Everything You Didn’t Know About the Halo 5 Beta

Have you done the crabwalk glitch? If not, find out how before the beta ends January 18.

Most Halo fans have been playing the Halo 5: Guardians Beta all month. With only one week left, we thought it was time to cover some of the aspects of the beta that you may not be aware of. Some of this is just for fun, while other bits may offer insight into the beta that you weren’t previously aware of. Whatever the case, check out some interesting facts and findings about the Halo 5: Guardians Beta.

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Crabwalk Glitch

The Breakout mode is a brand new addition to the Halo series. It begins with your team launching off a platform and onto the Breakout map. While there are some great strategies to be found in Breakout, there are also some glitches. As with any game that’s nearly a year out, the glitches are unavoidable. Some can be a pain, but there are several that can be fun. The crabwalk glitch certainly falls into the latter category. Simply crouch in mid-air as your Spartan is launching into the Breakout arena, then sprint as soon as you land. The result may confuse you, but at the very least it’ll make you laugh a bit.

Revolving Content

Most early betas are designed to showcase one aspect of a game for a short period of time. The Halo 5: Guardians Beta was done a bit differently. By now you may have noticed that content is constantly revolving. Every week some content stayed, new content was added and some content disappeared. 343 Studios wants to maximize your time with the Halo 5 Beta, and by having revolving content it gives players a reason to keep coming back for more (as if the game alone wasn’t enough). Having new maps, new guns and new modes of play popping up every week makes people want to come back. This works especially well with betas because the content is already somewhat limited.

Unlock Items Through MCC

Some of the items you unlock while playing the Halo 5: Guardians Beta will carry over to the retail release of the game later this year. However, you can also unlock items in the beta by playing more of The Master Chief Collection (MCC). You can unlock armor by obtaining various achievements in the MCC, and by watching the Halo: Nightfall show. Here’s everything you can unlock in the MCC for the Halo 5 Beta.

Armor Unlock Method
Mark VI Gen 1 Armor Complete any campaign mission or a multiplayer match (“Your Journey Begins” achievement)
Master Chief Mjolnir Armor Complete the Cairo Station level in Halo 2 (“Cairo Station” achievement)
Helioskrill Armor Complete all four campaigns on Legendary difficulty (“Legend” achievement)
Nightfall Helmet Watch the first episode of Halo: Nightfall
Full Nightfall Armor Watch all five episodes of Halo: Nightfall

Progress Carries Over

While not everything you do in the Halo 5 Beta will carry over to the final game, there’s a decent amount that will. All of the helmets, armor and various customizations you perform in the beta will carry over to the retail release. You’re not just playing the game to have fun or help test it for 343 Industries, you’re actually making progress that won’t go to waste. Couple this with the various items you can unlock via the MCC and you’ll get quite a head start on the competition.

It’s Actually a Play Test

One of the best aspects of the Halo 5: Guardians Beta is that it’s more than what most other beta tests encompass. The typical beta in modern times is more like a demo than a traditional beta. You get to play  a small portion of the game and the developer may do network testing or something similar, but the main purpose is to get more people interested in the game.

With Halo 5: Guardians, 343 Industries scheduled the beta so far out from the retail release for a reason. The team knows it has a lot to live up to when it comes to the Halo franchise. They want to make Halo 5 the best Halo yet, and to do that they need your feedback. That’s why the Halo 5 Beta takes place almost a year before the game releases. That’s why the content rotates. The team wants to get as much feedback as possible, then have enough time to make the necessary changes to ensure the final product is a game Halo fans want to play.

If you haven’t already, check out our Breakout strategies, and be sure to keep a close eye on Prima Games as we offer more Halo 5 content in the coming weeks!


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Author
Bryan Dawson
Bryan Dawson has an extensive background in the gaming industry, having worked as a journalist for various publications for nearly 20 years and participating in a multitude of competitive fighting game events. He has authored over a dozen strategy guides for Prima Games, worked as a consultant on numerous gaming-related TV and web shows and was the Operations Manager for the fighting game division of the IGN Pro League.