Suppressor and the Title Update

Games Other Halo
1

I’m really loving the title update! The increased movement speed improved Thruster Pack and strafing, and the precision loadout weapons feel relatively balanced compared to each other.

One thing to note is that with the update, all automatic primary loadout weapons received approximately 50% auto-aim reduction, but to compensate, can kill enemies in 3 rounds less. While this works great for the Assault Rifle and Storm Rifle, the Suppressor falls behind slightly. Compare the shots to kill of each weapon, from old to new.

Shots to kill:
Assault Rifle = 16 > 13 (23% damage buff)
Storm Rifle = 15 > 12 (25% damage buff)
Suppressor = 19 > 16 (18.75% damage buff)

What this shows is that by reducing the shots to kill of each weapon by a flat 3 rounds, the three weapons receive different damage buffs. The Storm Rifle receives the largest damage buff, and the Suppressor gets the least.

Next up is the rate of fire, measured in total rounds fired in 1 minute without reloading (aka bottomless clip). This number, along with the shots to kill number from above, is used to measure the kill times of all 3 weapons.

Rate of Fire (Approximate):
Assault Rifle = 580 RPM
Storm Rifle = 700 RPM
Suppressor = 885 RPM

Kill times are calculated by the time required to fire each shot [“refire time” = 1 / (RPM / 60)] multiplied by its shots required to kill:

Kill times (Approximate):
Assault Rifle = 1.655 > 1.344 seconds (23% faster)
Storm Rifle = 1.286 > 1.028 seconds (25% faster)
Suppressor = 1.288 > 1.085 seconds (18.75% faster)

As you can see, the Storm Rifle now has the fastest kill time out of the primary automatic weapons. The Assault Rifle’s slower kill time is justified due to it being more accurate and being able to engage enemies at slightly longer ranges. However, on the other hand is the Suppressor. Although the Suppressor has an insane rate of fire and large mag, I don’t think this is enough to justify its slightly slower kill time than the Storm Rifle.

Consider that the Suppressor gains bloom quickly and has a very large maximum bullet spread compared to the Storm Rifle. While the faster rate of fire of the Suppressor increases the chances of hitting the enemy, it is only slight due to it’s inaccuracy. The chances of someone to kill enemies close to the minimum kill time of the Suppressor is very slim compared to the Storm Rifle.

Overall, I feel that the changes to the Storm Rifle and Assault Rifle fit perfectly, but the Suppressor slightly falls behind in terms of firepower compared to the former two in the Title Update. While I don’t have any plausible suggestions as to balancing the Suppressor, it needs to be balanced via a buff in some way compared to the other two automatic loadout weapons while still filling in a unique role.

What do you think of the Suppressor in the Title Update?

Thanks to AmeriCanadianGamer for his stats on the automatic loadout weapons: Automatic Weapon Comparison

2

It’s better than it was…
But to say that I plan on using it now would be false.
Even if it was much better though, I’d still stick with my trusty Storm Rifle.

For balancing, I think if you made it where 5-7 more shots were needed before it reached full bloom, it’d actually become more useful. Right now, its got the power, but again, its range still sucks. It’s still only great at super close range, in which by that range, a double beat down would do the same thing, and quicker. Yeah, the Suppressor can now shoot, then melee, and cause a tie, but that’s definitely not a good motive for someone to choose the Suppressor over the other two automatics.

I don’t mind that it needs to be the closest range automatic of the three (AR being the longest, Storm Rifle being the middle; This makes it balanced), but it needs some kind of range buff, and I feel that a bloom buff would do a good job on that.

3

Excellent research good work. I knew something felt off about the suppressor with BR spambots 4sk me half the time when I’m right in their face. How could this happen to my baby? :frowning:

343, you can’t just take what is a balanced buff for the assault rifle and blindly apply it to the suppressor and storm rifle. They are different guns. Non hitscan weapons such as them need a bit more help from aim assist

4

Agreed. Its main selling point was a slightly faster kill time than the other ones IF you can get them within very close ranges, but with the changes, it hardly even holds on to that anymore, especially with how the AR has always been much more accurate. With the new changes, I swear, it’s practically like the AR really does have a faster kill time than it does.

5

> It’s better than it was…
> But to say that I plan on using it now would be false.
> Even if it was much better though, I’d still stick with my trusty Storm Rifle.
>
>
> For balancing, I think if you made it where 5-7 more shots were needed before it reached full bloom, it’d actually become more useful. Right now, its got the power, but again, its range still sucks. It’s still only great at super close range, in which by that range, a double beat down would do the same thing, and quicker. Yeah, the Suppressor can now shoot, then melee, and cause a tie, but that’s definitely not a good motive for someone to choose the Suppressor over the other two automatics.
>
> I don’t mind that it needs to be the closest range automatic of the three (AR being the longest, Storm Rifle being the middle; This makes it balanced), but it needs some kind of range buff, and I feel that a bloom buff would do a good job on that.

I like how 343 pushed each precision loadout weapon into a specific niche/range in the title update. I’d appreciate if they could do the same for the automatics, but to an extent, that was achieved with the Storm and Assault Rifle.

A preferable buff to the Suppressor is one that pushes it into a unique niche without rendering other weapons and melee obsolete. The “skill” in the weapon also plays a factor, as in not too easy to use, but not extremely difficult either. Damage buff is the simplest form of buff, but I feel that pushing the kill time down more isn’t the best way.

6

The changes to the automatics really don’t fit for the Suppressor. Before the update, I was using it a lot for the commendation, and now it’s super hard to kill with it. Burst firing with it compared to the AR/SR just isn’t as viable because of how insanely fast the bloom expands, on top of being projectiles instead of hitscan. Either it needs to be changed to hitscan, give it back it’s aim assist, or make the bloom much tighter. Just one of those three things.

7

I find the suppressor to be just dandy. It’s better then it used to be. I’m pretty sure the reason why i’d justify the storm rifle killing the fastest is because in general Plasma based weapons do poor health damage.

The suppressor has a high ROF. If you manage to hit the sweet spot it outright kills the storm rifle everytime i found tonight.

8

Though it was one game, I was really tearing it up with the Suppressor. In past games at the range I was using it I would miss every time. But now, well, it is really effective.

9

I’ve said this a few time but the AR is quite good and the storm is not that bad
However the Supressor is not very good. The update has not really done good for it IMO.

10

> <mark>I’d still stick with my trusty Storm Rifle.</mark>

I agree.

11

Hmm, seems to be somewhat mixed feelings about the Suppressor. I still feel that it requires a buff, though maybe I should give it time and perhaps change my playstyle when using the Suppressor. After all, the update went live only recently.