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I though i'd switch from complaining about Dare or wondering whether there are any Elites (there are NO Elites, though i wouldn't be surprised to find their bodies live Elites as an Easter Egg)
I'm listing all the know weapons and possible tactics associated to them, and also speculate about possible tactics or tricks.
Check the screenies yourself if you don't belive/know whether the weapon's in.
Oh and i'm referring to weapons by their nick name, not the official human designation, IE DER-25 ("Plasma Rifle")
Remember, a lot of this is speculation and i assume that old weapons are exactly same as in Halo 3.
Not going through 'nades and support weapons and vehicles.
Automag
Seemingly weakish weapon outside headshots. It's the secondary starting weapon for the Rookie. It's fitted with silencer and scope (one that provides the zoom directly to the HUD).
Seems to be all right back-up weapon. Good for taking down a group of grunts quickly or an unshielded brute.
Suppressed SMG (S-SMG for short)
The main weapon of the Rookie. Close to medium range automatic silenced weapon fitted with scope. Good all arounder, though like it's normal SMG counterpart, lacks stopping power against.. heavier.. opponents like the brutes or the hunters.
SMG (UNCONFIRMED)
Whether this weapon is in is unknown. Lorewise, it's mostly used by vehicle crews and rarely by the marines. Spartans are know to field two of them since they can control them (lorewise) despite their recoil. SMG would overlap with multiple weapons in ODST. AR, Spiker and Suppressed SMG mainly. Lack of dual-wielding and a variant of this make this weapon unlikely to be in ODST in my opinion. All arounder at close range if it's in but there are better weapons without dual wielding possibility.
BR (UNCONFIRMED) and Covenant Carbine
UNSC's Battle Rifle is a dedicated medium range burst-firing weapon. Accurate and deadly and can be adapted to close combat though dedicated close range weapons should be better choices.
Currently it's not know if the weapon is in ODST, though its seen in concept art.
I think it's going to be in but it's gonna overlap in purpose with a few weapons. Carbine, which has same purpose and is very similar and SMG and Automag as those two have scope and are OK up to medium range.
Good main weapon if in, but against a large amount of enemies, not suggested as it sort of guides enemies to you. Lacks silencer as you know.
Carbine is good main weapon for medium range. Quite deadly and is good against brutes whose shield is resistant to bullets but not so much to Carbine's radioactive projectiles.
Overlaps are same as with BR as are most recommedations. Watch out for jackal marksmen and brutes wielding this.
AR
Seen in hands of the marines. Good close range weapon. Can be used at medium range but requires some skill and careful aiming and burst firing. S-SMG overlaps in role with AR, and the S-SMG also has scope, i don't think AR is going to be very useful weapon for The Rookie. AR has greater stopping power though, so it's good weapon for close range fighting when stealth is not plausible.
Spiker
Brute's favored weapon. A good and quite deadly close range weapon. Fully automatic though has slower firing rate than AR or the Suppressed SMG. Blades increase melee damage. ODSTs have weaker melee than Spartans so this maybe usefull. Lack of dual wielding means Spiker is not as good as it was in Halo 3. If you need more firepower than S-SMG and need to decide beetween AR and Spiker... well take whichever you prefer.
Shotgun and Mauler
UNSC Shotty and brute's Mauler are similar weapons. Both are specilized close assault weapons. DON'T even try to use them at ranges over 5 meters. Unless you like the sound or want to waste ammo. Since ODSTs can't dual wield and they have weaker melee, Mauler is not very good choice. Magazines give it a quick reload though. You know these. If you have a lot of cover, wait until enemy's close and blast him.
Plasma Rifle (UNCONFIRMED) and Brute Plasma Rifle (PR and BPR for short respectivly)
I assume Plasma Rifle is going to be in and that BPR is only faster. PRs are good only agains shield enemies really. Both have weak flesh damage. But lack of magazine means they're all right for a prolonged fight, assuming you control the overheating. Brutes are only shielded enemies probably, though jackals carry energy shield gauntlets. BPR shoots faster and overheats faster too. I'd say it's better against small numbers of enemies and even then, mainly against brutes. Drop shields and switch weapon to, say, Automag. PR is better for longer fights and larger amounts of brutes due easier overheating managing. Lack of DW (again) reduces weapons usability but it may have suprising uses too. At least it's cool like Mauler.
Plasma Pistol (PP)
This weapon was great in Halo CE. In Halo 2, noob combo was infamous. In Halo 3, the weapon was close to a joke though had surprising uses. I'm assuming in ODST PP is same as in Halo 3. It could disable vehicles with the overcharge which will be an useful feature in ODST as they can't use any equipment like Power Drain. Only other real use with this weapon is to drop brute's shields. Use only in demand as last resort. If ODSTs could DW, PP could have a bit use, i dual wielded PPs on Legendary on Sierra 117 and playerd half the map that way. I managed pretty well... lol.
Needler
Toss and forget weapon. Aim roughly, compensate for moving target, fire. 7-8 needles are needed to explode the enemy. Dead weapon but burns through ammo fast. Good against brutes (minus the chieftains whose armor is needle immune) and grunts. There ain't much reason not to pick this weapon up. Up to medium range.
Sniper and Beam Rifle (UNCONFIRMED?)
Everyones favorites (not really.. don't complaing about wording). Attack from range, aim for head. Needs careful aiming but other than that, not much to say. If you like closer range fighting, you might wanna pass these. Watch out jackal snipers and thank Bungie for non-Halo2 jackal snipers (who had 95% accuracy).
Rocket Launcher and Fuel Rod Gun (UNCONFIRMED?)
Heavy weapons. Good against groups of enemies and bigger enemies. And vehicles. Lead the shot. Not much reason not to pick up unless the weapons lack ammo. Not for stealthy approach, but good for ambushes.
Spartan Laser
THE heavy weapon. A mix of Rocket Launcher and Sniper. Remeber it's charge up weapon. Goes through multiple enemies. Save for vehicles and big enemies or very large groups, assuming they're in nice row/line.
Brute Shot
A grenade launcher favored by high ranked brutes. Has vicious blade. A good all arounder, good against groups of weak enemies and good against tougher enemies too. A small clip and small amount of of ammo you can carry limit usability though.
Not very stealthy but good if you're in cover and enemies approach. Bombard them and then wait until you can melee. And hope for best.
Sword (UNCONFIRMED) and Gravity Hammer
Pretty much same as Shotty and Mauler. Be careful with these though, assuming ODSTs can use these. ODSTs are weaker than Spartans...
Did i forget something?
Tactics and tricks
Not much to say as we haven't played yet but some basic hints:
-In ODST, you get a map of the city where you can go. I saw this map in a video (look for the vids from a thread on top forum topics panel on right)
-Since you're weaker, consider skipping enemy groups by walking around them.
-If you can't or don't want, find cover. If they're coming toward you, ambush them. Quickly shoot either the brute(s) or grunts.
-Throw 'nades after opening barrage. And get back to cover.
-Melee only as last resort as its weaker, especially on Heroic or higher.
-In Co-op, remember to coordinate and decide who shoots what enemy.
-If possible take out many enemies on same time or drop one and run away, if the enemy won't pursue, drop another. Hit and Run.
Well it's a wall of text but it may be useful to someone. I was sort of bored so i wrote this. Maybe it can be expanded as real guide later on? Does someone have something to add?
[Edited on 06.04.2009 11:04 AM PDT]