Just noting that the AR is basically a power weapon in ranked. In a 1:1 fight you can kill someone even at mid range without even being completely one shot.
The AR in Infinite is basically the SAW with less ammo per mag, it shreds people like cheap paper
That’s fine if it’s a map pickup, but it’s not something people should spawn with in its current form
The SAW was a power weapon that could kill in 0.77s in Halo 5. The AR is a default weapon that kills slower than 80% of the sandbox (when used optimally). That’s an unfounded comparison.
Is the AR worth picking up in ranked to beat a BR75 at short range? Absolutely, but that doesn’t make it a power weapon.
The AR kills almost a half second faster than the BR, and is faster than about half the sandbox. That combined with the forgiving nature of its ammo capacity and fire rate make it a weapon even pros use in high level tournaments
Pros use the AR? I though they GA’d it?
No, just the sword and mangler and drop weapon combo
Honestly most weapons are fairly balanced including ar
Yeah but you have to hit every shot. And even at a high onyx pro level it isn’t as forgiving ad you think.
*Within range. And the AR outranges the Bulldog quite easily.
And the Bulldog also requires meatshots in order to deal maximum damage, with every pellet hitting the body. If you’re smart, you keep your distance.
It’s a shotgun vs an assault rifle. Regardless of whether you hit a meatshot or not, bulldog claps the AR in close quarters easily. Out ranging the shotgun is how you win the gunfight.
So why can’t people do the same when fighting the AR? The BR outranges the AR pretty easily.
Optimally, however the AR has bloom therefore it is not realistic to be perfect with it. Unless you are using the AR at close range you won’t be getting that half second advantage.
This is false, the only weapons that the AR beats in terms of optimal TTK are the BR, Disruptor, Mangler, and the Hydra. 17 of 21 weapons will beat the AR in TTK when used optimally, 81%.
The consideration is based upon use cases. The Shotgun is only useful at extremely close-range for Meatshots. On PC in particular, where I’m basing this on, no Aim Assist makes the Bulldog substantially harder to use.
The AR, meanwhile, is effective at almost any range, with players utilizing it most effectively at Close and Medium range. There are reports of players using the AR to cross-map as well. So, except for the rare use-case, why would you ever drop your AR?
On a map like Bazar, the BR spawns in one spot per side half the time. It shares this spawn with the Commando. Aquarius shares this problem, as does virtually every other 4v4 map. This limits BR usage to, typically, one player per-side (if they get lucky and the Commando doesn’t spawn). The BR is also less useful on enclosed 4v4 maps, and it can be de-scoped by automatic fire from the AR.\
Firstly, the Sidekick is just as good as the MA40 AR (if not better) so there is little downside to trading out your AR for another weapon. The one thing the AR has on other weapons is ease of use, but every other weapon offers something better than the AR.
Without getting into the entire sandbox, I will just focus on your argument about the Bulldog vs AR. The Bulldog kills twice as fast as the AR in its effective range, so if you play strategically you have twice the power as an AR user. The real flaw in your argument on the AR being better than the Bulldog is you’re treating the two weapons like they are the only weapons in a player’s inventory when this simply isn’t the case.
It’s not like if I trade out my AR for a Bulldog I am forced to play only CQC, I still have my secondary weapon for engagements at longer ranges. So by trading an AR for a Bulldog I’ve significantly upgraded my firepower in CQC while losing nothing (again the Sidekick is just as effective as the AR, if not better).
Meatshot isn’t a term I hear often or really ever - what exactly do you mean by that?
Well, because, they have to make a case for the Bulldog being bad, but nobody actually, actually can.
Okay then use a sidekick.
I think you need to get better at it.
Then use a controller. I use a controller on PC.
Well that’s why I pack the AR and Bulldog together, duh. Drop the sidekick. The AR is busted to the point that the headshot bonus of the sidekick is not actually that useful to have over two powerful midrange options. But they CAN be outranged by the sidekick. That’s a very rare occurrence though. Most people don’t use the sidekick much. Not that they can’t. They just don’t.
Regardless…
Bulldog actually really good and not as hard to use as you say.
Sidekick genuinely viable though a bit of a lottery cannon.
AR is indeed overpowered. I have suggested these changes MULTIPLE times, somebody will someday listen.
=====
1: Increase damage per shot.
2: Remove headshot bonus entirely.
3: Reduce rate of fire.
4: Reduce magazine size.
5: Decrease base accuracy.
6: Reduce maximum spread.
This makes it a very consistent weapon. I imagine the goal here is to keep its TTK somewhere between its optimal and suboptimal. Still beating a BR at close range but definitely losing at long range.
The point is to have a weapon that is consistent and has ONE TTK and thus one optimal TTK. A weapon that is not useless, but is still a viable option that wins within its range bracket fairly often.
We need less lottery cannons in this game.
No disrespect with the following but…
It sounds like you’re saying you cannot reliably achieve optimal Bulldog TTK so the AR is the better choice. Yeah, if Bulldog TTK cannot be achieved reliably then the AR probably is the better choice. It is more forgiving to missed shots.
The problem I have here is, well, some people can reliably achieve optimal Bulldog TTK. They can hit 2 shots with the Bulldog/Heatwave, perfect with some level of consistency with the SK, even perfect with the AR. They can hit their shots, basically.
Now, before you get defensive… You mentioned input choice here. Well, you mentioned PC but controllers can be used on PC. Anyway… input choice does provide a bit of a loophole here. Assuming the game behavior makes the Bulldog and various alternative weapons to the AR so unreliable on MnK they are deemed to be “worse” as a general rule. The trouble is this suggests a problem related to aim mechanics, input type and/or AA implementation. Not sandbox design.
And yes, I do think it’s fair to say the AA implementation and aim mechanics in Infinite are lackluster. Granted, IMO most of the game systems and mechanics in Infinite are lackluster except maybe the concept of equipment. So I may be biased.
This isn’t true.
To put this perspective, a BR wouldn’t need a scope to keep up with the AR. This is because the BR’s effective hipfire range reaches farther than the AR’s smart-link range. BR, therefore, wins at range battles against an AR.
You’d drop an AR for either of these weapons:
All of these weapons have uses that are very powerful if used correctly. Firing off a pulse carbine burst and swapping to a headshot weapon for a cleanup happens to be a pretty powerful combo. It wouldn’t have the same effect if you were to swap the BR for an AR.
Because the AR takes 3 full shots to kill an unshielded opponent, you’d be putting yourself at a disadvantage for no reason.
You’d want to choose the BR.
This wouldn’t necessarily net you a win against a BR user. Remember, the BR’s effective hipfire range is larger than the AR’s.
blink
Okay, so not to throw shade but that’s a very clear “I really only play social” indication… You don’t actually think the scope is what makes the BR good, right? Because uh,
MOST kills with it are unscoped.
Put simply, no. AR is fine as it is.
The AR def needs a nerf, but so do many other weapons.
The AR is the most hurtful weapon in the game, ruining the casual gameplay and needs to have headshots removed and damage per shot reduced.
The BR needs no recoil and slow projectiles.
The sidekick needs no bloom and slow projectiles ( at all ranges ) with a slightly reduced ROF.
The entire sandbox is a mess. Overall, there needs to be less near-hitscan weapons. Recoil helps the BR, bloom makes the commando wildly inconsistent, and the sidekick fights can turn into randomized spam fests. The BR having a longer TTK than the AR because its the one precision weapon without bloom is a notion that would have most people playing during 3 and Reach in utter disbelief.
Slow projectiles is the catch-all answer to balancing range. Always has been. It gets a hell of a lot harder to cross-map when you’re needing to lead shots across a map, especially with the strafe as high in infinite. The Stalker Rifle is a pretty good example of this in practice. It’s got a hell of a lot of magnetism, but that aside, it has no bloom, little to no recoil, and requires leading at long range. It also feels pretty damn good up close. It’s the most “Halo” feeling weapon in the entire sandbox.
The AR isn’t supposed to be a mid-range dominating powerhouse. Beating out other guns on consistency alone. Missing a few shots with the AR won’t hurt your TTK too much, but with the Mangler, Bulldog, BR, Commando, and Sidekick? The Halo 3 AR sure did feel weak, I wont really argue that. It sounded weak as hell too, which honestly is partly where the entire notion it was a peashooter even comes from. The AR should be designed around the up-close combat Halo excels at. Tell me the H3 AR is weak when it paired with a Melee is one of the fastest ttk combos in the game.
It’s supposed to be the gun you pair with melee and grenades, not something you spray and aim at the head with.
Ar than melee spam was super cheese in 3 it took no skill.