Halo 5 Is Bringing Back Big Team Battle

Halo 5 update brings Big Team Battle and new maps

By Gabe Gurwin November 10, 2015

halo 5 forge mode pc halo5forgemap2 — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Halo 5: Guardians‘ multiplayer component launched several different modes, including the classic Slayer and the new paintball-esque Breakout, but there was one noticeable omission from the bunch: Big Team Battle, a huge take on Slayer featuring vehicles and a heavy emphasis on teamwork. That’s soon about to change, as an update for the game will not only add the large-scale mode to the game, but also four new maps designed (in part) by players.

The new update brings Big Team Battle to the “Arena” segment of Halo 5‘s multiplayer. This distinction is important, as the game previously emphasized vehicular combat in the new “Warzone” mode and left traditional gunplay to the Arena. This meant having to spend REQ points and open card packs in the hopes of getting a Scorpion tank or Banshee to use during a match.

Of the four new maps introduced in the update, three of them — Deadlock, Guillotine, and Recurve — were designed with input from members of the community. These maps were inspired by the classic maps Standoff, Headlong, and Recurve, respectively. A fourth map, Basin, was designed solely by 343 Industries, and is inspired by Halo 3‘s Valhalla … which was itself inspired by Halo most famous map, Blood Gulch. If that sounds confusing, it should all seem right after a few rounds of sniping your friends from across the map.

But as one door opens, another closes, at least temporarily. Last week, 343 announced that it was temporarily removing the map Orion from the game as it took the time to fix issues that were allowing players to abuse certain spawning exploits.

Halo 5: Guardians released on October 27 exclusively for Xbox One. It has already set records as the biggest launch for any game in the series, with $400 million in sales after its first week on store shelves.

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