343 has announced some major changes coming to Halo 5 (see “Summer 2017 Feedback, Updates & More”), including the removal of the assault rifle, the energy sword on CTF Truth, splinter grenades, and the Brute Plasma Rifle, as well as tweaks to weapon re-spawn timers and radar. I oppose these changes as I don’t like forced changes to a nearly two-year-old game (i.e. one people have spent years getting used to already) that will “heavily influence gameplay on all maps” (343’s words). I’d prefer 343 be confident in their original vision of the game and only make minor tweaks–or, if they must appease the less than one percent of players who constitute pros or aspiring pros, do so in a separate playlist instead of forcing it on all who play Team Arena (the only ranked team objective playlist).
Related to that, I think there is a lack of appreciation for how thought-out and balanced 343’s original vision for Halo 5 was, and a lot of that lack of appreciation is clear when it comes to people’s complaints about splinter grenades. In my opinion, they were a welcome addition to the trifecta of balance that makes Halo so unique. Each grenade type had a unique role: frags, with their large blast radius and hit markers, to locate and flush out opponents; plasmas with their non-bouncy nature, delayed burst and sticky capabilities to precisely punish reckless intruders; and splinter grenades for area denial and, just as importantly, to counter reckless play from opponents that is aided by sprinting and Spartan Charging.
Many critics of splinter grenades wrongfully saw them as “get out of jail free cards”–empathizing with those who died from them. But they should’ve been viewing them from the other perspective: as a tool to combat over-aggressive opponents. Removing them simply incentivizes those players to engage in kamikaze-style play, sprinting in and Spartan charging, chasing kills, etc. Furthermore, unlike plasma stickies or back smacks (both of which are guaranteed kills on full-shielded players), contrary to popular belief, splinter grenades are not a guaranteed kill. They only kill you if you sit in their blast radius for a certain amount of time. 343 has given us the tools to escape them (e.g. thrusters). Finally, unlike frag grenades and even plasma grenades, there already is a paucity of splinter grenades on maps. Completely removing them, or further reducing their quantity, or nerfing their efficacy, in my opinion, is a mistake. I for one hope they stay in Halo 5 and also come back in Halo 6 and beyond.
(Also, splinter grenades are gorgeous–easily the prettiest grenades in the Halo universe).
Splinter grenades are kind of like Molotov’s and Firebombs in CS. They’re useful for blocking pathways for a few seconds and can really help when you’re in a pinch.
Also, their design is similar to the Pulse Grenade from Halo 4, and I liked the Pulse Grenade (not as much as the Splinter, but it’s a pretty close second). Maybe we could see both the Pulse Grenade AND the Splinter Grenade in Halo 6. Who knows?
I would also like to see the pulse grenade return, but not as much as the splinter grenade I like that they added that, but there was no explanation for the absence of the pulse grenade (wait there getting rid of the assault rifle!?!? HOW!?!?)
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> if they must appease the less than one percent of players who constitute pros or aspiring pros, do so in a separate playlist instead of forcing it on all who play Team Arena (the only ranked team objective playlist).
>
> Removing them simply incentivizes those players to engage in kamikaze-style play, sprinting in and Spartan charging, chasing kills, etc. Furthermore, unlike plasma stickies or back smacks (both of which are guaranteed kills on full-shielded players), contrary to popular belief, splinter grenades are not a guaranteed kill. They only kill you if you sit in their blast radius for a certain amount of time. 343 has given us the tools to escape them (e.g. thrusters).
Well, Team Arena is supposed to be the HCS playlist that uses their settings so whatever they play at tournies is what you play as well.
Having splinters never stopped people from doing kamikaze stuff previously so nothing will change. You still have plasma grenades to stick to people that do that. If you get a direct hit with a splinter nade, it’s also a kill and good luck trying to thrust and live if it’s thrown right next to you.
My opinion to make them better would be to have a delayed fuse before they explode into little grenades. That would stop the desperation kills where people just throw it as they die and get a kill.
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> > 2533274991403060;1:
> > if they must appease the less than one percent of players who constitute pros or aspiring pros, do so in a separate playlist instead of forcing it on all who play Team Arena (the only ranked team objective playlist).
> >
> > Removing them simply incentivizes those players to engage in kamikaze-style play, sprinting in and Spartan charging, chasing kills, etc. Furthermore, unlike plasma stickies or back smacks (both of which are guaranteed kills on full-shielded players), contrary to popular belief, splinter grenades are not a guaranteed kill. They only kill you if you sit in their blast radius for a certain amount of time. 343 has given us the tools to escape them (e.g. thrusters).
>
> Well, Team Arena is supposed to be the HCS playlist that uses their settings so whatever they play at tournies is what you play as well.
>
> Having splinters never stopped people from doing kamikaze stuff previously so nothing will change. You still have plasma grenades to stick to people that do that. If you get a direct hit with a splinter nade, it’s also a kill and good luck trying to thrust and live if it’s thrown right next to you.
>
> My opinion to make them better would be to have a delayed fuse before they explode into little grenades. That would stop the desperation kills where people just throw it as they die and get a kill.
And that’s the problem: Team Arena is the only ranked playlist that offers objective gametypes, so people that don’t want these changes, don’t care about training for HCS, etc, are having their only playlist usurped.
Yes, something will change: fewer kamikazes will go unpunished. I see people thrust out of splinters all the time.
Plasmas already do that (delayed explosion); I prefer how they are now, since a delayed explosion would not deter kamikazes.
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> This is only true for competitive play/HCS gametypes… don’t get your knickers in a twist lol.
That is the only playlist that my Spartan Company and I play, so, yeah, my knickers are twisted. I don’t like the idea of a game I’ve been playing daily for nearly two years changing on me just because a handful of pros are anti-progressive. Give them their own playlist. Give those of us who want to play ranked objective an unadulterated playlist.
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> And that’s the problem: Team Arena is the only ranked playlist that offers objective gametypes, so people that don’t want these changes, don’t care about training for HCS, etc, are having their only playlist usurped.
>
> Yes, something will change: fewer kamikazes will go unpunished. I see people thrust out of splinters all the time.
>
> Plasmas already do that (delayed explosion); I prefer how they are now, since a delayed explosion would not deter kamikazes.
Unless 343 makes Social Skirmish ranked, I don’t see them adding a new ranked playlist.
I see people dying all the time from thrusting wrong when it’s thrown at them.
The difference is that a plasma has a small diameter so it takes a lot more skill to hit someone with it if they aren’t right up against you. A splinter covers a big area so it’s very hard to avoid unless you’re a good distance away which is why it’s easy to get kills with it if you desperation throw it right before you die.
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> > 2533274873580796;7:
> > This is only true for competitive play/HCS gametypes… don’t get your knickers in a twist lol.
>
> That is the only playlist that my Spartan Company and I play, so, yeah, my knickers are twisted. I don’t like the idea of a game I’ve been playing daily for nearly two years changing on me just because a handful of pros are anti-progressive. Give them their own playlist. Give those of us who want to play ranked objective an unadulterated playlist.
Perhaps I’m naive, foolish, both, or something else…
but hasn’t “Oh no! I’m gonna die! Better toss a grenade” been a thing since… well, since Halo CE? Why is the presence of splinter grenades different?
“Because it’s easier to get the kill than with the other grenades.”
So?
Let’s say we take away the splinter grenades. Why not take away the plasma grenades? It’s easier to stick and kill a guy when you’re about the die with a plasma grenade than with a frag grenade, right? Right? No? Maybe?
On another note, relating to the “Oh no! I’m gonna die! Better toss a grenade” thing, I’ve noticed what seems to be far more often than not, when a person throws a last ditch effort grenade at me, they still end up dying. I’ve also thought to myself after some of those encounters, “Geez, had that guy kept shooting me instead of throwing that grenade, I might be dead right now.”
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> > 2533274991403060;8:
> > And that’s the problem: Team Arena is the only ranked playlist that offers objective gametypes, so people that don’t want these changes, don’t care about training for HCS, etc, are having their only playlist usurped.
> >
> > Yes, something will change: fewer kamikazes will go unpunished. I see people thrust out of splinters all the time.
> >
> > Plasmas already do that (delayed explosion); I prefer how they are now, since a delayed explosion would not deter kamikazes.
>
> Unless 343 makes Social Skirmish ranked, I don’t see them adding a new ranked playlist.
>
> I see people dying all the time from thrusting wrong when it’s thrown at them.
>
> The difference is that a plasma has a small diameter so it takes a lot more skill to hit someone with it if they aren’t right up against you. A splinter covers a big area so it’s very hard to avoid unless you’re a good distance away which is why it’s easy to get kills with it if you desperation throw it right before you die.
If they die because they thrusted wrong, then dying was their fault.
At point-blank range, it takes no more skill to stick someone than it does to splinter them, which is really the only time people complain about splinters as ‘get out of jail free’ cards, but in my opinion, if you’re out of position enough to get a splinter nade to the face, that’s entirely your fault and that’s the very reason why they’re so important to the game.
I agree with you OP, the pros are crying because they are getting killed with splinters, so 343 will completely remove one the uniques and useful grenades in the game. Shame.
The effectiveness of the splinter grenades are similar to the plasma grenades, but why people just complain about splinters?
To “fix” the issue of the splinter grenades, 343 should just reduce the blast radius of the splinter, so it will be harder to direct hit someone, or give a slight fuse time when it hits a surface and explodes.
And, please, can someone explain the removal of the Assault Rifle please? I still don’t get it.
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> At point-blank range, it takes no more skill to stick someone than it does to splinter them, which is really the only time people complain about splinters as ‘get out of jail free’ cards, but in my opinion, if you’re out of position enough to get a splinter nade to the face, that’s entirely your fault and that’s the very reason why they’re so important to the game.
You don’t need to be at point blank range to get an easy kill with it. You only listed one scenario, but Halo isn’t about one outcome and there could be multiple scenarios that can happen where it is or isn’t a person’s fault. You have to weigh the pros and cons and I think the cons outweigh the good in its current form.
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> The effectiveness of the splinter grenades are similar to the plasma grenades, but why people just complain about splinters? To “fix” the issue of the splinter grenades, 343 should just reduce the blast radius of the splinter, so it will be harder to direct hit someone, or give a slight fuse time when it hits a surface and explodes.
People don’t complain about plasma nades because they’re working fine for what they were made for. The only similar thing with plasma and splinter nades is they can deny an area, but the big difference is the plasma explodes after a few seconds and you can get by the nade before it explodes. The splinter nade denies a huge area for several seconds and you can’t get by it in close quarters unless you do the trick by gradually going into the nade fragments to make them explode. I agree with your fixes for it.
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> I agree with you OP, the pros are crying because they are getting killed with splinters, so 343 will completely remove one the uniques and useful grenades in the game. Shame.
> The effectiveness of the splinter grenades are similar to the plasma grenades, but why people just complain about splinters?
> To “fix” the issue of the splinter grenades, 343 should just reduce the blast radius of the splinter, so it will be harder to direct hit someone, or give a slight fuse time when it hits a surface and explodes.
>
> And, please, can someone explain the removal of the Assault Rifle please? I still don’t get it.
Team arena is basically the mlg playlist from old Halos. Halo mlg was always Precision weapon starts. Less crouching around the corner and spraying. More I have to have good aim to kill my opponent.
Same idea about taking out splinters. It takes no thought process to 180 splinter someone if you’ve put yourself in a bad spot. Instead of being punished for being there in the first place, you now have a free kill and are still alive.
Also small edit: Sticky grenades are vastly more difficult to use compared to splinters. Even if you manage to stick someone chances are you may still die because of the fuse time.
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> > 2533275010793662;14:
> > I agree with you OP, the pros are crying because they are getting killed with splinters, so 343 will completely remove one the uniques and useful grenades in the game. Shame.
> > The effectiveness of the splinter grenades are similar to the plasma grenades, but why people just complain about splinters?
> > To “fix” the issue of the splinter grenades, 343 should just reduce the blast radius of the splinter, so it will be harder to direct hit someone, or give a slight fuse time when it hits a surface and explodes.
> >
> > And, please, can someone explain the removal of the Assault Rifle please? I still don’t get it.
>
> Team arena is basically the mlg playlist from old Halos. Halo mlg was always Precision weapon starts. Less crouching around the corner and spraying. More I have to have good aim to kill my opponent.
>
> Same idea about taking out splinters. It takes no thought process to 180 splinter someone if you’ve put yourself in a bad spot. Instead of being punished for being there in the first place, you now have a free kill and are still alive.
>
> Also small edit: Sticky grenades are vastly more difficult to use compared to splinters. Even if you manage to stick someone chances are you may still die because of the fuse time.
But what’s the deal with the assault rifle? They are removing it from the maps, or removing it completely as your starting weapon?
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> > 2533274798253642;16:
> > > 2533275010793662;14:
> > > I agree with you OP, the pros are crying because they are getting killed with splinters, so 343 will completely remove one the uniques and useful grenades in the game. Shame.
> > > The effectiveness of the splinter grenades are similar to the plasma grenades, but why people just complain about splinters?
> > > To “fix” the issue of the splinter grenades, 343 should just reduce the blast radius of the splinter, so it will be harder to direct hit someone, or give a slight fuse time when it hits a surface and explodes.
> > >
> > > And, please, can someone explain the removal of the Assault Rifle please? I still don’t get it.
> >
> > Team arena is basically the mlg playlist from old Halos. Halo mlg was always Precision weapon starts. Less crouching around the corner and spraying. More I have to have good aim to kill my opponent.
> >
> > Same idea about taking out splinters. It takes no thought process to 180 splinter someone if you’ve put yourself in a bad spot. Instead of being punished for being there in the first place, you now have a free kill and are still alive.
> >
> > Also small edit: Sticky grenades are vastly more difficult to use compared to splinters. Even if you manage to stick someone chances are you may still die because of the fuse time.
>
> But what’s the deal with the assault rifle? They are removing it from the maps, or removing it completely as your starting weapon?
Here’s the Link it seems that ar’s will not be featured in play at all.
Seems like nobody is understanding the reason why the splinter nades are rediculous. It’s because at very close range they’re just about equivalent to a rocket launcher. Instant kill with no chance to avoid it.
That’s why they’re being removed. How are you guys not understanding that?
I’m actually not sure why it’s being removed, all they have to do is make them not capable of killing you but only making you one shot. The primary role for them is to block movement, not kill people.
Besides all of that, its a temporary change so they can figure out how they want to balance them.
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> Perhaps I’m naive, foolish, both, or something else…
> but hasn’t “Oh no! I’m gonna die! Better toss a grenade” been a thing since… well, since Halo CE? Why is the presence of splinter grenades different?
> “Because it’s easier to get the kill than with the other grenades.”
> So?
> Let’s say we take away the splinter grenades. Why not take away the plasma grenades? It’s easier to stick and kill a guy when you’re about the die with a plasma grenade than with a frag grenade, right? Right? No? Maybe?
>
> On another note, relating to the “Oh no! I’m gonna die! Better toss a grenade” thing, I’ve noticed what seems to be far more often than not, when a person throws a last ditch effort grenade at me, they still end up dying. I’ve also thought to myself after some of those encounters, “Geez, had that guy kept shooting me instead of throwing that grenade, I might be dead right now.”
>
> I liked the splinter grenades.
Pretty silly for you to compare the plasma to the splinter nade in their capabilities of killing people in a last-ditch effort. The plasma grenade actually requires a stick to kill, so you have to be precise. Otherwise, its fuse time lets the enemy escape more easily than an instant splinter nade that has a bigger radius and more damage to boot. Not to mention that the plasma grenade can get you killed too because the fuse time can let the enemy kamikaze you while stuck, killing you with him. This rarely happens with the splinter nade. You actually have to see this in pro gameplay to get the full context.