I was thinking that with the perk system and this new exoskeleton that we're seeing, the two should go hand in hand, both for immersion and balance.
A lot of people I know, and a lot of people on the forums, usually have a strong feeling for certain perks, for or against them, example being dead silence/sit rep, thus leading to being called a sound whore (And yes, I used to be one, and at times still am).
A lot of people want things like this nurfed, gone, etc, while others want those to stfu about it. I on the otherhand find that it's simply just one way to play, but sometimes feels like the only way to play when playing certain game modes (Search, for example). The problem is at times when comparing perks, sometimes the decision isn't tough, and I think it's about time there should be drawbacks to the perks you choose.
There's a certain appeal to being very ninja-like in CoD, Dead Silence, Undetected by UAV's, being fast all the same for flanking. One would think that for such a nimble character, they'd be weaker, but no if this run-and-gun sneak-ninja gets into a gun fight, you're both on equal ground, the only difference is he can disappear "Back into the shadows" with little to worry about. (Of course if it's in the middle of a massive group it's a different story.)
Perhaps the suit should reflect your perk choices, and if you want to go for more quick fitted style of play, it should become lighter, and thus, weaker to enemy attack. You'll have speed on your side, you'll have the element of silence, and thus stealth, but if your spotted by the enemy, you're in massive trouble, it takes only a few less bullets to take you out, so you can't be careless about your rush (Which is something a lot of people do.)
It shouldn't stop there, though. For example the sound aspect. If you want to take a perk that amplifies the steps around you and the sounds you hear, your helmet should be adjusted naturally. If we're thinking realistically, if we're going to build suits that can amplify our abilities, why not make a helmet that can shave off a headshot (But naturally do massive damage, possibly stunning effects). You want a sound perk, you need to take off that helmet and apply a sound amplifier, allowing you to hear better, but more vulnerable.
I suppose the point i'm essentially getting to is, balance the perks over effectiveness vs vulnerability. If you want to be a rusher, that's fine, if you want to sound whore, that's fine, if you want to be silent, that's fine too, just with each increasing option to give you an edge over the opponent, your survivability decreases with each choice, and vice-versa. If you want to be well more protected against the opposition, you need to stop thinking about speed, silence and cloaking and become more suited, maybe things like Scavanger, something that could add more armor and ammo spots on your suit, Sit Rep (Not a combo, purely sit rep to expose enemy items) that gives you a helmet, that when shot, you get dazed, lose some health, and lose your ability to sit-rep (Until you respawn). More so if your in camo, you become a one shot kill because all your protection is going into powering your ability to cloak. People can't see you, but if you're not careful and a stray bullet hits, your done.
What about that as well, how do you feel about the ability to lose perks mid fight. Something shoots your legs and you're no longer able to run as fast, shoot off your head piece, say bye bye to amplify, shoot your hand you can't fast reload. (It could get very complex obviously due to hit boxes and the quickness of the game, naturally.)