On the Subject of Weapons in Halo 4

Games Other Halo
1

As of right now, we have no idea what the UNSC or Covenant’s involvement in Halo 4 will be. They could be major players or they could only be referenced a few times, we don’t know. We can only speculate and guess what weapons and vehicles will be in Halo 4. One thing is for sure, though, we will see a lot of Forerunner technology in the Reclaimer Trilogy.

Without knowing the UNSC’s involvement in Halo 4, it is likely that we probably won’t see many of the weapons that were in past Halo games. That’s not saying there won’t be new models of old concepts such as the DMR > BR > New UNSC “Rifleman” weapon", or the assault rifle series.

In actual human history, technology advances greatly during wartime and even during post-wartime, both offensive and defensive. This can also be applied to the Halo universe. Since the end of the war in 2552, it is a canonical fact that human technology has advanced greatly in the post-Covenant-Human War era, as proven in Halo: Glasslands with the UNSC Infinity, a new ship that incorporates Forerunner, Covenant, and UNSC technology.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the reverse-engineered Covenant energy shield technology was somehow mass-produced for the average soldier in the UNSC, either. But that’s purely speculation.

We do know, however, that a new model of the iconic Warthog will be in Halo 4, as shown in Forza 4. I think it’s also safe to assume that other UNSC vehicles have gotten some sort of upgrades since the end of the war. With humanity at it’s weakest, the drive for stronger offensive and defensive capabilities is stronger than ever, and without the looming threat of an inevitable attack by a far superior force, the unstable peace time would allow for new weapons and vehicles and other technology to be developed.

So I think it’s logical to assume that there would probably be a new model DMR/ BR, or assault rifle.

Can’t exactly say the same for the Covenant, or at least the Sangheili. It is common knowledge that the Covenant assimilated member species technology, and that the Prophets developed the weapons that incorporated Forerunner technology (Cole Protocol). So without the Prophets and the cohesiveness of the Covenant to develop weaponry, the Sangheili, at least, might have a difficult time developing new technology.

But considering the Sangheili are, like humanity, a very war-focused race, they might be able to develop technology for themselves that is unique to their species.

Now, given John’s predicament in Halo 4 and without knowing the extent of the UNSC’s involvement in Halo 4, I doubt we’ll see many UNSC weapons in that respect. The Dawn is wrecked and unless the ship’s armory was located in the aft section floating toward the Forerunner planetoid (and even then, assuming they haven’t floated out into space), there’s probably not many, if not any, UNSC weapons on the Dawn.

Then you have to consider the fact that concept art as shown the Dawn crashed.

So considering all this, sorry BR-lovers, your beloved weapon probably won’t be in Halo 4. Even if it was, it probably wouldn’t be the same as it was in Halo 2/3, then you have to take in possible mechanics that might affect how it performs. Then take into consideration weapon balance and etc…

2

> possible mechanics that might affect how it performs such as Reticle Bloom.

Please 343, don’t put bloom in. I don’t care what guns are in the game. I just want my shots to go where I aim them.

3

> > possible mechanics that might affect how it performs such as Reticle Bloom.
>
> Please 343, don’t put bloom in. I don’t care what guns are in the game. I just want my shots to go where I aim them.

Do not derail this thread into a bloom-hate thread.

4

> > > possible mechanics that might affect how it performs such as Reticle Bloom.
> >
> > Please 343, don’t put bloom in. I don’t care what guns are in the game. I just want my shots to go where I aim them.
>
> Do not derail this thread into a bloom-hate thread.

I’m not. It doesn’t even annoy me that much anymore (probably because I quit multiplayer).

5

I just hope the UNSC keeps projectile based weapons and doesn’t have a bunch of stuff like smaller Spartan Lasers and all that. While it would make sense, I happen to enjoy using guns with bullets rather than energy based weapons. Gives them a better feeling of power when you shoot them. Not saying that the Spartan Laser was weak or anything, but I’m basing that conclusion off of games like Fallout 3 where it just felt like you pressed the trigger and air came flying out.

6

> > > > possible mechanics that might affect how it performs such as Reticle Bloom.
> > >
> > > Please 343, don’t put bloom in. I don’t care what guns are in the game. I just want my shots to go where I aim them.
> >
> > Do not derail this thread into a bloom-hate thread.
>
> I’m not. It doesn’t even annoy me that much anymore (probably because I quit multiplayer).

Bloom will kill Halo 4 multiplayer. I hate shooting and missing because of some random mechanic. By the way, expressing a common sentiment against a popularly hated mechanic is not by any means “derailing a thread”. If you didn’t want users debating and commenting on bloom, you should not have mentioned it in your original post.

7

> > > > > possible mechanics that might affect how it performs such as Reticle Bloom.
> > > >
> > > > Please 343, don’t put bloom in. I don’t care what guns are in the game. I just want my shots to go where I aim them.
> > >
> > > Do not derail this thread into a bloom-hate thread.
> >
> > I’m not. It doesn’t even annoy me that much anymore (probably because I quit multiplayer).
>
> Bloom will kill Halo 4 multiplayer. I hate shooting and missing because of some random mechanic. By the way, expressing a common sentiment against a popularly hated mechanic is not by any means “derailing a thread”. If you didn’t want users debating and commenting on bloom, you should not have mentioned it in your original post.

So if I mentioned Mudkips once in my OP, Pokemon would be open to discussion in this thread? No, it would not. This isn’t a discussion about bloom. This is a discussion about the actual weapons. Do not attempt to derail my thread into a bloom-hate thread again, there’s enough of that cancer plaguing these forums already.

8

Of course UNSC weapons will be in Halo 4. They will come from the frigate Chief is on. I can’t remember who said this, but I think it was Frank , so…

I don’t know about Halo 5+ though. Maybe the signal Cortana sent out at the end of Halo 3 will result in UNSC troops/ships being in future games. Its possible.

I wouldn’t mind seeing some Elites/Grunts/Jackals/ANY THING BUT BRUTES again.

9

If the precision weapons are hitscan (without bloom obviously) I’m happy. The rest doesn’t really matter to me.

10

> > > > > > possible mechanics that might affect how it performs such as Reticle Bloom.
> > > > >
> > > > > Please 343, don’t put bloom in. I don’t care what guns are in the game. I just want my shots to go where I aim them.
> > > >
> > > > Do not derail this thread into a bloom-hate thread.
> > >
> > > I’m not. It doesn’t even annoy me that much anymore (probably because I quit multiplayer).
> >
> > Bloom will kill Halo 4 multiplayer. I hate shooting and missing because of some random mechanic. By the way, expressing a common sentiment against a popularly hated mechanic is not by any means “derailing a thread”. If you didn’t want users debating and commenting on bloom, you should not have mentioned it in your original post.
>
> So if I mentioned Mudkips once in my OP, Pokemon would be open to discussion in this thread? No, it would not. This isn’t a discussion about bloom. This is a discussion about the actual weapons. Do not attempt to derail my thread into a bloom-hate thread again, there’s enough of that cancer plaguing these forums already.

Discussion about bloom is hardly a cancer or a plague, and if you had mentioned mudkips in your original post, of course they would be open to discussion. That’s how conversations work.

Bloom significantly effects how the “actual weapons” perform and so is directly related. As it has previously failed as a mechanic in Reach, of course it would be open to discussion on a thread about weapons in the next installation in the Halo series, especially when players are paranoid about its implementation. Your attempts to control the subject are unsettling, to say the least.

11

> As of right now, we have no idea what the UNSC or Covenant’s involvement in Halo 4 will be. They could be major players or they could only be referenced a few times, we don’t know. We can only speculate and guess what weapons and vehicles will be in Halo 4. One thing is for sure, though, we will see a lot of Forerunner technology in the Reclaimer Trilogy.
>
> Without knowing the UNSC’s involvement in Halo 4, it is likely that we probably won’t see many of the weapons that were in past Halo games. That’s not saying there won’t be new models of old concepts such as the DMR > BR > New UNSC “Rifleman” weapon", or the assault rifle series.
>
> In actual human history, technology advances greatly during wartime and even during post-wartime, both offensive and defensive. This can also be applied to the Halo universe. Since the end of the war in 2552, it is a canonical fact that human technology has advanced greatly in the post-Covenant-Human War era, as proven in Halo: Glasslands with the UNSC Infinity, a new ship that incorporates Forerunner, Covenant, and UNSC technology.
>
> I wouldn’t be surprised if the reverse-engineered Covenant energy shield technology was somehow mass-produced for the average soldier in the UNSC, either. But that’s purely speculation.
>
> We do know, however, that a new model of the iconic Warthog will be in Halo 4, as shown in Forza 4. I think it’s also safe to assume that other UNSC vehicles have gotten some sort of upgrades since the end of the war. With humanity at it’s weakest, the drive for stronger offensive and defensive capabilities is stronger than ever, and without the looming threat of an inevitable attack by a far superior force, the unstable peace time would allow for new weapons and vehicles and other technology to be developed.
>
> So I think it’s logical to assume that there would probably be a new model DMR/ BR, or assault rifle.
>
> Can’t exactly say the same for the Covenant, or at least the Sangheili. It is common knowledge that the Covenant assimilated member species technology, and that the Prophets developed the weapons that incorporated Forerunner technology (Cole Protocol). So without the Prophets and the cohesiveness of the Covenant to develop weaponry, the Sangheili, at least, might have a difficult time developing new technology.
>
> But considering the Sangheili are, like humanity, a very war-focused race, they might be able to develop technology for themselves that is unique to their species.
>
> Now, given John’s predicament in Halo 4 and without knowing the extent of the UNSC’s involvement in Halo 4, I doubt we’ll see many UNSC weapons in that respect. The Dawn is wrecked and unless the ship’s armory was located in the aft section floating toward the Forerunner planetoid (and even then, assuming they haven’t floated out into space), there’s probably not many, if not any, UNSC weapons on the Dawn.
>
> Then you have to consider the fact that concept art as shown the Dawn crashed.
>
> So considering all this, sorry BR-lovers, your beloved weapon probably won’t be in Halo 4. Even if it was, it probably wouldn’t be the same as it was in Halo 2/3, then you have to take in possible mechanics that might affect how it performs such as Reticle Bloom. Then take into consideration weapon balance and etc…

If you want to look at actual facts, here is in interview with Frankie some time ago: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q0JEX_R3Zo where he explains the chief will find certain weaponry from his frigate which he was drifting on at the end of Halo 3. This implies that there will be at least a considerable amount of carry over of UNSC weaponry from H3 to H4.

Secondly, if you look at the canon of the story, it would make no sense to incorporate entirely new UNSC weapons or weapon mechanics. While we do not know if there is UNSC involvement in this story, we do know he is using weapons from the frigate, which means they would be the exact same weapons with the exact same mechanics as H3. While they may not operate identically, implementing radical changes such as Bloom or changing their function just wouldn’t make sense in terms of the canon.

Thirdly, from a canon perspective, Bloom, Armour abilities, the DMR are all a part of Reach. These features were unique to Reach spartans alone. When they all died, so did those abilities and weapons. It was a different plot, different time, different storyline, different place, and had different characters. It would make NO SENSE AT ALL for the chief to have a DMR, or his weapons to have any mechanics or traits which were incorporated in Reach.

Finally if you look at the progression or evolution of weaponry and mechanics from CE to 2 or 2 to 3, the changes made were marginal, the largest being the inclusion of the BR. The changes from 2 to 3 were even smaller. If 343 follow along the path in the correct chronological order (which they likely will) it is likely we shall see the return of the BR, similar game mechanics, weaponry etc. with obvious changes to accommodate the new story and setting.

Bloom would kill H4, and seeing how you posted it initially, we can talk about it. It’s a discussion thread. I highly doubt it will be used.

12

I also dont care about weapons as long as there is a good pistol like halo CE but no bloom abouslutly no bloom.

13

> I just hope the UNSC keeps projectile based weapons and doesn’t have a bunch of stuff like smaller Spartan Lasers and all that. While it would make sense, I happen to enjoy using guns with bullets rather than energy based weapons. Gives them a better feeling of power when you shoot them. Not saying that the Spartan Laser was weak or anything, but I’m basing that conclusion off of games like Fallout 3 where it just felt like you pressed the trigger and air came flying out.

I don’t think the UNSC would make such a huge leap from ballistic projectiles to something like laser-based weaponry, maybe over a longer span of time. There’s too many weapons and ammunition in circulation to make that leap. I imagine weapons like the Spartan Laser will remain heavy anti-vehicle weapons or maybe even be incorporated into ship-board systems.

The UNSC will probably do research into plasma-based weaponry, also. Given how canonically superior it is to the UNSC defenses… Didn’t Cortana actually make the Covenant plasma weaponry better when she and Chief and the other soldiers were aboard that one Covenant cruiser?

14

well the UNSC and covenant are probelly recovering and rebuilding from there long hard fought war some new prophet might take truths place the elites are probelly deciding on what to do next and resolving their own issues while the master chief wonders where the hell he is and the unsc might have sent a search for the chief at his last known location.

15

> The UNSC will probably do research into plasma-based weaponry, also. Given how canonically superior it is to the UNSC defenses… Didn’t Cortana actually make the Covenant plasma weaponry better when she and Chief and the other soldiers were aboard that one Covenant cruiser?

I think I remember reading somewhere that the “Covenant didn’t completely understand the technology they were using, and because of this the technology was never used at it’s full potential.”

16

> > I just hope the UNSC keeps projectile based weapons and doesn’t have a bunch of stuff like smaller Spartan Lasers and all that. While it would make sense, I happen to enjoy using guns with bullets rather than energy based weapons. Gives them a better feeling of power when you shoot them. Not saying that the Spartan Laser was weak or anything, but I’m basing that conclusion off of games like Fallout 3 where it just felt like you pressed the trigger and air came flying out.
>
> I don’t think the UNSC would make such a huge leap from ballistic projectiles to something like laser-based weaponry, maybe over a longer span of time. There’s too many weapons and ammunition in circulation to make that leap. I imagine weapons like the Spartan Laser will remain heavy anti-vehicle weapons or maybe even be incorporated into ship-board systems.
>
> The UNSC will probably do research into plasma-based weaponry, also. Given how canonically superior it is to the UNSC defenses… Didn’t Cortana actually make the Covenant plasma weaponry better when she and Chief and the other soldiers were aboard that one Covenant cruiser?

Whilst in the system of the captured Covenant flagship Ascendant Justice, Cortana managed to use the plasma turret as a sort of plasma scalpel or laser. It used up far more plasma and power, but was far more effective than the slow blobs of plasma normally fired by Covenant ships.