All Weapons In Halo Campaign Evolved, Ranked

Halo: Campaign Evolved - Every Weapon, Ranked Published Jul 29, 2026, 4:30 PM EDT Although Kaitlyn grew up with a passion for both video games and writing, she never imagined she'd eventually combine them into a career. Now, with several years of experience in the industry across Guides, Features, News, & Reviews, Kaitlyn enjoys nothing more than continuing to deep dive into the games she's passionate about and share her findings with readers. In her downtime, Kaitlyn enjoys unwinding with her favorite horror films, despite being a major scaredy-cat. Halo: Campaign Evolved brings a fresh twist on a beloved classic by mixing up its timeless gunplay with the reintroduction of some fan-favorite weapons from later entries in the series that have never before had their chance to shine in this original campaign, but are they all worth your time? New additions aren't the only changes either. Some weapons now have slower swap and reload animations, smaller clips, or are just overall less effective than previously. Keep in mind, these weapons are being ranked according to how they appear and function exclusively in Campaign Evolved. 17 Sentinel Beam The Sentinel Beam is, unfortunately, just one of those weapons you're likely never going to have good use for. It is great for breaking shields and dealing with enemies at close range, but it's also an energy-based weapon, which means you won't be able to resupply ammo for it. Anything this weapon can do well, another weapon can do better. So if you have absolutely nothing else, then feel free to pick it up, but don't swap any other weapon on this list for this. 16 Plasma Rifle The Plasma Rifle falls a bit higher than the Sentinel Beam purely because it's a bit more useful for shield breaks. However, it unfortunately suffers the same concerns of being an energy-based weapon, which means you'll have to drop it entirely rather quickly. So, in the grand scheme of available weapons, this one is just a worse version of others on this list and not something you'll likely want to pick up if you have any better option. 15 Brute Plasma Rifle There's not much more to say about the Brute Plasma Rifle compared to the regular Plasma Rifle. This one ranks a bit higher, just barely, because it has a faster fire rate and more damage output, but it's also more unstable and less accurate, so the tradeoff is kind of up to preference. Ultimately, like the Plasma Rifle, you probably don't want to pick this up if you have any better option, but if you do, it can get the job done for a bit. 14 Plasma Pistol The Plasma Pistol isn't truly designed to be a primary weapon, which is why it's lower on this list, but it still delivers in the areas it is designed for. For the most part, you'll want to hold onto this in areas where you'll be dealing with several Covenant vehicles, like Assault on the Control Room. It's also great for breaking shields, but the primary combo in which you would've used it for that, the Magnum and the Plasma Pistol, has been nerfed now that the Magnum is slower to swap to. All that's to say that the Plasma Pistol is great when applicable, but is overall extremely situational. 13 Spiker The Spiker is a powerful Brute weapon that’s perfect for shredding shieldless enemies and dealing with Hunters, especially with its ability to pin enemies. That said, it unfortunately only appears in the Bonus Missions and, even then, is infrequent. So, while it is powerful, you'll likely need to replace it quickly, meaning it probably won't benefit you much in the long run and you'd be better off picking something else up. 12 Beam Rifle While the Beam Rifle isn't a bad weapon by any means, it's not something you'll want to pick up often. Since it doesn't use traditional ammo and instead runs on energy, you won't be able to reload it. When it's out, it's out, and that's not a situation you'll want to find yourself in frequently. It can be useful when targeting enemies from a distance and even in narrow hallways. Though while precision weapons like this one can always find some usefulness, there are plenty of weapons better suited for those situations than this one. 11 Energy Sword If you prefer to have a melee weapon on hand, the Energy Sword can be a great option, but depending on what you're fighting, it's likely to do you more harm than good. Since it requires you to be close to enemies that are faster and stronger than you, you're likely to end up dead more often than anything. It can be great for fighting the Flood, or sneaking up on enemies. Still, honestly, with its inferior range and drastically lower sustainability, a shotgun would be just as effective for both of those and puts you in less danger. 10 Needler Needlers are one of the most prevalent weapons you'll find lying around in just about every mission, which means you'll have almost constant access to ammo, but they're not really great in any way. It's a bit of an old reliable since it can pull off a quick kill on most early-game enemies by dumping a full clip into them, but if you have access to any of the better weapons on this list, you shouldn't drop them in exchange for this one. 9 Assault Rifle The Assault Rifle is a decent weapon, but it's the fallback option when you have nothing better. It's comparable to the SMG, but the SMG is quicker and more effective, making this the lesser option of the two. It also received a significant downgrade in this remake, with its maximum clip size cut nearly in half from its original variant. That said, you're likely to encounter this weapon more often than the SMG, so while it's a solid option, especially for mid-range, it's not the best either. 8 Sniper Rifle It goes without saying that the Sniper Rifle is incredibly powerful and can take out average enemies with one shot. That said, it's only going to be practical for a handful of missions, particularly early on in the game, when you're dealing with enemies at long range. Once the Flood are introduced, you'll have almost no use for the Sniper Rifle and will be better off utilizing weapons that give you a better advantage at close or mid-range.