Bungie sure is rolling out the info on Reach, first with the Noble Team profiles, and the new art, things are really moving along. Today they are going in detail about three of the new/old (prequels make tenses really hard to figure out) guns of Halo Reach. First up the good old assault rifle:

A certified stalwart in the UNSC’s arsenal, the Assault Rifle has scrubbed more than its fair share of Covenant scum up close and personal. First introduced with Halo: Combat Evolved, it missed a beat in Halo 2, but made its triumphant return to Halo 3 and by now you should know it’s making a return with a pretty significant visual overhaul in Halo: Reach, as seen in yesterday’s 3D art asset comparisons.

It’s not the only weapon that’s being upgraded, according to Josh, one of Halo: Reach's sandbox designers.

“Everything has been touched in one way or another. That being said, some of the weapons had already gone through some serious iterations at this point in Halo’s life and so in some cases changes have been kept to a minimum. Either way, the visual face lift was worth its weight in gold. All the weapons, including the classics, are looking AMAZING!”

Sage, the project's lead sandbox designer, briefly expounds on some of the subtle changes being made to the series’ staples:

“Returning weapons will, for the most part, maintain their classic roles and generally feel the same. If you’re playing at the pro level, you can expect to notice minor changes to every weapon.”

Of course, there’s some new stuff in the mix as well.

Then the guys over at B.net finally showed how the new Designated Marksman Rifle, or DMR is gonna work, and let me say, from how they discribe it, it sounds like my kind of weapon.

“The DMR, or Designated Marksman Rifle,” Sage notes, “is a medium-to-long range support weapon. In range and play style it fits between the Assault Rifle and Sniper Rifle in the Human sandbox. Powerful in skilled hands, its rewards the ‘gunfighter’ – the calm, accurate player, who like to be in the fight. Its primary role is to suppress snipers and soften opposition before the shock troops close.”

When you do find yourself in the fight, shock troops rushing your position, Josh has some slightly less merciful tips to help keep you alive when you have the DMR in your hot little hands.

“The DMR is deadly accurate if you breathe through the shots and get into the rhythm of firing it, but it quickly falls apart if you freak out and really start slamming the trigger. A player with surgeon’s hands will be able to use it anywhere, anytime. Players that struggle with their composure in a heated fight however will find it better suited to working guys from a distance, picking off the sick and weak from the herd.”

And for those looking for that elegant weapon for a more civilized age, it looks like the DMR might be the implement of war you’re looking for.

“Personally, I’ve found that I always like to have a DMR in my back pocket in the way that I would have kept around the pistol in Halo: Combat Evolved,” Josh says. “Either way, the big news with the DMR is that it’s particularly good at shooting Covenant in the face.”

And last but not anywhere from least, the Needle Rifle, this bad boy is like the unholy spawn from a needler and a carbine, though that lends the question, how do guns... how shall I put this... "get it on"?

Moving on, this tool of disctruction allows for headshots, and that right there is reason enough to pick it up from the battlefield, but read on and lear how this weapon, can turn you into a unicorn!

Speaking of Covenant forces, Reach may be a UNSC military stronghold, but the Covenant war machine is at the height of its military power. The Needle Rifle is one of the more fearsome and unique weapons in their invasion force’s arsenal and a fitting counter to the Designated Marksman Rifle. It’s also one of the weapons we’ve revealed that seems to be surrounded with the most ambiguity. Let’s clear some stuff up.

“The Needle Rifle is one of my personal favorites,” Josh notes. “While it is very similar to the Carbine in several ways, including its ability to headshot (Unicorn!), it’s still 100% Needler and comes stock with the ability to super-combine when it comes in contact with your enemies and spread them like jam across a warm piece of toast. Unlike the Needler, the rounds don’t track your target…because that would just be ridiculous.”

Sage offers up his own additional details.

“The Needle Rifle is the Covenant’s answer to the DMR. It’s a medium-to-long range weapon with powerful anti-shield damage. It’s faster and more accurate than the DMR, but doesn’t have the same stopping power. It’s a Blamite! super-combining weapon (three shots to an unshielded body) that can also score headshots.”

 

Head on over to Bunige.net to read more on how they tweak these weapons, and how you can use them to distroy everything in sight.