This page details how to use the Shock Rifle in Halo Infinite Multiplayer. Includes a basic stats overview and strengths & weaknesses of the weapon.

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Shock Rifle, Halo Infinite.

How to Use the Shock Rifle¶

Basic Stats Overview¶

The Shock Rifle is a unique Banished weapon which fires bursts of energy that can disperse among a group of enemies who are close together. If you manage to hit an opponent in the head with the Shock Rifle, they will die in one hit, regardless of the status of their shield (excluding situations where Overshield is being used). The Shock Rifle also has the ability to disable vehicles for a considerable length of time, and even destroy them relatively quickly if you get enough hits on one, which will vary by vehicle. Although the Shock Rifle technically has 12 rounds of ammunition per magazine, this actually results in just 4 bursts of fire, since each burst uses 3 rounds of ammunition, which is part of what accounts for the Shock Rifle’s ability to disperse damage to multiple foes in the same area.

Strengths of the Shock Rifle¶

The Shock Rifle can be an incredibly powerful weapon when used effectively. It gives you the ability to one shot enemies so long as you hit them in the head, and two shot them if you only manage body hits. The AoE (area of effect) damage that it can inflict to multiple enemies who are situated closely together also makes it a powerful support weapon, since one or two blasts can result in 2-4 players losing their energy shields, allowing others with more precise weapons such as the BR75 - Precision Rifle to quickly finish them off. In addition to its abilities to kill multiple enemies quickly or at least make them vulnerable, it also offers powerful capabilities to disable vehicles. One shot will apply a charge to the vehicle which lasts 10 seconds, giving you a 10 second window to hit the vehicle a second time in order to disable it. This can be incredibly useful to stop a fast moving destructive vehicle, but keep in mind that it will only be disabled for about 3 seconds.

Weaknesses of the Shock Rifle¶

The Shock Rifle is a powerful weapon with a lot of potential in competent hands, but perhaps its most significant weakness is that it can take some time to get familiar with the mechanics of the weapon, and even after you’ve used it for a while it can still be difficult to handle, mostly because the recoil is significant. The time elapsed between each burst of fire can also leave you vulnerable to attacks from opponents who have weapons with much faster response times, such as the MA40 AR - Assault Rifle or CQS48 Bulldog - Shotgun, although this is only a real concern in close range combat, since the Shock Rifle is superior at range. Aside from the difficulties with handling the Shock Rifle, the low magazine count can also be a potential problem. If you miss a number of shots in a tense battle, the low responsiveness of the weapon and the relatively lengthy reload time can give your opponent the advantage.

The Shock Rifle has the ability to destroy and disable vehicles, but also quickly take out enemies from any distance so long as your aim is on point: