Halo 2 Multiplayer Guide

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The Basics

DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT BEING TECHNICAL. THIS IS AN INPRECISE LOOK ON H2 ONLINE MULTIPLAYER.

An excellent way to familiarize yourself with this game is to play the single player campaign on Legendary for a few levels before heading to Ranked Play. This way, you will be sure to not only be familiar with the basic mechanics of the game, but hopefully have learned on your own (Experience is the best Professor) tactics and strategies and little tricks and ploys that you can pull on your other Human Opponents in Online Play.
This is not enough training, however. So I recommend that you play Rumble Pit (Free-For-All DeathMatch) before you enter Objective-based combat. So, for the sake of completeness, I'll go ahead and outline some basic concepts in the game and name my own experiences with them. Hopefully, you'll gain some insight from me that you couldn't gain on your own.

I won't get into control features since you've probably gotten one you like already. Try them all out. I prefer the Boxer configuration instead of the Default setting.

Game mechanics: Things you should really already know

Movement. First, you do run faster forward than you do backward, but not by much. Your ability to jump depends on your running speed. Pressing the crouch button at the peak of your jump will not only gain you often-needed height to make an efficient run to 'Point B', but also adds a tiny bit of distance to your jump that could mean surviving to get an Assassination Medal, or wondering why Spartan armor isn't parachute-equipped. If you don't know who "Mr Jukes" is, then check out his very educational and mind-expanding website at: <a href='http://www.jukesbox.com/' target='_blank'>http://www.jukesbox.com/</a>

Aiming. Low sensitivity may be more comfortable, but it's really not applicable to every combat situation you may enter. If you ever plan on breaking out of the shell of the Average Soldier, then get used to higher sensitivities. I'll explain. In close-quarters combat, you'll often have to be able to check your surroundings quickly in addition to focusing on one point. So, being able to glance around while paying attention to one place before moving on increases your security. Also, if you're retreating in close-quarters, being able to glance down, toss a Frag grenade and look back up at your opponent to continue shooting is a perk. The downside to high-sens looking/aiming is the difficulty involved with it. It makes sniping harder since you have to tap or barely lean on the thumbstick, but the benefits of High-sens outweight low-sens in my opinion.

Motion Tracking. This exists to compensate for your low Field of Vision. It is hardly useful at first glance since its effective sensor range seems to stretch out about 10 meters in all directions at most, but it is essential that you pay it attention in addition to looking around since its effective range is, again, VERY LOW. Yellow blips indicate empty/friendly vehicles or people. Red blips are enemies, obviously. Any blip that shows a soft white flash inaddition to red or yellow indicates that that Moving Target is above or below you, or is changing altitudes. Sometimes this is not the case since some areas are multi-levelled, but are so close to eachother that the blip will read as being on your level.

Shields and Health. Your primary defense, the thing that keeps you alive and well. When you are shot, you will take shield damage. When your shield is depleted, you generally want to exit a combat zone and allow them to recharge. If you are shot too many times while your shield is down, you will die. Welcome to the respawn queue. It takes about 4-6 seconds for your shields to begin recharging, so that's how much time between shots your enemy has to keep your shields from recovering. You don't have to constantly inflict damage to kill someone, but you DO have to be consistent. Any time you take damage will restart the recharge timer. Try to have alternate routes planned or make sure you can afford to have your shields drop.

Map Familiarity. Memorize the maps. Explore them on your own. Figure out where the weapons are and as you play, you'll eventually learn where traffic bottlenecks are, shortcuts and even how to influence your opponents to your advantage. Weapon locations are easily-learned and while not the most-important, always knowing so that you can effectively formulate strategy on-the-run is always important. The game can't be won with skill and SMGs alone, especially in big team battle.


Weapons

Ok, I guess I covered the absolute basics. Let's move on to weapons.

The most important weapon in your arsenal would have to be your grenades. Why? Well, they turn the tide of many situations when used correctly and can save your life many a time, even in the face of overwhelming adversity. Of course, it all depends on who you fight since no two humans do the same thing. There are rhythms to be aware of though, but I'll talk about that later.

Frag Grenades: They explode just a second or two after the bounce off of a structure (wall, vehicle, ground, player, anything with mass). They're very effective for killing other players and certainly vehicles as well, but it all depends on the situation. Being nailed by a frag grenade if you have 1/2 shield remaining will kill you. Being nailed by a grenade directly with full shields will practically cut if not nullify your shields, leaving you open to be killed.
The best situations to use these? Almost any situation. The short fuse makes them excellent ambush weapons. If you remember me talking about Aim/Look Sensitivity, the reason for having higher sensitivity is primarily so you can properly 'drop' grenades into the paths of opponents, to bounce them off of walls to arm them and make them bounce onto your enemy. Try not to throw grenades at your enemy as you'll most likely miss.
Vs. Vehicles: Don't expose yourself to them unless you want them to move into a place that'll make it easier for them to be attacked. If at all possible, bait them closer so you can attempt a clean hijacking (not taking high damage), otherwise, you'll be in their vehicle with no shields, and you'll be killed as you run away to recharge them.
If you apt to fight, a direct frag + a full clip of Battle Rifle against a ghost will kill it, just so you have a fair idea of the vehicle armor. The pilot is what you want to kill, since they're weaker. Lead your grenade tosses so that by the time it lands and starts its brief fuse, the vehicle will roll/slide over your grenade and inflict maximal damage.
Pro: Snap decision reliability
Con: Learning your enemy's rhythms so they can be used effectively

Plasma Grenades: I don't prefer these in Infantry combat due to their excessive fuse, but they CAN be used effectively. I won't lie to you. I hardly ever use these unless I have no frags to spare. They're more like ambush weapons in my mind because of their excessive fuse and ability to kill players when "stuck." They're called Stickies by many. It'll strip someone of their OverShield pretty quickly, too. However, as a Vs. Infantry weapon, this is more of an insult weapon than something viable in combat. However, they can be used to suppress enemies due to their characteristic glow and longer fuse (about 3 seconds). So, dropping one of these in clear view of the enemy may be a good way to set up a temporary 'wall' if you'd like to retreat and recharge your shields and regroup, or run away altogether and get better weapons. If they charge you anyway, chances are that they'll be blown-up or at least set up for a kill by a teammate or other available Rumble Pit player.
Vs Vehicles: Far more reliable in certain situations since they stick to all vehicles. Generally, sticking a vehicle will persuade their pilot to eject from the vehicle. It's a bit harder to land than chucking aimed frags though, and it does require you to bait them in closer to increase your relative throw accuracy, but when used properly, are far better anti-vehicle weapons than frags are (Again, you can evade frags that touch a vehicle, but a Sticky's carried with you if it connects).

To review, grenades are very important because they provide you with a tremendous firepower boost and can make ambushes work smoothly, as well as suppressing an enemy(ies).

In most game modes, you're given two Frags, in Ranked Play, I'm pretty sure you only get one to Spawn with.

Guns!

RECOIL EXISTS! BURST FIRING WITH CERTAIN WEAPONS AT LONGER DISTANCES IMPROVES ACCURACY. HEADSHOTS INFLICT APPROXIMATELY DOUBLE DAMAGE. While there are exceptions, always aim at the head/neck.

Basic weapons (IE: Dual-wieldable weapons)

SMG
The mainstay of just about every game except when Plasma Rifle is defaulted to the Vanilla Combattant. Anyway, with an enormous clip and deplorable accuracy over range when used full-auto, is made to be an all-around weapon. It is meant to be used to close-quarters to medium range due to its semi-reliable cone of fire. In close quarters, fire full-auto by all means. As range increases, fire in brief bursts and your bullet fire should stay within the crosshair.. as compared to full-auto, where at least a dozen bullets miss entirely at even medium range. It's an all-around weapon with reliable damage, but swap out of it or dual-wield with something else as soon as possible. It reloads in 2 seconds at most while single-wielding, so don't be afraid to reload if you need to, but don't do it in the open. Make sure you're out of view or try to guess if your enemy will have to reload soon, so you may want to reload in the open after all so you have a full clip while they're reloading their emptied weapon.
Use your judgement.

Plasma Rifle
I don't like this weapon because its bolts are travelling projectiles, though all of them technically do travel over time, including bullets. But, understandably slower. They inflict substantially more shield damage and notably less physical damage (amount of bolts taken to kill someone who had their shields cut). Its rate of fire changes depending on how long you hold the trigger, but even this highly-accurate weapon loses its reliability at its extreme Rate of Fire and you run the risk of overheating, which would be as good as you having dropped the weapon entirely for 3 seconds. So, I generally use this weapon full auto until it reaches 50% heat, in which case I burst so it doesn't overheat. I prefer to use this weapon in closer ranges than the SMG, but if you're gonna use it at longer distances, lead your shots. DO NOT AIM DIRECTLY AT A DISTANT OPPONENT! Lead the shots. Bullets hit instantly except at 'Across Coagulation' distances, plasma travels. Lead the shots.
It can strip shields in an instant with headshots and make your opponent panic due to that. Never let it overheat, otherwise you run the risk of opening yourself up to be killed by someone who happens upon your 'victorious' battle.

Magnum (Marine Pistol)
So. It was nerfed from Halo 1. So what? It can be a great secondary weapon at medium and even extreme ranges. It has low recoil and impressive headshot damage. However, if you score body shots with this weapon too often, you'll probably be sitting back in the respawn queue in no time. I generally don't use this by itself, nor do I use it with ANOTHER Magnum.
It's a great complimentary piece to your arsenal if you lack weapons that are accurate over distances, but it's not recommended due to its bad damage without headshots and low ammo capacity.

Plasma Pistol
It's very popular. More often than not, you'll probably be taking advantage of its charge-up feature to let loose the, now signature, green bolt of shield stripping goodness. At medium range, it is extremely effective. The downside is that charge-up bolts overheat the weapon, leaving it to cool for a few seconds. It only takes 2 seconds at most for the pistol to build up to Max as you hold the trigger. Try not to use this at extreme range unless you're using it on an absent-minded opponent whom is in a scope and won't see it coming. Once again, it is a bad idea to use this weapon on its own. Moreso than the Magnum since it inflicts deplorable physical damage. NOTE: IT CAN STRIP ALL SHEILDS. THIS *INCLUDES OVERSHIELDS*!

Needler
Never fire at vehicles (Unless you have a point to prove, and again.. it'll probably be for naught.). Again, there are exceptions to this rule, but against most vehicles... Unless you can hit the operator(s) of the vehicle, then there's no point in wasting needles and advertising your position with the stream of glacially slow purple shards. I despise this weapon because of its difficulty of use. Approximately 10 needles sticking in someone all at once will kill them instantly. I see this weapon more as an ambush weapon than an active (Active meaning the enemy is actively attacking you) combat weapon. Do not use the needler unless you have extensive experience using it. While the needles can bounce off walls and kill a hiding opponent, why do that when you could just nail them with a quicker, stronger grenade? Note: I have little experience using the Needler, but I've been killed more often when I use it in combat.

DUAL WIELDING! Pretty sure I covered em all, so here's the gimmick that'll save your life.
RECOIL NOTE: Firing both weapons simultaneously (at the same time) results in a large recoil penalty. Alternate left and right weapons to maximize accuracy and only 'unload' on them if you've charged them or they're close enough.

Remember to conserve ammunition if you're using Marine weapons. The reload time with dual-wielding leaves you vulnerable for an unreasonably-long moment (nearly 4 seconds).

SMG+SMG
You'll see this combo often enough since most people spawn with this weapon. So ammo's in constant supply. In most ambush situations, it'll nail your enemies. It's better in less-than-medium range combat situations since Dual Wielding penalizes your accuracy somewhat, and you want to be able to get headshots at full auto to drop an enemy in 1.5 seconds.
This combination is reliable, but I do not prefer to use it. Reloading leaves you vulnerable. If it were a viable solution, I'd rather drop the guns and reload them one at a time, but seeing as how that's impossible, try to manage your ammo use so you are able to hide or effective retreat to prime your weapons again.

SMG+Magnum
This is my favorite dual-wielding combo. The pistol's headshot damage is extraordinary and in conjunction with the SMG spray, tends to kill an enemy without much mishap. Its greatest flaw is ammo capacity. As soon as you need to reload the pistol, you become extremely vulnerable without that firepower. Also, Max pistol ammo capacity is saddening as well. I base the effectiveness of each combo on how much shield I have remaining after each battle on average.

SMG+Plasma Pistol
This used to be my favorite combo. The shield-stripping plasma pistol defeats most mid range opponents. While it's hard to counter this now over-used combo, it is possible. It requires the use of mind games however and that means you'll be at great risk. Glance out widely to see if they fire. If you can retreat behind a structure in time when/if they shoot, then you can run out again while their plasma pistol's cooling off from its miss.
So, never fire your SMG unless the plasma bolt hits first. This is merely because you want to manage your ammo usage. Besides: The reason you have the plasma pistol is to kill shields, not the SMG's role. There's not really a problem with this combo except for its inability to easily manage more than one opponent.

SMG+Needler or ANY NEEDLER COMBO
Use at your own risk. I suppose you could use it if your opponent hides (bounce needles off opposing wall to hit them), but really, I find the Needler too unreliable once you're spotted by an enemy.

Magnum+Magnum
Expert players only. Remember, the Magnum's power really only lies in its exceptional headshot damage. Otherwise, you're just wasting ammunition and the Magnum's weak point is its ammo capacity. So don't try to be cool, try to be wise. If you CAN aim, however, then.. Kudos.. It's probably one of the most effective weapon combos. Weak point: Ammo relative to reload time.

Magnum+Plasma Pistol
I honestly haven't researched this combination in-play, but I would imagine that it is primarily an ambush combo since the plasma bolt travels slowly, strips shields, and the magnum kills the enemy in 1-2 headshots. In a charge-situation, just about every fight in Halo 2, you will probably kill one person, but be killed yourself by someone else due to the 'reload' time involved with the PlasPistol.

Plasma Pistol+Plasma Pistol
Again, I haven't checked this out. If you're a clan player, then you could function as the squad shield-stipper, alternating bolts among different targets. More likely, you're a normal player and I wouldn't rely on this combo any more than I rely on the needler.

Plasma Rifle+SMG
A very effective combo in a controlled situation. Since the rifle never has to be reloaded unless you Overheat it, it can be used to keep multiple enemies at bay, mixing the killing power of the SMG with the shield-sapping power of the Plasma rifle. It can be used at close to medium ranges, depending on the situation. A shotgun to the torso will ruin your day, but only if you get baited into it. The main pitfall of this weapon is that people tend not to fear blue bolts and will bum-rush you while you reload your SMG, so try to keep the situation controlled (always move to a safe area while keeping your enemy's shields in a state of attempted-recharge).

Plasma Rifle+P. Rifle
Similar to the SMG/SMG combo, except it is more effective with proper use. Plasma bolts sap shields rapidly and even more-so with headshots. The downfall of this combo is its learning curve. With greater distance between you and your target, the more you will have to lead your shots ahead of the moving target. Overheating is easy to forget about with this combo as well.

Plasma Rifle+Magnum
I can't say I've used this combo much. I would imagine its use would be implemented the same as the SMG+Pistol combo, but perhaps slightly more effective due to the fact that the P. Rifle never needs to be reloaded unless it overheats (which is never should do).

Plasma Rifle+Plasma Pistol
I don't like mixing same-race weapons in most cases, but I haven't tried this combo out much. The plasma pistol's comparatively weak physical punch is compensated by the Plasma Rifle's bolt stream. I imagine that this combo's weakness would be learning curve since the PlasPistol has a slow recharge rate in heated combat and the Plasma Rifle loses reliability more drastically than the SMG over range.

Moderate Weapons

Sniper Rifle
Four shots. You have to lead your shots slightly at extreme ranges. It can inflict more kills than the beam rifle because it doesn't overheat and can snap off four consecutive shots, but chances are: You aren't doing that anyway. Aim for the head whenever possible and don't freak out when someone finds you using it. Relax, aim it at their torso and snap off some shots. If you can stay calm and aware (Aware meaning: Not staring into the scope all the time and figuring out where all the enemies are/whether they saw you or not.), you'll have a longer avg. lifespan and better K:D ratio.

Beam Rifle
Pretty sure you don't have to lead with this weapon since logic and speculation tells me that Beam.. Implies.. Light.. So the transmission would be near-instantaneous. If you find your shots missing at those 'across Coagulation' distances, then lead your shots similarly that you would with the Sniper Rifle. Headshots instant kill. This weapon overheats with two rapid-fire shots, so never do that. The only situation I recommend doing that is in close-quarters *AFTER* you've aimed it at their chest/stomach properly to ensure your own survival. Its perk: Never have to reload it, can fire continuously if you let it cool off for a moment. Downside: Sniper rifle has a higher ammo capacity by at least 8 shots.

Battle Rifle
Some people say that this replaced the Marine Pistol. It comes with a 2x scope and fires in bursts of three with every trigger pull. So, four headshots kills someone. For average players, this is a terrible weapon to use when you're in SMG range. It is superb at medium-long and long range. It is useless at Extreme ranges and just paints your location to enemy snipers.

Covenant Carbine
Similar to the battle rifle, except that it shoots significantly brighter, green tracers and fires in single shots instead of bursts. Some people prefer this weapon moreso than the Marine counterpart due primarily to its supposed superiority. I will admit that it does shoot faster than the battle rifle, so it does make it more-rounded than the Battle Rifle. Again, use it in longer range combat or in ambush situations due to superior damage.

Shotgun
Tremendously nerfed from Halo 1. Please try not to use this weapon outside of Low/Medium-Low range and attempt to get headshots. There is almost a 1 second pause between shots, the spray of pellets makes it useless at even medium/SMG range. Bait enemies into chasing you or use it as a close-quarters ambush weapon. Use other weapons and then whip it out and blast them as you or they close in on you.

Special

Energy Sword
I call it the 'Icon of Lameness'. Melee-enhancer. Personal distaste of this weapon aside, it inflicts 2-hit kills with melee and if you perform the well-known LUNGE attack and connect, you'll get a 1-hit kill. The best thing about this weapon is that it makes a person excessively aggro, to the point that they'll run at someone who is clearly out of range while getting mowed down by a measly SMG. Try not to advertise possession of this weapon as people will immediately hunt you. Try to use this as a surprise weapon. DO NOT GET CARRIED AWAY! IT ENHANCES OFFENSE, NOT DEFENSE! Overaggression will get you killed. The sword makes you stronger, but not any more well-shielded.

If you are using the sword on a moving opponent, watch their movement direction. While you lunge, you can lunge in a curve instead of a straight line. So tilt the thumbstick a little bit because (I've experimented) if your target is strafing in a straight line and you lunge in a straight line, you'll miss. So, if you're being attacked by a sword, NEVER JUMP TOWARDS THEM. I always jump toward them because that generally works if the enemy is using a Firearm and will have to look up and making it difficult for them to aim.
So, always strafe a sword or do not approach them at all. Sword users are generally killed when they get too aggressive and chase someone down they're not catching up with in time.

Rocket Launcher
The boomstick of lameness. General-purpose life-removal device. People jump when they see it aimed at them since it is more than possible to dodge a rocket aimed at the ground. Only two shots with a 3-4 second reload time. Begins with only 4 total shots. It can lock on to vehicles, but try to only use it in situations where the rocket will fly in a relatively straight line. It can lose lock if it has to swerve and it isn't smart enough to evade structures, so position yourself accordingly before firing. Against players.. Again, they'll probably be jumpy. Try to retreat from them so you can still fire, but if they get too close, you'll end up killing yourself needlessly. So, just watch them jump and fire at the place they'll land.

Obectives (The Assault Bomb / OddBall Skull / Flags)
They enhance your melee. 2 hit melee kills with slight 'lunging' along with it. Quite a few times, you should be able to bait some jackass into chasing you around a corner where you can get in his face, melee him twice and run away laughing. Not recommended against groups/shotguns.

Brute Shot
It has 2-hit melee and a 4 shot explosive clip. It's supposed to be a grenade launcher, but landing headshots with this thing is really difficult. To me, it's more of a weapon used to finish off an opponent or to soften up their shields. It's probably an excellent anti-vehicle weapon however, as most explosive weapons are. It's explosion radius is nice, so you can give a scare to hiding opponents, but all in all, it's a sub-par weapon due to its 4 shot clip and general difficulty using it. If ammunition were more plentiful, I'd definitely recommend using it to compliment a team's firepower. It's fun to use though.
Also of note: It gains a melee damage bonus, which means 2 from from the front to kill.

Generally Irrelevant:
These weapons only appear in "Fiesta" games.

Brute Plasma Rifle
Stronger Plasma Rifle. Overheats easily. Requires better aiming due to overheating issues. Try to use burst fire only with this weapon or you'll definitely overheat it. Excellent ambush weapon.

Sentry Laser
Continuous laser beam that can strip shields in a couple seconds. It can overheat. It has enhanced melee as well, I believe. It does superb physical damage as well. Hard to use over long range and sort of pointless to do so since you advertise your position with the bright beam.



REMEMBER: IT IS AN INACCURATE LOOK, WRITTEN UP BY EXPERIENCE ALONE

Also, since it's invaluable to open your mind:
Watch the videos at <a href='http://www.jukesbox.com/' target='_blank'>http://www.jukesbox.com/</a>
( Their Mirror site is: <a href='http://files3.bungie.org/mrjukes/' target='_blank'>http://files3.bungie.org/mrjukes/</a> )
These are the famous Jump videos. You'll learn many shortcuts and really get an understanding with how jumping works and how the physics make you behave. NOTE: I'm pretty sure you can't grenade-jump in Online Play unless you're the Host, so focus more on non-grenade jumping unless you're offline.


Tactics

Ok, I'm gonna leave off at this point, but I'm gonna name the key factor in deciding your tactics: Aggression.
Overaggressive enemies can be baited into grenades you drop. Underaggressive enemies can be ambushed with ease. Advanced players will not easily let you know where they are. They ambush you, they fight you effectively and they'll take advantage of your over-aggression as well.
Generalising, I'm sure, but it's fairly true.

The Average Player
This is the standard player. They come in a few different flavors and operate in both predictable and unpredictable manners, but you'll be able to see how they behave quickly after one or two fights with them. They tend not to use their grenades and if they do, are not familiar with proper use.
By far, the most common AvgPlayer is the Aggro. These players believe that weapon superiority or simple dual-wielding makes them invulnerable. They are exceedingly easy to kill if you counter with defense by moving behind a structure, throwing a grenade against it and blowing them up as they approach. So, you can easily use their drunkenly-blind behavior against them since you'll generally move from safe area to safe area, look for enemies and then move on/attack/retreat all depending on the situation you're in. So, it's fairly easy to set up bait'n'nade tactics with these guys. The only factor you need is awareness. If you are aware of them before they're aware of you, you automatically get an advantage.
Turtles are tougher than Aggros since Turtles tend to function by hiding decently and tend to stick in areas that are hard to approach rapidly without you giving away your position and leaving you open to attack/ambush (Enemy Spawn Zones, bases, etc). An excellent example of a Turtle's behavior is seen in Coagulation. Enemies hide in the corners. This is where the use of any explosive comes in. If there are no defenders on the roof of the base, then it's very easy to throw precise grenades instead of hoping that your tosses from ground level hit something.
New Snipers are easy and relate closest to Turtles. They get their own category because they generally place themselves distant from their team or on bases. They don't pay attention well. You can counter-snipe them easily or overwhelm them with vehicles.
Remember, Halo 2's all about aggression when necessary and that's why the average player will generally be fodder. If they are too aggressive, they'll shrug off damage and at best: Distract you. Learn to not use Charging (running at your opponent) Tactics unless you mean to ambush your opponent and if they aren't moving, why not sticky them?

Points to Remember:
Combat Awareness _CONCEPTS WITHOUT PERCEPTS ARE EMPTY_
(You can learn how to be aware by playing Rumble Pit. You can also learn how to not play by watching everyone charge toward the center of the map and knock eachother out in a domino effect. Use the enemy to help you make your job easier: When two enemies charge eachother, hang back and throw a grenade or two. Chances are, they have weakened eachother enough for you to score a Double Kill or better. See what thinking can do for you? Being combat aware means that while you are attacking, you have a plan available to you if things go wrong. And always plan on having a place to run to if you need to recharge shields.)

General Awareness _PERCEPTS WITHOUT CONCEPTS ARE BLIND_
(Being familiar with the game's mechanics improves your chances. This includes being able to aim and be cool-headed even after your teammates accidentally blow you up. Next time, hang back with them instead of charging ahead? Being aware of your own obstinance (don't a failed idea more than once unless you are absolutely confident it will succeed in its second attempt) is important as well. If time is a factor, then repeatedly trying a failed-route/attack may be necessary, but you'll really want to try and flank the enemy in order to distract them and just catch them off guard. Also, be aware that your Field of Vision is really terrible, so don't be afraid to look around while you're on the run. I'm pretty sure you know how to strafe. Knowing where weapons are improves your survival as well. Remember, come to terms that skill alone is not enough to compensate for the insufficient SMG. Eventually, you'll play against Advanced Players and you'll need the extra firepower.)



Tactics 2

Grenades _USE THEM_
Use them sparingly if you know each one must connect, which they all should connect, but when your shields are really low, dropping a few panic grenades to save your hide or to score an After-Death kill is definitely acceptable. If you can at least use grenades well, you will be an effective player against average players whom use superior weapons. Try not to use plasmas too often as their long fuse time makes them really bad weapons if you miss your mark.

Melee _USE WHEN NECESSARY_
I don't melee often as it's an extremely risky manuever and is generally used in Charging tactics anyway. I don't charge often, so using melee can be unecessary. This is especially true if you do not know the enemy numbers. Woohoo. You got a melee kill, but you're recovering from the fight. Is that an enemy? Darn.. Respawning..
To me, this is a last-resort or insult tactic. With low-range weapons however, it is often more than necessary to melee. For example, the shotgun's effective range is practically melee range anyway, so if all your pellets miss, a follow-up melee attack will likely be sufficient to solve your pest problem.
If you can aim well and time your movements well, although it's not recommended, you can hide in certain areas and wait for your motion tracking to light up. As the enemy approaches, run behind them and assassinate them for perfect ammo preservation. However, if there are multiple enemies, you may wish to wait for them to group up and chuck a grenade to set up a multikill. Generally, it takes 4 normal melee hits to kill an enemy. If their shields are down, it usually takes one melee to kill them.
Remember: The sword gives you one hit lunge kills, but its firepower does not increase your shielding. Expressing too much aggression can make you vulnerable and an easier target to predict.

Vehicles _BEWARE EXPLOSIVES_
As of the moment you step into the vehicle, your primary predator is the enemy with a rocket launcher. Unless you're in a tank (Wraith/Scorpion), you will be unable to absorb a rocket impact and since tanks are slow and the Launcher can shell out two shots in a short time, you'll need to be aware if the map has two Rocket Launchers or not.. And if your team has possession of both. Other vehicles are also a threat.
Warthog: Please, find a gunner at least. I prefer the Vulcan Warthog rather than the Gauss Warthog (harder to aim gauss).
Yes, if you use the Hog with Driver-Only to ram ghosts you are able to inflict massage damage and get splatter kills, but you'll triple its damange-potential with a half-decent gunner. Anyway, most people aren't expert drivers and it's very easy to evade an incoming Puma.

NOTE! Unless you have OverShield equipped, you will not survive a SPNK'R Rocket Attack. And you will be duely spanked, as the name of the Rocket Launcher implies.

As Driver, you want to keep the Warthog in motion. If you are moving, you are a harder target to destroy. If you must stop, however, the Warhog is stronger when it is DIRECTLY-FACING an enemy. Also, due to the Turret's weakness once enemies are right on top of you/too close to hit, don't be afraid to throw it in reverse gear if they charge you. If the windshield is intact, it will deflect covenant plasma bolts fired at its hood/windshield, but since this is probably not the case since the windhshield's usually the first thing to go when you take damage, motion is a better option in most maps. Even without the windshield, if you face the enemy in the warthog, it makes you harder to hit since the exposed body is now shielded by the vehicle for the most part. I'm pretty sure you take more damage fit shot from behind anyway. Another note as to why stopping in the Warthog is dumb:
Opens you up to Sniper Attacks.
Opens you up to Grenade Attacks.
It advertises that you're doing something of some importance.
A slot in the warthog can be hijacked, and that's really annoying.

Take advantage of the power-sliding to make tight turns to evade dumber drivers who can't corner well. Also, keep the Warthog righted after the jumps you'll undoubtedly be taking. If you aren't on all four wheels in open ground, turn OUTWARD to prevent a roll-over (if your left wheels are airborne, turn right; and vice-a-versa). The WartPuma's pretty heavy in its underside anyway, so flipping over shouldn't be much of an issue. Just stick to flatter terrain. So, stay in motion and try to remain hard to hit. Don't worry about your gunner's aim. Your job is to keep the crew _alive_.
As Gunner/Passenger
Your duty is to keep your driver alive by killing as many enemies as you can. As long as you hit them and inflict shield damage, you'll perhaps force them in to a defensive stance. Passenger is here more as a footsoldier when the Warthog is abandoned for a base invasion or better yet: To replace the gunner/driver if he ever dies.

As Gunner, you play a glamorous role: Mowing down anything in your path. Keep your gun firing at all times if it is a vulcan. Damage matters more than recoil in this situation. If you're worried about giving away the Warthog's position, aim the gun at the ground until enemies come into view. But since the mere sight of the Warthog being in motion gives it away, this is unimportant (but it does delay Banshee awareness sometimes). Your primary targets are the enemies that actually pose a threat to you while you are actually in motion:
REMEMBER! THE TURRET TURNS SLOWLY! TRY TO ANTICPATE THE ROUTE THE DRIVER TAKES AND MOVE THE TURRET TO KEEP YOUR RETICLE ON THE ENEMY!
Missile Launcher enemies. Kill them ASAP. One rocket ruins your day.
Other vehicles: These are important to destory as well since they're the only things that possess both the mobility and firepower to kill your crew easily. Try to aim at the operators of the enemy vehicle if possible. Once all vehicles are destroyed or irrelevant (out of range or not harrassing you.)
Note: Ghosts and Banshees move faster than you do when they boost and even faster when your Warthog's engine/wheels become damaged.
Then you attack
Snipers: Two shots to kill you unless headshotted, then it's just one (derrr <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->).
Worst case scenario: Your driver is sniped. Right now, you are extremely vulnerable. I do not recommend trying to replace the driver since I've sniped an empty warthog that enemies desire badly many a time. Instead, hide behind the warthog after confirming the sniper position (if the sniper can see you hiding even though you're behind the warthog, try to board it and drive away. Running in open ground is suicidal.) and only peek out to see if the sniper lost interest in you. Then get into the driver's seat and get a new crew. Generally, though, snipers will kill your gunner first since he's always overexposed in his standing position.

After all those threats are eliminated or held at bay, you can keep the infantry locked down so long as you pay attention and be aware of who possesses what vehicles and what weapons the enemy is using. Remember, the gun is long range, so hopefully your driver will keep your boat in a position where it can't be grenaded easily or hijacked easily without you giving them a hailstorm of vulcan or a blast of gauss.

Warthog rules apply to most vehicles with exception to the Banshee.

Banshee: The armor is notably weaker than the ghost's is, but it can fly and it is probably the fastest vehicle in the game. If you remain aware, you can even evade homing missiles (do a stunt before it hits you). Beyond that, your primary threats are:
Other Banshees. Try not to use the flashy air manuevers if you've been ambushed since a good Banshee pilot isn't charging you and is just hanging back and choosing his shots. It is easy to become aware of other Banshees since they're the only flight-capable vehicle and its gun fire is very luminous. I think the barrel roll is its more-effective stunt manuever since that would allow you to perform sharp turns or hide quickly behind a structure that you'd waste time turning towards instead of just barrel rolling behind it.
Warthog. You will be mowed down if you try to tail a Warthog with a half-decent gunner. They can keep up with you if you decide to fight and still fire accurately. Hide behind structures by using your flight to your advantage. In most cases, you'll be able to distract a Warthog from its goals or add support to other people already attacking a vehicle/infantry squad.
Missile Launcher. More often than not, you'll get shot down when you're busy strafing enemies and remaining relatively slow in the air, kind of hovering as you circle around a target that has your attention. Remember to remain aware of weapon possession so that you don't have to keep scouting for their location and replanning attacks. I'm killed by rocket launchers due to being unaware of their possession/location. Otherwise, you should be able to evade it with a barrel roll stunt when it reaches medium range. I'm not sure if it's a 100% bet, but it's better than letting it hit you perfectly.
Multiple enemies at medium range. Again, the armor on the Banshee is light. Its guns are strong, recoilless and have infinte ammo. Just strafe the enemies from a distance. Get a hit in before they recharge and you're keeping them at bay and will probably kill them. Otherwise, if you lean in to a squad of three enemies with their eyes and guns on you, even with SMGs, they pose a greater threat than you'd at first assume. So use your range and firepower to your advantage.
Tanks. The Scorpion would blow Banshees out of the sky on Coagulation and Waterworks, so that's why the Wraith is in Multiplayer instead of its superior Human counterpart. While not impossible for it to hit, you probably won't have to worry about the parabolic arc of enormous plasma death. Simply stay at a distant range to save yourself from an embarrassing death.

Ghost: The armor is fairly reliable. Like most vehicles, their perk is mobility. This is a popular vehicle since it's a one-man killing machine for even the dumbest player. It can be easily countered if you run it into a large group of footsoldiers, however, so be aware that two solid grenade hits will quickly end your fun. This is the most-commonly hijacked vehicle, but that's more due to its population than 'popularity'. Keep the Ghost in fairly open space so that you can BOOST away from trouble if need-be. If the enemy isn't Aggro and hides behind structures that you can't get to (Example: The Right Side of Zanzibar near the Fortress itself.) Then you might want to retreat and leave them alone for now. Especially if they're throwing grenades and biting chunks out of your chassis. It can be hijacked easily, but this can be used to your advantage... but be careful, or you set yourself up for death.

Move close to where the enemy is hiding and strafe while shooting at where you think they'll come out from. Move the Ghost in a circle while facing and shooting at where your enemy is (So you move the vehicle toward at a diagonal and away at a diagonal and back again, trying to peer around his hiding spot and get a glimpse of his armor. This will tell you if he knows what you're doing. Change to clockwise/counter-clock if you wish.) Never hang TOO CLOSE to his hiding spot. Once he reveals himself, move backward. He'll jump, but if he doesn't then he'll be easier to kill anyway. The point of this is to present yourself as an idiot. The enemy, thinking he can triple his firepower and embarrass you by cleanly jacking your Ghost, may well come out, but a smart player knows to wait it out if they're by themselves in order to make you get impatient and maybe slip up. Don't worry. You're in a GHOST, so chances are, you can run away from this situation, find an easier kill and come back for him later and with relative speed and ease.

Try not to use the ghost or any other vehicle in confined spaces by itself. You're setting yourself up as a tremendously-easy grenade target and it is not only easier to sneak up on constricted vehicles, but easier to get stickied as well. Many people shove Ghosts up the ramps in Headlong. It is a decent tactic to use WITH SUPPORT, but even then, a few good players sneak in with a rocket launcher... They kill infantry with the rocket launcher and just spam the haplessly-immobile ghost with grenades. The end. Ghosts being used indoors begs you to grenade them/hijack them/etc.
Where to use Ghosts then? Well, use them to try and get to the opposing base and get the rocket launcher under the monument. This is a risky manuever though since someone in a Warthog, usually alone, will be there first. So you have a number of options: You can wait for them to keep moving in the Warthog (if they do) and try not to move. You'll want to be out of your ghost since you're now harder to kill. However, you could try rushing them since I once or twice managed to kill someone in close range whom had a rocket launcher while in a Ghost. He could have hijacked me and won, now that I think about it.
Since on Headlong, the a great way to cap the flag is with a Warthog (It's a very safe way to do it since you get Vehicle Armor to buff your shields), use the ghost to steal a Warthog and use it defensively. If nobody else uses it, then sit it down in the ground floor where it's in view of all the defenders in the base. It can be used as a trap, distraction device, fixed gun this way. Feel free to move it, but don't let the enemy put it to actual use.

Perfect Traps are Traps that look like Advantages in your Enemy's mind.

Anyway, if you can get the rocket launcher from their team this way, it becomes really easy to defend your base. You should know where the rocket ammo spawns by now. The only reason to leave the base if you defend: To get more rocket ammo. This as a defense strategy works very well on Zanzibar.

Wraith: Primary weaknesses are size, mobility and overall speed. Secondary weakness: No anti-infantry weapon(no machine gun of any kind) Primary strength: Supressive Firepower
I don't like using this weapon in most combat situations. It's hard to make up for errors in anticipation so a lot of thought has to be put in to where you want to attack from. It is absolutely suicidal to use it on open ground (EX: Coagulation field) due to its horrific turning speed. The weapon is difficult to learn how to use as well since the plasma shot requires a lot of prediction. Any fast-moving vehicle can easily evade the bolt so long as they're aware of where you are and where you shot.
So, with that in mind, I prefer using this, in Waterworks, to shove the crates around and make blockades in the ground entrances of the base and remove that shortcut to the roof of the Objective room of said base. Beyond being a primitive bulk-hauler, the Wraith can function well *if* it DOESN'T HAVE TO TURN MUCH. So, position the rear of the Wraith to a large structure so that fast-moving vehicles always have to be in your effective shooting area to attack you. I am unsure if the Wraith can crush or overturn Warthogs or Ghosts since most of them stay well away from me when I attack them. As an attack vehicle, you want to try and be patient with every move. If you move, will you encounter vehicles? If so, then try to put yourself in a proper position. Use the geography to your advantage. So, stick to areas where the enemy must put themselves in danger instead of circling around you to attack.
Once at the enemy base, you'll want to remain very aware. It's easy to kill Wraiths with frags and even easier to sticky them. Remember that the Wraith has a boost feature, so use that to splatter enemies or to run away and to move faster from Safe area to Safe area. I primarily use it as an Anti-Infantry Weapon or on vehicles that a squad of enemies wants to board since people move really slow.

Fixed Guns: Technically not vehicles, yet they are vehicles due to the Capital Lettering below. The marine Turret's shield defends against sniper shots, so shoot at their legs since they're exposed there. The Turret can be locked on to with the rocket launcher, but that's wholly unecessary since IT DOESN'T MOVE. They're very powerful.
YOU CANNOT ASSASSINATE SOMEONE WHO IS PILOTING A FIXED GUN. So sticky them or shoot them instead. If you really want the turret (usually to provide cover from the enemy position and to distract people from attacking your flagger on Zanzibar , for example.) So don't use explosives on the enemy if you want the gun: You'll blow it up in the process of killing him if you do, but if that's your only intention, then do it. But realize that you've removed the option to put it to use if you opt for quick destruction like that. Then again, the enemy can't either use it either. Weigh your options. Turrets are very effective at both anti-infantry and anti-vehicle roles, but since they can't be moved, their use is very limited. You gain an Armor increase while on a turret as you would in a vehicle.
Exception: You will take normal damage if shot from behind or the sides.




Advanced Players
They'll be challenging for you as they're probably on par or more-skilled than you. Generally, you'll only have the advantage if you outnumber the enemy, have better weapons, or are able to properly ambush them. They'll be using similar strategies, they will not often overexpose themselves and are only aggro when they know you're hurting. Also, watch out for grenades.

How to evade a grenade at medium range: If you are harrassing someone and repeatedly hiding behind a certain structure, then you're inviting him to chuck a nade or three at you. Do not hide behind the same structure. Especially if you're hurting, you'll want to learn that just because he can't shoot you doesn't mean he can't kill you. So, you'll be in many situations where the form of cover you've chosen is not the only form of cover available. Move away from corners if the enemy is aware of your presence since that's usually the best place and the first place a grenade will appear. They bounce off walls as well, so don't be shocked if one doesn't drop in the predicted place (ground/corner near your cover).

They'll be using effective weapons in effective ways. They'll usually be aware of your position and be communicating your location to the enemy. Advanced players know how to use the Battle Rifle properly and even in close-range situations where you dual wield, tend to get the headshots necessary to murder you. In Team battles, they won't stray far from their teammates. I tend to move away from the main group and scout for enemies, moving away merely to flank the enemy and surround them when the enemy attacks the main group. That way, there is not a just a core defense because that would be Turtling and that can be easily taken advantage of with grenades or coaxing with med-range harrassing shots.

And just by providing that mid-field defense, you've offset the enemy offense and given them less opportunity to plan and more opportunity to panic from confusion. However, this can easily backfire if you find yourself suddenly outnumbered. So don't get too confident and remain aware.

Remember: Adv.Players expect you to show traits of an Avg.Player. Don't Turtle too much. Don't Aggro too much. They'll adapt and try to take full advantage of these misgivings. Most importantly: My word is not absolute. Tactics only work when they're formulated at the time they're necessary. The only thing you must learn is how to learn and therefore adapt, but the only way to adapt is to know.

Well, that's all I have to say really.

From here, the rules are simple:
Preseve your AWARENESS
CONTROL your Aggression
Use your WEAPONS (this includes grenades)

If you can learn your enemy, you'll be able to pull their strings and earn yourself some medals and a formidable K:D ratio. Take what you've learned to Rumble Pit. You're bound to find a few Advanced Players. If you can finish and place (1st-3rd.. or 4th depending on game size) while keeping your Average Life span above 30 seconds, then you're doing well and playing in a balanced manner. While the point of Rumble Pit is deathmatch and highest kill count, your purpose for Rumble Pit is training your Combat Awareness and improving your tactics in the face of adversity. This way, you'll be able to take what you learned to the core of Halo 2: Big Team Battle.

The new problem here is completing an objective and at the same time keeping enemies at bay. If you communicate enemy position, enemy behavior and suggest sound tactics, then you're on the right track. Just assembling a large number of players at ONE POINT of an enemy base is generally not enough. Meat Grinder tactics like that generally fail. You want the enemy team's guns divided, not all focused on the objective-holder squad.

That's all. I've pretty much covered the important stuff.



Useful Resources

Gamefaqs.com Halo 2: <a href='http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox/game/562116.html' target='_blank'>http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox/game/562116.html</a>

If you found my guide insufficient, or if you would like another man's opinion on the game mechanics, OR if you disagreed with my overgeneral information on technical data (like that it takes 4 melee hits to kill people, which is incorrect) then here's some links where I headed to after finishing writing this up to polish my knowledge.

Very specific resource for Weapons Data (RECOMENDED!):
<a href='http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox/file/halo_2_weapons.txt' target='_blank'>http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox/file/halo_2_weapons.txt</a>

Dual-Wielding Guide(Good for a different take on D-W):
<a href='http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox/file/halo_2_mp_dual_wield.txt' target='_blank'>http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox/file/h..._dual_wield.txt</a>

Multiplayer Guide(Press CTRL+F and look for "6. BATTLEFIELD TACTICS" (copy/paste that into your Find Box without the quotations. From that point, most the information he's provided should be useful to you or reveal to you things you didn't already know.):
<a href='http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox/file/halo_2_mp.txt' target='_blank'>http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/xbox/file/halo_2_mp.txt</a>

Anyway, Gamefaqs should be able to cover the aspects of the game I may have missed and will probably provide very refined information as opposed to my relatively general take on it.


Conclusion:
The guide is somewhat vague and nonspecific and even incorrect in certain areas for a very good purpose. If you learn to learn on your own and learn during combat, then the information should be ingrained into your very psyche. For example, I said that the fuse for frag grenades starts whenever they bounce off of a structure. More often than not, they will not explode in mid-air unless they're bounced off of a FLOOR STRUCTURE (Anything you can stand on). But then again, this is just from memory, so who knows? I might be wrong.

However, in respect to general tactics I've talked about here, they're good to be aware of. So don't ignore everything I say just because I've doubted what I've said.

When it comes down to survival: You decide. You use your own judgement.

*END*


I originally wrote this up on my Livejournal, which I could share with you, but it contains many inappropriate things that I'm not posting here because: They're inappropriate.

But since this is a RTS/FPS Community, and Halo 2 is a Strategy game (Yes.. Yes it is, but it's predominantly FPS), I thought some of the readers here could benefit from it.

Also, it cannot really be appended because Halo 2's too large a game to condense into a single page. Note that I could've gone on to talk about map-specific tactics. Anyway, I didn't submit it to Gamefaqs and I didn't because I don't want e-mails about how 'I'm wrong' and blablablah.

I'm not 'wrong', this is how I play the game and it works.