Halo 3 ODST Firefight Weapon Tier List
This page has my weapon tier list for Halo 3 ODST Firefight modes. I've geared this list more towards the regular Firefight and Floodfight modes where you have a limited number of lives and ammo. When you're playing on the arcade modes like Fiesta you're often given one gun with unlimited ammo and you can't switch between weapons. For these game modes this list won't be as helpful since you're stuck with one weapon anyway.
Even though this list was made with Firefight in mind it still has good information that you may find helpful in the Halo 3 ODST Campaign as well. 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.
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: In my opinion this is the best weapon in the entire game. The Battle Rifle is amazing in pretty much every Halo game that it appears due to it being a power house and ammo being readily available at all times. You can one shot any enemy with this weapon so long as they don't have shields active (or a helmet on Brutes) and you hit them in the head. All in all I can't recommend this weapon enough. Use it and get good at it and you'll be a good Halo player.
Rocket Launcher: The UNSC Rocket Launcher is an amazing weapon that will spawn on every map during Firefight. Each map will also have boxes of ammo that you can collect for this weapon once you run out. At the start of each round during Firefight the Rocket Launcher will respawn as does the ammo for it as well. Other than this information all I can really say is it's a Rocket Launcher and works as you'd expect.
Sniper Rifle (Not Floodfight): The UNSC Sniper Rifle is both a God Tier and Garbage Tier weapon depending on what Game Mode you're playing on. When you are fighting Covenant enemies, this weapon is as strong as it has always been. However, when fighting the Flood you should avoid using this weapon at all costs because it does next to no damage against them.
Infinity Hammer: An Infinity Hammer is like an AoE Energy Sword with a pretty big draw back. This weapon will throw you around a lot and that will result in you being vulnerable and unable to escape quickly after using it. Or, the biggest downside of all, is using this near the edge of the map and being thrown off. When playing on certain maps like Chasm Ten or Windward you need to be really careful when fighting around the edges.
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, Mythic Skull is on (Double Health), 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.
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.
Plasma Grenade: Probably the most powerful grenade in Halo thanks to its ability to stick on a target. It's like a Frag Grenade just better... In some contexts... Speaking of which, how do you throw a Plasma Grenade without it sticking to your hand?
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.
Silenced SMG: I know what you're probably thinking, "This weapon sucks!" and you're right - it does. However, the benefit of the Silenced SMG is that ammo is plentiful and it can zoom in. Whenever you're playing on Firefight you know where the ammo resupply stations are and they will almost always have Silenced SMG ammo waiting for you. When using this weapon I only recommend it against targets without a shield. Try to avoid fighting shielded Brutes or Elites with it as they will take so little damage it's hardly worth it. For this reason, the weapon is better to use on Floodfight than normal Firefight.
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.
Explosives or Precision weapons work best against these enemies.
A Tier
Spartan Laser: Like many other weapons the person using this weapon will either make it exceptional or complete garbage. The best use of this weapon is to take out enemy vehicles from a distance, this weapon excels at this purpose because there is no delay from when you fire and when the target is hit like with a normal Rocket Launcher. Skilled players can use this weapon against non-vehicles effectively too, one benefit of the Spartan Laser is it will go through a target. Meaning if you can line your ducks up in a row you can take them all out with one Spartan Laser beam.
Plasma Turret (Detached): Much like the Machine Gun Turret, this weapon is great to grab if you can find one. The only two ways you can get this weapon during Firefight is to blast a Covenant Phantom and have the mounted turret drop down or steal one from the Brutes that spawn each round with one equipped. Again, like with the Machine Gun Turret my best advice to you is to run diagonally when using it. This will allow you to move faster than going in a straight line.
Machine Gun Turret (Detached): Normally it is best to leave a Machine Gun attached to its location if it is placed in a good spot - the best example of this is the Crater map. There are plenty of maps though where the turret is not placed in a good spot and the best option for you is uprooting it and using it for a bit. In situations like this, these turrets make very solid weapons due to the high damage they deal. My only advice when using this weapon is to move diagonally when using it. This will allow you to move faster than running in a straight line.
Incendiary Grenade: Incendiary Grenades are a mixed bag during Firefight. They drop from invisible Brutes most of the time but can also be seen dropping from Jet Pack Brutes too. During Floodfight these grenades will drop from the Flood forms that are clearly Brutes; again sometimes from the invisible ones and other times from the normal ones. When playing normal Firefight modes this grenade is just eh and typically isn't worth going out of your way to get... However, when you're playing Floodfight or any mode with Flood enemies the value of this grenade increases dramatically. This grenade will one-shot any enemy in the game and you should save them to use against the big tanky flood that transform between the big beasty and the wall-mounted Needle shooter.
Flamethrower: The Flamethrower weapon only spawns on game modes where you're fighting the Flood and from what I have seen it doesn't spawn on every map either. Much like all power weapons during Firefight, this weapon will respawn at the start of each round - meaning you can grab it multiple times each match. As far as how good this weapon is, I think the Flamethrower is a very solid weapon against the Flood. The biggest downside is how easy it is to get yourself killed while using this weapon. You have to be very careful because Flood will jump at you while they're on fire which will result in you taking damage.
B Tier
Plasma Pistol: In the older Halo games the Plasma Pistol has a single fantastic use, Noob Combos. Unleash a charged up energy shot on a target with shields active and it will strip them of shields. Then all it takes is a single head shot with a precision weapon to take them out. On harder difficulties this is the most efficient way of taking out enemies.
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.
UNSC Assault Rifle: Your standard bread and butter assault rifle in Halo. This gun appears in every Halo game and it's the definition of spray and pray. An Assault Rifle works well on targets without any shields but against shielded targets it's a lot less effective. Ultimately, my advice with this weapon is if you can't find anything better and you're out of ammo - then this is a good choice.
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. Also, ODST has a very weird overhand throw when you chuck grenades which is another reason I am not a fan of this grenade in ODST. However, the one thing these grenades do excel at is taking out vehicles.
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.
C Tier
Missile Pod Turret (Detached): Only one Firefight map has a Missile Pod Turret on it and that map is Windward. When playing normal Firefight on this map it is strongly recommended that you do not detach the turret because it can be used against the Banshees that show up. If you're playing on Floodfight then it isn't a bad idea to detach the turret and run around with it since there's no Banshee you have to worry about. As for the weapon itself, it's a lesser version of a Rocket Launcher.
Plasma Rifle: Plasma Rifles are a standard Covenant weapon that have been around since the first Halo game. There are actually two versions of this same weapon in Halo 3 ODST, one of them is a regular Plasma Rifle (purple in color) and the other is a Brute Plasma Rifle (red in color). Both of these weapons deal more damage against shields than when it's used against flesh. Many people consider the Brute Plasma Rifle to be the superior one because it comes with a faster fire rate, this also results in it overheating faster too though. When playing on Firefight I recommend you use these weapons if you can't find anything else that's better - on Floodfight I do not recommend them at all because they deal total crap damage to Flood.
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.
Shooting a Grunt out of the Phantom on Nadefight
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 Shot: The Brute Shot is basically the Covenant version of a Grenade Launcher and it's a pretty terrible weapon if I am being honest. If you're fighting against Covenant then there really is no reason to use this weapon unless you are out of ammo for everything else. During Floodfight I find that the Brute Shot is a decent weapon to grab at the end of a set/round when you have to shoot down the Flood that fire needles from high up on the walls. Other than this niche scenario though I typically ignore the weapon.
UNSC Shotgun: A once great weapon has been reduced to complete trash. When you're fighting the Covenant I can't recommend this weapon at all, against Flood it's a little stronger but there's still so many better weapons you can use instead of this one. Plus, if the Flood have shields (which some do on Firefight), then this weapon is garbage against them.
Brute Pistol Shotgun: If the UNSC Shotgun is bad then you know this one is going to be even worse. Much like the Shotgun the only time I can recommend this is during Floodfight when you're fighting Flood without any shields. The smaller human-flood will die in one shot if you hit them in their face tendrils when using this weapon if you have perfect latency. If you're lagging a bit, well, you're going to have to pull the trigger a few times.