Upon watching the Halo Infinite gameplay demo in July 2020, we all saw that sprint, clamber, and slide were making a return (at least in the campaign but therefore presumably also in multiplayer), but saw nothing about thrusters returning, which didn’t quite make a whole lot of sense to me. In Halo 5, out of all the new movement mechanics, I thought thrusters were the best possible “advanced” movement mechanic they could have introduced to Halo as a franchise; however, in my opinion, clamber and slide seemed a bit too deviant from the Halo experience (and sprint will always be included from now on given it’s prominence in the FPS genre as a whole, which as long as it doesn’t detract from map design and the experience, it is what it is).
So, why do I hold thrusters in a higher regard, and think that out of all of H5’s movement mechanics it should have been the one to return? In my opinion, compared to the other mechanics, thrusters actually make a contributing gameplay addition to Halo’s golden triangle: guns, melee, and grenades. Thrusters provided an innate ability within all players to dodge a brief distance once every five seconds (on default settings). In a way, it was like jump-evading in previous games but more refined for horizontal movement. This puts each player at an even playing field right from the start for confrontations, but unlike clamber and slide, the key element would be player skill and timing with it’s use, just as it is with guns, melee, and grenades. A player’s judgement of when and how to use plus their skill at using those three core gameplay mechanics are ultimately what makes each confrontation in Halo so unique. With the addition of thrusters, each encounter then added a whole new layer of depth: you could dodge out of an enemy’s line of fire or well-placed grenade, but if they’re close to you, you can’t dodge out of their melee until your thrusters cooldown. Then you have to make a smart decision as to when to use thrusters, and even outplay your opponent’s use of thrusters themselves.
Thrusters added a whole new step to Halo’s 30-second dance in Halo 5, one which I wish could return to Infinite as well. I wholeheartedly believe thrusters could find a place within Halo’s golden triangle and in turn even potentially make it Halo’s new golden square. That said, most of this does come down to my own personal enjoyment of the thrusters mechanic. Yet I’ve been playing a lot of MCC these days, as I’m sure many of you are as well, and I can certainly enjoy Halo without it. But I do think out of all the new mechanics introduced in Halo 5, thrusters are the one that can truly contribute the most to Halo’s gameplay loop for examples I’ve given above. What do you think?
EDIT (pulled from my own reply to someone on this thread): Some of you might be concerned about the way it impacts Halo’s triangle to begin with. I feel like this was the overall initial impression of equipment when it was introduced in Halo 3, concern of how it would affect Halo’s triangle. But just like equipment, thrusters could, with intention, potentially interweave itself within the triangle and not detract from it, which is the reason equipment worked so well in Halo 3 (as explained by Ascend Hyperion in this video: Why Equipment is Returning in Halo Infinite - YouTube). Thrusters intentionally added a new layer of depth to player confrontations, much like equipment did; although, you can’t tell that someone has a certain piece of equipment equipped until they use it, where areas with thrusters you already know the other player shares that same ability with you, meaning you go into a confrontation already prepared with that knowledge that you and your opponent can both thrust and strategize accordingly, while with equipment it’s more reactive given it’s nature of only becoming known when played on the field. However equipment works because it intentionally changes the confrontation dynamic of guns, melee, and grenades whilst maintaining the balance that equipment works both ways, for it’s user and the opponent. With thrusters, the balance is maintained as all players have the ability, and it’s use can both be advantageous and detrimental to its user according to their use of it and skill in a given confrontation (like with equipment!) I think thrusters can interweave within Halo’s golden triangle much the same way equipment did back in Halo 3.