It’s still a bad step.
Many love the idea of earning their armor and this being something you can earn certainly is a big step in the right direction but it’s very exclusive, even more so then Achilles was and the only foul of that armor was the prerequisites to obtaining it. The farmers certainly have tainted the image of the armor but it was meant to be a show of unity between players and their loyalty to their clans or companies. Olive is meant to show the effort put into what is literally building Halo. That’s what forgers have been doing for almost a decade now and they do deserve some sort of recognition received it then got another which feels unnecessary to those outside looking it.
Some feel cheated that they’ve supported the game for something they can never get and others just lack the diversity to obtain the armor. Too many get the shaft for the few who get the praise which they’ve already had. It’s like giving a trophy out to the first place winner then giving them a second trophy for earning the trophy. Their recognition is noted that second trophy just makes the competition salty, and so here we are.
So, please, no more incredibility niche armors but on that note I believe it’s useless to deny something without a substitute so I’ll try my best to help things for the future. So let’s take a look at Recon. Unlike Achilles or Olive it was more of a piece of armor that was known to be given out to the impressive members of the community not specifically a single group of people. Since 343i has made so many sub variants of armors with different designs why not make a single set of armor dedicated for the outstanding members of the community BUT for each away the person is known to be outstanding for, they are given a different variation of that armor.
I.E. Forgers would have a design resembling well, the concept of forging. Putting steel to heat, creating the perfect tool. It could have a Hammer and Anvil across the front of the armor with it’s arms scorched by the molten fragments dripping along the sides of their chest down to their legs.
Those who did some sort of crazy kill related feat could get bloody hand sprints and streaks across their armor similar to that of Sev from Star Wars Republic Commando. Add a few notches for the amount of people they killed making it even more unique for what I assume would be the most seen armor type and you’re good.
Speed Runners could basically just become the Flash. Armor covered with lightning bolts that flare up whenever they sprint. They could have their times printed on their armor and it could could flare when they sprint.
Finally for those who’ve spent time building up the famous Halo machinima’s and general YouTube content that could get an armor skin that has the faces of Tragedy and Comedy on their suits. Comedy on the front, tragedy on the back and each on their respective fists sort of like Love and Hate. Their armors and legs could also have a design resembling that of strings to a puppet and their helmet layer some like that of a mask. I’m not too into drama so I don’t know what would be an appropriate face mask for them.
Something like this breeds diversity with the armor sets but doesn’t make people feel alienated. It shows that you can get the armor under your terms instead of feeling like you’re out of the loop like what Olive does. To those who feel like Olive doesn’t do that You’ve never seen someone get a trophy for getting a trophy. I only made that comparison because that has happened to me and that same feeling is what I felt when I saw Olive. The Emblem is already a show of status, sort of like a badge of honor or the emblem to an elite unit, adding a helmet to it just splits the gap even further.
Another armor that I believe 343i did expertly well then ironically took a dump on was Helioskrill. It basically became the new Endure Achievement and those who did got what they wanted. It being added to the req pool kind of blew away the hype for it because why work for something when you can get it eventually.
So hopefully this will help paint and image as well as support new ideas. While the helmet will entice people to go out and preform well with forge, as it should, it doesn’t change that fact that it’s kind of a slick way for 343i to get people to do their work for them…
YEP, I SOMEHOW TURNED IT 343i HATE! REMEMBER KIDS YOU CAN DO ANYTHING IF YOU BELIEVE!
On that note, the normal person can obtain Olive it again just feels too niche. Give people something to work for, not something that makes them change the way they have fun if they ever want to obtain it. At the end of the day this is still just a product meant to have fun with.
Forgers have their rewards for being outstanding but what about all the other people like Halocanon, RUL, NakedEli and Teh Spearhead. They’ve certainly left their mark on the community but are left out of the loop because they’ve focused their skills elsewhere.
