User blog comment:Cfp3157/inFAMOUS vs. All! Premiere: Kessler vs. The Didact/@comment-143604-20140501031217

Drayco90's Edgy Edges of Edgy Edginess


 * Offensive Powers- Kessler. The Didact packs some decent offensive capabilities, but he's not a particularly offense-focused opponent in Halo 4. His manipulation of constraint fields could very, very easily lead to a kill against Kessler, by binding and stunning him in midair, where his utter lack of armor or defenses could lead to him being broken apart, but on the whole? Kessler's packing significantly more options in his arsenal than the Didact. His electrokinesis is extremely powerful- his base level appeared to be higher than Cole's was at his peak for his basic abilities, and he can overwhelm Kessler with explosive clones, massive shotgun like blasts and rocket-esque strikes, and can summon backup to harass and distract the Didact, which could make pinning a constraint field on Kessler difficult. Bonus points: The drones he summons are robots, so there's zero chance the Didact can turn them against him.


 * Defensive/Non-Direct Combat Powers- Didact. In this case, the Didact wins out fairly handidly. Looking at their raw survivability, The Didact is far more durable than any Conduit- getting hit with an instant kill plasma grenade directly in his chest and face only staggered him during his final fight, and Chief himself was utterly powerless to even scratch him during both of their confrontations. His environment manipulation only works on Forerunner structures, but his ship is with him for this battle, allowing him to use it to attack, but also allowing him to create cover for his troops, take to the sky in levitating platforms, create barriers and pull all kinds of tricks to completely dominate the fight. Kessler's teleportation is effective for dodging attacks, but it's far from perfect- he uses it more like a flashstep than a long range dodge, and as a result, Kessler was still struck by several of Cole's projectiles, most of which were slower than the Didact's techniques, during their final fight. The Didact has another vital tool- his domination of lesser minds. It's very, very possible that he would be able to warp the mind of the First Sons back-up provided by Kessler for the fight and turn them against their former master- after all, it worked on even the most intelligent and noble members of the Covenant like the Elites on Sanctuary. If Didact is successful, Kessler would be thoroughly outgunned.


 * Troops- Didact. The Promethean Knights vastly outgun the First Sons in just about every way. While there are a few members of them that are Conduits, their powers are far from OP and serve mostly to make them bigger distractions more so than make them more effective combat units. The Knights are not only much larger and stronger than the First Sons, but they have much better weaponry and defenses at their disposal. Cole was able to dispatch First Son troops and Conduits at close-to-medium range with several bolts, but the heavily armored and much longer ranged knights could easily pierce through their ranks from much longer ranges than they themselves could match with their advanced and more powerful weaponry which would shred them apart. Once up close, the battle would still be in the Knight's favor, as their much superior armor would hold up to the basic ballistic weapons used by most of the First Sons, while their sci-fi-sword-o-death arms would wreck anyone in melee distance. Assuming "Forerunner Troops" means all three Promethean types, then Watchers would be able to throw grenades and certain projectiles back at the First Sons while healing the Knights, and even bringing them back from the dead, while Crawlers superior mobility and speed would make them incredibly hard to nail down and allow them to fire powerful boltshot blasts from hard-to-observe-or-counter angles. This is all assuming of course that the Didact can't warp them to his will and make the First Sons fight for him.


 * Deadliest Warrior- Didact. Ultimately, I feel like the Didact should be able to triumph over Kessler here. Kessler is a talented planner, but he was never strong enough to be the hero he needed to be. His forces are weak, and his skills are rusty. The man himself is lacking in defenses and is far outclassed in terms of technology levels by the Didact's forces. Didact has his ship, his advanced armor and shields, his mind control, and troops with far, far better equipment and skill. Ultimatelty, I feel like Kessler will put up a great fight, but being from a better game series isn't enough to power him over Didact's superior arms, armor and skill.