It's not fitting to my playstyle anymore. For the first 5-10 SR levels, the game is awesome. Everyone is pretty much on the same playing field and everyone is using an assualt rifle. Now that I've been at it, I'm just done with this. It's ridiculous how much all of these maps cater to the long range rifles. I don't like those rifles. I hate the BR and the DMR is not fitting to me, but that's all you can use. You'll die if you don't use these guns, believe me. 

I have played for the past how many freaking hours and all anyone uses are the BR and DMR, causing me to be always at a disadvantage no matter what if I use the AR. I blame it on the loadouts, because that's the only cause. If no one had the opportunity to start with the BR or DMR, I would not be saying anything. Gosh, really, I am very frustrated at this. 

Why is this fun to anyone? Sure, I could join everyone, but you do not understand how much fun I was having for the first, maybe, three hours of multiplayer when I was actually able to use my AR to very good success. That's how I play multiplayer games--I run and gun. No, I don't play Call of Duty. I play Halo, Uncharted, Starhawk, Battlefield, Resistance, and Assassin's Creed online. That's about it. Each one of those games (besides AC) allows me to play how I want without being at a disadvantage. This game does not. 

Basically, at first this game felt a lot like star wars republic commando to me, with both its pace and gameplay. Now, that's gone. Everyone uses promethian vision, the charge up pistol gun, the BR, and the DMR. That's about it. I can always tell you how I am going to die, and I know how to avoid it, but to avoid it I actually can't do anything in-game. I have to change up my loadout. That's stupid. If I use an assault rifle, I can never kill anyone anymore because they always kill me either down winding corridors where I can't even get close, or...well that's it. I can't run up on anyone because both my team and the other team are having a jolly good time hitting each other from across the map with the rifles.

So, I go it solo and get slaughtered because I can't get into any 1-1 scenarios. If I do, I'm already dead due to either the scatter shot, or the charge up pistol (I forget it's name). I use promethian vision to see all of this. I see a guy with a shotty around the corner, but he already knows I'm there and I know he's there. He already wins. I either have to retreat, or just go with it (if I have an AR). 

The only ways I have been dying in this game are:

1. Crouched shotties and charge up pistols.

2. Long range rifles

That's it. I cant do anything about either of those with an AR, so I'm done with this. I'm not taking my sweet old time to crouch and walk around the map to find someone. Nor am I going to chill back with a freaking BR and DMR like everyone else. 

I either have to be crouched with a shotgun, or standing and moving with a BR/DMR to be able to do anything in this game. After I discovered this, I just called it quits with an epic 55 death suicide streak. Seriously, I can understand the intentions 343 had with this, but there's no denying what this multiplayer has turned into. It's just a freaking BR/DMR fest, and players use crouched shotties to uphold this playstyle. If anyone comes in close, they kill them with shotties. I have not once seen the shotty be used as an offensive weapon. It's always to hold down the fort where the players are BR and DMR'ing it up. 

I'm not so much disappointed as I am a little ticked off. I don't want to play this game how everyone else is playing it, but the way the balance system is, I have to. The BR and DMR are too accomadating to go up against. They are good at both close and long range, so automatic win. I switched over to it for a few games and I was doing fine. No problems. But that's not how I like to play, because I was bored out of my freaking mind acting like some stupid coward shooting guys from how many freaking yards away. You get a good vantage point and shoot. Woopty freaking do. I like the unpredictability of AR battles where the battle feels more like a duel than a archery contest. 

Alright, make fun of me, sympathize with me, or just do whatever. I just had to rant to people who understand video games. I don't care if you agree with me or not. I just wanted to unload these thoughts. 

Play regicide. Or use fire power and start with an AR and use a DMR when you have to. This game was designed more with strategy in mind. But regicide is pretty much a short ranged skill free game. Just the way you like it.

If you can't win with an assualt rifle, you're doing it wrong.

Of course the skill weapons are going to kill you more because Halo atracts skilled players, quit playing BTB and play something like Regicide or CTF

or play BF3 and tell me that's not broken

I agree- each weapon has it's own pros and cons- and is used for different situations. If he can't figure out which situation to use them in, he might need to pick up a different game- AR, grants a fair game

If you apply real world reasoning to this, the best weapons and playstyles are the ones that keep you alive. If people call me a noob cause I'm winning with a shotgun, or a coward because I'm winning with a DMR, well...they can act all leet with whatever underpowered weapon they're using to showcase their "skills", but in the end of the day, you're still last on the scoreboard. So evolve.

Im not sure where you have been through all the halo years but the rifles (BR and DMR) have always been superior weapons compared to the assualt rifle. I will give you that with the loadouts and maps in this game it is even more of factor in halo 4.

I do think that the AR is vastly underpowered compared to the DMR or BR.  Even close range, it is very difficult for a AR player to beat a player using a headshot-capable weapon.  I think at close range, the AR should beat the BR/DMR nine times out of ten, as that is what is is supposed to be used for.

Sounds to me your just bad at the game...I have been playing halo since it came out. this game has always been about long range fights. Make a load out that works for you. I use the dmr and the ar as my secondary when i need to switch for close range and long range situations. I think they did a good job with it. This game is very skill oriented unlike cod which takes a couple shots to kill someone. It takes actual skill to kill an enemy in halo, thats why its so fustrating but also so good. Change your load outs. If you seriously wanna just run around with your ar and kill people your playing the wrong game, and have been for years.

I agree with OP. Halo is ruined with loadouts and everyone using long range weapons all the time. I absolutely love getting shot to death from the other side of the map with a long range rifle every single time....absolutely stupid. No strategy involved whatsoever. MaddenBowler10

Not to mention that the DMR is more effective than the sniper rifle at long range. go figure.

I used to agree with you, but eventually they began to grow on me. I'm gonna die for saying this, but Halo 4 integrated the best aspects of the Call of Duty games, and made an even more competetive playing field. I'm much more at home playing this halo than other shooters overall. And I don't say that lightly, as I have 400+ Hours on halo reach and nearly as much on halo 3.

BR has been the best gun in every halo game until the DMR came.

The AR could use a tiny buff since it does lose a lot of close range battles which effectively renders it a useless gun.

I can't speak on any of the promethean vision stuff cuz I have rarely seen anyone using that. I usually see jetpacks and invisibility.

The assault rifle is fine in this game. You need to know how to use it. it's not effective at long range. It's a short range weapon and dominates the DMR at close range. If you are using it at long range then you are using it wrong. I've gotten plenty of kills with the assault rifle. 

  The TC is absolutely right, this game is unbalanced.  I just played several hours (been a long time since I have been online).  I remember using the assault rifle to great effect, but somehow it sucks now.  Did Bungie change the game making it useless?  I notice no one uses assault rifle, its DMR and Bullshot (more like Bull$hit) combo with Promethean vision and Rocket pack.  And you know what is bs?  The rocket pack goes pretty far up, I cant even gun them down with the assault rifle, they use the dmr and just shoot my head off!  I think I am playing on Saturday night so there must be the hardcore players on, and I was seriously lagging.  But even then when I decided to try the dmr I could get kills MUCH easiers.  Also I notice how useless the vehicles are, the dmrs blow them up.  And you know what is really bs, how everything is about rushing, not really about tactics per se, but just how fast you move around.  The assault of is so bad that they dont even care when I am shooting them, they just run up to me and melee...  

  The thing about long range is SO freakin true, especially on ragnarok, I cant use the assault rifle!?  Look at the cover of the game, IT SHOWS THE ASSAULT RIFLE!  I played a couple months ago, but I havent really played a serious ammount in a while, and now I come back and its like a completely different game.  I honestly never knew the BS could kill in ONE HIT!  I could understand like taking your shields out, but THAT IS BS!  Not even the shotgun is that good.  And it basically auto hits, you dont have to get it just right, its just kind of like you close enough, and they die.  I noticed I kept dieing in  one hit and was sayying "how did that happen?"  I didnt know the BS could be charged up and used like that.  Another thing is promethean vision is definately beings used a lot, I cant even hide anymore...  

 I have played Halo since the beginning, and online I am always like "time to die!" *they all die*...  But right now I feel like tactics are meaningless.  I notice that the hardcore Halo players dont use the assault rifle, they just rush everything really fast, and hop around because they can jump so fast and move left to right.  This game is feeling like a cluster fvck more than a tactical game.  The main thing is everyone just seems to run like its a fvcking football game!  What is going on, why is everyone rushing so freakin much?  

  With promethean vision, you basically dont have to be careful, you know if someone is behind those rocks (and even when they are cloaked).  This game is being exploited to death, its basically  making it so you have to play one way or else you will suck every round regardless of your tactics.  Everything does feel like its range oriented, the mantis doesnt feel that useful against people with dmrs, they can just go the back of the map, and shoot it when it appears.  Its huge, the dmr does significant damage in no time.  

  One other thing is grenages, they seem more like a tool to force you to move into a location, more than to actually cause death.  Everyone can move so fast, and the grenade indicator makes it easy to know.  I notice how the enemy team just openly attacks, and they just throw all their nades at once, because that is the only way to really make them useful...  I notice people just try to stickie you, hell I often ignore nades.  

  I just checked the forum, and on November 13, someone said how the dmr is op...  I think it took the gernal public a coupel months, but everyone is not doing the same thing.  Here is the worst thing, every match feels like they are all using the same tactics.  Not sure if I mentioned, but the players suck they do everything without really thinking.  I dont bother get in a warthog, all people do is ram it in no matter what, they never use some caution....  It feels like a racing game with the addition of guns.

If you are good with a weapon, YOU ARE GOOD WITH THAT WEAPON, in Halo, the better player wins.

I used the AR one match in Regicide to do a daily challenge - I won with 28-9 score and 20 AR kills. For the other 99% of the time when I'm using a BR/DMR, I get gunned down by ARs close range in 1v1 situations pretty regularly. Automatics, especially the AR received a significant buff compared to the useless Reach AR, and it has a clear advantage close range - if I don't get a 5-shot against an automatic in close range, I die most of the time.

Seems to me you want to run in straight lines around the map randomly shooting at players and hopping all around with an automatic rifle without any considerations for positioning, map control, power weapon control, grenade usage, baiting strategy, or any semblance of anything skill intensive. That's not how FPS games were meant to be played, especially not Halo.

If you want AR starts only, then you'd be getting shot to death by pistols and nades instead of DMRs and Boltshots, and I bet you'd still complain the AR wasn't strong enough. You can't expect to use any gun any way you want and be successful. The AR is meant as a close range weapon, and it's very successful as such. Position yourself within AR range and outside Boltshot range, and you will do better.

Your playstyle is flawed by it's nature - the game is doing its job completely right. Either shut up and learn how to play the game right (doesn't mean you have to give up your AR btw) or don't play the game at all.

  The TC is absolutely right, this game is unbalanced.  I just played several hours (been a long time since I have been online).  I remember using the assault rifle to great effect, but somehow it sucks now.  Did Bungie change the game making it useless? Bungie didn't make Halo 4, it's 343 Industries, although a lot of people who wanted to keep working on Halo left Bungie.

I notice no one uses assault rifle, its DMR and Bullshot (more like Bull$hit) combo with Promethean vision and Rocket pack. That's because the AR has limited use - it's a good close-range weapon but nothing more.

And you know what is bs?  The rocket pack goes pretty far up, I cant even gun them down with the assault rifle, they use the dmr and just shoot my head off! The jetpack is nothing like it was in Reach where you could hover with it for a while - in H4 it's really only to help you get up on higher spot in the maps quicker.

I think I am playing on Saturday night so there must be the hardcore players on, and I was seriously lagging.  But even then when I decided to try the dmr I could get kills MUCH easiers.  Also I notice how useless the vehicles are, the dmrs blow them up. A single person shooting a vehicle with a DMR takes a long time and several clips to destroy it - if a whole team is shooting at a vehicle it will go down quicker, but you can't expect to bring a vehicle into a crowd of enemies without getting a lot of attention.

And you know what is really bs, how everything is about rushing, not really about tactics per se, but just how fast you move around. I don't know who you're playing against, but this game is all about tactics. If you put yourself in a bad situation, you will lose no matter how skilled you are. This game plays much faster than Reach, closer to the speed of Halo 3 online, but unless you're playing against very aggressive people, it's certainly not all about rushing. This statement is just plain false.

The assault of is so bad that they dont even care when I am shooting them, they just run up to me and melee...   AR + melee is very effective and people kill me like that often if I get caught off-guard in a close range situation. I don't know what the hell you're doing with an AR and dying to melee, but that's your fault more often than not. If you're using an AR and still don't win most of your close range encounters, you're doing something seriously wrong dude.

  The thing about long range is SO freakin true, especially on ragnarok, I cant use the assault rifle!?  Look at the cover of the game, IT SHOWS THE ASSAULT RIFLE! No you can't use an AR on Ragnarok, that's just plain stupid. The cover of the game means nothing, ARs have no place on a map like Ragnarok. Was anyone using anything other than BRs on Valhalla in Halo 3? Hell no, that makes absolutely no sense on a long range map. Automatic weapons should never be used in Big Team slayer unless you've also got a long rang rifle like a DMR.

I played a couple months ago, but I havent really played a serious ammount in a while, and now I come back and its like a completely different game.  I honestly never knew the BS could kill in ONE HIT!  I could understand like taking your shields out, but THAT IS BS!  Not even the shotgun is that good.  And it basically auto hits, you dont have to get it just right, its just kind of like you close enough, and they die.  I noticed I kept dieing in  one hit and was sayying "how did that happen?"  I didnt know the BS could be charged up and used like that. The Boltshot is definitely overpowered as it is, but the one shot kill has to be aimed perfectly to work. A lot of players have mastered it which is why you may think it's very easy, but in reality you need good timing and great aim to get the one-shot kill (unless the opponent is already hurt). It's certainly not as good as any shotgun, but it is a handy tool to defend against players who rush you with automatic weapons, which are pretty powerful in H4 compared to older games and will kill very quick in close range.

Another thing is promethean vision is definately beings used a lot, I cant even hide anymore...  If you need to hide often, that means you're putting yourself out of position on the map often, plain and simple. Try to stick with your team a bit more so you have some backup if you're losing a gunfight, and you shouldn't try to attack the other team alone, especially if they're in groups.

 I have played Halo since the beginning, and online I am always like "time to die!" *they all die*...  But right now I feel like tactics are meaningless. That's far from the truth. There's a lot of variety in this game and a lot of different armor abilities and tactical/strategy perks to allow for many different playstyles.

I notice that the hardcore Halo players dont use the assault rifle, they just rush everything really fast, and hop around because they can jump so fast and move left to right.  This game is feeling like a cluster fvck more than a tactical game. The AR and other automatic weapons were never "hardcore" or MLG-type weapons, and they're useless outside close-midrange in gunfights. At this point, I'm starting to think that maybe you're just not that great of a player so when opponents encounter you, they feel they can win so they will attack you in 1v1 situations. If you've got an AR, they will win with a BR/DMR if they keep a bit of distance. Also, moving side-to-side while shooting is called strafing and it's a very basic strategy in online shooters that you'll see in any game where it takes more than 2-3 shots to kill someone. The hopping is also for the same reason - to throw off the aim of your opponent so you have an advantage in the gunfight.

The main thing is everyone just seems to run like its a fvcking football game!  What is going on, why is everyone rushing so freakin much? The game can be a clusterfvck at times, but if you feel like it is all the time and you're getting overwhelmed, then try playing with a team or just practice more until you understand the flow of the game. You'll start to see the strategy to it over time as you get better.  

  With promethean vision, you basically dont have to be careful, you know if someone is behind those rocks (and even when they are cloaked). No I'm pretty sure promethean vision won't let you see players with camo on if they're behind an obstacle. I can double-check, but I think you're wrong here.

This game is being exploited to death, its basically  making it so you have to play one way or else you will suck every round regardless of your tactics. No you definitely don't have to play one way. I see plenty of different strategies and styles of play being used successfully every game. I think it's more likely that you are set on playing a certain way and either it's not suited well to the playlist or situations you get into in the game, or you're just not that good at the game and complaining because you suck.

Everything does feel like its range oriented, the mantis doesnt feel that useful against people with dmrs, they can just go the back of the map, and shoot it when it appears.  Its huge, the dmr does significant damage in no time. Everything IS range-oriented. That's a major part of the strategy in the game - where you are, where your teammates are, and where your opponents are. If you want to use an AR, you'll have to get in closer-ranged encounters to be successful, but you can't just rush in commando without your teammates because you will get torn apart regardless. With a DMR, longer ranges benefit you, but if you camp for a while and have no teammates around you, you will eventually get hunted down and killed. With a mantis, you can't expect to go out into the open on the enemy side of the map without getting torn apart by DMRs, snipers, grenades, and plasma pistol bursts. You need to have cover around and bait the enemy in, and you need to be patient and you will get your kills. I know it might seems almost counter-intuitive because you're in a big bad-ass mech with rockets and a machine gun, but patience and proper positioning on the map is key to success with a mantis.

  One other thing is grenages, they seem more like a tool to force you to move into a location, more than to actually cause death.  Everyone can move so fast, and the grenade indicator makes it easy to know.  I notice how the enemy team just openly attacks, and they just throw all their nades at once, because that is the only way to really make them useful...  I notice people just try to stickie you, hell I often ignore nades. H4's grenades, once again, are more like H3 than Reach. The range is not that wide on frags or plasma nades, so you need good aim and great timing to do real damage with nades, especially frags, but you'll get better over time. Grenades were almost useless to me at first, but now I get a few kills a game with them and they're very useful when used properly. They're effective for offense and defense.

  I just checked the forum, and on November 13, someone said how the dmr is op...  I think it took the gernal public a coupel months, but everyone is not doing the same thing.  Here is the worst thing, every match feels like they are all using the same tactics. Yes, certain tactics are more popular than others, but there are plenty of others that are effective too. The DMR is the most popular gun because it's the most versatile - the bloom is minimal, it has longer range than the BR and shoots fast enough up close to remain effective in more close-quarter situations. It's a bit OP because it does shoot a little faster than the BR - I'm hoping they slow it down just a bit to fix that. But the BR is great midrange and much easier to pick off headshots than the DMR - it also lets you kill someone in 1 burst if their shields are low enough before they're one-shot. If you wanna use an AR, Regicide is great, objectives like Oddball or KOTH are good, you can even use them in regular infinity slayer as long as you're not on complex. You can't use automatic weapons in Big Team or on huge maps, but remember you also can't expect to win in close range gunfights with a BR/DMR against an AR all the time either.

Not sure if I mentioned, but the players suck they do everything without really thinking.  I dont bother get in a warthog, all people do is ram it in no matter what, they never use some caution....  It feels like a racing game with the addition of guns. I don't know what you're trying to say but it just makes no sense. Warthogs were never that great unless they had a gauss cannon or a rocket cannon on them, and frankly they're more useful to distract your opponents rather than to actually get a whole bunch of kills with the turret. Also, it feels like a racing game? I don't know how to respond to that, it's just a nonsensical comparison.

mahlasor

I'm sorry but most of your complaints are just plain false or BS. This sounds a lot like the complaints of a guy who just doesn't understand the game very well and isn't that good at it.

Just thought I'd say, I'm not phenomenal at this game or anything, but I use the AR 75% of the time with the stock pistol and I've got a decent k/d ratio. It would be a lot better if I hadn't sucked so hard in the beginning. 

You have to take the map into consideration. Long range maps, don't bother with the AR unless you have it as a secondary weapon with Firepower. But, smaller/medium range maps you can dominate with the AR and using the pistol as a medium range weapon to draw them in or nail some head shots. I do agree the DMR is overpowered though.