No, AR start supporters aren’t unskilled noobs who live by an easy to use spray-and-pray weapon.
No, BR start supporters don’t want to devolve every match into a monotonous camp fests
The first thing we need to realize is that “core halo” means something different to everyone. And that seems to be the determining factor in which weapon people want to start with.
I prefer AR starts even though I ALMOST NEVER use the AR. My most used weapon is the pistol, followed by the BR. But still I prefer AR starts. Why? Because ‘core halo’ to me is Map Control: 1) control weapon spawns 2) control power weapons 3) control strong points. So no, I’m not some noob, that wants to spray and pray. I just like that dying comes with the penalty of having to find and fight for better weapons, like BR,DMR, light rifle, etc. With AR starts, A good team wins by denying the opposing team access to these better weapons, or keeping them from picking up ammo when these weapons respawn. AR starts encourage using each weapon on the map according to its strengths and weaknesses, leading to extremely varied gun battles. With BR starts, there’s little need to worry about controlling weapon spawns, because everyone starts with a great weapon. It also means that most encounters will be similar: BR v BR
I like BR starts. Just not as much as I like AR starts, but I can see why many people prefer it this way.to many, ‘core halo’ is about exercising precision skill. With BR starts, that’s the name of the game. What better showcase of skill than two people dueling with a four shot weapon? That’s not too say map control goes completely out the window. You still need to worry about power weapons and controlling strong points, but the gun battles are less about strategically choosing what to bring into battle, and more about raw aiming ability. That’s fantastic, and it’s no surprise that people feel so strongly about it.
In reality AR and BR starts have such differing dynamics, that I think a truly gifted halo player is someone who can excel in either. I feel like both need to come up frequently in matchmaking.
In my ideal world we’d all start with just a pistol… I think that would capture both the essence of the aiming skill required with BR starts, and the emphasis on weapon spawn control required with AR starts… but I’m probably in the minority