Like, Subscribe and SHARE SHARE SHARE! Can we hit 1000 views on this? That would be cool :D

Noted: If they have a toxic rant, they wear cargo pant.

I dont ever rewind during these types of things but the last 4 minutes became hype as fhck with the music and analogies explaining maneuvers and tactics. Shit made me wanna play halo right then and there.

Wow. Seriously, this is a very enlightening video. I've seen so many talks on forums about 'gameplay mechanics' and 'abilities' and suchlike, but I never thought about Halo combat as a dance, nor did I think that it linked all the games in such a way. Now I'm looking to see what other things link the games as such. I also love how impartial and analytical you are. It is a welcome change from the bias that pervades the different sides of the fandoms, and I can't wait for more of these videos! :)

This guy ended all my negativity

Someone put it into words, finna send this to my cousin cause I tried to explaine this once and I did horribly.

2:10 Well Played. And great analysis of The Dance too. There's a reason that SWAT isn't halo 😏

I really like your idea, it almost underlies the arguments other people have with regards to what does and doesn’t work in Halo because when you look at what they’re saying they tend to like development of this basic idea you are talking about and dislike additions that change how it works. Very cool

You're one of the 3 good halo content creators. There's you, Late Night Gaming, and probably one other guy I don't know about but I'm willing to admit he probably exists.

Such a good video and very refreshing after watching bigger creators whine about sprint or warthog sounds all the time

The one song that starts in halo 3s first mission called "Another walk" emphasizes on Halo's movement speed being a fast paced walk and chief fights like he is in a dance.

Absolutely amazing, I never realized any of this before, the dance was always there. I agree that the dance is the true design philosophy, and as long as halo sticks with it, they can't go wrong.

3:39 ah yes the language of halo its generally a 4 year old yelling NI-

This is why I enjoy halo Because I've known the dance since my ce days I'm so familiar with the combat and I'm so used to the gunplay I know that I can turn a fight on its head and not any other shooter gives me the empowering feeling of my split second decisions being able to turn the odds from against me to in my favor. The factor alone that the fight can also turn against me when i have the advantage is what makes me keep coming back. The dance is the reason why I enjoy each halo game. At its core, halos combat will always stay the same *but the combat continues to evolve*

I’ve been trying to come up with a way to explain this for years 😂

My problem is I can't dance ;) Another great video Ascend! Keep up the good work :D

I would also add: the two weapon system (a big differentiator from it's shooter predecessors: half life, doom, and quake) weapon choice is super important, additionally: halo has traditionally focused it's gun play around orthogonal unit differentiation: each gun operates in an effective role. Bungie even mentioned this in a vidoc that it's hard to add guns without stepping on another gun's useful area. This also means if you see someone with a shotgun, or a sniper you have a good idea of how they're going to play. It allows for meaningful choices and planning on the player's part. Finally, the original 3 game"s multiplayer design revolved around power weapons. This was a tool that allowed good teams to consistently win if they understood the map and did a good job of controlling it. Just my .02 cents

this might be the greatest video I've ever seen 😂 you've synthesized and articulated what, I think, a lot of long-time Halo players have "known" but been unable to express in any real way. well done!

Your channel is absolutely awesome and in my eyes the best halo related channel keep it up man

Between this and the Gungoose video I've finally decided to subscribe. ---------------------------- I've always enjoyed the Halo series, but it wasn't until recently that I decided that it truely is my all time favorite shooter franchise. Prior to this I spent four years playing Overwatch and managed to climb to Master rank but it just wasn't fun. One of my biggest issues with the game is that some characters are more fun to play than others and if you want to play a character you like you have to either be a god tier player with them or you have to be willing to put up with your teammates hatred if you refuse to switch and can't meet their unrealistic expectations. Halo is different though. In Halo there is only one character to play, but that character is insanely fun to use no matter what position you are in or what weapon you are using. It doesn't matter if you're sitting in base puppy guarding the flag or if you're running on the front lines trying to get the flag in the first place, Halo is always fun. Win or lose, rain or shine, the game feels great to play and thats something you don't get with character/class based games like League or Overwatch.

This is one of the most beautiful halo analysis videos ive ever seen. Why is this buried underneath so many hours of thirsty infinite news coverage and pure vitriol over how fast the master chief runs. This video should be what halo analysis content looks up to

I discovered your videos this week and you've already earned my subscription. Bravo!

Love the MK V in that thumbnail

8:10 this segment is so powerful

This may be one of the best takes on Halo I've ever heard. Good work!

This might be the best put explanation for why I enjoy all of the Halos and have a very hard time picking my least favorite or most favorite. Except 5, which I can't speak to because I haven't played it

Sounds solid. Very interesting; I definitely see how the “Dance” is what really defines Halo.

Great video, very logical and well worded.

Really good vid!

This is why I like Halo 5 it has turned the dance into rapid tap dancing. I love it, it's chaotic and insane. Can't wait for Halo Infinite. Great video!

You must have done really well on school presentations

I absolutely love your videos! You're such a reat part of the Halo community, thank you so much!

More people need to hear this

I got chills at 9:40 with the music in the background

Hey, look. Exactly what I've been saying since Reach. Good job on the vid. Very nice.

LEGENDARY VIDEO

Halo 3 and below is a simple tapdance. Simple, efficient but still fun. Halo Reach and forward are a full ballet routine mixed with some hip-hop. Neither are bad, just different.

I could not agree more with the combative statement it’s something that plagues the community

this video is fire 🔥🔥🔥

Can't help but notice you forgot to talk about the other important design aspect of bullets for Heath plasma for shields

leaving a comment for the algorithm, you deserve it

I love this idea of how refined Halo is if you take a moment to look past the normal gameplay but it makes me wonder, how will the increased presence of equipment impact Halo infinite? It has more usability and prevalence than it ever did in 3 or even reach so, chances are it will drastically modify the very idea of the dance. If the dance defines Halo, will Infinite be Halo? Still super excited about infinite though, change isn't always bad!

I like halo's movement. It's a nice change of pace from the bunny hopping and running around that I'm used to. I don't prefer it, but it's a nice to have a change of pace every once in a while.

This was sick

Dude absolutely mind blowing very big brain

Makes me wonder why the ttk hasn’t gone down, even in Infinite. Titanfall titan fights and OverWatch tanks are probably the only comparable games in terms of prolonged fights, but those seem a lot slower and clunkier, rather than evasion prolonging as well.

I don't see why there is so much opposition to armor abilities and equipment that actually fits the lore/cannon of the Halo universe that has been established since before CE even was released (The Fall of Reach novel). Yes it changes the gameplay a little but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I haven't played halo 5 yet but I have only seen 1 place in MCC where you actually have to use a jet pack and that is a very small part of the campaign on Reach. Sprint is also completely optional in Halo 4. However I have also seen players use plasma grenades and rocket launchers in place of jet packs and sprint in Halo 1-3 to launch themselves across the map for a quick kill or to evade a group of enemies. Also Halo has a different game balance than most other FPS games with longer time to kill and often having the ability to counter opponents that get the initial jump on you, enhanced mobility, armor abilities, or equipment, are meant to make players have more control and increase complexity as well as rewarding skill mastery for something other than fast reaction times and headshots. If there is too much focus on limiting gameplay to the "golden triangle" then what you will have is basically COD with extra health and different maps/cosmetics instead of Halo. Also "the dance" is slightly different in each halo title as the game mechanics were tweaked to try to achieve a better balanced game and move forward with better game console technology but after a few minutes of playing it has always been easy to adjust to with the exception of CE for me, the gameplay on CE feels really strange and and floaty and at times unresponsive compared to the other games but I am certain that was due to limitations of the game console technology at the time it was made.

You're underrated bro

Really like this and the Valhalla video. Your design vids are on point

Great vid. That should shut up the Halo 5 haters for a while. Watching this and comparing to my experience in Splitgate, it kinda has a similar "dance" that's different but still has a lot of similar aspects.

yo también agregaría los mapas, buen video :D

How I know you actually play Halo and don't just have "a few memories with a few friends playing in their couch": You understand situational gameplay mechanics that define Halo, you mention each component had a symbiotic relationship that doesn't change with title, and above all else, you understand that a player "good at Halo" isn't limited to one title. Sure, one title may favor them with the tricks that title poses, but "good at Halo" really just is an end-all term. A pro player, for example, can compete in any of the Halo games and hit pro status, assuming their team is good. Their individual skill is STILL top notch in any of those games, and translating between each title isn't a chore, it's more like learning manual from one car to another. It's the same thing, just slightly different. As for the other Tubers who mention the triangle, this is possibly the most correct topic there is on it. Using it to state "this is why Halo 3 is the best" is sort of misleading. Halo 2 disrupts from the original (to those people) triangle, so does H3 verses H2. And so on. They're missing the other portions which play a role, and that's what you highlighted. I do personally not like 4, but 5 is a good title. I just think they dumbed-down 5. I hate hitmarkers, the extreme amount of assists, and all that jazz. Here's to hoping Infinite is a title that can unite a fractured community.

Absolutely loved this video, so refreshing to see someone point out that even though Halo has evolved its core has not changed. I also never knew I was looking for and engaging in the Dance until it was pointed out. Very informative and enjoyable!

I try over and over again to explain to my friends why halo is more complex than most shooters. They think battle royals and cod are so good. While in halo a single jump has more to it than cod has for example. I'm glad I came across this video

Amazing

smart man the next time i have to explain why halo is halo to someone I will use this video.

Damn this is good

Well yeah, each FPS Halo game follows this design logic, but modern Halo titles gave more power to the movement part of the dance, which is why a lot of people tend to dislike those later games. In the original trilogy, the dance was decently well balanced, but once more movement options were given to players, movement was given more prominence, and the dance was thrown off balance from what people expect. You could argue all shooters have their own dance (as they all have combat, movement, and health), but the balance of those 3 elements in the original trilogy are different from what Reach-5 were.

Nice video, gave a like because of How its well done but I don't agree with a single word you said, anyway good job keep It up 👍🏿

Combos should kill the fastest, BUT that does NOT mean a weapon shouldn't be able to kill on its own. Remember that the golden triangle is the methods of attack, not its own method of attack. Too many people believe that players should be forced to use combos and that only precision weapons should do decent damage.

I just wanna point out that hype ass revelation section about the dance being in every game is accompanied by Halo 5 music. Not Halo 3. Halo 5. Big brain.

Excellent video and great way to call out the echo chambers in the Halo community.

Great Video ! You relevant a very good point. This is Halo ! GG

Inspring video as always! That's the homeslice style

I couldn't hear your voice when you started playing the Halo theme at the end.

Honestly map control could be the forth part of the diamond instead of a triangle but i guess thats more movement ot power weapons. Yeah anyways map/area control is very important not just in halo but a lot of games but halo especially do to power ups vehicles and power weapons. Like if you get the energy sword and shotgun you where king of CQC. I recall being so good with it in fact i made people rage quit because it took forever or at least till they both ran out of ammo an charge to kill me. ahhhh good times.

i wanna see spellbreaks core gameplay broken down

THIS!

Doom Eternal does jumping REALLY good

Great video!

You were looking at the wrong CoD to compare to Halo 5. CoD AW’s super jump sent you higher and further with the use of boosters than Halo 5’s from what I’ve been able to see.

I won't deny that I dislike the newer Halo games (though I will give a shoutout to 5 for what I consider the most balanced sandbox since CE... before the big nerfs anyway.) Still, I enjoyed your video a lot - objective and easy to follow. I do still believe those videos you alluded to missing the big picture still have a purpose though - if you just focused on the big picture of "the dance" you'd miss the smaller details of how its implementation differs between the games (and how that affects player enjoyment.) And that I do believe is worth debating over exactly because it's always been a contentious topic even before Reach.

If the dance is what defines halos gameplay then it can be extrapolated which games have a more intuitive dance. There is also vehicle gameplay as another part of this dance. Looking at the small intricacies of each game. Weapon balance, map design to accommodate the flow of that games dance, etc then we can see where the dance falters.

Devs mentioned the dance in the latest halo infinite blog

I was expecting that someone was going to make this video someday, i wasn't able to explain to a lot of people how Halo still feels like Halo and that's why i play it despite enhanced mobility and new things in general, there is nothing in the market that plays like Halo.

I think this is a decent video, however I think you oversimplify and brush over a lot in order to come to the intended conclusion that all 7 games have the same core formula and that nothing in them interferes with it. Most obvious example of something that directly interferes with this dance is armor lock, to use the more specific analogy it directly alters the damage golden triangle, health, and movement all at once and in drastic ways. To be more broad, if the dance really is a formula coming from an interaction between damage methods, movement, and health, then it seems natural to say that changes to any of these will affect the overall formula. Yeah it's still *a* dance, but it's a different dance, sometimes only slightly different and other times dramatically so. Also this analysis only covers the moment to moment gameplay. I'd argue things like vehicles or map control are almost as core to Halo as the moment to moment fights if not equally important, and these things exist totally outside this dance framework and have also been heavily affected and altered over time.

a senpai period

2min in and I fw it heavy!

You’re totally correct, but also totally wrong? “The dance” as you define it is what makes Halo, Halo. For sure. But implying that the later titles with faster ttk, separation from top movement speed and the golden triangle, worse maps that aren’t fun to traverse, shit weapons that lead to flowchart decisionmaking, clamber leading to overly forgiving verticality, and so much more aren’t effecting “the dance”. It’s nice to bring a message of unity, but 343lo is unacceptable and NOT cut from the same cloth. At this point, all you can say is “it has weapons, melee, grenades, movement and health” but when all of those things are thrown out of wack… it ain’t it, chief.

Nice video

THANK YOU! finally someone says it!

my main issue with halo (1-3 reach and odst, I haven't played 4 or 5 as their not on PC) is the movement, I don't mean a lack of sprint or sliding or wall running I mean how fast you move and how quickly you change directions. the movement in halos engine(s) feels very sluggish and floaty compared to movement in the source engine witch I am used to. if halo had the source engines snappy movement (plus the jump height) it would make me a very happy boy

The dance is designed to always give each player a fighting chance at winning the duel. got shot first? throw a well aimed nade and boom now you got health advantage, or strafe a corner and use it as cover. Hell even crouching to remove yourself from the radar to get a ninja works wonders as well! But nothing gives you a more satisfying "Hell yeah" then when you deflect a rocket with a gravity hammer. Thats a great example cuz if you are good enough to time your swing, the other guys "one shot kill weapon" is now useless :) great video, very educational.

Dude this is such an incredible analysis. Love it. One thing I’d like to add to ‘The Dance’ is player cooperation. With the high health mechanic, movement and weapons, the way that teams engage one another is a deciding factor in who wins and who loses. Cluster together? Increase your firepower but vulnerable to AOE. Flank? Risk getting team-shot by clustered opponents. Protect your teammate while he obtains new tools for the weapon triangle - or drop a bubble shield for your buddy to recharge. Cooperation is key in Halo, especially in high-level play.

Thousandth like

nah Halo 4 and Halo 5 are COD games still is what everybody is gonna say still

Is there fall damage in halo 5?

Bungie Purists: 343 doesn't understand Halo! Rebuttal: This vid.

This is exactly why I strongly disagree with the argument that Halo 4 “is a good game, but not a good Halo game.” Like, okay, custom loadouts and ordnance drops conflict with the philosophies of same starts and map control, but the dance is just as present in Halo 4 as it is in Halo 3. Above the sandbox, above the art style, the dance is what makes Halo, Halo.

I’d agree with the last part more if mechanics like dash and sprint didn’t directly affect player agency during “the dance”. Your ability to turn the tides of any battle is crippled greatly if someone who is exposed at a range can easily sprint into cover before they die, or if they can avoid the effective range of your grenade by just dashing/running into another direction. Halo 5 is fun and all, but you get way less of those “turning the tides by outsmarting your opponent” moments simply because the stakes of any given action are lowered by the fact that now you have all these movement mechanics at your disposal. Play a match of halo 3 and halo 5 and you’ll see what I mean: Halo 5 encourages more aggressive, risky plays that would NEVER work out so well in any of bungie’s games, because it allows you to slither your way out of unfavorable odds and not-so-stupid decisions. That’s the main problem, because you can just use movement mechanics to get out of dicy situations in Halo 5, and the overall grasp of actions on the tide of a battle is weakened both ways due to it, your aren’t as encouraged to use your wit in the same way you would in a bungie game. I’m also tired of people complaining about sprint, but we shouldn’t just ignore how greatly it affects “the dance”.

This makes me want to play halo MP but I know that I'll get my ass handed to me if I hop on

Ok I'm gonna come clean with you here I did not like the DMR in Reach because: A: You almost always spawn with it. That's boring and it makes AR's, Plasma Rifles and Plasma Repeaters basically useless. B: It makes close range combat (one of Halo's biggest strengths gameplay wise) much less prevalent. C: Makes every vehicle much less useful, especially ones with little driverseat defense. It sucks to get into a falcon and then get peppered by constantly respawning DMR users. It should be that you get to rain hell down until someone on the other team finds a sniper or rocket launcher and saves them all from you. Also, why would you go for a cool carjack when you could just shoot the guy out of the drivers seat? D: Spending 78% of your gameplay scoped in is not very cool. It sucks. E: Scope camping is way easier if you don't have to look for a scoped weapon (I would prefer if all players played 'Halo' and not 'click on heads simulator 2011')

Not gonna lie chief, sounds like you're explaining how just about every fps game functions at it's core.

Love your video. U are right about what you said but a game still has to feel like halo. 5 did not cuz everyone was constantly boosting around and felt out of place. New additions added like armor abilities gadgets sprint and gun mods were not implemented the best but still feel like halo

Mostly agree. I’ve long believed that the “Golden Triangle” has always actually been an Tetrahedron in that the three combat components are each tied to mobility. Then on top of that you have the health system which incorporates a shielding component as well as a player health meter. There have been tweaks made to the overall health system per the title, but they’ve all managed to follow a similar basic concept that allows for extended combat encounters compared to most other FPS titles. This is primarily because of the shield system and the head damage multiplier of unshielded players. Your method of explanation is quite similar to my own belief. Now, I wouldn’t go so far as to suggest that each title has done a faithful job at upholding to the core principles, as I perceive them. And, to be clear, this isn’t a complaint about the inclusion of Sprint. In fact, I think the evolution of the Sprint mechanic has found a rightful and excellent place within the core design principle of Halo’s Mobility. The H5 design has done well to address the real issue that related to escape-ability. No, my issue has been with titles that ventured into unbalanced starts for Arena gameplay. Now, allowing for unbalanced starts in particular social environments is a different story because the mode and its environment should allow for expansion, or even some outright deviations, from Halo’s foundational principles of design. This can allow Halo to find new ways to capture consumer interest. Another such issue I have is with titles that expanded the amount of random variance within its gunplay and gameplay to lessen the control a player has over winning combat encounters. The sizeable amount of bloom in Halo Reach comes to mind; especially, pre-TU. And the random map Ordnance Drops in Halo 4 come to mind too; although, within a social environment it doesn’t present the same problem. Finally, particular Equipment or Ability tools which directly contend with the basic combat flow of Halo’s foundational Tetrahedron or “Dance” - as you describe it. The worst offender of this, IMO, has been Halo Reach’s Armor Lock (AA) which outright suspended combat for a period of time; especially, in its pre-TU version. To me, there are foundational principles even within the overall foundational principles that you’ve highlighted. Now, I’m sure this is the same argument many could use to point out their subjective issues with particular evolutions within the Tetrahedron or Dance, but I really try to stay grounded and objective on the matter as I apply it. Nevertheless, in the end, it’ll always remain a perception issue within the community that’s often tainted by personal subjectivity.

Power weapons and vehicles disagree with a lot of what you said.

but then there's Spartan Charge and Ground Pound that completely ignores the dance. : / It's whoever hits who first if you use it.

I would love to have equipment again, but not necessarily the old ones. The "dance" for regen was annoying.

11:17 alright don’t get carried away now Still great video

Seems like destiny has the dance too