UNSC Weapons

Halo: The Master Chief Collection UNSC weapons like the Assault Rifle, Pistol, Sniper Rifle, Shotgun, and Rocket Launcher. Learn their strengths and weaknesses.

Assault Rifle

You start out with this weapon in just about every level. However, it is only useful in limited spots. It is good for taking out large groups of weak enemies, like Grunts or Infection Flood Forms. It is also for the most part effective against the Flood. It holds 60 bullets per clip, and you can hold up to a maximum of 600 bullets. The biggest disadvantage about this weapon is that it is very weak against Elites. Do not get in a bullet-for-bullet fight against Elites with this weapon, as you will go nowhere and you will more likely get hurt than they will. On most levels, try to get this swapped out with a Covenant weapon as fast as possible (except for levels that deal with the Flood).

Pistol

The Pistol, the first weapon you receive in the game, is actually one of the most powerful weapons in the game. It has several uses. Against Grunts, one shot to the head will instantly kill a Grunt. Even against Jackals, you can kill a Jackal in one hit if their head is exposed. While not useful for draining the shields of an Elite, if accurate, you can immediately kill an Elite with a headshot (a shot that lands on the enemy's head, usually an instant kill) with the Pistol if their shields are removed. Also, against Hunters, you can instantly kill a Hunter with one shot from the Pistol to their orange midsection. It is also an effective weapon against the Flood, as you can attack them long range with the Pistol and not put yourself in harm's way. In addition, the Pistol has a scope, so you can zoom in with the Pistol to get a better shot at a long distance. The Pistol can hold 12 rounds per clip, and you can carry up to 120 spare bullets for the Pistol.

Sniper Rifle

An extremely useful weapon that you won't be able to use very often. You will start out with this weapon in Truth and Reconciliation, and it is highly recommended to carry the weapon throughout the entire level. It is great for sniping out enemies in both single player and multiplayer, and it can zoom in to 2X and 8X (it could be 10 in the Xbox version). It can hold 4 shots before reloading (maximum ammo not specified), and it's a powerful weapon as well. Its advantages are being able to take down an Elite in 2 hits and any other enemy in 1 shot, and it's a good weapon for fighting enemies far away. It also has night vision, so if you can't see very well, just hit your flashlight button to turn it on, but only when zoomed in. Some of its disadvantages are that it's a bad weapon for fighting up close, as enemies can easily move around, making it harder to hit the moving target. The Sniper Rifle is also very weak against The Flood, so save your ammo for other enemies.

Shotgun

This is pretty much the best weapon in the game. It is found a lot in the later levels, especially with the Flood. If you kill a Flood creature and they have this weapon, pick it up now. The Shotgun can hold 12 shells and you can carry 60 spare shells for the Shotgun. When reloading, you can fire while reloading, as it reloads 1 shell at a time, but you will need to hold down the fire button instead of simply pressing it to get a shot off while reloading. It can knock out any enemy except an Elite or a Hunter in one hit. The Shotgun can take out even the strongest Elite on Legendary difficulty in three hits. Advantages of this weapon are that like said, it can take out any enemy quickly, and it's a great gun for fighting enemies at close range. Some of its few disadvantages are if you overuse this weapon on pointless stuff, you may run out of ammo quickly, and it's a bad weapon for attacking at faraway distances, as the pellets become more widespread.

Rocket Launcher

A decent weapon later on in the game, and it's a great weapon if you know how to use it correctly. It can hold 2 rockets at once, with having up to 4 reloads (8 rockets). Sometimes you may see the Flood with this weapon, SO WATCH OUT. It is an essential weapon to beating the final weapon, although you could use grenades as well. The best way to take out a large group of enemies with this weapon is to shoot at the floor and knock everyone off their feet. It also has a zoom in scope too. Watch out, this gun can hurt you as well. Advantages of this weapon is that it can take out any group of enemies in 1 hit, and it is an excellent weapon for destroying the fusion reactors in the final level. Its disadvantages is that it's very slow at reloading, and if you try to attack up close, you could kill yourself. It's also not a great weapon for attacking just 1 enemy.

Flamethrower

A new weapon added to the PC version of this game, but it a multiplayer-only weapon. If you know how to use this weapon correctly, it can be a pretty deadly weapon. Being a flamethrower, you'll need to attack your enemies at a closer range. Doing this, you can drain their shields AND health in a matter of seconds. It starts out with 400 bullets and you'll need to reload it as well. But if you see an enemy trying to attack you with this weapon, just stay at a far range from them and the flamethrower shouldn't bother you.