I can confirm right now that it is not perks. A Bungie Employee posted on Neogaf: This was a reply to this post: I'm surprised Perks were even mentioned without even a follow up. That will only serve to get people riled up. Although you probably can't control everything that's said.
First look at Halo Halo 4 perks system announced. Halo 4 bringing the Battle Rifle back, introducing unlockable abilities in progression system Possible evidence of a clan system returning? Campaign: - The story will be the most cinematic Halo experience to date, that will set the stage for the next decade of the franchise. - Master Chief is back, and a new ancient and dark threat is going to be thrown at him that will not only test his abilities, but will give players an understanding just who he really is, all while introducing some new gameplay mechanics. - Cortana will play a huge part in the story. - Master Chief's armor design has been upgraded to provide the functionality needed to convey his power. - Story will be darker and more sophisticated than past games. Multiplayer - Story wraps around the multiplayer experience for the first time in the franchise. - Players now control Spartan IV's, which promise to be just as powerful as Master Chief. - There is a reason why red and blue soldiers are killing each other. - Beyond the typical cosmetic customization options, players will be able to augment their Spartan IV's abilities and weapon loadouts, altering their gameplay styles for the first time. - A lot of focus has gone into giving players a better sense of weight. - Audio design has been much improved and really gives a player a sense of where shots are coming from. - Maps have been built from the ground up. - The Battle Rifle is back and has been redesigned. - Two maps have been announced so far: War House and Wrap Around. - War House takes place in a civilian manufacturing plant that is travelling in a near space orbit above a gas giant. It has a large decorative Cyclops Mark II mech in the center which serves as the focal point for this slayer style map. - Wrap Around is another small slayer style arena, set in a Forerunner facility, that contains catwalks, ramps, and plenty of man-cannons to keep the action fast and frantic. They're basically going to expand on Bungie's stupidity and add perks and other ****. So basically instead of it being like Halo 3 where it actually took skill, its rock, paper, scissors where the person with the best perk wins. But it doesn't stop there! Nope they're adding a progression system like Call of Duty where you unlock weapons, perks, abilities and other things. We're not that step closer to Call of Halo: Space Warfare. My body is not ready for this. Update 1: Update 2: