Halo Infinite: Best Guns and Weapons

The surprise launch of Halo Infinite‘s multiplayer means that we all get a chance to dive into the game’s first season of competitive play a bit earlier than we thought we would and start to get a feel for what guns and weapons will end up dominating the meta.

While I suspect that the Halo Infinite team will be releasing several patches as its first season unfolds (this is a modern multiplayer game), it has to be said that many of the guns in this game are surprisingly well-balanced and allow for a variety of strategies and playstyles.

Still, it’s pretty clear that there are some weapons in Halo Infinite that are simply much better than their alternatives.

Halo Infinite’s Best Guns and Weapons: S-Tier

M41 SPNKR

It pains me to say that Halo Infinite’s rocket launcher is as good as it is, but the M41 is absolutely the best gun in Halo Infinite at the moment.

This gun’s absurd splash damage potential makes it so much more versatile than it probably should be. Everything about this weapon’s damage output is absolutely absurd. Be sure to use it before it is nerfed. 

Skewer

The Skewer’s slow reload time and general awkwardness make it incredibly difficult to use properly, but none of that really matters when you consider that this hybrid sniper rifle can one-shot most enemies at most ranges regardless of where you hit them. 

It is very much worth learning to use this gun given that it can regularly pull off miracle kills from pretty much any distance.

S7 Sniper Rifle

The S7 isn’t the most exciting gun in Halo Infinite, but this pretty basic sniper rifle is easily one of the best weapons in the game. 

Snipers have long been pretty good in Halo games, and this one is pretty much the same as it ever was so far as that goes. This weapon is obviously designed with headshots in mind, but it only takes a couple of body shots from this monster to ruin someone’s day. 

BR75 Battle Rifle

The Halo series has always excelled at making burst rifles just feel good, and Halo Infinite’s Battle Rifle proudly continues that tradition by being one of the absolute best guns in this game. 

The Battle Rifle’s accuracy and consistent damage output mean that it really only takes a few bursts from this powerful weapon to down most enemies. You do not want to have to face this thing at close-to-mid ranges unless you also have one. 

Halo Infinite’s Best Guns and Weapons: A-Tier

Energy Sword

The breakout star of Halo 2 is as good as it ever was in Halo Infinite. 

The beauty of the Energy Sword is its ability to easily pick off stragglers thanks to its lock-on function. This is essentially the best short-range weapon in Halo Infinite, and anyone who really masters a map’s layout and learns to pick their spots will certainly end up getting a lot out of it. 

Heatwave

The Heatwave is an absolutely bizarre weapon that is essentially a sci-fi shotgun with an alternate mode that allows you to fire a tight, vertical series of projectiles that just melts people at close ranges. 

This gun’s versatility really puts it over the top. Its pellets are wild (they can even go around corners and bounce off walls), but they cover so much ground that it tends not to matter where they go in close quarters.

Gravity Hammer

The Gravity Hammer is a weird melee weapon that honestly isn’t as versatile or intuitive as the Energy Sword. 

However, the Gravity Hammer’s ability to destroy vehicles and enemies at very close ranges makes it impossible to ignore. I don’t know how far this weapon can rise above niche status, but you’re overlooking it at your own risk. 

Shock Rifle

I never expected the Shock Rifle to rank this high, but a little time with this gun reveals just how powerful it is. 

The Shock Rifle’s ability to hit multiple targets at long ranges with a single shot and disable vehicles makes it one of the most annoying weapons in the entire game. 

VK78 Commando

If you just prefer automatic assault rifles, then you’re probably going to want to learn to love the VK78.

This gun is certainly powerful (despite its smaller magazine), but it’s the VK78’s scope and range that elevates it over some of its more impressive alternatives. I think some will be turned away by its somewhat weaker close-range abilities, but that is an easy flaw to work around.

Halo Infinite’s Best Guns and Weapons: B-Tier

CQS48 Bulldog

While Halo’s standard sniper and assault rifles are pretty good all these years later, the classic Bulldog shotgun has simply been outclassed by some of Infinite’s other options.

Still, the Bulldog is about as reliable as it ever was at very close ranges where it can really put fear into an opponent. It’s a little heartbreaking that it isn’t slightly more powerful, but the fact you always know what you’re getting out of this gun is an asset. 

Hydra

The Hydra is a very weird gun with a primary fire option that shoots a series of smaller rockets in a straight line. It’s not that great on its own and it certainly isn’t as good as the other rocket launcher.  

However, the Hydra’s alternate fire lock-on ability is absolutely devastating in the right hands. It’s very good against vehicles, but it’s surprisingly capable against individual enemies at longer ranges. 

Needler 

The Needler has historically been either pretty much useless or absurdly powerful. Well, the Needler in Infinite falls somewhere in the middle of those two extremes.

While the Needler’s odd style and limited lock-on range are annoying, it’s still a tremendous option for anyone who needs to track an enemy at closer ranges and ensure that they do not escape. 

MA40 AR 

I was a little tempted to rank this assault rifle a little lower given that it’s about as basic as it gets (it’s pretty much the standard Halo assault rifle), but I can’t deny that this gun has its uses. 

While the MA40 is now capable of scoring headshots, it’s still best suited for close-range battles where its spread, larger magazine, and high rate of fire can really be put to work. Again, it’s just a solid, reliable gun.

Cinder Shot

This bouncing grenade launcher is an incredibly strange weapon to properly get a feel for. Truth be told, even its alternate fire mode which allows you to effectively seek a target don’t help make this gun much more than a weapon of chaos. 

So far as chaos goes, though, it’s a pretty good option. This thing is mostly designed to make groups of players panic, and it can certainly get easy kills in close encounter environments where there is nowhere to run.

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Halo Infinite’s Best Guns and Weapons: C-Tier

Pulse Carbine 

The Pulse Carbine is essentially the Covenant version of a burst rifle. It fires very slow-moving projectiles that can do quite a lot of damage if they hit. 

The problem is that this gun’s strange rate of fire and awkward projectiles make it very difficult to depend on. It can be annoying at far ranges, but it’s just not reliable enough to be worthy of consideration outside of specific scenarios. 

Sentinel Beam

The Sentinel Beam still excels at potentially taking out multiple foes and annoying vehicle users everywhere, but it’s one of those guns that begs for the right situation in order to be truly useful. 

I suspect that some players will encounter those scenarios often enough to turn this gun into a highlight reel weapon, but that’s about all that it will ever be. 

MK50 Sidekick Pistol

The once-dominant Halo pistol isn’t nearly as good as it once was, but this gun is still miles ahead of most other pistols in other games and ends up being fairly consistent at slightly longer ranges as well.

Ultimately, though, it’s hard to imagine that you’re going to rely on this gun as anything more than the kind of weapon you turn to out of necessity. It’s certainly not useless, but it isn’t a must-have. 

Ravager

I actually like the Ravager’s ability to essentially scorch the Earth and make the ground around a contested point a danger zone. You’d be amazed how useful that ability really is. 

However, this plasma grenade launcher’s primary fire mode just isn’t very good. Even if you’re a good shot with this weapon (which is a big “if”), it just doesn’t do enough damage in common scenarios. 

Disruptor

The Disruptor’s ability to effectively disable vehicles and do damage to enemies over time (which prevents shield recharges) is certainly unique. I do think this gun has its uses. 

However, this weapon is just way too odd and slow to ever be considered a go-to option. It’s a shame that it’s not a little more useful than it ultimately is given its unique functionality, but it’s certainly fascinating. 

Halo Infinite’s Best Guns and Weapons: D-Tier

Stalker Rifle

Halo Infinite’s surprisingly bountiful selection of sniper rifles means that any long-range gun needs to bring something pretty compelling to the table in order to stand out. 

Well, the Stalker just doesn’t do anything you can’t live without. It’s pretty good against shields, but it’s way too slow and not nearly powerful enough to be anything more than a gun you’re sometimes stuck with. 

Mangler

I want to love the Mangler like I want to love all handheld shotguns in video games, but the sad fact of the matter is that this gun doesn’t do anything special.

The problem with the Mangler is that it’s very hard to down an enemy without needing to reload its small magazine. If it was just a touch more powerful, it might move up a couple of tiers. 

Plasma Pistol

The Plasma Pistol is pretty much the same as it ever was, which means that you’re really using it to take out shields and disable vehicles before moving on to something else. 

The problem is that there are just too many different guns in Halo Infinite that perform similar functions. It’s incredibly hard to make this gun work unless you just happen to absolutely love it.