Why you're WRONG about the Halo 3 Assault Rifle 

Halo free

The assault rifle should’ve been a good all-rounder weapon, not just a glorified SMG, *_BECAUSE THERE IS ALREADY AN SMG IN THE SANDBOX._*

Yeah but if you do the golden Triangle for any other gun it works better

The way i see it, for the development of Halo games, AR MUST be a *simple straightforward and very effective weapon to use* , which would sensibly justify its common and widespread use. It wasnt meant to need combos to reach its full potential, nor anything more than the basic technical thinking of "aim and shoot a bit from far, aim and shoot all out closer", *and of course it isnt meant to be replaced by other weapons, but all of the weapons just be choice or preference for different situations.* I feel Reach finally did some justice to the AR effectiveness in accuracy and damage, but we lost the H3 best design

The video starts at 1:17

Fabulous point about the causal AR in H3 and the sweaty AR in Infinite, I hate the sweat

Ay'low free

Imo the bullet speed is just way too slow. Sometimes it feels like the bullets just disappear in midair especially when the connection slows down a bit.

i just think the firing sound of the AR sounds like mushing play-doh and thats why i don't like it

I agree with this take, and I'm a huge halp fan.... But I still think the AR in halo 3 should be maybe 2 or 3 less shots to kill. Infinites is a bit too strong, but I think halo 5 nailed it. (In terms of TTK, not range tho)

One good thing about 343 was their treatment of the AR and magnum

Wait you're telling me Bungie designed the equal starts in mind with picking up other weapons? I'm not supposed to just run around with the AR the entire game?

Halo CE AR: *GIGANTIC BULLET HOSE OF DEATH* Halo 3 AR: Soft bang bang SLAP

This is why I find auto slayer on the MCC more fun than BR starts. Unless its on a map with BRs everywhere. I also remember when Bungie first added the magnum as a secondary starting weapon. You actually had a chance against a BR user.

I actually remember downloading a mod that changed the H3 AR sound to the one from Halo CE and I used it so much more. It's wild how much sound design make a difference.

Burst firing really helps at less than preferable ranges. The amount of times I out shot a fellow AR player by bursting while all their shots fly past me. Not a perfect method of victory but when you're stuck with AR, make better use of it cus it is more viable than people realise

I hate how the AR sounds like someone shaking a rock around in a water bottle.

I would love to agree with you but when other weapons blatantly outclass it in every way that’s when I call cap. No matter what triangle to devote your life too you will still be out classed by some guns.

I dont feel wrong after watching this video. The argument is that the weapon supports use through the golden triangle is fine... except that other weapons aren't designed this way or require this. Does that mean they're inherently bad? The BR doesn't need to be combined with a melee or a grenade. It is strong enough on its own to function as a precision weapon. If the opportunity arises, the weapon can melee (as with every other gun) and combines well with a grenade for a headshot. The BR is enhanced by the golden triangle, like nearly every other weapon, not dependent on it. Single wield weapons, especially when dual wielded in combination with eachother have very high damage outputs in close range, outclassing the AR and don't require melee or grenades, but of course dual wielding is supplemented by this as these remain an option to you in certain situations. The assault rifle's damage output, accuracy and magazine size limit the weapons functionality as a gun as compared with the rest of the sandbox. That, in my mind, makes it a weak weapon that is poorly designed within the sandbox. You suggest that means I have to get better at melee and grenade to support a weapon that doesn't stand on its own. Take the argument to the extreme. If the assault rifle did 75% of its current damage, it would nearly never kill anyone, and would be further reliant on melee/grenades. That doesn't make a good weapon, it makes it become more of a weapon to be avoided at all costs. The weapon is simply too weak, with too much inaccuracy, with a limited clip size. There are lots of techniques to get more utility out of the AR, especially in AR duels, but that results in two people using a relatively poor performing weapon and trying to get the most they can out of it. This does have a skill ceiling, and this is nice, but so does every other weapon in the sandbox, AND future halo titles have the AR have a higher skill ceiling to get more out of it. I also have a problem with relying on melee as a part of the golden triangle for a weapon. Nearly every weapon can match the DPS of the assault rifle close enough to time a melee to trade lives. A weapon that has a relative best-case scenario for a trade is not a preferable weapon. One of the larger arguments against your take is that halo 3's AR is nearly inarguably the weakest in the series. That means that at no point further throughout halo titles has any halo developer agreed with you that the AR should function as it did in halo 3. Halo 5 and Halo infinite have pretty powerful ARs, to the point where there are many situations/ranges I would at least want an AR over a sidekick/H5pistol or battle rifle. I never want a halo 3 AR over anything im pretty sure. I'd rather have dual weapons for close range gunfights to out DPS the AR, or I'd rather have a BR/carbine at mid-longer ranges. Bottom line: Good weapon design means that a weapon has a role within a sandbox, and is enhanced by the golden triangle, not dependent on it. The Halo 3 AR does not perform any particular role much better than any other weapon in the sandbox. And if it does, its niche is too small to warrant risking yourself by picking it up.

Too bad the default is precision weapons (Battle Rifle), in other game modes in the MCC. I enjoy auto slayer, as it encourages more sandbox gunplay. So really, I only play Auto Slayer FFA and TDM.

have not even watched the vid but I like the H3 AR ONLY bc it's ONLY effective at short range fits it's sandbox like it should.

The Halo 3's AR were make to introduce to the player the other two mechanics. But people don't or don't want to understand it.

The Halo 5 and Infinite Ar doesn't have a High TTK, they got a Low ttk. When it comes to TTK a smaller time means a stronger gun.

I have a friend who yells at me for liking this assault rifle the most. I like it for the reasons mentioned here. He’s saying “you shouldn’t need a golden triangle to play the game, you should be able to only rely on the weapon.” This is coming from a guy who thinks the CE assault rifle is the best, lmao

The AR in 3 was one of my favorite guns in that entire game. It did fall behind the BR and Sniper though. I never quite understood why people didn't like it.

I am hoping many people will agree with me that *AR in Halo 3 needed A LOT beefier sound, and not that underwhelming sound that reminds of all muffled bs from Halo 4 to Infinite.* Reach imo did AR justice in sound and use (ok maybe not the muzzle flash)

People are just used to precise low ttk rifles.

It’s actually extremely useful in the campaign funnily enough.

Lmfao these comments. The Halo 3 Assault Rifle is a great all around weapon. Im doing a legendary playthrough Right now and my favorite weapon combo is the assault rifle and the battle rifle. Use the assault rifle to burst fire to take out shields/armor and then use the battle rifle for that headshot. This combo is very reliable and lasts a long time ammo wise

Fun fact about the H3 AR: You can significantly increase accuracy at mid range by tap firing it like a madman. Unless you're in melee range, full auto is just the wrong way to use it; it's like the Halo CE magnum in that respect.

Fun tip: Using the H3 AR against the banshee will be more effective than a BR if you don’t have any power weapons. Being it a penetration style gun rather than a precision weapon. Just make sure to follow up on short bursts those at bullets will fly everywhere like a CE scorpion MG

Just because it works well with the golden triangle doesn’t mean it isn’t ass It still has shit range, and can’t reliably kill beyond how far you can throw a wad of paper And it’s ttk is crap, the only good thing going for it is that it’s projectiles are decently fast compared to any plasma weapon Sure, it might be a great tool for encouraging new players to use everything at their disposal and is really good game design. But at the end of the day, you’re always going to pick up that Battle Rifle off the ground. Also, it sounds like a damn BB gun lol.

Glad to more people understand the Halo 3 assault rifle its a great starting weapon and still very viable but a good balance of damage to encourge you to use other weapons I love the Halo 3 AR!

I think ik why the Halo 3 AR is shit to some folks is maybe because of the shitty AR firing sound.

Halo free and the golden triangle i think this guy is rarted. Its just a underwhelming gun, dont overthink it jeez.

you can always tell when someone is a BR addict by the way they treat the AR.

Theres 2 problems with Halo 3's ar that oddly are on opposite ends: 1. The base performance is designed for comboing with melee or grenades but unlike the Halo 2 SMG, no title update was made to nerf a very specific problem with it that almost invalidates that goal. H2's smg was more straight forward as it got a accuracy and damage nerf, particularly in dual wielding that made it from god tier to decent. The H3 AR however has a exploitable quirk that if you rapidly tap fire the AR: not only does it use the min inaccuracy value despite how much you are firing BUT it also increases the rate of fire which turns it into a more accurate but only slightly less damage SMG. This completely voids the point of Bungie switching smg secondaries for AR secondaries between games when ultimately the only difference between games is "more accurate, less damage, same rof, no dual wield". This quirk works for ALL automatic firing weapons in Halo 3, turning the turrets into near-mid range laser beams and the Plasma rifle into being a competitively viable alternative to the plasma pistol rather than dual wield fodder. In a perfect world: this quirk would been patched out and the exploit's "stats" would have been partially applied to under performing weapons themselves to give them a balanced identity/niche... that and maybe back porting the Automag and Silent SMG from ODST with faithful stats (rather than what they were given in MCC, despite me loving them being basically the CE AR and Magnum in stealthy clothes) so there could be a more consistant brawler option automatic starter that doesnt over shadow the sandbox (as the smg/spiker would have more rof and shield/health damage across the board) and a starter precision weapon that doesnt invalidate everything outside close range that isnt a Sniper/Spartan Laser/or explosive weapon (a problem reach would double on next game) but can still be used to descope enemies, give group fire from a range, and finish off targets. 2. While its Max Inaccuracy was bs and it absolutely shredded when close enough for full auto to properly connect most if not all the bullets: CE's AR (hell, most of CE's limited roster except for the CE pistol's rof or damage and the SR's lack of recoil) fit and co-existed with the rest of the sandbox without being all powerful and without stepping on the toes of its rival the shotgun too much (AR is better for 1v1/cleaning up a couple weakened enemies and the shotgun has faster ttk and can 1 v 3 if your timing and positioning is right while having a balanced way to have more range than the AR). Primary purpose and sandbox co-existence of the AR aside: the removal of melee attack range/speed differences after CE for the most part feels like a missing opportunity for both making the player use more the sandbox but not over punish someone for having starter gear initially. Ultimately: while Halo 3 was mostly a refinement of Halo 2 but with a slightly different feel, it feels some sandbox choices/oversights are a result of forgetting what worked in CE, making the weapon roles more straight forward in 2, and then trying to start back at square one balance wise but in a round about way that adds redundency.

The TL:DR of this video is basically use it like a plasma pistol because it can't perform as an actual weapon (same as the SMG)

A weapon should be generally viable in and of itself.

In Infinite the AR and Sidekick feel more like power weapons than most actual power weapons do.

For me at least halo infinites assault rifle feels right in the slot. It's not unviable like halo 3, but you definitely will throw it down for any power weapons and that's how it should be imo. You really can't tell me starting weapons should be super weak when halo ce gives you one of the best weapons in the game right away the magnum. I feel halo ce gave you too good of a gun from spawn while halo 3 gave you too weak of a gun from spawn. While infinite is a good middle ground between the two, viable but not strong.

I think Infinite has the best assault rifle of any Halo game

The thing is that the Assault Rifle in 3 is relatively weak as it's a starting weapon which always comes with at least another weapon (BR or magnum) and two grenades. You get it for free, you do not need to put in work to get one. It performs accordingly. I get the arguement that it encourages scavenging but at the same time, it can also hinder your ability to fight back against players who picked up a better weapon. The BR is a more useful and better weapon, and if the game mode starts off with BRs it does make the AR and plenty of other pick-ups redundant or just too niche. I think BR starts give a better ability to players to fight back against power weapons, and the BR does bring a lot of depth as well. Tracking, strafing, the need to land the entire burst, etc. MLG had it figured out to he honest. BR starts were the norm and pick-ups were all weapons that were desirable even if you had a BR, in fact they worked as an extension as you started out with only a BR and no secondary. With AR starts, the introduction of weapons that are flat out better than other pick-ups can mess things up. The BR sits in a weird place as it's not technically a power weapon, but a super versatile one.

All my homies:The halo 3 assault rifle sucks... Me:*Laughs in being able to dual wield with any weapon and still have more kills than the people I give power weapons and let have all the powerups.*

The big problem I have with the Halo 3 Assault Rifle is more its very weak firing sound. It sounds like an automatic pop gun as opposed to an actual rifle.

THANK YOU FOR UPHOLDING THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE

I haven't watched the video yet and it probably isn't going to change my mind, but as much as I love Halo 3 I have ALWAYS hated the AR. Mostly because of how unimpactful it is in a functional and stylistic sense. The original AR from CE had a 64 round magazine for a reason; it didn't tear through shields very effectively but SHREDDED enemies without one. The magazine size compensated for that weakness by giving you enough spare bullets to break the shield and take an opponent down, but without being overpowered as it was a gun that was ineffective at greater ranges; the Magnum was still a go-to option in most circumstances, the Shotgun simply handled close range better, Sniper held long range better, so on so forth. The AR was a nice comfy middle ground and a beast of a "jack of trades" weapon. ... The AR in Halo 3 on the other hand is pitiful. For one, it just isn't satisfying to use; the sound just rings much weaker than its predecessor and something about its design FEELS smaller so on a purely aesthetic level I just don't enjoy it as much. But then you have the actual damage output which is ironically not held back by its actual numbers, but the magazine size. Cutting the magazine size in half was a detrimental decision as now the gun gives you basically no room for error; it is not designed with missing shots in mind, and even when you land them all, there is usually just BARELY enough there to break a shield, meaning this gun was built with MELEE in mind.. which wouldn't necessarily be bad if not for tbe fact that there are simply better options for that, one being one of the most common default weapons in the game, the PLASMA PISTOL. If you're going to shield break and punch someone to death, you just use the damn plasma pistol, chipping away at their shield just makes you a sitting duck, especially if the other person has the same intentions in mind and is using better combinations. In fact, the Plasma Rifle is better in that regard too. The AR didn't need a magazine downgrade, it was BALANCED as it was. Cutting the clip in half basically ensured it as the gun you inevitably traded out for something better, which IS NOT a justification for the state of its firepower, it's an indictment against it. When your gun loses out to the plasma pistol, you have failed.

Dont know why anybody likes it I use it in close quarters and it holds up well

Yeah it may be weak to promote players to use the triangle but the problem is that it sucks against every other weapon except the plasma rifle and plasma pistol and 343 proved that it's too weak with H4 because at launch the AR in H4 used the same code and stats as the one in H3 the just copy and pasted it into H4 but then they patched it to up the damage 10% and upped the mag size from 32 to 36 and boom you now have a weapon that can hold it's own against all the precision weapons so yes the halo 3 AR is bad weapon as long as it's in a sandbox where the Battle rifle exists

I get your point cuz i know how this combo works, but i believe that for me and most who complain out there its because the weapon should be able to easily kill the target on its own without combos or assistance.

Infinite and H5's sweaty gameplay has nothing to do with the AR. It's because how insanely good the secondary precision starting weapons are.

I see similarly misguided criticisms aimed at the Shotgun (namely its extremely short range). It's a power weapon, yes, but it fills the very specific niche of enabling you to win melee-ranged fights, including enabling you to hard-counter the Energy Sword & Gravity Hammer if you time your shots perfectly. You still need to make use of your melee & grenades in most cases, but you have a clear upper-hand. It's not meant to fill a general-purpose, mid-ranged niche (like the Rocket Launcher is), and you should _not_ pick it up expecting it to outrange & outgun other weapons.

Its an issue that it centers around profiencency. Onces players learn that the BR is the way to go then people keep the AR as a secondary throwaway weapon. No rifle should be throw aways

It's hated bc it's weak but that was for the benefit of the actual game

It also worked a bit better if you used some trigger discipline, and used bursts when you weren't right next to your target.

The AR is better at tearing up vehicles than the BR. If im tryna take out a banshee I always use the AR and short burst it.

Video starts at 1:16 Saved you guys a minute

Bruh the halo 3 assault rifle is goated. I can fire it point blank into my mouth to brush my teeth 10/10

AR still bad. Because it requires mellee or grenade. It needs to be buffed especially when it can't be dual wielded.

I thought the AR in Halo 3 was pretty good, better than the smg

Crustbound... favorite person ever i used adore the h3 ar u are just supporting it. Gigachad guaranteed

the Halo 3 AR is defiled for the sins of the Battle Rifle

The Only Criticism I can Point out in this video is that yes while the assault rifle is designed the way it is you relies that this weapon is meant to be the prime starting weapon along with the pistol. Yes the gun has a low TTK for more Empasis on weapon pickups and equipment but the second that you introduce the Battle Rifle as a starting weapon along with the assault rifle, why would you bother using the assault rifle at all when you have a perfect Melee headshot combo weapon that's good at all ranges. I feel like most of these criticisms for the assault Rifle can come from MCC having precision Slayer as its main default. Halo CE: Start with Assault Rifle and Plasma Pistol Halo 2: SMG and Pistol Halo 3 Assault Rifle and pistol Halo Reach: Assault Rifle and Pistol Halo 4 GL IDK what you have My Main point is that with BR Starts the Assult rifle no longer has a place in the game

I think I'm the only person who doesn't like the CE AR

Lol good vid bro

My biggest issue with h3 is actually the BR being in AR slayer at all. Go back and watch the original h3 multiplayer trailers. It was pure chaos. Everyone using plasma rifles, spikers, smgs... It was just so goofy and casual. I want a Halo game where people just run around with dual wields. Having BR spawns in AR slayer messes up with the experience as it overpowers all of the above weapons. And I say this as someome who mostly plays BR starts. I still love the BR, but AR slayer with dual wields, carbines, and power weapons was just so "Halo"

For me the halo reach assault rifle it's the best one

Finally a good opinion. I’m pretty sure AR does more damage per shot than a BR, but it’s really to reward how long you can stay on Target, especially at close range when you can easily fill the reticule and you can easily rush down anyone caught within your blast, although you were usually be picked off very easily if you try this maneuver while someone is team firing you, You should employ team tactics, In the sense, you would probably rush someone down or fire from cover at close range on target wall other teammates launch BR shots from other spots in cover. It is decent if you burst fire at range and can help you save ammo for the BR. Also, for what is the hit design in halo, you should aim where are they are about to be so that the enemy walks right into your bullets . I’m pretty sure the assault rifle is based on the FN F2000 Bulpup assault rifle made by the Belgian FN Herstal armory.

BR starts ruined the Halo sandbox.

3:12 Except for the firing sound

But how do you know that I'm WRONG about the Halo 3 Assault Rifle?

British people be like: hey lol free

I've always loved the assault rifle

Imo the main weakness of the H3 AR (Or every weapon in H3) is the connection. Due to almost every weapon having a slower bullet speed. Slower connections makes bullets just disappear in mid air. I never got good with H3 due to this which sucks since it's such a fun to play game when it does sometimes work.

What are your thoughts on the sound effects with the weapon?

This title is for confusing. If you like it you’re wrong, if you don’t like it you’re wrong. You’re just always wrong.

Br is overpowered in halo 3 and overrated

Random but I have always hated the Halo 3 BR. I can’t quite pinpoint why but Halo 2 had it right.

Yea bring back ar starts

Why you're WRONG about me being WRONG about the Halo 3 Assault Rifle: Literally any other weapon is more useful in every single scenario you brought up. Any gun in Halo 3, however unbalanced the sandbox may be, can easily be used to finish someone off after a grenade throw or with a melee. The Assault Rifle's poor performance does not make it special in this regard, it just makes it underwhelming.

I always felt this way

In terms of the starter weapon being a gateway into the more skill-based elements, i agree with you. Where I disagree with you is that the assault rifle should NOT be this weapon. The SMG should be. The assault rifle needs to be the jack of all trades, all around weapon. Something that could be utilized effectively in all scenarios even if there are other weapons that specialize in some of them better. Basically, for any type of situations, the AR needed to be the 2nd best choice to use. Thus, the assault rifle shouldn't be what you spawn into the match with, but instead be another one of the rifles you can find out in the field. Bonus: doesn't help that the sound went from CE's rapid fire shotgun-esque booming, to 3's airsoft rifle sounds.

I agree with the points made about the halo 3 AR complementing the overall sandbox/combat loop, but I’d speculate that the criticism towards the AR stems mostly from its poor sound design, weak audio/visual feedback on when shots are landing at medium range, and the overtuned damage of the BR. Not a popular opinion, especially among competitive players (as far as I can tell), but the BR being a 4 shot and outgunning other non power weapons at so many ranges has always watered down the more unique/interesting avenues for skill expression. I think the subsequent games really improved on making the AR feel better, but also balanced themselves too closely around longer ranges and fast ttk. Would have loved the Halo 3 BR to be a 5 burst kill with headshots, but only need to land 13 individual shots, and have higher bullet velocity.

My personal issue with the Halo 3 AR is that it didn’t really stand apart from the SMG. The SMG was better at close range and by the range the SMG was less effective, you’re likely going to be able to duck into cover or use grenades in conjunction with the SMG. I feel like the AR was in this weird middle ground where it excelled at nothing, but in the most mundane way possible. At least in my opinion. Not to mention that in AR starts, the enemy really only had to grab a BR or Carbine and then you were going to be outclassed on most of the MP maps with no reply as the BR is more effective in all situations provided you can land your shots with it.

Your right The assault rifle is good at tickling people At least it's not the brute spiker

banger

I do agree with you. It is meant to be a starter gun so it deals low damage and encourages grenades/melee. But it does not excel in the short-medium range category that other versions of the A.R do! But good job otherwise. It is an underrated gun!👍

Your argument seemed to basically say it’s underpowered but it works which is true but that still means it’s underpowered. Not starting with Halo CE might be why you don’t see that

I agree! Infinite AR is just OP. Halo 3 AR had its use but never felt crazy powerful.

HALO FREE!!!

My favorite iteration or the AR is actually halo 4, tap firing at range isnt as reliable as a BR or DMR but its still effective at those ranges

No, I’m right

Aylow free

Imo, this weapon seems pointless because the SMG exists in halo 3. If I want something that can kill quickly in CQB, the SMG is better. If I want a weapon that excels at range, the Battle Rifle fills the role too well. Also, this weapon is the exact opposite of a noob friendly weapon. If players have to learn the triangle, I don't necessarily means that it's a great beginning weapon.

You’re reviewing the AR in a vacuum, there are like 5 other weapons that do what the AR does as good if not better and the BR ruled the sandbox.

I turned on the subtitles and it said "halo free" at the beginning of the video

The only thing I've ever hated about the Halo 3 AR was the airsoft gun-like sound it makes.

If you know how to use the car it's one of the best guns in the game

Wow Iv been wrong for 15 years!

Oh cool this was made on my birthday last year