Halo's multiplayer component is widely regarded as the better part of the game, and is the part that helped Halo become really popular. This section will explain basic strategies, weapon strategies and info, and possibly map and gametype strategies.
Basic Information[edit]
The Mac and PC versions support full online play straight out of the box. Originally the Xbox version only supported LAN and splitscreen battles, but Gamespy Arcade's Xbox Tunnel service later rectified this; it allows full online play by making the Xbox think all players are actually connecting to each other through a LAN. Whether this program works with the Xbox 360 is unknown.
Weapons[edit]
The weapons are the same ones as in the single player game, with the exception of the PC/Mac version's Flamethrower and Fuel Rod Gun. Weapons respawn at different speeds on different maps, taking anywhere from 30 to 120 seconds. Unlike Halo 2, weapons will always respawn at a predetermined time regardless of whether they are currently in use or are depleted. Weapons not in use by a player are subject to explosives dependent on their weight. A plasma pistol will go flying, while a rocket launcher may just be moved slightly. This can be used to your advantage if you wish to either make a weapon come to you from an odd location, or if you wish to blow a weapon away from any opponents. Details on useful grenade spots and how to perform them can be seen in Grenade Tricks
Melee attacks[edit]
All weapons deal the same amount of melee damage, however each weapon has a unique speed and distance in which it melees. While the Assault Rifle has a very quick melee, it has a shorter melee compared to say, the pistol. Melee attacks kill instantly when dealt into an opponent’s back.
Although all weapons deal the same amount of melee damage, a weapon may do more damage depending on your movement. If you are standing still, a weapon will do 25% damage to your opponent. If you are running forward, 50%. And if you are in the motion of falling downwards, you will do 75% damage. Hitting your opponent while falling downwards is not always the most practical choice, so it is important to be running forward whenever possible when performing melee attacks.
Plasma Pistol[edit]
The plasma pistol, although it may look weak and is often overlooked, can rip through shields very quickly. It has two firing modes, little semi-auto bolts of plasma and a charged up shot. In theory, if there were five overshielded Spartans on a tank, one overcharged round of the plasma pistol would take all of their shields down and then a quick burst of assault rifle would kill them instantly. But in a multiplayer game, this will likely never happen. By holding the trigger and releasing you let out an overcharged shot. Keep in mind that overcharged shots move slower but home in on their target slightly and also hinder your time for another shot by about 2 seconds. That 2 seconds is the over heat time. They easily hit an unsuspecting person but are slow and easily dodged if seen. When using the normal shot, lead the target more than normal because the pistol rounds take a while to reach the target. When they do hit, they stun their prey which is useful if you are chasing an opponent and wish to melee them in the back. If you’re a quick shot, be careful not to overheat simply from firing fast. Also remember that the overcharged shot quickly depletes the battery of the plasma pistol. The plasma pistol is the fastest weapon to switch to, keep that in mind for when your shields are down in close range combat. It is VERY effective against vehicles, try to use it in conjunction with a quick grenade or a few pistol shots. Melee attack is very fast and accuracy is decent.
Human Pistol[edit]
The pistol is one of the most combat effective weapons in Halo. This is unusual because in most games the pistol is a weak, last resort weapon. In the hands of a skilled pistol sniper, the pistol can deliver running riot after running riot. While this guide alone will not get you to that point, it will hopefully aim you in the right direction. The pistol is so powerful, that it takes only 3 well placed shots to kill a full shielded spartan. Two shots anywhere on the Spartan, and a final shot to the head will finish him. This is important to remember, two foot shots followed by one head shot will still drop a player instantly. 5 Shots to the body will also suffice. It has a scope with a 2x zoom, 12 rounds per clip, and a maximum ammo of 120 bullets plus the clip in the gun. The pistol is ranged meaning that outside of its maximum range it does absolutely nothing, other than having the muzzle flash give your position away. Its bullets can reach out to roughly the length of Blood Gulch, a little longer than portal to portal on Blood Gulch. Remember to slightly lead you targets and also to lead them a little bit extra when firing at long distance. Pistol bullets do not fly the speed of light, they take a bit longer to reach your target when firing at maximum distance. This is almost unnoticeable but can negatively effect aiming. Because of this you must aim even further than you normally do. A pistol is not THE best long range weapon, but it is very good in mid ranged combat. It is THE go to gun for any skilled player, keep that in mind. It is consistent, powerful, and quick. When fighting with a pistol, FORCE yourself to go for head shots and do NOT hold down the trigger! This can not be stressed enough, your accuracy is greatly hindered when holding down the trigger, so just don't do it. You can fire just as quickly as holding the trigger down as to just pulling it quickly. It's melee attack is rather slow and accuracy is excellent.
Sniper Rifle[edit]
Although the sniper rifle is very powerful, (A 2 body shot kill and 1 head shot kill mind you) it suffers from some problems. Unlike the pistol, the Sniper Rifle fires rounds which are jet propelled to arrive instantaneously on target. Those jet propelled rounds leave a line of smoke across the map which will give away your position if you are not careful. The sniper rifle fires semi-automatically and is fed from four round clips. Each sniper rifle that you pick up will have three clips of ammo (12 rounds). The sniper rifle has two levels of zoom, 2x and 8x (10x on Xbox) try not to get too zoomed in when a target is close. Use the rounds conservatively because they respawn very slowly and are sought after by all of your teammates and enemies. Also remember to bring a ranged weapon such as the pistol with it because if you run out of ammo in the middle of blood gulch with only an Assault Rifle (AR) or shotgun then any greenhorn with a pistol can make short work of you if they keep their distance. Remember: Aim at head level. Not only does a head shot save ammo and boost your morale, but it also helps to keep your position from being revealed. Its melee attack is average and is the most accurate gun in the game.
Rocket Launcher[edit]
The rocket launcher deals an immense amount of damage, making it the weapon of choice for taking down vehicles. The projectile moves fairly slowly, which means you need to fire in front of your target dependent on their speed and distance. Its area-of-effect damage makes it a bad choice for any situation where you or your teammates will also be taken out in the explosion. The small amount of rockets able to be loaded at one time means conserving ammo is a must.
The rocket launcher is a deadly weapon in the hands of someone who knows how to use it and even those who don't, however, it is not nearly as dangerous when used incorrectly. In standard weapons settings, the rocket launcher is a precious commodity because it is very rare. The rocket launcher deals an immense amount of damage; it is so powerful that a direct hit will kill an enemy with a full overshield (provided it is not charging up). When you pick up the rocket launcher (otherwise called the rockets or RL for short) you have one "clip" of 2 rockets, and one extra "clip".
Since the rocket launcher's projectile moves fairly slowly, the user must lead their target dependent on the target's speed and distance. A Rocket launcher rocket travels about 10 mph faster than a warthog (estimating). So you can fire at a retreating warthog and the rocket will, in time, catch up. The ideal range for a target from the rocket bearer would be anywhere from as close as possible, while maintaining a safe distance from the rocket's splash damage, to about 50 feet. There is much more leniency regarding this distance when shooting at vehicles, as a vehicle's path can often easily be predicted and a vehicle may not always have the maneuvering capabilities to dodge a rocket. Any more and there may be a risk of the enemy dodging the rocket. However, this distance may not always be attainable without the enemy seeing you. If the enemy sees you targeting them with the rocket launcher, quickly change weapons and try to close the distance between yourself and them until you are close enough to get a good shot off. There is no sense in holding your rocket launcher out when changing weapons takes all but half a second, as doing so would make you a clear target in the process.
Once you are adept at the use of the RL, you can incorporate it in long range combat but keep in mind that it is very easy to dodge rockets so use it as a surprise attack weapon more than anything when shooting from a distance. Combined with invisibility the rocket launcher is even deadlier. It can also be utilized to force the enemy to move in a certain direction. If you fire to the left of an enemy, you may safely assume he will move to his right. Its melee attack is slow and the accuracy is dead on if you take into consideration the time it takes for a rocket to reach its target.
Frag Grenade[edit]
The frag grenade deals a good amount of damage, can be thrown for quite long distances, and will also bounce and roll into place after throwing, making it easy to toss a few into the heart of the enemy base before rushing in. It also is small, silent after landing, and dull-coloured, meaning players might not notice it until it's too late. The downside is that its three-second timer (shortened in the PC/Mac version) means an enemy may run out of range if they do notice it.
It is important to mention that the frag grenade will not begin it's timer until after its second bounce. Because of this factor, the grenade's explosion time from release to explosion, may be reduced somewhat by tossing the grenade directly onto the floor where a wall meets the ground. If done correctly, the grenade will explode much quicker than if it were simply thrown onto the ground. A picture will be provided in the future for reference. However this technique is most useful in tight corridors as there are many opportunities to perform this trick.
Also, it is the ideal weapon in taking on a Warthog or Ghost when lacking a rocket launcher or other heavy weaponry. If the Warthog's distance is properly considered along with knowledge of how quickly the Warthog travels on flat terrain, it may easily be used to flip that Warthog, resulting in a damaged and somewhat confused driver, making for an easy finish.
Plasma Grenade (aka Sticky Grenade)[edit]
Many consider the plasma grenade far superior to the frag grenade. While the plasma grenade glows brightly and hisses loudly once thrown (making it easier to notice and avoid) it makes up for this by sticking to whatever it is thrown at, both onto the environment as well as players and vehicles! This makes it perfect for dealing some guaranteed damage to another player--while they can easily run out of range of a frag grenade, a plasma grenade stuck to their chest is inescapable.
Once stuck with one players often calculate that they won't survive the blast so rush suicidally into the nearest danger zone, hoping to take their attacker (or another foe) with them. If you're going to die anyway you might as well do this, and if you've just stuck a grenade on a weakened foe yourself be sure to get out of range (or reverse while shooting them to ensure they die before reaching you).
Flamethrower (Mac/PC only)[edit]
The flame thrower is not all that effective but is useful in some situations. It is equipped with 100 flames in a canister, and 2 canisters to start out with. A canister will last about 6 to 7 seconds if the trigger is held. (Minus the cool down period, if it happens. This immensely powerful weapon is found on only a few maps. It has fairly short range but deals a large amount of damage. At close range 2 seconds of flame will kill an enemy. The flames emanate out of the device with a delay, so if the weapon is swept in a direction the flames' maximum range won't catch up with the new direction until a second or so later.
Because of this complexity the flamethrower's bursts may appear invisible on servers with lag (perhaps why it was cut from the Xbox version). This can actually be used as an advantage, as an opponent may not know whether they're out of range of the flames or not. To balance its power the flamethrower quickly runs out of fuel, so be careful when using it. The flamethrower also seems to deal a small amount of burning damage, so firing in bursts may actually be more efficient. The best strategy against a flamethrower-wielding player is simply to stay out of range and wear their shields down. Watch out especially for players using them from the side seat of a Warthog.