Halo 1 & 2 for PC
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Subject: Does Anyone Even Use Plasma Weapons?
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  • last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT

Only in single-player. It would certainly be harder to beat Legendary without the plasma pistol.

However, in multiplayer, with Halo PC's laggy netcode, what, with the necessity to lead and all, it's much harder to hit your targets than with human weapons, since a pistol or a shotgun's projectile(s) reach their destination at very fast to instantaneous speeds, whereas it takes more time for plasma bolts to reach their targets than a metal bullet could.

Not to mention, they're quite underpowered, and not as common as human weapons are on most maps, with gametypes like Classic Slayer Pro or CTF, you start off with a pistol (and/or an assault rifle). The plasma rifle overheats fast, where if you tap the trigger fast enough the plasma pistol has a faster rate of fire and maintains accuracy than the plasma rifle, though it's very difficult to consistently take out opponent's shields with a charged plasma bolt since the homing trait isn't very accurate. Also, it's easier to take out players with three shots to the head with a pistol, a double melee with an assault rifle, an armor-piercing round to the head with a sniper rifle, and a shell to the chest up close from a shotgun than it is with a plasma pistol or plasma rilfe (and that goes with any other Covenant weapon except for the fuel rod cannon). Now, let's talk about grenades. It takes a considerable amount of skill to consistently stick people with plasma grenades, but with Halo's netcode, it's much more difficult. Not to mention, if you don't stick your intended target, the fuse timer is too long, and your target can easily just move away from where the plasma grenade landed before it detonates, whereas a frag grenade detonates much faster, and gives your opponent less room for error.

What I just stated also tends to go with most vehicles. The warthog's gun turret, for example, reaches it's target faster than a ghost's or a banshee's plasma bolts, and is easier to use to take out targets than most Covenant weaponry. In the end, human weapons > Covenant weapons in multiplayer.

Also, I'd like to state that we're talking about plasma weapons. Not other Covenant weaponry such as needlers and fuel rod guns, since they're in their own category. Halo 2's plasma weapons differ from Combat Evolved's plasma weapons since they're actually practical to use. A plasma rifle in H2 doesn't overheat as fast and is more accurate than the one in the original, and the plasma pistol's charged plasma bolt fires more faster and homes more accurately than ever (although most people along with myself agree a little too accurately). It's easier to stick people in Halo 2 with plasma grenades than in Combat Evolved. Halo and Halo 2's weapons are very different.

  • 08.04.2006 7:22 AM PDT

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