Halo Infinite's Mangler Might Get Nerfed, And Players Are Divided

One of Halo Infinite's new weapons, the Mangler, might be getting a nerf in the future. While no official changes have been announced, 343 Industries recently stated it was aware of the feedback regarding the weapon and that discussions are happening internally.

The news comes via Halo esports and viewership lead Tahir “Tashi” Hasandjekic, who recently responded on Twitter to Halo pro Snip3down's suggestion that the weapon needs to be on a longer spawn cycle. Other pros began to chime in, asking for a better flow of communication between players and 343 in regards to balance changes and feedback. Tashi stated that 343 has "definitely been seeing all of the feedback and talking about it internally (especially for big ones like the Mangler)," and stated to those in the thread that official feedback surveys were on the way "so we can capture it all in a clear and concise way."

The discussion about the Mangler isn't exactly new, but has ramped up recently. The official Cloud9 esports team Twitter account went so far to ask the official Halo account "how many likes to delete the Mangler" early last week. The Mangler is, it must be said, is undeniably powerful. Two shots with the Brute revolver will take down an opponent's shields. One more follow-up shot to the head will finish them off. Because it's a Brute weapon, it also does increased melee damage, meaning players can pop off one shot before meleeing with it to score an easy kill. While the weapon does have a slow firing speed, isn't great at medium and long ranges, and requires some precision to finish off an enemy with a headshot, in skilled hands it can still be a powerhouse. There's also the issue of just how prevalent the weapon is. Thanks to the weapon's fast respawn timer and large ammo pool, there's a potentially large number of Manglers being used for a long period of time in any given match.

It's currently unclear if 343 would nerf the weapon's damage, ammo pool, respawn times, or all (or none) of the above. But even 343 simply stating that talks about the weapon are happening internally has more casual Halo fans worried.

On the game's subreddit, many players are begging 343 to keep the gun as is and not cater to pro players when it comes to balancing Halo Infinite. Players point to the fact that 343 nerfed the Commando Rifle and the Ravager following Halo Infinite's technical previews, resulting in the two weapons largely not being worth picking up currently. That's something fans don't want to happen to the Mangler too. Others point out that if other lesser-used weapons received buffs, then perhaps the Mangler wouldn't be a go-to weapon for more competitive players.

Halo Infinite has yet to receive a balance patch in regards to weapons and equipment since its official launch, though numerous changes have already come to the game's challenge system and event progression. The game recently saw the return of its samurai-themed Fracture: Tenrai event, which will return again later on in Halo Infinite's first multiplayer season.

Originally slated to last three months, Halo Infinite's first season will instead last until May. The delay was made, according to Halo Infinite chief of creative Joseph Staten, in order to allow the studio more time to "meet a high-quality bar and so we can finish development of Season 2 in a healthy and sustainable way for our team." Co-op campaign is slated to arrive alongside Season 2 (although some players have already glitched their way into the mode), with the game's custom map and game editor, Forge, expected to arrive with Season 3.