’s called balance. The game can’t be 100% true to canon, because if it was, Forerunner weapons would absolutely destroy everything, and the UNSC’s stuff would be practicably worthless.
>
> That is not entirely true. The Battle Rifle from Halo 2 and 3 took down elites and Startans in 4 bursts. That being said, it now takes roughly 6 bursts to take down an elite minor (try in Spartan Ops) With that logic, it would appear that the Battle Rifle was nerfed considerably between the games. Also, in terms of Forerunner weaponry, if you read the novels and such, you would know that the Forerunners never invested much into weaponry. In fact, their weapons in Halo 4 were designed specifically for anti-organic use, making it less practical against shields and heavy armor(use a light rifle on unshielded enemy and compare the body’s kill rate between other weapons).
> > > I don’t think it’s the range that bugs people, it’s more the fact that it can beat the BR, Carbine and unscoped Light Rifle in their own niche.
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > You are missing the point completely. It is not consistent, that is a fact.
> > >
> > > And Halo IS a loadout shooter now. Get over it.
> >
> > This is funny, firstly, you’re right, most people get bugged by the fact that the weapon is better than all the others but, most of the people consist of very new halo players, people like myself will have an issue with the DMR playing out like a mini sniper, team DMRs doesnt play like a halo game and many things are absent from this type of gameplay, team BRs and even Team assault rifles, plays like a halo game.
> >
> > Secondly, you are missing the point completely, whats funny is that a few have linked me that video before, that range is outside of the BRs effective kill range, go watch any pro play (from halo 2/3) not many engagements will be like that, most of them will be far closer. Its like moaning that you cant shoot people cross map with a shotgun, dont expect long range magic with a close range non-long range weapon.
> >
> > Thirdly, you are again, missing the point, Halo is an arena shooter, you can completely change the game and try to make it something else BUT, at the end of the day, Halo 1/2/3 are Halo games, if i create a COD game with cod features and call it Halo, if it doesnt play like a Halo game, its only a Halo game by name. Fact.
>
> Maybe I should have put a ‘4’ after ‘Halo’. Could’ve saved you the effort of writing that paragraph.
It wouldnt of changed much, you still have the other 2 paragraphs to rebuttal and you cant just change what you write because it was such a poor statement, my reply to your changed statement is in my opinion, Halo 4s campaign is the only aspect of Halo that is a continuation of the series, to me, Halo 3 was the last Halo multiplayer experience where currently no game fits the criteria for the sequel to Halo 3 multiplayer furthermore I dont see Halo 4 multiplayer as Halo 4 multiplayer as it isnt a Halo multiplayer for one. Its not surprising you didnt reply to the first and second paragraph but what can i say, my level of knowledge is just superior, its a shame no one can challenge me on these forums. Then again i see why they dont.
> The DMR simply has faster kill time than the BR. With equally skilled players the DMR will win 100% of the time.
dont forget about the range advantage, i think however that its not just the weapon but also the maps that cause this advantage, there are FAR, by far i mean an absolutely DIRTY, amount of possible gun fights from all parts of all maps that favour the DMR
> > One DMR round does the same damage as 3 BR rounds with one shot.
> >
> > One of the BR bullets can miss and change the whole 1 v 1 battle
> >
> > <mark>You have to wait for all of the BR shots to hit while full damage from DMR is already received.</mark>
> >
> > When shooting long range with the BR, you have no aim assist with the BR, so you are only left with your knowledge of your sensitivity while you’re getting shot up long range with a DMR user that’s getting aim assist.
>
> They are both hitscan weapons, so this is not the case.