Last night the announcement was made during Halo Fest that Halo: Reach will be getting a substantial update at some point in September. All title updates inevitably polarize the community, but as someone who has sunk 298 hours and six minutes of play time into Reach since its release, I feel confident saying that most of the community will be pleased with the majority of the changes.
Most prominent among the changes is the nerfing of the somewhat controversial armor lock ability; a move that I am personally referring to as: Best.News.Ever. In any case, the ability will no longer block all incoming damage; instead, it will only protect users from most incoming damage. Additionally, locking up will no longer shed stickie grenades from players. While lock nuts will surely be enraged at the change, I am 100 percent certain that the move will balance the playing field and put an end to Elite Slayer matches devolving into armor lock-athons.
The update will also affect several other elements of play. No longer will players be able to deflect incoming beam sword lunges by throwing out a well-timed melee (unless the player meleeing is also holding a sword). The pistol will also be tuned up to better match the abilities of the original magnum from Halo: Combat Evolved. Both of these changes are clearly designed to make for a smoother transition when buyers of Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary are given the ability to import that game’s maps into Halo: Reach later this year.
The other main changes include the option to remove reticle bloom and the introduction of something called “Shield Bleed-through.” Bleed-through will cause anyone who takes damage with a fraction of their shield remaining to have it carry over into their remaining health blocks, so players will want to be even more cautious going forward when they hear the shield alarm sounding.
[Source: Major Nelson]
[Image via Blast Magazine.]
