Halo 3 Campaign Weapon Tier List
This page contains my weapon tier list for the Halo 3 Campaign. I've built this list around the Campaign in Halo 3 but the information on this page is still useful for Multiplayer and other game modes within Halo 3. This list was put together to help new players determine which guns are the best to use in any given situation and explain why.
If you'd like to see some of the other lists I have made for Halo: The Master Chief Collection then follow the link provided or click on any of the links below.
Halo MCC Weapon Tier Lists
- Halo CE Tier List
- Halo 2 Tier List
- Halo 3 Tier List
- Halo 3 ODST Campaign Tier List
- Halo 3 ODST Firefight Tier List
- Halo 4 Tier List
- Halo Reach Campaign Tier List
- Halo Reach Firefight Tier List
God Tier
Battle Rifle: As is typical, if I had to choose one weapon that is better than the rest it would be the Battle Rifle. You can strip a target's shields off and then finish them off with a shot to the head very easily with this weapon and ammo for it is plentiful throughout certain parts of the game.
Rocket Launcher: Rocket Launchers are very powerful in Halo and given to you at specific times through the Campaign. Normally when you're given a Rocket Launcher there will be extra ammo nearby too so keep this in mind for restocking. All in all, it's a very powerful weapon and even more powerful if you know the ammo spawns on each map.
Sniper Rifle: As always the Sniper Rifle makes the God Tier list due to how powerful it is and how frequently available ammo is for it. When you are playing through Campaign you'll be given this weapon at certain times typically with full ammo or with ammo readily available nearby. A headshot even against a shielded target will be a one shot; the only exception to this is if the target has an Overshield. Hitting the target anywhere else on their body will take 2 hits, the first hit drops the shield and the second hit kills the target.
Energy Sword: The Energy Sword is a staple Halo weapon and the reason it's pretty much always God Tier is because it one shots 99% of targets. Unless the target has Invincibility active or is using an Overshield - an Energy Sword will kill it in one attack. All around great weapon and I can't recommend it enough. Best used against shielded targets, using it against Grunts and Jackals etc is kind of a waste.
Infinity Hammer: Infinity Hammers are basically an AoE version of the Energy Sword. Brute Chieftains carry these into battle and will drop them once defeated. This weapon is very powerful if you use it properly - meaning in close quarters typically indoors. If you try to charge at a pack of enemies across a field - they're going to gun you down before you get there.
S Tier
Beam Rifle: A Beam Rifle is the Covenant version of a Sniper Rifle. It comes with a hefty amount of ammo if you get it at full capacity and the only downside to using it is overheating. Like all Covenant weapons, if you use it too much it'll overheat and that means you can't fire it as it cools. The solution to this is wait .5 - 1 sec between each shot and only do 3 shots at most in a cluster. Once you get the hang of how this works it'll be easy to use the Beam Rifle.
Covenant Carbine: Covenant Carbine is a long range single shot weapon which can take out an enemy in a single shot if they don't have a shield and it's a head shot. This weapon is strong in the hands of someone who is capable of precision shots and ammo is plentiful for it since it's a commonly used weapon by the Covenant. I recommend this if you're someone who likes the long range sniping sort of playstyle more.
Plasma Grenade: It's a grenade that sticks to your target, that's really all there is to it. This grenade does more or less the same amount of damage and has more or less the same splash radius as a normal Frag Grenade. I believe the only real difference with this grenade is that you can stick it to enemies and surfaces which gives you a bit more versatility.
Fuel Rod Cannon: The Fuel Rod Cannon is the Covenant Rocket Launcher and it's slightly different than the UNSC version. Instead of only 2 shots this weapon comes with 5 and it also has a smaller splash radius than the UNSC Rocket Launcher from my experience. Another difference between the two is the shots from a Fuel Rod Cannon can ricochet if you're shooting from a slight angle. This will take some getting used to but it's not a super big deal once you understand how it works. One of the main reasons I put this so high on the list is because getting ammo for it is very easy. Many different Covenant enemies use this weapon but Grunts are probably the most notable and common.
Plasma Pistol: Plasma Pistols are an extremely important weapon in the Halo Campaigns the higher up you go in difficulty. When playing on Legendary using a Plasma Pistol to take out an enemy's shield is the "meta" way to play. Once their shield is down all it takes is a single headshot to take them out with the right weapon. I'd argue that the lower you go in difficulty the less effective this weapon becomes. If you're playing on Normal there's no point to use this to drop their shield since it drops quick enough without it.
Spartan Laser: Spartan Lasers are a great weapon in the right hands and a mediocre weapon in the wrong hands. This weapon works mostly the same way a normal Rocket Launcher does except that when firing a beam it hits the target immediately after it shoots. Unlike a rocket which has to travel through the air first and gives your target a chance to avoid the hit. The only downside with a Spartan Laser is it takes a few seconds before you fire to charge up the shot; a skilled player can change this from a downside though into an upside. Plan your next shot and hide behind cover until you're a second away from firing - jump out of cover and slam your target with a red beam. This is how you correctly use this weapon. I would argue that this weapon is strongest against vehicles because they will have no time to dodge the incoming attack.
The Sniper Rifle is one of the most powerful weapons in Halo
A Tier
UNSC Pistol: The standard issue UNSC Pistol can either be a fantastic or totally useless weapon depending on who is using it. Hitting an enemy in the head with this weapon (if they have no shields) will result in a one-shot kill. More or less, this is all the weapon is good for. I strongly recommend you do not ever try taking an enemy out with this weapon outside of a headshot. It'll take forever and won't be worth it.
Machine Gun Turret (Detached): Detached Machine Gun Turrets make excellent on the go weapons for you. My advice is to leave them stationary until all of the enemies are defeated - then if you want to bring the turret with you detach it and carry it forward. There will be many turrets that you cross paths with throughout the game making this a rather common weapon for you if you're interested. My biggest advice to you is to run diagonally instead of in a straight line when you're carrying this turret. Your character will do a shuffle walk which is faster than a straight line.
Plasma Cannon Turret (Detached): Plasma Turrets are the Covenant version of a Machine Gun Turret. Like most energy based weapons this turret will deal less damage against flesh and more damage against shields. As usual, my advice to you when carrying this weapon is to walk diagonally since you'll move faster than going in a straight line.
Flamethrower: Flamethrowers are carried like turrets and start off detached automatically - there is no such thing as a mounted Flamethrower in this game. All in all this is a very powerful weapon and will turn most enemies to a crisp. I'd say that the biggest downside to using a Flamethrower is accidentally lighting yourself on fire. If you torch enemies that are too close to you or enemies that run towards you there's a chance you'll be lit on fire too. Watch out when you use this against Flood since they jump at you and can light you on fire too. Much like with every other turret that you can carry, you'll run faster when you move diagonally than running in a straight line.
Missile Pod Turret (Detached): A Missile Pod Turret is quite rare but when you do find one they make powerful weapons. In my opinion this weapon is best used against a vehicle but it can make quick work of normal enemies too when you hit them dead on. Ultimately, I would describe this weapon as a watered down Rocket Launcher. One piece of advice I can give you is to run diagonally when using this weapon to move faster than running in a straight line.
B Tier
UNSC Assault Rifle: The UNSC Assault Rifle is one of the most recognized weapons in Halo history and it's the weapon that Master Chief starts with on almost every level. All in all this is the ultimate spray and pray weapon and it's a pretty crappy weapon all things considered. The saving grace of this weapon (and the reason it's so high on the list) is that ammo for it is plentiful on almost every level. Still though, I recommend you only use this weapon if you can't find anything better.
UNSC SMG: In the regular Halo 3 (meaning not ODST) you can still dual wield this weapon which is the reason it's so high on the list. Dual wield SMG is actually pretty powerful as is SMG + Plasma Rifle or any other combination. All in all my advice for this weapon is yes it's worth using as a DW but no otherwise.
Incendiary Grenade: The Incendiary Grenade is not very common throughout the Campaign but is useful when you do find one. Essentially, these grenades create a small fire on the ground that lingers for a couple of seconds and any target hit by the grenade or that comes in contact with the fire will die. If you're hit by the grenade that's guaranteed death; If you accidentally step into the fire once the grenade goes boom that'll be a significant health loss.
Frag Grenade: Frag Grenades are the standard UNSC Grenade that you start with pretty much no matter what game mode you're playing. You throw it and it goes boom, not much else to say.
C Tier
UNSC Shotgun: In Halo 3 the UNSC Shotgun has been nerfed nearly into oblivion but it still has some uses - in particular when fighting Flood. However, even this comes with a catch... Only use the Shotgun when you are playing on Normal or Easy; when you're on Heroic you can still use it but honestly it's going to suck and there's always something better. Sadly, this is the last Halo game where the Shotgun is even worth considering.
Spike Grenade: The Spike Grenade is the non-Plasma sticky grenade that is primarily dropped by Brutes. I don't really like this grenade when compared to the other ones, it has a very small blast radius and doesn't seem to kill an enemy unless you stick them with it. The one upside to this grenade is that it is very effective against vehicles.
Brute Shot: Brute Shots are the Covenant grenade launcher in Halo and they are ok at best. In my opinion it takes too many hits with this weapon to take out any enemy and the push back with each hit that this weapon does is annoying to deal with too. There is only one scenario that I can actually recommend this weapon and that's when ammo is plentiful. You will have many parts throughout the game where you fight a lot of Brutes or where you can find this weapon available in the Covenant weapon supply stations.
Needler: Needlers are actually a pretty decent weapon with readily available ammo since so many Covenant enemies carry it. This weapon has two unique features that make it impressive - the first of which is the bullets you fire with this weapon will track enemies to a slight extent. It's hard to explain but you'll see it in action with the weapon. Next up, if you hit the enemy with enough needles from this weapon they will explode. If the enemy is standing around other enemies they'll be caught in the explosion and you can score multiple kills this way.
Dual wielding two meh weapons can still be quite effective
Garbage Tier
Spiker: I think the Spiker is the worst weapon in most of the Halo games that it appears. The best way I can think to describe this weapon is it's a crappier version of a Needler. Unlike the Needler, your target won't explode if you hit them with enough spikes and the spikes also don't track the target like they do for the Needler. I can only recommend this weapon to people who are out of ammo for literally everything else.
Brute Pistol Shotgun: The Brute Pistol Shotgun is a lesser version of the UNSC Shotgun and it's complete trash. I think the only situation I can actually recommend this weapon is when fighting the Flood... However, even in this situation I still think there are better guns that you should be using. The only time you should ever use this weapon is if you're completely out of ammo and currently looking for another gun.
Plasma Rifle: Plasma Rifles are standard issue Covenant weapons most commonly used by Elites.