Despite having played Halo since CE, I’ve generally stayed away from the competitive scene. BTB was my go-to for every game, and then some team slayer with friends in Halo 2, Halo 3, and Reach. I’ve played Halo 5 since launch, but usually only for Warzone, BTB, SWAT and other casual modes.
So I decided to try Team Slayer for the first time.
Holy -Yoink-.
What I first noticed was that the enemy team kept crouching up and down, which I’d experienced from time-to-time in WZ, but in my two games EVERYONE did it. I couldn’t place most of my shots when the enemy was just a bouncing blur of red. And they killed me so quickly. I’ve prided myself on being something of a decent player, but in Team Slayer, all that went right out the window. Enemy players would constantly run up to me, spartan charge me, and then spray me down with an assault rifle. Instant kill. We’d get into a firefight, and suddenly a second or third guy would one-shot me for the kill. I’d shoot and melee someone, they’d shoot and melee me as well and always I’d be the one dead. I would pace my shots but I could never get that lost shot. Everything that had worked for me in other modes was useless here.
My teammates nearly always quit a third into the match.
After two games I decided this wasn’t for me. I guess I can see the appeal for hardcore players, but in my downtime, I’d rather not sweat it out with such intense, seemingly unfair and ‘unfun’ gameplay encounters.