| Sniper Rifle | |
|---|---|
| |
| Gameplay role | |
|
Faction: |
|
|
Firing mode: |
Semi-automatic |
|
Effective range: |
Long to medium |
|
Counterparts: |
|
| Weapon stats | |
|
Damage: |
High |
|
Kinetic | |
|
Projectile speed: |
Very high, near instantaneous |
|
Rate of fire: |
Low |
|
Magazine size: |
4 bullets |
| Variants and attachments | |
|
Halo 5 REQ variant(s): |
|
The Sniper Rifle, sometimes shortened to just Sniper or Snipes, is a human precision power weapon featured in all major Halo games, starting with Halo: Combat Evolved. It is a long-range weapon which typically has two levels of scope, and is best used to pick off enemies at a great distance. The Sniper deals a large amount of damage per shot, but has a slow rate of fire and usually only carries four shots per magazine.
Universe and lore
- Main article: Sniper rifle (fiction)
Most of the sniper rifles seen in the Halo games are part of the SRS99 family, a series of rifles produced by Misriah Armory for the United Nations Space Command armed forces. The original SRS99 AM rifle entered service in 2460 with the UNSC Army, and the SRS99 series was eventually adopted by all remaining branches in 2521, thanks to its impressive modularity and continuing support on behalf of Misriah.[1] Having gone through at least three further revisions since its initial adoption, the series remains in service as of 2558, with the Series-5 model being in mass production at that time.[2]
Another prominent sniper rifle is the M99 Stanchion, a now-defunct weapon that has been out of production since 2521.[3] The Stanchion bears more resemblance to a coilgun or railgun than a traditional chemical propellant-based firearm, using electromagnetism to launch its projectiles.[4] It was used by the crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire during the Second Ark Conflict, along with another sniper rifle known as the signature-suppressed anti-materiel rifle.[5][6] Additionally, an Insurrectionist group active on Harvest and Arcadia was known to equip its soldiers with an as-of-yet unidentified sniper rifle.[7]
The following is a list of all sniper rifles in Halo lore that have appeared in the games:
M99 Stanchion
Halo Wars 2
Overview
General info here
Unlock and acquisition requirements
In the majority of Halo games, the Sniper Rifle does not need to be unlocked, and is simply acquired by finding it on the map, or, in the case of some game modes or campaign missions, spawning with it. However, there are three notable exceptions:
Halo 5: Guardians
In Halo 5: Guardians' campaign and Arena multiplayer modes, the Sniper Rifle can be found on the level or map as usual, and does not need to be unlocked.[8][9]
However, in Warzone, the weapon can only be acquired via the REQ system. To unlock the Sniper Rifle, the player must acquire a Sniper Rifle certification, an Uncommon REQ card that can be found randomly in all types of REQ packs. Upon receiving the certification, the player will also be given a number of Sniper Rifle REQ cards, and will begin to randomly receive more when opening future packs. Each of these cards can be redeemed in a Warzone match to spawn a Sniper Rifle, at the cost of 
energy. Doing so will consume the card. Alternatively, the cards can be sold for 
75 each.[10][11]
Sniper Rifle certification REQ card.
Sniper Rifle REQ card.
Halo: Spartan Assault and Spartan Strike
... Loadout stuff ...
Variants
There are three variants of the Sniper Rifle, all of which are REQ variants from Halo 5: Guardians.
End of the Line
- Main article: End of the Line
- "All good things must come to and end. Improved Sniper Rifle with reduced recoil, but emphasis on faster rate-of-fire has slightly reduced damage"
- — REQ description[12]
End of the Line is a Rare REQ variant of the Sniper Rifle, featured in Halo 5: Guardians]]. It boasts a faster rate of fire and significantly reduced recoil, but deals slightly less damage per shot - though it is still capable of killing an enemy player in two body shots or one headshot. Should the player have an End of the Line REQ card, the weapon can be acquired in Warzone via the REQ system for a cost of energy, or alternatively the card can be sold for 100.[12]
Arrow of Time
- Main article: Arrow of Time
- "There's no going back. Advanced Sniper Rifle with extended magazine and heavy-duty cyberlink that prevents descope. Unfortunately, the weapon does have extra recoil to compensate for."
- — REQ description[13]
Arrow of Time is an Ultra-Rare REQ variant of the Sniper Rifle in Halo 5: Guardians. It features a larger magazine than the standard Sniper, with 6 shots instead of 4, and the player will not be descoped when shot whilst zoomed in with the weapon. However, it also has increased recoil compared to the normal Sniper Rifle. Its REQ card costs 
energy to use in-game, or can be sold for 150.[13]
Nornfang
- Main article: Nornfang
- "A master-crafter instrument of death and destruction. Mythic Sniper Rifle firing high explosive armor piercing (APHE) rounds that increases overall damage. In addition, Linda's modifications ensure the Motion Tracker is visible even when using Zoom."
- — REQ description[14]
Nornfang is a Mythic REQ variant of the Sniper Rifle in Halo 5: Guardians, and is the personal sniper rifle of the SPARTAN-II Linda-058. The weapon fires rounds that explode on impact, dealing damage to any nearby enemies, and instantly killing them if hit directly. Additionally, when scoped in, the motion sensor will not be hidden while using Nornfang. To balance this out, the player gains the Damage Boost visual effect when they equip the weapon, making them very easy to spot. Nornfang can be requisitioned in Warzone for energy, provided the player has a spare Nornfang REQ card, or alternatively the card can be sold for 200.[14]
Nornfang also appears in Halo 5: Guardians' campaign. It can be found abandoned in the troop bay of the ONI Acrisius on the level Unconfirmed, and on the Blue Team missions in co-op, the player playing as Linda-058 will spawn with the weapon at the start of the level (but not upon respawning). However, in campaign, the weapon is significantly less powerful, retaining none of its bonus abilities from the multiplayer.[8]
Counterparts
The most prominent counterpart to the Sniper Rifle is the Covenant's Beam Rifle, a long-range weapon with two levels of zoom, which is similar in operation to the Sniper Rifle. The Beam Rifle was first introduced in Halo 2, but has reappeared in several games since. It fires a beam of light with a practically instant travel time, which behaves similarly to a Sniper Rifle bullet; a hit to the body will remove an opponent's shields, whereas a headshot will instantly kill them. Unlike the Sniper, however, the Beam Rifle uses a battery system for its ammo, typically with ten shots in total, and the weapon cannot be reloaded. In most games, the weapon will overheat after two or three shots in rapid succession.
Another Covenant counterpart to the Sniper Rifle is the Focus Rifle, first introduced in Halo: Reach. Unlike the Sniper Rifle and Beam Rifle, the Focus Rifle fires a continuous beam which deals heavy damage to enemy units, but will overheat if fired continuously for too long. However, the Focus Rifle takes longer to kill enemies than the Sniper Rifle does, and the brightly colored beam will expose the location of the player. Like the Beam Rifle, the Focus Rifle uses a battery ammo system, and cannot be reloaded. It also has two zoom levels, similar to the Sniper and Beam Rifle.
The Forerunner counterpart to the Sniper Rifle is known as the Binary Rifle. This rifle operates using a similar ammunition system as the Sniper Rifle, albeit with two shots per magazine rather than four. It features two levels of zoom, just as the Sniper does, however with one major difference: whilst zoomed, a distinct red targeting laser will shine out from the barrel - even before the weapon is fired - which will alert enemies to the fact they're being targeted, and will also highlight the user's location. The projectile fired by the Binary Rifle varies by game. In Halo 4, it fires a bolt of light that travels instantaneously and will always immediately kill an enemy player regardless of where it hits them. In Halo 5: Guardians, it fires a continuous beam for a brief period of time, which deals very heavy damage and can easily kill an enemy player if held on them for long enough - though the strong recoil can make this difficult.
Gameplay
Gameplay info here
First-person shooters
- Main article: First-person shooter
FPS info here
| CE | H2 | H3 | ODST | Reach | H4 | H2A | H5G | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
MP | |||||||
| Weapon type | Power | Power | Power | Power | Power | Power | Power | Power |
| Damage type | Kinetic | Kinetic | Kinetic | Kinetic | Kinetic | Kinetic | Kinetic | Kinetic |
| Firing mode | Semi-auto | Semi-auto | Semi-auto | Semi-auto | Semi-auto | Semi-auto | Semi-auto | Semi-auto |
| Precision weapon | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Zoom levels | 2x, 10x | 5x, 10x | 5x, 10x | 5x, 10x | 5x, 10x | ?, ? | 5x, 10x | 4x, 9x |
| Shots per trigger pull | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Magazine/clip size | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Reserve ammo (reserve mags) | 24 (6) | 20 (5) | 20 (5) | 20 (5) | 20 (5) | 24 (6) | 16 (4) | 16 (4) |
| Headshots to kill | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Shots to kill | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Headshots to break shields | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Shots to break shields | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Red reticle range (Hip fire) | 0m | 0m | 15.94m | 15.94m | 22.89m | 38.5m | 0m | 38.0m |
| Red reticle range (Zoom level 1) | 106.6m | - | 63.21m | 63.21m | 91.45m | 152.7m | 122.0m | 152.4m |
| Red reticle range (Zoom level 2) | 426.6m | - | 141.87m | 141.87m | 228.51m | 343.1m | 274.4m | 342.9m |
Twin-stick shooters
- Main article: Twin-stick shooter
Twin-stick info here (Spartan Assault, Spartan Strike, etc)
| Spartan Assault | Spartan Strike | |
|---|---|---|
| Weapon type | Power | Power |
| Damage type | Kinetic | Kinetic |
| Firing mode | Semi-auto | Semi-auto |
| Precision weapon | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shots per trigger pull | 1 | 1 |
| Magazine/clip size | ∞ | ∞ |
| Reserve ammo (reserve mags) | - | - |
Real-time strategy games
- Main article: Real-time strategy
Wars info here
Evolution
Changes from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo PC
- Maximum telescopic zoom reduced from 10× to 8×.
Changes from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo 2
- Minor cosmetic changes and shorter overall length.
- Decreased the maximum reserve ammunition capacity down from 28 to 24.
- Medium telescopic zoom increased from 2× to 5×.
- Night vision function has been removed.
Changes from Halo 2 to Halo 3 and ODST
- Overall higher damage and slower fire rate.
- New muzzle brake with front iron sight.
- Handguard, body, and stock has been altered.
- The scope now shows real-time with an LCD screen and infrared vision.
- It now has a trigger guard.
- The Sniper Rifle now has a new flat matte black color finish to it.
- Recoil now affects accuracy.
Changes from Halo 3 and ODST to Halo: Reach
- Increased damage against vehicles, destroying them with four to six rounds.
- Has a thumbhole stock rather than a pistol grip.
- Updated colors.
- Scope is smaller.
- Can neutralize a Scorpion tank in two shots, one to destroy the canopy, and a headshot to kill the now-exposed driver.
Changes from Halo: Reach to Halo 4
- Spare ammunition reduced from 20 rounds to 16 (without ammo).
- Reticle bloom reduced marginally.
- Reloads slightly slower.
Changes from Halo 4 to Halo 5: Guardians
- Zoom reduced to 4× and 9×.
- While scoped in, the weapon's scope will glimmer bright white, giving away the user's position.
- Noticeably higher bullet magnetism, increasing ease of use.
- Anti-vehicle properties reduced.
Medals
The following medals are exclusive to the Sniper Rifle and its alien counterparts. The Sniper Rifle does also inherit some other precision weapon and power weapon medals, but these are not listed here.
Sniper Kill
- Main article: Sniper Kill
The Sniper Kill medal features in Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo: Reach, Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians. It is awarded in Halo 3 and Reach for killing an enemy with a Sniper Rifle headshot, but will be granted for any Sniper Rifle kill (headshot or otherwise) in Halo 2, Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians. In Halo 2 and Halo 3, this medal will also be granted for Beam Rifle kills.
Sniper Headshot
- Main article: Sniper Headshot
Snipunch
- Main article: Snipunch
Hat Trick
- Main article: Hat Trick
Snapshot
- Main article: Snapshot
Snapshot is a medal awarded in Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians for killing an enemy with the Sniper Rifle, Beam Rifle or Binary Rifle while not zoomed in. This is commonly known as no-scoping.
Airborne Snapshot!
- Main article: Airborne Snapshot!
Snipeltaneous!
- Main article: Snipeltaneous!
Achievements
Discussion of achievements related to the weapon.
Production notes
Usual production notes section
Trivia
- Trivia here
Gallery
- Main article: User:Dab1001/PitchSniper Rifle image gallery
Concept art
Concept art of the rebel sniper unit and their sniper rifle, from Halo Wars.
Concept art of the Sniper Rifle as it appears in Halo: Reach.
Concept art of the Sniper Rifle's scope in Halo 4.
Renders
The Sniper Rifle, as it appears in Halo: Combat Evolved.
Halo 2's version of the Sniper Rifle.
The Sniper Rifle's appearance in Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST.
A render of the Sniper Rifle from Halo Wars.
The Sniper Rifle as it appears in Halo: Reach.
A render of the Sniper Rifle in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.
An image of the Halo 4 Sniper Rifle.
Halo 2: Anniversary's Sniper Rifle.
The Sniper Rifle in Halo 5: Guardians.
Screenshots
A player holding the Sniper Rifle on Blood Gulch.
The Sniper Rifle's night vision mode in Halo: CE.
Master Chief holding a Sniper Rifle in a Halo 2 promotional image.
Zooming in with the Sniper Rifle in Halo 2.
A first-person view of the Sniper Rifle, on Guardian in Halo 3.
Zooming in with the Sniper in Halo 3.
Halo Wars' rebel sniper unit, equipped with a pair of Sniper Rifles.
A player with a Sniper Rifle, on Lost Platoon in Halo 3: ODST's Firefight.
Zooming in with the Sniper Rifle in Halo 3: ODST.
A player holding a Sniper Rifle in the Halo: Reach campaign mission Nightfall.
The Sniper Rifle in first person in the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta.
Holding the Sniper Rifle in first person, in Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.
Zooming in with the Halo: CEA Sniper Rifle.
Two players with Sniper Rifles on Ragnarok, in Halo 4.
A player with a Sniper Rifle in a Halo 4 match of Capture the Flag on Exile.
The Sniper Rifle in first person in Halo 4's campaign.
A first person view of the Sniper Rifle in Halo 2: Anniversary campaign.
A first person view of the Sniper Rifle in its multiplayer.
A player with the Sniper on Lockdown.
A player crouching with the Sniper Rifle on Shrine.
Holding the Sniper Rifle in Halo 5: Guardians.
The Sniper's scope in Halo 5.
A first-person view of the Sniper Rifle in Halo Online.
A sniper unit in Halo Wars 2, equipped with a Sniper Rifle.
A close-up of the Halo Wars 2 Sniper.
List of appearances
Sources
- ^ Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 179: Sniper Rifle
- ^ Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, page 66: Sniper Rifle
- ^ Halo Graphic Novel, page 122
- ^ Halo Waypoint - Universe, Railgun
- ^ Halo Waypoint - Canon Fodder, The Art of War(s)
- ^ Halo Wars 2, campaign
- ^ Halo Wars, multiplayer
- ^ a b Halo 5: Guardians, campaign
- ^ Halo 5: Guardians, multiplayer
- ^ Halo 5: Guardians, requisition system
- ^ Halo 5: Guardians, REQ card: Sniper Rifle
- ^ a b Halo 5: Guardians, REQ card: End of the Line
- ^ a b Halo 5: Guardians, REQ card: Arrow of Time
- ^ a b Halo 5: Guardians, REQ card: Nornfang
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