BR75
I don’t have much to say about the BR, it’s perfect. Perhaps too perfect, but I like it. I’ve seen some conflicting data regarding TTK out there, some say 1.55s but other sources backed with video evidence have shown 1.70s.
ANALYSIS
Optimal TTK: +1.70s (11 shield, 1 crit)
Suboptimal TTK: +2.55s (11 shield, 7 body)
Fire Mode: 3-Burst (~425 RPM or ~140 BPM)
Ammo: Kinetic (Ballistic), 36 Rounds
Range: Mid - Long, 2x Zoom (Descope)
Notes: Default Ranked Weapon.
VARIANT: BR75 FULL-AUTO
A fully automatic version of the BR75 that has an increased RPM but added bloom & recoil.
CARBINE
The Carbine has been a staple in Halo ever since it was introduced in Halo 2 (it was the Needle Rifle in Halo Reach but essentially the same weapon). The Carbine is iconic and it should return to Halo Infinite as a counterpart to the BR. It will provide more map balance than the current BR counterpart, the Commando, because they will be effective over the same range. There also isn’t currently a fast firing semi-auto precision weapon in the game so it has a unique role.
I think the Carbine could be even more unique however if it played off of it’s lore - After a round comes to a halt inside the target’s body, the round will continue to burn the victim’s viscera until the round has cooled off. However, the aftermath of being struck with a round from the Carbine is moderate to severe due to the round’s deadly radioactive nature. A surviving victim will require additional radiation treatments to ensure survivability. So here’s the idea, shooting an unshielded enemy with the Carbine will delay their health regeneration (not shield regeneration). This would be a callback to Halo CE and Reach in which you had a health bar that didn’t automatically regenerate. It’s a subtle feature, but it is something that would give the Carbine just a little more character.
ANALYSIS
Optimal TTK: +1.60s (7 shield, 1 crit)
Suboptimal TTK: +2.40s (7 shield, 5 body)
Fire Mode: Semi-Auto (~300 RPM)
Ammo: Kinetic (Ballistic), 20 Rounds
Range: Mid - Long, 2x Zoom (Descope)
Notes: Toxic Rounds delay enemy health regeneration.
VARIANT: NEEDLE CARBINE
Fires automatic precision blamite rounds with the potential to super-combine in 10 consecutive shots.
What are your thoughts on the above two weapons?
Note: Information in the ANALYSIS sections are pulled from various sources, it may or may not be correct… it is just there to provide additional information for how balancing could look.
The Needle Rifle and H5’s Blood of Suban were both really cool guns, but the way they functioned was far too similar to the DMR. Weirdly enough, Infinite already provides the solution to that:
The Pulse Carbine
I’ve said before, I’m not a fan of the Pulse Carbine. Its effective range is too narrow for its own good, its shield damage + tracking make the Plasma Pistol irrelevant and its not a proper replacement for the Plasma Rifle.
However, making the Pulse Carbine use needles for ammunition would be great. Traditionally, needles home in on targets, so this Pulse-Needle-Carbine-Rifle-Thing would be a more proper long-range needler (but suffer in CQC unlike the normal needler). And since Needles bypass shields, the Plasma Pistol would still have relevance. And you could bring back the Brute Plasma Rifle and have it be a Tier-2 SMG that can drop shields quickly and still have capacity to kill, IF you manage the heat properly.
I don’t really have much of an opinion on the BR or it’s variant. Seems pretty straight forward.
The thought had never occured to me to have the Needle Carbine function like the Pulse Carbine (with slower homing projectiles), but that actually makes a lot more sense for a Needle based weapon.
I agree 100% that the Pulse Carbine infringes on the Plasma Pistol’s role… I was thinking of making it a Tier 2 Assault Rifle (basically a better Plasma Pistol). I do still enjoy using the Pulse Carbine in Infinite, but it needs some work.
Since you mentioned it, the next thread will include the Brute Plasma Rifle, however I was thinking of balancing it as a Tier 1 SMG since we already have the Needler and Sentinel Beam as Tier 2 SMG’s. The reasoning being exactly what you mentioned, the heat needs to be properly managed.
More controversially, I am wondering about giving the “Superheated Plasma” the property of DoT and removing that ability from the Disruptor to carve out a more defined role for shock weapons in stunning enemies (slowing movement) instead of DoT.
Yeah, it low-key astounded me the 343 made that thing a plasma gun.
I wish the Needle-class weapons where more fleshed out. It’s one of the most recognizable guns in gaming yet it’s seen almost no innovation in 20 years.
Idk if I’d make the PC a tier-2 (again because of the tiny effective range window). It just doesn’t seem reliable enough to warrant a red pad ya know? I find it to be a lot like the Commando. It shreds when it wants to, but that’s not horribly often enough in my opinion.
Yeah, the BPR is kind of like the love child of the AR and the Plasma Pistol. Good for depleting shields but it can also kill. But where I think it shines is that it can reach the “1-hit melee threshold” faster than the AR. And it can do it without having to rely on a lengthy charge up that could easily miss and force you to reload. And again, the strict overheat (small magazine) keeps it honest.
I think the main difference between the BPR and the Sentinel Beam/Needler is that the former is a bit more reliant on combos (Shield Break → Headshot, Shield Break → Melee) while the latter two don’t need combos (and the Needler actually CAN’T combo because it ignores shields almost entirely).
Yeah, I got a whole lot of baggage regarding the shock family lol. I like the idea, but 343 REALLY needs to sit and ask themselves “What do we want this damage type to represent?” Right now they’re EMPing, arcing damage, but the Disruptor is the only one that can use DoT??? Personally, I think the ability to arc damage off of groups of enemies and environmental objects is the most interesting. But for that to really work, I think maps should have some sort of designated “shockable surfaces” on the maps (not just objective pads). Forge may be capable of this tho…
Yes, this would definitely have to be addressed and if it was I feel it would be effective enough to warrant a Tier 2 spot. Imagine consistently achieving ~0.80s kills with a Sidekick combo (no charge required like the Plasma Pistol).
It’s already in the game so I’m trying to figure out how to make it work as opposed to giving up on it.
Funny enough I also see the Commando being a Tier 2 weapon with some tweaking. If it killed one shot sooner it would actually be on par with the Stalker Rifle which I think is an interesting dynamic.
I think we need the plain old covenant carbine from halo 2/3. just bread and butter. the needler rifle was weird in my opinion. it would be better if u want to add more needler weapons to the game then add a needler Grenade. perfect.
the be in infinite is sweet. I never had the chance to try out the vk75 commando before it was nerfed. I dont use the commando in multiplayer often, and I imagine if the commando had a single fire mode with increased accuracy I think I would use it more often.
sure I think we need dmr and carbine in forge, and I think a smart shortcut in the meantime would be adding a vk75 commando SV (sniper variant) with adjusted damage/ single shot mode/ and adjusted rate of fire
instead of dmr wo could have single fire vk75 commando sv
i really want to see lots of new guns added to the weapon list
a mega-glossy and ultra-reflective covenant carbine with a mirror-like polish would be a sweet addition if new weapon models and reloading animation sets are on the table for discussion
I’d like Needle Rifle to return. It does the whole “situationally powerful” thing well, but not the way Shock Rifle does it.
Shock Rifle : Awesome if you headshot all the time, poor if you are just body shotting
Needle Rifle : Decent if shooting a full shield opponent, headshot capable to kill within 1.55 (1.56 to be exact), but shooting 3 shots into an unshielded is a Supercombine kill.
I’d like Needle Rifle back in place of the Stalker ngl.
I was leaning towards the tracking only working while using the S-Link (1.4x zoom). This way in short range you would be in control of the projectiles, but for medium range the projectiles would home towards a target (as they do now).
A re-design to change the Plasma to green and then you essentially have a Tier 2 Plasma Pistol (greater range, no charge-up)… that’s what I’m picturing for the Pulse Rifle at least.
I think it would be interesting to give the different plasma colours different properties:
