All weapons in Halo Infinite

The unique environment, weapons, and graphics make Halo the legendary game it is. And not only does Halo Infinite pay homage to the series’ roots, but it also tries to modernize it.

As of now, there are a total of 28 weapons in the game, not including all their variants. While all the weapons have their use cases and areas where they shine, some will perform better compared to others depending on the map and game mode. Following the meta and keeping up with the best guns in the game can allow players to have an edge over their opponents, but all the balance can shift in a single balance patch as well. Here’s a comprehensive Halo Infinite weapon guide.

UNSC Weapons in Halo Infinite

The UNSC weapons are generally the best weapons in Halo Infinite. They fire standard bullets or kinetic rounds, which means that they’re primarily focused on dealing damage to enemies, but they can struggle to drop enemy shields.

MA40 Assault Rifle

The MA40 Assault Rifle is the most classic Halo weapon. It’s remained about the same since Halo: Combat Evolved, with only a few design, name, and capacity changes. In Infinite, the MA40 has a 36-round magazine, moderate rate of fire, and is best used at close-to-medium range. To improve accuracy, make sure to fire in shorter bursts to help manage the recoil.

BR75 Battle Rifle

The BR75 is a medium-to-long range precision weapon that fires with a three-round burst. It also has a 36-round capacity, and it deals heavy damage when fired accurately. The scope is helpful for long-range encounters with enemies, but it’s not much help up close.

VK78 Commando

The VK78 Commando is a fully-automatic assault rifle paired with a 2X sight. It’s got a 20-round magazine and fires slower than the MA40, but the Commando’s rounds pack more of a punch than the MA40. If you can nail headshots, the Commando can deal some serious damage.

Mk50 Sidekick

The Mk50 Sidekick is Infinite’s version of the Magnum from previous games. It doesn’t deal as much damage as the pistol did in previous games (here’s looking at you, Combat Evolved), but its 12 rounds can make it quite the reliable sidearm. Use its high rate of fire to your advantage and it can get you out of a pinch.

CQS48 Bulldog

The CQS48 Bulldog is the primary shotgun in Infinite. It deals powerful damage up close, but from a distance it’s not much of a threat. The drum comes filled with seven shells, and you can fire through them exceptionally fast. The Bulldog is dangerous if you can move in quickly, strike, and get back to safety.

S7 Sniper Rifle

The S7 Sniper hasn’t changed much since its first iteration. It’s got four rounds to dispense that can deal a one-hit kill if you can get a headshot with it. Even shooting an enemy in the leg will drop their shields and leave them open to attack, but its slow rate of fire means the S7 isn’t very useful at short range. The scope starts off with a 5X zoom, but it serves as a variable 10X zoom for extra-long ranges.

M41 SPNKR

The M41 SPNKR is Halo Infinite’s rocket launcher, and it’s just as good as it’s always been. It has two rockets to start, with another two waiting to be reloaded. It deals sizable area-of-effect damage wherever the rocket lands, and if you score a direct hit, it’s a guaranteed kill on anyone without an Overshield.

Hydra

The Hydra is one of the more unique weapons in the game. It’s a small rocket launcher that holds six explosive shells, but they don’t deal much AoE damage like the SPNKR. Direct hits are the name of the Hydra’s game, and it’s got a lock-on mode that can make it easier to use at long range.

M392 Bandit

The M392 Bandit is a medium-range, semi-automatic rifle that holds 15 rounds. It’s comparable to the BR75, but requires more precision because it’s not a three-round burst. It doesn’t have a sight equipped by default, which makes it challenging to use at long range, but it’ll excel on smaller maps with clear lines of sight.

MA5K Avenger

The MA5K Avenger is the newest addition to Halo Infinite’s arsenal. It’s a short-range weapon with 60 rounds and an astonishingly high rate of fire, serving as an SMG in the place of the M7 and M20 from Halo 2 and Halo 5, respectively. It has very little recoil, making it incredibly dangerous at close range, but it won’t do much from too far away.

M247 Heavy Machine Gun

The M247 HMG is a mounted machine turret that can be removed from the tripod and carried through the battlefield. It’s got a high rate of fire from the spinning barrel, but it reduces player movement significantly. When using it from a mounted position, it won’t run out of ammo, but once it’s been removed it only shows you a percentage of how much ammo is left before you’ve got to drop it.

Sandwich

The Sandwich is only available to use in Forge, but it’s essentially just a melee weapon, same as the Oddball skull. It sure does look tasty.

Banished / Covenant weapons in Halo Infinite

The Covenant weapons in Halo Infinite are mostly plasma based, tailored towards removing shields. There are some Banished weapons like the Skewer that fire kinetic rounds, which are great for finishing the job once shields are down. Just note that Covenant weapons usually need to be vented during prolonged use.

Pulse Carbine

The Pulse Carbine is the Banished’s version of the UNSC’s Battle Rifle. While it doesn’t have a scope, it still maintains the three-round burst, but it’s not meant for as long of a range. Because it fires plasma rounds, the Pulse Carbine can melt through enemy shields, but the slow-moving rounds make it hard to hit a moving target. After shooting it five times, it has to cool down unless manually vented beforehand.

Needler

The Needler is a classic Halo weapon, holding 26 high-velocity tracking needles that stick into enemies. Once seven needles hit an enemy in a given time, it creates a supercombine explosion that deals massive damage, but the impact of each individual needle isn’t very sizable. It’s best at short range to maximize the fully-automatic Needler’s chances of connecting and causing a supercombine.

Plasma Pistol

The Plasma Pistol is another staple of the Halo franchise. The Covenant semi-automatic pistol fires plasma bolts that can burn through shields after a few hits. A fully-charged plasma pistol fires a slow-moving plasma bolt that immediately wipes an enemy’s shields on contact, making for a dangerous combination with the Battle Rifle or the Bandit. A noob combo, as it’s classically referred.

Energy Sword

The classic Energy Sword is a melee weapon that allows players to get up close and personal for a one-hit kill. It can be parried by another Energy Sword, but anything other than an enemy with an Overshield will be taken down in a single, well-aimed swipe. Pair this with the Grappleshot for one of the best Halo Infinite weapon combinations.

Gravity Hammer

The Gravity Hammer is a melee weapon that is swung slowly, but deals incredible AoE damage around where the strike lands. Where the Energy Sword is unmatched in a duel, the Gravity Hammer is meant for getting multiple kills in a group of enemies. Same as the Energy Sword, it’s great when paired with a Grappleshot for surprising opponents.

Mangler

The Mangler is classified as a pistol, but it plays more like a shotgun from up close. While it can still deal damage at medium range, a headshot with the Mangler up close is a death sentence for whoever is on the receiving end. It holds eight rounds in its revolving chamber, and it has a slower rate of fire than the Mk50 Sidekick. With good aim, you won’t come close to needing all eight rounds.

Disruptor

Another Banished pistol most frequently used by Grunts, the Disruptor is a fully-automatic energy weapon that holds 12 shock charges. It’s most effective for clearing shields, and consecutive hits on a vehicle will temporarily disable it. The rounds deal long-term shock damage as well, so it’s helpful against an enemy that’s already weakened.

Stalker Rifle

The Covenant rendition of the S7 Sniper, the Stalker Rifle is a long-distance plasma weapon with two modes of zoom. It deals less damage than the S7, but can fire faster to make up for missed shots. Like most plasma weapons however, it does need to be cooled every six shots unless you vent it yourself. Just don’t get caught on that fifth round by an enemy that’s gotten too close for comfort.

Ravager

The Ravager is a three-round burst cannon that fires small explosives in an arc. It can be charged for a massive, single shot that deals AoE damage, but not as much as it might seem. It’s best used for pinning enemies down and leading them to your awaiting teammates, or at close range where enemies don’t have any clear escape.

Skewer

The Skewer is a Banished launcher that fires a single, well, skewer that’s a one-hit kill on any enemy. It’s quick to reload and even quicker to make contact, with it being effective at long or short range. It only carries four rounds, like the SPNKR, but it doesn’t deal any AoE damage if you miss. The Skewer is highly effective against vehicles because of its armor piercing ability.

Shock Rifle

Very similar in functionality to the Stalker Rifle, the Shock Rifle is a sniper that fires shock charges instead of plasma. It can disable vehicles after multiple hits, and it’s got the fire rate to get the job done. It’s effective at clearing shields as well, but doesn’t deal the heaviest damage.

Plasma Cannon

The Plasma Cannon is the Covenant’s rendition of the M247 HMG. It’s a mounted turret that fires plasma bolts rapidly, but the main difference is that it has to cool down when detached from the tripod. It’s great for burning through enemy shields, but the slow pace you have to walk while holding it can be dangerous.

Scrap Cannon

The Scrap Cannon is a Banished turret that fires explosive rounds at an increasingly high rate of fire. It’s great for clearing out enemies and dealing damage on vehicles, and its slow rate of fire makes the ammo last longer than the other detached turrets in Halo Infinite.

Forerunner weapons in Halo Infinite

Forerunner weapons’ main focus is on critical hits. If you can nail an enemy directly, oftentimes they’ll be vaporized before they even have a chance to react, but a missed shot can cost you dearly on reload times and damage dealt. Forerunner weapons are the best short-range weapons in Halo Infinite besides the melee weapons.

Heatwave

The Heatwave is a versatile Forerunner shotgun that can switch firing modes from a wide spread of six energy pulses to a vertical cluster that deals heavy damage on a single target. Like all the Forerunner weapons, a direct shot with the vertical firing mode will vaporize enemies, but just one or two hits from the horizontal shot may not be enough to win a duel.

Sentinel Beam

Not meant for long-range combat, Halo Infinite actually classifies the Sentinel Beam as an SMG, and in functionality this is correct. It fires a concentrated beam of hardlight that looks like it goes far, but really only deals damage up close. The charge drains quickly, meaning being up close and personal is the best bet.

Cindershot

The Cindershot is the Forerunner grenade launcher, but with some special abilities. The rounds will detonate after two bounces off surfaces or when they hit a target, making them hard to predict. Also, if you hold the aim button, you can alter the direction of the grenade midair, giving you the extra bit of correction it may take to get the kill.

Halo Infinite weapon variants

Some of the weapons in Halo Infinite have variants that affect their gameplay. These can range from increased damage, altered sights or changed rate of fire.

Here are the weapon variants in Halo Infinite and what weapons they modify.