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- "Hey, soldier, is that an assault rifle in your hands or are you just happy to see me?"
- — Janissary James[1]
The MA5B Individual Combat Weapon System (MA5B ICWS or MA5B Assault Rifle) was a standard-issue service rifle of the United Nations Space Command. It is a fully-automatic infantry rifle that uses a bullpup configuration. The MA5B was widely used from in the early to mid-2500's and supplemented various other small arms, such as the BR55 Battle Rifle. In 2552, this rifle was replaced by a more accurate variant of the MA5 family, that saw action during the final battles of the Human-Covenant War.
Design Details
The MA5B Assault Rifle is a bullpup (magazine behind trigger) fully-automatic rifle. Its magazine can completely fit inside the weapon; therefore, it must be double, triple, or even quadruple-stacked to carry 60 rounds of 7.62mm.
The weapon houses a compass-like ring and a display that shows the remaining number of rounds in the current magazine. It was used by Marines in Halo: Combat Evolved. Even though its use didn't continue in Halo 2, the weapon remained in solid infantry use in the background of the Halo Universe until the introduction of the MA5C. This rifle was the basic and most widely used rifle by the UNSC forces until the introduction of the newer, and more accurate MA5C Rifle.
Ammunition
The MA5B Assault Rifle uses M118 7.62x51mm Armor Piercing, Full Metal Jacket Rounds. These rounds are designed to pierce human-made armor and unfortunately, perform poorly against the superior technology of Covenant energy shielding. The rounds are reasonably large, and are surrounded by a molded jacket of either steel or titanium, which enhances its armor-piercing capabilities. The round might also have a carbide or similar hardened tip, and might also be coated in copper or another metal over the steel, titanium, etc. shell.
However, despite these advanced rounds, the damage done by them is very limited, made even more so by the Assault Rifle's low accuracy at long ranges. Although performing poorly against Covenant shields, the AP-FMJ round can easily penetrate the lightly armored Grunts and Jackals and finish unshielded Elites very quickly. The AP-FMJ round is especially effective against all manners of Flood, an advantage against these unarmored enemies. This is somewhat paradoxical, since the AP FMJ round is traditionally less effective against flesh and unarmored targets due to its tendency to overpenetrate.
Accuracy
The most pressing negative aspect of the MA5B is its inconsistent accuracy. Firing the weapon in short bursts will allow much higher accuracy, as opposed to holding down the trigger. One round fired may produce a perfect bulls-eye (then again, it may not), but the next may fly out of the targeting reticule circle and slam into the dirt a dozen meters from the same target.
This has lead to the belief that the rifle is very incapable of hitting targets greater than close-range, but this is untrue. If one is to fire bursts at an enemy at even surprisingly long-ranges, one can effectively wound or kill that foe by firing in single shots or bursts.
Unfortunately, this lack of consistent accuracy has tarnished the image of the rifle, and the problem has kept the MA5B out of the hands of those who prefer less spontaneous weapons. Below are several instances that better describe the niche the MA5B plays on the battlefield, as well as describe situations when another weapon would be preferable. It also seems that if you strafe back and forth, the accuracy drops a bit more, which means that when used against Hunters, you're less likely to hit your mark when he uses his armor shield.
In the novels, the MA5B tends to be far more reliable, even accurate, in comparison to its game counterpart. SPARTAN-II's demonstrated the lethality of the weapon system throughout their campaign against the Covenant, often times hitting the mark with more accurate bursts of fire over full-auto - a trait that carries over to the game.
Advantages
The MA5B is a very solid and reliable weapon. When fired in short bursts, or even single shots, there is a significant increase in accuracy, although at medium to long range it becomes quite inaccurate. The assault rifle is effective at killing all types of opponents(especially when they are in larger groups) at short-to-medium range This includes Covenant Grunts, Jackals, Elites, and all varieties of Flood. The high rate of fire also disrupts the Camouflage on Stealth Elites and makes it very easy to center on them for a quick finish. Also, if needed, the high rate of fire and the high ammunition capacity allows players to spray the whole area with suppression fire. The rifle also has one of the fastest melee attacks in the Halo game, second only to the plasma pistol. It is also capable of taking down Banshees using less than one magazine.
As an added bonus, the gun gives the player an at-a-glance ammo count on its digital readout, as well a compass pointing toward the gas giant Threshold which serves as an arbitrary "north" due to the lack of a magnetic north or south. In the hands of someone who can control their trigger finger, the MA5B becomes a deadly weapon. It is extremely useful for bringing down huge numbers of Infection Forms, because the Shotgun is "wasted" and will quickly run out of ammunition if used as such. The MA5B is a good all around weapon in a tight situation.
At point blank range in standard multiplayer or Campaign mode, the MA5B is without equal, even capable of taking down a shotgun user. When used on maps such as Battle Creek in relative close quarters it is probably even preferable to Shotguns. When used on full automatic with a reasonable amount of timing, it is an excellent method of taking down Elites, even on Legendary.
This weapon is recommended to use against the Flood, in combination with the Shotgun for the utmost success. Its final advantage is that its ammunition is quite plentiful, single player and multiplayer, which means you'll rarely have to scrounge for an extra magazine during a fight.
Disadvantages
The Assault Rifle has one main disadvantage. It is grossly inaccurate when fired at a range of more than 40 meters. At that range, enemies may not be hit by any bullets at all, or they will be hit by a few bullets and a single shot out of the Assault Rifle isn't very powerful even when firing it in full automatic (only taking up 10 points of damage, unless the target in question is an Elite, in which case the MA5B only does seven damage when the Elite is shielded). The Assault Rifle performs poorly against shields unless firing on full automatic at close ranges without giving Elites time to recharge. The assault rifle is almost useless against Major Elites and using it against Zealots with energy swords is almost suicide, because of their speed and stronger energy shields. Later in the game, it is almost completely overshadowed by the Shotgun, especially when dealing with hordes of the Flood but is recommended in combination with the Shotgun; though in Multiplayer this is less apparent, as the amount of ammo available for the Shotgun is much less than for the Assault Rifle. In comparison to modern assault rifles it can be more related to an over sized sub machine gun, as it is seriously underpowered and lacks the ability to select a fire mode (burst, semi-automatic, etc). Also when firing in full auto, you can run out of ammo fairly quickly with a 60 round magazine.
Tactics
Campaign Tactics
- The Assault Rifle has one of the fastest melee speeds in Halo:Combat Evolved.
- Another way is to charge forward while firing in controlled bursts, then when in close range, break out into full auto, followed by a melee or two. This is a tried and true tactic for taking down shielded Elites.
- Another tactic for medium range AR combat is to "rapid-pulse" the trigger; in other words, rapidly press your finger down on the trigger. This will result in rapid, accurate, controlled bursts. This is very useful in the early levels of the game. However, this is impaired by the fact that the MA5B has a somewhat high minimum accuracy, however all projectiles will hit within the reticule with this tactic.
- Combined with grenades, the AR decimates enemy ranks. Charge forward and toss some fragmentation grenades to clear out the weaker enemies and soften up the stronger ones, then before the dust clears, hose down anything that's still moving.
- If you can't find a Shotgun on a Flood-infested level, don't panic. The Assault Rifle will do as a half-decent secondary weapon. When the Flood get too close, just hold down the trigger and watch them wilt under the large volume of bullets. However, do not just stand there shooting, back-pedal into a previously secured area as the Flood can be overwhelming in waves, (especially so in the Library level on Halo:CE, without a shotgun on Legendary), or get your back up against a wall so they can only attack you from the front. However, lots if not infinite flood will spawn is each area of The Library, so back-pedaling may not be a good tactic.
- Use melee on infection forms to save ammo - though if your shields are at max, don't even worry about them. Unless there's an entire swarm of them, they will simply burst on your shields, doing no substantial damage.
- On Normal, it takes about eight shots to kill a shielded Elite, so a good tactic is to pump four or five head-shots using the M6D pistol to an Elite at mid range, then charge forward while firing your Assault Rifle in controlled bursts (Unless in very close quarters combat) to finish the weakened shield and the unprotected Elite. (However, it may take longer if you are just using an M6D.)
- When you fight a large number of Grunts of any kind, hold down the firing trigger to send a full-auto landslide of bullets, and if the group consists of more than half a dozen, side-to-side sweeping motions will result in every target receiving fire. Since they are unshielded and that they will flinch when hit by anything, the bullets will kill them quickly. This is one of the most convenient ways to kill a medium-sized group of Grunts.
- In Halo CE, this weapon along with a Shotgun, Pistol or Rocket Launcher, are the best weapons to dispose of the Flood.
- Using controlled bursts, you can increase the accuracy and take down shielded elites with about 25 bullets on Heroic or Legendary.
- When engaging a lone Elite, simply fire in short burst to break its shield then advance towards it and finish it off with a melee, as the Elite will repeatedly flinch making the target easier to kill this is usually done on Elite Minors on Easy or Normal mode in close quarters or open plane.
Multiplayer Role
The MA5B Assault Rifle is one of the weapons which players will love and loathe in equal measures. The Rifle's rate of fire makes it a devastatingly powerful weapon in medium range combats, and it's melee attack usually ensures victory over close quarter battles. The only disadvantage is it's reloading time, takes about 1.5 seconds, which gives your opponent enough time to put you down with a hail of plasma bolts. In a skilled player's hand, the Assault Rifle can easily put down 2-4 opponents per magazine. It is good for protecting the flag when playing CTF.
Advanced and Multiplayer Tactics
However there are a couple of things you can do to make the most of this weapon, when no other close range weapon is around.
- The MA5B's accuracy degrades after exactly 1.5 seconds of sustained fire. In order to use this weapon to its fullest, you must learn the most efficient bursts to use at different ranges.
- When used with effective grenades, the AR can hold its own. Backpedal and use any grenade you have handy, and let the weapon take care of your enemy after his shields are down. This should work unless the enemy has a more powerful weapon.
- In Halo PC, you have to lead your target, just like all of the other weapons. In the Xbox, this isn't a problem.
- Bunny Hop with the AR. It's your best defense against anything but a sniper.
- If your enemy is using a Banshee in multiplayer, or if you find a Banshee in Campaign, this weapon is a good choice. Just point it in the direction of the Banshee and fire (Full auto at close range where the pilot had intended to flatten you and missed, controlled shots at mid-range).
- It is also quite effective against Warthogs, move perpendicular to the Hog and fire on full automatic to quickly bring the driver down, couple this with a correctly timed grenade or two.
- If in multiplayer in Halo: Combat Evolved pick up a Plasma Rifle or Plasma Pistol to deplete shields of an enemy and then use the Assault Rifle to destroy their health in seconds.
- It is also effective at disrupting your enemy's vision; its sustained fire will cause many flashes on an enemy's screen enabling for a more effective retreat.
Variants
There are many different models and types of MA Assault Rifles. Here is a list of confirmed models:
Appearances and Roles in Novels
In the novels, it is often noted that it is very easy to modify and change the weapon's configuration. It was also stated that only suppressors are noted but scopes, grenade launchers and other optional pieces of equipment could be used. Additionally, the SPARTANS often used Shredder Rounds (mainly it is used against unarmored opponents such as Grunts and Jackals) which are similar to jacketed hollow point rounds of modern guns which splinter on impact for maximum flesh damage.
Also of note is the fact that the weapon is much more accurate and effective in the novels (in the Halo Graphic Novel, Staff Sergeant Johnson takes care of a Flood Combat Form with a few rounds), though it can be reasoned that the novels are more "realistic" (i.e. weapons on both sides do considerably more damage than in the game).
Trivia
- The Assault Rifle is the second gun you receive in the Halo Trilogy, getting the gun right before the mess hall.
- One inspiration for the MA5B Assault Rifle was the "MA–75B Assault Rifle (with integral 40mm Grenade Launcher)" from the Marathon series. In fact, before Bungie re-engineered the game for the Xbox, it was fitted with a grenade launcher.Template:Fact
- Robert McLees at Bungie has gone on record comparing the basic design of the MA5B to that of the Fabrique-Nationale, FN F2000. According to the Art of Halo book, McLees didn't know of the F2000 until after the game was even finished;"I don't know when the images of the FN F2000 appeared, but I didn't see them until three or four months after the game shipped, and I thought 'Oh great,. Now everyone's going to think I swiped the design from Fabrique National.' It was surreal to see how close the Halo assault rifle was to its real-life counterpart... and it was all totally by accident."
- The MA5B doesn't even function as an automatic rifle. One example being the M249 SAW, with a ROF of approximately 900 to 1,000 RPM depending on the model, while retaining almost as much accuracy as an M16A4, and just as accurate when used for single shots.
- There is a second melee animation for the assault rifle, where the user holds the weapon vertically and clubs anyone in front of them with the back end of the weapon. This animation is used in a few Halo Custom Edition maps, but was taken out of the official game.
- In Halo:Combat Evolved, the compass on the Assault Rifle points "north" to Threshold, seen in the sky. However, this is ironic, as the compass would've been obsolete anywhere too far from Threshold. However, it is likely that the MA5Bs' computer systems have been tweaked by the crew, knowing that the Pillar of Autumn was maneuvering near Threshold, as it is a UNSC-charted planet.
- In the Halo Graphic Novel,there are many Special Operations Grunts seen wielding an Assault Rifle, including a Elite; however, the Covenant never use human weapons.
- In Halo:Combat Evolved, the MA5B's ammo counter in the left hand corner has a 20x3 bullet box. However, even though it has twenty per row, twenty-one will be found on a full, single, row.
- The MA5B Assault Rifle closely resembles the M41A Pulse Rifle from Aliens; yet another reference to the Alien franchise in Halo.
- The MA5B Assault Rifle closely resembles the M-590 from the the 1995-1996 show SPACE: Above and Beyond, which also fires the 7.62x51mm NATO round
- BrickArms, a company that manufactures custom Lego Mini-Figure Accessories offers an Assault Rifle accessory for Lego fans who are interested in the Halo Universe.[2]
- The MA5B and MA5C Assault Rifles are known as Master Chief's signature weapons.