Combat skin: Difference between revisions

==Speculation==

Because so little is mentioned about combat skins, there is much speculation about exactly what the combat skin rating indicates. The obvious interpretation is that the combat skin ranking system measures raw power, and that a class 12 combat skin is 10 ranks higher in protection and power than a class 2, but if the Forerunner were able to use a suit at least six times more powerful than the Chief's, it's a wonder they had such trouble with the Flood, unless the Flood made use of such 'Combat Skin' themselves, such as an Elite [[Combat Form]] using a personal energy shield. This would mean that both forces would be equal in suit strength, as well as weapons and vehicles, while the Flood would most certainly outnumber the Forerunner. The most likely scenario is that in the [[Forerunner-Flood War]], the Flood infestation was billions of times larger in scale, which would mean that despite the Forerunner's near invincible armor, they may simply have been outnumbered.

===Armor Ability Stacking===

Another possible theory is stacking. If a normal HAZMAT Suit has a ranking of 1E (1 Environment Point) and a high class KEVLAR Suit has a ranking of 1SA (1 Shield & Armor point). Mk VI (as stated above, and shown in game) is a 1E + 1SA, giving it a rank of 2ESA (ESA being a single class rank in the forerunner system), giving John's Mark VI MJOLNIR a Forerunner rank of Class-2. With this being said, 343 stated that John should wear at least a Class-12 Combat Skin, which would be the equivalent to 6 post-modern HAZMAT Suits and 6 post-modern KEVLAR Suits or another 5 layers of MJOLNIR armor.

==Sources==

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