Halo 4 Campaign Weapon Tier List
This page contains my weapon tier list for Halo 4's Campaign and Spartan Ops mode. I've built this list around the PvE modes in Halo 4 but the information contained in this guide will be relevant for Multiplayer PvP too. My intention for making this list is 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.
Note: Some of the weapons in Spartan OPS aren't pictured above but are listed below. The tier maker website I used was perfect for all the other Halo games but a mess for Halo 4.
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
Energy Sword: As per usual the Energy Sword is at the top of the list because of how powerful it is. This weapon will one shot almost every enemy in the game - for the bigger and beefier enemies it may take two or three swings at the absolute most. Keep in mind difficulty and what skulls you have on play a role in this.
Gravity Hammer: The Gravity Hammer is basically an AoE version of the Energy Sword. As far as I am aware you won't be able to get this weapon during the Campaign but it is available during Spartan OPs. When you swing this weapon it will cause a powerful shockwave that will knock back any targets capable of surviving the hit and you. This is the biggest drawback to using the weapon, as you're being thrown around you are vulnerable to attack and there's nothing you can do about it.
DMR: DMRs are my favorite weapon in Halo 4 because they're long range precision weapons and that is what I like to use. You can take out a target's shield and then finish them off with a single shot to the head using this weapon without having to reload. This weapon is also very common throughout the entire game, you're given ammo for it constantly while doing the Campaign. It's also one of the primary weapons you can choose in your Loadouts for both PvP and Spartan Ops.
Battle Rifle: Since it was originally introduced in Halo 2 this weapon has been at the top of every weapon list. I can't say enough good things about it, it's a precision weapon that can also be used as a spray and pray. You can take out a target's shield and then finish them off with a headshot without even using a full magazine when it comes to this weapon. This is a great weapon for Spartan Ops as well because you can choose it as part of your primary load out.
Promethean Binary Rifle
S Tier
Fuel Rod Cannon: Fuel Rod Cannon is the Covenant Rocket Launcher and it's a really good one at that once you get used to the quirks. This weapon shoots little balls of green radiation - you get 5 shots per magazine and the shots can ricochet off of surfaces if you hit them at a 75 degree angle. I'd say that this is the biggest downside of using this weapon. Normally when you use a Rocket Launcher you will shoot at the surface near your target... With this weapon you'll have to be careful when you're doing this otherwise your shots will just ricochet. The biggest upside to using this weapon is that ammo is typically plentiful since it's a commonly used weapon by the Covenant.
UNSC Rocket Launcher: The UNSC Rocket Launcher is an amazing weapon, as are most Rocket Launchers. You get two shots per magazine and it deals a lot of damage with each shot. My advice is to not aim directly at your target - instead aim at the ground near them. As long as you hit within the general vicinity of your target you'll score a kill shot.
Plasma Pistol: Plasma Pistols are one of the most important weapons if you're playing on higher difficulties - on the reverse it's one of the worst weapons on easier difficulties. A charged shot from a Plasma Pistol will take out an enemy's shield leaving them vulnerable to a one shot-head shot. This is the most effective way for taking out enemy's with shields on higher difficulties. When hitting a vehicle with a charged Plasma Pistol shot it will immobilize it for a few seconds which is another important use for this weapon. You can literally shoot a Banshee out of the air with good aiming.
Binary Rifle: The Binary Rifle is the Promethean version of a Sniper Rifle. It has a two shot capacity which is probably the biggest downside of using the weapon; however one of the biggest upsides is typically on the Promethean levels you're given a lot of ammo for these weapons. Honestly, and this is probably just personal preference, but I never use this weapon even when ammo is available. There are many reasons for this choice but the main one is I prefer the Light Rifle. You get more ammo with the Light Rifle and it serves the same purpose as a long range weapon.
UNSC Sniper Rifle: You know it and love it - the UNSC Sniper Rifle. This weapon appears in every Halo game and it's the same as it ever was. One shot to the head will instantly kill the target (even with shields) and two shots anywhere on the body will also kill the target. I strongly recommend this weapon whenever it's available during the game.
Promethean Light Rifle: The Promethean Light Rifle is the best Promethean weapon in my opinion mostly because it resembles the UNSC Battle Rifle. Much like the UNSC Battle Rifle this is a precision weapon that fires 3 bullets with each shot. If the target doesn't have a shield then any hit from this weapon to the head will instantly kill it. All in all this is a very solid weapon and it's my go-to when I am going through the Campaign and I am on the Promethean levels.
Beam Rifle: Beam Rifles are the Covenant version of a sniper rifle. This weapon works like most Covenant weapons, it has a limited amount of ammo and you can't reload. Additionally, firing the weapon too quickly in succession will result in it overheating and you having to wait a little bit. All in all it's a solid weapon and some may prefer it over the UNSC sniper.
A Tier
Covenant Carbine: I like to describe the Covenant Carbine as the Covenant DMR because it fills this role quite well. Much like the DMR this weapon is a long range precision weapon. Each time you pull the trigger it fires one shot and just like the DMR a headshot without shields is a kill shot. The Covenant Carbine is commonly used by Jackal enemies and in my experience ammo is almost always plentiful when there are some Covenant around.
Incineration Cannon: The Incineration Cannon is the Promethean Rocket Launcher. I don't really like this weapon - my first reason is because there's almost never any ammo for it when you find it. Sometimes the Promethean Knights are using this weapon and drop it when you defeat them but good luck finding any additional ammo. The second reason I don't like this weapon is because when you shoot it - it's hard to see where your shot goes and where it hits. This makes aiming the weapon at a specific location difficult. Other than these downsides one upside I can say about this weapon is - it deals a lot of damage.
Spartan Laser: Spartan Lasers are a weapon you'll probably recognize from the previous Halo games. It works the same way it did in all the previous games, you hold down the fire button for a few seconds and then it unleashes a powerful laser beam that will one shot anything it hits. The laser it shoots will arrive at the target instantly which make it useful for taking out quick moving vehicles. Also, the laser you shoot will go through the target you're aiming at as well. This means if there are additional targets standing behind the one you're hitting - they'll be melted too.
UNSC SAW: The UNSC Saw is a better version of the UNSC Assault Rifle with a lot more ammo. You get this weapon on a few levels during the Campaign and normally you'll be given ample ammo when you do. Normally there are better weapons available than this gun but if you're playing on lower difficulties this gun does tear through enemies like butter that's for sure. Ultimately, it's up to you and your play style. I am more of a precision shot person so I like a different genre of weapon.
Rail Gun: I know someone who described this weapon as a Warthog Gauss Turret that you can hold in your hands. Much like the Spartan Laser it'll take a moment for this weapon to charge up when you want to shoot it but it'll one shot pretty much any target that you hit with it. You only get this weapon on one or two missions and normally when you get it there are better weapons available.
The SAW machine gun added in Halo 4
B Tier
Frag Grenade: Frag Grenades will explode a few seconds after they come into contact with a surface. Remember this fact and get a feel for the timing and you'll become a pro at using them. The best way to use this grenade is to ricochet it off of a surface towards your target and have it explode ontop of them. If you throw it directly at them it'll often ricochet off them and explode elsewhere - which obviously isn't what we want!
Plasma Grenade: The Plasma Grenade aka the sticky grenade is great! You throw it and it goes boom, it's everything you could ask for in a ball shape - that sticks. Seriously, there isn't much I can say about this aside from it does the same thing it's always done and it's as good as it has always been.
Plasma Turret (Detached): Plasma Turrets are the Covenant version of the Machine Gun Turret. I guess I would describe this turret like a mounted Storm Rifle weapon, it fires plasma shots which deal more damage to shields than to flesh just like all other plasma weapons. When you find these throughout the game I strongly recommend you detach it and bring it with you. It comes with 250 shots just like the Machine Gun Turret which is enough to take out an entire group of enemies. Also a big tip: when using any detached turret run diagonally to move faster.
Machine Gun Turret (Detached): What's better than a Machine Gun Turret? A portable Machine Gun Turret! Normally I will advise you to leave these attached to their locations because they have unlimited ammo and more accurate aim that way... However, once you beat all of the enemies in the area and are ready to move on there's no reason not to detach your turret and bring it with you! All in all this is a solid weapon and will tear through a group of enemies before you run out of ammo. I definitely recommend you bring it with you when you can. Also a big tip: when using any detached turret run diagonally to move faster.
Concussion Rifle: A Concussion Rifle is the Covenant version of a grenade launcher and it's an all around decent weapon in my opinion. High class Elites will use this weapon frequently which makes ammo plentiful, that's good considering this weapon isn't particularly powerful. Each shot from this weapon doesn't deal a lot of damage and it will typically result in your target being thrown around a bit which means you'll have to take aim again. That's probably the biggest downside to using the Concussion Rifle.
Promethean Suppressor: I think the Promethean Suppressor is the second best Promethean weapon and also probably the one with the most common ammo. There isn't much else to say about this weapon aside from it's the Promethean version of the UNSC Assault Rifle. I recommend you use this weapon during the Promethean missions considering there won't be enough ammo to solely use the Light Rifle.
C Tier
Pulse Grenade: Pulse Grenades are the worst grenades available in this game by a long shot. These grenades are not good for killing a target because they take too long to deal significant damage and they're easy to dodge. Instead you should look at them as a method of stripping the target's shield. When you throw this grenade it creates a small area which will strip your shield (and eventually kill you if you stand in it); use this to lower an enemy's shield and then finish them off with a shot to the head with your DMR or some other precision weapon.
Focus Rifle: The Focus Rifle is a mediocre weapon which is used most often by the long range Jackal enemies that you encounter. I would rate this weapon to be the worst "sniper rifle" in the game if you can even put it into the sniper category. The main reason I think this weapon sucks is because it's a sniper rifle that forces you to channel the shot on the target to deal damage. Enemies like Grunts and Jackals which you can kill in under 1 second are good targets for this weapon - Elites on the other hand are going to take 3 or 4 seconds of channeling to take out... Which gives the Elite more than enough time to roll out of the way and into cover to dodge your attack. Sniping requires the element of surprise and that's something this weapon doesn't have at all.
Needler: Needlers are a common weapon used by Grunts and Jackals which makes ammo for it quite plentiful. Aside from plentiful ammo there are two upsides this weapon comes with; the first of which is that the needles it shoots will track their targets to a slight extent. If your target wiggles side to side then the needles will typically still hit the target. However, if they manage to run away (or dodge roll in the case of an Elite) the needles will likely miss. The second strength of this weapon is when you kill a target with a Needler it'll explode and damage all other nearby enemies. I find this weapon to be situationally useful if you're out of ammo and you can't find anything better.
Storm Rifle: Storm Rifle is the new and (improved?) version of the Covenant's Plasma Rifle weapon. It works the same way as a Plasma Rifle, if you shoot it too much it'll overheat and it has limited ammo. For the most part I would recommend avoiding this weapon unless you're fighting enemies that have shields in which case it may be worth using this to tear through their shields. Typically though there are better weapons you can grab lying around.
UNSC Assault Rifle: The UNSC Assault Rifle is a weapon that all fans of Halo should recognize because it's been a part of every game. I think the biggest upside of this weapon is that ammo is almost always available when there are UNSC supply lockers or marines on the map. The biggest downside of this weapon is that it's a spray and pray and ineffective on higher difficulties. When you're playing on Normal or even Heroic this weapon is solid which is why I put it at C Tier on the list.
Sticky Detonator: Sticky Detonators are small pistols that you can shoot and then explode at will; each shot will appear on your motion tracker as well until detonated. The best way to describe this weapon is it's a pistol that shoots one of those Spike-Grenades from Halo 3 and Halo 3 ODST. Much like the Spike Grenades this will stick to the target and deal about the same amount of damage when it explodes. All in all, I find this weapon to be about as useful as the Spike Grenades were in Halo 3... Which is to say not that useful.
The Promethean Boltshot
Garbage Tier
UNSC Magnum: A Pistol in Halo typically has one role that it must fulfill, it's a precision weapon that is made for eliminating weaker enemies. The UNSC Magnum does well at that and that alone - if you hit an enemy without a shield like a Grunt or a Jackal in the head it'll one shot them. Do not use this weapon for anything else otherwise you'll be using a lot of ammo.
Promethean Scattershot: The Promethean Scattershot is the Promethean version of a Shotgun and it's as bad as the UNSC Shotgun if not worse. Much like the UNSC version you have to be extremely close to your target to deal good damage and even then it'll take almost an entire magazine to kill a single target sometimes (in the case of a Promethean Knight). All in all I do not recommend this weapon.
Promethean Boltshot: In my opinion this is the worst pistol weapon in Halo 4; this weapon is more or less the same as the UNSC Magnum just different graphics which also explains why it sucks. Ultimately, for pistols like this in Halo games they serve one role and one role only - precision weapons for weak targets. Grunts, Jackals and anything without a shield will die in one hit if you hit them in the head with this weapon. Don't bother using it for anything else. Note: You can hold the fire button down when using the Boltshot and fire 4 shots at once which is pretty neat if I must say so myself.
UNSC Shotgun: By the time you reach Halo 4 the UNSC Shotgun is pretty much complete garbage outside of a few niche scenarios. In order to use this weapon effectively you need to be in your targets face and by that I mean so close you can smell their breath. A close range shot will take away an enemy's shield and then the follow up shot will take them out. In PvP the weapon is one shot one kill but you have to be in your targets face.