SDCC 2015: Hands-On with Halo 5’s Warzone!
By now, hardcore fans everywhere have seen the videos. Warzone promises to be the next step into large-scale multiplayer combat. Before this, Halo‘s biggest multiplayer mode was Big Team Battle, which pit two teams of 8 against each other. Warzone is similar in concept, but it pushes out to be bigger than anything fans have experienced before. Warzone is everything you see; it’s new, it’s big, it’s fast, and it’s fun.
From the time the match started, until the time it ended, I couldn’t help but think how fun this mode is going to be with friends. As you’ve previously seen, each game starts with retaking your base from enemies. In this particular map, the base is overrun by Prometheans. Surprisingly, these enemies aren’t as easy to take down as you’d think and I wholeheartedly prefer it this way. It’ll take your entire team to eliminate enemies in your base effectively and quick. But once your base is free and clear, you and your team are then thrust into the large map against an opposing team.
Throughout the match, each team is vying to reach 1,000 points before the other. Points are of course given when you kill the opposing team and capture bases placed around the map. Teams that are down by a ton of points should not be discouraged. If your team is able to rally, and if you are able to destroy the enemy’s core in their own base, your team will win the game.
What makes Warzone stand out from previous Halo multiplayer modes is the inclusion of enemy AI, and not just at the start of the match. Throughout Warzone, players will also have to battle against more Promotheans, Covenant, and opposing team Marines. Marines will keep watch over captured bases and will communicate with each other in an attempt to take down enemy spartans. It usually doesn’t go well.
During the match, announcements will be made making players aware of the presence of enemy AI bosses. These bosses will sometimes spawn, near bases or even in vehicles. Taking them down will reward the assassin with a large sum of points. Because of this, the AI bosses will sometimes act as a nexus and attract a larger battle between the boss and his friends, red team, and blue team. I also noticed that no two matches are the same. The game will change according to how each player plays, reacts, and decides what they want to do. One player may focus on capturing bases while another may want to hunt down enemy AI to secure some big points. Some players may want to hang back and snipe while others may want to spend points on purchasing large vehicles and comb the map.
As points are earned, players are also treated to a new requisition system. For those of you familiar with Gears of War‘s Beast Mode, this will be simple. Players accumulate points in which they can spend during the respond screen so that they are able to spawn with a variety of weapons. Essentially, you are spending points to create your own custom loadout in real time. This creates an added layer of strategic thinking. Depending on how the enemy team is playing, you may want to spend your points on certain weapons. However, points spending is not limited to just weapons.
Players will also be able to spend points on vehicles. The choice is always yours, and with team communication, one team can dominate another team with poor communication. One thing about Warzone that everyone needs to realize is that the match cannot be one by just a couple of spartans. It’s going to take the team. So far, Warzone looks to be the mode I’ll dive into right after campaign.
Halo 5: Guardians is set to release October 27th, 2015
