Sammy has proposed a new take on specializations here. While I disagree with his approach for the game in general, having a progression-style playlist in MM is something to which I would not be opposed. Lots of people might enjoy that, but I would strongly dislike it being applied to the game as a whole.
In this thread, I propose an entirely different take on specializations. My guess is that they are not going away, but I think they can be done in a way that doesn’t add so much of a “class” feel to Halo.
In my opinion, specializations should be done as commendations. The reward for specializations - rather than perks - would be armor, stances, gamercard extras, etc. Whatever 343i wants that does not affect gameplay.
So let’s say you want the Wetwork specialization. To get it, you have to assassinate X people. You have to perform Y air assassinations. You have to achieve Z sword kills. Wheelman requires, well, Wheelman medals. Each specialization would be set up similarly. Personally, I would prefer to change out a few of them with ones that follow gameplay - so rather than Pioneer, perhaps Extractor (with extra achievements beyond qualifying on the gametype). Rather than Tracker, perhaps Saboteur (assists, EMP and otherwise). So the gametype commendations would remain the basic commendations, while the gametype-oriented specializations would add an extra level of achievement. The player commendations would remain the basic level, while the individual achievement specializations would add an extra level.
That way, the specializations can help promote team and objective play rather than primarily promoting lone wolf play (the current method allows players to unlock perks without changing their playing habits, and most of the perks benefit the individual more than the team). Some lone wolf specializations (i.e., Wetwork) are fine . . . but it would be nice to have more team and objective oriented ones as well.
Lastly, I don’t really see the need to associate perks with the specializations. Keep the AAs/perks down to a manageable level from a balance perspective, and focus entirely on the gameplay aspects of them. Divorcing them from the specializations removes the need for so many perks and removes the temptation to have a particular perk just because it fits the theme of the specialization (or vice versa).