Overview

If you’re a battle-proven Halo veteran, you can jump online now and feel right at home amid the whizzing bullets and bouncing grenades. But before rushing into action, here’s a quick summary of the some of the new features and gameplay mechanics. Halo 5: Guardians builds on the successes of past installments while introducing entirely new features like thrusting, clambering, and REQ Packs. These new features blend seamlessly with the tried and proven gameplay fans have come to love, making Halo 5: Guardians the deepest and most ambitious entry in the franchise’s history.

Enhanced Spartan Mobility

Equipped with the improved GEN2 Mjolnir armor, the new Spartan abilities available in the single-player Campaign carry over to multiplayer, making online matches more frantic than ever. Thrust and clamber change Halo in some very fundamental ways. These abilities allow you to reach elevated ledges and platforms you wouldn’t have been able to access in previous installments. This melds well with the new maps, given their emphasis on verticality. So look for ways to take the high ground in an effort to gain an edge.

Descope

While it may seem like a minor addition, the return of descope is a huge development in competitive circles. For the uninitiated, being descoped knocks you out of your scope (or Smart-Link) view whenever you take damage. This greatly reduces the effectiveness of sharpshooters. Being descoped often forces them to retreat when they start taking damage, instead of continuing to plink away from long range.

New and Improved Weapons

Although popular, combat-proven weapons like the Battle Rifle and Magnum have returned, they’re now joined by several new weapons, like the rapid-firing SMG and multi-warhead Hydra Launcher. In addition to new weapons, some familiar weapons (like the Boltshot, Needler, and Carbine) have been overhauled, making them deadlier than ever.

Requisition System

Welcome to your new addiction. Requisition Packs (or REQ Packs) introduce a whole new level of Spartan customization to Halo. Like booster packs from a collectible card game, each REQ Pack contains cards that can be used to customize your Spartan with new armor, visors, helmets, emblems, assassination animations and more. REQ Cards can also be activated to access a variety of weapons, vehicles, armor mods, and power-ups in Warzone matches.

Warzone

Having been gestating as a concept since the development of Halo 4, Warzone finally gets its debut—and it’s been worth the wait. Warzone is a multiplayer mash-up of everything that makes Halo great, pulling together 12v12 Spartan combat alongside vehicles, AI-controlled Bosses, and objective-based gameplay. Set on the largest Halo maps ever, Warzone is primed to host some of the most epic moments you’ve experienced as a Spartan.

Arena

Halo’s legacy as one of the most popular competitive multiplayer shooters continues with the 4v4 Arena game modes. Longtime favorites like Slayer and Capture the Flag have returned, along with the new Strongholds and Breakout game modes. As usual, these game modes emphasize skill and teamwork, making for some intense matches.