Continuing on Parts 01, 02 and 03, Part 04 will discuss the workings of the Covenant class structure and how it relates to the Human/Spartan Combat Model.
Covenant Class Structures:
Although creating a formal class structure would be nice, it is only possible to create classes within the guidelines provided by Halo's storyline and within the balance limits of a multiplayer match. What this means is that specific sub-races of the Covenant, such as Grunts may not be well suited for multiplayer matches (at least not within their current format). The result is that the number of classes used will be quite limited overall; mainly to the Jackal, Elite and Hunter.
The Jackal may be the most interesting multiplayer class in general provided that they meet a few key restrictions. First, they can never drop their shield; and second, they can only equip one-handed weapons (maybe even only the plasma pistol). The key strength of this class would be their shields. The Jackal shield is very resilient and is quite possibly more useful than the Spartan's energy shield due to the fact that it can resist all types of human ballistic weapons.
Another key feature to the Jackal would be the block feature. Whenever the Jackal uses the crouch funtion they hold up their shield allowing them to become defensive in nature. While in this position they can still overcharge their pistols but cannot fire them until they stand upright. As always, an overcharged plasma pistol shot will render their shield ineffective for a time so this would be a major weakness to this class.
The Elite would likely be the most similar class to the Spartan. Ideally this class would be broken down into three smaller classes: Elites, Gold Elites and Cloaked Elites. If possible it would be nice to seperate each Elite subclass as its own class provided that they have enough differences.
The standard Elite (blue) would be just like the basic Human. The main difference is that they are stronger and have the ability to jump great distances in stride. They can equip any weapon they require but do not have shielding of any type.
The Gold Elite would be just like the Spartan in most respects. They have energy shields and can equip any weapon they desire. The only difference between the Gold Elite and the Spartan would be that the Gold Elite is slightly faster but has less health than its Spartan counterpart.
The Cloaked Elite would be the most interesting of the bunch as they would be cloaked the entire time. The main restirction to this class is that they can only use the plasma sword as a weapon. Keep in mind that even when cloaked the plasma sword can always be seen by onlookers so make sure to hide accordingly.
Note also that all four of the above classes can utilize any vehicle they come across in gameplay, so a team of Jackals and Elites may soon steal a Warthog and come searching for stray Human prey.
The last class and possibly the most difficult to balance would be the Hunter. With tons of health, a built-in shield and a Fuel Rod Gun (FRG) standard, this class can easily trounce any adversary, including other vehicles. The major weaknesses to this class are its complete lack of speed and mobility as well as its soft, orangish underbelly. It would also be necessary to disallow the Hunter from riding in any vehicle currently available as its size would be too bulky.
By following the current Halo theme, the five basic classes for the Covenant are quite strong and diversified overall. They range from mobile and strategic classes to some that are walking tanks. This diversity allows them to easily meet any situation that may arise. Keep in mind that for once the Covenant may utilize human technology, so beware of that Elite with a sniper rifle. Just be thankful that the Cloaked Elite is stuck to melee alone and pray that you see him coming.
More information coming soon in Part 05.