Halo 5 has a very tiny skill gap compared to the older games. The amount of aim assist is truly disgusting. Perfect kills happen constantly, and at very long distances. It’s funny how I can play Halo 2 and feel unstoppable because I have great aim and I am constantly out-BRing people, but then in Halo 5, I am constantly trading perfect kills and getting 4 shotted across the map by kids who just started playing and can barely aim. The sniper is a joke, you get a headshot if you aim anywhere near your opponent.
The BR/DMR is ridiculous in Breakout – each team has one player that is twice effective as his teammates because he grabbed the BR/DMR. Then that player sits at the back of the map all game long because of his increased range. What exactly is that supposed to add? How is it fun to go against a kid with a BR that can two shot you from across the map, while you can’t do anything with the pistol? Then you meet those parties of four that camp on their side of the map all game long and defend their BR/DMR god. So unfun. BR starts would be 10x better. And don’t even get me started on the camo on Gambol (I believe that’s the name of the map). Whichever team gets camo wins the round.
Arena is a joke. Players move faster than ever, yet motion tracker range was decreased. It’s totally useless. Either give motion tracker an actual use or remove it completely. Don’t keep it in this gimped out state. I watch my motion tracker like a hawk, and it’s so jarring to get assassinated out of nowhere because a player sprinted into range so quickly that I don’t even have time to react. It’s better off being removed so players don’t rely on a broken tool. And why don’t camo player show up on motion tracker? That is just moronic. Just another reduction in skill gap. Good players watch their motion and are rewarded, bad players don’t. Nerf the hell out of motion and now its a a more even playing field.
Warzone is a hilarious bag of RNG and luck. Bosses award HUGE amounts of VP and swing games in an instant. I never once had a close warzone game. The game is always decided after the final warden eternal. No adrenaline rushes, no comebacks. If a team is up by 20-30 points after warden eternal, it’s over – give up. If a game is close before warden eternal, who ever gets warden eternal through the RNG gods gets a free win. Nothing in between boss battles really matters, as long as you keep your core safe.
With the huge amounts of aim assist, the first shot is huuuuge. Getting the first shot is the most important thing in a fight. Strafing means next to nothing, as the auto-aim just tracks you. Thruster does nothing to turn the tide of a battle in which they got the first shot, as that just prevents you from shooting for a moment (all the while their auto-aim tracks you with precision). On top of that, the aiming feels totally wonky, adding to even more perceived randomness.
I don’t understand why people complain the game is competitive. It’s not. It’s very casual in the way it narrows the skill gap. I hated the idea of warzone, sprint, and thruster coming into the game, but over time, I became attached to them. I feel like classic Halo would be awesome with thruster pack. It’s not so much the concepts I hate, but the actual mechanics of the game and how they were implemented. It’s like 343 attempts to call the game competitive at every facet, but it’s simply not. I’m not asking for an eSport, especially in warzone, but the current state is just lame. I see really bad players have incredible games due to luck and a reduced skill gap. I’m talking players I absolutely crush in Halo 1-3. Players that can barely land a headshot with the sniper in previous Halos are getting killing frenzies worth of consecutive headshots.
The sandbox is dumb currently. There are too many weapons to balance. Weapons like the needler, storm rifle, assault rifle, suppressor, etc… all fit the same role, but MUST be better than starting weapons to warrant being picked up. 343 made feeble attempts to make the weapons unique, but they all come down to just filling the same role. You don’t aim any of them any differently. You may have to lead some by a very slight amount, but magnetism makes up for most errors in aiming. This results in a cluster of overlapped effective ranges of weapons… rock/paper/scissors gameplay. I have an SMG, but the SMG is best at let’s say 10’ engagements, while he has a Needler, which is WAAAAY better at 15’ engagements, and we happen to be at 15’. Therefore I lose. Because of the speed of players, I can’t exactly predict what kind of engagement range I might encounter a player in, so it comes down to pure randomness and luck. You can’t switch weapons instantly, and the TTK is so low that you can’t exactly close or open the distance, or even run away from close to medium range fights. Don’t even get me started on the TTK (which wouldn’t be so low without all these aim assist!).
I know this isn’t going to change anything, but I am just so sick of the direction Halo is heading. I have zero incentive to play. In older Halos, you could really feel the benefit of getting better. Practicing your aim was important. Your strafe was important. But in Halo 5, it just doesn’t matter. You’re better off playing at a high sensitivity and missing the occasional shot simply to have a higher change of landing the first shot. After all, the game will practically aim for you.
/endrant
I hope I am not alone in feeling this way. I think I’d love Halo 5 if the skill gap was wider. And that’s a LOT coming from me – a player who hated Halo: Reach, Halo 4, and H2A, but loved Halo 1-3.