Halo Infinitehas seemed to perfectly ride the line of bringing back fan-favorite weapons that are iconic to theHaloseries while also introducing a batch of new ones that have quickly been adopted by fans. Some of the returning favorites include the sniper rifle, rocket launcher, and, one ofHalo’s most iconic weapons, the energy sword. Ever since it was introduced as a usable tool inHalo 2, the energy sword has been one of the franchise’s most coveted pieces of loot and is always one of the best weapons to use in most combat situations - something that remains true inHalo Infinite.
While the energy sword is atop-tier weapon inHalo’s multiplayer Beta, it certainly isn’t perfect. As the game’s multiplayer continues to evolve with subsequent updates, patches, and seasonal changes, hopefully 343 Industries can come up with a solution for the general lack of counterplays available to those who’ve come face-to-face with an angry Spartan wielding a sword. To put it simply:Halo Infinite’s energy sword is too powerful, and it either needs a little bit of nerfing or for 343 to introduce more ways for players to counter it.
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Halo Infinite’s Energy Sword
The energy sword has been a staple of theHaloseries since the first game released in 2001, so its inclusion inHalo Infinitecontinues its reign as being one of the franchise’s best weapons, however, it stands out among the rest of the power weapons included in the game as being one that feels a little bit too overpowered. SinceHalo Infinite’s surprise early release, it’s not uncommon for players to be posting clips of themselves on social media getting upwards of five kills in a minute with the sword, thanks to its fast lunge, low time to kill, and a relatively low skill ceiling required to use it.
Although the lethality of the blade is a staple of the franchise, the energy sword just feels a little bit out of place as an overpowered weapon ina game as well-balanced asHalo Infinite. It might do the game some good to allow players to have more options to counter the weapon if a Spartan wielding it gets too close.Infinitealready has some counter options in place, such as the repulsor and other powerful weapons, but most players are simply out of luck when facing someone with a sword head-on.
Fixing a game’s balance is far easier said than done, as changing one element often has major consequences in other areas, so the proposed fixes below aren’t perfect and would likely require further tuning if343 Industrieswere to apply them to the game. That said, they can hopefully provide a look into some of the options available to the studio when it comes to balancing the energy sword.
WhileHalo Infiniteprovides a dodge move in the form of the thruster, it could be worth it to allow players to perform a contextual dodge when being lunged at by a sword user. It could be a brief, challenging quick-time event requiring the player to hit an on-screen button prompt that would allow them to get out of the way of the initial attack similar tothe QTE required to escape an EMMI inMetroid Dread. The sword could also require the player using it to take a second to charge up the lunge, temporarily slowing them down and opening them up for an attack before releasing a deadly blow. This could allow players to potentially strike first and gain the upper hand while also changing up the meta surrounding the sword and its use cases.
Halo Infinitereleases on December 8for PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. The multiplayer beta is available now.
