Hello everyone, I haven’t been on any Halo forums in years, but was feeling nostalgic and thought I’d come by. I was looking on an old external hard drive backup from a computer that shorted out on me years ago, and I found some neat files, including a lot of Halo content. Specifically, a lot of Halo 3 content. One of the things I found was a long write up I did about the Brute Shot for a forum in the past. The information is probably dated, but I wanted to share it and see if anyone else had any opinions on anything I presented within it, or within this post. Thank you for coming by, I hope to take part in more discussions.
Also bare in mind that this was close to a decade ago, so some of the phrasing is hilariously cringe.
Wulfy’s Advanced Brute Shot Tactics
I would like to start off with a disclaimer. I’m in no way condoning the use of the Brute Shot by any individual, other than myself, unless in extreme situations. The Brute Shot is much harder to use properly than the average weapon, and improper usage can result in the user dying unnecessarily, and wasted ammunition in a gun that is powerful, but not ammo-efficient. That being said, proper usage of the Brute Shot can be a great way to help your team out in a pinch, or claim a few effective kills in a free-for-all.
The Brute Shot is not, I repeat, NOT a power weapon. Power weapons are those that have the capability to kill an opponent in one shot/hit. This includes the Shotgun, Rocket Launcher, Sniper Rifle, and a number of other weapons. The Brute Shot is properly labeled a support weapon, and that is exactly what an individual must keep in mind at all times. The first section will be entirely devoted to anti-infantry usage.
Each blast from the Brute Shot does roughly 35 damage, including the splash damage. This means that it requires four body-blows to completely kill the 115 HP Spartan or Elite, but this is actually a bit of overkill. Unless you actually want to get it as your tool of destruction, then it is actually best to use two shots, which completely drops the opponent’s shields, then switch to the Battle Rifle, etc. for an easy kill that requires less effort. On top of all this, the Brute Shot has a substantial melee bonus, more of one than any other weapon in the game, save for the Energy Sword. Average weapons do a total of 70 damage per melee, which is enough to completely drop an opponent’s shields. Some weapons do a bit more, such as the Rocket Launcher and Spartan Laser. The Brute Shot does a total of 85 damage with it’s melee. This isn’t much, but it is enough to allow one the upper hand in a punch-out the majority of the time. It also allows one to fire one shot and melee to claim a kill. This, although not as effective as the Mauler or Plasma Pistol (two other non-power weapons with shot/bop capabilities), still makes it a very effective close-range weapon. The Brute Shot also seems to melee faster than other weapons, although this may not be true.
Several combos can effectively be pulled off with the Brute Shot and another weapon. The good news that these combos can be used with either weapon hitting first. The most simple combo that can be pulled off is the good old-fashioned Frag-Grenade/Single-Shot. It’s a great way to set an around-the-corner trap in a free-for-all, or to clean out those annoying campers. Another great combo is with the Sniper Rifle or Beam Rifle. A body shot from either will allow one to get a one-shot kill with the Brute Shot. This also works the other way around. The latter is my personal favorite.
Now, I shall discuss the most important aspect of Brute Shot usage. I’m speaking, of course, of vehicle destruction. When facing light vehicles, there are several tactics which must be utilized, or certain death is the only prize one will receive for their efforts. First off, the Brute Shot is best used as an ambush weapon. Positioning oneself above or below the vehicle will enable the user to pummel the fool with gravity-defying impunity. However, the damage a Brute Shot does to vehicles is minor at best, and help is often required to finish anything larger than a Mongoose. In fact, it is often fool-hardy to strike the vehicle with the projectiles at all, and they are best used as a way to flip or disable it. Place a shot directly underneath or beside a Warthog or Mongoose, and watch as they flip and fly uncontrollably. At this point, it is often best to stick the vehicle with a Plasma or Spike Grenade, or have your teammates place a few frag grenades under the flipped vehicle. Switching to an alternate weapon is also advisable, as the reloading takes too long to do much good. This is very dangerous for the Brute Shot user, and it is important that his teammates be available to finish the fight should the extremely powerful Warthog Turret kill him before he can react. When facing Ghosts or Choppers, it is unwise to go for a direct attack, and the only way to do any real damage is by striking the actual driver from the side or, once again, from above. It is inadvisable to take on tanks, as their armor is too strong, or flying vehicles since the projectiles move too slowly and lack the range to do much good.