With the upcoming weapon tuning (that I am 100% against) I decided to finally make a thread about this. I’m not getting into balance debates around primary weapons so don’t get off topic there. I don’t have any interest in it.
From the start I did not like the idea of 4 primary weapons. Seems redundant but with obvious balancing issues there is really only 1 or 2 usable ones.
What bothers me about these primary weapons is that you have four to choose from and only two I think are actually good for gameplay. The Battle Rifle is a great weapon. Mid-range so there is no cross mapping and it’s a classic. Hard to go wrong here. The carbine is also the only other primary weapon I support. It’s mid-range, covenant classic and again no cross mapping.
Then there is the DMR. An obvious super weapon but that’s not my main issue with it. It has realistically an unlimited range. The only thing I have seen the DMR promote is players hiding along map edges and picking off players in fights. I am shocked I don’t see full BTB teams using DMR and camo and just hiding the whole game. I assumed that is what this game has sunk too but thankfully, not yet. The pinpoint accuracy is just another story but it’s the range I have an issue with. It doesn’t matter if you think the DMR takes skill, the range kills how halo use to play. There no more map advancements or being a collective team. It’s just a ton of hiding. Valhalla H3 to now is two separate things.
I hated the DMR for this in Reach and I hate that it was brought back.
This same range issue goes for the Light Rifle. I don’t see it as much because it’s clearly worse than the DMR but the same principle is flawed. I really believe the DMR & Light Rifle should be removed to prevent the ridiculous cross mapping.
But without getting into a large balance discussion, these primary weapons really damage my views towards power weapons (and I don’t think it’s just me). When the weapon tuning hits it’ll be even worse. Instead of balancing the DMR downwards, 343 thinks it’s a smart idea to balance every primary weapon to the super weapon.
Since when did halo turn into wanting to keep your primary weapon? I remember back when people would rush to any power weapon and fight until they had it, that includes minor weapons like the needler. Now so many of them I don’t even see being used. The needlers almost always sit on the maps, same with grenades. The sticky detonator is sometimes ignored. I usually even killed SAW users with my Battle Rifle and I know it’s even worse vs a DMR. Swords & Hammer users same issue by getting taken down way before they reach the enemy. Even the scattershot goes unnoticed and sometimes the shotgun.
The only power weapons I see being picked up instantly are rocket based and snipers.
What happened to controlling the power weapons and dropping your beginning weapons for almost anything. Now everyone stays with primaries and there is almost no reason to use any other weapons.
It’s not just matchmaking, I did the exact same thing in Campaign & Spartan Ops. It’s worse dropping the insane primary weapons for a power weapon when your starting off gun is better and has more ammo. It’s completely backwards of what I remember halo use to be.