Hey all,
A look at my recent game history will confirm this fact: I am terrible at maps that require CQC.
I tend to go positive on large maps where I can gather power weapons, defend a strategic point of the map, and pick off weak targets. I tend to go negative on small maps when people are rushing everywhere. My time between deaths usually feels like just a few seconds, I get increasingly pissed off, and by the end the best I can usually hope to do is break even.
So, anyone have any tips on getting better in CQC? I freaking hate it and try to avoid it, but it’s not always possible.
Close quarters is one of my weaker parts of play as well, unless i’m holding onto a Scattershot/Shotgun. I will say that up close and personal makes me nervous, so I tend to use Mobility and Thrusters to avoid all up close combat and retreat to a position where I can make the calculated shots from afar; generally in a place that allows me to escape again from CQC if necessary. But I digress…
In terms of CQC, I find that the AR/SR/Suppressor really don’t stand a chance against most of the rifles/other weapons unless you get a jump on the opponent. Combining this with Active Camo can help you get that jump more easily. Another thing to consider is always having a boltshot and getting good with it. Or, a cheaper route: use the plasma grenade; I can’t tell you how many times I die from someone pooping out one of these bad boys at the last second.
So yeah, theres my advice: Always try to get the jump in close quarters, or get out of there ASAP.
Here are a few tenets that I live by in CQC.
- If you’re in close always go for a melee finish. i.e. Two shots with the BR then finish with the melee.
- Throw a frag 'nade where your opponent in the direction they are heading and blast away with the AR.
- If you know you’re going down, chuck a Plasma 'nade to the face of your adversary. Cheap but effective.
- The AR is amazing at close range. The key is to know the maximum distance that someone can be away from but yet staying in the weapons max effective range.
- Use a Pulse 'nade or two to funnel people thru choke points on the map.
- Strafe and jump.
- Turning and running is not a ‘cowardly’ tactic. It’s smart if you know you’re at a disadvantage.
- If you enjoy camping… then active camo and bolt shot.
CQB in Halo is inherently random and largely depends on who has the weapon that kills the fastest up close.
However, I highly suggest learning to use the boltshot effectively. It supplements a precision weapon primary very well by basically giving you a shotgun secondary. The only downside to the boltshot is it’s actually fairly difficult to use. Despite all the hate it gets, it’s nice to have a CQB weapon that requires some skill to use and punishes you heavily for missing your first shot.
You can’t clear a room with the boltshot like a shotty, but you can win a 1v1 fight up close with it if used properly.
What maps in particular do you have the most problems with? Almost all 4v4 maps require CQC of some sort.
Judging from your stats, you are a better player than I am, so I’m not necessarily sure I have any right to speak. But I’ll give it a shot and if you find it helpful, great.
I love CQC. I play deliberately to get in close quarters (though I’m trying to do LR commendations now, so that kinda hurts CQC opportunities lolz). And I’ve done a lot of it . . . #12 on Halo Tracker for Slayer melee kills and I’m getting close to my goal of having melee as my favorite weapon (4,000 melee kills and climbing). I don’t camp, I don’t use active camo, and I don’t use the BS (maybe 10 total BS kills . . . not sure). You don’t need those things.
For me, the successful approach to CQC starts with using grenades a bit differently and viewing bullets only as a prelude to a punch. My tips:
- Stickies are good for maps with vertical clearance. I like to jump over their heads and throw it down just before I pass over. More successful sticking that way.
- Frags are good for low ceilings and tight hallways. The jump-over-head doesn’t seem to work as well. I usually keep one in reserve during CQC and let it go when my shields pop. Many kills and multikills from the grave that way (especially in 1-v-many situations).
- Above all, if you know or strongly suspect that you’re going to end up in a CQC situation, grenades are precious. Don’t throw grenades too early in the hopes of knocking their shields down a DMR shot’s worth or two. You need to make sure you can actually get TO him before his shields come back up. And because random things happen during CQC all the time, it helps the K/D ratio to have one available to drop when you’re about to die.
- If the situation starts at CQC range, jumping is more effective than side-to-side strafing. Side-to-side keeps you out of melee range and keeps you focused on using your gun, which isn’t what you want. So if you charge and use timed jumps as your strafe, you can punch him in the head on your way down. Obviously, if the situation starts at medium ranges or longer, then this tactic is just suicide.
- In team-v-team situations that you know are going to end up in CQC (like in the hallways on Adrift), let your teammates shoot at the guy in front. You shoot at anyone behind him. And when it gets close enough, charge and jump and punch the guys behind. Your teammates will take care of the one in front, and the ones in back generally don’t expect that kind of move . . . so they shoot when they should be punching. Advantage: you.
- Don’t chase for a melee kill, unless you’re deliberately trying for assassinations. Instead, shoot him in the back, get him to turn around, and by that time, you’re usually close enough to finish with a punch. On tight maps, you must do this quickly, because his teammates are close. Shoot, shoot, punch, run.
- Don’t bother aiming for the head. It’s habit for a lot of folks, but completely unnecessary in CQC. Just land bullets on him and punch. When a CQC situation approaches, I try to keep my gun aimed well below HS height because it makes landing the shots during the jump easier. Can’t afford to miss, otherwise you just pop his shields.
- Once you get the timing down, thruster pack in 1v1 situations is awesome. Shoot, shoot, thrust, punch. He won’t be prepared for the punch because he thinks he’s in a gun battle . . . but you know differently. And of course it’s good for the surprise situations when you both round the same corner unexpectedly.
I think the biggest thing with CQC (for me, anyway) is to treat your gun as a way to achieve a 1-punch kill. If you do that - since most folks seem to view melee as the just-in-case option - you’ll get your punch off that fraction of a second earlier while he’s still trying to land that last headshot.
Also remember that in close quarters, jumping can be much more effective than sideways movement because of the difference in the horizontal and vertical sensitivity of the controller. Vertical response is much slower, and that becomes more and more useful to exploit the closer you are.
Lastly, suicide stickers will frustrate you still, but if you keep your feet off the ground well enough, many of their stickies will pass harmlessly beneath you.
thruster. pack.
dexterity.
ALWAYS use frags. trust me. you will get far more kills in the long run if you learn to toss a grenade under an opponent or off a wall as he’s coming around the corner and then simply headshot.
Learn to see when the opponent shield is ready to get hit. If you can tell when, you can melee the enemy once and kill them. I find the best way to do this is to use the AR, and when the shield gets bright, hit them.
If you primarily like gunning into the crowd of AR’s from afar, you should go with a Carbine or BR Primary.
Then, because you inevitably WILL be rushed, you need a good CQC secondary. (If you don’t use Firepower)
Your best choices are:
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Boltshot- pretty self-explanatory. If you see someone coming at you, hide, swap, charge, and blast. If the first shot doesn’t kill swap to your primary or pop a few more rounds into them for the headshot.
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Plasma Pistol- not as obvious, but about as useful. An extremely effective and fast tactic is to EMP and then immediately melee your target. Plus there’s noob-combo.
What controller scheme do you play on?
Bumper Jumper, if you can get used to it, provides a huge advantage as it allows you to look / melee / jump / shoot all at the same time. Once I started using the control scheme in Halo 3, I found all CQC much easier to dominate, especially against players who do not have this advantage.
Also, those who cannot stand Bumper Jumper players will also attest to the fact that jumping around like a maniac makes you rather difficult to kill at times 
best of luck to you, and I hope this thread has helped you out and given you some new ideas!
-Bravo
Whoa you got a response from Bravo, groovy!
bravo, while your here could you tell us if the PW and vehicle spawns will be fixed in the near future?
Another thing that isn’t as obvious: Controller Sensitivity plays a huge difference in CQB maneuverability. The higher it goes, the easier it becomes to outmaneuver your opponent. It’s all a matter of finding a number that’s high, that you can still handle.
Hard to tell you exactly how to win CQC. But i can name some tools that would help. Camo, Bolt shot, stickies, automatics.
Honestly don’t be shy to melee. Its still a reason why my CQC isn’t up and up. I’d rather kill with my gun then my fist. But really don’t be shy. chances are if your still alive within 3 seconds of the fight you’ve probably put enough shots into him to finish with a melee.
Another really important tip is learning when and when not to push your opponent. Running into a cqc fight puts you at a huge disadvantage. Look for signs like him pausing to reload. That would be a nice time to bounce a frag or move in. If his shields are weak that’s another good time to push or if someone else joins the fight and he moves to the other player.
Remember you control the fight. It doesn’t have to end asap. If he decides to sprint off DO NOT sprint after. Chasing always puts you at a disadvantage. You can run after but if you lose line of sight stop sprinting and swivel around the corner. People love waiting by the corner to get a jump.
Hope this helps.
> What controller scheme do you play on?
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> Bumper Jumper, if you can get used to it, provides a huge advantage as it allows you to look / melee / jump / shoot all at the same time. Once I started using the control scheme in Halo 3, I found all CQC much easier to dominate, especially against players who do not have this advantage.
>
> Also, those who cannot stand Bumper Jumper players will also attest to the fact that jumping around like a maniac makes you rather difficult to kill at times best of luck to you, and I hope this thread has helped you out and given you some new ideas!
>
> -Bravo
I’ve wanted to switch to Bumper Jumper for about 2 years now, but I’m always too scared to take the inevitable hit that it’s going to put on my stats while learning the new setup. I currently get destroyed by people who seem to be using Bumper Jumper, though.
I also get wrecked by people with much better situational awareness than myself. There’s nothing more humiliating and infuriating than being right behind someone, going for the assassination, only to have them jump up and behind you to assassinate you. I don’t know how you can develop that keen of an awareness of your radar to pull that off.
When I get in CQC range, I become an absolute idiot, lose track of where people are, and often get double melee’d to death by someone that I got the first melee on, which is pretty sad.
- CQC is all about combos. Be aware of how many shots it takes to lower an opponent to a 1 hit melee; here’s a brief rundown:
BR - 2
DMR - 3
LR (scoped) - 2
LR (unscoped) - 3
Carbine -5?
Magnum - 3
Plasma Pistol - 3
> Plasma Pistol- not as obvious, but about as useful (as the Bolt shot). An extremely effective and fast tactic is to EMP and then immediately melee your target. Plus there’s noob-combo.
I find the PP better for spamming as it is a very fast 3-shot melee. If you are accurate with your shots it is faster than the Magnum. I have a clip in my fileshare where I got an Overkill doing this. If you’re interested it is called “Thrusters of Doom.”
Automatics are a bit trickier as you have to watch their shields.
- As far as AA’s are concerned Thruster Pack, Hard Light Shield and Hologram are all solid choices.
Thruster Pack allows you to make unexpected movements.
Hologram allows you to fake out the enemy when going in for a melee. If you can get them to melee first (and miss) you will have a huge advantage. You can also duck behind cover briefly and send out a Hologram. This will make your opponent mess up most of the time but only briefly. Use this to your advantage.
Hard Light Shield is really only useful if there are other players around. If you are at a disadvantage don’t be afraid to take cover. Quite often your opponent will divert their attention to another player. This will give you a window of opportunity to make your move (FFA) or let your teammate clean up what you started (Team). A HLS can be useful in 1v1 situations as you can deflect your opponents projectiles back at them. To do this aim your shield somewhere between 30 and 45 degrees off of your opponent. This works particularly well against automatic weapons, just beware of grenades and melee attacks (not that you can do much you’re pretty vulnerable).
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Don’t forget to use grenades. All three can be useful, although I prefer Frags or Pulse grenades for CQC. Frags can be bounced off of walls and floors. Pulse grenades on the other hand, stick to anything and deal instant damage very similar to a melee attack.
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Last but not least: Don’t get predictable. Your opponents will be able to pick up on your tactics and adapt. Use a variety of techniques to keep them off balance.
> Also, those who cannot stand Bumper Jumper players will also attest to the fact that jumping around like a maniac makes you rather difficult to kill at times best of luck to you, and I hope this thread has helped you out and given you some new ideas!
I am one of these players, however I don’t have a problem with BJ in CQC because I don’t usually go for headshots.
Hope this helps.
I’m a Recon user, but I do the claw thing with my controller, so I can look around and melee inherently.
In Halo 4, Thruster Pack and Dexterity are your CQC friends. An Assault Rifle and a Magnum for back-up will help, too.
Get up close, pop’em with the AR for a few rounds, right up until their shield looks like it’s going to pop, and then hit them with a melee. If they aren’t dead and you’re quick enough, you can hit them with a second melee, or if you want style points (You want style points, right?) quick switch to your Magnum (this is where Dexterity helps, but not the only place where it will help) and pop’em in the head.
Thruster Pack will help you dodge some BR rounds and help you close the gap making your weapons and your melee a whole lot more effective. With the speed increase, the Thruster Pack is inherently better. Give it a try!
It’s hard to be a Big Boss or Solid Snake in this game…but you’ll be the next best thing that Halo can offer.
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> > Plasma Pistol- not as obvious, but about as useful (as the Bolt shot). An extremely effective and fast tactic is to EMP and then immediately melee your target. Plus there’s noob-combo.
>
> I find the PP better for spamming as it is a very fast 3-shot melee. If you are accurate with your shots it is faster than the Magnum. I have a clip in my fileshare where I got an Overkill doing this.
I was talking about when you know someone is coming, so you move towards them, charge up your pistol, and the moment they round the corner you EMP-punch! them.
Was not aware the a melee kill only requires 3 shots. That’s pretty good. :3
Use a look sensitivity of ten if you can control it or at least higher if you can. It helps when enemies try to turn around.
> Be aware of how many shots it takes to lower an opponent to a 1 hit melee; here’s a brief rundown:
>
> BR - 2
> DMR - 3
> LR (scoped) - 2
> LR (unscoped) - 3
> Carbine -5?
> Magnum - 3
> Plasma Pistol - 3
Thanks for this. I think I’ve been putting in an extra shot with my BR and DMR (the two weapons on that list I use the most often by far) before going for a melee, which probably ends with me getting beat down just before I can get the kill. Super helpful!