- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
I figured I'd start a thread with some substance. It seems the best threads are guides, so bear with me as I try to this out.
Who has started blasting away at somebody only to have them turn around, squeeze off a few shots and nail you right after you've emptied your entire clip into them? Chances are that you fell victim to a 3-head-shot kill, a skill possessed by some of the more l337 (that's slang for proficient) Halo players. Now, naturally you'd think that since the mouse and keyboard are much easier to use than a gamepad that this skill wouldn't be so hard to come by. Indeed, you could spend hours honing your head-shot skills on campaign and not make much headway. There are a couple of reasons for this:
#1 - lag, latency, slowdown, etc.
#2 - lack of skill development
Now, I have a theory on how to improve your head-shot skills. Always aim for your opponent's head. Never aim for the body. The head is a small target relative to the body, and we naturally want to shoot the biggest target we can, but this only serves to weaken our skills. You need to pretend that the body isn't even there - just imagine your opponent is a floating head (a little spooky, but kinda cool if you really think about it). If you do this enough - you'll get better and better at it until - you're the guy wasting people after they pump you full of lead.
I recommend starting off practicing using the pistol in some matches that don't use heavy weapons and only have a couple (if any) sniper rifles. This may take awhile, but practice makes perfect. I like playing CTF, personally, so I also try to find games with very few (if any) vehicles when I want to practice. It also wouldn't be a bad idea to practice with a friend on an empty server. You should get to the point where you don't need to zoom, since getting hit immediately zooms you out and can disorient you. After you've become good with the pistol, I'd recommend practicing with the sniper rifle in the same way - maybe try finding some sniper matches (Slayer with no shields and the sniper rifle as your starting weapon).
Remember whenever you're practicing or playing - NEVER stop moving. If you stop moving in a shootout or just to aim at someone - you're asking to get killed. Always practice shooting on the run. I should say that you will find the guide on strafing in this forum very helpful. This guide is to improve your attack - your shots, while strafing helps your defense by keeping you from getting shot.
You should apply your new-found head-shot skills to most all weapons - including the shotgun, plasma rifle, plasma pistol (if you must), the needler (again if you must), but not the rocket launcher or Fuel rod gun. These last two are heavy weapons that are used against mostly vehicles and in short range combat. In short range combat, they should be aimed more at your enemy's feet so they don't go sailing past your opponent.
Finally, you should make a concious effort when you play to feel for the lag or latency. You should press F1 immediately when you join and occasionally throughout the game to get an idea of how laggy the server is. If the server has anything more than a modest lag, you'll probably have to lead your shots - this especially applies if you're trying for a head-shot. Since the head is a very small target, you should have a very good feel for how the latency affects your shot. This becomes easier as you get more and more familiar with the server or servers you play on. If you server-hop a lot, you'll have a much tougher time making the adjustment.
When firing at an opponent with lag factored in, you should also pay attention to the angle they are running at relative to your movement. Firing at an opponent moving directly across your field of vision will require a greater lead than those who approach you head on or at angle. Also, keep in mind that with the pistol and sniper rifles, a greater distance doesn't require a greater lead. However with covenant weapons and the rocket launcher the opposite is true.
I realize that you will probably get pwned (slang for slaughtered) when you start this. that's why the thread is titled 'All or Nothing'. But, if you do this consistetly, you will become a better shot and a better player. It will take some dedication, but in the end, it will be worth it.
I hope that this guide has been coherent enough to be helpful and I'd like to thank all the other forum regulars who have posted guides in the past for inspiring me to write this guides - I hope I did the forum justice with this one. Let me know what you guys think and feel free to add anythign I might have overlooked.