Halo 4 Guide: For the good of the people!

[OMG Treason]

WELCOME TO THE GUIDE OF YOUR LIFE

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello! I am OMG Terrorize / Treason. Some of you may recognize me some of you may not, and that's okay.  Regardless, I am here to leak some of my knowledge of Halo 4 to help strengthen your Halo 4 game as a whole. This guide / tip sheet will be geared towards all levels of play  feel free to give it a read so you can learn valuable knowledge.

 

CONTROLLER SETTINGS/LAYOUT

 

 

Being successful at Halo 4 and it's multiplayer relies upon selecting a controller scheme that will be advantageous to you the player, any edge you can gain will assist in your ability to come out on top of your firefights.

 

Bumper Jumper- My personal preference. Bumper Jumper or BJ allows you a controller scheme that allows access to all the major buttons in a shoot out without having to sacrifice too much. The main reason it is hugely popular among many of the pros is the ability to jump while still maintain the ability to aim. In a default scheme or even Recon you will have to take your thumb off the Right stick (RS) in order to get a jump for your strafe pattern. Even this split second can result in your body on the floor or having your aim way off as the other player has moved. It also will allow for a faster melee attack than say Recon. It also makes jump sticking vehicles a million times easier.

 

Recon- This is the button layout I used for the majority of Reach and for a large portion of my Halo 4 gameplay. Reason being is it allows easy use of your Armor Abilities (AA) assigning them to your left bumper. Recon also allows me to reload on the fly with my right bumper a lot easier. Unfortunately it makes it much more difficult to melee since it will be assigned to your B button, and your jumping and strafe abilities will be hindered by having to press A and remove your thumb from RS. My personal recommendation is unless you are using Jetpack or Claw your controller, stick to Bumper Jumper.

 

Toggle Crouch- You want to set this so you need to hold to crouch, this isn't CoD and you seriously hinder yourself by not having it set to hold to crouch. The main advantage to this is with the ability to Hold to crouch you can mash the Left stick while performing a jump or strafing back and forth to rapidly crouch making your head a harder shot. This is referred to as the Gandhi Hop. In addition to making your head a harder target, it reduces the amount of aim assist your enemies receive.

 

Sensitivity- Turn it off max sensitivity you doorknob this isn't CoD. You aren't going for 1080 no scopes. The game relies on finesse and accuracy. I play on 4 but whatever allows you the best consistent accuracy go for it, I know some pros will play on 2.

 

Invest in a decent Headset- Being able to hear what is going on around you is valuable, always worth the purchase.

 

 

ARMOR ABILITIES: What's a good choice for me?

Many people have a personal preference for their AA and that's cool, but I am going to give you what I find competitive to give you an edge over your opponents.

 

#1- Active Camo: My personal favorite it allows me to always get the jump on any fool silly enough to challenge me. This is best used when grabbing a Sniper Rifle, in fact if you don't use Active Camo don't pick up the sniper rifle. (No offense) Coupling Active Camo with something deadly like the Beam Rifle, Sniper Rifle, Shotgun, Fuel Rod, Rockets, anything but the Binary Rifle (Don't be a noob the red lasers still show) allows a significant advantage for getting the jump or lining up the perfect headshot with your rifle. If you do get tagged your shield recharging will give you away as will shooting, so make sure you fully recharge or return invisible before poking your adorable little dome back out into the open.

 

#2- Promethean Vision: My second favorite, ideal for the aggressive rush. It allows you to know where your enemies are at all times and is the perfect counter to people like myself who use active camo. Best coupled with the AR, BR, Fuel Rod, Railgun, Sticky grenades, Frag grenades, etc. As it will allow you the ability to precharge  or prefire your weapon for immediate destruction upon your victims.

 

#3 Jetpack/ Thruster pack: I put these two together because I view them as the same. If you use Bumper Jumper as mentioned above avoid Jetpack like the plague you will hinder yourself, thruster would be the better option. If you use Recon use Jetpack. Jetpack allows you to escape danger, position yourself on the map better, and can even be used in your strafe pattern for unpredictability, or get that last head shot on the lad who went out of sight over that ridge. However it does make you a flying target, as a result I use it more staggered and incorporate it into my strafe in bursts, merely holding down on the trigger positions you in an easy strafe pattern that allows for an easy 4 or 5 shot kill. Don't be a noob. Thruster pack is used for escaping danger, use it as you see fit in the direction you desire. Don't thruster pack into walls.

 

ARMOR ABILITIES TO AVOID

#1- Auto Sentry: Holds you still, allowing for easy chin-2 brain-2back out the helmet headshots. It is also rather worthless given its fire rate.

 

#2- Regen Field: Or you know you could put up a flare to reveal your position.

 

#3- Hologram: You aren't fooling anyone semi-competent

 

#4- Hardlight Shield: Great for its duration but leaves you vulnerable afterwards, really only delays your death.

 

SELECTING THE RIGHT TACTICAL/ SUPPORT ABILITY

 

This is perhaps the most important, similar to Call of Duty the player can be defined by what he picks to compliment his game. You don't run and gun in CoD without Stalker or Lightweight you make yourself vulnerable. The same is true in Halo.

 

Throughout my entire Halo 4 career I have tested which ones will offer me the greatest advantage in a gun fight. The name of the game is to not sprint around the map, or have more grenades to spam, its about killing the person in front of you before they kill you. These are my top picks in no particular order.

 

Stability- If you don't use it you are handicapping yourself. It keeps your shots on target in gunfights which can help you land the last crucial shot you need in a gunfight instead of having the flinch make you miss your shot. Once I discovered this I almost never changed it.

 

Resistor- This will save your behind, before I unlocked it my pet peeve was being slowed down while shot. Picking up resistor will allow you to escape sticky scenarios, for example after your entire team wiped, or you are outgunned. There is no sense in taking a needless death, taking an avoidable death could very well lose you the game.

 

Shielding- This is a popular choice for my rush loadouts, basically it allows you to recover faster and reduced the time you are 1 shot allowing you to get back into the action to assist your team.

 

GUNS! GUNS! GUNS! #MURICA'

 

Different maps call for different guns, hopefully you have all figured that out now by year two of the game. But lets go into greater detail shall we?

 

The Battle Rifle A.K.A. The Crusher of Dreams: My personal tool of destruction that received a well deserved buff. The BR is best utilized in short to medium range engagements, and will require 3 body shots and 1 well placed headshot to grant your male fortitude gratification to drop thineselves repeatedly on thine enemies visor. Basically if it is in a large firefight everyone is taking damage its crazy, aim for the head, you can pick off people who may be able to be 1 shot. If they are coming fresh at you and have not been damaged but 3 into the chest and 1 into the dome. 10/10 would use again on: Exile, Longbow, Harvest, Vortex, any other Team Slayer maps i.e. Haven.

 

The DMR: A.K.A. Dude Where Is My Dome?: It used to be the ideal weapon, now days I have it shelved, only use it on a long range map such as Ragnarok, Panic Station, sometimes Vortex. The DMR had its time and is out classed by the BR. Do not hinder yourself.

 

The Assault Rifle A.K.A. Wow When Did This Get Buffed?:  This can actually be one of the most powerful weapons in the game for those who love to run and gun. If you stick to close range engagements the AR can rip people to shreds. Just because you use an AR does not mean you cannot be perfect. I have 3 Perfections using this bad boy 1 on my account, and 2 over at my friends house when I forgot to make a class and had to use the default ones. Do not underestimate it. When forced to engage an AR user avoid the spray pattern, personally I jump over them. When using it try not to run straight at people, get the jump off and make the strafe to be effective. Running in a straight line has never been effective. ( Sorry)

 

The Suppressor A.K.A WTF I DUMPED AN ENTIRE CLIP INTO THIS KID: Don't use it, spare yourself a headache. It is entirely situational and has worse accuracy than the AR.

 

The Carbine A.K.A. The Carbine..Idk what to say its the Carbine: Spammable, Loveable, but outclassed by the BR. Avoid, unless you have some kind of gift with it.

 

The Light Rifle A.K.A. This Demands Your Attention: My personal favorite for long range maps. The LR is a 4 shot kill even if you land only 1 scoped in shot then spam the rest. 4 shot kill at long range zoomed in, and is great for long range kill clean up. 2 scope shots to a beat down. Once you master the LR you will consistently stomp on people in almost any engagement. Easily the number one weapon contender, and significantly better than the DMR.

 

 

SECONDARY WEAPONS

 

Magnum- Fairly standard, great for cleanup kills.

 

Plasma Pistol - Also good for close range cleanups as it stands no chance at range, you can also EMP vehicles for easy sticks. I would recommend carrying one in one of your loadouts. Remember spam it at close range don't charge it, save the charge for vehicles.

 

Boltshot- Poor fellow used to run this town. Primarily for close range use. I would now consider it obsolete due to its inconsistencies after its nerf. Used to be a hand held shotgun. RIP Boltshot.

 

 

GRENADES AND THEIR USAGE

 

In Halo you live and die by how you use your grenades. A well placed grenade can grant you an easy 1 headshot victory when confronted. As a general rule, do not waste your grenades. SAVE THEM. My personal rule is never throw a grenade because you think you can hit them, throw a grenade because you know you can hit them. Otherwise it is a waste. The same goes for hail mary grenades. Grenades have many usages, the most popular is a deterrent for people whom insist upon chasing you. When chased you have two options you can either throw it at your feet or if you have frag grenades bounce it off a wall into their path either is a solid option. Furthermore they can be used to soften up a camper. Lets for example take a look at the map Longbow. Top Mid Base is perhaps the most key position to hold for map control, as it allows you an easy look into the enemy teams spawn. Losing Top mid spells grave danger. Often people will camp outside the bottom doors to the base. Now I want to hold Top Mid, I don't want them lurking or hiding there to recover their shields with say their Scattershot, or Fuel Rod. Thanks to Physics we can take our frag grenade and bounce it off slightly to the right or slightly to the left (depending on the door) of the thick mid line of the door. This will cause the grenade to bounce off at such and angle that it falls directly into the corner outside the doorway. While we are at it bouncing grenades is great for situations such as someone coming towards you down a ramp, bounce it off the ramp, into their face bam one shot. Never waste a grenade.

 

Frag Grenades- The best pick for a class without a Plasma Pistol due to their blast radius and ability to bounce around corners etc.

 

Plasma Grenades- Awesome for Warthog control. When sticking a Warthog aim for the engine or mid vehicle. Most times the wheel is not good enough unless damaged. For ghosts aim for the driver. All others center of mass will grant best results.

 

Pulse Grenades- Don't hurt yourself, don't take them.

 

STRAFE'N AND AIM'N #MLG

 

Having a good strafe wins gun fights. However a common error most people makes is the overuse of their Right Stick when they strafe. Often most skilled players will strafe out of your shot, and you will over correct causing you to miss another shot. The best way to strafe in a 1v1 scenario is to use your body to aim. Position yourself so they will walk into your reticule as you two "dance" so to speak. Once the shields pop it is safe again to use the Right Stick to land the last headshot for the optimal kill time. Only use the Right Stick when necessary in your 1v1's.

 

When you strafe, mix up your side to side motions switch between long and short movements, when jumping Gandhi Hop as previously mentioned. I could go on for days but perhaps the best advice is visual so for that we dive back into Halo 3 with Str8 Rippin' for a visual demonstration.

 

https://youtube.com/watch?v=qOXXreOXlVI

 

 

In addition, it is also best to aim the sniper the same way, by using your body, especially in clutch scenarios.

 

 

 

 

POWER WEAPONS AND YOU

 

Since power weapons are quite abundant in Halo 4, you will often have to make decisions that will effect the outcome of the match. When you get your ordnance, choose the weapon that compliments you and your present scenario. For example lets go back to Longbow. Again we are back at top mid, and the enemy team is playing aggressively, you want to take top mid to regain control. In your ordnance you are offered say a SAW or a Fuel Rod Cannon (Theoretically). You could take the SAW and maybe take out a few players, or you could take the Fuel Rod. The Fuel Rod would be great in this situation because, the Top Mid base on Longbow doesn't have many places to escape the Fuel Rods wrath, it has a rapid fire rate and a considerable amount of ammo, more than enough to clear out the entire base twice.

 

Also never underestimate the power of the Needler. No Ordnance is useless.

 

Another key point is weapon timing for this we head to Ragnarok. Now for this match I want to make use of the Sniper Rifle and control it because I am not being bad and have Active Camo and am confident in my shooting abilities. Grabbing it right off the spawn I know I will have enough ammo, to hold me to the timer. It will re-appear around the 11:50-11:56 mark depending on how it feels some days, so plan accordingly. Otherwise some random Joe will pick it up. Ugh filthy casuals. Memorize your weapon spawn times, and you will have map and game control like a pro.

 

CONTROLLING THE MATCH

Never be the guy who messes up the spawn kill mmkai? Never push too deep.

 

The key to controlling a Halo match relies on a few things, Map Positioning, Power Weapons Control, Vehicle Control, and Pressure.

 

Positioning in Halo 4 relies upon holding Key Choke points and positions. For Example if you wanted to spawn kill Red Team on Ragnarok a team must hold Middle Hill, Downed Pelican, and Right Rockwall. Holding these 3 positions will allow them no access out of their spawn unless of course they fight their way out. With this comes pressure, and the right amount to apply. Many times I see teams making the mistake in Matchmaking to push too deep. Once you push too deep the enemy team will start spawning behind you or in out of the way places, not as easily predicted. Unfortunately it can really throw off the game. In terms of applying pressure, in Ordnance take damage boost, when on the back foot I lean towards Overshield to make a push out of spawn. Unlike CoD or other FPS games, Halo relies on teamwork. Being a LONE WOLF XX MLG XXXX108-0NO SC0P3 Pro has never been effective. Your team helps you live. If that means you have to use every last one of them as a meat shield so be it. If you have to pick up the guy who just got Sniped in front of you's Rocket Launcher so be it. But trying to engage an entire team by yourself worthless. Pay attention and co ordinate with your team. Say for example 4 of the dingle berries you are playing with went down the left side, perhaps you should help back up the one guy running mid alone, or the guy who ran right to get rockets. You help your team and they will help you.

 

Likewise in BTB, controlling your vehicles when they arrive is crucial. If you allow the enemy team to control their Mantis and your Mantis on Ragnarok you have work cut out for you. When you control them sure you will probably get shot down, but at least you haven't lost a Banshee to them, or a Mantis. Otherwise you have two to take down instead of one which can be a nightmare. And if you have the Sniper Rifle for the good of the people shoot down the Banshee when it is low, don't let him burn your crops and deliver a plague upon your team with the green bomb of death.

 

Also use your mic, I don't care if no one else in the game is using one they can probably hear you through their TV and they may not be able to talk back to you, but you can give them shout outs or call out for help. You would be surprised how many will listen.

 

 

LIVE TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY

 

One thing I have learned over time is, it can be good to be a coward. There is no shame in running away from a fight you know you cant win. For example if you are alone and their whole team is rushing you. No shame in running back to your team. Never give the enemy a free kill. I like to call them unnecessary deaths, trying to take 3 people on head on head wont end well for you. Tackle them from the side, from the distance, with a power weapon, or with your team. But never give up the unnecessary death. A coward can live to fight another day. Quite frankly I play like a "*****" according to people I play against, but it is more or less playing smart. Think through your scenarios.

 

In addition to this, it is common FPS knowledge to stick to the maps perimeter. Running into the middle of the map will guarantee your demise. Sticking to the perimeter will limit the angles you can be shot at. For example on Haven if I was to run through the middle I can be shot from practically 360 degrees, but If I stick to the perimeter with the wall to my back, I limit that angle to 180 degrees, giving me an easier range to keep track of. Doing this also allows you to see when the right time is to take control of the middle of the map for applying spawn pressure. I.E. Middle building on Vortex. Start from the outside, then work in rinse and repeat. Limit angles you can be shot at especially your back. If you have to turn around when you are one shot to run away, look directly at the ground while you run away, it will limit your enemies ability to shoot you in the back of the head. ( Just like in Halo 3)

 

TACKLING MULTIPLE ENEMIES

Lets face it, not an easy task in any FPS game. The odds are never in your favor. Face first, probably a bad idea. Okay lets say you have a Shotgun and you are ever so patient waiting for them to wander out of their spawn, you got a nice corner too. Two young men walk past, now most people will make the mistake and either jump out just before, or just after the first guy walks past them to take him out as quickly as possible. Okay that is one way but not the most reliable. A much better option is to wait for the second guy to walk past pump a slug into his spinal column then take out the second guy who will be forced to turn around to react. You have the upper hand on both of them increasing your odds on coming out on top.

 

If you have many people rushing you never give away your hand. What I mean by this is don't blow your entire Fuel Rod Cannon, or Rocket rounds pre maturely mmkai? Make them think you are an easy target, use your BR or other weapon to bait them towards you. Pull back a little gain a positioning advantage then play your hand. Lay into all 3 or 4 of them close range with your Fuel Rod. They will have taken the bait. However they will be more hesitant to engage you if you blow your hand, or they will be more cautious and careful. Most likely resulting in your demise and them gaining a power weapon. So be smart!

 

Hit from the side, and hit hard. Example, Exile, I have my Shotgun when I come across speed boost in my ordnance we have being doing a number on them they are hiding in their spawn base. I grab my speed boost and take the long route. I proceed through the side door and plow through every last one of them from the side for an easy 5 kills. Hit from the side hit fast hit hard.  Engaging from the front always obvious always predictable never a good idea without back up.

 

PLAY YOUR HAND SMART

 

 

GETTING IN THE GAME

The first rule of playing any FPS has always been don't play angry. Playing angry will cause nothing but bad decisions, broken friendships, and controllers with bite marks in them (Its how I cope okay I'm not a thrower I'm a biter).

 

What I like to do personally is take a break, for example today I had nothing going my way. NOT EVEN A 2 K/D?? I would scream. As a result I would get mad and play bad. I would get join in progress games and take like a death for every kill. For some of you that may fly, but it makes me mad. So I took a break. I came back stronger. Go for a walk, lift weights, or write a guide. (cough cough)

 

During the game, play focused and calm. Perhaps keep a glass of water beside you staying hydrated always helps me play better. Read the map, check peoples service records so you know who to pay attention to. If you notice you are playing a full party, take extra caution. Full parties hurt. Play relaxed and make sure you play in a position comfortable for you. For example I play laying down on my stomach it works the best for me.

 

Always keep a cool head, I don't know about you but sometimes the Dingletwats that run rampant on Xbox live are quite un pleasant, there is a mute button for that.

 

But most importantly enjoy yourself.

 

DEATH SENTENCES AND THINGS NOT TO DO

 

Like any FPS there is things that will pretty much get you instantly killed, here are a few.

 

Mongoose rides, don't do them ever.

 

Running out into the open or middle of the map without map control, death.

 

Spawn pushing solo, death.

 

Don't be the guy who takes all the power weapons

 

Don't be the guy who betrays for vehicles or weapons

 

Don't be the guy who is blending a smoothie next to the mic

 

Don't counter snipe standing still, death

 

Don't walk around scoped in, death

 

Red Lasers generally are bad, death

 

Yes your ordnance pod can and will kill you

 

Over correction will kill you in a 1 v 1

 

Someone who mysteriously ran and crouched around the corner probably has a shotgun.

 

Poking your heard back out in the same place after a sniper round went past your head, probably a bad idea pop up somewhere else.

 

When driving keep the vehicle moving, unless you want to have infinite sticky grenades bombard you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

************************************ UNDER CONSTRUCTION*******************************

 

TO BE CONTINUED BEFORE I TAKE IN MY LAPTOP TO BE FIXED TOMORROW

Edited August 28, 2014 by OMG Treason

[Ranger Intel]

I like it. Lots of effort put into it and some useful hints and tips. You're completely right about avoiding a fight or leaving it. It's not necessarily being a coward, it's more like doing what's necessary to survive. 'Map Positioning, Power Weapons Control, Vehicle Control, and Pressure.' Those are really accurate in judging what you need to win a game. As long as you have these four things with skilled players, every game should be an easy win. Really accurate and helpful guide, great work Treason.