With the move to an open world, there should be much bigger enemies to face. And a variety of them, too.
My current fascination with Elden Ring is partially the reason why I feel Halo needs something like this.
I’m talking boss-level big - like the Scarab. Ideally, it’d be something new, but even a Covenant Scarab (or equivalent) would be welcome.
The HVT’s and the level bosses were good, but they’re basically the Covenant we’ve fought since 2001.
Even with Covenant as they are, I’ve always thought they could be bigger. Elites and Brutes should tower over the Chief easily. It would make them more intimidating.
If you’ve ever played the game ‘Prey’, you’ll face something called The Nightmare. An enemy of that size, and with the same menace, would be great.
I feel like random stumbling on enemy patrol events would be a great idea. Like periodically see arines need help, high value enemy periodically spawns, vehicle events (land and air) are all not so bad to implement in a game to make the campaign free roam feel more alive.
It also makes no fun.
On legendary, if you jump into a Banshee and fly even for just a minute or so, enemy banshees spawn out of thin air and just wreck you.
I for one would welcome a “dynamic” world System, where when the banished control many FOBs and have bases around the area than Banshees spawn, but the less control the banished have over a given area, the less of a chance there should be that Banshees should spawn to give you the feeling of actually making a difference by destroying their forts and clearing FOBs.
Honestly would prefer bigger fights than what we currently have. Right now we only have tiny skirmishes which are pretty meh.
If you combine FOBs and Squad rescue together, you can cobble together an event where a FOB you have claimed becomes under siege from enemies that come in waves (essentially solo Firefight for now)
But if you’re asking for Scarab-like encounters, then maybe, hopefully, we get Banished Scarabs and Grunt Goblins in the future.
I feel like random stumbling on enemy patrol events would be a great idea.
That does exist. But it’s the same Covenant patrols - Brutes, Elites, Jackals, and Grunts.
The problem: once you unlock the bigger vehicles at the FOBs, you can spawn in a vehicle full of marines holding power weapons, and just dominate any fight. Once you can spawn a Scorpion, it’s game over for 99% of the enemies you face.
I’m not interested in making the existing enemies tougher. I’m looking for a new enemy - something we haven’t seen, or haven’t seen for a while (like the Scarab). It has to be big. Something that you can spot from a distance; possibly defending an area that you know you have to pass through.
When I was doing my legendary playthrough I don’t think I entered a single vehicle after finding out first hand how pathetically weak they are, I basically just grappled my way through the rest of the game.
100% agree on the encounter sizes. Instead of small groups of bullet sponges, make the enemies less bullet-spongey but throw more of them at you.
And yes, I was talking about BIG enemies that will take a LOT of firepower to bring down, and the use of specific abilities too. As with Elden Ring, you might not be able to bring them down until you’ve unlocked those abilities, basically upgrading yourself until you can take it down.
As I mentioned separately, once the game lets you spawn a Scorpion, or load a Warthog with power-weapon wielding Marines, the standard encounters are too easy.
I’d like to see an enemy that is a danger to both you and the Covenant; it could work in your favor but also against you.
Even small changes in the combat sandbox using abilities that are now in the game. For example - the ability to shock-Grapple and pick up a Suicide Grunt, and then throw it like a grenade. Or just throw it off of a cliff. That would add some variety.
One enemy I liked - and genuinely feared - were the Charging Brutes (I forget their actual name); the ones who hunt you and smack you down. Most enemies shoot from afar, so it was a different challenge to have an enemy pursue you, even if you were higher up on a ledge.
We have this in the form of the equipment. It’s not perfect, but it’s there.
Also you don’t want any sort of content that “locks itself” behind unlocks. Halo has traditionally all been about using whatever you have on hand and using big brain and skill to “solve” the situation. The main reason why Halo Infinite still feels a little off is because of this lacking aspect.
Boss? Here’s like a dozen Fusion Coils all over the place.
Enemies? BR goes brrrrr.
Can’t reach somewhere? Grapple Grapple Grapple Grapple Grapple Grapple.
I don’t think I clarified enough. That first sentence was to support the rest of my comment. Enemy patrols as in enemy events. Constant strong enemies, marines needing help, more random land and air vehicles.
DEF would love to just wattle around and ear a distance scarab just patrolling a section by itself.
It definitely needed enemies like that, and when co-op arrives, it’ll be disappointing if they just make enemies stronger and more durable.
I think large enemies with parts (like Scarabs, the Monitor boss, and bosses in games like Monster Hunter) would work well, especially for co-op.
Banshees and other vehicles just need to be more durable.
They should have done this from the beginning (but with the enemy bases), and they should’ve also added a defense building system and made it so bases could be taken back by the Banished if you didn’t give them enough defenses.
Def not monster hunter boss. Those are just time passing bullet sponges of a whole different game genre. But more enemies that are more puzzling to fight is a more appropriate boss fight. Like the Scarab with a power core or even the Kraken if that ever returns. Like you said the Monitor too.
Nooooooo, don’t take focus off the multiplayer fiasco. We need that far more than we need some more bosses, otherwise people are going to quit and never come back.
343i, bring back open lobbies, and open communication.