It’s actually been a point of contention since Halo 2. BR starts have always rendered much of the remaining sandbox useless, and outside of competitive play where you need a standardized meta to limit variance, there really is no need for them.
Right. But the argument here is that Infinites starting weapons are soo much more competent than… SMG’s or H2 pistols? In a game like that, I would agree, its really hard to deal with a team that has map control. Of course it would still be difficult in Infinite, as it should be, map control is a skill in its own right, but its nothing even remotely like spawning in with an SMG.
I still really feel like people are transferring their feelings about automatic starts in previous games to this one. This is a whole new game, with an almost completely reworked sandbox. Things that were a virtual given in previous Halo games can be revisited here because of just how different things actually are.
2 Likes
I wish they’d have given us Sanctuary instead of that bs
I’m not discounting the argument, simply pointing out that this has been an issue surrounding the weapon since its introduction. The only reason that point matters is because its prevalence is tied as much to its popularity than anything else. Both Bungie and 343i spent multiple games including a weapon that rendered more than half the remaining sandbox unnecessary, not even redundant, but actually pointless.
Gonna be a hard push to get people to see a BR as anything less than the ranked tool of choice.
I would love the sidekick variant as the start weapon. It’s 4sk, it’s got no bloom, its projectile, its harder to aim than the BR, it rewards the individual, it’s not completely necessary to team shoot.
It’s because we don’t want to spawn weak. We don’t like the idea of someone picking up a weapon and besting us just because of that. We want to spawn with the strongest weapon that takes the most skill, that doesn’t have any randombess(sidekick bloom) etc.
Nope you’re not the only one. I think so too.
It’s an Arena shooter, and the BR is far too versatile in its current role.
So what you are saying is that the BR is a power weapon?
Compared to the majority of the weapons currently in Ranked, yes. It is.
Most of the weapons in Ranked aren’t worth picking up unless they are legit Power Weapons.
The Commando is always on the wall, the BR is always missing. The stalker rifle is occasionally picked up, the heatwave isn’t.
1 Like
Blockquote
""The weapon sandbox is pretty good, and the starting weapons (AR and pistol) are in a good place as well. So I’ve been wondering, why does ranked even need to be exclusively BR starts?
Starting players with BR’s is a nerf to almost every other weapon pickup in the game. Even snipers aren’t unscathed by the power of starting with a BR in hand.
The game plays so beautifully with default weapons because they encourage players to fight in slightly closer quarters, which also creates even more opportunities for the weapon sandbox to flex it’s muscles.
Often, with BR starts, the most powerful thing you can pickup on the map is equipment, something that will supplement the BR only playstyle, like overshield. I was just playing on Live Fire against an Onyx and a couple of Diamonds, and even then, the Sniper was virtually an after thought.
The things players actually want on the map are extremely limited when everyone starts with a BR, and it just feels like it takes the soul away from Halo and its arena shooter roots. I’ve always enjoyed the idea of spawning in weak and fighting for every possible advantage out on the map. The current ranked mode gets away from that gameplay model, almost entirely. Its almost like playing swat with shields lol.
Br starts has been a part of Halo for a really really long time, and I understand why people have grown accustomed to it. But it always felt like those games needed BR starts out of necessity. Largely because those games weapons sandbox were very poorly balanced. Thankfully Halo Infinite doesn’t suffer from that, at least not nearly on the same level.
So would you be ok with a ranked mode that had default weapon starts? Or is the BR gameplay loop enough to keep you satisfied?
Blockquote
No this is awful. I played halo 2 ranked. And spawning with SMG and two grenades on the beach in zanzibar vs a enemy who had a BR means you are toast. If you were LUCKY, you’d get his shield down and another player could take him out.
Spawning with weapons crappier than the ones the bad guys are coming in with leads to degenerate play. The team that wins the initial push and grabs the BR’s will own the team that doesnt. They’ll own them for the next several spawns.
It might not make a big difference at my level(platinum rank) but at higher levels like onyx, im sure the weapon disparity will only increase the amount of death the BR team will lay on.
This is yet again another example of transferring feelings on previous Halos onto Infinite. I don’t discount that Halo 2 auto starts played badly for competitive play, but Infinite should be looked at independently of our feelings on Halo 2 and 3 auto starts.
1 Like
It’s not a bad thing, competitive Halo is just different.
Frankly, your opinion is completely irrelevant. Competitive Halo has a decent-sized community with a very long history. That community is not at all interested in seeing a bunch of people crouch around corners with their AR out watching their motion tracker. Let competitive Halo be sculpted by the people who have invested real time and energy into making Halo the best competitive shooter it can be for two decades and not forum randoms.
4 Likes
The communities opinion is irrelevant? Bad take.
Not to mention that we’re the ones that have to deal with this mode. Its literally the only ranked option. It might be what they’ll end up playing at tournament, but do you honestly believe its gonna hurt the competitive community to provide a ranked alternative for the average players?
2 Likes
Don’t all the playlist use csr in the background to match make - really should just slap a ranking on them all since they do that.
I personally hate the Sidekick for it’s spammy/slot machine like feel and small mag. It only feels good on M&K, but on controller I absolutely hate it. If the sidekick was more similar to the Halo 5 Magnum (lower fire rate, bigger mag). I would be 100% fine no BR start. BUT since the Sidekick feels the way it does, I will definitely go for BR starts over Sidekick + AR starts.
I would prefer BR + AR starts in ranked playlists and that there would be a BR only starts for a HCS playlist. Hope 343i either fixes the Sidekick, or forever keep it in Quickplay.
We need to petition game devs to be more transparent with how SBMM works, and what our MMR is.
But then again, it could be too “toxic” lol…
1 Like
I think the whole game should be BR starts tbh, so if anything, yea I think ranked should be. I will never for the life of me understand why people would rather use a pistol in a futuristic sci-fi shooter than a rifle. If it was the magnum, I’d understand, but I don’t want to have to use the sidekick.
2 Likes
Ranked definitely is too different from Unranked, there isn’t even friendly-fire in unranked… that’s why people really struggle to get into ranked right now, ranked has friendly-fire, no radar, BR Spawn weapon, and unranked is completely different. They need to be more consistent with each other, not sure how but something needs to be changed.
This is why starting with AR/BR would fix all the issues. Even starts for both teams and a variety of game play styles would be accomdated in ranked play. Those that want to fight in close will have to be smart and close the distance if they want to use the AR. Those that want to use the BR have an incentive to kill an AR player before they close the gap.
1 Like
False on some accounts.
People pick up the Mangler and heatwave all the time. People who underestimate it are fools
1 Like
AR is low skill ceiling makes for boring ranked play with little room to outplay.
Radar creates stalemates where you can’t push without eating a grenade and it also promotes camping with CQC weapons since you get free info.
Ranked is currently the best feeling playlist in this game, so you’re batting a .000 with that post. Bazaar and Behemoth are the only problem maps in ranked and that’s fixable by having Bazaar be only CTF and have Behemoth be only slayer.
3 Likes