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Subject: Going from Team Play to 1v1s: A guide
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Hello, this is Reaver225’s guide to helping newbies at 1v1 matches. While I’ve been playing Halo for fun for a long time, I’ve never actually done a 1v1 before… until recently. I’ve mostly played CTF, and team slayer, and the occasional KOTH, FFA slayer and oddball on public servers and managed to come out on top for most matches, but on my first solo match I was amazed at the different skillset you need to use. So, this guide is meant to help people who have played Halo for fun, mostly in team games, learn how to do better in 1v1 matches.
I recently played Nessy (a very good competitive player on KlanWars) on my first 1v1, and after my crushing defeat (25-1 on Rat race, 25-3 on Chill Out, 25-1 on Hang em High, have liberally used examples from the match to show the difference in playing styles.


Aim and dodging

Well, this bit’s easy enough. If you’ve played Halo for any length of time you’re probably got decent aiming skills already, and hopefully good dodging skills. From what I’ve seen so far (and it’s not very much, so take this with a pinch of salt) competitive players have a certainly better aim than normal players, though the difference is not huge. Of course, with all else the same, one player only needs to have a slight edge in aiming to kill his opponent over and over. Accurate weapons are a must, so nearly all competitive players will go for sniper rifles and pistols first – they are the most accurate instant-hit weapons in the game.
I noticed on Hang em High I consistently got Nessy’s shields down but failed to make kills (mainly because he had control of the high ground and he was able to get to cover easily). A quick analysis shows roughly 2 of my shots hit for every 3-4 of his. He did not get many 3sks – if there’s one thing I’m decent at, it’s dodging. Of course, my dodging is optimized for public servers, meaning it’s supposed to make me hard to hit from ANY angle, not just from the front. In a 1v1, you only need to worry about facing your opponent and lateral dodging, instead of forward and backwards movement as well. Nessy certainly didn’t have aimbot-level aiming skills (making me suspect a lot of other people I’ve played on public servers who apparently had better aim than him) but he was still at least a third better at hitting and killing me than me hitting him. Which in the end, was all that matters in a 1v1.
I’m unlikely to get much better in aiming, but of course, you need to have basic leading and targeting down already to be any good. Dodging erratically will also help greatly.

Map control

Map control is the ability to remember map layout, how to get from one place to another, where weapons and powerups were and how long it takes them to respawn. This is most easily done by playing the maps a few times. If you really want to know a map, run around the map on LAN on your own a few times, find where the teleports lead, the good sniping spots etc. Playing with other people will show you common tactics and routes. Nessy showed excellent map control, on Rat Race he knew where the two main powerups (O/S and active camo) were, how long it took them to respawn and further he seemed to be able to plot routes to be there when that happened. This gave him a distinctive edge, where he had the overshield at nearly every other encounter. On Hang em High, the only time I was able to get a kill was when I jumped right in front of him with a shottie, at the beginning. Once he got to the top, he was effectively unstoppable (well, for me anyway) by controlling the routes upwards I couldn’t get to the top without being hit by a grenade on the ramps or being pistolled at range. As well, several times he grenaded weapons to himself (mostly the sniper on Hang em high). I frankly don’t play on the smaller maps that much and found it much harder to get to the right place at the right time, which certainly helped Nessy a lot. (Those freakin’ teleports really throw me on Rat Race…)


Predicting your opponent

This can be moderate to a very advanced skill. It’s pretty easy to know that if you throw a grenade slightly to the right of someone he’s going to strafe left, and it’s easy to hit get a series of hits on them when they go in a straight line. But when your opponent is round a corner and running towards a teleport it takes a bit more experience to know he’s going to try to flank you from behind… On Rat Race Nessy was able to work out which teleporter I’d be coming through and lob a grenade at it just before I went through using the motion sensor. He managed to do this quite a few times, and once on hang-em-high managed to glitch a grenade through a wall (or a stupidly impossible throw through the windows at the corridor round the corner, either way it was impressive). I only managed to surprise him once, with the shotgun (as above). I don’t use the motion sensor nearly that well (I find it hard to judge how far away an opponent is with it and my ‘nades usually fell short), and admittedly play on servers where you don’t have it at all or it’s teammates only, but it would be an invaluable tool with a bit more practice. Of course this only works if motion sensors are on, but always try to use them if they are, as they tell you which way your opponent is moving in regards to you, and how far they are away. Don’t forget you can hide your position from the sensor by not moving. NOTE


Advanced tricks

Kind of like the BXB or BXR of Halo 2, there are a number of advanced glitches in Halo that makes you more efficient at playing. Stuff like backpack reloading (hitting reload twice then changing weapons immediately means that you can fire with your secondary weapon while your primary reloads ‘in your backpack’ as such), double-meleeing (melee, grenade, melee means you can get off two melees in about half the time. You also throw a grenade, so it’s a desperation move – if you do it, remember to back up after the move) and grenading weapons to yourself. I noticed Nessy using this kind of thing quite a bit as opposed to my, like one double-melee. Being able to pick up weapons fast without reloading is good too, by holding X and running over the weapon you want you grab it fast. You can grab weapons out of the air, too – jump as it passes and hold X or E and bam, midair catch. Don’t forget frag grenades bounce – I got Nessy with a rebound off the wall behind him that he wasn’t expecting.

Other stuff.

Make sure someone else can answer the phone if you’re playing a serious match. No, really. I had to grab mine on the third match (not that it really mattered) and went AFK for about 15 seconds, during which Nessy killed me once, shot me twice then noticed I had gone and waited before I got back to the keyboard and started moving again.

Play on a decent server that both you and your opponent have a decent connection to. Both Nessy and I are in the UK and so were kind of lucky there, but it’s certainly more fun when both players are fighting without handicaps and it’s purely down to skill (of which he had, and I had less of).

Make sure you’ve got good equipment. An optical mouse is a basic need, a laser mouse is even better. Get a decent keyboard that can take several different key presses at once, so you can strafe diagonally, reload and pick up a weapon while changing grenades at the same time. On that note, make sure you’ve got a good keyboard layout to start with. Your first finger on your left hand in the normal layout is assigned to use (e), reload (r), flashlight (f) and talk (t). It’s probably easier to reassign some of these.

Obviously, don’t rely on backup. It’s just you and the other guy. And, because of that, if you are in a weak position, for example you start with bad weapons or no grenades, you should try to get better ones before attacking again (On the second map, Chill Out we started with assault rifles only, no grenades, so the person who dies is severely disadvantaged vs the survivor). Conversely, if you are in a strong position, go on the offensive! Don’t let your opponent have time to recover! I was constantly on the defensive vs Nessy, and rarely managed to attack from a stronger position – really when I spawned behind him when his shields were still down and got a kill there.

If you are facing an opponent much better than you, try to get one-hit-kill weapons (sniper rifle, shotgun are the main ones). Your variation of damage dealt/damage received will go up and you’re more likely to get a few more kills by luck on each encounter.

Remember the rules of the engagement: If you’re playing no heavies, don’t pick up a heavy weapon. When dueling, I grabbed a flamer by reflex, and remembering ‘no heavies’ while wasting time changing back to pistol, got killed. Yeah, pretty stupid.

Use everything in your arsenal! Don’t forget grenades, melee, your secondary weapon. If you’ve got 4 grenades and are near a bunch more, throw them! Don’t let your opponent get the chance to use them before you!

So, to review, here are the four main points you need to focus on in a 1v1.
Aim and dodging – pretty straight forward. Practice it.
Map control – know your way around the map, how long you need to wait until the powerups comes back, where the good weapons are. Where the teleports go to.
Predict your opponent – think what you would do in your opponent’s situation. How much ammo does he have? Is he on low health? Has he still got grenades? Does he do better at long or short ranges? How can I use this to kill him?
Advanced tricks – Use them. Backpack reload. Whack your opponent in the face twice. Know how to throw grenades accurately and how to bounce them off walls, make them stop on slopes and get them at the feet of your opponent, how to throw weapons using grenade explosions.
Don’t forget all the basics, either.

And last of all, Nessy’s advice to me, “Play more good people”. certainly self-explanatory – and my advice, have fun! I know I did.

  • 05.05.2007 1:44 AM PDT
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About teh aiming part, my internet is bad sometimes at peak hours, meaning i get alot of packetloss and you may have noticed it constantly jumped between 66 and 166. In 1v1s having great aim is not necessary unless you are playing someone that might be a challenge, which (no offense) lead me to play purely on map control and relax with my powerups instead of having to try to aim for you. Notice on the ratrace game I did get several 3sks tho, that was when my net was jst starting to get bad.

The bit about the controls. People can use whatever they want. I (like many other great halo players) use a ball mouse, even though i own a 2000 dpi gaming mouse, I use a £2.50 mikomi plug and play ball mouse. Each map has different things that are very important. You might think that the OS is the most important thing on chillout, when actually it is the frag grenades. hangemhigh it is holding top, ratrace it is the overshield, bloodgulch is big hill, derelict is top (which has everything).

I could probably write up a points system for each map, assigning each weapon a points and tell you that you should only attack when oyu have more points that your opponent (a better chance of getting the kill).

Notice that on some maps like chillout, after I killed you I stood no the needler platform and threw a nade into the sniper room, as when I stand there you almost definitely spawn there, it is a common spawn and you spawned on several nades. another is spawning under the OS or on top stickies on rat race.

Anyways gg. The best thing you can do is keep playing better players.

I use a Saitek Eclipse illuminated blue keyboard, and my controls are all on the numpad. I use 2468 for movement, 7 for change weapon, 9 for nade, 3 for cahnge nade, mouse 1 for fire, mouse 2 for jump, mouse 3 for melee. slash for zoom and asterisk for scores, del is use, + is reload and 5 is change weapon.

[Edited on 05.05.2007 6:18 AM PDT]

  • 05.05.2007 6:07 AM PDT
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1v1 = fail. Halo was not made for 1v1. It was made for team play and having fun, not for elitist egotistical children to prance around about how "OMG TEH AWESOME PWNAGE" they are.

[Edited on 05.05.2007 6:24 AM PDT]

  • 05.05.2007 6:23 AM PDT
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halo is probably the best fps games for 1v1s. Since when was it not meant for 1v1s? Did you create it?

  • 05.05.2007 6:24 AM PDT
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No, but Bungie did, and Bungie stated plenty of times that its all about the team play and having fun.

As far as an FPS goes for 1v1s, there isn't one, and I hope there never is. A game designed 1v1 is a failed FPS, especially when the game is then designed to be a recluse and team play is then not enforced. Also, considering the horrible weapon balance of Halo 1, it's probably one of the most flawed games to try 1v1.

  • 05.05.2007 6:26 AM PDT
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LoL? For 1v1s, ebcause of the pistol ti is excellent, it is less about map control than that of any other 1v1 game.

CS/CSS is obviously a joke for 1v1s. Quake games are 100% map control, UT games are 100% map control. Halo actually has an aspect of aiming. And, when playing matches, anything about a 5v5 is literally crap. The ideal game size IMO in halo is a 2v2, aim and map control are in there. However, I still say that 1v1 games are an excellent way to play hlao, and probaly the most common, since i doubt bungie expected people to run around with their xboxes and get 10 man games all the time.

If you can actually explain why halo doesn't work for a 1v1 instead of just saying "It's probably one of the most flawed games to try 1v1" then we might be able to have a civilised conversation.

Oh, and btw, 1v1s ARE fun.

[Edited on 05.05.2007 6:46 AM PDT]

  • 05.05.2007 6:45 AM PDT
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Yeah, Agamemnon, but it's not like one-on-one's can't be fun.

  • 05.05.2007 7:02 AM PDT
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Posted by: Agamemnon582bc
No, but Bungie did, and Bungie stated plenty of times that its all about the team play and having fun.

As far as an FPS goes for 1v1s, there isn't one, and I hope there never is. A game designed 1v1 is a failed FPS, especially when the game is then designed to be a recluse and team play is then not enforced. Also, considering the horrible weapon balance of Halo 1, it's probably one of the most flawed games to try 1v1.

Umm... there are a lot of games made for 1v1 / competitive play. Why don't you go look at Quake 3, and Quake 4.

  • 05.05.2007 7:07 AM PDT
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quake games work better for 1v1s than team games. Halo brings an aspect of aim into the equation which makes it unique, which are why halo 1v1s work.

  • 05.05.2007 7:13 AM PDT
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In my opinion Halo PC and Halo 2 xbox are the two games that are actually any good for 1v1's. The maps are small enough to make it fun and are evenly balanced. Unlike cs source which is terrible for 1v1's (imo).

I don't really know much about 1v1's but i think that and 2v2's are the best game types, my opinion though.

  • 05.05.2007 7:34 AM PDT
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Posted by: Nessy
In 1v1s having great aim is not necessary unless you are playing someone that might be a challenge, which (no offense) lead me to play purely on map control and relax with my powerups instead of having to try to aim for you.
Hrm, I DID notice you weren't dodging much on Hangemhigh. Well, there goes that idea XD - Also the rest of my pride... Ah well ^^. However, this DOES mean that a less skilled aimer can theoretically beat a person with better aim by controlling the map more tightly - O/S and better weapons should be able to offset the difference. Alas, I don't have that level of map control... yet.

Each map has different things that are very important. You might think that the OS is the most important thing on chillout, when actually it is the frag grenades. hangemhigh it is holding top, ratrace it is the overshield, bloodgulch is big hill, derelict is top (which has everything).

I could probably write up a points system for each map, assigning each weapon a points and tell you that you should only attack when oyu have more points that your opponent (a better chance of getting the kill).
Notice that on some maps like chillout, after I killed you I stood no the needler platform and threw a nade into the sniper room, as when I stand there you almost definitely spawn there, it is a common spawn and you spawned on several nades. another is spawning under the OS or on top stickies on rat race.
Again, map control and decision making - what's the more useful weapons on which maps, and who has them, and key points to hold and spawn patterns... While clearly a shotgun on Chiron would be much better than a sniper rifle and vice versa on BG, memorising spawn patterns... probably too much for the intermediate-expert to learn.

Posted by: Agamemnon582bc
Bungie stated plenty of times that its all about the team play and having fun.


It may just have been the novelty, but I found it very fun. Even when I was being shot in the face I was giggling like a small child - though I think the best moment was when I noscoped Nessy with a sniper in the face from 8 feet away (again, using instant kill weapons means you can get lucky even once in a while). And in a pure 1v1, there's only you and the opponent, no-one else - that evens the field and means playing is a lot different than a team game. The point is, I'm sure 1v1s can be just as fun as team games or mass Free for alls, it's just that how you play can be radically different. I'm just saying what a player who's done only team games can improve for 1v1s or probably 2v2s as well.

  • 05.05.2007 8:20 AM PDT
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Posted by: snowysnowcones
Posted by: Agamemnon582bc
No, but Bungie did, and Bungie stated plenty of times that its all about the team play and having fun.

As far as an FPS goes for 1v1s, there isn't one, and I hope there never is. A game designed 1v1 is a failed FPS, especially when the game is then designed to be a recluse and team play is then not enforced. Also, considering the horrible weapon balance of Halo 1, it's probably one of the most flawed games to try 1v1.

Umm... there are a lot of games made for 1v1 / competitive play. Why don't you go look at Quake 3, and Quake 4.

Both made for all vs all, not 1 v 1. Get it straight. Quake invented death match and they didn't make it revolve around 1 v 1.

LoL? For 1v1s, ebcause of the pistol ti is excellent, it is less about map control than that of any other 1v1 game.
It's less about anything else, really, when you talk about the pistol. I'm so sure that Bungie made huge maps with CTF flag spawns and a bunch of other weapons just for 1 v 1 pistol battles, Nessy. Makes a lot of sense to me.

CS/CSS is obviously a joke for 1v1s. Quake games are 100% map control, UT games are 100% map control. Halo actually has an aspect of aiming. And, when playing matches, anything about a 5v5 is literally crap. The ideal game size IMO in halo is a 2v2, aim and map control are in there. However, I still say that 1v1 games are an excellent way to play hlao, and probaly the most common, since i doubt bungie expected people to run around with their xboxes and get 10 man games all the time.
No, they expected it to be a game on epic proportions where everyone and their dog would own an Xbox and a copy of Halo so you could system link them. When ever my buddies get together to play the old Halo 1 Xbox, they bring four Xboxes, because things are much more fun with 16 people instead of 3 or 4, not to mention the competitiveness and ass hatery to go around.

  • 05.05.2007 3:27 PM PDT
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Posted by: Agamemnon582bc
It's less about anything else, really, when you talk about the pistol. I'm so sure that Bungie made huge maps with CTF flag spawns and a bunch of other weapons just for 1 v 1 pistol battles, Nessy. Makes a lot of sense to me.

No, but I'm sure they made maps like chillout and ratrace for 8v8 ctf matches right?

  • 05.05.2007 3:31 PM PDT
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They didn't make them for 1 v 1 matches, that's for sure. You can have a 4 v 4 on Chill Out. Halo has always been about enforcing team play or big battles. 8 FFA on Chill Out is doable as well.

  • 05.05.2007 3:32 PM PDT
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Thanks for the guide, Reaver. I need a little help on my game.

  • 05.05.2007 3:35 PM PDT
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While maps like danger canyon and sidewinder are obviously not for 1v1s, you cant say maps like derelict, ratrace, and chillout arent for 1v1s. Sure you can 2v2, 3v3, 4v4 on them as well, but whats so bad about 1v1? Just because you have no team? Some people like it. Some people dont. Those that dont can stay in their team games.

  • 05.05.2007 3:38 PM PDT
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dude.....reaver225.....if you have the time to type all that....you need to get yourself a girl/job/hobby

  • 05.05.2007 3:40 PM PDT
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Posted by: Fence_Jumper
dude.....reaver225.....if you have the time to type all that....you need to get yourself a girl/job/hobby

Dude...if you have the time to keep telling people to get a girl, maybe you should get one yourself.

  • 05.05.2007 4:04 PM PDT
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Posted by: nubx3
what is your big problem with people playing 1v1s aga?

the ideal size for co is 1v1-2v2 as 3v3s or above on that map is ridiculous as it quickly turns into who can throw more frag grenades and if heavies are allowed who can whore the rockets/flamer more. anything to do with skill is just removed from the equation.

and who cares about what bungie made the map for? they made this amazing game completely by accident, if they'd actually known what they were doing things like the huge cover red gets on sidewinder ledges and the rediculousness of banshees would not exist.

My problem is when people insist that Halo was built for it. It wasn't and that's obviously apparent. It's even worse when people believe there's nothing wrong with Halo 1 as well, Robert. Yes, 1 v 1 can be done in Chill Out or in Rat Race or in Derelict, but let's get serious. With the different weapon spawns and the size of these maps, it's more ideal to have more than two people playing on these maps.

I've never seen the idea behind 1 v 1 as well. When I think 1 v 1 I think of Street Fighter, not Halo.

  • 05.05.2007 4:36 PM PDT

Let there be CHAOS!

Posted by: Agamemnon582bc
Posted by: nubx3
what is your big problem with people playing 1v1s aga?

the ideal size for co is 1v1-2v2 as 3v3s or above on that map is ridiculous as it quickly turns into who can throw more frag grenades and if heavies are allowed who can whore the rockets/flamer more. anything to do with skill is just removed from the equation.

and who cares about what bungie made the map for? they made this amazing game completely by accident, if they'd actually known what they were doing things like the huge cover red gets on sidewinder ledges and the rediculousness of banshees would not exist.

My problem is when people insist that Halo was built for it. It wasn't and that's obviously apparent. It's even worse when people believe there's nothing wrong with Halo 1 as well, Robert. Yes, 1 v 1 can be done in Chill Out or in Rat Race or in Derelict, but let's get serious. With the different weapon spawns and the size of these maps, it's more ideal to have more than two people playing on these maps.

I've never seen the idea behind 1 v 1 as well. When I think 1 v 1 I think of Street Fighter, not Halo.


Dude Halo was "built" for people to have fun, and people have fun in different ways. I like 1v1, 8v8, and everything in between.

Saying Halo was only made for team play is like saying a pack of cards was only made for Solitaire.

  • 05.05.2007 5:54 PM PDT
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Have you ever played a 1v1 in halo? They work incredibly well and can be very fun. You say it doesn't work and say it wasn't designed for that? It is a team game, but is also a solo game. You are an elite spartan, not one of the crowd.

You say that 1v1s don't work, and instead of pointing out what is wrong with them, you point out what is good about team games, this doesn't have any effect on your arguement.

As for no fps games being designed for 1v1s, obviously you have never played q4, since there are gametypes such as tourney and DUEL.

Oh, and just because someone wins a 1v1 they become egotistical and stuff? People can boast equally about winning any size of match.

[Edited on 05.05.2007 8:02 PM PDT]

  • 05.05.2007 8:01 PM PDT
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1vs 1 FTW, it so intense, I also had Static show me the Double Melee and Backpack Reload, the best spot one HEH
Now I want the good Halo Players to teach me how to become better!

  • 05.05.2007 8:49 PM PDT

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