Adding on to the “WEAPON SANDBOX” series, I think it would be fun to add in a “WEAPON IDEA” series to discuss weapons we want to see added to Halo Infinite.
I think for a new weapon we should be asking ourselves the following questions:
- Does this weapon have a unique role / function within the weapon sandbox?
- Is this weapon fun / interesting?
- Would this weapon be a balanced gameplay addition?
- Does this weapon make sense with respect to lore / campaign themes?
With that introduction out of the way let’s get into this.
1. Cyclone
The Cyclone would be a Tier 3 Power Weapon classified as an LMG (inspired by Halo 5’s M739 SAW) that uses Hardlight ammunition. What makes the Cyclone unique is it’s rate of fire will increase the longer it is fired (inspired by Halo 5’s Suppressor) which means the Cyclone will never achieve it’s optimal TTK if it is fired from a cold start. In comparison to the Suppressor, the Cyclone will be more interesting with a smart-link feature that allows the weapon’s drum to rotate just by pre-aiming, which will ramp RPM up without the need to fire the weapon.
In most shooters LMG’s have more firepower at the expense of mobility / handling, however Halo has never really been about having different ADS speeds or movement speeds so that’s not a realistic option. Limiting a weapons killing potential with a cold fire start essentially has the same effect as reducing handling, while allowing players to pre-ramp the weapon by aiming has a similar effect to reducing mobility (no sprint while aiming) along with other drawbacks such as reduced field of view and maybe lower sensitivity (depending on an individuals ADS settings). This creates an interesting dynamic for an LMG type weapon in Halo Infinite.
VARIANT: Void’s Cyclone
Playing off of the Cylcone’s rotation animation while firing or using smart-link, I think it would be interesting if it generated a gravitational pull that sucked enemies into the weapon at close range. Enemies that are sucked into the spinning Harlight “Cyclone” would be instantly disintegrated. I think this would be a pretty cool feature, but maybe a little too “out there” for a core weapon which is why I’m proposing it as a variant.
THE TEST
- Does this weapon have a unique role / function within the weapon sandbox?
- Yes, there is currently no automatic power weapons, no automatic hardlight weapons, and no other automatic weapons have an accelerated RPM.
- Is this weapon fun / interesting?
- I think so, the ability to pre-ramp the Cyclone’s RPM makes this an interesting concept. The variant’s ability to pull enemies in could be extremely fun as well.
- Would this weapon be a balanced gameplay addition?
- Yes, TTK can easily be balanced to leave a Cyclone user vulnerable when firing from a cold start while rewarding for a user firing it at an optimal RPM.
- Does this weapon make sense with respect to lore / campaign themes?
- I don’t see why not. Halo Infinite could use more Hardlight weapon’s especially if the Endless are going to have a bigger role.
M739 SAW
So there isn’t much to say about the SAW, I think everyone understands what it’s about from Halo 5. I’ll admit, the SAW wouldn’t really be that different from the Cyclone (sort of like the Bulldog isn’t all that different from the Heatwave), but I think it is different enough to be included as it’s counterpart.
I see the SAW being balanced as an easier to use Cyclone, it is always ready to fire so it will beat a Cyclone fired from a cold start, however it’s ceiling would be lower than the Cyclone’s (in addition to less ammo capacity, 72 rounds vs 84 rounds). It would be the weakest power weapon in the sandbox with respect to TTK, a balanced tradeoff for it’s ease of use (essentially being a stronger MA40 AR with more ammo capacity).
VARIANT: M739 Inferno
Rather than the explosive ammo of Halo 5’s “The Answer”, I think it would be interesting to give the SAW incendiary ammo which adds a DoT effect to unshielded enemies. I don’t know if the flood will ever return to Halo, but this would absolutely be the coolest weapon to use against them.
THE TEST
- Does this weapon have a unique role / function within the weapon sandbox?
- Not really, it’s role would essentially be counterpart to the Cyclone, which is good enough for me.
- Is this weapon fun / interesting?
- That depends on if you like bullet hoses or not I suppose. The variant with incendiary ammo would be pretty cool IMO.
- Would this weapon be a balanced gameplay addition?
- Yes, being a Tier 3 weapon that is basically just an upgraded MA40 AR keeps it’s ceiling pretty low, a balanced tradeoff for it’s ease of use.
- Does this weapon make sense with respect to lore / campaign themes?
- Yes, how do the UNSC not have an LMG? Halo needs LMG representation.
Thoughts on these two weapons?