I hear people complaining about some weapons being OP, mainly the Mangler and no mention of Needler. How is it not considered the most broken weapon in the game? I feel so broken it needs removed from the game until fixed.
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Needler’s tracking is really solid, to the point that it’s a really good weapon, but you have to make sure you can land a super combine explosion or you’re going to get wrecked.
If there’s enough cover to block most of the shots, or they don’t get really close to you ( needlers range is fairly bad compared to other guns ) you’re not going to get kills.
A lot of people in social are pretty dumb when it comes to fighting people running a needler. They allow themselves to get within it’s range where it excels in or don’t rely enough on cover while duking someone who is using one.
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It’s a powerful weapon with severe limitations.
Its biggest strength is that it’s quite easy to use, so in lower skilled lobbies it’s very effective but limited by a small amount of ammunition. I’ve found that in higher skilled lobbies you’re more likely to get cut down with a precision weapon before you manage to trigger the super combine.
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The Needler is firstly a Tier 2 spawn, sharing a slot with the Sentinel Beam. So there will never be more than 2 on a map at a time in 4v4, and some maps only have 1.
So the power is justified.
Also it’s not super consistent, because an aware player can certainly avoid the Needles with enough space if they know which direction they are coming from. And the range is limited. As the shooter there is nothing you can actually do to make your Needles more accurate, so if the other person is moving the right way to dodge them you’re just dead.
I always prefer Halo when the Needler is strong, but less available. Because otherwise it’s just never used for any reason other than trolling, like in Halo’s 1-3. Reach had a decent Needler I guess? It wasn’t too strong, but it was very good at out-duelling the DMR and NR at specifically medium range, since too close or too far and the tracking would fail. But nailing that range was intuitive with a bit of practice, so while that one was weaker it did have a real place.
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It works very well if your opponent is running straight at you.
Apart from that - the needles are slow and I don’t feel they track anywhere near as tightly as they have in previous Halo games.
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Especially 4.
Needler was a bonafide power weapon in 4.
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For some reason, as with most weapons in this game, it seems like it is more powerful when in an enemy’s hands. I know that is bogus, but I often die from a half clip while actively trying to strafe out of the tracking or ducking back behind cover, while I unload a full clip at someone just running in a straight line. Feels like my needles are just a bit lazier than others.
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Yup or running behind someone and cant backsmack … just empty the clip into their back and keep running lol
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Needler can be super strong in Reach IMO. Infinite’s isnt even close to as good.
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The needler was broken in Halo 4 and follow well in Halo 5.
Infinite’s needle feels like i need to spray half the mag to kill. It never looks like 5 was needed combine
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Oh boy, if you think this one is strong, Halo 4 & 5 may wanna have some words.
Seriously though, the Needler is classified as an SMG so it’s really good in CQC, but the tracking makes it’s effective range very weird. Basically, in my experience, if I’m too close, the needles don’t track properly, and too far give the enemy time to dodge or hide.
One good tactic is to force a melee dual. Needles don’t do damage to shields, so if you can bait them into punching you, it’ll almost be as if they never did any damage and will still have to punch through your shields and then health.
Also it hard counters the AR (similar use ranges), faster TTK, tracking. So if you’re trying to beat it with an AR, you’re not gonna win.
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I don’t complain about it because it feels like it never works for me. But it does truly shred.
IMO Halo 3 had a pretty good Needler. In the campaign it’s great for taking down Ranged/Tank Flood and any non-Hammer/Turret Brute, it’s pretty quick to supercombine, even in multiplayer if you’re close enough to someone and they can’t duck for cover it’s a pretty good weapon.
I feel like strafe speed is an issue that makes it easier to dodge needler rounds. Sometimes everything hits and you blow someone up and sometimes you just miss everything and it makes me wish I just used an AR instead for the sake of consistent damage
Same. I’m just chaulking it up to desync but man it’s annoying.
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I think the strength is justified when you realize the little amount of ammo it has (Usually can only kill 3 players. A skilled player may get 4 or 5) and the fact it spawns on both sides. Also there is many counters like a precision weapon or sharp maneuvering . But honestly 4 and 5 had and insane needler.
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The needler is supposed to be OP, it’s ALWAYS been OP. How about learning how to work around a weapon instead of demanding it to be nerfed because you don’t have the skill to avoid it?
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Well not always op. In 1 and 2 it was just ok maybe even kinda terrible.
It’s good where its at considering you can still beat it out under certain conditions in an open environment if you’re skilled enough with your movement, land the first shot or are the right distance away
Im sorry what? Needler way too OP? That’s ridiculous.
The Needler is good if you pick your fights well with it but it’s far from being OP, if you want to see a OP Needler, use the H4 Needler