Halo Infinite's first technical preview has come and gone, but not without letting players get a great idea of how the game plays and feels, including how it updates classic Halo weapons like the Needler. For one weekend, players got to go toe-to-toe with Halo Infinite's bots, a first for the series, on a number of different difficulties and three different maps. There was even a brief period toward the end of the test where player vs. player matches were enabled, allowing testers to show off what they'd learned battling against the game's bots for multiple days straight.
What players learned was that while Halo Infinite definitely feels like Halo, there is plenty different in 343 Industries latest entry compared to previous games in the franchise, and the changes to the Needler are just one of many. Amidst a host of new Halo Infinite weapons and abilities, the Needler has risen to the top of the list as one of the game's most powerful weapons, making it a go-to weapon for players each round.
That's a big change from previous games in the series, where the Needler, while looking incredibly cool, wasn't particularly effective. While in certain instances dual-wielding the Needler in Halo 2 could produce some results, it's largely been a weapon ignored by most players outside of seeing occasional use in every Halo's single-player campaign, where scrounging for weapons and ammo sometimes might mean the Needler is the only option available. So, what's changed about the iconic weapon in Halo Infinite? Plenty. From its sky-high damage, new ammo counter, and a fast-reload trick, here's how Halo Infinite's Needler is making the usually tongue-in-cheek phrase "fear the pink mist" much more literal.
Much like in previous Halo games, the Needler rapidly fires pink needles at its target. Once a certain number of needles land, it results in a "supercombine" explosion, aka a cloud of pink mist, killing whoever is on the receiving end. Making the weapon even more unique is the fact that the needles fired from the Needler have homing capabilities, and will seek out their target to some degree. This means expert aim is not a requirement to use the weapon effectively. The Needler has always fired incredibly fast, which is why Halo Infinite is categorizing the weapon as a type of SMG.
The above has always been the case with the Needler. What's changed in Halo Infinite is just how quickly it can kill opponents. The Needler's time-to-kill is fast, so much so that even going toe-to-toe with an opponent in close range using the Assault Rifle, the Needler is likely to come out on top. Even should the player using the Needler die, it's likely they'll get a kill from "beyond the grave," as the needles explode and kill the opponent. While player testing has shown that the Needler's TTK is comparable to that of many of the game's other non-power weapons, its ease of use thanks to the homing abilities of the needles makes it feel even more powerful.
Adding to the weapon's power is a neat little trick Halo Infinite players have discovered: the Needler actually reloads faster if its clip isn't entirely empty. Keeping a few needles in the chamber when possible results in a much faster reload time, allowing players to pump out even more damage. Perhaps that's the reason Halo Infinite's Needler actually has a new ammo counter built-in to the gun, to allow players to more easily see how many needles are left in the weapon's clip in order to make effective use of this reload quirk. Check out the video from Arrrash tv below:
The end result is the Needler going from a weapon largely ignored in previous versions of Halo multiplayer by players to one that is going to be actively sought out in each match in the free-to-play multiplayer of Halo Infinite. Its drastically improved TTK, paired with its ease-of-use and fast reload speed, means the Needler is not to be trifled with in Halo Infinite, and almost feels like a mini-power weapon. It's nice to see that even with a plethora of new weapons in Halo Infinite 343 is taking the time to show some love to the franchise's classic weapons as well. From what players have seen so far, the Needler definitely looks to be a crowd pleaser.
No comments:
Post a Comment