Much of your time in Halo 5: Guardians is spent locked in furious firefights against hordes of evil aliens. Danger lurks around every corner, and battle can (and often does) erupt at any given moment. Spartans must always be ready to engage and overcome the enemy—read on to learn how to do just that.
Situational Awareness
Being aware of one’s surroundings is vital when conducting business out in the field. Spartans have a number of advantages that can help them again a situational advantage during combat.
Motion Tracker
Located in the bottom-left corner of the screen, the Motion Tracker relays valuable information on enemy movement. Use it to detect nearby enemies and avoid being caught off-guard. Note that enemies only appear on Motion Tracker while they’re moving or firing; enemies vanish from Motion Tracker while they remain stationary.
Artemis System
Press the Tracking button to engage Spartan Locke’s Artemis system and scan the vicinity for items of interest. Artemis will reveal nearby weapon caches, interactive objects such as control panels, and special devices such as data pads that can provide you with Mission Intel. Master Chief doesn’t have the advantage of Artemis, so pressing the Tracking button merely highlights the current objective.
Radio Chatter
Spartans must use all of their senses to outwit and outmaneuver the enemy. Listen carefully to your teammates and be quick to respond to the situation accordingly. Here are some examples:
- Downed teammates will call out for help. Hurry over and revive them!
- Allies will alert you when grenades are inbound. Fall back to avoid the blast!
- Power weapons such as Fuel Rod Cannons make unique sounds when fired. Know the sounds of such weapons and you’ll be instantly alerted to their presence!
Alternative Routes
Many of the areas visited in Halo 5: Guardians are filled with secret routes and passages that creative Spartans can identify and use to gain tactical advantages over their enemies. For example, smashing through a weak wall may lead to a cache of weapons or perhaps a side passage that sets you up to flank unwary foes. Don’t feel obligated to rush headlong into the fray; more often than not, you’ll be rewarded for taking a tactical approach.
Moving Well
Stationary targets are easily hit, so it pays to stay in motion. Seasoned Spartans can skillfully traverse even the worst terrain by performing the following acrobatic actions.
Crouching
Crouch to drop to your knees and squeeze into tight spaces. You can also crouch to duck down behind short objects and take cover from enemy fire. Crouching is a useful technique that can make you more difficult to see and shoot from afar.
Sprinting
When the going gets tough, the tough get going—and there’s no faster way to go it on foot than sprinting. Sprint to quickly move from one location to another—a vital tactic when advancing out from cover. Spartans never run out of stamina, so there’s never a need not to sprint. Get where you’re going quickly by sprinting—you’ll present a difficult target along the way.
Spartan Charge
While sprinting at full speed, press the Melee button to perform a swift forward shoulder thrust—a mighty maneuver known as a Spartan Charge. Use this technique to knock enemies for a loop or to smash through weak walls and access secret areas.
Jumping and Clambering
Reaching higher ground is a key tactic that provides Spartans with advantages in many battles. Press the Jump button to leap up onto objects or across gaps in terrain. If a higher surface is within your reach, press the Jump button again while jumping toward the surface to grab onto the edge and clamber up onto it. Clambering onto objects is a new maneuver never before utilized by Spartans, and it opens up many different avenues for exploring.
Ground Pound
After jumping (or anytime while airborne), press and hold the Melee button to initiate a midair maneuver known as a Ground Pound. Continue holding the Melee button to store up power—the Ground Pound will execute automatically when full power is achieved. You can also release the Melee button to perform the Ground Pound prior to reaching full power. Ground Pounds can be devastating offensive maneuvers, but Spartans are totally exposed while hanging in midair and charging the maneuver. This makes Ground Pounds the definition of “high risk, high reward.”
Thrusting
While moving in any direction, press the Thruster Pack button to engage your suit’s thrusters and perform a short, swift boost in that direction. Thrusters take time to recharge; an icon appears to the right of your health and shield gauges while your thrusters are recovering. A special sound occurs when your thrusters come back online. Thrusting is an extremely important maneuver, so practice it and use it to gain the following advantages:
- Damage control: Thrust to avoid attacks such as grenades or melee strikes that would normally devastate you.
- Go the distance: Thrust while jumping to soar forward, gaining the extra distance you need to clear longer gaps.
- Blast the back: Thrust to dodge melee strikes from powerful enemies such as Knights and Hunters, then blast their vulnerable backs to bring them down fast!
Issuing Orders
Master Chief and Spartan Locke aren’t alone: Each has a skilled Fireteam of Spartans behind them that shares in their adventures and battles. Issuing orders to your team is a vital tactic that gives you significant advantages. Fortunately, issuing orders is a breeze: It’s all done through the use of the Issue Orders button.
Move
Aim at any location and press the Issue Orders button to order your team to move there. Issuing move orders is useful for positioning your teammates to help you flank the enemy. You can also use the Move order to send teammates into hot spots, using them as bait to draw out the enemy while you move to neutralize the hostiles.
Attack
Order your team to attack enemies by pressing the Issue Orders button while aiming at any hostile. This is an invaluable tactic to employ against powerful enemies such as Hunters and Knights. Issue the attack order, then move to flank the hostile while your team opens fire and diverts its attention. Your team focuses fire to pile on the damage against targets you mark with the Issue Orders button, adding to the value of this handy command.
Take Weapon
Everyone loves powerful weapons like Sniper Rifles and Rocket Launchers, and your teammates are no exceptions. Whenever you find a valuable weapon that you don’t have room to carry (or perhaps one that you’re not particularly fond of), consider using the Issue Orders command to have a teammate take it instead. Computer-controlled teammates never run out of ammo, so handing them power weapons lends your squad a significant advantage. Put powerful weapons in the hands of your teammates and then mark enemies as priority targets to annihilate them in short order.
Revive
Running out of health doesn’t necessarily end your adventure in Halo 5: Guardians. Instead, a Spartan’s armor commonly locks up when they run out of health, prompting a brief countdown before death sets in. Prior to their demise, the downed Spartan can be revived by any teammate who rushes over and holds the Action button to bring their armor and shields back online. The healing process takes time, during which the healer is totally exposed to enemy fire. Successfully reviving a downed teammate restores both the healer and the target to full health and shields, bringing them back into the fight.
On the Offense
We’ve covered the basics of movement and leadership—now let’s get to the good stuff. Taking the fight to the UNSC’s enemies is the duty of every Spartan, and there’s nothing like a powerful offensive to put your foes on the run.
Aiming and Shooting
Your reticle turns red whenever you’re aiming at an enemy within you weapon's effective range; press the Fire Weapon button to unload whatever weapon you happen to be carrying. Depending on the weapon and situation, you may wish to tap the button to fire off multiple rounds, or you might simply hold the button to unleash a steady barrage of full-auto fire. Some weapons will perform a secondary function while the Fire button is held—the Plasma Pistol’s charged shot is one example.
Smart-Link
For a closer view of the target, press and hold the Smart-Link button to aim down the barrel of your weapon, or to peer through its scope. Weapons with scopes allow for greater magnification; press the Zoom button while aiming with Smart-Link to zoom in even closer with weapons such as Sniper Rifles. Use Smart-Link after jumping to engage stabilizer thrusters and sight enemies from midair with greater accuracy. Smart-Link is broken whenever you suffer damage.
Headshots and Weak Points
Although somewhat difficult to achieve, headshots are by far the fastest way to bring down most hostiles you encounter in Halo 5: Guardians. It takes skill and patience, but once you get the hang of headshots, you’ll find them to be an extremely efficient and addicting method of neutralizing unprotected foes. Grunts, Jackals, and Crawlers are all susceptible to one-shot kills—just pop them in the noggin with a headshot-capable weapon. Not all weapons are capable of scoring headshots—some of the most common include the Magnum, Battle Rifle, DMR, and Carbine.
Some enemies feature other weak points that can be fired upon to facilitate their demise. The Hunter’s back is its weak point, for example. Promethean Knights and Soldiers also feature weak points, but you must shred their armor to expose their vulnerable cores. Read each enemy’s section in the “Intel” chapter to learn all about their individual strengths and weaknesses.
Melee Attacks
Aggressive enemies may try to close in and attack you with melee strikes. Return the favor by pressing the Melee button and landing mighty blows of your own. Melee attacks are quite powerful and produce less sound than gunfire. Strike an unwary foe from behind with a Melee attack to perform a silent assassination that won’t raise the alarm.
Using Grenades
Grenades are deadly thrown explosives that can help you quickly neutralize hardened targets and hostile mobs. Toss grenades into groups of foes to make them scatter—one way or another. Grenades are great for breaking a Jackal’s defensive posture or forcing uncooperative Elites and Soldiers from cover. There are three different types of grenade in Halo 5: Guardians; learn the nuances of each one, and press the Switch Grenade button to switch between them.
- Frag Grenades can be bounced around corners to obliterate unsuspecting foes.
- Plasma Grenades stick to enemies and vehicles, all but ensuring their demise.
- Splinter Grenades bounceonce and then explode into a static death cloud that persists for several seconds, preventing the enemy’s advance.
Selecting Weapons
The weapons that a Spartan chooses to carry and unleash against enemies is a very personal choice, but there are some helpful guidelines. You can only carry up to two firearms at once, so it’s important to select a combo that offers both firepower and flexibility. Most Spartans agree that a solid ranged firearm, such as a DMR or Battle Rifle, combined with a formidable midrange weapon, like an SAW or SMG, is an ideal pairing that lends the wielder options, letting them adapt to Halo 5: Guardians’ fluid and dynamic battles.
On the Defense
Defending oneself from harm is vital to the survival of all Spartans. Even the most formidable warrior won’t last long when pitted against overwhelming enemy fire, so learn how to defend yourself and turn the tide of battle against your foes.
Utilizing Cover
Taking cover is the most basic and important rule of defense. Remain near crates, walls, barricades, boulders, and anything else that you can use as cover from incoming fire. Even if you take damage, your shields will regenerate in a few seconds, provided you can avoid being hit. Keeping close to effective forms of cover helps you do just that.
Taking the High Ground
Firing down on enemies below you is almost always preferable to being shot at from foes lurking above. Whenever possible, look to exploit your surroundings and climb to higher ground. You’re harder to hit when you’re up high, leaving you free to rain down grenades and bullets without much fear of counterattack. You’re also in position to catch the enemy off guard with an unexpected Ground Pound!
Retreating
Should the enemy ever threaten to overwhelm you, never hesitate to fall back to a safer position. Retreating is a key battle tactic that grants Spartans a chance to recover shields and regroup with their teammates before pressing the attack once more. If your forward advance is being met with stiff opposition, fall back and see if you can entice the enemy into rushing into a trap.
Driving Vehicles
Vehicular combat plays a major role in many battles in Halo 5: Guardians. Take advantage of vehicles whenever they’re provided, using them to vastly improve your firepower and mobility. Each vehicle has its own unique features—see the “Intel” chapter for complete details.
Hijacking Vehicles
Although it’s quite risky, daring Spartans can hijack enemy vehicles, taking control of them or disabling them in one deft maneuver. Smaller vehicles such as Ghosts, Warthogs, and Mongooses can be stolen away from their driver, while larger vehicles such as Scorpions and Wraiths can be swiftly destroyed by climbing onto the vehicle, smashing an opening, and dropping a grenade inside. Note that the risk of being run over or obliterated beforehand is quite high.
