In the original Halo games by Bungie, Halo’s multikills always had a 4-second window between each kill. In Halo 4, 343 Industries upped it to 4.5 seconds, and then once again to 5 seconds in Halo 5. They kept it at 5 seconds for Halo Infinite, but increased the window by .25 seconds with every kill, with a hard cap of 7 seconds at the top, making it easier than before to earn multikill medals.
This change means that after a player earns a Killpocalypse (killing 9 players in quick succession), they’re now given a total of 7 seconds to get a Killionaire, which is the highest earnable multikill medal (10 kills in quick succession). This is enough time to get shields back whilst reloading behind cover, which Bungie had not intended. This time increase has killed what made the clutch factor of a multikill special. The original 4-second cap made players take risks — going for the next kill even if they’re one-shot because of the euphoric urge to earn the next medal. It created tense and exciting play because of the quick decision-making in moment-to-moment combat. 343 has never once given a reason for this change, and when fans ask them, they’re ignored.
Medals are a celebration of your skill and unique play. When you begin adding too many medals for mundane actions and awarding them liberally for trivial accomplishments, or making them easy to earn, you lessen their value and the feeling of reward, thus having the opposite effect of the one intended. It defeats the very purpose of medals.
This is yet another example of 343 Industries changing fundamental aspects of Halo that do not need changing, doing it only for the sake of change, or to set themselves apart from Bungie and inscribe their “mark” on the franchise. They attempt to fix things that aren’t broken, only to end up ruining or complicating them. Halo’s medal system, which has always been integral to the multiplayer experience, has been spoiled, not only by the changes in design, but also in appearance.
Original post can be found here.
