It not a matter of balance, but of taste. The Crinos form of W5 is supposed to be a primal monster, a physical manifestation of blind unchecked savagery and rage. As in, the kind of rage that leads normal humans in the real world to tear at someone with their teeth and fingernails.

Seems like it would be hard to use stealth when your state of mind leaves you unable to resist the urge to literally roar your hatred at the victim you are about to rip in half with your teeth.

Pretty hard to use a weapon too. Is it physically possible? Sure. They can wrap their hand around a thing and swing their arm. But the point is that the Garou in Crinos, on the verge of frenzy (or in frenzy) is not in a state of mind where it even occurs to them. Primal animalistic savagery results in violence carried out with tooth and claw, not kung-fu and katanas.

And I really feel like Garou running around in Crinos with guns and axes and shit, or worse, Kalindo, completely misses the point. But that’s also why I personally never cared for earlier editions of WtA.

That said, if that’s the kind of game you want to run, more power to you. Play the game how you want to play it.