I feel the Explosion Effect is too invasive. I feel invaded. I don't know if it's supposed to be a drawback of HE CN, but I think this effect is just too much. It doesn't allow you and your teammates to aim. I believe the explosion effect should be replaced with something similar but less "Idk how to call it. dusty or something" Maps like Slaughtered discourage the use of HE in S-Bend because of that.
I agree that a lot of HE CN fire can obscure your view, whether you're the target or the firer. But the smoke does give infantry some cover whilst being shot at... So it's harder for them to be sniped whilst finding something to hide behind... However considering how effective the weapon is vs infantry, buildings and vehicles, not many weapons can deal significant damage to all 3... Maybe this is an acceptable downside...