Timotron:1. Buffing the Scarab from a fully upgraded tech level 3 Covenant unit to a "super" tech unit on par with Grizzly's, Hawks and ODST.
While it would be an exceptionally unique change that might introduce an entirely new element for players to experiment with(some might even play Halo Wars just to use the Super Scarab and make strategies revolving around it), I can't comment on this until I know at least what type of changes will be made to the Scarab.
However, double Scarabs are already a handful to take, so I assume some sort of balance will be made to adapt to the new strength(say, 30 pop).
2. Buffing the Hunters Assault Beam upgrade so that Hunters can track fast moving vehicles like warthogs.
Agreed, though I might also suggest some sort of very slight buff against Canister Shell attacks and Warthog ram as well. Perhaps a small tweak to the explosive and warthog ram damage multiplier against heavy infantry.
3. Fixing the Grunt squads needler upgrade so that they keep their damage bonus against Air craft.
I think everyone can agree on this. Though again, I might also suggest some sort of damage boost against light vehicles to make them more effective against warthogs. Because anyone who's ever tested it out ought to know by now that Deacon Grunts do NOT counter Gauss Hogs.
4. Nerfing the Arbiter during Rage so that he takes more damage from attacks.
I personally don't feel this is necessary. As I have played with a mono-Arbiter in many games, I can definitely say that he's not quite as overpowered as most people feel. I would maybe suggest increasing the damage he takes from jackals and flamers, as a round of canisters can easily ERASE him in seconds, as well as Wolverine Volleys. It's just the covenant that has the most problems with him, mostly because their units have much lower health in comparison(which means he kills more covie units and regains more health), and there's no disruption bomb to stop him.
He's already vulnerable to instant kill glitches, which can easily destroy the hard work you went through to get a 3 star Arbiter. His suicide grunts also tend to fall into a glitch where they go into suicide mode, but they don't move at all.
5. Nerfing the Gremlin by adjusting the vehicle and its upgrades up one tech level, making Gremlins a tech level 2 vehicles with the first upgrade available at tech 3 and the final upgrade at tech 4.
I can definitely agree on this point. At only 1 population per unit and an effectiveness that outshines the Cobra, this is a small price to pay.
We are still adjusting final numbers on these changes and investigating other changes so we want feedback on these changes and other suggestions for other changes or bugs that need fixing.
I make these next suggestions with just one question in mind: "Do they do the job they're SUPPOSED to do?"
Wraiths
Yes, these things will kill infantry, but nowhere near as effective as Scorpions, which is understandable when you consider the costs. But don't you think it's a little embarrassing when ODSTs can blow them apart so easily, even if they ARE super units? And ODSTs are by far the weakest super unit. I have also only rarely seen them counter Gauss Hogs, and only after getting Plasma Modulator. In fact, their building damage is nearly nonexistant prior to getting Plasma Modulator. I also believe that Wolverines will tear them apart with ease, and even moreso if those Wolverines are kept on the move.
The Wraiths' biggest weakness is its inability to hit a moving target, even one as slow as a Scorpion tank. While I'm not saying Wraiths are meant to be thrown against Scorpions, it's a definite problem against the vehicles they SHOULD counter like warthogs and Wolverines.
Scorch is a bit of an odd Y ability. I'm not 100% sure if it inflicts the DoT on surrounding targets it hits, or targets standing on the ground where it lands. If it's the latter however, it is again ineffective against moving targets(say, a raging arbiter). I also can't say the damage is that much greater than its regular attack.
Marines/Grunts
This doesn't include the ODST super units here. Perhaps it's because I only play 3 vs 3 UA, but I have NEVER seen people make these units, at least not more than 6 in a match. Only Cutter makes them, and only because he will eventually upgrade his infantry to ODSTs. Even in the few 1 vs 1 matches I've played, I was the only one to use them, and only because I picked Cutter, and I lost most of my matches with them.
While tweaking them could potentially break the game balance and make it ridiculously easy to win simply by spamming them, I believe I have a solution that everyone can agree with.
You tweak the damage multiplier values so that most general attacks do less damage to them, aside from anti-infantry weapon types. As it is right now, Gauss Hogs have attacks with a high multiplier against main infantry(Ram = 2x, Gauss = 1.6x), and that's mostly why marines won't consistently counter the hogs, and will sometimes end up being countered by the hogs as well. And against Scorpions, you typically lose 1 tank for every 10 ODSTs killed. Against Medic Marines it's even worse. Usually flamethrowers are typically never called for.
With what I'm proposing, infantry would be able to serve as viable meat shields. As it stands right now, they die so fast that it would simply be more cost effective to spam counter units rather than mix in infantry to guard them. I've seen a failed attempt to place 30 ODSTs between 5 Cobras and the opposing Grizzly army simply because the Grizzlies tore through the ODSTs like a hot knife through butter without using Canisters, and reached the Cobras in seconds.
Again, with this change, you can potentially add a new tactical element to the game. If that Grizzly army wants to pass that chokepoint spammed full of ODSTs, Forge had better make some Oxide tank Flamers, or spend the next 5 minutes trying to get through. And it goes doubly so if there are deployed Cobras on the other side, sniping just outside the range of the Canister Shells, not killing the tanks as fast as a full Cobra spam(or 10 of them), but gaining more and more veterancy as time passes.
And imagine a raging arbiter trying to rage an army of grunts with about 15 Jackals mixed in. He'll rage and rage, but he'll never hit the jackals, and it'll take him forever to kill off all the grunts. And all the while, those grunts are going to take their sweet time marching over to his base and tear it down very slowly.
While the damage might need to be toned down to keep it balanced(it'll be a problem if ODSTs start to counter tanks), it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make if it means that mainline infantry can actually be real cost-effective meatshields. The bare minimum I'm shooting for is so that this will force people to make anti-infantry instead of just spamming tanks as usual for the same effect.
I'd like to avoid any health changes to infantry so that anti-infantry units and turrets will be just as effective as it always was. Thus again, forcing people to use anti-infantry.
Brute Choppers
As it is right now, nobody has any reason to use these units. As a supply collecting unit, they're far too expensive to be cost effective at that job. Better to use the initial chopper you start the game with and the leader to do that. As a scout unit, a Banshee can do the same job with much more effectiveness and better use later in the game(as Banshees are very good when spammed).
The Chopper can't deal with air units at all, so they are the only scout unit that doesn't soft counter air. While the Ram deals good damage after the final upgrade, poor pathfinding and AI makes it impossible to use more than 10 at the same time. It also isn't practical to try and micro each Chopper to Ram an individual unit. The Autocannon does very poor damage against just about everything except maybe infantry. I say with no exaggeration that a single Brute infantry squad will outdamage a single Chopper firing its autocannons. There's also the issue of the Chopper not being able to move and fire at the same time(mostly). That is because the autocannons only fire straight forward, much like the Wraith. But unlike the wraith, it can't face one direction while moving in another. Thus, they have little to no potential for hit and run tactics.
While it does decent against infantry, that doesn't justify using them over Jackals for that role.
Considering that Warthogs have more health(6727) than the Choppers(3642) and that the Warthogs get a higher damage multiplier on later upgrades, I can think of no better change than to drop the cost and population of the Choppers to match the Warthogs.