Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

All of Halo 5’s preorder bonuses can be earned in-game

Will Fulton
By

Halo 5 Guardians
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Spartans who are fretting about where to preorder Halo 5: Guardians, determining which preorder incentives they get, can rest easy: All preorder bonuses can be unlocked in the game through regular play. 343 Industries studio head Josh Holmes confirmed via Twitter the other day that while preorder packages guarantee that you will have those particular weapons, armor, and skins when you start, everything can be earned through regular play, regardless of where you bought the game.

@Wangtim3 ALL unlockable content can be earned by everyone. Preorder just guarantees you have it out of box. No need to earn/unlock in game.

— Josh Holmes (@JoshingtonState) June 23, 2015

This bucks current trends in publishing, wherein the bonus in-game items, skins, and even whole missions with which particular retailers reward customers can only be purchased by other players as DLC some time after release, or are included in a subsequent Game of the Year edition if players want to wait. Players have become increasingly frustrated with the practice as it has trended towards walling off larger and larger sections of the game based on where they purchase it. 343 Industries dialing it back to this model is a refreshing change of pace.

Recommended Videos

As for the particular bonuses you can look forward to eventually, no matter where you buy it:

  • GameStop: Spartan Locke Armor Set
  • Amazon: Projection SMC with Long Barrel
  • Best Buy: Longshot Assault Rifle with Recoil Compensator
  • The Microsoft Store: Recon Assault Rifle with Energy Bayonet and the Lagrange Assault Rifle skin
  • Walmart: Unspecified “Walmart Exclusive Bonus”

Guardians is the latest chapter in Xbox’s flagship saga of power-armored soldiers and aliens jumping around and shooting each other for sport. What started as a Mac-exclusive real time strategy game in 2001 evolved into one of the defining first person shooters of the 21st century, and a pillar of all three Xbox consoles’ libraries. This is 343 Industries’ second original, numbered entry in the franchise, having taken the torch from creator Bungie starting with Halo 4.

Related

Halo 5: Guardians comes exclusively to Xbox One on October 27, 2015.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Will Fulton
Will Fulton
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…
Halo Infinite is getting some serious progression changes
A Spartan wearing a halo ring hat in Halo Infinite.

Since its launch, players have had an issue with Halo Infinite's progression system. They weren't leveling up fast enough and XP was being doled out based on winning or losing matches and completing challenges, not performance like past entries in the franchise. While developer 343 Industries has tackled some of these issues, a new blog post on Halo Waypoint revealed that it has much larger changes for the game's progression in motion.

Halo Infinite | Season 2 Announce - Lone Wolves

Read more
Halo Infinite’s next season will add two new maps
A spartan holds a ravager in Halo Infinite.

Nearly six months after it launched, Halo Infinite's second season is on the way. Officially arriving on May 3, Season 2 of the free-to-play Halo title will add a buffet of changes, all of which have been shared by developer 343 Industries in a large, dense post on Halo Waypoint.

The most immediate changes that players will notice though are likely the two additional maps coming to the game, along with some adjustments to weapon and melee damage that will shift Halo Infinite's meta.

Read more
Halo Infinite campaign co-op won’t launch with season 2
Spartans dressed as samurai in Halo Infinite.

Anyone who is waiting to play through Halo Infinite's open world with a friend will have to wait a bit longer than anticipated. The feature, which was supposed to be added in with the game's second multiplayer season, has been delayed.

In a news post on Halo Waypoint, developer 343 Industries detailed its plans for the game's second season of content. Along with detailing the new weapons and maps players will be getting in the new season, titled Lone Wolves, the developer revealed that it needs more time to "land a high-quality, full-featured 4-player network co-op experience in the massive, wide-open world of Halo Infinite." When the game's second season launches on May 3, it won't add campaign co-op.

Read more