I'm seeing a lot of new players who are a little confused about the ways Halo differs from something like Apex or COD. Hopefully some of these tips will make the game more enjoyable to you.
- Halo isn't a twitch shooter. The TTK (time to kill) is much higher than something like COD (although this is probably the fastest TTK of any Halo game) where line of sight can mean instant death. As a result Halo is less about accuracy and more about a race to drop your enemy's shields. Once the shields are down, things like headshots matter. A BR for example can four shot an enemy, but only the fourth shot matters if it's a head shot. The first three can land anywhere and will pop the shield, the fourth shot will kill if it's a headshot, but it will take two if they're body shots.
-This is likely the reason I've seen so many complaints about "grenade spam." This has been a core feature of Halo since 2001. Learn to use grenades immediately! If two players of equal skill get in a gunfight the player with less shields will likely lose. Ditto for 2v1s - the 2 will likely win every time. This is why you can change the tide in your favor with a well-placed grenade which will instantly pop shields and set you up for a one shot kill. This is also one way you can outplay others and win those tricky 2 or 3v1s. A good move is to duck around a corner when you're being pursued and throw a grenade at the wall - those chasing you will rush around the corner to an explosion. Grenades can also be used to deny positioning, make an enemy think you're somewhere you're not and so much more. Use em!
-The idea that every gunfight in Halo is a race to pop shields makes lone-wolfing it much less viable than in COD and makes the importance of proper team play and power weapon/power position control doubly so. Stick with your team! But not so close that a grenade or rocket will kill you all. Good team placement means being close enough to be able to help if your teammate gets into a gunfight (remember, 2v1 will win 90 percent of the time) but far enough away to not take splash damage from a well placed rocket. At the very least you want to be close enough to clean up a kill should your teammate lose a fight but has weakened their opponent in the process. Higher TTK = emphasis on sticking with your team. 2 or 3 guns shooting at someone will drastically lower that high TTK.
- This is probably the most important tip for newer players who are struggling with their K/D ratio. DONT DIE! To be serious, often the best thing you can do to help your team is to not rush in and die over and over. Stop sprinting. Stop rushing. Make yourself a hard kill. Play like an absolute dick. If you feel a gunfight isn't going to go your way, do NOT see it through and die. Retreat, run, make your enemy give up their positioning in order to come after you. If your teammates are worth a shit they will be in range to jump in and help, and even if they aren't you may either a) escape without dying or b) draw your enemy away from their higher ground/power position which can often be more advantageous than a kill.
-Seriously, if you're new and feel like you're getting fucking tattooed in every match: DONT RUSH IN. DONT DIE. Retreat and make yourself a tough kill. We'd all rather play with someone who is 2:6 but made the other team fucking earn those six kills than the classic new players who just sprint into the chaos every time and end up 2:20 and bitching about not being able to kill anyone. You will get better at fighting eventually. For now, just try not to die and learn about the game. See how long you can stretch the time between deaths and your teammates will thank you.
- Power weapons are fucking important. There's no meta like in Apex or COD. All guns are drastically different but learning where the power weapons spawn (fyi these are things like the rocket launcher, sniper, sword, shotgun etc.) is intrinsic to winning at halo. Even shitty players can wreck house if they have the rocket launcher. Learn where this stuff spawns and either deny the enemy getting them or take it yourself. Just be careful about rushing in. Your enemy likely has the same idea.
- Lastly, there's no shame in just messing around with bots and quick play. It's probably the most fun way to learn the maps and spawns before jumping into ranked. Please don't jump into ranked with zero experience. It's fine to have a range of skill in ranked (that's the point of the tiers), but spending a little time doing your due diligence will pay dividends and your teammates will appreciate it too.
Didn't mean for that to turn into a wall of text. Just some ruminations for newbies.
Hope this helps ... someone.
