All Halo Infinite weapons and the best ones for multiplayer
Every Halo Infinite weapon explained and which ones are best
Lots of Halo Infinite weapons are available for you to try out across both the campaign and multiplayer. Whole armies of Banished can crumble when faced with any of these weapons in the hands of Master Chief in the campaign, but you'll need to understand every weapon to defeat your opponents in multiplayer. We’ve tested every weapon in multiplayer to see how exactly they work and how they stack up against each other. If you want to know about all the Halo Infinite weapons, and which ones you should definitely pick up in multiplayer, we’ve got you covered.
Plenty of Halo classics, like the Battle Rifle, Sniper Rifle, and SPNKR Rocket Launcher, are present in Halo Infinite, although there are a few notable omissions. An arsenal of tools for the Banished, including the Mangler, Stalker Rifle, and Skewer, and a refreshed set of high-tech Forerunner weapons are also available for players to pick up on different maps. While some iconic Halo weapons, such as the Magnum pistol and tactical shotgun, aren’t currently in the game, there is a possibility that they could be added later.
Halo Infinite weapons list
- Assault Rifle
- Battle Rifle
- Commando
- Sidekick
- Bulldog
- Sniper Rifle
- Rocket Launcher
- Hydra
- Pulse Carbine
- Needler
- Plasma Pistol
- Energy Sword
- Gravity Hammer
- Disruptor
- Mangler
- Stalker Rifle
- Shock Rifle
- Ravager
- Skewer
- Heatwave
- Sentinel Beam
- Cindershot
Best Halo Infinite multiplayer weapons
Halo Infinite best multiplayer weapons
Make sure you also know how Halo Infinite equipment works
The weapon sandbox in Halo Infinite feels incredibly varied and refined, with each weapon having its own place. Of course, certain weapons are going to be great for certain situations, but there are definitely some that excel overall or are excellent for their specific purposes. You should definitely pick up these six weapons whenever you spot them on the battlefield in Halo Infinite multiplayer, in no particular order:
- Battle Rifle – For the best precision weapon that isn’t the Sniper Rifle, the Battle Rifle is what you need. This weapon really rewards accuracy, and players that can control its recoil and stay on target will get rapid four-burst kills at medium range with the Battle Rifle. We advise learning where it can spawn on every map.
- Mangler – This hand cannon is proving to be a real menace in Halo Infinite’s multiplayer at the moment. Landing three headshots results in rapid kills even at range and landing one shot followed up by a quick melee leads to even quicker close-quarters kills. Keep an eye on weapon racks for it.
- Rocket Launcher – The Rocket Launcher is great for getting multikills in Quicklplay arena matches, and works well against vehicles in Big Team Battle. It’s an all-round destructive powerhouse, but make sure you don’t blow yourself up.
- Skewer – This weapon is the ultimate vehicle-killer with the ability to one-shot small and fragile vehicles and seriously damage bigger ones. It is also always a one-hit kill on enemy Spartans and doubles up as a heavy sniper rifle with very limited ammo, so don’t miss!
- Heatwave – For any close-range fights, the Heatwave is a great weapon to have ready. It can reliably kill enemy Spartans in two shots using the vertical shot pattern, and some lucky ricochets might help you out. Switch to the horizontal pattern for clusters of enemies.
- Cindershot – The Cindershot is a great anti-Spartan grenade launcher that takes a bit of skill to get used to but can be deadly in the right hands. Getting used to its projectile velocity, bouncing, and guidance will allow you to consistently land two direct hits and clean up entire teams in Quickplay.
- Honorable mention: Assault Rifle – The best part about the Assault Rifle is that you don’t even need to pick it up as everyone starts with it. Halo Infinite’s iteration of the classic weapon is actually pretty good, and you should consider holding on to it, particularly for smaller maps, as it’s a solid all-rounder for close and medium range fights.
Halo Infinite UNSC weapons
Halo Infinite Assault Rifle
A modern Halo game wouldn’t be complete without the timeless Assault Rifle. This Halo Infinite iteration of the Assault Rifle, the MA40, features a high rate of fire, a 36-round magazine, and decent handling, making it a versatile close-range weapon. With its smart-link sights returning from Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Infinite’s version of the Assault Rifle can be effective up to medium ranges, so long as the player has good recoil control. However, beyond that, the Assault Rifle is going to get outclassed by any of the precision weapons, such as the Battle Rifle, as it is simply not accurate enough and does not deal enough damage.
Halo Infinite Battle Rifle
Featuring as one of the top precision weapons in Halo Infinite, the three-round burst Battle Rifle returns. The BR75 version of the Battle Rifle seen in Halo Infinite brings back the original Bungie-era appearance complete with the mounted scope to offer accurate aiming at longer ranges. In Halo Infinite you’ll be able to defeat an enemy Spartan in just four bursts, provided every bullet hits your opponent’s head. With a slightly slower fire rate compared to the Halo 5: Guardians Battle Rifle and more vertical recoil, the Halo Infinite BR75 is much less effective at closer ranges unless you’re able to get those crucial headshots.
Halo Infinite Commando
Making its Halo Infinite debut is the VK47 Commando. It’s a completely new UNSC weapon that sits between the Assault Rifle and Battle Rifle as a precision tactical rifle. Like the Assault Rifle, it’s fully automatic, but comes with a 3x tactical optic and has a much slower rate of fire, high recoil, and a comparatively small 20-round magazine. The Commando has is meant for accurate fire at medium range that outclasses the Assault Rifle but can go toe-to-toe with the Battle Rifle. Using the Commando like the Battle Rifle with short, controlled bursts means you won’t suffer so much from the miniscule aim assist and massive crosshair bloom, making it almost feel like a like a mini DMR.
Halo Infinite Sidekick
The MK50 Sidekick is Halo Infinite’s answer to the UNSC pistol. It’s not quite the classic Magnum, but it’s got a 12-round magazine and a high fire rate for a semi-automatic gun. Landing seven headshots against an enemy Spartan will take them down easily at close-range, but the Sidekick’s high crosshair bloom makes it harder, but not impossible, to use at longer ranges. As with most first-person shooters, switching to your pistol is always faster than reloading, so this Halo Infinite weapon makes for a great assistant for weapons like the Commando, Pulse Carbine, and Assault Rifle if an enemy gets too close.
Halo Infinite Bulldog
Another Halo Infinite weapon that builds on a classic one, the CQS48 Bulldog functions quite differently to the traditional tactical shotgun of Halo’s past. The Bulldog still has the pump action but it’s fully automatic, fires much faster, and sports a seven-round drum magazine that makes reloading much quicker overall. Unfortunately, the Bulldog cannot defeat enemy Spartans with one shot, so to balance it out, it has much better range, allowing you to get kills with two or three rapid shots quite consistently.
Halo Infinite Sniper Rifle
The original UNSC Sniper Rifle returns as the S7 Sniper Rifle. It’s one of the weapons that has remained relatively unchanged from game to game, even in Halo Infinite. As with previous versions, the S7 Sniper keeps the usual four-round magazine, its variable zoom scope – this time in a 5x-10x configuration – and can still one-shot kill in multiplayer if you’re able to pull off a headshot. Although, you could go for a 360 no-scope too to get some bonus medals read out by Halo multiplayer announcer, Jeff Steitzer.
Halo Infinite Rocket Launcher
The double-barrelled Rocket Launcher returns in Halo Infinite as the M41 SPNKr after getting left out at launch in Halo 5: Guardians. This Halo Infinite weapon is not too different from previous versions and still has the dual rocket tubes loaded with some highly explosive missiles. This version’s rockets have a large blast radius but a low velocity and relatively small lethal area within that big explosion. To defeat any stronger enemies or deal some serious damage to vehicles, you’ll need to get a direct hit. The rockets also have no locking capabilities against aerial vehicles, so you’ll have a hard time trying to hit Wasps or Banshees.
Halo Infinite Hydra
Making its debut in Halo 5: Guardians, the UNSC Hydra is a kind of rocket launcher-grenade launcher hybrid that fires small micro-missiles that can lock onto enemy infantry and vehicles. It still has the six-rocket drum that needs to be loaded with individual missiles, but it now has two firing modes. The normal mode fires incredibly fast missiles with no locking. Just two direct hits with this mode will take down an enemy Spartan. You can then switch to the tracking mode which allows you to lock on before firing so that the missiles seek towards a target. Four direct hits with the seeking missiles will defeat an enemy Spartan, so you trade damage for reliability.
Halo Infinite Banished weapons
Halo Infinite Pulse Carbine
Defeat these Halo Infinite Targets to get modified weapon variants in the campaign
This new Halo Infinite weapon combines the classic Plasma Rifle and Covenant Carbine into a medium range, burst rifle. The Pulse Carbine fires five relatively slow-moving plasma bolts that have light tracking capabilities to compensate per burst. Like previous Covenant weapons, you need to manage the heat by venting it – six rapid bursts cause an overheat but the carbine automatically cools itself gradually. While enemies can easily hop around and sidestep the tracking plasma shots up close, but this becomes much more difficult at medium ranges. Two bolts within red crosshair range are enough to kill, allowing the Pulse Carbine to compete with other medium-range Halo Infinite weapons like the Commando and Battle Rifle.
Halo Infinite Needler
The Covenant’s classic rapid-fire SMG is back in Halo Infinite with more pink crystals to fire. This iteration of the Needler has a 26-round magazine and fires incredibly quickly. As with Needlers in past Halo games, you’ll need to get up close for it to be even remotely effective. Being within red crosshair range activates the needles’ tracking abilities, and landing enough of them on a target will still cause a devastating supercombine explosion of pink mist. It’s high fire rate makes it feel like the closest weapon to an SMG in Halo Infinite, and it’s very good when you find its range sweet spot.
Halo Infinite Plasma Pistol
The Plasma Pistol makes a reappearance as a weapon in Halo Infinite, but it’s had one massive change: it can no longer EMP vehicles – that function now belongs to the new shock damage type in Halo Infinite, which is found on the Disruptor, Shock Rifle, and Dynamo Grenade. As is normal for the Plasma Pistol, it still functions quite terribly as a normal pistol too, even in Halo Infinite. Thankfully, it can still charge EMP shots to instantly take down an enemy’s shields. Even though it’s known as the noob combo, pairing the Plasma Pistol with a precision weapon to clean up an easy kill with a headshot is still a completely viable strategy, even after 20 years of Halo.
Halo Infinite Energy Sword
Halo multiplayer isn’t complete without someone running around hacking Spartans up with the Energy Sword. It remains pretty much as it always has, being a one-hit kill and having a decent lunging range. The Halo Infinite Energy Sword does not have any smart-link ‘sights’ like it did in Halo 5: Guardians, and it consumes 15% of its charge per kill, so you don’t get as many hits as you have in the past. While playing Halo Infinite multiplayer, use the Grappleshot equipment item to quickly reel yourself in towards enemies. Be aware that the Repulsor is a great counter to the sword too!
Halo Infinite Gravity Hammer
Another iconic Halo melee weapon is also available in Halo Infinite. The Gravity Hammer returns but feels a little different compared to previous Halo titles. The Gravity Hammer is much slower to swing and requires better timing to wield effectively. It doesn’t really have much of a lunge either, but to compensate, its area-of-effect blast is now much bigger but also feels very focused directly in front of you. Gone are the times where you could panic-slam someone that got too close to you. Halo Infinite requires you to be much cleverer when wielding the Gravity Hammer.
Halo Infinite Disruptor
What appears to be the smallest firearm in the Banished’s arsenal, the Disruptor is an automatic pistol that is a fair bit better than the Plasma Pistol. It’s decent against Spartan enemies in Halo Infinite multiplayer, dealing low damage but also hitting them with a shocking damage-over-time effect that can tickle them to death. However, it’s much better against vehicles due to its shock damage bullets which can EMP vehicles. Firing enough of them into any vehicle will temporarily disable it, giving you the chance to kill the driver or hijack it. The Disruptor might not see much use in the smaller arena modes, but it should be a good sidearm to grab in big team battle modes with plenty of vehicles.
Halo Infinite Mangler
The new Banished Mangler is Halo Infinite’s answer to a hand cannon, but it looks a lot like the slow-firing Mauler shotgun-pistol from Halo 3. In Halo Infinite, it’s more of a slug-shooter, firing large, high-power rounds instead of a pellet spread. Three headshots with the Mangler will get you a perfect kill in multiplayer. It even has two tusk-like blades on the front that are used in its melee animation. This weapon has the potential to be quite devastating in the right hands, but missing a shot can easily lead to you losing a fight.
Halo Infinite Stalker Rifle
The new Stalker Rifle is a new take on the Covenant Carbine that sits between the carbine and the classic Beam Rifle sniper. The Stalker Rifle is a slow-firing, long-range weapon that can defeat an enemy Spartan in as little as three headshots. Despite being more like a marksman rifle than a sniper, this rifle also comes with a variable zoom optic, making it great for chipping away at enemies at very long ranges. To balance the Stalker Rifle’s high damage, only seven shots can be fired before it overheats. Venting before an overheat is much fast than a full cooldown, so manage your shots carefully. The Stalker Rifle will be easily outclassed by other weapons up close, so a reliable secondary is definitely needed if an enemy manages to close the gap.
Halo Infinite Shock Rifle
If the Skewer is the Banished’s heavy sniper weapon, the Shock Rifle is a much lighter long-range weapon. Like the S7 Sniper Rifle, the Shock Rifle has a four-round magazine but fires very slowly and lacks the variable zoom scope of the S7. It can still get one-hit kills with headshots, but narrow misses can cause minor glancing damage to enemy players. This is because the Shock Rifle actually fires a three-round burst very quickly, so missing just one of these shots won’t quite bring down a Spartan in one shot. However, its shock damage can arc between nearby enemies, so landing a shot can soften up clusters of foes. The shock damage gives it strong anti-vehicle potential as hitting a vehicle with enough shock damage will temporarily disable it.
Halo Infinite Ravager
The Ravager is a brand-new Banished grenade launcher-like weapon in Halo Infinite that packs a punch with a volley of exploding plasma balls. Each trigger pull with the Ravager fires a burst of three red plasma balls that arc and then explode on impact, with three direct hits being enough to defeat a Spartan. Holding down the trigger to charge up the Ravager will allow you to fire one large plasma ball instead that leaves behind a burning pool on the ground, which is great for area control. Be sure to keep an eye on the weapon’s temperature as it overheats after only a few bursts, and cools down very slowly.
Halo Infinite Skewer
Another of the Banished’s new Halo Infinite weapons, the Skewer is a long-range sniper weapon that also has the vehicular destruction abilities and appearance of a rocket launcher. The Skewer is a massive shoulder-mounted cannon that fires a giant javelin spike at incredibly high speeds. Hitting a Spartan with one of these spikes always results in a one-hit kill. It also has a variable zoom scope like the S7 Sniper Rifle, and it is particularly effective against vehicles – it can one-shot small and fragile vehicles like the Mongoose, Ghost, and Wasp. To balance it out, the Skewer’s size means it handles slowly and can only hold one spike at a time with a lengthy reload between each one.
Halo Infinite Forerunner weapons
Halo Infinite Heatwave
The first of the new Forerunner weapons in Halo Infinite, the Heatwave is a revamped version of the Scattershot shotgun from Halo 4 and 5. It’s very different in appearance but still has its ricochet projectiles and can penetrate through targtes. These ricochet projectiles have far more chaotic paths that allow them to fly around for a bit, making it likely that an accidental ricochet could finish off your opponent. By default, the Heatwave fires a horizontal line of six hard light projectiles, but toggling to its alternate fire mode changes the spread to a more vertical, shotgun-like pattern which is better for focusing on a single target. The Heatwave is great for defeating enemies in tighter spaces once you’ve mastered using the vertical fire mode and it can defeat a Spartan reliably in two shots.
Halo Infinite Sentinel Beam
Making its return, the classic Forerunner Sentinel Beam is back with Halo Infinite. This version of the weapon looks, sounds, and behaves quite differently compared to previous versions. It now deals quite significant damage but has hefty recoil to compensate. You’ll also notice that it no longer has a battery and overheat mechanic. Instead, the Sentinel Beam now operates from a limited supply of ammo that needs to be charged back into the weapon, so it’s much more like a conventional reload, rather than an overheat. The beam can also penetrate targets, so lining up the perfect beam will allow you to damage multiple targets at once.
Halo Infinite Cindershot
The Cindershot is a completely new Forerunner weapon in Halo Infinite. It’s basically a grenade launcher – like a Forerunner version of the Hydra – but it has lots of extra things going on to make it unique. First of all, its grenades will bounce once if they hit a surface and then detonate into fragments, so you can bounce them along the ground or around corners to catch enemies out. The Cindershot also has an alternate fire mode that converts the grenades into laser-guided micro-missiles. When you fire one, it will fly towards wherever your crosshair is pointing, and can still bounce. It’s an interesting weapon that will allow for some very creative plays, with two well-placed shots – not even direct hits – being all that’s needed to bring down an enemy Spartan.
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Will Sawyer is a guides writer at 12DOVE who works with the rest of the guides team to give readers great information and advice on the best items, how to complete a particular challenge, or where to go in some of the biggest video games. Will joined the GameRadar+ team in August 2021 and has written about service titles, including Fortnite, Destiny 2, and Warzone, as well as some of the biggest releases like Halo Infinite, Elden Ring, and God of War Ragnarok.