Hardlight shield drawbacks

[Combat]

I exclusively use the hardlight shield (when I play as a guest), and I can tell you this: It absolutely is one of the worst armor abilities in the game. I never use it except in the following situations:

 

1. Easy opportunity to block a melee (rarely happens, and have to have precognition because you will still take damage if you activate at the same time as a melee)

2. Jumping back into cover

 

Anything else, and I mean anything, and it is a 100% sure death because of the speed and shield penalties. Your opponent gets to recharge their shields, can go around the shield to kill you, wait for the shield to drop and then waste you, etc. The shield actually hurts you in any one-on-one fight unless you manage to time it absolutely perfectly and catch the opponent's melee. And even then, the shield drops slow, so you can block a melee and still get killed because the second and third hits will kill you.

 

I think a few of the following things need to happen for it to help:

 

1. Direct reflection of bullets instead of scattered (makes it an offensive weapon)

2. Allow regular speed, but not sprinting

3. Make it quicker to spawn and despawn

4. Remove the shield recharge penalty

 

I'm not saying all of the above have to happen, but at least a few should happen to make it so it does its job. Right now, it is a defensive armor ability that makes you easier to kill. That is no more balanced than if active camo made you bright and visible, or if PV made it impossible to see enemies. Simply put, it needs something.

[TheUnknownHero(Rise)]

Armor lock i feel was evenly balanced because if another person went into armor lock this could be an advantage to either player. Its just whom ever can use the situation to their advantage. The player could find cover while locked on to the player in AA who cant move unless to be barraged by grenades and bullets. Also allowing the player to not rely on teammates. Hologram and evade and jetpack were great choices in trying to gain an advantage. Invisibility may provide confusion to the player and possibly increase players chance to "slip up". Hardlight sheild is just too uneffective since it requires teamwork that in 85% of games isnt prevalent and more of a lone wolf status

[LiQuid BioniX]

The Hardlight is a cool idea, but it could use some tweaking in the execution.

 

I play on Bumper Jumper and my Armor Ability is mapped to the X button, so it's almost impossible for me to use the shield effectively. I can see it being useful for other control schemes however.

[ReturnOfTheButcher]

No regenerating shields, otherwise we'll have another armour lock on our hands.

I think it would still be a long way off the level that armour lock was... you're only covered forward unlike the 360 degrees with AL, plus it does take damage and can be destroyed...

[SykoWolf]

The Hardlight shield is just the way it should be. If you could regenerate shield while using it, it would mean you would have an unfair advantage in a team match. Enemy takes your shields down while your doing a semi-suicide run, you actvate hardlight and regen while team mates cover you.

It would be too over used

[SkItZo1041]

The Hardlight shield is just the way it should be. If you could regenerate shield while using it, it would mean you would have an unfair advantage in a team match. Enemy takes your shields down while your doing a semi-suicide run, you actvate hardlight and regen while team mates cover you.

It would be too over used

 

It's not like as soon as you throw your hardlight up your shields would start to regenerate. You'd have to wait out the full hardlight almost, unless you waited a couple seconds with no shields before throwing it up. Even with armor lock, your shields didn't regenerate until afterwards, unless you waited a couple seconds with no shields before using it.

 

And I'll have to quote one line in specific from you...

 

"...you actvate hardlight and regen while team mates cover you."

 

I don't know about you, but I'd just call that good teamwork. Isn't having teammates to cover you almost the whole point of team-based games? Throwing up hardlight and having teammates cover you doesn't sound like a cheap move, it sounds like a strategic maneuver, to me.

[Final Sentence]

We have a teammate that uses this all the time, as long as he's good at putting shots on the guy and CALLING OUT, the shield is a dominating perk. He's fighting a guy that is generally exposed and 1 or 2 shot, not hard to clean up.

 

Ohhh, try this. PUT IN YOUR DAMN MIC! why do so many people on this game not have a mic......

[TransientHalo]

Armor lock obviously WAS NOT a good idea or else it would be in Halo 4. Thank you 343 for not allowing Armor Lock to continue on.

 

But seriously, you can let kids using hardlight shield regen their shields.

 

The Hardlight shield is just the way it should be. If you could regenerate shield while using it, it would mean you would have an unfair advantage in a team match. Enemy takes your shields down while your doing a semi-suicide run, you actvate hardlight and regen while team mates cover you.

It would be too over used

 

Kind of like how Armor Lock was over-used BUT with the Hardlight shield you can't return fire, your movement is encumbered and you're completely vulnerable from the sides and back. SO, because of those factors I think regen'ing would be fine.