Gameplay

Sniper Rifle

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This article is about the weapon featured in most Halo games. For other uses of the term "sniper rifle", see its disambiguation page.
Sniper Rifle
Cutout of the S7 Sniper in Halo Infinite
Gameplay role

Faction:

Human (UNSC)

Weapon tier (?):

Tier-3 Power weapon

Weapon class (?):

Sniper rifle

Weapon type (?):

Kinetic Precision weapon

Firing mode:

Semi-automatic

Effective range:

Long to medium

Counterparts:

Covenant
Beam Rifle
Focus Rifle
Banished
Shock Rifle
Skewer
Stalker Rifle
Forerunner
Binary Rifle
Weapon stats

Damage:

High

Projectile speed:

Very high, near instantaneous

Rate of fire:

Low

Accuracy:

Very high

Magazine size:

4 rounds

Zoom:

Varies

 

The Sniper Rifle, sometimes shortened to just Sniper or Snipes, and known in Halo Infinite as the S7 Sniper, is a human precision power weapon featured in all major Halo games, starting with Halo: Combat Evolved. It is a long-range weapon which typically has two levels of scope, and is best used to pick off enemies at a great distance. The Sniper deals a large amount of damage per shot, but has a slow rate of fire and usually only carries four shots per magazine.

Universe and lore[edit]

Main article: Sniper rifle (fiction)

Most of the sniper rifles seen in the Halo games belong to the SRS99 family, a series of rifles produced by Misriah Armory for the United Nations Space Command armed forces. The original SRS99 AM rifle entered service in 2460 with the UNSC Army, and the SRS99 series was eventually adopted by all remaining branches in 2521, thanks to its impressive modularity and continuing support on behalf of Misriah.[1] Having gone through at least four further revisions since its initial adoption, the series remains in service as of 2558, with the Series-5 model being in mass production at that time.[2]

Another prominent sniper rifle is the M99 Stanchion, a now-defunct weapon that has been out of production since 2521.[3] The Stanchion bears more resemblance to a coilgun or railgun than a traditional chemical propellant-based firearm, using electromagnetism to launch its projectiles.[4] It was used by the crew of the UNSC Spirit of Fire during the Second Ark Conflict, along with another sniper rifle known as the signature-suppressed anti-materiel rifle.[5][6] Additionally, an Insurrectionist group active on Harvest and Arcadia was known to equip its soldiers with an as-of-yet unidentified sniper rifle.[7]

The following is a list of all sniper rifles in Halo lore that have appeared in the games:

Overview[edit]

The Sniper Rifle is a powerful precision weapon, featured in every notable Halo game since the series' inception in Halo: Combat Evolved. Typically dark grey or black in color, the weapon features one of the longest barrels of any weapon, as well as a large boxy scope and a prominent stock, making it very easy to identify. It is capable of killing enemy players in as little as one or two shots depending upon accuracy, and deals a large amount of damage. To compensate for this, it has a slow rate of fire compared to most weapons, usually only carries four shots per magazine, and is very rare.

Counterparts[edit]

The most prominent counterpart to the Sniper Rifle is the Covenant's Beam Rifle, a long-range weapon with two levels of zoom, which is similar in operation to the Sniper Rifle. The Beam Rifle was first introduced in Halo 2, but has reappeared in several games since. It fires a beam of light with a practically instant travel time, which behaves similarly to a Sniper Rifle bullet; a hit to the body will remove an opponent's shields, whereas a headshot will instantly kill them. Unlike the Sniper, however, the Beam Rifle uses a battery system for its ammo, typically with ten shots in total, and the weapon cannot be reloaded. In most games, the weapon will overheat after two or three shots in rapid succession.

Another Covenant counterpart to the Sniper Rifle is the Focus Rifle, first introduced in Halo: Reach. Unlike the Sniper Rifle and Beam Rifle, the Focus Rifle fires a continuous beam not unlike that of the Sentinel Beam, which deals heavy damage to enemy units, but will overheat if fired continuously for too long. However, the Focus Rifle takes longer to kill enemies than the Sniper Rifle does, and the brightly colored beam will expose the location of the player. Like the Beam Rifle, the Focus Rifle uses a battery ammo system, and cannot be reloaded. It also has two zoom levels, similar to the Sniper and Beam Rifle.

The Forerunner counterpart to the Sniper Rifle is known as the Binary Rifle. This rifle operates using a similar ammunition system as the Sniper Rifle, albeit with two shots per magazine rather than four. It features two levels of zoom, just as the Sniper does, however with one major difference: whilst zoomed, a distinct red targeting laser will shine out from the barrel - even before the weapon is fired - which will alert enemies to the fact they're being targeted, and will also highlight the user's location. The projectile fired by the Binary Rifle varies by game. In Halo 4, it fires a bolt of light that travels instantaneously and will always immediately kill an enemy player regardless of where it hits them. In Halo 5: Guardians, it fires a continuous beam for a brief period of time, which deals very heavy damage and can easily kill an enemy player if held on them for long enough - though the strong recoil can make this difficult.

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Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary[edit]

Sniper Rifle
S2 AM Sniper Rifle.png
Gameplay role

Counterparts:

None

Weapon stats

Damage:

101 (can headshot)

Damage type (?):

sniper bullet

Projectile speed:

1000 wu/s

Max range:

1000 wu

Rate of fire:

2 rounds per second

Spread (?):

0.5 degrees
0 degrees zoomed

Reserve ammo capacity:

24 rounds (6 magazines)

Zoom:

2x to 8x magnification

Tag name (?):

sniper rifle [8]

 
Main article: First-person shooter

Campaign[edit]

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Multiplayer[edit]

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Changes from Halo: Combat Evolved to Halo PC, Halo: Custom Edition, and Halo: CEA[edit]

  • Maximum telescopic zoom reduced from 10× to 8× (This change was carried over from international releases of Halo: Combat Evolved and is a visual only change. It does not affect the sniper's performance in any way).

Changes from Halo: CEA to Halo: The Master Chief Collection[edit]

  • Reduced the size of the Anniversary graphics reticle.
  • Maximum telescopic zoom reverted back from 8× to 10×.

Halo 2 and Halo 2: Anniversary[edit]

Sniper Rifle
H2-SRS99CS2AM-Angles.png
Gameplay role

Counterparts:

Covenant
Beam Rifle
Weapon stats

Damage:

45 (can headshot)
2x vs shields

Damage type (?):

Generic: bullet_fast

Specific: sniper

Projectile speed:

1200 wu/s

Max range:

120 wu

Rate of fire:

0.5s fire recovery time
(2 rounds per second)

Spread (?):

0.5 degrees
0 degrees zoomed

Reserve ammo capacity:

20 rounds (5 magazines)

Zoom:

3.5x to 9.5x magnification

Melee damage (?):

strike_melee

Tag name (?):

sniper_rifle [9]

 

Campaign[edit]

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Multiplayer[edit]

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Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST[edit]

Sniper Rifle
H3-SRS99D-S2AM-Profile.png
Gameplay role

Counterparts:

Covenant
Beam Rifle
Weapon stats

Damage:

H3
80 (can headshot)
ODST
120 (can headshot)
0.5x vs shields

Damage type (?):

Generic: bullet_fast

Specific: sniper

Projectile speed:

1200 wu/s

Max range:

500 wu

Rate of fire:

0.7s fire recovery time
(~1.4 rounds per second)

Spread (?):

0.5 degrees
0 degrees zoomed

Recoil:

0.5 degrees per shot

Reserve ammo capacity:

20 rounds (5 magazines)

Zoom:

4x to 9x magnification

Melee damage (?):

strike_melee

Tag name (?):

sniper_rifle [10] [11]

 

Campaign and Firefight[edit]

  • In the mission Sierra 117 there is a downed Pelican at Rally Point Alpha and a UNSC supply box with two sniper rifles. After the Hunter encounter on The Storm where a hammer wielding Brute Chieftain is encountered, the room to the far left contains a sniper rifle.
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Multiplayer[edit]

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Changes from Halo 3 to ODST[edit]

  • Bullet damage vs shields decreased to 50%
  • Damage increased from 80 to 120.

Halo: Reach[edit]

Sniper Rifle
HReach-SRS99AM-SniperRifle-RightSide.png
Gameplay role

Counterparts:

Covenant
Focus Rifle
Weapon stats

Damage:

80 (can headshot)

Damage type (?):

sniper

Projectile speed:

6000 wu/s

Max range:

500 wu

Rate of fire:

0.75s fire recovery time
(~1.333 rounds per second)

Spread (?):

Default
0.08 to 4 degrees
Title Update 1
0.08 to 3.4 degrees

Reserve ammo capacity:

20 rounds (5 magazines)

Zoom:

4x to 10x magnification

Melee damage (?):

strike_melee

Tag name (?):

sniper_rifle [12]

 

Campaign and Firefight[edit]

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Multiplayer[edit]

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Changes from Halo: Reach to Title Update 1[edit]

  • Bloom reduced to 85%.

Halo 4[edit]

Sniper Rifle
H4-SniperRifle.png
Gameplay role

Counterparts:

Covenant
Beam Rifle
Forerunner
Binary Rifle
Weapon stats

Damage:

80 (can headshot)

Damage type (?):

sniper

Projectile speed:

2799 wu/s

Max range:

500 wu

Rate of fire:

0.7666667s fire recovery time
(~1.3 rounds per second)

Spread (?):

0.05 degrees

Reserve ammo capacity:

16 rounds (4 magazines)
20 rounds with Ammo Mod

Zoom:

4x to 9x magnification

Melee damage (?):

strike_melee

Tag name (?):

storm_sniper_rifle [13]

 

Campaign and Spartan Ops[edit]

  • In the Campaign, the Sniper Rifle is first obtained in Requiem. It appears again in Reclaimer.
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Multiplayer[edit]

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Halo 2: Anniversary Multiplayer[edit]

Sniper Rifle
H2A SRS99.png
Gameplay role

Counterparts:

Covenant
Beam Rifle
Weapon stats

Damage:

45 (can headshot)
2x vs shields

Damage type (?):

sniper

Projectile speed:

10000 wu/s

Max range:

120 wu

Rate of fire:

0.5s fire recovery time
(2 rounds per second)

Spread (?):

0.5 degrees
0.05 degrees zoomed

Reserve ammo capacity:

16 rounds (4 magazines)

Zoom:

4x to 9x magnification

Melee damage (?):

strike_melee

Tag name (?):

h2a_sniper_rifle [14]

 

Multiplayer[edit]

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Halo 5: Guardians[edit]

Disclaimer: all below statistics are derived from unofficial tools and may be inaccurate
Sniper Rifle
H5G-SRS99S5.png
Gameplay role

Counterparts:

Covenant
Beam Rifle
Forerunner
Binary Rifle
Weapon stats

Damage:

80 (can headshot)

Damage type (?):

sniper

Projectile speed:

2799 wu/s

Max range:

500 wu

Rate of fire:

0.75s fire recovery time
(~1.333 rounds per second)

Spread (?):

0.05 degrees

Reserve ammo capacity:

16 rounds (4 magazines)
20 rounds with Ammo Mod

Zoom:

4x to 9x magnification

Melee damage (?):

strike_melee

Tag name (?):

sniper_rifle

Variants and attachments

Halo 5 REQ variant(s):

 

Campaign[edit]

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Multiplayer and Warzone[edit]

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Unlock and acquisition requirements[edit]

In Halo 5: Guardians' campaign and Arena multiplayer modes, the Sniper Rifle can be found on the level or map as usual, and does not need to be unlocked.[15][16]

However, in Warzone, the weapon can only be acquired via the REQ system. To unlock the Sniper Rifle, the player must acquire a Sniper Rifle certification, an Uncommon REQ card that can be found randomly in any REQ pack that can contain Uncommon cards. Upon receiving the certification, the player will also be given a number of Sniper Rifle REQ cards, and will begin to randomly receive more when opening future packs. Each of these cards can be redeemed in a Warzone match to spawn a Sniper Rifle, at the cost of 6 energy. Doing so will consume the card. Alternatively, the cards can be sold for REQ Points 75 each.[17][18]


REQ information
Category Power weapon
Rarity Uncommon
Energy cost 6 energy
Sale price REQ Points 75

Variants[edit]

End of the Line[edit]
End of the Line in Halo 5: Guardians.
Main article: End of the Line

"All good things must come to and end. Improved Sniper Rifle with reduced recoil, but emphasis on faster rate-of-fire has slightly reduced damage."
— REQ description[19]

End of the Line is a Rare REQ variant of the Sniper Rifle, featured in Halo 5: Guardians. It boasts a faster rate of fire and significantly reduced recoil, but deals slightly less damage per shot - though it is still capable of killing an enemy player in two body shots or one headshot. Should the player have an End of the Line REQ card, the weapon can be acquired in Warzone via the REQ system for a cost of 6 energy, or alternatively the card can be sold for REQ Points 100.[19]

REQ information
Category Power weapon
Rarity Rare
Energy cost 6 energy
Sale price REQ Points 100
Arrow of Time[edit]
Arrow of Time in Halo 5: Guardians.
Main article: Arrow of Time

"There's no going back. Advanced Sniper Rifle with extended magazine and heavy-duty cyberlink that prevents descope. Unfortunately, the weapon does have extra recoil to compensate for."
— REQ description[20]

Arrow of Time is an Ultra-Rare REQ variant of the Sniper Rifle in Halo 5: Guardians. It features a larger magazine than the standard Sniper, with 6 shots instead of 4, and the player will not be descoped when shot whilst zoomed in with the weapon. However, it also has increased recoil compared to the normal Sniper Rifle. Its REQ card costs 7 energy to use in-game, or can be sold for REQ Points 150.[20]

REQ information
Category Power weapon
Rarity Ultra-Rare
Energy cost 7 energy
Sale price REQ Points 150
Nornfang[edit]
Nornfang in Halo 5: Guardians.
Main article: Nornfang

"A master-crafter instrument of death and destruction. Mythic Sniper Rifle firing high explosive armor piercing (APHE) rounds that increases overall damage. In addition, Linda's modifications ensure the Motion Tracker is visible even when using Zoom."
— REQ description[21]

Nornfang is a Mythic, Legendary REQ variant of the Sniper Rifle in Halo 5: Guardians, and is the personal sniper rifle of the SPARTAN-II Linda-058. The weapon fires rounds that explode on impact, dealing damage to any nearby enemies, and instantly killing them if hit directly. Additionally, when scoped in, the motion sensor will not be hidden while using Nornfang. To balance this out, the player gains the Damage Boost visual effect when they equip the weapon, making them very easy to spot. Nornfang can be requisitioned in Warzone for 7 energy, provided the player has a spare Nornfang REQ card, or alternatively the card can be sold for REQ Points 200.[21]

Nornfang also appears in Halo 5: Guardians' campaign. It can be found abandoned in the troop bay of the ONI Acrisius on the level Unconfirmed, and on the Blue Team missions in co-op, the player playing as Linda-058 will spawn with the weapon at the start of the level (but not upon respawning). However, in campaign, the weapon is significantly less powerful, retaining none of its bonus abilities from the multiplayer.[15]

REQ information
Category Power weapon
Rarity Legendary, Mythic
Energy cost 7 energy
Sale price REQ Points 200

Halo Infinite[edit]

Disclaimer: all below statistics are derived from unofficial tools and may be inaccurate
S7 Sniper
Cutout of an S7 Sniper in Halo Infinite.
Gameplay role

Counterparts:

Banished
Shock Rifle
Skewer
Stalker Rifle
Weapon stats

Damage:

SP: 161 (can headshot)

MP: 143 (can headshot)

Damage type (?):

Kinetic

Projectile speed:

600 wu/s

Max range:

500 wu

Rate of fire:

0.5s fire recovery time
(~1.11 rounds per second)

Spread (?):

SP: ~0.573 to ~1.146 degrees

MP: 0 to ~0.573 degrees

Reserve ammo capacity:

16 rounds (4 magazines)

Zoom:

5x to 10x magnification

Melee damage (?):

SP: strike_melee

MP: strike_melee_mp

Tag name (?):

sniper_rifle

Variants and attachments

Halo Infinite variant(s):

 

Campaign[edit]

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Multiplayer[edit]

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Unlock and acquisition requirements[edit]

In Halo Infinite's multiplayer modes, the Sniper Rifle can be found spawning on the map, as usual. In campaign, it can also spawn in certain locations on the open-world map and in missions, but to unlock it for on-demand spawning at FOBs, the player must earn 1,500 total Valor. After this, it can be summoned at any point from the weapon crates at any FOB, at no cost.[22]

Variants[edit]

S7 Flexfire Sniper[edit]

The S7 Flexfire Sniper is a variant of the S7 Sniper, seen in Halo Infinite. Its magazine capacity is increased to 10, and it can hold 4 magazines (40 rounds) in reserve. The Flexfire can fire much more rapidly, at the cost of reduced damage and much greater bullet spread. It also only has one zoom magnification level, unlike the standard S7 Sniper. The variant is decorated in a yellow and white colour scheme, to distinguish it from the standard model.[23]

Halo: Spartan Assault and Halo: Spartan Strike[edit]

Sniper Rifle
Gameplay role

Weapon tier (?):

Upgraded weapon

Firing mode:

Automatic

Effective range:

Long

Weapon stats

Damage:

Very high

Rate of fire:

Low

Magazine size:

35

 
Main article: Twin-stick shooter

"Semi-automatic sniper rifle. Fires projectiles that can immediately kill multiple infantry units."
Halo: Spartan Assault loadout description[24]

Campaign[edit]

In Spartan Strike, the Sniper Rifle also spawns in the campaign itself, exclusively on the final mission: E-6: Hold the Line. In total, four Sniper Rifles spawn on this mission, along with four Spartan Lasers and four Rocket Launchers, the two other previously loadout-exclusive weapons.[25]

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Unlock and acquisition requirements[edit]

In Halo: Spartan Assault, the Sniper Rifle can only be acquired via the loadout screen. It costs 500 XP to equip in both games and can also be purchased with 25 CR in Spartan: Assault. Once equipped, you will spawn with the Sniper Rifle at the start of the level and every time you die, so long as you do not quit back to the menu. It is single use - that is, it will not carry over to the next level, nor will it be available next time you play the level on which you purchased it.[26][27]

Cost: CR 25 / XP 500

Skins and cosmetics[edit]

The Sniper Rifle has seen many equipable weapon skins and coatings across the various games it's been featured in.

Halo: Combat Evolved (MCC)[edit]

Main article: Skins (Halo: Combat Evolved)
Sniper Rifle
vde
Icon Name Description Unlock requirements
Default Default skin. Unlocked by default
HCE SniperRifle Desert Skin.png
Desert Looks very stylish with a poncho. Series 2, Tier 10 (Spartan Point 1)
HCE SniperRifle GreatJourney Skin.png
Great Journey Don't worry... I know what the aliens like. Series 2, Tier 42 (Spartan Point 1)
HCE SniperRifle Woodland Skin.png
Woodland Camping is a legitimate strategy. Series 2, Tier 52 (Spartan Point 1)
HCE SniperRifle Avalanche Skin.png
Avalanche Like Sidewinder, but with more polygons. Series 2, Tier 80 (Spartan Point 1)
HCE SniperRifle Golden Skin.png
Golden Bling on the ring. Series 2 Challenge: Zero Five Eight
Defeat 150 opponents with the Sniper Rifle in any game mode.

The Exchange (Spartan Point 2)

Halo 3 (MCC)[edit]

Main article: Skins (Halo 3)
Sniper Rifle
vde
Icon Name Description Unlock requirements
Default Default skin. Unlocked by default
H3 SniperRifle Woodland Skin.png
Woodland Camping is a legitimate strategy. Series 4, Tier 22 (Spartan Point 1)
H3 SniperRifle Desert Skin.png
Desert Looks very stylish with a poncho. Series 4, Tier 35 (Spartan Point 1)
H3 SniperRifle Golden Skin.png
Golden Bling on the ring. Series 4, Tier 50 (Spartan Point 1)
H3 SniperRifle Avalanche Skin.png
Avalanche Like Sidewinder, but with more polygons. Series 4 Challenge: Recon Renegade
(Reach Rank MCC - Rank 20.png in the Recon Slayer competitive playlist)
H3 SniperRifle RedAlert Skin.png
Red Alert The source of cautionary tales. Series 5, Tier 61 (Spartan Point 1)
H3 SniperRifle HazardPay Skin.png
Hazard Pay Safety first! Series 5, Tier 68 (Spartan Point 1)
H3 SniperRifle AmethystRaven Skin.png
Amethyst Raven Searching for foes under alien skies. Series 6, Tier 17 (Spartan Point 1)
H3 SniperRifle BlackRhino Skin.png
Black Rhine An artist appreciates their tools. Series 6, The Exchange (Spartan Point 3)
HTMCC Season 8 battlepass icon.
Vexing Tomorrow True are is rarely appreciated by its target audience. Series 8, Tier 47 (Spartan Point 1)
Season 8 skin icon.
Scorned Fate The hand of Atropos weighs heavily on executioners. Series 8, The Exchange (Spartan Point 4)
MCC Menu icon.
OGX Series 8, The Exchange (Spartan Point 3)

Halo 2: Anniversary[edit]

Main article: Skins (Halo 2: Anniversary)
Sniper Rifle
vde
Icon Name Description Unlock requirements
Default Default skin. Unlocked by default
Halo 2 Anniversary skin icon
Black Tiger One shot, one kill. Or one shot, beat feet. Series 9, The Exchange Spartan Point 3
H2A SniperRifle Bloodscorched Skin.png
Bloodscorched Seeing red. From very far away. Series 9, The Exchange Spartan Point 3
Halo 2 Anniversary skin icon
Chroma Blue Looks can kill. Series 9, The Exchange Spartan Point 3
Halo 2 Anniversary skin icon
Sandstorm A most vicious desert predator. Series 9, The Exchange Spartan Point 3

Halo Infinite[edit]

Main article: Weapon coatings (Halo Infinite)

Medals[edit]

The following medals are exclusive to the Sniper Rifle and its alien counterparts. The Sniper Rifle does also inherit some other precision weapon and power weapon medals such as Headcase and Power Player, but these are not listed here.

Icon Name Games Unlock requirements
H5G-SniperKill.png Sniper Kill
  • Halo 2
  • Halo 3
  • Halo: Reach
  • Halo 4
  • Halo 5: Guardians

Halo 2:

  • Kill an enemy with a Sniper Rifle or Beam Rifle.

Halo 3, Halo: Reach:

  • Kill an enemy with a Sniper Rifle (or Beam Rifle) headshot.

Halo 4:

  • Kill an enemy with a Sniper Rifle.

Halo 5: Guardians:

  • Kill an enemy with a Sniper Rifle, but not by a headshot.
H5G Medal SniperHeadshot.png Sniper Headshot Halo 5: Guardians Kill an enemy with a Sniper Rifle headshot.
HR Medal Sniper Spree!.png Sniper Spree
  • Halo 3
  • Halo 3: ODST
  • Halo: Reach

Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST:

  • Kill 5 enemies consecutively with the Sniper or Beam Rifle, without dying.

Halo: Reach:

  • Kill 5 enemies with the Sniper Rifle without dying.
HR Medal Sharpshooter!.png Sharpshooter
  • Halo 3
  • Halo 3: ODST
  • Halo: Reach

Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST:

  • Kill 10 enemies consecutively with the Sniper or Beam Rifle, without dying.

Halo: Reach:

  • Kill 10 enemies with the Sniper Rifle without dying.
HR Medal Be the Bullet!.png Be the Bullet Halo: Reach Kill 15 enemies with the Sniper Rifle without dying.
Halo5snapshot.png Snapshot
  • Halo 4
  • Halo 5: Guardians
Kill an enemy with the Sniper Rifle, Binary Rifle or Beam Rifle while not zoomed in. This is commonly known as no-scoping.
H5G Medal AirborneSnapshot.png Airborne Snapshot Halo 5: Guardians While airborne, kill an enemy with the Sniper Rifle, Binary Rifle or Beam Rifle while not zoomed in.
H5G Medal HatTrick.png Hat Trick Halo 5: Guardians Kill three enemies with Sniper Rifle or Beam Rifle headshots in a row.
H5G Medal Snipeltaneous.png Snipeltaneous Halo 5: Guardians Kill two or more enemies with a single Sniper Rifle shot.
H5G Medal Snipunch.png Snipunch Halo 5: Guardians Shoot an enemy with the Sniper Rifle, then finish them off with a melee.
H5G Medal BuckleUp.png Buckle Up Halo 5: Guardians Kill the driver of an enemy vehicle while it is moving, using the Sniper Rifle.

Achievements[edit]

The following achievements involve the use of the Sniper Rifle:

Name Game Description Gamerscore Image
Sniper Kill Halo 2 for Windows Vista Kill an opponent with the sniper rifle or the beam rifle. 10 gamerscore H2V Achievement Sniper Kill.png
Headshot Honcho Halo 3 Killed 10 enemies with headshots in a ranked free for all playlist or in campaign.[Note 1] 5 gamerscore H3 Achievement Headshot Honcho.png
Close Quarters Combat Complete the level "Truth and Reconciliation" with at least four rounds left in your Sniper Rifle. 25 gamerscore (CEA)
10 gamerscore (MCC)
HR Achievement Close Quarters Combat.png

Steam Achievement Icon for the Halo: The Master Chief Collection - Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary achievement Close Quarters Combat
HTMCC HCEA Achievement Close Quarters Combat / That Just Happened achievement art

Production notes[edit]

"Robert McLees is definitely the go-to guy for the gun stuff. I wanted to come up with an animation for the sniper scope, an 'idle cycle'. If you activate the scope, and then sit too long without doing anything, the animation would kick in periodically, just to keep things interesting... Simple, right...? He replied, 'No way. If you adjust your scope in the field, you're dead. Snipers don't do that.' That's how detailed his weapon designs are -- not just guns, but how they work, and how a sniper would fire them. Amazing."
— Animator William O'Brien, regarding the Robert McLees and his weapon designs for Halo 2.[28]

The earlier games' depictions of the Sniper Rifle, notably those from Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST, bear significant resemblance to and were likely inspired by the real-world Denel NTW-20, an anti-material rifle developed in the 1990s by Denel Mechem.

Robert McLees was known within Bungie for being the expert to consult when doing work related to the games' weapons during Halo 2's development. At one point, animator William O'Brien sought to create an idle animation for the Sniper Rifle, in which the player character would adjust the scope if the player zooms in and then remains idle for a while. McLees shot down this idea, claiming that in reality, no sniper would ever adjust their scope on the field.[28]

Trivia[edit]

  • In the original Xbox 360 version of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary the Sniper Rifle's reticle is far larger than it is in the original Halo: Combat Evolved on Xbox and PC. In the Halo: The Master Chief Collection version of Halo: CEA, the reticle returns to its original size.
  • In the Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta, the scope shows the identity of the weapon's user as "ID-NOBLE6", regardless of who wields it. This is not present in the final build.

Gallery[edit]

Concept art[edit]

Renders[edit]

HUD icons[edit]

Screenshots[edit]

List of appearances[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Although not mentioned in the official description, the Headshot Honcho achievement can only be acquired using the Sniper Rifle or Beam Rifle.

Sources[edit]

  1. ^ Halo: The Essential Visual Guide, page 179: Sniper Rifle
  2. ^ Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, page 66: Sniper Rifle
  3. ^ Halo Graphic Novel, page 122
  4. ^ Halo Waypoint - Universe, Railgun
  5. ^ Halo Waypoint - Canon Fodder, The Art of War(s)
  6. ^ Halo Wars 2, campaign
  7. ^ Halo Wars, multiplayer
  8. ^ Halo: Combat Evolved Editing Kit, game file tags\weapons\sniper rifle\sniper rifle.weapon
  9. ^ Halo 2 Editing Kit, game file tags\objects\weapons\rifle\sniper_rifle\sniper_rifle.weapon
  10. ^ Halo 3 Editing Kit, game file tags\objects\weapons\rifle\sniper_rifle\sniper_rifle.weapon
  11. ^ Halo 3: ODST Editing Kit, game file tags\objects\weapons\rifle\sniper_rifle\sniper_rifle.weapon
  12. ^ Halo: Reach Editing Kit, game file tags\objects\weapons\rifle\sniper_rifle\sniper_rifle.weapon
  13. ^ Halo 4 Editing Kit, game file tags\objects\weapons\rifle\storm_sniper_rifle\storm_sniper_rifle.weapon
  14. ^ Halo 2: Anniversary Multiplayer Editing Kit, game file tags\objects\weapons\h2a_sniper_rifle\h2a_sniper_rifle.weapon
  15. ^ a b Halo 5: Guardians, campaign
  16. ^ Halo 5: Guardians, multiplayer
  17. ^ Halo 5: Guardians, requisition system
  18. ^ Halo 5: Guardians, REQ card: Sniper Rifle
  19. ^ a b Halo 5: Guardians, REQ card: End of the Line
  20. ^ a b Halo 5: Guardians, REQ card: Arrow of Time
  21. ^ a b Halo 5: Guardians, REQ card: Nornfang
  22. ^ Halo Infinite, campaign: Valor unlocks
  23. ^ Halo Infinite, S7 Flexfire Sniper
  24. ^ Halo: Spartan Assault, Loadout description
  25. ^ Halo: Spartan Strike, campaign level E-6: Hold the Line
  26. ^ Halo: Spartan Assault, loadout screen
  27. ^ Halo: Spartan Strike, loadout screen
  28. ^ a b The Art of Halo: Creating a Virtual World, page 100