Headshot: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 17:34, October 31, 2009

"BOOM! HEADSHOT!!"

— Common Internet saying.^[1]

A headshot made with a sniper rifle.

A close-up of a headshot in Halo 3. The weapon used was a Sniper Rifle. The remains of the crippled shielding and blood from the exit wound are clearly visible.

A headshot is a shot fired at an enemy's head. Headshots, when fired from a headshot-capable weapon, will instantly kill an unshielded target. Due to the size of a target's head relative to the size of their body, however, headshots are relatively difficult to perform. They are typically performed with scoped weapons.

Damage

Headshots will instantly kill an unshielded opponent, but do not do any extra damage to shields. That is to say, a shielded opponent will take the same amount of damage no matter where they are shot.^[2] Shooting a shielded opponent in the head does exactly the same amount of damage as shooting them in the foot.

The reason that Sniper Rifle and Beam Rifle headshots can instantly kill a shielded opponent is because Sniper and Beam Rifles do more than enough damage to drain an opponent's shields; the "leftover" damage is inflicted on the newly-unshielded opponent's head, killing them. Indeed, any damage inflicted upon an unshielded head will kill the victim immediately, provided that the damage was inflicted by a headshot-capable weapon.

It should be noted that while any shot to the head could be (informally) called a "headshot", headshot-related awards (like medals) are only given if the headshot was a fatal shot. That is to say, a kill will only count as a headshot kill if the headshot was the killing shot.

For example, in Halo 3, 12 bullets from a Battle rifle do a total of 72 damage. A player has 70 shield points, so 11 2/3 bullets are used for the shield and the remaining 1/3 bullet does the fatal headshot.^[3]
A sniper round does ~80 damage, 70 of which is used for the shield and 10 of which go for the body, which means a kill in the case of a headshot.

Aiming

Scoring a headshot on a Spartan player model is relatively straightforward, as the head is clearly identifiable and almost always visible. Elites are somewhat more difficult to snipe; their heads are slightly larger, but their hunched postures lower their heads. The effect is that an Elite's head is sheltered by the Elite's own back. Despite this, however, a headshot from behind is possible, as a very small portion of an Elite's head is still visible. Furthermore, an Elite may be more easily headshot from the front, as their head is positioned closer to their center of mass.

Face painting is an effective technique when going for a headshot, as is the act of leading one's target. Watching the reticule on the HUD is also useful; in all Halo FPS games after Halo: Combat Evolved, a small red or white dot will appear at the center of the reticule when aiming at an enemy's head.

Headshot-capable weapons

Not all weapons in the Halo series are headshot-capable. It is entirely possible to shoot an opponent in the head with a headshot-incapable weapon, but the hit will not count as a headshot.

Trivia

It is actually possible to fire between the mandibles of an Elite and miss.Template:Fact This can happen but is rarely achieved.
In Halo 3's Campaign] or Matchmaking, players can unlock the Headshot Honcho Achievement by getting ten headshots with a Sniper Rifle.
Sometimes, in Halo: Combat Evolved, performing a headshot on a Marine with the Sniper Rifle may prompt another Marine to say, "Nice shot!". Headshot betrayals still count as betrayals, however; attempting this too many times will cause the Marines to turn against you..
The Sniper Rifle has a slight delay when shooting, so when face painting, always press the trigger just before their head.
In Halo 3's Campaign, headshots earn more points.

Gallery

16642026-Full.jpg

References

[1] shot (YouTube)

[2] YouTube: Halo 3: Shot Location Damage Experiment

[3] Bungie Weekly Update 02/08/08

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 {{Era|H1|H2|H3|H3R|}}
 {{quote|BOOM! HEADSHOT!!|Common Internet saying.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olm7xC-gBMY&feature=iv#t=18s boom headshot (YouTube)]</ref>}}
 [[Image:Sniping Headshot.jpg|thumb|A headshot made with a sniper rifle.]]
 [[Image:Halo_3_Picture_2.jpg|thumb|A close-up of a headshot in Halo 3. The weapon used was a Sniper Rifle. The remains of the crippled shielding and blood from the exit wound are clearly visible.]]
-A '''Headshot''' is a tactic used in both [[Campaign]] and [[Multiplayer]] to score instant kills. This occurs when a bullet or projectile is fired at an enemy's head, causing higher damage, which is logical. This is more effective than the bullet hitting the enemy's body. Since the head of a character only consists of a small percentage of their body area, it is very difficult to pull off many headshots unless the player has a good stationary and shielded position. Headshots are most commonly performed with semi-automatic weapons that have good accuracy, and a precision sight, such as a sniper or beam rifle.
+A '''headshot''' is a shot fired at an enemy's head. Headshots, when fired from a headshot-capable weapon, will instantly kill an unshielded target. Due to the size of a target's head relative to the size of their body, however, headshots are relatively difficult to perform. They are typically performed with scoped weapons.
 ==Damage==
-*Headshots do the same damage to shields as body shots.
+Headshots will instantly kill an unshielded opponent, but do not do any extra damage to shields. That is to say, a shielded opponent will take the same amount of damage no matter where they are shot.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p54yFedYHb4 '''YouTube:''' Halo 3: Shot Location Damage Experiment]</ref> Shooting a shielded opponent in the head does exactly the same amount of damage as shooting them in the foot.
-*Any damage to an unshielded head by a headshot weapon is an instant kill.
-*For example, in Halo 3, 12 bullets from a Battle rifle do a total of 72 damage. A player has 70 shield points, so 11 2/3 bullets are used for the shield and the remaining 1/3 bullet does the fatal headshot.<ref>http://www.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&cid=13233</ref>
+The reason that Sniper Rifle and Beam Rifle headshots can instantly kill a shielded opponent is because Sniper and Beam Rifles do more than enough damage to drain an opponent's shields; the "leftover" damage is inflicted on the newly-unshielded opponent's head, killing them. Indeed, any damage inflicted upon an unshielded head will kill the victim immediately, provided that the damage was inflicted by a headshot-capable weapon.
-*A sniper round does ~80 damage, 70 of which is used for the shield and 10 of which go for the body, which means a kill in the case of a headshot.
-==List of Headshot Weapons==
+It should be noted that while any shot to the head could be (informally) called a "headshot", headshot-related awards (like [[medals]]) are only given if the headshot was a fatal shot. That is to say, a kill will only count as a headshot kill if the headshot was the killing shot.
-With headshot power/effectiveness rating against shielded enemies, and flesh (1 to 10, 10 being the strongest)
-*[[Sniper Rifle]] headshot power/effectiveness against shielded enemy: 10 (pure power, one hit kill)
+*For example, in Halo 3, 12 bullets from a Battle rifle do a total of 72 damage. A player has 70 shield points, so 11 2/3 bullets are used for the shield and the remaining 1/3 bullet does the fatal headshot.<ref>{{Cite BWU|13233|02/08/08}}</ref>
-*[[M6D]] headshot power/effectiveness against shielded enemy: 10 (pure power + fast rate of fire)
+*A sniper round does ~80 damage, 70 of which is used for the shield and 10 of which go for the body, which means a kill in the case of a headshot.
-*[[M6G]] headshot power/effectiveness against shielded enemy: 9 (pure power)
-*[[M6C Magnum]] headshot power/effectiveness against shielded enemy: 8 (extremely fast rate of fire makes up for some of the power)
-*[[M6C/SOCOM]]
-*[[Beam Rifle]] headshot power/effectiveness against shielded enemies: 10 (pure power, one hit kill)
-*[[BR55HB SR Battle Rifle]] headshot power/effectiveness against shielded enemies: 8 (power)
-*[[Covenant Carbine]] headshot power/effectiveness against shielded enemies: 8 (fast rate of fire makes up for some of the power)
-*[[BR55 Battle Rifle]] headshot power/effectiveness against shielded enemies: 9 (power)
-Headshots require a great amount of accuracy, so using weapons that do not aim well (such as the [[Assault Rifle]]) is largely ineffective.
+== Aiming ==
+Scoring a headshot on a [[Spartan]] player model is relatively straightforward, as the head is clearly identifiable and almost always visible. [[Elites]] are somewhat more difficult to snipe; their heads are slightly larger, but their hunched postures lower their heads. The effect is that an Elite's head is sheltered by the Elite's own back. Despite this, however, a headshot from behind is ''possible'', as a very small portion of an Elite's head is still visible. Furthermore, an Elite may be more easily headshot from the front, as their head is positioned closer to their center of mass.
-Headshots are most commonly executed by more skilled players than the average rookie, due to the high level of skill involved in shooting someone in the head while running as opposed to a killing shot to the chest such as the [[Rocket Launcher]] would provide.
+[[Face painting]] is an effective technique when going for a headshot, as is the act of leading one's target. Watching the [[reticule]] on the [[HUD]] is also useful; in all ''Halo'' [[First-person shooter|FPS]] games after ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'', a small red or white dot will appear at the center of the reticule when aiming at an enemy's head.
-Note that the [[Assault Rifle]] and the [[SMG]] don't provide any increased damage for headshots, along with many other fully automatic weapons, such as the [[Plasma Rifle]].
+== Headshot-capable weapons ==
+Not all weapons in the ''Halo'' series are headshot-capable. It is entirely possible to shoot an opponent in the head with a headshot-''in''capable weapon, but the hit will not count as a headshot.
-With the exception of [[Halo: Combat Evolved]], when the crosshairs of a headshot weapon are over an enemy's head, they turn bright red and a small red dot appears in the middle of the crosshairs meaning you are pointing at the head.
+*[[Sniper Rifle]]
+*[[M6D]]
+*[[M6G]]
+*[[M6C Magnum]]
+*[[M6C/SOCOM]]
+*[[Beam Rifle]]
+*[[BR55HB SR Battle Rifle]]
+*[[Covenant Carbine]]
+*[[BR55 Battle Rifle]]
-==Trivia==
+== Trivia ==
-*Some people use the [[Elite]] [[Ascetic]] player model in high and blatant hopes that the lowered head stays all headshots from behind, mainly utilized on a [[Team SWAT]] game, but in truth and reality, there is still a small part of head exposed from the Elite's posterior and backside. It is simply harder to get a headshot from behind on an Elite. Also, there is a small spot in the back between the 'shoulder blades' of the model that will sometimes produce an actual headshot. It is also far easier to get a head shot on an Elite from the front, as their head is in the "center of their mass".
+*It is actually possible to fire between the [[mandibles]] of an [[Elite]] and miss.{{fact}} This can happen but is rarely achieved.
-*It is actually possible to fire between the mandibles of an [[Elite]] and miss. This can happen but is rarely achieved.
+*In ''Halo 3''<nowiki/>'s [[Campaign]]] or [[Matchmaking]], players can unlock the [[Headshot Honcho]] [[Achievement]] by getting ten headshots with a Sniper Rifle.
-*In ''Halo 3'' campaign or Matchmaking, if you get 10 sniper headshots in one level you'll unlock the Achievement [[Headshot Honcho]].
+*Sometimes, in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', performing a headshot on a [[Marine]] with the Sniper Rifle may prompt another Marine to say, "Nice shot!". Headshot [[betrayal]]s still count as betrayals, however; attempting this too many times will cause the Marines to turn against you..
-*In ''Halo 3'' Matchmaking headshots can be somewhat glitchy especially if you are shooting with the sniper in close range, sometimes you don't have to hit the head (or hit the enemy at all) for a headshot.
+*The Sniper Rifle has a slight delay when shooting, so when face painting, always press the trigger just before their head. <!-- which game? -->
-*Sometimes, in ''Halo: CE'', if you perform a headshot on a marine with the Sniper Rifle, the other marines will say, "Nice shot!", but they will still turn against you if you kill too many.
+*In ''Halo 3''<nowiki/>'s Campaign, headshots earn more [[Campaign Scoring|points]].
-*The sniper rifle has a slight delay when shooting, so if you are swiping the screen always press the trigger just before their head.
-*Getting a headshot kill gives you more metagame score than a regular kill.
-==Gallery==
+== Gallery ==
 <gallery>
 Image:16642026-Full.jpg
 </gallery>
-==References==
+== References ==
 <references/>
 [[Category:Tricks and Cheats]]
 [[Category:Terms and Phrases]]
 [[Category:Multiplayer Lexicon]]