Halo Reach News, the Designated Marksman Rifle, Magnum, and Assault Rifle.

You’ve probably heard that both the Designated Marksman Rifle and the Magnum are now five shot kills. Four anywhere followed by one to the face. So, how then, are these two weapons different? One big tenet of Reach’s core multiplayer weapon design was to give each weapon its own unique role, right?

As is, in the Beta, the Magnum will take down a fully shielded player, from start to finish, almost twice as quickly as the DMR will.

First, the Magnum gets squirrely if you go all out and squeeze off rounds as fast as you possibly can. Real squirrely. You’re better off sticking with the proper cadence relayed to you through the reticule bloom.

Second, the Magnum’s maximum effectiveness is found at short to mid range, fitting snugly between the Assault Rifle and the DMR. And while the DMR may take some extra time to take down a player, at mid to long range, it’s easily the more effective weapon due to its magnified scope and reduced recoil.

If you have the Magnum, you don't want to engage a DMR user at long range. Unless you want to die. Then, by all means.

 And the Assault Rifle? It’s your go to rifle at close to mid range. You’ll definitely want to feather the trigger to take down shields and make your assault as personal as possible, just like you did in Halo 3, even though it's been tuned a little to favor accuracy over straight up aggression.

Ultimately the choice between the Assault Rifle and the Magnum may come down to personal preference, play style, and the situation you happen to find yourself in. It’s nuanced. Good thing is you’ll get tons of hands on time with all three by way of the Beta.