I just wanted to voice a concern regarding the choices in loadouts of FF Limited (and limited only, not arcade or score attack) that may or may not be widespread but is definitely not limited (hah) to myself.
To be blunt; why is the least stealthy weapon you can choose (the grenade launcher) paired with the active camo AA?
Putting aside for the moment any analysis of the AA’s perceived utility or the weapon’s efficacy on their own, I want to focus on the pairing itself. Obviously we are free to grab different weapons any time, but this loadout is the only one where it feels as though you must, or simply try to recover the weapon on a different spawn. When exactly is the camo going to help me use the GL? I can’t use it up close without hurting or killing myself, at at range the AI (which always has the tough luck skull on, remember) simply dodges at least some of the damage. So we’re clear, I actually love the GL and rather like the camo, but find them lacking any kind of synergy or sense, especially compared to the others
Both of the DMR-equipped loadouts have ideal AAs, either Sprint or Evade, ones that emphasize the midrange lethality of the main weapon and allow tactics to flow logically from them, giving the ability to engage the enemy from the optimal range and position, and flee suboptimal ones. The Drop Shield loadout gets decent weaponry as well, the AR for fighting close range, even in the shield, and the pistol for midrange. The same simply cannot be said of the Specter.
My suggestion is simple: since there are only four loadouts out of a possible five, as there are in the other game modes, why not simply change the Specter’s primary weapon to the Shotgun, a weapon that synergizes perfectly with the cloak, keeping the pistol sidearm, and create a new loadout called the Deceiver (an existing name) equipped with the GL, pistol, and Hologram?
The Shotgun is conspicuously absent from FF Limited, and is sorely missed as a result. It is a power weapon, to be sure, but its’ highly situational range and the comparative strength of the enemies in limited would keep it from becoming overused or overpowered. The Active Camo would be put to good use closing the gap to effective range, allow for interesting tactics, and help the Specter escape from crowds too large to fight. The GL is a power weapon as well, but its’ comparative difficulty to properly use have kept it from becoming dominant, indeed I rarely see it used, which I think this change would address. The hologram is also a perfect companion to the GL, allowing the player to buy time to reload, create openings, or even try to herd enemies together for multikills. In short, both loadouts would be intuitive, effective, and fun.
This change would also provide some variety in loadout selection, as there is little reason not to choose Evade, and it is, as such, the dominant choice by far. the workhorse rifle is never replaced, and the pistol is scrapped in favor of FRGs or Plasma Launchers dropped by grunts in initial waves, so even the raw firepower of the GL is not missed, nor would the shotguns’ be.
TL;DR
Replace the GL with the shotgun on the Specter loadout, move the existing weapons to a new one with the hologram.
I look forward to your consideration and discussion.