No Assault Rifle starts for Halo 5?

> An increase to 72 rounds? That’s just not a Battle Rifle.

If weapon customisation is involved, which seems most likely at this point, then there’s no denying that it can, in fact, be a BR.

> The appearance may be similar, but we got a fast and blurry look. It could also be a relatively unfinished model too.

If you look at the links that aThomaskid provided, then you’ll see that the weapon is not just ‘similar’, but identical, which to me says a lot.

> The MA5K does resemble a cross between the assault rifle and the battle rifle.

I’m well aware what the weapon looks like, and yet, the weapon in the trailer still looks nothing like it. As i said to JSA, the post above yours shows a rather accurate comparison between the BR and the weapon in question. It resembles a BR far more than it does the Carbine.

> > The MA5K does resemble a cross between the assault rifle and the battle rifle.
>
> I’m well aware what the weapon looks like, and yet, the weapon in the trailer still looks nothing like it. As i said to JSA, the post above yours shows a rather accurate comparison between the BR and the weapon in question. It resembles a BR far more than it does the Carbine.

In all fairness it could be a new version of the weapon, much like how the BR85 Battle Rifle in Halo 4 is an upgraded version of the BR55 from Halo 2 and 3. Admittedly however, the Black Battle Rifle shown in the Halo 5 ViDoc does look a lot more like an alternate variant of the Battle Rifle (much like the silenced SMG from ODST), more so than a cross between the Battle Rifle and Assault Rifle.

OT: The weapon could just be a placeholder, or if my memory serves me correctly, I believe that there were Assault Rifles just laying around maps in Halo 3, or SMGs in Halo 2 just so that you could resupply. Besides, this is just an early build of the game, so I wouldn’t think much into it, i’m sure they have played around with a lot of possible starting weapons.

I have no idea on what this could mean for starting weapons.

But the picture OP included could indicate that we are going back to weapons on maps!

Hurray!

Well, considering the SMG is back, maybe the SMG is the new starting automatic, and the assault rifle is being buffed up to a power weapon.

> > An increase to 72 rounds? That’s just not a Battle Rifle.
>
>
> If weapon customisation is involved, which seems most likely at this point, then there’s no denying that it can, in fact, be a BR.

I 200% disagee. How could weapon customization be incorporated with fair starts? That doesn’t make sense. The weapon is not a BR, plain and simple.

> > > An increase to 72 rounds? That’s just not a Battle Rifle.
> >
> >
> > If weapon customisation is involved, which seems most likely at this point, then there’s no denying that it can, in fact, be a BR.
>
> I 200% disagee. How could weapon customization be incorporated with fair starts? That doesn’t make sense. The weapon is not a BR, plain and simple.

Skins and cosmetic customization duh, plus spartans use smart link on most weapons, so it’s not like the scope serves any purpose anyway.

There are no loadouts in Halo 5. So when would anyone get the chance to use a different skin in multiplayer? I feel like creating different skins just for variety would be a tremendous waste of time, as armor cutomization makes up for the lack of other changeable aesthetics.

> There are no loadouts in Halo 5. So when would anyone get the chance to use a different skin in multiplayer? I feel like creating different skins just for variety would be a tremendous waste of time, as armor cutomization makes up for the lack of other changeable aesthetics.

Tremendous is pushing it quite a bit, they’re textures, once the model is complete, a skin should take less than a full work day from start to finish, and equal starts doesn’t necessarily exclude skins.

I understand what you’re saying now. I take it back!

I don’t think we can draw any conclusions from this.

If it’s the starting weapon it’d be there for ammo.

If it’s not than it’d be there as a map pickup.

That’s a great photo using the AR to represent Halo as classic as can be.

> There are no loadouts in Halo 5. So when would anyone get the chance to use a different skin in multiplayer? I feel like creating different skins just for variety would be a tremendous waste of time, as armor cutomization makes up for the lack of other changeable aesthetics.

Just an idea, maybe the skin automatically changes to your preferred skin when you pick up a weapon.

> Well, considering the SMG is back, maybe the SMG is the new starting automatic, and the assault rifle is being buffed up to a power weapon.

Like making the SMG the new AR while making the AR a weakened SAW. I have no problem with this.

> > > An increase to 72 rounds? That’s just not a Battle Rifle.
> >
> >
> > If weapon customisation is involved, which seems most likely at this point, then there’s no denying that it can, in fact, be a BR.
>
> I 200% disagee. How could weapon customization be incorporated with fair starts? That doesn’t make sense. The weapon is not a BR, plain and simple.

Ever played Gears of War. In setting you could change the skin of the weapons you spawned with. If i spawned with a Br it would be my Rainbow MR pony BR but if my friend choose the HAIL MARY Br then he’d have it as well.

> I 200% disagee. How could weapon customization be incorporated with fair starts? That doesn’t make sense.

Use your initiative, its not that hard. Customisable scopes? They don’t necessarily need to change the functionality of the weapon. Cosmetics is more than enough to fit the criteria of ‘customisation’. And like like others have said, weapon skins.

> The weapon is not a BR, plain and simple.

Well, yes it is, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

I hope that there will be SMG starts. I think that increases the value of the AR and other Standard weapons.

I don’t see how you made this conclusion. Enlighten me, what do map drops have to do with starting loadouts?

In an earlier post, someone mentioned the SAW. Oh gosh, the SAW. I completely forgot about that weapon. Absolutely OP. If it is going to be a map pickup in H5, then it absolutely needs to be nerfed. You barely have a second to react in a 1v1 battle if your opponent has that damn gun. Actually, I hope it’s not even in the game. The mere thought of that gun in an Arena, Equal Starts environment just scares me.

> Oh gosh, the SAW. I completely forgot about that weapon. Absolutely OP. If it is going to be a map pickup in H5, then it absolutely needs to be nerfed. You barely have a second to react in a 1v1 battle if your opponent has that damn gun.

The same can be said about a lot of power weapons. I hope they ditch the SAW for a few reasons but not because it’s OP, it isn’t.

> > An increase to 72 rounds? That’s just not a Battle Rifle.
>
>
> If weapon customisation is involved, which seems most likely at this point, then there’s no denying that it can, in fact, be a BR.

They have been saying nothing but equal starts since the beta was announced, custom weapons that go beyond cosmetic changes flies in the face of that logic.

A 72 round weapon is approaching LMG or drum-fed SMG territory. Not a BR.

> > I 200% disagee. How could weapon customization be incorporated with fair starts? That doesn’t make sense.
>
> Use your initiative, its not that hard. Customisable scopes? They don’t necessarily need to change the functionality of the weapon. Cosmetics is more than enough to fit the criteria of ‘customisation’. And like like others have said, weapon skins.
>
>
>
> > The weapon is not a BR, plain and simple.
>
> Well, yes it is, and there’s nothing you can do about it.

You make no sense. Your initial post was in response to the fact that it can’t be a BR because of the 72 round mag. You used weapon customization to justify it being a BR, directly implying that you thought it had extended mags or something ala CoD. And now you defend your position by talking about cosmetic customization.

Extended mags is not a cosmetic change, that is a gameplay change. Unless the BR functionality has drastically changed across the board, the 72 round rifle simply is not nor can be a BR given Halo 5’s emphasis on equal starts. Repeatedly saying “well it is a BR, there’s nothing you can do about it” doesn’t make you any more right. As I said, a 72 round weapon is approaching LMG territory, a Battle Rifle is, realistically, designed for long range, high powered shots. Unless the magazine is the size of my arm, then it only works if its an LMG or SMG firing smaller caliber bullets at a higher ROF.