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Halo Infinite's Winter Update includes weapon buffs for Plasma Pistol, VK78 & more

The developers recognize the Plasma Pistol has been underperforming and are buffing it accordingly, along with other weapons like the VK78 Commando.

Morgan Shaver

November 3, 2022 12:25 PM

343 Industries

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Halo Infinite players are undoubtedly familiar with the inadequacies of weapons like the Plasma Pistol, and it seems like developer 343 Industries is aware of them as well. In a recent Halo Waypoint post, details about weapon buffs and adjustments coming in the game’s Winter Update on November 8 were shared.

Among these are some solid buffs to weapons like the Plasma Pistol, as well as improvements to weapons like the VK78 Commando. Starting with everyone’s least favorite gun to get while playing Fiesta, the Plasma Pistol. It’s noted in the Halo Waypoint post that many players have reported the Plasma Pistol “underperforming against Spartans, especially when using its overcharged shot.”

Because of this, the values for this are being increased along with the weapon’s base shot damage. As shared in the Halo Waypoint post, the Plasma Pistol will enjoy the following buffs in the Winter Update:

• Increased base shot damage from 20 to 28
• Increased charge shot angular velocity from 20 to 35 degrees per second
• Increased charged shot guided angular velocity at rest from 50 to 70 degrees per second

While the VK78 Commando isn’t on the same level of inefficiency as the Plasma Pistol, players have reported issues with the weapon at shorter range.

Not only will the VK78 Commando see increased bullet magnetism, it’s also getting a slight increase to headshot prioritization angle and an increase in its aim assist angle.

• Increased Headshot Prioritization Angle from 0 to 0.1 degrees
• Increased Bullet Magnetism Angle from 1.25 to 1.3 degrees
• Increased Aim Assist Angle from 5 to 6.25 degrees
• Decreased minimum error angle max from 0.8 to 0.6 degrees

Other weapons getting buffed in the Winter Update include the Pulse Carbine with an increase to guided angular velocity at rest from 25 to 35 degrees per second, decrease to angular velocity from 50 to 30 degrees per second, increased target leading fraction from 0.35 to 1, and increased guided projectile error radius from 0.2 to 0.22 degrees. The Disruptor will also see a minor buff with magazine ammo count increased from 10 to 12.

In the area of nerfs, weapons like the BR75 are noted as “performing a bit too well” so the skill ceiling on landing the final kill shot has been raised in addition to the weapon seeing a reduction in effectiveness at range from the hip.

For fans of the Frag Grenade, this has been nerfed slightly as well with the detonation timer increased by 0.2 seconds. A physics bug that allowed “snap sliding” has also been adjusted. Finally, the team remarked that over the next few months, there are plans to release additional balance updates including melee trade adjustments for the game’s Energy Sword, mouse and keyboard input improvements, and bug fixes for network “desync” issues.

For more on what to look forward to in the Winter Update on November 8, be sure to read through the full Halo Waypoint post. And for more Halo Infinite news, check out some of our previous coverage including how Halo Infinite's upcoming Winter Update will add 4-player campaign co-op, and how the Halo franchise is reportedly switching to Unreal Engine 5, moving away from its proprietary Slipspace Engine.

Morgan Shaver

Senior Editor

Morgan is a writer from the frozen wastelands of Maine who enjoys metal music, kpop, horror, and indie games. They're also a Tetris fanatic who's fiercely competitive in games like Tetris 99... and all games in general. But mostly Tetris. You can follow Morgan on Twitter @Author_MShaver.