Please provide feedback on the Team Arena Summer Preview settings in this thread! To read up on the Team Arena Summer Preview playlist and find links to all other dedicated feedback threads, head here.
Over the past few months, we’ve been gathering your feedback on Arena map weapon layouts here on Waypoint, and we’ve made a variety of refresh updates to a select set of Arena map / game type combinations in Team Arena.
For Fathom, the following changes have been made:
Version 1
Removal of SMGs - Storm Rifles moved out of Red/Blue Treehouses to on top of the Red/Blue submarines - Removal of two Frag grenades and two Splinter grenades - Swapped the locations of Boltshot and Battle Rifle - Reshuffling of grenade placement - Speed Boost replaces the Rail Gun at Top Mid - SAW weapon pad replaces the Active Camo at Bottom Mid - No spare mags - 2min respawn - Added circular ledges around Red/Blue Vat to encourage more flow to Red/Blue BridgeVersion 2
Removed circular ledges at Red/Blue Vat - Swapped the Battle Rifle and Boltshot to original locations - Replaced the SAW with the Rail Gun - Replaced Speed Boost with Active Camouflage - Added a Splinter grenade to Red/Blue Treehouse - Added a Frag grenade to the back of each base near Red/Blue GeneratorThank you! We look forward to hearing your feedback.
SAW is not a power weapon that belongs on a 4v4 Arena map, it is extremely powerful and doesn’t have much tradeoffs other than its low map placement. You can’t be punished when using it and its viable from nearly all ranges. I don’t think it belongs and the removal of Camo is heartbreaking. - I’m a fan of trying out Speed Boost on Arena maps but I don’t think Fathom was the right pick. With some of the fastest Flag/Assault routes in the game, it just is a bit too game breaking for objective play. I understand the removal of Railgun as some people believed the weapons was too easy but I don’t think this was an apt replacement - BR-Boltshot swap is an interesting meta mixup but I’m still in favor of removing the Battle Rifle from Fathom to promote Light Rifle usage as an anchor weapon - Storm Rifles placed in a vulnerable position is a good change - I genuinely don’t know what to think about the platforms on Vats. I have a feeling its going to allow for a bit too much freedom of movement, because getting to Top Mid from Streets requires a significant amount of skill and timing, and the platforms are very forgiving. I can’t say I’m a big fan as of now.
Saw is overpowered on the map. No weak points for saw users. Camo worked well on the map.
Speed boost has the same problems as the railgun. Neither works well for the map.
I like the position of the Storm rifles. More even for play.
Dmr is a good replacement for the Smg. I prefer it.
Ruined the map. In my opinion you replace the railgun a weapon which takes some skill, for a spray pray stupid gun. Then put a speed boost which has no place in arena play. Put the BR in a place that is basically unnoticeable. I actually like fathom before, but now I hate it.
The lack of a true power weapon on this map breaks one of the main objectives for Halo gameplay. The Rail Gun was a perfect weapon for this map, as it takes some skill but can affect the outcome of a game. If a team was dominating my team by controlling map movement with the Rail Gun, I knew it was my team’s fault for not making that power weapon a priority. This is true Halo gameplay. The saw is a poor replacement. The ammo is quickly depleted, and it is only good for medium to close range. I don’t understand why all the grenades are being removed from maps. Grenades work great to control enemy movement, and provide a last ditch effort in stopping the enemy from arming the bomb or getting away with your flag. I’ve never been bothered with the number of grenades on any Halo 5 multiplayer map. They’re like loot.
i’m not about to charge top mid for a speed boost.
a SAW can slay just as hard as a railgun with less skill, and the same placements mean that speed boosted SAW gunners will be just as common as invisible rail gunners.
Assault doesnt work on this map, if you block the elbow spawn they will all spawn in your garage. You literally cannot sprint back to your base fast enough to stop them from arming it. if you want to use assault, make maps that will play well with it. dont force game types, your going to lose even more of your community
BRs should be left at original position and boltshots as well. Not ideal placement IMO of BR especially
4)Not one shoting spartan charge is much better
Removal of SMG and movement of Storm rifle are fantastic changes. I’m fine with Speed Boost when charge isn’t a one hit kill but the SAW has no business being in arena. I don’t know what I’d replace it with, maybe the map doesn’t need a power weapon. It seems like Plasma Caster may be the best option in terms of balance. Long range power weapons would probably be too powerful and no one wants a shotgun on the map as crouching in the tree houses is bad enough as is.
The Railgun was perfect for this map. It gave immediate Top Mid control to the team who held it and could shoot it well.
The SAW, on the other hand, is way too much for this tight a map. As much as I love the SAW, and I use them quite often in Warzone, this map does not need one.
Almost all changes are garbage. Speed boost is stupid for a map that already plays fast. Rail Gun was good as is. Halo 5 is going to become who can pistol the best and lame
The changes to Fathom are IMO some of the most unnecessary and detrimental.
Positives:
-Movement of Storm Rifles
-Boltshot and BR Swap
Negatives:
-Saw in place of Camo
-Speed Boost in place of Rail
-Addition of Assault
Fathom Assault is probably the worst gametype that’s on the table at the moment, and that’s coming from someone who has a fairly strong dislike of Tyrant. The number of times you spawn out of your base with no chance to stop the plant is incredibly high. Speed Boost and Saw seem like they are being pushed purely for novelty and variety, and without much thought towards how they effect the flow of the game. Neither pick-up is as important to control as Rail or Camo, and Rail’s presence Top Mid gave the gametype a level of structure as a “must-control” power item.
To elaborate more. Fathom is getting the guinea pig treatment with the low ammo SAW and Speed Boost testing. <mark>Think less of what these replaced and more on if there’s a place for these items in Arena any where.</mark>
