Well I don't think the Elites are necessarily inferior, they can stomp in melee range and these abilities are situational. I still think the Spartan IV's are inferior to the II's, which seemed able to go toe-to-toe with the Elites. but the new toys are for the player. If they introduce the Sangheili into multiplayer than I'm sure we'll see balancing, but until then, they can have their lasers and AI control.