Notes**:**
-This wall of text is made specifically for the Arena portion of Halo 5: Guardians. Since Warzone gameplay is DRASTICALLY different from playlists such as FFA and Slayer, the subject matter will stay within those boundaries.
-(When I use the word “Utility Weapon” in context with Halo 5 I’m talking about the pistol.)
Throughout Halo we have always had ONE utility weapon.
“Wow I can already see where this is going, OP just wants one weapon to dominate the sandbox!”
Just hear me out guys.
In terms of competitive Halo, it’s frustrating not to have a single utility weapon that’s strong enough to hold itself against the plentiful map pickups such as the BR, DMR and Storm Rifle.
Now let me tell you why having a single utility weapon is important and having normal pickup weapons being significantly better than the Utility weapon is a bad thing.
(For those who played Halo CE, Halo 2, Halo 3 and even Halo Reach’s MLG playlist you’ll know what I’m talking about.)
The simple mechanic of “outshooting” someone is almost non-existent in Halo 5.
This is why:
Scenario 1: Halo 5
Starting weapons: AR, Pistol
Lets say Player 1 is slightly more skilled than Player 2. Player 1 outshoots Player 2 with the pistol. But when Player 2 respawns, he picks up one of the many rifles on the map. When the next engagement between Player 1 and Player 2 happens, Player 2 is able to kill Player 1 with ease.
Scenario 2: Halo CE
Starting Weapons: AR, Pistol
Once again, Player 1 is slightly more skilled than Player 2. Player 1 is able to outshoot Player 2 with the pistol. Player 2 respawns and there are no rifles on the map. When the next engagement happens, Player 1 once again, is able to outshoot Player 2 with the pistol.
“Why was Player 2 able to outshoot Player 1 in Scenario 1 but not in Scenario 2?”
Well, the answer is simple:
Player 2 had access to a much easier weapon when he respawned.
-
Weapon pickups in Halo 5 (Not Power Weapons) are all (most of them) able to beat the utility spawn weapon with less skill and more damage output. - In Halo CE there is nothing (Excluding power weapons) in between you and your opponent. This doesn’t mean normal weapon pickups are useless, it just means they have other uses besides killing fast at different ranges.In Example: the CE Plasma Rifle and Halo 5 Storm Rifle are very different.
-
The Plasma rifle eats shields but does not eat health as rapidly. - In Halo 5 the Storm rifle eats shields but also eats health.
-
The Plasma Rifle has less magnetism and a slower rate of fire. - The Storm Rifle has more magnetism and a higher rate of fire.
-
The PR has a stun mechanic. (In which you can only move slowly when being shot by it or when you get hijacked from a warthog.) - The SR just kills fast.In CE it is entirely possible in CQC to outshoot a PR, but it is also entirely possible to kill someone with the PR if you have the right angle on them. The only depth to the SR is killing fast regardless at which angle you engage from. (In H5 it’s almost impossible to outshoot a SR in CQC with a utility weapon.)
To be short, this problem with Halo 5 is the cluttered sandbox:
You outplay an individual with the utility weapon.
They pick up a widely available weapon that is easy to use.
You die because weapons that are easy to use are scattered everywhere.
Before this post comes to an end I’ll answer some statements in advance:
"Lol your jus bad at tha game, jus pick up the easy weaponz like every1 els."
-In every situation it is impossible to have the EXACT same weapon as your opponent. Especially in this case where the weapon is an actual map pickup. This leads to random and unbalanced play due to the fact that the DMR and BR are both better than the H5 Utility. In another context, I don’t do any work for a weapon, but now I have an edge over someone else who just spawned.
“I get kills with the AR all the time in Arena.”
-AR doesn’t take skill to use. The End.