Halo Infinite's Plasma Rifle(should it return?)

Games Halo Infinite
1

Halo’s Plasma Rifle has seen some tough days lately ever since Halo 2 released. Halo 2’s larger sandbox and more powerful weapons overruled the Plasma Rifle’s usefulness. Halo 3’s Brute Spiker was just a better version of the Plasma Rifle. And Halo 4 forgot it entirely. Halo 5 only released it in a multiplayer update. And finally, Reach, while giving it a cool looking model, simply DOUBLE replaced it with the Brute Spiker, and Plasma Repeater.

I have always adored the Plasma Rifle and hope to see it return, but hold my doubts if it really fits in the weapon sandbox anymore.

What do you think? Should 343 not have it at all, keep it but damage the sandbox because of some new weapons that they are going to add, or use it and destroy multiple weapon ideas that they had been planning to replace it with?

I want the old CE days, but i’m not sure it’s for the best.

2

I would like to have Halo CE’s Plasma Rifle and Halo 4’s Storm Rifle come to Infinite.

3

i would prefer the CE plsma rifle ( that looses its stun when dual wielded) (+ a brute variant), a reach plasma repeater, and turning the storm rifle into a burst weapon with high shield damage. a heavy plasma rifle ( as a SAW equivalent) and a stealth plasma rifle (nearly invisible shots and low noise) would be cool too.

4

As far as I’m concerned we haven’t had a real Plasma Rifle since CE. Every other variant or successor has been litttle more than a blue(and sometimes red) SMG. There is absolutely room for a CE style “Plasma Rifle” more than enough. What we don’t have room for is blue/red SMGs like we have been getting.

I want a CE style plasma weapon with low spread, (preferably no spread), high shield damage, plasma stun, and a headshot multiplier. Whether it ultimately takes the form of a Plasma Rifle, Plasma Repeater, Storm Rifle, or something new, I don’t really care beyond it firing blue plasma.

We only need one though, Halo has enough problems with redundant parts of the sandbox as it is.

5

Blue plasma rifle - high accuracy. Medium fire rate. Stun effect. Great against shields. Can fire a good number of rounds before over heating

Brute plasma rifle - high accuracy, loses it quickly due to higher fire rate. No stun effect, overheats quicker, slightly less damage (weaker bolts indicated by the red colour). Features energy blade on the bottom for higher melee damage (uses energy) but doesn’t insta kill. The blade is to make the gun a little more viable and to make it more unique to the blue version as well as making it more brute suited

Plasma repeater - keep its function as it was in Reach. Medium accuracy that improves as it heats up. High fire rate that slows down as it heats. Manual vent that can be cancelled to maintain combat in more dire situations

Storm rifle - high damage, high fire rate, low accuracy. Good range. Remove the stupid barrel. Can sustain fire relatively well to suppress enemies. To rain a storm of plasma and reduce enemy ability to safely traverse.

6

I miss it, it’s so iconic, I want it back. Would rather have it than the storm rifle.

7

I think it would be cool to see the plasma rifle, storm rifle, and plasma repeater return. They could all be given distinctive roles.
The plasma rifle could serve as a standard close range weapon like it always has.
The storm rifle could work as a long range automatic engagement weapon, a type of weapon that is rarely found in a Halo sandbox.
The plasma repeater could fire extremely fast like a SAW, and the reheat could be given an energy discharge effect that can disable vehicles and shields when discharged nearby.

8

Sure, more variety is always good

9

> 2533274819446242;4:
> As far as I’m concerned we haven’t had a real Plasma Rifle since CE. Every other variant or successor has been litttle more than a blue(and sometimes red) SMG. There is absolutely room for a CE style “Plasma Rifle” more than enough. What we don’t have room for is blue/red SMGs like we have been getting.
>
> I want a CE style plasma weapon with low spread, (preferably no spread), high shield damage, plasma stun, and a headshot multiplier. Whether it ultimately takes the form of a Plasma Rifle, Plasma Repeater, Storm Rifle, or something new, I don’t really care beyond it firing blue plasma.
>
> We only need one though, Halo has enough problems with redundant parts of the sandbox as it is.

Agree with you, basically bring back the Halo CE plasma rifle (in terms of functionality). It was the only version that actually had any worthwhile utility tbf.

As much as I love Halo 2 and 3, it had many redundant weapons compared to CE.

10

I would prefer having the plasma rifle without the copies with bigger visual models.
Spiker should be fine as long as it’s damage is adjusted more towards health damage over shield damage, maybe a middle ground between Assault rifle & Plasma rifle style thing.
Pretty much as simple as that.

11

> 2535426049673361;8:
> Sure, more variety is always good

The problem is, I’m not actually sure that more variety IS good. If there is one thing that I have learned, its that the Halo franchise has suffered dramatically due to a growing call for more weapons and gear. 343 expanded on this and look where that got them. CE had the best and most balanced weapon sandbox, and yet it had the fewest amount of them. Halo 2 had pretty iffy balancing due to the new Energy Sword, Beam Rifle, Battle Rifle, SMG, and Dual Wielding as a whole in MP. In order to give the other weapons a spotlight, Bungie had so weaken/strip/remove many important weapons.

Example: Can someone PLEASE explain to me the exact purpose that the Beam Rifle had in the sandbox besides being a weird Sniper Rifle?
Example: Can someone PLEASE explain to me why the tiny SMG is chosen over the AR for a suppression role other than to simply show off the new Dual Wielding mechanic?
Example: Can someone PLEASE explain to me why the magnum wasn’t good enough, and Bungie had to make an entirely new weapon for the exact same role, and strip the magnum in the process? AND removing the AR so as not to cause TOO much trouble for the newbie, despite the fact that the two have completely different roles?

The Energy Sword WAS pretty cool though…BUT can someone PLEASE explain to me why Bungie had to make the sword OP in the process, giving you the ability to YEET yourself across the ENTIRE MAP like an OP JEDI!

Then in Halo 3, the Plasma Rifle was replaced by the Brute Spiker, and has been competing with it ever since! All because people were getting bored with the weapon and NEEDED A CHANGE!

Halo 4 DID NOT EVEN INCLUDE IT AT ALL! All because they had to create weapons for the U.N.S.C, Covenant, and Promethean’s!

I mainly HATE the Promethean’s because, even though they look cool, they are SANDBOX KILLERS. Do you want to know the reason? 343 wanted to give these guys some cool weapons, but they had already made so many others that they simply made them copy’s of other guns, just with a twist.

Example: Scattershot, completely useless, just a weird shotgun that turns people into glowing radioactive corn-flakes!
Example: Light Rifle, completely useless, just a freaky DMR that turns people into rad-filled-just your normal cereal nowadays-corn-flakes!

Do you see my point?

I have determined(with some help) that the way to solve this problem is (A) shrink the sandbox (B) Get rid of REQ’s (C) destroy/remake any weapons that are copy’s of other guns(I’m looking at you Scattershot) to make the sandbox more varied (D) Add cosmetic weapon customization that is just for looks to make your gun feel unique, and (E) Value Function over Destruction.

12

> 2535438636443468;11:
> > 2535426049673361;8:
> > Sure, more variety is always good
>
> The problem is, I’m not actually sure that more variety IS good. If there is one thing that I have learned, its that the Halo franchise has suffered dramatically due to a growing call for more weapons and gear. 343 expanded on this and look where that got them. CE had the best and most balanced weapon sandbox, and yet it had the fewest amount of them. Halo 2 had pretty iffy balancing due to the new Energy Sword, Beam Rifle, Battle Rifle, SMG, and Dual Wielding as a whole in MP. In order to give the other weapons a spotlight, Bungie had so weaken/strip/remove many important weapons.
>
> Example: Can someone PLEASE explain to me the exact purpose that the Beam Rifle had in the sandbox besides being a weird Sniper Rifle?
> Example: Can someone PLEASE explain to me why the tiny SMG is chosen over the AR for a suppression role other than to simply show off the new Dual Wielding mechanic?
> Example: Can someone PLEASE explain to me why the magnum wasn’t good enough, and Bungie had to make an entirely new weapon for the exact same role, and strip the magnum in the process? AND removing the AR so as not to cause TOO much trouble for the newbie, despite the fact that the two have completely different roles?
>
> The Energy Sword WAS pretty cool though…BUT can someone PLEASE explain to me why Bungie had to make the sword OP in the process, giving you the ability to YEET yourself across the ENTIRE MAP like an OP JEDI!
>
> Then in Halo 3, the Plasma Rifle was replaced by the Brute Spiker, and has been competing with it ever since! All because people were getting bored with the weapon and NEEDED A CHANGE!
>
> Halo 4 DID NOT EVEN INCLUDE IT AT ALL! All because they had to create weapons for the U.N.S.C, Covenant, and Promethean’s!
>
> I mainly HATE the Promethean’s because, even though they look cool, they are SANDBOX KILLERS. Do you want to know the reason? 343 wanted to give these guys some cool weapons, but they had already made so many others that they simply made them copy’s of other guns, just with a twist.
>
> Example: Scattershot, completely useless, just a weird shotgun that turns people into glowing radioactive corn-flakes!
> Example: Light Rifle, completely useless, just a freaky DMR that turns people into rad-filled-just your normal cereal nowadays-corn-flakes!
>
> Do you see my point?
>
> I however have come up with a solution, we make the weapons unique in their respective roles, but give them different models depending on the faction.
>
> Example: A Scatter Shot has the exact same stats as a Shotgun, it just is what the Promethean’s use instead, in multiplayer, you can make it so that if you pick up a Shotgun, it always appears as a Scatter Shot. This allows for more specialized weapons to return us to a more balanced world, making it so that we go back the good old CE days where not every weapon was good at everything. This makes weapons more interesting as a whole. And with my new solution, you wouldn’t get bored from the limited amount of weapons with different stats.
>
> The only problem I see with this is that they would have to make a lot more models to fit every faction’s aesthetic.
>
> But anyways, sorry for raving, what do you guys think of my idea?
>
> Also, in my view the Storm Rifle should go, and the Plasma Repeater should become a burst weapon that has the exact same stats as the Battle Rifle.

I was with right until the end there. We don’t actually have to settle for either the status quo or lean even harder into reskins. If we recognize the problem is that there are too many weapons with overlapping roles, then the most straightforward solution is to replace/redesign problem weapons rather than throw our hands up and just resort to model swaps.

Naturally replacing and redesigning a good chunk of weapons is not a simple task, but I think there are enough weapons and designs scattered across Halo’s history that we can build a fully fleshed out sandbox with true diversity without loosing too many weapons in the process. We don’t have to settle for the Beam Rifle(or something even more like a sniper rifle) when we could just as easily have the Focus Rifle, for example.

13

I miss the plasma rifle the same way how I miss Bungie.

14

Even if the weapon is mediocre to use as a weapon in both campaign and multiplayer, I really like it as the main weapon the AI uses like in halo 2.

15

> 2533274857165616;5:
> Blue plasma rifle - high accuracy. Medium fire rate. Stun effect. Great against shields. Can fire a good number of rounds before over heating
>
> Brute plasma rifle - high accuracy, loses it quickly due to higher fire rate. No stun effect, overheats quicker, slightly less damage (weaker bolts indicated by the red colour). Features energy blade on the bottom for higher melee damage (uses energy) but doesn’t insta kill. The blade is to make the gun a little more viable and to make it more unique to the blue version as well as making it more brute suited
>
> Plasma repeater - keep its function as it was in Reach. Medium accuracy that improves as it heats up. High fire rate that slows down as it heats. Manual vent that can be cancelled to maintain combat in more dire situations
>
> Storm rifle - high damage, high fire rate, low accuracy. Good range. Remove the stupid barrel. Can sustain fire relatively well to suppress enemies. To rain a storm of plasma and reduce enemy ability to safely traverse.

This.
Although I could do without the Storm Rifle. Barely ever use it. But this would be best in my opinion.

16

> 2674012278771805;15:
> > 2533274857165616;5:
> > Blue plasma rifle - high accuracy. Medium fire rate. Stun effect. Great against shields. Can fire a good number of rounds before over heating
> >
> > Brute plasma rifle - high accuracy, loses it quickly due to higher fire rate. No stun effect, overheats quicker, slightly less damage (weaker bolts indicated by the red colour). Features energy blade on the bottom for higher melee damage (uses energy) but doesn’t insta kill. The blade is to make the gun a little more viable and to make it more unique to the blue version as well as making it more brute suited
> >
> > Plasma repeater - keep its function as it was in Reach. Medium accuracy that improves as it heats up. High fire rate that slows down as it heats. Manual vent that can be cancelled to maintain combat in more dire situations
> >
> > Storm rifle - high damage, high fire rate, low accuracy. Good range. Remove the stupid barrel. Can sustain fire relatively well to suppress enemies. To rain a storm of plasma and reduce enemy ability to safely traverse.
>
> This.
> Although I could do without the Storm Rifle. Barely ever use it. But this would be best in my opinion.

The main reason I first used the storm rifle was because it was the only version on a plasma rifle in H4. Hated it’s sounds and appearance but it grew on me. Would feel a little weird to me to not have it in game now

17

Plasma rifle in halo 3 was extremely effective. Two shots , one melee … that’s all I have to say. From a distance… land a few shots, swap to precision , finish the kill. Imo plasma rifle was actually pretty good in halo 3.

As as far as sandbox crowding goes … yes .
But I think what we need to consider is the enemies who wield them and their tasks.

Energyswords are weapons of honor for elites, but also used as a final combat resort like a knife of pistol would be traditionally.

plasma weapons effective to take down shields that the covenant have developed. UNSC bullets are effective against armor. That kind of thought needs to go into the sandbox.
What would a covenant main weapon function as? Energyswords, Plasma pistols , needlers, and plasma rifles are all extremely light weapons… it seems they don’t like to carry heavier weapons around. Fuel rod cannons being the exception, but that can be replaced by hunter heavy weapon. Hunters are more tank like, slower, and stronger.
For the covenant …Precision isn’t their kind of thing, but… they happen to have tactics of getting up close and personal … since they sport camouflage.
Establishing themes like that could go a long way.
Humanity has a thing for precision weapons. Getting up close and personal is a problem since their foes are a lot stronger.
Personally not sure why UNSC has a shotgun as a weapon lol. And why they have such an inaccurate main weapon.
Pistol makes sense thou…
etc etc…
edit: also covie weapons have homing capabilities.

18

> 2533274819446242;12:
> > 2535438636443468;11:
> > > 2535426049673361;8:
> > > Sure, more variety is always good
> >
> > The problem is, I’m not actually sure that more variety IS good. If there is one thing that I have learned, its that the Halo franchise has suffered dramatically due to a growing call for more weapons and gear. 343 expanded on this and look where that got them. CE had the best and most balanced weapon sandbox, and yet it had the fewest amount of them. Halo 2 had pretty iffy balancing due to the new Energy Sword, Beam Rifle, Battle Rifle, SMG, and Dual Wielding as a whole in MP. In order to give the other weapons a spotlight, Bungie had so weaken/strip/remove many important weapons.
> >
> > Example: Can someone PLEASE explain to me the exact purpose that the Beam Rifle had in the sandbox besides being a weird Sniper Rifle?
> > Example: Can someone PLEASE explain to me why the tiny SMG is chosen over the AR for a suppression role other than to simply show off the new Dual Wielding mechanic?
> > Example: Can someone PLEASE explain to me why the magnum wasn’t good enough, and Bungie had to make an entirely new weapon for the exact same role, and strip the magnum in the process? AND removing the AR so as not to cause TOO much trouble for the newbie, despite the fact that the two have completely different roles?
> >
> > The Energy Sword WAS pretty cool though…BUT can someone PLEASE explain to me why Bungie had to make the sword OP in the process, giving you the ability to YEET yourself across the ENTIRE MAP like an OP JEDI!
> >
> > Then in Halo 3, the Plasma Rifle was replaced by the Brute Spiker, and has been competing with it ever since! All because people were getting bored with the weapon and NEEDED A CHANGE!
> >
> > Halo 4 DID NOT EVEN INCLUDE IT AT ALL! All because they had to create weapons for the U.N.S.C, Covenant, and Promethean’s!
> >
> > I mainly HATE the Promethean’s because, even though they look cool, they are SANDBOX KILLERS. Do you want to know the reason? 343 wanted to give these guys some cool weapons, but they had already made so many others that they simply made them copy’s of other guns, just with a twist.
> >
> > Example: Scattershot, completely useless, just a weird shotgun that turns people into glowing radioactive corn-flakes!
> > Example: Light Rifle, completely useless, just a freaky DMR that turns people into rad-filled-just your normal cereal nowadays-corn-flakes!
> >
> > Do you see my point?
> >
> > I however have come up with a solution, we make the weapons unique in their respective roles, but give them different models depending on the faction.
> >
> > Example: A Scatter Shot has the exact same stats as a Shotgun, it just is what the Promethean’s use instead, in multiplayer, you can make it so that if you pick up a Shotgun, it always appears as a Scatter Shot. This allows for more specialized weapons to return us to a more balanced world, making it so that we go back the good old CE days where not every weapon was good at everything. This makes weapons more interesting as a whole. And with my new solution, you wouldn’t get bored from the limited amount of weapons with different stats.
> >
> > The only problem I see with this is that they would have to make a lot more models to fit every faction’s aesthetic.
> >
> > But anyways, sorry for raving, what do you guys think of my idea?
> >
> > Also, in my view the Storm Rifle should go, and the Plasma Repeater should become a burst weapon that has the exact same stats as the Battle Rifle.
>
> I was with right until the end there. We don’t actually have to settle for either the status quo or lean even harder into reskins. If we recognize the problem is that there are too many weapons with overlapping roles, then the most straightforward solution is to replace/redesign problem weapons rather than throw our hands up and just resort to model swaps.
>
> Naturally replacing and redesigning a good chunk of weapons is not a simple task, but I think there are enough weapons and designs scattered across Halo’s history that we can build a fully fleshed out sandbox with true diversity without loosing too many weapons in the process. We don’t have to settle for the Beam Rifle(or something even more like a sniper rifle) when we could just as easily have the Focus Rifle, for example.

I was mainly speaking for If Playable Elites or even Playable Promethean’s became a thing. However, I see now that in order to achieve the CE sandbox, no weapon can be the same. Halo 2 violated this and ever since we have been fighting a losing battle. I think I will edit my comment due to your advice. Thanks, may we help save the sandbox together.

19

yes I think 343 has deleted that and of course there are taking away one of the most “iconic” weapon as Hidden Xperia would say. and now since 343 was making halo better I think this weapon and the brute variant. and i would be very happy if dual wielding makes a come back

20

I get that the Storm Rifle was made to be beefy so that it could be visually comparable to the Assault Rifle to better telegraph its role in the sandbox, but the Plasma Rifle is too iconic to drop. I hope it comes back.