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?
@@crustbound It's stupid. I've played every Halo game and can say that going back to Halo 3 is a pain as half the damn sandbox is unusable in comparison to the damn BR. Like, you don't even need to be good with the BR, just kind of decent and then nobody can touch you. It just makes every game feel like I'm crippling myself to justify diverse pick-ups. Glad both Bungie and 343 finally gave that mindset the boot.
@@unstableanimations That's kinda true actually and I hate to agree with you. Give any decent Halo 3 player a BR and so long as the ammo doesn't run out you can pretty much run through the story on legendary rather easily. Maybe having a sword, RPG or shotgun to pair it with oh and of course the plasma pistol to basically turn the BR into a 1 shot machine lol. Its made worse by the Elites not really being an enemy in the game, 1 plasma pistol shot and a brutes armor is permanently down leaving you free to launch off 5 plasma overcharges then just 5 burst an entire group of leadership enemies.
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
Yea, that's the thing that really sticks out about Halo 3's AR compared to the AR of most of the other games. It has amazing accuracy before its recoil kicks in which makes rapid short bursts pretty serviceable at further ranges. I suspect a ton of players simply didn't know this because CE's AR was solely a bullet hose, even the first shot had terrible accuracy making it worthless beyond point blank. Halo 2's SMG took the role and was basically the same bullet hose. The things Bungie did to put the SMG and the AR in the same game and function as very different weapons was pretty genius. Then the SMG disappeared in Reach and the AR went back to being a bullet hose again, go figure.
@@RebelFNOS fun fact, bloom has always been a thing. Halo just didn't have a visual representation of it on the hud (i.e. crosshairs) until Reach. If you jump onto to any halo pre-reach and use any automatic against a wall. Burst it and full auto and it clearly shows a difference in spread rate. Applies to all sidearms as well, faster fire rate, more bloom, no crosshairs to show it.
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.
Heck. Even as strong as the AR is in Halo Infinite, I prefer the sidekick over it pretty much every time. It's got a faster ttk, longer range, faster reload, and stomps at close range still. My k/d in matches goes up considerably when I main sidekick over maining the Infinite AR.
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.
Gotta disagree. The AR is not outclassed by the BR at close-range (being significantly more spread-based helps that close-range bias), close-range with melee, and is also easier to aim/use which makes it more desirable for noobs and rookie players in casual lobbies. The BR is more powerful at midrange, long-range, and in more competitive lobbies where people can actually aim, yes, but: Here's something people don't seem to understand - a gun being weaker at midrange lethality is not "blatantly outclassed in every way".
Spraying 5 bullets and a melee for the AR is still significantly better than 2 burst and a melee with a BR. A skilled player will always win over a BR user in close range.
@@EmSee360 ig when you put it into those kind of terms it makes sense but sometimes ur in close range and barely out of reach and you’ll lose the gun fight. I like halo mcc but it’s mostly just sweats that play the game so when I try to improve I just get dumpstered by the whole lobby without even being able to fight back.
@@rage_tv4493in high skill lobbies, the AR is more situational; it has to be used defensively like a shotgun, rather than running and gunning. The AR is pretty great for a starter gun if you know someone is coming ahead of time - it's a great weapon for camping lifts on construct, for example.
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
I beleive it's due to just chip damage combined with fire rate, so it deals about the same damage as the BR per bullet, but you get a much higher rate of fire
@@samuelmunoz1464 yeah very true, the halo 2 br sounded painful compared to the h3 br, also the h3 assault rifle has admittedly the worst sound in the entire series, so wimpy.
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)
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.
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.
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.
@@crustbound More changes to Halo that I hate 343 did. When the game is out on PC they put precision weapons as starting weapons? Then they allow crossplay LOL
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.
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
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.
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
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 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.
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.
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.
@@sosososniperss4486 Actually people who spray with it often loose against me it's better to burst with to shrink the bloom. So no not exactly. Honestly the magnum feels easier to use for me but I guess that's just because I'm good at hitting headshots.
@@sosososniperss4486 hes talking about halo infinite like fhe guy in the video lol why are you talking about halo 5. And only noobs struggle with the AR and call it too powerful.
@@sosososniperss4486 Skill issue indeed. Wrap your head around this I know it's hard because you are a moron but try your best clown. You are struggling and complaining when going against a mid tier weapon like the AR. Hahaha and you call me a noob? Get real bozo. Learn how to counter such middle of the road weapons without crying like a baby then maybe you can call someone a noob. Doesn't matter if it's a spray weapon because if you hit your shots and incorporate some of the golden triangle like melee and grenades as well, while noobs spray you should always win your gunfights like me. But no you are a cry baby trashcan who thinks they are good but somehow at the same time thinks the AR is too strong and struggles against it 😂😂🤡🤡 I saw your comment too hahaha thanks for the laughs scrub here's my translation. '*sniffles like a crybaby* I had to stop playing infinite because everyone uses the AR..! I'm just a casual baby can't you see I wanna use my sandbox guns like the gravity hammer and you aren't supposed to shoot back and melt me with the AR! Why can't 343 make their game the way I want this is unfair! Also desync is why I keep dying I'm not trash I swear.' Hahahaha later bozo won't miss ya! I regularly finish first in free for all in halo infinite, just went 25-7 earlier does that sound like a noob to you? Lol drop your gamertag and I'll share all the clips of me winning. That smile at the end of your comment doesn't hide those angry beta male tears.
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.
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.
I humbly disagree with the point about the sweaty AR in Infinite. My reason for this is that I've found that unless I'm at barrel stuffing range, I win MANY more gunfights with the sidekick or commando. If I main AR, I drop a 1.0 k/d. If I main the sidekick, I drop a 1.5 most of the time. The AR is still fairly weak compared to the rest of the Infinite sandbox, unless the guy using a different weapon screws up.
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.
@@crustbound yeah if you tap fire while aiming for the head you can take someone out pretty quickly, at mid range i think the AR ttk with headshots is quicker than the BR and DMR. and then theres the SAW which can obliterate people across the map with tap fire
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
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.
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.
@@MichaelDoesStuff- Believe it or not, after posting that comment I went and played a whole bunch of Halo 3 using only the assault rifle and I learned to like it. Touche
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.
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 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!👍
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.
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 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
MCC fucked up with making AR starts only in one playlist. Og H3 had the right idea with BR starts only being in one playlist while other playlist starts with AR Magnum.
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.
To casual to mid tier players, the H3 Ar seems underpowered, but anyone who actually played the game more seriously knew that it is actually quite strong if used correctly. Watch any H3 ranked doubles, not MLG settings, and see that in close range fights, you outshine the BR quite easily just by playing a corner, keeping on target when hosing down, and landing a melee.
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"
@@crustbound yeah I know, my criticism was that IMO AR starts shouldnt have BRs on the map at all. I personally prefer BR spawns, but AR spawns with NO BRs would just be chaotic, fun, and goofy IMO.
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
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
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.
Alright, time to disagree. I remember arguments about AR/BTR starts on Bnet in 2008 kid, I have had this same argument rehashed about a thousand times now. I was there, one thousand years ago, when the arguments first started in Halo 2 about the overpowered BR. I've heard all of the points and counter points. Lets go over a few things; the AR is stronger (marginally) in Reach. why would they make that change unless it was underpowered? Halo CE gave it 60 rounds in a magazine and the balance on it was fine. Dual wielded SMGs in Halo 2 have a similarly deep clip. Halo 3 halves the magazine, but it takes a full damn mag to kill a player, the gun just isn't damaging enough to warrant such a shallow mag. As a starting auto weapon, the Halo 3 AR is uniquely underpowered. Now this isn't a bad design choice, but it does mean that you have less of a chance for turnaround if the other team has decent map control and most of the power weapons. I've had to out BR players in matchmaking the instant I've spawned; that's just a free kill if I spawn with an AR. Very unfun. When you talk about grenades and melee, everything the AR does the BR does better. Grenades? Once you pop the shields with a frag its a one tap to the head. Same with melee. BXR in Halo 2 made the BR a dominant close range weapon, and you can still melee to pop the shields and pull off a headshot if someone gets in close. Compare this to the typical low-level AR gameplay where two freshly spawned Spartans roll straight at each other with full auto, melee each other, and die simultaneously. Not exactly promoting a high level of mechanical competence, that. The BR is much more skill-indexed, meaning that starts with the BR reward player who can aim, position, and use grenades and melee effectively. That's why the AR in infinite has a headshot multiplier, to add some skill gap to the weapon. From a design perspective, I just prefer semi-autos, its more engaging to track enemies while also deciding when to shot, and more rewarding for successful shots. There is an art to strafing and moving when fighting another player with a pistol/BR/carbine/DMR. It becomes learned, reflexive. That's why the weapons are so dominant in high level play, it is satisfying to use and play against in a way that highlights the best elements of halo. Some one gets the first shot off on you? You can win still, unlike if you were using an auto weapon. Now personally, I do think the rest of the sandbox suffers from the dominance of the mid range semi autos, especially in Reach and CE. Dual wielding isn't even used in matchmaking past a certain level, except to get cheeky kills. So, the AR, a weapon that you drop once you get a better one, or, if you have BR/AR starts, a weapon that makes you do your switch weapon/pick up weapon/switch weapon dance. Do I misunderstand it? No, I just don't like starting with it. If it was more like CE's assault rifle, or 5's assault rifle, it might be viable. But its not viable, and starting with a weapon that isn't viable isn't fun. It's basically having a longer, more vulnerable respawn timer until you can get a map weapon. I would be happy to discuss the finer points of the weapon sandbox over a friendly game of slayer, if you are so inclined, you can ever have AR starts.
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
No? A spread-based weapon shouldn't have a headshot multiplier. It just means people that deserve a headshot may miss out randomly, and some people who don't deserve one may receive one out of sheer luck. Simple
This was a good video. I agree with most of what you said, but if the AR is mainly a weapon to teach players about the golden triangle, and *isn't* designed to straight up kill like the BR, carbine, and most of the other weapons; what it the point of using it? I'd argue that the H3 SMG is better in most cases. I think a good way to balance the H3 AR would be to up the ammo count from 32 to 36, so it could keep the functions you mentioned, while being able to compete against the BR and carbine a little better
I'm pretty sure the AR was made the default weapon (along with bought back) so that the starting weapon of this type couldn't be dual wielded, unlike the H2 SMG
@@crustbound It’s just inconsistent to me. Sometimes I’ll land a headshot when it clearly looks like my aim was off and other times I’ll miss when it clearly looked like a headshot. I got this game on launch back in 2007 and still 15 years later I can never get use to it
Halo free
he must be Bri'ish
@@some2xrandomguy707 what the hell is that?!?
Aylow Free
Halo CE AR: *GIGANTIC BULLET HOSE OF DEATH*
Halo 3 AR: Soft bang bang SLAP
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?
crazy🤯
@@crustbound It's stupid. I've played every Halo game and can say that going back to Halo 3 is a pain as half the damn sandbox is unusable in comparison to the damn BR. Like, you don't even need to be good with the BR, just kind of decent and then nobody can touch you. It just makes every game feel like I'm crippling myself to justify diverse pick-ups. Glad both Bungie and 343 finally gave that mindset the boot.
@@unstableanimations *Thats why i just play Automatic slayer in mcc and in campaign change it asap for another weapon*
@@unstableanimations Automatic Slayer is key for enjoying the sandbox of H3. Shame that any other playlist in H3 MCC has BR starts.
@@unstableanimations That's kinda true actually and I hate to agree with you. Give any decent Halo 3 player a BR and so long as the ammo doesn't run out you can pretty much run through the story on legendary rather easily. Maybe having a sword, RPG or shotgun to pair it with oh and of course the plasma pistol to basically turn the BR into a 1 shot machine lol.
Its made worse by the Elites not really being an enemy in the game, 1 plasma pistol shot and a brutes armor is permanently down leaving you free to launch off 5 plasma overcharges then just 5 burst an entire group of leadership enemies.
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.
The sound and look of the BR in H4 is the reason why I don't use it over the DMR
I got a mod that built on the H3 sound and made it thumpier, and it immediately felt like I was doing more damage lik
I hate how the AR sounds like someone shaking a rock around in a water bottle.
That is an amazing and accurate description!
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
Yea, that's the thing that really sticks out about Halo 3's AR compared to the AR of most of the other games. It has amazing accuracy before its recoil kicks in which makes rapid short bursts pretty serviceable at further ranges.
I suspect a ton of players simply didn't know this because CE's AR was solely a bullet hose, even the first shot had terrible accuracy making it worthless beyond point blank.
Halo 2's SMG took the role and was basically the same bullet hose.
The things Bungie did to put the SMG and the AR in the same game and function as very different weapons was pretty genius.
Then the SMG disappeared in Reach and the AR went back to being a bullet hose again, go figure.
Honestly halo 3 seems to have bloom on the AR... Just that it isn't visible unless you're actively watching the bullet impacts
@@RebelFNOS fun fact, bloom has always been a thing. Halo just didn't have a visual representation of it on the hud (i.e. crosshairs) until Reach. If you jump onto to any halo pre-reach and use any automatic against a wall. Burst it and full auto and it clearly shows a difference in spread rate. Applies to all sidearms as well, faster fire rate, more bloom, no crosshairs to show it.
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.
Based.
Unbelievably based
Heck. Even as strong as the AR is in Halo Infinite, I prefer the sidekick over it pretty much every time. It's got a faster ttk, longer range, faster reload, and stomps at close range still. My k/d in matches goes up considerably when I main sidekick over maining the Infinite AR.
Reddit tier comment
Why would you pick it up though? You spawn with it.
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.
That’s why he said it’s for casual gameplay
Gotta disagree. The AR is not outclassed by the BR at close-range (being significantly more spread-based helps that close-range bias), close-range with melee, and is also easier to aim/use which makes it more desirable for noobs and rookie players in casual lobbies. The BR is more powerful at midrange, long-range, and in more competitive lobbies where people can actually aim, yes, but:
Here's something people don't seem to understand - a gun being weaker at midrange lethality is not "blatantly outclassed in every way".
Spraying 5 bullets and a melee for the AR is still significantly better than 2 burst and a melee with a BR. A skilled player will always win over a BR user in close range.
@@EmSee360 ig when you put it into those kind of terms it makes sense but sometimes ur in close range and barely out of reach and you’ll lose the gun fight. I like halo mcc but it’s mostly just sweats that play the game so when I try to improve I just get dumpstered by the whole lobby without even being able to fight back.
@@rage_tv4493in high skill lobbies, the AR is more situational; it has to be used defensively like a shotgun, rather than running and gunning. The AR is pretty great for a starter gun if you know someone is coming ahead of time - it's a great weapon for camping lifts on construct, for example.
It’s actually extremely useful in the campaign funnily enough.
And fun!
@@lestat23989 That too just wish it had better sound effects XD.
On legendary and laso its borderline useless
It is?
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.
I understood it. I just feel it shouldn't have been the AR that introduced the player but the SMG instead.
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
yo the more you know
I beleive it's due to just chip damage combined with fire rate, so it deals about the same damage as the BR per bullet, but you get a much higher rate of fire
@@armstronggaming8566 that sounds very accurate actually
Smg shreds banshees fast if you get close enough. It's quite satisfying
@@refriedbeans7575 typically speaking, if you're that close to a banshee, you're either getting in it or you're already dead
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.
H3 was great but the weapons sound weak ASF its always bothered me.
@@samuelmunoz1464 yeah very true, the halo 2 br sounded painful compared to the h3 br, also the h3 assault rifle has admittedly the worst sound in the entire series, so wimpy.
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)
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.
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.
yeah. must have misspoke, my bad
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.
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.
yeah, i really hate that. I wish there were more MCC playlists with the social loadout.
@@crustbound More changes to Halo that I hate 343 did. When the game is out on PC they put precision weapons as starting weapons? Then they allow crossplay LOL
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.
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)
Lmao on point here
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
A weapon should be generally viable in and of itself.
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._*
Given the assault rifle's pre-established sandbox role from CE, the SMG was a pointless addition to Halo's sandbox
Bro, the ar isn’t supposed to be all rounded. Did u not watch the video.
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.
you can always tell when someone is a BR addict by the way they treat the AR.
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
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!
In Infinite the AR and Sidekick feel more like power weapons than most actual power weapons do.
People are just used to precise low ttk rifles.
Yeah but if you do the golden Triangle for any other gun it works better
What are your thoughts on the sound effects with the weapon?
not as good as halo 1's sounds but still very good i think
Video starts at 1:16
Saved you guys a minute
real
I think ik why the Halo 3 AR is shit to some folks is maybe because of the shitty AR firing sound.
3:12 Except for the firing sound
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.
The video starts at 1:17
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.
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.
Exactly, it’s no mystery so many people preferred BR starts
@@sosososniperss4486 Actually people who spray with it often loose against me it's better to burst with to shrink the bloom. So no not exactly. Honestly the magnum feels easier to use for me but I guess that's just because I'm good at hitting headshots.
@@sosososniperss4486 Whatever you say Bozo sounds like a skill issue to me. I can't imagine struggling against someone using an AR haha.
@@sosososniperss4486 hes talking about halo infinite like fhe guy in the video lol why are you talking about halo 5. And only noobs struggle with the AR and call it too powerful.
@@sosososniperss4486 Skill issue indeed. Wrap your head around this I know it's hard because you are a moron but try your best clown. You are struggling and complaining when going against a mid tier weapon like the AR. Hahaha and you call me a noob? Get real bozo. Learn how to counter such middle of the road weapons without crying like a baby then maybe you can call someone a noob. Doesn't matter if it's a spray weapon because if you hit your shots and incorporate some of the golden triangle like melee and grenades as well, while noobs spray you should always win your gunfights like me. But no you are a cry baby trashcan who thinks they are good but somehow at the same time thinks the AR is too strong and struggles against it 😂😂🤡🤡 I saw your comment too hahaha thanks for the laughs scrub here's my translation. '*sniffles like a crybaby* I had to stop playing infinite because everyone uses the AR..! I'm just a casual baby can't you see I wanna use my sandbox guns like the gravity hammer and you aren't supposed to shoot back and melt me with the AR! Why can't 343 make their game the way I want this is unfair! Also desync is why I keep dying I'm not trash I swear.' Hahahaha later bozo won't miss ya! I regularly finish first in free for all in halo infinite, just went 25-7 earlier does that sound like a noob to you? Lol drop your gamertag and I'll share all the clips of me winning. That smile at the end of your comment doesn't hide those angry beta male tears.
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.
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.
Fabulous point about the causal AR in H3 and the sweaty AR in Infinite, I hate the sweat
ty :)
I humbly disagree with the point about the sweaty AR in Infinite. My reason for this is that I've found that unless I'm at barrel stuffing range, I win MANY more gunfights with the sidekick or commando. If I main AR, I drop a 1.0 k/d. If I main the sidekick, I drop a 1.5 most of the time. The AR is still fairly weak compared to the rest of the Infinite sandbox, unless the guy using a different weapon screws up.
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.
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
valid! H4 AR is awesome!
@@crustbound yeah if you tap fire while aiming for the head you can take someone out pretty quickly, at mid range i think the AR ttk with headshots is quicker than the BR and DMR. and then theres the SAW which can obliterate people across the map with tap fire
@@HuhJuhWuh You don't need to aim for the head. H4 doesn't have a headshot multiplier for the AR.
THANK YOU FOR UPHOLDING THE GOLDEN TRIANGLE
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
I turned on the subtitles and it said "halo free" at the beginning of the video
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.
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.
Why your wrong about me being wrong about you being right about him being wrong:
The Halo 3 AR takes no skill to use, so it should be weak.
weak = more effort, noob :)
That’s a good thing, it’s a starting gun
@@MichaelDoesStuff- Believe it or not, after posting that comment I went and played a whole bunch of Halo 3 using only the assault rifle and I learned to like it. Touche
@@myroncaraway2313 good :D
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.
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 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!👍
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.
Ar deals good close up even mod range damage if used in a pinch or when applying pressure, prob
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.
It also worked a bit better if you used some trigger discipline, and used bursts when you weren't right next to your target.
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 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
The AR in Infinite is quite strong though. There is always that 1 guy who picks it up when playing with BR starts.
MCC fucked up with making AR starts only in one playlist. Og H3 had the right idea with BR starts only being in one playlist while other playlist starts with AR Magnum.
I think Infinite has the best assault rifle of any Halo game
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.
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.
To casual to mid tier players, the H3 Ar seems underpowered, but anyone who actually played the game more seriously knew that it is actually quite strong if used correctly. Watch any H3 ranked doubles, not MLG settings, and see that in close range fights, you outshine the BR quite easily just by playing a corner, keeping on target when hosing down, and landing a melee.
Your right
The assault rifle is good at tickling people
At least it's not the brute spiker
💀💀💀 if you ever think you are useless remember you could be the brute spiker
@@crustbound man there so much potential with the brute spiker
Sure it does more damage when melee but who's going to remember when to melee
@@crustbound i like the spiker.
@@gustavomartins364 looks cool played horrible
For far i know i the spiker deals more damage tham the ar.
The only thing I've ever hated about the Halo 3 AR was the airsoft gun-like sound it makes.
idk i think it sounds fine
I agree! Infinite AR is just OP. Halo 3 AR had its use but never felt crazy powerful.
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"
play the auto slayer playlist on MCC, theres no BR starts
@@crustbound yeah I know, my criticism was that IMO AR starts shouldnt have BRs on the map at all. I personally prefer BR spawns, but AR spawns with NO BRs would just be chaotic, fun, and goofy IMO.
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
That intro was hype haha Great vid!
ty!
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
the Halo 3 AR is defiled for the sins of the Battle Rifle
But how do you know that I'm WRONG about the Halo 3 Assault Rifle?
idk im guessing
Crustbound... favorite person ever i used adore the h3 ar u are just supporting it. Gigachad guaranteed
Dont know why anybody likes it I use it in close quarters and it holds up well
Bruh the halo 3 assault rifle is goated. I can fire it point blank into my mouth to brush my teeth 10/10
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.
The whole point of being a noob is to learn?
Alright, time to disagree. I remember arguments about AR/BTR starts on Bnet in 2008 kid, I have had this same argument rehashed about a thousand times now. I was there, one thousand years ago, when the arguments first started in Halo 2 about the overpowered BR. I've heard all of the points and counter points. Lets go over a few things; the AR is stronger (marginally) in Reach. why would they make that change unless it was underpowered? Halo CE gave it 60 rounds in a magazine and the balance on it was fine. Dual wielded SMGs in Halo 2 have a similarly deep clip. Halo 3 halves the magazine, but it takes a full damn mag to kill a player, the gun just isn't damaging enough to warrant such a shallow mag. As a starting auto weapon, the Halo 3 AR is uniquely underpowered. Now this isn't a bad design choice, but it does mean that you have less of a chance for turnaround if the other team has decent map control and most of the power weapons. I've had to out BR players in matchmaking the instant I've spawned; that's just a free kill if I spawn with an AR. Very unfun.
When you talk about grenades and melee, everything the AR does the BR does better. Grenades? Once you pop the shields with a frag its a one tap to the head. Same with melee. BXR in Halo 2 made the BR a dominant close range weapon, and you can still melee to pop the shields and pull off a headshot if someone gets in close. Compare this to the typical low-level AR gameplay where two freshly spawned Spartans roll straight at each other with full auto, melee each other, and die simultaneously. Not exactly promoting a high level of mechanical competence, that. The BR is much more skill-indexed, meaning that starts with the BR reward player who can aim, position, and use grenades and melee effectively. That's why the AR in infinite has a headshot multiplier, to add some skill gap to the weapon.
From a design perspective, I just prefer semi-autos, its more engaging to track enemies while also deciding when to shot, and more rewarding for successful shots. There is an art to strafing and moving when fighting another player with a pistol/BR/carbine/DMR. It becomes learned, reflexive. That's why the weapons are so dominant in high level play, it is satisfying to use and play against in a way that highlights the best elements of halo. Some one gets the first shot off on you? You can win still, unlike if you were using an auto weapon. Now personally, I do think the rest of the sandbox suffers from the dominance of the mid range semi autos, especially in Reach and CE. Dual wielding isn't even used in matchmaking past a certain level, except to get cheeky kills.
So, the AR, a weapon that you drop once you get a better one, or, if you have BR/AR starts, a weapon that makes you do your switch weapon/pick up weapon/switch weapon dance. Do I misunderstand it? No, I just don't like starting with it. If it was more like CE's assault rifle, or 5's assault rifle, it might be viable. But its not viable, and starting with a weapon that isn't viable isn't fun. It's basically having a longer, more vulnerable respawn timer until you can get a map weapon. I would be happy to discuss the finer points of the weapon sandbox over a friendly game of slayer, if you are so inclined, you can ever have AR starts.
It's hated bc it's weak but that was for the benefit of the actual game
Plus it’s satisfying when it does work ^~^
Yeah the br great for killing things
The ars SMG spiker great for giving bad weapons for fiesta to add that feista feel
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
Ay'low free
bri'ish
AR still bad. Because it requires mellee or grenade. It needs to be buffed especially when it can't be dual wielded.
They always lose me at remove the head shot multiplier
why would that be lad
@@crustbound good focused burst automatic fire should always be rewarded for hesdshots
No? A spread-based weapon shouldn't have a headshot multiplier. It just means people that deserve a headshot may miss out randomly, and some people who don't deserve one may receive one out of sheer luck. Simple
I've always loved the assault rifle
British people be like: hey lol free
This was a good video. I agree with most of what you said, but if the AR is mainly a weapon to teach players about the golden triangle, and *isn't* designed to straight up kill like the BR, carbine, and most of the other weapons; what it the point of using it? I'd argue that the H3 SMG is better in most cases.
I think a good way to balance the H3 AR would be to up the ammo count from 32 to 36, so it could keep the functions you mentioned, while being able to compete against the BR and carbine a little better
I'm pretty sure the AR was made the default weapon (along with bought back) so that the starting weapon of this type couldn't be dual wielded, unlike the H2 SMG
I love halo so much it makes me cry🥲😭
For me the halo reach assault rifle it's the best one
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.
its not about that
i just think the firing sound of the AR sounds like mushing play-doh and thats why i don't like it
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.
gonna be fr with you here i kinda just made this video to link to people on discord whenever they say H3's AR sucked, but valid complaint
@@crustbound 😂 I like the ambiguity
I always felt this way
I thought the AR in Halo 3 was pretty good, better than the smg
Halo free and the golden triangle
i think this guy is rarted. Its just a underwhelming gun, dont overthink it jeez.
lost braincells reading this comment
@@crustbound Thats not good. Your next video will be even more regarded!
UA-cam bans the R-slur
Lol good vid bro
yo ty
BR starts ruined the Halo sandbox.
Wow Iv been wrong for 15 years!
🤯🤯
@@crustbound 😅
Random but I have always hated the Halo 3 BR. I can’t quite pinpoint why but Halo 2 had it right.
it might be because the H2 BR is hitscan whereas the H3 BR is projectile based. they have a different feel (personally i peefer the H3 BR tho)
@@crustbound It’s just inconsistent to me. Sometimes I’ll land a headshot when it clearly looks like my aim was off and other times I’ll miss when it clearly looked like a headshot. I got this game on launch back in 2007 and still 15 years later I can never get use to it
couldnt agree more
If you know how to use the car it's one of the best guns in the game
Oh cool this was made on my birthday last year
happy birthday (a year ago)
@@crustbound oh thx
Oh cool
I think I'm the only person who doesn't like the CE AR