Halo Reach beta has 'huge chunk' of weapons

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The upcoming Halo Reach multiplayer beta will include a "huge chunk" of weapons, armour abilities and maps, Bungie's revealed.

Speaking during an interview with Game Informer, the developer revealed that at least five new guns will be included in the trial, alongside old favourites.

"One new weapon we've yet to really talk about is the focus rifle," said community man, Brian Jarrard. "This is the Covenant really long-range 'reach out and burn your face off' sniper-slot weapon.... you need to hold it on your opponent for approximately one and a half seconds to kill them. It's more about long range suppression than instant death."

Another weapon included in the beta is the grenade launcher, aka 'the pro pipe'. "This was primarily designed to fill a similar role to the plasma pistol and give the Spartans an EMP-capable weapon," explains sandbox design lead, Sage Merrill.

"It has two modes of fire - manual and auto. If you pull the trigger and release it, a single round will fire and detonate upon hitting a target. If you keep the trigger held, the player can choose when they want the grenade to detonate."

Other additions to the multiplayer tryout include the plasma launcher ("the Covenant's answer to the rocket launcher and Spartan laser"), the plasma repeater ("the Elite answer to the assault rifle") and the needle rifle ("a needler mixed with a carbine").

The Halo Reach multiplayer beta is set to be made available to owners of Halo 3: ODST - teabagging and all - on May 3. See it in action via this Halo Reach gameplay video.