Halo Infinite's Battle Rifle Is Now Better In Ranked Than Social Games, And Players Aren't Fans

gamespot.com:

A ranked-only melee buff for the Battle Rifle in Halo Infinite Season 2 has not gone over well with fans, who find the idea of differing damage values for weapons depending on the playlist confusing.

Halo Infinite's new multiplayer season just launched, and along with new maps and modes has also introduced several balance changes to mix up the meta of 343's shooter. Those changes include nerfs to the Mangler, big buffs for the Ravager, a universal melee-damage reduction, and the aforementioned ranked-only Battle Rifle melee buff.

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The «buff» for the Battle Rifle's melee in the ranked playlist essentially keeps the weapon performing as it was in Season 1 following the otherwise universal 10% melee damage reduction introduced as part of Season 2. The patch notes state the Battle Rifle's melee damage was kept intact in ranked in order «to preserve the Battle Rifle's two burst-beatdown after the global melee reduction.» All players start with a Battle Rifle in ranked.

Fans, by and large, don't seem to be thrilled with the Battle Rifle change. Having a weapon that performs differently in ranked as opposed to all other playlists, players on the Halo Infinite subreddit argue, makes the game more confusing and punishing for players who jump between different playlists frequently.

While there are already other differences between Halo Infinite's ranked and social playlists, like ranked's omission of the radar, reduced ammo for certain weapons, and the