One Idea about armor abilities could to give every player all of them. This may sound over the top but I assure it can be done while maintaining balance among the competetive scene. I often will choose the Jet Pack as my loadout cause thats what i’m best with. However if I pick up a Sword i find myself regretting the Jet Pack choice. Here’s another case, i’ll pick up a Sniper Rifle and regret not selecting Camo. Then i’ll go camo and find myself with the Rocket Launcher and miss my Jet Pack. Armor Abilities were meant to make the battlefield interesting but what if they were also meant to compliment certain weapons on the field?
How everyone can have 4 Armor Abilities at once.
If i’m correct the D-Pad isn’t used at all in Reach Multiplayer. Give everyone 4 Abilities. This means only 4 Armor Abilities would be in Halo 4 but i believe it would be appreciated. Up could switch to your Jet Pack, LEFT switch to Sprint, DOWN switch to Evade, RIGHT switch to Camo. These are just what i think would be best put into the game and here are some reasons why.
Jet Pack- Although this can be used in combat it is mainly used for getting to certain places on the map quicker. Surprise attacks from below, flying over holes or obstacles, and getting to certain weapon spawns are some simple points the the jet pack brings so much variety to the table i believe its a must.
Sprint- If all Armor Abilities are stripped but this one that would still be fine. It’s a great ability because it simply gets you to where you want to go faster. When it comes to combat it doesn’t really change who’s going to win a 1 on 1 (unless you have the sword:). This is far from broken and should remain in the Halo franchise.
Evade- I love this ability cause it can be used for both offense and deffense. Its great for dodging bursty weapons such as charged Plasma Pistols, Grenades, Rockets, Grenade Launcher etc… As well as being great at getting in for the kill with certain weapons like the Shotgun and other close range weapons. Also Evade can give you much needed distance for someone closing in on you. All around this compliments every aspect of combat. The first two get you to where you need to go than flip on Evade and duke it out.
Camo- I never choose Camo simply because I dont want it to replace the other Armor Abilities I can pick from. However if those came in a package with Camo it would be devastating. It can allow you to slip away in a close fight, get the drop on an enemy, and move across the map un-noticed when needed (Of course i mean from a distance, the scrambler would alert a close enemy which is key in making Camo balanced). It provides lots of different strategies and really gives an edge to players who like long range style of play.
These are just my views I enjoy Armor Abilities but believe they took alot of the “balance” out of Halo. If I’m Sprinting after someone with the Sword and my enemy just lifts off with the Jet Pack its upsetting cause he had an advantage on me from the selection screen. I won’t be able to -Yoink- about that anymore if i have the same level of equipment from the get go. I got attached to Halo early on because its one of the few games that isn’t about having a better weapon or ability but more about how you use what the game has given you to out skill your opponent. Lets take it back to a level playing field while bringing in the variety Reach gives.