Mostly because it’s something actually new. I guess you could say it’s a mantis reskin but it goes beyond looking like a covenant mantis. It’s the fact that the Covenant have a new vehicle that isn’t a dropship along with the vehicle being made by the grunts in an attempt to free themselves from universal slavery. It’s a message in universe and on the fourth wall showing that they’re not longer at the bottom, looking at you Kig-Yar.
Besides the H-CE, no Covenant vehicle has made it into a sequel. Specter, chopper, prowler, Revenant all scraped in the later games despite the revenant doing pretty well compared to the “success” of the otehr implicated Covenant vehicles.
I’m ready to see what 343i can pull out of their hat after, UNNECESSARY RESKIN AFTER UNNECESSARY RESKIN! Still stoked about Halo wars returning to the old Sangheili style.
The only other thing I think 343i should change about the enemies is to make Promethean Knights more of a boss battle. So far prometheans have been the between of the covenant troops. Crawlers we’re the middle ground for grunts and jackals, soldiers we’re the middle between jackals and elites while knights we’re the middle ground between Elites and hunters.
I never was a big fan of prometheans being a common unit, I expected them to be used like the Wardens from Saints Row 4, acting as Didacts or now Cortana’s elite enforces. Like a late game enemy or whenever MC is killing too much stuff they’d come in an attempt to shut you down. I guess they have the actual Warden Eternal who makes me want to stab whoever made him because if he has millions of bodies and is vastly stronger then a promethean knights THEN WHERE WAS HE DURING THE -Yoinking!- FLOOD WAR AND WHY DIDN’T DIDACT JUST USE HIM AS HIS ARMY!
Trying to move on from that I’m very curious to see what else 343i will do with the grunts freedom along with other species in Halo like the Sharqiou or the Yonhet. Both seem like great replacements for the Hunters and Kig-Yar. Also I think the return of drones either as an ally or very less annoying enemy is called for as well. Atleast in Halo Wars 2.