For the first time in Halo's history, Halo 4's multiplayer introduced customizable loadouts. Similar to Call of Duty, players can choose between starting weapons, two perks split between Tactical Packages and Support Upgrades, and an Armor Ability.
Calling this system a massive shift for the franchise is an understatement. Deciding on the right perks to utilize in combat is something Halo has never dabbled with before. No matter a player's opinion on Halo 4's multiplayer changes, selecting the right upgrades in their loadout can provide a noticeable advantage. Here are all of Halo 4's Tactical Packages ranked from worst to best.
10 Resistor
Introduced in the Champions Bundle and later added for all players, the Resistor Tactical Package causes players to maintain current sprint speed while taking damage. Normally, taking a heavy amount of damage would cause players to move slower.
Since Halo 4's time to kill is so fast, Resistor is much less useful than players might realize. When players enter a situation where this Tactical Package is useful, they are most likely going to die before retreating or would be better off using a Spartan Ability. Only new players should consider choosing this.
9 Requisition
After achieving rank ten with the Tracker Specialization, the Requisition Tactical Package will unlock. Requisition allows players to reroll a Personal Ordnance Drop whenever the player receives one, giving them a higher chance of obtaining a better weapon.
This Tactical Package has a few issues, most notably the rerolled choices can be the same as before. If players got a horrible package and reroll, there's still a chance that their reroll is just as bad. The second largest issue is how few playlists enable Ordnance Drops. After the massive backlash players had with the system at launch, 343 Industries removed them from most core playlists altogether.
8 Resupply
Resupply is a Tactical Package that allows players to obtain grenades from slain foes, similar to previous Halo titles from Bungie. While this sounds fantastic on paper, in practice Resupply has a few issues.
Grenades will only drop if the opponent had any on them before death. There's a good chance an opponent will be throwing as many grenades as possible before they kick the bucket, which means this Tactical Package rarely works. Worse, it only grants one grenade of each type at most. Should a player die with three frags, three plasmas, and two pulse grenades, the player will only obtain one of each instead of eight grenades total. As long as players have a good understanding of where grenades spawn in each map, grenades should rarely be enough of an issue to warrant using Resupply.
7 Fast-Track
Completing the Pioneer Specialization will unlock the Fast-Track Tactical Package, allowing players to earn 20% increased XP while active. This stacks with other XP-enhancing bonuses such as double XP. While it won't benefit players in gunfights, Fast-Track is worth using early for players that want to unlock the armor mods tied to every Specialization. Once those have been unlocked, Fast-Track easily becomes the most useless Tactical Package in Halo 4.
6 Shielding
Shielding is a great example of a Tactical Package that is much more underwhelming than its description implies. While equipped, Shielding will grant increased shield recharge. This equates to a one-second recharge period for shields instead of the standard two-second period that Halo 4 uses by default.
What's wrong with Shielding is that it doesn't influence the recharge delay of a shield, the time it takes before regeneration actually begins. It only makes the actual recharge process twice as fast, something that is unnecessary considering how quickly shields recharge by default. Shielding is a solid choice for players that aren't sure what to use, but this Tactical Package is much less potent than most might expect.
5 Wheelman
Wheelman is a Tactical Package unlocked by completing the Operator Specialization. This Tactical Package increases the effective health of any vehicles the player is controlling and decreases the duration of EMP effects. The benefits are substantial in-game, making hostile EMP effects last around a second.
An increase to the vehicle's durability also makes this Tactical Package a great choice for Warthog drivers or fans of the Mantis. Note that the player must be in the driver's seat of any multi-passenger vehicle for the Tactical Package to work. Considering how popular Big Team Battle and similar vehicle-enabled modes are in Halo 4, Wheelman is a much stronger choice than one might assume.
4 Firepower
Similar to the Overkill perk in Call of Duty titles, Firepower allows the player to carry two primary weapons in their loadout instead of a primary and secondary. Veteran Halo players might find this Tactical Package lacking as Halo 4's secondaries offer a solid amount of utility, although the extra primary is nothing to scoff at.
Bringing a Battle Rifle and DMR at once is great for Big Team Battle or large-scale game types. Players can also bring an Assault Rifle and Battle Rifle if they want two all-rounder weapons. Unless players are confident they can maintain power weapons, Firepower is a solid choice for most loadouts.
3 Grenadier
Grenadier is a simple Tactical Package, allowing players to carry three frag and plasma grenades simultaneously. This Tactical Package also allows players to carry two pulse grenades instead of one. Since grenades are so common in maps, players can frequently reach their grenade cap even with this Tactical Package selected.
Instead of viewing it as a number increase, consider the effects of having two pulse grenades up simultaneously or one extra grenade to flush enemies out of cover with. One grenade is all it takes to turn a duel around. Grenadier is a top-tier choice for virtually all game types.
2 Mobility
Sprinting is a core part of Halo 4's sandbox. It is essential for traversing open chokepoints or navigating Big Team Battle maps. Mobility upgrades sprinting even further by removing its duration entirely. Players can sprint for as long as they want without the inherent sprint speed reduction that comes from sprinting for long periods. Whether it's Slayer or Territories, Mobility remains one of the strongest Tactical Package choices in Halo 4.
1 AA Efficiency
Armor Abilities in Halo 4 are immensely powerful. Hardlight Shield allows players to absorb enemy fire, Jet Packs allow players to bypass entire sections of multiplayer maps, and Thruster Pack is so powerful that it became a core part of Halo 5's gameplay.
To bring some of Halo 5's speed to Halo 4, AA Efficiency can be used to half the recharge time of all Armor Abilities. This removes most of the risk associated with using an ability by cutting down its downtime considerably. The more opportunities a player has to dash, project a hologram, or use their Jet Pack, the increased chances they have of winning a gunfight. AA Efficiency is one of the best Tactical Packages in Halo 4.