Quickly following up on their promise to listen to the players, the HCS has adjusted the new competitive settings. The new settings, dubbed “Version 1” were released last week, receiving praise from many competitive players. The update, aptly named “Version 2” continues to tweak in-game properties and better balance the game. Due to the speed in which these settings are updated, it is possible that the settings used at HCS Daytona will have progressed to Version 3 or Version 4.
This piece will break down each change, and briefly discuss their impact on the game.
Battle Rifle Added to Carbine Two on Truth
Pink Tower has always been a power position, no matter which iteration of Midship is being played. In Halo 5, however, the presence of a Battle Rifle on Pink 2 created a very skewed balance of map positioning. To place better emphasis on the Carbine side of the map, a Battle Rifle has replaced the Carbine Rifle on Carbine 2.
The addition of a Battle Rifle will help players fighting on that side of the map, and make it a more viable position to defend. It will also eliminate much of the cross-mapping imbalance from Pink Tower, as players will have an equal precision rifle to fight back with.
Increased Magnum Ammo
The removal of the Assault Rifle as a starting weapon left the magnum as the lone tool for post-respawn play. Although this change was beneficial, the absence of a second weapon caused players to run out of ammo quickly. Players who were caught without magnum ammo were an easy target, and the default amount just wasn’t enough. To combat this occurrence, magnum ammo has increased to 60.
This change has effectively doubled the carrying capacity of the magnum, and will certainly reduce, if not eliminate situations in which players find themselves without a round to shoot.
Tactical Magnums in Fathom Treehouses
343i cites pro player feedback as the primary influence behind this implementation. Previously, silenced Assault Rifles appeared in each treehouse. With automatics now phased out of Halo 5 competitive play, the stealthy tactical magnum will appear in its place. The tactical magnum is equipped with a silencer, thus allowing for stealthier plays.
The silenced magnum will help players put precision shots on opponents without appearing on the new radar. For this reason, it will be primarily useful when flanking. A player effectively utilizing the tactical magnum will sneakily stop a flag run, and buy time for teammates to counter-capture.
Plasma Pistol in Security on Eden Slayer
In the Version 1 settings, an Overshield was placed outside on Eden Slayer. The lack of an Overshield counter created a significant advantage for the team to reach the Overshield first. Resulting was a mad-dash to the Overshield at the beginning of games. To better balance the equation, a Plasma Pistol has been added to Security Tower.
The addition will allow players to feel more comfortable when utilizing a more balanced push at the start of each game. With a charged shot, the plasma pistol can remove an entire Overshield upon contact. Accordingly, players with the Overshield must now play more cautious to keep their precious powerup.
What are your thoughts on these changes? Are there any more you’d like to see? Let us know in the comments!
You can ‘Like’ The Game Haus on Facebook and ‘Follow’ us on Twitter for more sports and esports articles from other great TGH writers along with Garrett! Get in touch with Garrett personally to talk more HCS and see more articles by following him on Twitter @gbSTATUS!