: I think the cloak is just there to be symbolic. I don't think a few cracks
: are going to stop Chief's armor from keeping the sand out or working the
: same. It's all visual flair. If something wasn't working right, Chief
: would replace it. He's very practical.

: I think this needs to be accepted more as a bit of symbolism for the sake of
: emotional storytelling than for any literal meaning. We've reached the
: point in Halo where our Muad'Dib has forsaken his identity and wandered
: out into the desert to find his new self.

: Halo 4 dealt with Chief realizing he could be who he wanted to be, not who
: the military needed him to be. It was him accepting the lack of his
: humanity. Halo 5 is going to be about him finding it.

I know it's mostly visual flair, but it looks like he's not wearing any heavy armor underneath that cloak besides his gauntlets and helmet, so there might be more to it than that. It definitely doesn't look like he has any bulky shoulder pads, those back-vents, or big chest armor.

I'd certainly love to play as a less-powerful John for a while.