Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer – Truth

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Dust Storm

Halo-5-Guardians-Multiplayer-Beta-Truth-Establishing-Halls-of-Power

Instantly, this map is recognizable as a remake of a Halo classic and many aspects of it hold true to its legacy.  Truth is a remake of the iconic Midship from Halo 2 and is the brain child of Vic DeLeon, environment artists at 343 Industries.  Unlike it’s predecessor, Truth is a lot more curvy and open to facilitate the new Spartan mobility options in Halo 5: Guardians.  Visually, Truth is a stunning work of art with holographic displays scattered throughout the map on terminals and the central galactic hologram above sword spawn top mid.  The pillars in the middle have been replaced by an arched walkway that can be used to get to the top platform by a hole in the middle.  The top platform is now one unified bridge bisecting the map across the middle with the sword platform levitating above and shields scattered around the central platform that can be taken out.  There are a few new cubby-holes in each of the bases that offer a few new options for players to move around the map.  If you’re one to admire the artwork of Halo, you can take a look outside the windows on ground level or just look up and out the dome.

The map flows similarly to the original Midship, but it felt uniquely different from the openness and some of the differences in  how players were focusing on moving around.  Engagements didn’t seem to be as focused in certain concentrated areas that I would anticipate from Midship games, and one point to that was the increased engagements I had in the middle versus concentrated engagements in the bases and top mid sections. Talking with some of the Ready Up Live in our podcast, it seems like my group may have just played the map differently because they got a very identical feel to Midship.  None-the-less, people will take the nuances with this map and may play differently because of the changes but there are aspects that definitely feel like the original Halo 2 map.  Simply for nostalgia’s sake, this map may be the fan favorite for the multiplayer beta, but there are still a few more maps that will be coming during the beta we didn’t get to see yet.

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Infinite Sprint with a Heavy Price in Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Dust Storm

Halo-5-Guardians-Multiplayer-Beta-Empire-Fireteam

If there’s one controversial topic to rule them all when it comes to Halo, it’s the use of sprint.  There are just as many people that are content with the feature and those that will yell their heads off about how it doesn’t belong and causes issues when it comes to engagements and running away.  While we’re still more than a month away from the release of the multiplayer beta, 343 seems to be moving in the right direction when it comes to addressing the issue with sprint and keeping it fun for the whole community.  Before you go cringe at the fact that there is now infinite sprint in Halo 5 for the multiplayer beta, there is a new balancing aspect to the game that, given my hands-on time with the game seems to actually address many of the community’s concerns.

Fictionally, there shouldn’t be anything keeping a Spartan from sprinting into and away from battle and we’ve seen it numerous times in cut scenes, novels, videos, etc. and while something may be fictionally accurate, it doesn’t mean it always translates to a balanced gameplay element for multiplayer.  Strangely enough, the implementation of sprint in Halo 5: Guardians is already a lot better than it’s Halo: Reach and Halo 4 armor ability counterparts and the key difference behind this change is the fact that you cannot recharge shields at all while you sprint.  In fact, there is now a Shield Stun bar just above the shield that is usually invisible to players but was introduced as this gameplay element was introduced.  Every time you take fire or start sprinting, the shield stun timer resets, which is typically about five seconds.  There is no more running away from battles without a careful consideration for risking to sprint away or hunkering down and recharging your shields.

Playing on Team Slayer on Truth and Empire, the effect of not having shields recharge after sprinting had almost immediate consequences.  When I would normally be able to run from battle and find cover, now I had to change my tactics to walk to the nearest cover I could find so I know my shields would start recharging sooner.  I ran into situations where I would sprint from one area of the map only to find more opponents lurking nearby to finish me off wherever I decided to stop.  My tactics changed from using sprint all the time to using sprint only on the offensive or, if I knew I was far enough away from opponents, risking the additional delay in my shield’s recharging.  While I don’t know if this the solution to the sprint issue, it seems the changes they have made so far addresses a lot of the community’s concerns, not to mention these have been tested by 343 Industry’s pro team.

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New Spartan Abilities for Halo: 5 Guardians Multiplayer Beta

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Dust Storm

Halo-5-Guardians-Multiplayer-Beta-Trench-Breakout-Slam

Armor abilities in Halo have always been a little contentious within the Halo community since their introduction in Halo: Reach, but 343 Industries is looking to take those armor abilities and not necessarily remove them, but completely revamp the way they are implemented and utilized in Halo 5: Guardians.  One of the main issues armor abilities introduced was imbalance to the sandbox and unpredictable outcomes of engagement.  Halo has traditionally had a balanced formula of everyone starts with the same thing, which got offset by these abilities and loadouts.  Looking to re-establish balance to the Halo sandbox, but give players abilities that are fictionally based, 343 Industries is introducing Spartan abilities as a 4th element to the golden triangle: guns, grenades and melee.

Spartan Abilities are available to every player in the game right from the start as part of 343’s new Fair Starts initiative.  There are no loadouts in Halo 5, but some of the Spartan abilities you will find familiar from previous Halo titles.  The abilities given to all players offers new mobility by means of micro-jets on the Spartan’s back, which have a pretty low cool-down time of somewhere between three to five seconds.  Each mobility option has been extensively played by 343’s pro team to make sure every option is well balanced in the Halo sandbox.  While some of these may sound very similar armor abilities you have heard from in the past, keep in mind these are available to all players right from the start.

Xbox One Controller Spartan Mobility H5 v2 small version

Spartan Mobility

Stablizer

For anyone who has used the Jetpack from Halo: Reach or Halo 4, then you have probably used it to get up to other levels instead of taking the stairs or get those last few shots as you hover in the air.  You’re not getting any additional lift from your micro jets, but if you’re up high and smart scope, you’ll get that familiar feeling of being able to float in the air, slowly falling down for about three seconds and trying to land shots from up high until you start barreling back down to earth.

Ground Pound

I didn’t get a chance to execute this one, but I was definitely on the receiving end of this a few times.  If you jump from a high ledge or level, look down and hold your crouch button, you’ll get this targeting reticule you can use to aim  a quick thrust to the ground.  Any direct contact is an instant kill and if you miss, there is about a three to 5 meter radius of splash damage.  You only have about three seconds to choose your target and they can’t be too far out in front of you.

Clamber

This one is pretty simple and has been adapted in many other first person shooters, where if you approach a ledge and you don’t quite make it, you can hit your jump button a second time to quickly climb up a ledge you wouldn’t normally be able to jump up to.  Take for example on Truth, the Midship remake, trying to jump from top middle to one of the bases: if you didn’t quite make it, but are close enough to basically grab it with an outstretched arm, you’ll be able to climb up the ledge to your intended path.  Quinn also mentioned trying to combine Clamber with crouch and spring jumping.

Thruster Pack

Thruster Pack is very similar to the armor ability in Halo 4 with the one major change that you don’t go out of first person view and you don’t loose the ability to shoot, throw grenades, melee, etc.  It is still omnidirectional and can be used while walking on the ground or in the air.  The thruster pack is very useful for getting quickly into a position for support, or in the case I used it the most, getting out of firefights.  There were several times when I got out of the way of 2v1 and 3v1 engagements by using the thruster pack.

Spartan Charge

This ability takes advantage of the new micro-jet assisted sprint.  One you hit top speed, you can hit your melee button and you’ll shoulder charge about five meters straight in front of you any unlucky player standing in your way.  From the front, this acts like a normal melee, but from the back, is the same as an insta-kill beat down.  I suggest using this only if you have the jump on the person, because trying to get to someone from mid-distance using this ability will just end up with you being a bullet sponge and by the time you charge them, will just smack you down.

Slide

Also utilizing the full sprint, you can hit the crouch button and you’ll slide into a crouched position to quickly dive into cover or surprise someone from down low.

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All Skulls and LASO Playlists in Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Dust Storm

mcc-skulls

In the latest Halo Bulletin, Halo Waypoint details all of the available skulls in the Master Chief collection, what games they are present in and what skulls are active for the LASO playlists for each campaign.  All 37 skulls are divided up into two categories: Scoring (gold) and Non-scoring (silver) skulls.  Scoring skulls add a difficulty multiplier to game scoring and makes things more challenging for players, while non-scoring or zero multiplier skulls either have a neutral effect or help the player.  Zero multiplier skulls disable achievements and leaderboard scoring and times.  All skulls are unlocked with the exception of the pre-order skulls which globally unlock December 12th.  Here is the full list of skulls:

  • Anger – Enemies fire their weapons faster and more frequently.
    • Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Assassins – All enemies in the game are permanently cloaked.
    • Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Bandanna* – Infinite Ammo.
    • Halo CE: Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Black Eye – Your shields only recharge when you melee enemies. Bash your way to better health!
    • Halo CE: Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 4
  • Blind – HUD and weapon do not display onscreen.
    • Halo 2 Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 4
  • Bonded Pair* – Co-op skull: When one player dies, the other player gets a large damage boost that lasts a while.
    • Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Boom* – Explosions have twice the damage radius. Light fuse, run away.
    • Halo CE: Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Catch – Enemies throw and drop more grenades.
    • Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 4
  • Cowbell – Acceleration from explosions is increased.
    • Halo 3, Halo 4
  • Envy – Chief trades his flashlight for Active Camo.
    • Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Eye Patch – Auto aim features disabled for all weapons. You’ll miss it when it’s gone.
    • Halo CE: Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Famine – Weapons dropped by AI have half the ammo they normally would. You might want to pack an extra magazine.
    • Halo CE: Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 4
  • Feather* – Player and enemy melee strikes impart more movement physics.
    • Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Fog – The motion tracker is disabled. You’ll miss those eyes in the back of your head.
    • Halo CE: Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 4
  • Foreign – Covenant weapons: How do they work? Players cannot pick up or use Covenant weapons.
    • Halo CE: Anniversary
  • Ghost – AI no longer flinch from attacks.
    • Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Grunt Birthday Party – Grunt headshots lead to glorious celebrations.
    • Halo CE: Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 4
  • Grunt Funeral* – Grunts die in a blaze of glory. And plasma.
    • Halo CE: Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Iron – Death carries a heavy price. Dying in co-op resets you at your last saved checkpoint. Dying solo restarts the level.
    • Halo CE: Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 4
  • IWHBYD – Rare combat dialogue becomes more common.
    • Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 4
  • Jacked – Players can only enter ground vehicles by boarding.
    • Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Malfunction – Every time you respawn, a random element of your HUD is disabled.
    • Halo CE: Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Masterblaster –  Co-op skull: One player’s shields recharge to overshield level and can only melee while the second player has no shields but infinite ammo. Roles switch after a number of enemy kills.
    • Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Mythic – Enemies have increased health.
    • Halo CE: Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 4
  • Piñata* – Punching enemies makes them drop grenades. Beat them ’til candy comes out!
    • Halo CE: Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Prophet Birthday Party – Punch that Prophet up to 11.
    • Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Recession – Every shot is worth twice the ammo. Save those bullets, playa.
    • Halo CE: Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Scarab – All player-held weapons fire Scarab Gun beams.
    • Halo 2: Anniversary
  • SO…ANGRY… – Enraged Brutes explode like a frag grenade if not dispatched within seconds. Base Brute score values are increased.
    • Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Sputnik – Mass of objects is decreased, making them more easily displaced.
    • Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Streaking – Player shields constantly decay at a slow pace but recharge some with every enemy kill.
    • Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Swarm – Hunters are much stronger. Base Hunter score values are increased.
    • Halo 2: Anniversary
  • That’s Just… Wrong – Increases enemy awareness of player.
    • Halo 2: Anniversary
  • They Come Back – Flood Combat Forms spawned by Infection Forms reanimating a corpse are much more dangerous. Flood Combat Form score values are increased.
    • Halo 2: Anniversary
  • Thunderstorm – Upgrades the rank of most enemies.
    • Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 4
  • Tilt – Enemy resistances and weaknesses are increased.
    • Halo 3, Halo 4
  • Tough Luck – Enemies always go berserk, always dive out of the way, never flee.
    • Halo 3, Halo 4

laso-playlist

Here are the skulls active per LASO playlist:

Halo CE: Anniversary

Black Eye, Boom, Fog, Eye Patch, Foreign, Famine, Malfunction, Recession

Halo 2: Anniversary

Anger, Assassins, Black Eye, Blind, Boom, Catch, Fog, Eye Patch, Famine, Iron, Jacked, Malfunction, Masterblaster, Mythic, Recession, SO…ANGRY…, Streaking, That’s Just…Wrong, They Come Back, Thunderstorm

Halo 3

Black Eye, Blind, Catch, Cowbell, Famine, Fog, Grunt Birthday Party, Iron, IWHBYD, Mythic, Thunderstorm, Tilt, Tough Luck

Halo 4

Black Eye, Blind, Catch, Fog, Cowbell, Famine, Iron, Mythic, Thunderstorm, Tilt, Tough Luck

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The Ultimate Halo Wireless ASTRO Headset

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Dust Storm

Halo Astro A50

Anyone who has been around the Halo scene for a long time know that gaming headsets are important if you plan to play competitively or just want the best experience possible when playing.  ASTRO headsets have been a staple for competitive Halo gamers and working with 343 Industries have come out with a Halo Edition A50 Wireless Headset.  Both the headset and mixamp are green/gold themed and can be pre-ordered right now for release on November 17th for 300USD retail.

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Halo: The Master Chief Collection Matchmaking Playlist Update

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Dust Storm

TMCC-UI-Multiplayer-Ranking-Pick-A-Fight

There’s been some updates to the day-one matchmaking playlists for The Master Chief Collection.  Right now, a dedicated Halo: Combat Evolved playlist is on hold as 343 continues to work out a few network issues, but it will be available in Team Slayer and Big Team Battle.  From community feedback, when the playlist does launch, it will be 2v2.  Team Hardcore will also start with Halo 2 Classic first, but Halo 3 will be integrated into the playlist at a later date.  Here’s the lineup as you’ll see it when you play The Master Chief Collection for the first time:

Team Slayer

Eliminate the enemy team across four Halo games: Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 2: Anniversary. Nothing but Team Slayer, 24/7. 4v4.

Game Types: Halo: CE Team Slayer, H2 Team Slayer, H2 Team BR, H2A Team Slayer, H2A Team Slayer BR, H3 Team Slayer, H3 Team Slayer BR

Maps: Battle Creek, Damnation, Rat Race, Prisoner, Hang ‘em High, Chill Out, Derelict, Wizard, Lockout, Ascension, Midship, Ivory Tower, Beaver Creek, Colossus, Zanzibar, Foundation, Warlock, Sanctuary, Turf, Elongation, Gemini, Warlord, Lockdown, Zenith, Shrine, Stonetown, Bloodline, Assembly, Citadel, Construct, Ghost Town, Snowbound, Heretic, High Ground, Isolation, Last Resort, Narrows, Orbital, The Pit, Standoff, Guardian

Halo Championship Series

The official Halo eSports playlist, featuring the Halo 2: Anniversary Halo Championship Series rule set. 4v4.

Game Types: HCS Team Slayer, HCS Neutral Bomb Assault, HCS 3 Flag CTF, HCS 5 Flag CTF, HCS Team Crazy King

Maps: Shrine, Lockdown, Warlord

Team Halo 2: Anniversary

Play a mix of Team Slayer and objective game types on re-mastered maps. 4v4.

Game Types: Team Slayer, Team Slayer BR, CTF BR, Oddball BR, Territories BR, 1 Flag CTF BR, Multi-Bomb Assault BR, Neutral Bomb Assault BR, Ricochet BR, 1 Bomb Assault BR

Maps: Warlord, Lockdown, Zenith, Shrine, Stonetown, Bloodline

Big Team Battle

Battle it out in 16-player warfare with vehicles across Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 4, and Halo 2: Anniversary. 8v8.

Game Types: Halo: CE Team Slayer, Halo: CE CTF, Halo: CE Team King, H2 BTB Team Slayer, H2 1 Flag CTF, H2 1 Bomb Assault, H2 Multi-Flag CTF, H2 Crazy King, H2 Muti-Bomb, H2A BTB Team Slayer, H2A Team BR, H2A 1 Flag CTF BR, H2A 1 Bomb Assault BR, H2A Crazy King BR, H2A 3 Plots BR, H2A Gungoose CTF, H3 BTB Team Slayer, H3 Multi-Flag CTF, H3 Multi-Bomb, H3 1 Flag CTF, H3 1 Bomb Assault, H3 Territories, H3 Team Crazy King, H4 BTB Slayer Pro, H4 CTF

Maps: Sidewinder, Hang ‘em High, Blood Gulch, Ice Fields, Death Island, Danger Canyon, Infinity, Timberland, Gephyrophobia, Burial Mounds, Zanzibar, Coagulation, Headlong, Waterworks, Containment, Relic, Terminal, District, Uplift, Stonetown, Bloodline, Avalanche, Last Resort, Longshore, Rat’s Nest, Sandtrap, Standoff, Valhalla, Wreckage, Harvest, Shatter, Vertigo

(H2A) Rumble Pit

Challenge seven other opponents on re-mastered maps. This is your fight and yours alone. 8-player Free-For-All.

Game Types: H2A Slayer, H2A Slayer BR, H2A Crazy King, H2A Juggernaut, H2A Oddball

Maps: Warlord, Lockdown, Zenith, Shrine

*Note: As previously announced, the Rumble Pit Playlist will focus on Halo 2: Anniversary at launch, and integrate / move to additional games post-launch.

Halo 2 Classic

It’s back. A mix of the most popular Team Slayer and objective game types from the original Halo 2. 4v4.

Game Types: Team Slayer, Team Slayer BR, 1 Flag CTF BR, Crazy King, Team Ball BR, Neutral Bomb, Multi-Fag CTF, Multi-Flag CTF BR, Team Snipers, 1 Bomb Assault, 1 Bomb Assault BR, Multi-Bomb BR, 3 Plots BR

Maps: Lockout, Ascension, Midship, Ivory Tower, Beaver Creek, Elongation, Colossus, Gemini, Zanzibar, Foundation, Warlock, Sanctuary, Turf

Halo 3

A selection of fan-favorite Team Slayer and objective game types from Halo 3. 4v4.

Game Types: Team Slayer, Team Slayer BR, Multi-Flag CTF, Multi-Bomb, Team Crazy King, Team Ball, Multi-Flag CTF, 1 Flag CTF, 1 Bomb Assault, Territories, Neutral Bomb

Maps: The Pit, Construct, Heretic, Assembly, Blackout, Citadel, Cold Storage, Ghost Town, Guardian, High Ground, Isolation, Last Resort, Narrows, Orbital, Standoff

Halo 4

A mix of Team Slayer and objective game types from Halo 4, on a selection of small to medium-sized maps. 5v5.

Game Types: Team Slayer, Legendary Slayer BR, Team Crazy King, Team Ball, Extraction, CTF

Maps: Haven, Adrift, Abandon, Solace, Monolith, Landfall, Skyline, Pitfall, Vertigo

Team Hardcore

A collection of tournament-approved game types from Halo 2 and Halo 3. The Battle Rifle is your primary weapon. 4v4.

Game Types: H2 Hardcore Team Slayer, H2 Hardcore Team Ball, H2 Hardcore CTF MidWar, H2 Hardcore Assault, H2 Hardcore CTF Sanctuary

Maps: Lockout, Midship, Sanctuary, Warlock, Beaver Creek

SWAT (Rotational)

Aim for the head! A collection of SWAT game types on our favorite maps from Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 4, and Halo 2: Anniversary. Players have no shields and are equipped with rifles. 4v4.

Game Types: H2 Team SWAT, H2A Team SWAT, H3 Team SWAT, H4 Team SWAT, plus a sampling of SWAT Objective game types from each game, including CTF and Crazy King

Maps: Lockout, Ascension, Midship, Ivory Tower, Beaver Creek, Colossus, Warlock, Sanctuary, Turf, Elongation, Gemini, Zenith, Lockdown, Warlord, Shrine, Adrift, Haven, Landfall, Monolith, Skyline, Pitfall, Vertigo

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Halo Championship Series Registration Now Open!

Posted on November 10, 2014 by Dust Storm

halo-championship-series-module_v2

Many of us undoubtedly watched this weekend’s Halo: The Master Chief Collection Launch Invitational and see Believe the Hype take the first place prize for the tournament.  With the invitational over, now it’s time for the Halo Championship Series to start kicking things off and right now, registration is open and free over on ESL.  There are currently three pre-seasonal, online cups you can register for that are 4v4 taking place on the next three Sundays.  In additional to the online cups, 343 is partnering with other tournament organizers to officially sanction tournaments that will allow teams and players to earn HCS points for the league.  The first officially sanctioned event will be the Iron Games Columbus LAN event hosted by Iron Gaming December 12th-14th in Columbus, Ohio; the second being the Halo 2 Anniversary 10K tournament hosted by UGC January 2nd-4th in St. Louis, Missouri.  All officially sanctioned HCS events will be played on Halo 2 Anniversary, and while official rules will be coming soon, here’s some more details 343 Industries and ESL have released on the league in addition to last week’s announcement:

  • The official game of the Halo Championship Series is Halo 2: Anniversary.
  • HCS LAN event point allocations will be broken down into tiers based on total prize pool and bracket size. For example, a tournament with a $5,000 prize pool will award less points than a tournament with a $25,000 prize pool.
  • Several established tournament organizers are already on board, and will be announcing their events shortly. In the coming weeks, additional tournament organizers will be able to apply to become an official HCS sanctioned partner.
  • In addition to awarding official HCS points, 343 Industries and Twitch look forward to working with and supporting tournament organizers in a variety of ways to ensure the best experience possible for players and fans alike. This includes, but is not limited to financial support, tech support, promotional support, talent and production support, and more.

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