Halo Reach Firefight Weapon Tier List
This page has my weapon tier list for Halo: Reach Firefight. In particular this list is geared towards the regular Firefight modes where you have limited lives and limited 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. For these games modes this list isn't very helpful since you're stuck with one weapon anyway.
Despite this list being made with Firefight in mind it still has good information that you may find helpful for the Halo Reach 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
Fuel Rod Cannon: The Fuel Rod Cannon is a God Tier weapon in Reach's Firefight because it's a Rocket Launcher with ammo that is widely available. Brutes, Grunts and Elites can all spawn with Fuel Rod Cannons allowing you to restock ammo rather consistently if you pay attention to what enemies are carrying this weapon. If I had to pick one downside with this weapon it's the fact that shots can ricochet if you're shooting at an angle. This feature can be used to your advantage though if you are skilled with this weapon.
Gravity Hammer: Depending on what map you're playing on this weapon will either be a God Tier or an S Tier. The Gravity Hammer is available to players at the end of each round when Hammer Brutes are deployed and sometimes during the round if you get a spawn of them during a set. Like most weapons in Halo the strength of this weapon comes from the player wielding it. Normally the best strategy when using this weapon is to bait enemies to you, if you stand around a corner and wait for enemies to come to you it'll be very easy to dispatch the entire group with this weapon. The Gravity Hammer is made for groups of enemies whereas the Plasma Sword is made for single targets. Be careful when you use the Gravity Hammer too as the one downside it has is it'll throw you around a bit and slow you down when you swing. My advice is to use the Evade Armor Ability to counter this when you want to primarily use this weapon (like on Fistfight).
Plasma Sword: Plasma Swords or Energy Swords are a God Tier weapon because they allow you to one shot really any enemy in the game. During Firefight there will only be two enemies that you can't one shot, Brutes with Invincibility on and any enemy with an Overshield. Overshields take 2 hits to eliminate and Brutes with Invincibility - you have to wait until that unique shield expires then you can take them out. Unlike the Gravity Hammer mentioned above, Plasma Swords are single target only which is their biggest drawback.
DMR: If you're someone who is skilled with precision shots then this is going to be a God Tier weapon for you. During Firefight if you choose the Recon Loadout you'll start the game with a DMR and you'll be able to refill ammo at the ammo supply lockers on each map. This is one of the big reasons I put this weapon so high on the list; the second reason is because you can one shot any enemy without a shield/helmet using this weapon. Elites require enough shots to drop their shield then 1 shot to the head. Brutes you'll have to either drop their shields or shoot off their helmets - then it's one shot to the dome and dead.
Needle Rifle: Essentially the Needle Rifle is the Covenant version of a DMR with the bonus of being a Needler. Much like the DMR this is a precision weapon that will instantly kill an enemy if you hit them in the head without a shield on. Like the Needler, enough shots with a Needle Rifle and your target will explode in a pink burst. The amount of body shots you need changes depending on the enemy you're fighting but it's a viable alternative to head shots for people who aren't great with precision shots.
S Tier
Rocket Launcher: I put the Rocket Launcher in this position because it's a very good weapon but the ammo available for it is always extremely limited. When you are playing normal Firefight modes the only way to get this weapon is from Ordnance drops at the start of a round. From my experience the UNSC Rocket Launcher is more powerful than the Fuel Rod Cannon in every respect. It definitely has higher damage and it seems to have a larger explosion splash radius too. The only two downsides I can point out are it has only 2 shots per magazine and the ammo availability is very low.
UNSC Sniper Rifle: The UNSC Sniper Rifle is in the same boat as the Rocket Launcher. It's a very powerful weapon but it comes with the downside of very little ammo being available on Firefight modes. Much like the Rocket Launcher you'll only be able to get a Sniper Rifle from the ordnance drops which happen at the start of a round. Normally one shot to the head will instantly take out an enemy when you're using this weapon. Otherwise it's one shot to anywhere on the body to remove the shield and another shot to take out the target.
The DMR is in my opinion the best weapon in Halo Reach
A Tier
Spartan Laser: Spartan Lasers are another UNSC power weapon, this one is comparable to Rocket Launchers but I believe a little worse due to the charging up nature of the weapon. The downside of this weapon is it has to charge up before you can fire it; the upside is once you fire it there's no delay in hitting the target. With the Rocket Launcher you have to wait for the rocket to fly through the air and make contact. This gives your target some time to react and dodge which is a downside (for you). When you're using the Spartan Laser the laser beam has no travel time to hit the target and better yet it can go through your target and hit additional enemies behind him. A direct hit with the Spartan Laser is a one shot, which is another upside of this weapon. I'd say this weapon is best for taking out larger vehicles from a distance like a Wraith.
UNSC Grenade Launcher: Once you learn how to use this weapon it can be pretty powerful - in the wrong hands though it's a pretty terrible weapon. From everything I have read and tested myself, the best way to use this weapon is via ricochets. Normally you want to bounce the grenade off the ground in front of you and into a group of enemies. Shooting it directly into a pack of enemies typically will not result in any kills. One other thing I can mention with this weapon too is that it has two different firing modes. If you fire your weapon and hold down the fire button the grenade will not explode until you release the button. This allows you to shoot further distances or create a land mind style trap for enemies.
Plasma Pistol: The legendary Plasma Pistol, I put this weapon pretty high on the list for two reasons, Noob Combos and the EMP effect added in Reach. A Noob Combo is when you hit someone with a charged Plasma shot to drop their shields and then you finish them off with a shot to the head. Technically not a Noob Combo, it's the most viable way of dealing with many enemies on harder difficulties. The EMP effect is something new that Halo Reach added - hitting a vehicle with a charged Plasma shot will immobilize it for a short period of time. You can use this against Banshees as well to knock them right out of the air!
B Tier
UNSC Magnum: A Magnum aka the standard UNSC Pistol is a deadly weapon in the right hands. The value of this weapon comes from its ability to one shot an enemy without shields if it's a headshot. So what it comes down to is if you're good at lining up headshots this will be a very powerful weapon in your hands. If you're not a precision shooter then this weapon will be complete garbage for you. Normally I will use this against Grunts and Jackals when they come out during the first few waves then drop it for something better.
Needler: I put the Needler right next to the Magnum because they are both pistol side arms and are of similar strength. That's about all they share in common though because these two weapons are vastly different - the Needler is a spray and pray weapon whereas the Magnum is a precision weapon. When it comes to using the Needler you want to be pointing in the direction of your target and that's about as accurate as you need to be. Needles will track their target to some extent so even if they strafe side to side most of your needles will hit him. If enough needles hit him they'll explode and instantly kill your target + damage other targets around it. The only advice I think I can give you with this weapon is to learn how many needles you need to fire to make your target explode. Also, learn how many extra/less needles you have to fire depending on how much your target is currently moving.
UNSC Assault Rifle: This weapon is the definition of spray and pray; as a result it's not very good and quite low on the list. Since this list is for Firefight my advice to you will be avoid any Loadout that uses this weapon and any time you're stuck with this weapon, try to trade it off for something better ASAP. The only upside of this weapon throughout the entire game (in both Firefight and Campaign) is that ammo for it is plentiful.
Concussion Rifle: A Concussion Rifle is a new weapon added in Halo Reach that is used by Elites and Brutes; typically the "commando" types that are leading a unit. Think of this weapon as a Fuel Rod Cannon just half as powerful. Each shot moves at about the same speed as the Fuel Rod Cannon but does half the damage and has a much smaller splash radius. It will take 2 direct hits to eliminate a shielded Elite or Brute with this weapon and 3 or 4 indirect hits. The only nice thing I can say about this weapon is that ammo is plentiful for it because many Elites use it.
C Tier
Plasma Launcher: The Plasma Launcher is a gun that shoots Plasma Grenades. You can shoot 1 - 4 grenades depending on how long you charge the gun up for. I personally don't like this weapon very much and I have used it a lot while doing the Plasmafight game modes. One of the biggest issues this weapon has is ammo. You can't refill it and when playing normal Firefight you're probably going to get it at 3/4 ammo (at best). That gives you 4 - 6 grenades and that is it. Unless you use the weapon at the perfect time you won't be scoring many kills with it and another complaint is it's hard to determine exactly how many grenades any given situation calls for. You got a group of enemies coming at you, should you use 2? 3? All 4? With how the weapon is designed this calculus becomes more difficult.
Plasma Rifle: The Plasma Rifle is an ok weapon that has been a part of every Halo game since the beginning. Much like the Grenade Launcher that we talked about earlier, this weapon is strong in the right hands but weak if you don't know how to use it. A Plasma Rifle will deal bonus damage against shields and less damage against flesh. This means it's best used against shielded targets. One other thing to mention is that the closer this weapon gets to overheating the faster it shoots. If you're really good at timing it properly you can take advantage of the faster shooting without forcing it into overheating mode.
The Magnum's strength is against weak targets that can be head shot.
Garbage Tier
UNSC Shotgun: Ever since Halo 3 the Shotgun has gone downhill rapidly and in Halo Reach it's been nerfed to having niche uses only. The Shotgun is powerful close range against all enemies without shields and it can take shielded enemies down in two shots if you're close enough. The biggest issue I have with this weapon is how close you have to be in order to get a killing blow. I recommend you play Infection multiplayer for a bit and you'll get a good feel for how close you have to be to your target to hit them with this weapon.
Focus Rifle: Does anyone actually like this weapon? It's good for assist kills because you'll help take off the enemy's shield but normally the enemy will hide before you score the killing blow. Alternatively, the enemy will evade your shots and you'll end up overheating your gun which leaves you unable to kill them and vulnerable. The only nice thing I can think to say about this weapon is it looks cool.
Plasma Repeater: It's like a Plasma Rifle just worse in every way. Unlike the Plasma Rifle this weapon does not deal more damage to shields, it also has less ammo overall. You can get a solid breakdown about the differences between these two weapons by reading the Halopedia Plasma Repeater page. Ultimately, it's like I said - it's worse in basically every way.
Spiker: Out of all the weapons in the game I believe this to be the worst one. A Spiker is essentially a crappier Needler. It works more or less the same way except it doesn't cause the target to explode if you hit them enough times and it doesn't track the target when you shoot. The best thing I can say about this weapon is that ammo availability is very high typically because Brutes are common.