Image Credit: 1047 Games
I've been playing video games pretty much nonstop ever since I got my first 360. I love arena shooters, MMOs, and MOBAs, but I'll pretty much try any kind of game.
Reviewed by Benjamin Barr
As one of the default weapons for most game modes in Splitgate, the Assault Rifle is a straightforward weapon that doesn’t take long to learn but pays dividends to master. It has a few quirks and advantages that many assault rifles don’t have, but it’s all-in-all one of the most basic weapons in Splitgate while still being useful and effective. In this Splitgate Assault Rife guide, you’ll find all the information and tips you need to use the AR to its full potential.
Recommended Further Reading:
Splitgate Assault Rifle Basics
The Assault Rifle is one of the default spawn weapons in the casual playlists, and can be found as a pick-up in most other playlists. If you don’t start with one in your preferred game mode, I recommend picking one up as soon as you can — it’s such a strong weapon that you’ll want to have it on hand (unless you already have one of the power weapons that replace it, like the SMG).
The AR’s power lies in its versatility. Its flexible range makes it fitting for most combat encounters, and its damage makes sure it never feels underpowered. It has an easily predictable spray, good balance, and a high ammo capacity. It’s easily one of my personal favorite weapons to use.
Splitgate Assault Rifle Stats
The Assault Rifle’s stats are quite impressive. Let’s take a look at them!
| Trait | Stats |
|---|---|
| Body Shot Damage | 13 |
| Headshot Damage | 18 |
| Fire Rate | 0.1 seconds |
| Spread | 1 |
| Spread (Zoomed) | 1 |
| Zoom FOV | 55 |
| Max Ammo Capacity | 140 |
The best stats here are the firing rate and damage numbers. 0.1 seconds is a solid firing rate for an AR — it’s not as fast as the SMG, but that’s easily balanced by the damage output. 13 damage per body shot is a great number, and 18 per headshot is good, too. Doing the math equates to about eight body shots or six headshots for a kill. Not bad at all.
Aiming and Firing
The Assault Rifle is an easy weapon to aim. I mean, it’s an assault rifle — there’s not much to it. I don’t recommend aiming down the sights every time you use it, though. Sights are best saved for mid-range fights or cases where you really want to land headshots. The hipfire spray on the AR isn’t bad at all, and there are many cases where it’s actually the better option.
Compared to most games’ assault rifles, the hipfire in Splitgate ARs is really great. There’s certainly a level of accuracy reduction (as you would expect), but it’s not too bad. Having an excellent close/mid-range weapon can quickly turn a fight around, so it’s great to have an AR that doesn’t rely on sights when an enemy is close enough to quickly dart out of your vision.
When to Use the Assault Rifle in Splitgate
Since the Assault Rifle is a default weapon, you will find yourself using it quite often. In casual game modes, it’s best to use it for any close to mid-range fight you find yourself in. The AR is capable of mowing down any enemy at this range, so use it whenever you get the chance.
There are a few gameplay tricks for using the AR, most of which involve combining it with other weapons. One of the best ways to optimize damage is to begin shooting at an opponent with the Carbine while they’re still in the further mid-range distance, then switch to the AR to finish them off with only a few shots. This can also be done with a variety of other weapons. Say, for instance, you land a shotgun hit, but it doesn’t kill. You can switch to the AR and finish that person off in an instant.
The AR is good for getting enemies from 100 to 0, but don’t forget about it as a finisher. Not every fight has to only utilize one weapon.
Advanced Tips
Since Splitgate is still a relatively new game, I thought it might be helpful to share some personal tips I’ve learned through playing this game over the last few months.
One thing I’ve noticed is that in casual game modes, the Assault Rifle quickly becomes a multi-kill machine. In the “control the point” game modes like King of the Hill, you can easily rack up kills by walking into an enemy-controlled area with the AR and just going to town. For some reason, most players I’ve encountered tend to stand around with their Carbine or other long-ranged weapon out, so you can catch them off guard with an AR before they have time to switch.
This brings me to another tip — don’t stand around with your Carbine out! Think of it this way: if you need your Carbine, the enemy is likely further away and not an immediate threat. You’ll need your AR when the enemy is close or right on top of you, and you can’t always plan ahead for those situations. If you have your Carbine out and someone rounds a corner with an SMG, you don’t stand a chance. It’s better to prepare to defend yourself and whip out the longer-range guns when you have a little breathing room.
Assault Rifle Gold Gun Challenges
To acquire the gold skin for the Assault Rifle, all you have to do is complete each challenge available for it. To help you with that, we’ll go through all the current challenges and offer some tips on how to complete them. Also, just remember that for each challenge, there are multiple levels.
Get Kills: This is one very straightforward — perhaps the most straightforward a challenge could be. The best way to quickly get kills with the AR is by playing casual game modes, specifically objective ones. That way you can hunt people down and know about where they’ll be. That being said, I wouldn’t focus on this one by itself. This one will come naturally as you work on the others.
Inflict Damage: Inflicting damage with the Assault Rifle is pretty easy. Just walk up and shoot — you don’t even have to get the kill! This is another challenge that works well with objective-based casual modes, though you can really play whatever you want to get this challenge done. As long as you start with the AR, you’ll be good to go.
Get Headshot Kills: This one is a bit more tricky. Since being precise with an AR is difficult, you might have to rely on a bit of luck. The best method I can think of to get headshots is to start off doing damage with the Carbine (preferably three body shots) so all you’ll have to do is tap them once with the AR. Landing a single headshot is much easier than trying to maintain control over your recoil long enough to finish your opponent with the headshot.
Double Kills: Stick with objective modes or the rotating fun modes for this one. I haven’t had much trouble with double kills so far, especially in the more fun game modes. People tend to be less tryhard in those playlists, so take advantage of that carefree attitude.
Kills Through Portals: This is probably the toughest one on the list. In general, getting kills through portals isn’t the hardest thing to do, but it isn’t easy either. And since you have to get so many, this will probably take a long time. I’ve found that the easiest way to get kills through portals is to shoot your portal inside of a hill zone in King of the Hill. Then just sit back far away and kill anyone who comes into view.
15 Kills in a Single Match: For this challenge, you just need to do really well during a match. It shouldn’t be too hard, even though I somehow haven’t done it yet. I’m willing to bet you’ll get it done without even realizing it.
Become a High Grounder
Splitgate is one the hottest games on the rise right now, and the Assault Rifle is one of its best weapons. The fast-paced gameplay Splitgate offers puts it in a different zone than many of the most popular shooters right now, so I’m excited to see where it goes from here.
Happy gaming!
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