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How to use the Mangler in Halo Infinite

Jesse Lennox
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One of the most appealing parts of the Halo franchise has always been the weapons. Ever since that original title back on the OG Xbox, we’ve been treated to not only new takes on what future pistols, rifles, shotguns, and snipers will look like, but also a host of alien weaponry with entirely different use cases. Halo Infinite brings back many favorites from the past but also mixes in a good amount of brand-new tools of destruction to test on the battlefield.

The Mangler is a new Banished weapon that is somewhat similar to Halo 3‘s Mauler in design. This Brute pistol looks massive, even in the hands of a Spartan, and has the power to match. However, no gun is without its downsides, and treating it like a Mauler, which was essentially a weaker shotgun, will only get you killed. On the other hand, this hand cannon is quite deadly if treated right. If you want to master the Mangler to rack up kills online, here’s the best way to use it in Halo Infinite.

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How to use the Mangler

Spartans dressed as samurai in Halo Infinite.

The Mangler is a pistol, as mentioned, with eight shots in its magazine before you’re forced to reload. While it doesn’t have the biggest ammo capacity, it does have a very speedy reload to make up for this. Despite its physical resemblance to the Mauler, this is not a shotgun, but a medium-ranged pistol that shoots a massive spike with each shot. However, exactly like the Mauler, as well as many Brute weapons, the Mangler comes with a massive blade bayonet hanging below the barrel. This isn’t just for the intimidation factor, though, because it actually increases your melee damage when swinging with this weapon equipped. It isn’t on the level of a sword or hammer, but it’s certainly above any regular melee strikes.

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Time to kill

Taking on a fully shielded enemy, you will need to first land two shots to break their shield, followed by one headshot to claim the kill. If you can’t hit the head, it will take two body shots, meaning either three or four shots maximum are needed to secure a kill. Alternatively, two shots and a melee will also get a kill (post nerf, beforehand being a one shot, one melee kill).

Best range

If you have a Mangler, you’re best off using it in medium-ranged engagements, and it can be used in a pinch in close encounters. This is a precision weapon with high damage output, though once enemies get too far, you need to heavily compensate for the spike dropping over distance. What really places it in the medium-range category is the recoil. This pistol was made for Brutes, and boy does it feel like it. The kick on this pistol is insane, making the rate of fire pretty slow, and it has the potential of missing follow-up shots because of how far you need to compensate in readjusting your aim.

Best weapon pairing

As good as the Mangler is, it can’t cover all your bases, so you won’t want it to be your only option in a fight. For a secondary weapon, there are a few picks that can make it even more effective when you whip it out. We already talked about how the Mangler shoots a giant spike projectile, but what that really means regarding competition is that it’s a kinetic weapon. All kinetic weapons shoot traditional projectiles, like bullets, which deal a lot of damage to player health, but not so much against shields. On the other hand, plasma weapons work the opposite way: shredding shields but not doing so well against physical health. So, if you have a plasma weapon, such as a Pulse Carbine with a high rate of fire to rip the shields off an enemy, you can swap to the Mangler for that one headshot to get a much faster kill.

Essentially, any gun with a faster rate of fire and less recoil is a nice addition to your kit with the Mangler to offset the slow rate of fire and difficulty of handling the massive recoil. Treat it like a finishing shot or close-range melee weapon if you don’t have a sword, hammer, or shotgun handy, and it will serve you well.

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