This is a continuation of a post I made last year about grunt AI overhauls, I’ve decided to expand a bit more on these ideas.
I don’t think anyone would disagree with me in saying that after CE, the Grunts have been flanderized to be the same bunch of cowardly worthless little things that posed no more threat to the player than a cockroach. This is a shame considering that even the lesser beings of the Covenant still have their own effective gimmick. Jackals are weak in terms of health but are very fast and protected well against bullets by their shields. Drones are the same way, but can fly and come in vast numbers, often overwhelming the player with weak but constant plasma pistol fire. However, the grunts seem to remain the same old cannon fodder. I find this not only a disservice to the gameplay but also to the lore of the Grunts. From what we know of the Grunts, when prodded enough times, the horns come out and are ready to gore those who cross them. I would like to see that spark, that fire, that unrelenting horde in a mainline Halo game. That is why I come with various propositions to improve the functionality and challenge of the grunts. The first part will be going over things I’ve already discussed in previous posts, such as AI revamps, but the second part will be about more practical solutions inspired by what we’ve seen in previous Halo games.
My first idea is that the Grunts should adapt their tactics based on the leader of their squad. When led by a Brute, the Grunts behave more aggressively, rushing their target while providing constant fire, shooting every which way to keep the player in a state of suppression and uncertainty, creating a window for the Brute to get in close for a killing blow. When lead by an Elite, the grunts become more tactical in their behavior. They are less likely to simply rush an enemy and will use environmental advantages (cover and heights) and squad coordination to take down their target. Grunts led by an elite will also spread out in a short radius around their leader, preventing mass casualties by explosives. When led by a fellow grunt, such as an Ultra or Deacon (which we’ll get into later) the Grunts adopt predatory “sandwich” tactics in which they will surround their target in a circle to overwhelm them. Grunt led squads also tend to be far more numerous than squads led by an Elite or Brute, with an Ultra-led squad ranging from 8 to 10 grunts per squad compared to the 3 to 6 grunts per squad led by an Elite or Brute. Deacons however, act as a sort-of Grunt miniboss, commanding a grand total of 15 to 20 grunts in their own legion. Deacons are rare and not much of a threat on their own, but combined with their legion of bloodthirsty, devoted followers, they become a force to be reckoned with. From what we’ve learned about the grunts through the lore, they prefer sheer numbers and coordination over brute force and armor, I feel what I’ve described fits that dynamic perfectly and can make for some very interesting and deadly encounters. No need for massive grunt mechs.
On to more practical mechanics, I feel like previous Halo games have given us some ideas on where to go. For example, the helmet mechanic that was established in Reach. Higher ranking grunts such as Ultras and Deacons should wear masks and helmets protecting them from instant deaths from headshots. Ultra helmets are weaker and require only a single shot to knock off. However, Deacon helmets are slightly tougher, requiring 2 extra hits to knock off before finishing them off with a headshot. Another mechanic i propose comes from Halo 5, in which grunts had the ability to melee the player if they got too close. I feel we can take this a step further by giving higher ranking grunts, Major and over, gauntlets which produce energy daggers. Damage done by these melee attacks vary based on the rank of the grunt. This mechanic is to keep the player on their toes in regards to simply running into a grunt squad and beating them all to death. One of these grunts might just hit you back if you’re not careful. One more idea I want to see realized is a slight increase to the grunts’ movement speed. In CE, grunts were reasonably fast on their feet. Not too fast, but certainly not the pathetic waddle we get from them now. I propose the base movement speed to the grunts be increased slightly from a little waddle to a slow jog.
If all of these ideas become realized, I’m sure this will make the grunts a far more interesting enemy, and certainly make the player rethink their stance on dealing with what was previously the weakest enemy in the game. Feel free to add your own ideas and discuss them.
