Official designation: M41 SSR MAV/AW
Projectile Type: 102mm High-Exposive, Anti-Tank (HEAT)
Dual-wield: No
Damage: Very High
Range: Long
Accuracy: High (Charged: Homing)
Rate of fire: Medium
Autofire capability: No
Magazine Capacity: 2 Rockets
Ammunition (Additional): 6 (3 Magazines)
Reload speed: Slow
Melee attack: Powerful
Scope: 2x
The portable Rocket Launcher (a.k.a. "The Spanker", from the letters 'SPNKr' stenciled on either side, or otherwise the jackhammer) fires explosive missiles with a homing capacity. Its basic point-and-launch functionality remains the same, though: simply aim and pull the trigger. The rockets are slow and noisy; they give a distinct audio cue that will warn all nearby enemies of the incoming danger. As a rule of thumb, it's best to aim the SPNKr at the feet of infantry targets or a nearby wall in close range situations (but be careful - many a careless player has blown himself up as well as his opponent). Its rockets have a large blast radius and can be devastating when used against groups of assailants. It is also an anti-vehicular weapon of great potency.
The Rocket Launcher has a homing feature. If you are targeting an enemy vehicle and your reticule is red, you can hold the right trigger to lock on. Once the trigger is depressed and held, a circular crosshair will appear. Then release the trigger to fire a homing rocket. The rocket will follow the target in a loop-de-loop pattern, making it near-impossible for a slow-moving vehicle to avoid, but possible for a Banshee to evade with a barrel roll. To cancel the targeting process, press "Y" to switch to another weapon, or wait for the lock to cancel after a few seconds.
The rockets move much faster than in the original Halo. However, the rockets are still relatively slow, and the rocket launcher is still a close range weapon (except in the case of anti-vehicular combat) for the most part. One possible long-range use of rockets is against an unaware stationary target, such as an enemy sniper.
While falling, with version 1.1, if one melees an opponent, the target is killed due to size and power of the melee. Use this to surprise opponents around corners or camp up high and jump down to them.
Multiplayer Role
When using a rocket launcher, jump up and aim for a wall or ground near the target to maximize the accuracy. When up against one, jumping is ineffective to the average-aimed rocket due to the upward "splash" damage. Attempt to obtain an overshield or withdraw, decreasing the accuracy and increasing your awareness.