I understand that the AR is a starter loadout weapon and it’s always meant to be sub-par, but to me it feels like a rubber band gun. Sure, at close-range it isn’t so bad, but run into someone with a Battle Rifle and 80% of the time, you’re going to be the one dying.
I’ve tried everything form weakening them with another weapon first (They always kill me before I can shoot my second weapon), I’ve tried EMPing, grenade-throwing, Hologram distractions, and the 80% is constant for me across these.
The icing on the cake is, I’m trying to unlock the Protector armor, meaning I’ll Have to get well over 1000 kills with it. This would be reasonable if getting AR kills wasn’t as rediculous as it is. I’ve looked on tip websites and articles and such, and through my own experience the best way to kill with it is to weaken them with the AR while moving in and finishing them with a melee; only thing is, melee kils have their own commendation and melee kills with the AR (to my knowledge) does not count towards AR mastery.
I’m not whining saying that the game is too hard, it’s just that the AR seems weaker in this game than it has ever been. In Reach and 3, I could kill moderately well with it. Anything else was better, but it owned close-range combat as long as the oponnent wasn’t skilled with the BR in close range or didn’t have a shotgun. Now I’m being easily killed in close-range by the BR and to a lesser extent the DMR. If the BR can kill better in close-range that the AR, then why is the AR even in the game? Not being exceptionally good in close range and always failing against a medium-range weapon removes it of its niche.
In my opinion, either it needs a damage/rate-of-fire buff, or the commendation needs adjusted. There are simply too many things that trump the AR in its own domain and make killing with the rifle itself and getting AR mastery a daunting task.
The Assault Rifle is REALLY good at close range, the only things that can reliably kill a good Assault Rifle user in close range is power weapons, grenade + headshot and the Promethean Assault Rifle. For mid-range, burst-fire will easyly kill most Spawn Weapon with the exception of the DMR and BR. Just fire in small burst and avoid large open area and you’ll make a lot of kills with that beast.
The Assault Rifle is easily the strongest it has ever been. I agree that the BR clearly beats it a lot of the time. But it should, its the BR. Just compare clip to clip with Reach. In Reach, it would take all the ammo to kill an enemy, while in 4 its possible to take down 2 people before reloading.
The Halo 4 assault rifle is the best incarnation of the weapon. Reach was too weak and Halo 3 was basically a nerfed version of Halo 4. I can’t say anything with Halo 1 since I don’t have multiplayer experience with it.
You will only get the best results using it at close range. It is a bit more forgiving at range than the Suppressor though. Using it with Firepower and the DMR/BR is a better option. 1000+ kills will take time though, you’ll just have to grind through it. You’re more likely to get assists at mid range with it than actual kills, so going for surefire close range kills is the better plan.
Really the AR is weak? It has to be my favorite load out wp and especially when your using dexterity. I got an over kill using the AR with no damage boost.
The AR is only good at close range. Even then, if you don’t miss a shot with your BR or DMR you won’t die. At Medium to Long Range, you’ll lose to a Marksman. The reason this is true is because they wanted to encourage you into switching to Long-Range/Skill Weapons.
It is balanced, but in a rather cruel way. They tried to help the casual crowd with the beef, but they balanced it kind of oddly. But, it IS a balance and it works. Again, don’t miss a shot at close range and you’ll kill them.
This is a problem with the maps, not the AR (it’s really strong close range, stronger than DMR or BR). They are all pretty big and open. There’s not many closed-off hallway maps like sword base and countdown, and no really small maps like midship and warlock. The AR is good on those kinds of maps, where the design of the map pushes you into close quarters a lot.
Oh, there’s more than one way to kill with the AR. You don’t have to finish with a melee attack. You can also weaken them with a grenade or plasma pistol and then use the AR. Or you can surprise them… camp behind a corner with invisibility on, and then attack when they get close, where you have the advantage.
I’d use this loadout:
Assault Rifle
Plasma Pistol (to take out shields fast)
Frag Grenade (because you can bounce them around corners)
Promethean Vision (to see exactly where people are walking, and easily throw nades in front of them)
Resupply (to spam grenades everywhere)
Explosives (to make them powerful)