Since its Friday release, I’ve spent much of this weekend playing Splitgate: Advanced Warfare. Having put a good amount of time into the various maps and modes, here’s a look at which weapons are worth picking up, and how to use them.
“Tier Lists” are largely subjective for arena shooters such as Splitgate, so treat these rankings as a gauge for whether a weapon is worth putting yourself in danger to pick them up.
Top Tier
Sniper
- Firing Mode: Semi-Auto
- Magazine Size: 4
- Effective Range: Any
The sniper in Splitgate is a beautiful thing, and feels just like the rifle from Halo 3.
It kills with one shot to the head or two to the body, but it’s usually worth pairing it with a pistol or battle rifle so you can finish off body-shots with a quick switch of your weapons.
Don’t be afraid to hip fire it in a pinch, the shot will stay within the reticle at the centre of your screen, so this can be a beast at close range, too.
Railgun
- Firing Mode: Charge
- Magazine Size: 100% (5 shots)
- Effective Range: Any
Splitgate‘s railgun functions just like the Spartan Laser from Halo 3. Hold down the fire button until the charge bar maxes out, and watch death pour forth.
This weapon is accurate at long range, but can pierce through enemies and score sweet collateral kills, so don’t be too afraid to get up close and personal in the enemy base with it.
A fully charged shot will kill full-health enemies at any range.
High Tier
Rocket Launcher
- Firing Mode: Single Fire
- Magazine Size: 2
- Effective Range: Close/Medium
The rocket launcher is still a power weapon worth rushing to collect, but it misses out on a spot amongst the elite due to a few shortcomings.
Compared to the launchers you may know from the Halo series, this one fires a little slower, takes a little longer to reload, and doesn’t have the biggest splash damage radius.
It’s still incredibly effective in objective game modes, though, so don’t hesitate to rush this if you’re playing KOTH or Oddball. Hitting the floor near enemies can score instant kills, but be ready to swap weapons and mop up any stragglers.
Shotgun
- Firing Mode: Pump Action
- Magazine Size: 4
- Effective Range: Close
As with the rocket launcher, Splitgate‘s shotgun is very much a power weapon, but it’s far from overpowered.
You can kill enemies in a single shot from close range, but even a slight distance will require two or three shots to take them down. With a slow pump action animation, you may not have time for this luxury.
Battle Rifle
- Firing Mode: Three Round Burst
- Magazine Size: 30
- Effective Range: Any
Moving into the weapons you’ll see more often, the battle rifle is the same three round burst powerhouse you remember from Halo 3.
Three accurate bursts to the head will net you a kill, though it’s more likely to take four or five bursts if the target isn’t stationery.
Ideal for mid-long ranges, pick this up if you’re planning to stay just outside the action and provide overwatch.
Mid Tier
SMG
- Firing Mode: Full-Auto
- Magazine Size: 50
- Effective Range: Close
Narrowly missing out on High Tier is the sub-machine gun. This weapon is extremely lethal up close, with an ideal range somewhere between the shotgun and assault rifle.
The rate of fire is enough to outgun either of these weapons if you’re accurate enough. From medium distance, however, you will notice other weapons taking you down before you can match their damage output.
Pistol
- Firing Mode: Semi-Auto
- Magazine Size: 10
- Effective Range: Medium/Far
Most gametypes start you off with a pistol as your secondary, and it’s a solid backup weapon for range or mopping up low health enemies after your primary runs dry.
Though it is very reminiscent of the Halo 2 Magnum, it’s outclassed by the battle rifle as it’s easier to miss single shots than it is bursts of three. It’s still capable of killing in three shots to the head, but it’s far riskier than the BR.
Assault Rifle
- Firing Mode: Full-Auto
- Magazine Size: 35
- Effective Range: Close/Medium
The bread-and-butter weapon of most game types. It isn’t necessarily bad, but at a medium range you’ll often find enemies won’t die from a full magazine if they have decent strafing.
It does have a scope, but it shouldn’t be relied on. Pick up a battle rifle or swap to your pistol if you’re trying to finish off an enemy at range.
And aim for the head. It sounds silly, but you can win 1-on-1 gunfights surprisingly easily if a few of your bullets hit their head.
Low Tier
Plasma Rifle
- Firing Mode: Full-Auto (Overheat)
- Magazine Size: 100% (100 shots)
- Effective Range: Close/Medium
The only weapon I consider truly underpowered is the plasma rifle. This thing overheats insanely quickly, and gets outgunned by the assault rifle and SMG with ease.
I’d only recommend picking it up if you’re low on ammo with your other weapons.
Have your own opinions on Splitgate: Advanced Warfare‘s weapons? Leave your tier list in the comments below, or let us know what you think.
