Now that the beta playlist is finally out and all the gameplay tweaks can be seen outside of custom games, I was curious to see what people think of it. I personally prefer the 85% bloom gametypes over the zero bloom gametypes since in zero bloom the pistol and needle rifle are overpowered. 85% bloom just feels like how Reach shoulda been on release since the DMR actually works and battles no longer come down to who got lucky gets the kill. My only complaint is the melee change since now kids just get you half shield and resort to lame ass sprint punch tactics for an easy kill.

I've played a couple games so far and I'd say 85% bloom feels like what this game should have been in the first place. DMR's max rate of fire only expands the reticle drastically on the third shot, still requiring you to pause briefly. And the bloom's rate of reset is faster. On the other hand 85% resets fast enough that you might as well have a static reticle to guarantee the bullet will go exactly where you aim every shot. Even the slightest amount of bloom adds a thin layer of luck which in turn makes the game less competitive. I've yet to figure out what determines headshot bleedthrough (most likely health or shield remaining) as often you can out shoot someone in 4 shots. I definitely prefer how fast-paced the game plays under both settings compared to vanilla Reach where it's pretty much a joke.

Zero Bloom is great, because it finally feels like I'm playing a Halo game. 85% bloom is still 100% too much, so it can be very annoying when ZB isn't presented as one of the voting options. I really hope that 343 doesn't mix the 85% bloom gametypes with the ZB gametypes in future playlist updates, and that we can get some ZB Objective gametypes soon.

I'm totally in love with the revamped pistol. Everything else also feels great.

I like it, however I don't like zero bloom at all.

@Rawrz: To be fair, a lot of people already do the sprint and double-melee anyway, which can be super annoying depending on the map. I just hope most fights don't turn into what they were in Halo 3, where two people just run at each other holding down the trigger, and then whoever times their melee best wins. It was one of the reasons I loved hanging back with a BR. Was more than happy to let my friends be the idiots running face-first into enemy lines with the Assault Rifle.

I haven't actually played any of the Beta playlists (haven't played Reach multiplayer in a while; all my friends have sadly stopped playing it), but that 85% Bloom sounds like it'd be perfect. I always felt that the bloom was just a little too much; the cadence for timing your shots felt just a little off and it made things less satisfying. It also, as you said, made luck a much bigger factor in deciding DMR fights, which just sucks.

Now that it's been out for a while and I've had time to thoroughly play the tweaked gametypes, I love it. Of course I already thought Reach's MP was great, but the lessened bloom really allows for a faster pace and deadlier shootouts. ZB is incredibly fierce. Spawning with both the DRM and the pistol means everyone is a serious threat from any range right off the bat. It's amazing how fast you can drop people at medium range with that magnum, it makes me a bit nostalgic even. Only thing I'm not really liking is the effectiveness of melee with shield bleed. It's too easy to pop someone a few times and kill them with a quick smack. It feels a little cheap to me on either side of the attack. Still, I definitely prefer this to the original settings. God, a good zero bloom game just feels great, and you know when you beat someone in a clean duel that it was more than dumb luck.