CE:Assault Rifle

Assault Rifle
Gameplay role
Faction:	Human (UNSC)
Weapon tier (?):	Tier-1 Loadout weapon
Weapon class (?):	Assault rifle
Weapon type (?):	Kinetic weapon
Firing mode:	Automatic
Effective range:	Close to medium
Counterparts:	Covenant Needler Plasma Rifle
Weapon stats
Damage:	10
Damage type (?):	assault rifle\bullet
Projectile speed:	324 wu/s
Hitscan range (?):	10.8 wu
Max range:	40 wu
Rate of fire:	15 rounds per second
Spread (?):	2 to 6.5 degrees
Magazine size:	60 rounds
Reserve ammo capacity:	600 rounds (10 magazines)
Tag name (?):	assault rifle

The Assault Rifle is a weapon featured in Halo: Combat Evolved and its remaster, Combat Evolved Anniversary. It is one of the most common weapons throughout the game, and has since gone on to appear in nearly all subsequent games in the series.

Information on the Assault Rifle found in Halo: Campaign Evolved can be found here.

Universe and lore

Main article: MA5B assault rifle

In the original Combat Evolved, the Assault Rifle featured is the MA5B assault rifle; a 7.62x51mm rifle in the MA5 series utilised by the UNSC Marine Corps and UNSC Navy.

In Anniversary, the weapon's model was replaced with that of the MA5C assault rifle from Halo 3, though in-game materials still refer to it using all of the original CE designations. Despite this, the original CE design is considered the canonical MA5B in reference texts released since.

The Evolved MA5 weapon skin featured in Halo Infinite was designed to reference the original Combat Evolved MA5B.

Gameplay

Counterparts

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  Plasma Rifle

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  Needler

Campaign

The Assault Rifle's HUD icon.

The Assault Rifle is one of the most common weapons found throughout the campaign of Combat Evolved. It is a starting weapon in almost every single level save the the first, and is wielded by both Marines and Flood-infected Marines. As such, it can be easily found in every level in UNSC weapon caches, on dead Marines, or carried by enemy Flood forms.

Overall, the Assault Rifle is a well-balanced weapon that makes it suitable for most scenarios, save for long range. It has a high rate of fire and large magazine, making it well-suited for clearing crowds of enemies and attacking unshielded targets. It is weakest when faced with the energy shields of Elite, meaning that it pairs well with plasma weapons. The high rate-of-fire, spread, and magazine capacity make it particularly effective for dealing with swarms of Infection Forms.

The Assault Rifle has a flashlight mounted below the barrel, which can be used in the campaign to illuminate dark spaces. The shroud on top of the weapon also features a compass, though this points to the gas giant Threshold seen in most of the game's skyboxes due to the lack of a "North" on Installation 04. This can be useful in some of the more mazelike levels in the game.

Multiplayer

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Damage Modifiers

Assault Rifle bullet - Halo: Combat Evolved damage modifiers
dirt	sand	stone	snow	wood	metal (hollow)	metal (thin)	metal (thick)	rubber	glass	force field	grunt	hunter armor	hunter skin	elite	jackal	jackal energy shield	engineer	engineer force field	flood combat form	flood carrier form	cyborg	cyborg energy shield	armored human	human	sentinel	monitor	plastic	water	leaves	elite energy shield	ice	hunter shield
0	0	0	0	0	0.25	0.25	0.25	0.25	1	0	1	0.5	0.5	1	1	0	0.6	0	0.65	0.65	1	1	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0.7	0	0

Skins

In the Combat Evolved component of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, there are a number of weapon skins for the Assault Rifle.

Assault Rifle v • d • e
Icon	Name	Description	Unlock requirements
	Default	Default skin.	Unlocked by default
	Desert	Looks very stylish with a poncho.	Series 2, Tier 1 ( 1)
	Woodland	Camping is a legitimate strategy.	Series 2, Tier 29 ( 1)
	Squirt	It's good under pressure.	Series 2, Tier 46 ( 1)
	Corrosion	The Oxidation Sensation.	Series 2, Tier 69 ( 1)
	Great Journey	Don't worry... I know what the aliens like.	Series 2, Tier 83 ( 1)
	Lucky Shot	But you had something they didn't...	Series 2, Tier 100 ( 1)
	Golden	Bling on the ring.	Series 2 Challenge: Thanks, Misriah Defeat 300 opponents with the Assault Rifle in any game mode.

Production notes

Early revisions of the Assault Rifle seemingly take influence from a number of sources, including the MA–75B assault rifle from the Marathon series and the M41A Pulse Rifle from Aliens - a film which Halo is heavily based upon. Some of these early RTS and third-person era assault rifles also displayed obvious outward similarities to the Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW) program which was active in the 1990s (around the time Halo began development) and the Morita assault rifle from 1997's Starship Troopers - the former of which likely inspired the MA5's in-universe designation "Individual Combat Weapon System" (ICWS), while the latter was similarly-influential on the Halo series as Aliens. This early OICW-inspired design can be seen firing an underbarrel grenade launcher.

The Assault Rifle design gradually evolved throughout the rest of 1999 into a design more familiar to fans of the final game. PC Gamer's October 1999 issue would run a piece showcasing an updated screenshot with an Assault Rifle bearing much heavier resemblance to the final iteration. This version of the assault rifle has a black steel frame and green furniture, similar to the Aliens M41 rifle, and has the addition of a secondary magazine located in front of the trigger - presumably used to reload the grenade launcher. A version of the Assault Rifle later seen in the third-person builds of Halo boasted the name MA-5 ICW/30mm CGL (possibly standing for something akin to Model A-5 Individual Combat Weapon/30mm Caseless Grenade Launcher).

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  Early 1998-era concept art by Robert McLees.

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  The original 1998 RTS-era revision.

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  The 1999 E3-era revision.

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  The 1999 MacWorld-era revision.

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  The 2000-era assault rifle revision.

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  The MA5B seen in the final game.

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  A May 1999-era screenshot of the map room showcased in that year's E3 event, showcasing an assault rifle more overtly inspired by the OICW program.

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  The OICW-inspired rifle firing its grenade launcher.

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  1999 concept art by Shi Kai Wang - the Marines here showcase more recognisable designs for the assault rifle.

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  Master Chief using the 1999-era assault rifle.

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  Master Chief using the assault rifle in the 1999-era builds of Halo.

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  The MA5B on the cover of Gamestar magazine in May 2000. By this time, the assault rifle resembled the final iteration in all but colour scheme - though still retains its secondary magazine.

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  A later iteration of the assault rifle can be seen wielded closer to mid-late 2000. In this iteration, the grenade launcher magazine has been removed, and the foregrip enlarged.

Gallery

Halo: Combat Evolved

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  The MA5B in Halo: Combat Evolved.

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  In-game side view of the MA5B in Halo: Combat Evolved.

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  The MA5B viewed in different angles.

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  The MJOLNIR HUD, showing the targeting reticule for the MA5B and ammo readout.

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  Down the barrel of an MA5B.

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  Marines using MA5Bs.

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  Marines on Installation 04 with MA5Bs.

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  John-117 and a Marine with an MA5B.

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  Master Chief firing an Assault Rifle.

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  A Halo: Combat Evolved MA5B with the Lucky Shot skin in Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

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  First person view of the MA5B with the Woodland skin.

Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary

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  The Assault Rifle as viewed in the Library feature of Combat Evolved Anniversary. Despite using the MA5C model, the weapon is still referred to by its original MA5B designation.

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  A player using the Assault Rifle in the remastered 343 Guilty Spark swamps.

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  A player using the Assault Rifle on The Pillar of Autumn.

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  A player using the Assault Rifle on The Pillar of Autumn.

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  Bisenti using an Assault Rifle.

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  Several Marines using Assault Rifles on The Truth and Reconciliation.