Halo Infinitehas been out in the wild for over a week now, with fans and 343 Industries celebrating its highs and lows. For the most part,Halo Infinite’smultiplayer gameplayhas been well-received, balancing traditional mechanics with modern advances better than prior entries have. However, while gameplay is pretty fine-tuned, there are some major issues with some of the new weapons in the arsenal.
SinceCombat Evolvedlaunched 20 years ago, theHalofranchise has been defined by the weapons in it. Few video game guns can claim to be as iconic asHalo’sAssault Rifle or Magnum, now being synonymous with Master Chief himself. Each entry in the series has made new additions to the arsenal, sometimes forgoing older weapons to make space.Halo Infiniteis now up to bat, with some major omissions and new additions. But not all of the new additions feel great.
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Where Halo Infinite’s New Weapons Go Wrong
There’s always been some level of risk versus reward for Halo’s weapons. The Energy Sword can be thwarted by the Shotgun, the Rocket Launcher has a long reload time, and theSpartan Laserrequires precision to use effectively. This has always madeHalo’s power weapons feel balanced, giving their wielders a decisive edge in fights but not if they forget to use their heads. However, many of Halo Infinite’s new weapons miss that mark completely.
Those that have booted upHalo Infinite’smultiplayer beta have likely used the Ravager, Shock Rifle, Pulse Rifle, Skewer, Heatwave, and Hydra. These weapons are just some of the new additions to theHalouniverse being featured inInfinite.They’re also some of the mosthit-or-miss weapons thatHalo Infinitehas to offer. That’s not to say that they’re all bad – the Shock Rifle and Hydra are powerful tools for players that can use them effectively. The issue is that they’re so risky to use early on that players might avoid them entirely.
What’s particularly frustrating is that most new weapons look and sound great to use. They’re punchy, vibrant, and feel unique. However, many of them simply feel weak compared to the Sidekick Pistol and Assault Rifle, the default weapons players spawn with during most matches. It isn’t uncommon to see players avoid them entirely, especially the Ravager, a large gun that shoots out a weak plasma for an area of denial attack. Clearly, players avoiding the weapons isn’t what 343 Industries wants.
Satisfying weapon designs deserve to be used, but right now they’re a hindrance more than a perk. That was already evident in regular game types like CTF, Oddball, andSlayer, but now Fiesta has been thrown into the mix. Players spawn with random weapons sets in Fiesta, and it’s possible to get troublesome combos like the Pulse Rifle and the Ravager with alarming regularity, which highlights just how bad the problem is.
It’s difficult to say how the weapons need to be improved beyond just “more damage” because each one needs specific types of tweaks. For instance, the Pulse Rifle can drop players quickly, but the plasma bursts travel so slowly that it still feels like an ineffective weapon. Upping the velocity would help, but it’s going to take a lot of tweaking to ensure that it doesn’t suddenly feel overpowered.
There’s also the question of how said tweaks would affectHalo Infinite’s campaign. While the Ravager’s plasma AOE damage isn’t great in multiplayer, its effects against NPCs in the story mode will likely be greater, as it’s easy to see how it could be used to mop up groups of Grunts and Jackals. However, that begs the question of how married a weapon’s power in the campaign should be to its power in the multiplayer modes. That’s a difficult question to answer without being a developer at 343 Industries.
Halo Infinite’s Arsenal Has a Lot of Potential
None of this is to say thatHalo Infiniteis doomed. Weapon balance changes happen in online games all the time, and there are bound to be refinements made. It’s an interesting time forHalo Infinite,in particular, given the circumstances the multiplayer beta has been released under. Not only did emergency changes need to be made to progression, but the United States is currently in one of its biggest holiday weeks of the year, so many developers are taking much-needed breaks to be with family.
It makes sense, then, that updates aren’t coming out at the base fans are expecting them. It’s a case of real-world circumstances affecting video games, something that internet communities have trouble accepting all too often. That doesn’t excuseHalo Infinitefrom all criticism, but it should afford 343 Industries more time to make adjustments without bringing down the hammer of judgment.
Further,Halo Infiniteis meant to be supported for the next decade or so, and fans can bet on343 Industries expanding the arsenal in the future. There are plenty of weapons that fans would love to see return: the DMR, Spartan Laser, traditional Shotgun, Covenant Carbine, and many more. Undoubtedly, these weapons will be trickled intoHalo Infinitewith passing seasons and events, bolstering things a lot. That’s not an immediate solution to the lackluster weapons, but it will make a big difference down the line.
It’s easy to get lost in thecriticisms againstHalo Infinite,though it’s still done what it set out to do as far as gameplay goes. The free-to-play elements and progression systems definitely need reworks, and not all of the weapons feel like they’re worth using, but the building blocks of a truly incredible experience are all here. It just falls to 343 Industries to keep building it out.
Halo Infiniteis available now for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
