Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta Preview

Over the weekend, I was invited to participate in the Early Access period for Halo 5: Guardians’ upcoming multiplayer beta. Though it was just a weekend test, with limited content that will appear in the beta, it did give me a pretty good idea as to how Halo 5’s multiplayer is shaping up. And though it’s different than what I’m accustomed to in past Halo games, most of the changes seem to be for the better.

Keep in mind, my initial preview is based on just a small sample of what 343 Industries will be offering next week in the full beta and eventually in the full game. The weekend content included one mode, Slayer, and two maps, Truth and Empire.  Truth is a remake of Halo 2’s Midship. It’s small, but open towards the center of the map. Empire is another symmetrical map, but the theme is that of a major city.

There seems to be, at least in this beta, a renewed emphasis on gameplay balance. Seemingly gone are the days of armor abilities and loadouts. Each Spartan now spawns with the same loadout: the traditional Assault Rifle and Pistol. Of course, spread throughout the different weapon pick-ups like the SMG, DMR or Battle Rifle. Also, each map now has a “signature” weapon that spawns on a timer; on Truth it was the Energy Sword, now called Prophet’s Bane, and on Empire it was the Sniper Rifle. Though I found success with the Assault Rifle, it’s clear that 343 Industries wants you to fight over these weapon spawn points. Again, the sample size was limited so it’s unclear if this is how 343 Industries intends on the new Slayer to be, but I definitely enjoyed this new approach. There was a great sense of balance in this new design, but I do worry that too much emphasis might be placed on a single “signature” weapon. I also hope we see some levels that maybe offer all of the fancier weapons — remember the days of sniper rifles, rocket launchers, and shotguns all on one map? I hope that’s not gone for good.

It’s not just the map and modes that have a new feel, though. The overall gameplay feels completely revamped. It feels much quicker thanks, in part, to every Spartan now equipped with thrusters and the ability to sprint. The fact is, slower shooters like the classic Halo are dying and 343 Industries is merely trying to keep up with the likes of Call of Duty and Titanfall.

Though Halo 5 feels unlike any other Halo game I’ve played in the past, there’s nice balance of new and old. For instance, even though every Spartan can now sprint, doing so prevents your shields from recharging. This checkpoint prevents players who find themselves down in a firefight from simply sprinting away. If anything, the addition of sprint encourages players to enter the fray quicker, allowing them to reach objectives or weapons faster.

The other major difference I noticed was the addition of thrusters. What’s funny is that this is a pretty major change that while impacting gameplay doesn’t completely ditch the Halo experience. If anything, these new abilities add to the overall gameplay. The most common usage of thrusters is to quickly dodge incoming fire or grenade. The new movement mechanic completely opens up the game, and results in some pretty cool moments. The biggest highlight for me was backwards thrusting behind a player and shooting them. Thrusters aren’t just for dodging though. They can be used on the offensive, though I failed to do so during my time with the game. Apparently, thrusting forward can shoulder tackle an enemy, and there’s even an aerial smash, though I wasn’t once killed by a Spartan trying to do so. While I’m sure this will change in the future as players become more comfortable with the mechanics, the addition of thrusters seemed to be used most to dodge.

Another change many of you might be skeptical about is the full integration of aiming down sight. While aiming down sights has been in past Halo games, it was limited to specific weapons. Now, any weapon can be “zoomed in” with, even the Assault Rifle. Again, this is another example of 343 Industries trying to keep up with the other big boys, but they do so in a way that doesn’t completely ruin the classic Halo experience. Firing from the hip is just as effective as ever, and in most cases I found it to be more effective than aiming down my sights. Still, the option to zoom in with the Assault Rifle and fire across with map with somewhat accuracy is a nice addition. It’s not as effective as the DMR or Battle Rifle, but it was more of a comfort thing for me. These days, I feel most gamers are used to aiming down the sights. Even if it doesn’t mean anything with the Assault Rifle, having the option to zoom in, lower the aim sensitivity, and make more precise shots is something I appreciated. Again though, I found more success in firing from the hip.

Now that the major changes are covered, let’s talk about the overall experience. I know this is still an early access beta, but given the struggles with Halo: The Master Chief Collection, I feel the need to point out the matchmaking issues I experienced. Matchmaking often struggled, resulting in lengthy search times and horrible wait periods. When I was in a lobby, I would often get disconnected and booted to the main screen after some sort of connection issue during the intermission. I know this is a beta, but there’s some legitimate concern following the disappointing launch of The Master Chief Collection.

Also, the graphics were seemingly lowered for the beta experience. Characters and environments suffered from rough textures and lots of aliasing, though I have a feeling 343 Industries was more concerned with delivering a smooth 60 frames per second than how the game looks in an early beta. It’s also possible that they lowered the graphics as to deliver a smaller download so that players could get into the action quicker in the limited beta. Given how nice Halo 4 and The Master Chief Collection looked, I’m not too concerned with this — just wanted to point it out.