A little mental math can go a long way. Weapons and power-ups are on definite timers in Halo 3. Knowing when they come up is the first step; knowing how to get them is the next. Follow these tips and you’ll find yourself in control of the important items that win games.

* Rockets and Snipers respawn on a continual timer. No matter when you pick up the rockets or sniper rifles, they are always going to respawn at set intervals. This is different than Halo 2 or default Matchmaking settings, in which the weapon respawn timer resets itself once the weapon is dropped. This means that if the rocket is on a three-minute spawn timer, it will respawn at 12 minutes, nine minutes, etc. Make sure your team is in a position to grab these!

* Power-ups and all other weapons begin to respawn from the moment you pick them up. If you pick up an overshield at 7:55 and it’s on a three-minute respawn clock, the next one will be available at 4:55. For this reason make sure you call out the time whenever you get a powerup. It's equally important to note the time an enemy picks up a powerup, so that you have the chance to contest the next respawn.

* Much like an objective, you don’t want to just blindly charge at a weapon or power-up. These weapons will often be hotly-contested battlefields and exercising the patience and teamwork to take control of them will win you the game. If you decide to be hasty, it may result in an easy kill for the enemy and put your teammates at a great disadvantage. Make sure the coast is clear before you rush in to grab an item!

* Fire it out! If you have four rockets, do not be afraid to use them. “Saving” your weapons often leads to them turning up in the enemy's favor. Likewise, don’t be afraid to take that extra sniper shot so you get a kill. While power weapons are valuable, you have to use them to get kills.

* Memorize all respawn times. If you’re not up for doing it all at once, it should be a project that’s worked on every time you enter practice. Even at an intermediate level, you must know the respawn times of all of the important weapons and begin to control them without having to be constantly reminded. The times are usually whole or half-minute time periods, so it shouldn't be too difficult to remember them.

Controlling weapons and power-ups is an integral part of controlling the game. It’s almost impossible to win, especially with any consistency, if your team lacks the strategy to take hold of and control the power weapons. Remembering this notion when you go to play a game will allow you to stay focused on them and ultimately result in much more success for you and your team.