stealth doesnt add to gameplay, it slows it down, kills the flow, hinders certain playstyles.
it adds anxiety, this guy wrote it pretty well on the steam forums:
[quote=A17Massey]The bigger issue for me is that it changes the way you play and engage enemies.
Shooters like this have an inherent juggling act when it comes to ‘balancing’. As an infantry/GUNSGUNSGUNS merc, the emphasis is on quickly dispatching enemy players. Most of the time this means that you are scanning for enemy players, and prioritising the biggest threat to the objective, or to your own wellbeing. As a result, the majority of the information you process as a player is visual and focuses on the obvious moving parts in your characters view, mainly enemy players.
The difference between an infantry/firepower merc and others such as a support or objective focused class is that your entire focus is on the enemy players, giving the player a sense of control. (Playing a run n gun such a proxy relies on quick reflexes rather than analysis of information)
So as a result, if you are killed by Phantom, you feel a sense of injustice (“TOTAL 
ING BS” as it’s eloquently been put by other members of the forum) because your sole focus is diminished as a player you could do little about kills you off.
As a stealth character (with little need for being stealthy…) he forces opponents to be extra vigilant and constantly looking out for slightly discoloured pixels floating on a largely greyscale environment, leading to unwanted tension and the infantry merc’s player questioning their sense of control.
It leads to a large amount of anxiety in players even by having just one of these characters on the opposing team.
It’s important in all game mechanics that the difference between success and failure is fair yet challenging, and I feel having characters with cloacking abilities (not just Phantom, any cloacking ability in a fast paced pvp action game) disrupts the flow and control the player feels over positions of conflict, leading to the game feeling “unfair”.[/quote]
i am not butthurt, im the guy playing as phantom wiping out the enemy team again and again with very few deaths on my side. i make enemy teams ragequit and i feel bad for doing so.
even if you removed his shield and op kek10, i can still run from turrret to turret and go 60-10 on chapel. are you gonna remove turrets now? i can still harrass the enemy team from behind with a revolver or a katana.
people that play him right get the jump on enemies, they shoot them first, the shield doesnt matter at all, it is not the problem with him.
my suggestion:
-leave the shield alone, it actually has its uses, i clutch bodyshielded defusing mates a couple of times already.
-buff the shield to absorb roughly 200 damage and increase his movement speed BUT make it so he can only use melee while the shield is active.
-you could also leave the speed as is and give him a dash forward lunge attack.
-or infinite long and wall jumps during that period.
-remove invisibility entirely.
-perhaps give him a recon ability to spot enemies, either something you point at each enemy to detect them or a single use aoe detect ability (if he dies all info is lost).
why would this be a good change?
-good for pub because he doesnt have that entreme flexibility, offense and defense anymore.
-people enjoy the game again for what it was.
-people can rely on their eyes again, no anxiety, no paranoia.
also people dont cover each others back now, that argument is funny to me. its pub, nobody enjoys watching that other newbs back except maybe a sparks.
comp benefits:
-people may use him to scout or to shield plants or defuses, good for situations where youre unsure on how to push or defend.
how would the guy still be fun to play?
you can play him like a siege breaker or a room cleaner. you need good movement and you need to know when its time again to get the hell out. carnage and multikills still guaranteed, just in a more skillful and DB like way imo.
his recon ability could make him a true asset for his team, it amazes me everytime how a HBS can turn a team of scared sheep into confident attackers once they know where the enemy is and how to aproach.
