I couldn’t really find any of the specific categorie threads that were designed for more general feedback on gameplay and maps, so I figured I’d make a thread to post my 2 cents.
To provide some context: I’ve played every mainline Halo since the first one on the original Xbox (including CE/H2 for PC) for thousands of hours. Over the years I’ve mainly stuck to playing CE and Halo 2 on OG Xbox LAN and the MCC, while only playing the newest release for a year or two after launch.
Weapons:
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AR: Seems alright, I still don’t get why it has to have a zoom, but it doesn’t feel too strong compared to the pistol. - Pistol: Feels like the H2 pistol but it actually does some damage instead. However, it runs out of ammo way too fast. I usually find myself reloading after every kill. I think the damage overall is fine given the very high firing rate as you kill people pretty fast by team shooting, but it could use a few more shots per magazine, maybe up it to 15 or 16. The zoom is also the weirdest thing ever. I turned off any DoF effects, but I still get them when zooming in with the pistol. A zoom closer to the CE pistol zoom would be much appreciated, or atleast an option to completely disable the DoF effect. - BR: For the first time since Halo 3, this actually feels like a BR again. The firing rate is just right to give you that old school BR feeling. - Commando: This is my most favorite new Halo weapon, well I guess since the BR was introduced in Halo 2. It is so unbelievably fun to use and it’s very satisfying to pace your shots just right to maintain accuracy. It does feel a bit weak in close range, but imo that’s how it should be. This is what the DMR should have been in Halo Reach! - Plasma Pistol: This is about as nerfed as any PP post Halo 2 in terms of tracking. It does do it nicely enough though to make the “noob combo” at least somewhat viable. I do like that you can actually kill someone with single shots somewhat reliably. I have finished off some no shield people in a few quick shots with this. I still wish the plasma slow from CE would make a come back
- Pulse Carbine: I’m not sure how to feel about this one. Sometimes the tracking and the damage off the shots feels ridiculous and sometimes it feels borderline useless. Interesting design for sure though, a nice mix of plasma rifle and the plasma nade launcher from Reach I guess. - Needler: Speaking of which, this feels about right. It is super powerful but at the same time does pretty much no damage when you miss too many needles. The tracking does sometimes feel a bit too strong when using zoom though. - Bulldog: I personally don’t mind moving away from the classic halo shotgun, as iconic as that might be. Where the halo shotgun always struggled between having too much/too little range and shooting too fast/too slow, this feels just right. It doesn’t one shot kill at any range so it doesn’t feel overpowered at all, but the rate of fire is nice enough to not screw you over when missing a shot or two. - Heatwave: I LOVE this gun. The choice in firing modes is fantastic and a welcome addition to Halo. A huge improvement over the scattershot from 4/5. - Snipe: Feels all right. I guess I have played too much CE recently, so the 5x zoom instead of 2x does feel a bit weird to me. I always preferred having a 2x and then the 10x for very far ranges. Rate of fire seems alright, it definetly isn’t as spammable as the CE and H2 snipe, so that’s good. - Skewer: This is honestly the weirdest weapon I’ve used in a long long time. I don’t understand its point, a snipe that kills with 1 shot and needs to reload on every shot? The zoom is really ugly too as it obstructs most of your field of view. This one is a real head scratcher for me personally. It is kinda fun to combine with camo though. - Ravager: Given that this is apparently broken, I can’t judge it too much. I have to say though that the default firing mode is very fun too use in close quarters when combined with a melee punch. - Rockets: So glad the classic design is back, they do feel like they could be packing more of a punch though. - Frag nades: These also feel like they could do more damage, or atleast have a wider splash radius. I also don’t understand why these can’t be used to grenade weapons to yourself for the “combat evolved” message, seems odd to limit that to plasma nades. - Plasma nades: Same in terms of damage, they do feel a bit like the Halo 2 1.0 grenades before their damage was buffed. - Spike nades: These seem to actually have been upgraded quiet nicely over their H3 counter parts in terms of AoE damage, very nice!Maps: (it is very hard to judge maps by just stomping the mediocre bots all day, so not too much can be said here) -
The first one (ye I suck with names): Very nice close quarter map. Seems super fun for slayer and free for all, but not much else. It feels like the “green tower” side could use some additional reasons to go there (aka some sort of weapon/item spawn). - The second map: This is by far my favorite. It feels very Quake-esque and that is a very good thing. I love the verticality and it is very fun to move around. - The third map: This one is quite odd for me. It feels a bit weird. The middle is super open and it seems like whatever team isn’t controlling the center is just spawning on one side of it and will the try to take control of the center. All the weapons spawn center as well. I feel like it would be a good idea to have something spawn on the sides to incentives moving away from the middle area a bit more. It is also a wide open area surrounded by high ground so it feels like more of a death trap to be down there. Not too fuzzed about this map tbh.