Halo Infinite’s second season — titled Lone Wolves — is finally underway with a few new maps, classic game modes, and a brand new mini battle royale mode in Last Spartan Standing. While we aren’t in the heat of the battle royale craze anymore, players have been itching for new Halo Infinite content after being upset about the title’s lack of updates and overall unfinished feel, and Last Spartan Standing might be exactly what the game needs.
Last Spartan Standing isn’t exactly a Halo-themed carbon copy of other popular battle royale titles like Call of Duty: Warzone or Apex Legends like many suspected it would be. It combines elements from various game types for a truly unique FPS experience. The solo deathmatch is a bit different than Halo Infinite’s existing game modes — you’ll need more than just tight aim, a quick trigger finger, and knowledge of your surroundings to be the last surviving soldier in these battles.
Here’s what you need to know before jumping in.
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How Last Spartan Standing works
Halo Infinite takes two other game modes — battle royale and gun game –and kind of smashes them together to create Last Spartan Standing. In this mode, you are placed on a map with 11 other players in a free-for-all-style game, only each player only gets five respawns before being eliminated from the game. That’s the battle royale influence, but the twist comes with in-match progression, which is based on the popular gun game mod that has since made its way into mainstream shooters like Call of Duty. Everyone will begin with weak weapons, but by earning XP in the match, you can level up and unlock the ability to equip better equipment. Once every player but one has exhausted all their lives, the game ends and that lone survivor claims victory.
Because your starting kit is so underpowered, earning XP is vital. You can earn XP in a few ways. Getting a kill assist will earn you 50 XP, getting a kill is worth 100 XP, and claiming special bonus XP orbs around the map is worth a massive 300 XP. You can level up a total of six times, each time granting you access to one new weapon for free. Here’s what amount of XP you need in order to level up, plus what gun you get for reaching that level:
Level 1 at 0 XP — Disruptor
Level 2 at 100 XP — Mangler
Level 3 at 300 XP — Assault Rifle
Level 4 at 650 XP — Commando
Level 5 at 1,150 XP — Bulldog
Level 6 at 1,850 XP — Battle Rifle
Last Spartan Standing tips and tricks
Pick your battles carefully
Last Spartan Standing forces you to play in a balance between cautious and aggressive. You can’t fall too far on either end of the spectrum, though. If you’re too cautious, hiding for most of the match, then by the time you’re forced into a fight, you will have far weaker weapons than anyone left at the end who has been leveling up. On the other hand, running into too many fights will leave you exposed and much easier to pick off, which will drain your limited number of lives. We recommend finding an area of the map you’re comfortable with and patrolling it while keeping your ears tuned to any firefights that happen nearby. If you can jump in on a fight in progress, you can easily scoop up two kills, an assist and a kill, or even just two assists. Any and all points matter, so long as you’re not overextending.
Going along with that, don’t engage with any enemy you see. If you spot someone who is so far away that you won’t be able to kill them before they get away or into cover with too much time or distance to reach that they can recharge their shields, don’t shoot them. Not only will you just let that player know your location but also anyone else in earshot too. If you’re going to get into an engagement in Last Spartan Standing, only choose to do so if you can end it quickly.
Watch your shield
After a fight, unless you are lucky enough to come out unscathed, always take cover and hide to recharge your shields. Even a half-shielded soldier is easy pickings in this mode, and everyone is out looking for a weakened opponent to scoop up an easy kill. Don’t let that be you.
Look for bonus XP
Bonus XP orbs are worth the most amount of XP you can get at once, but come with two major risks. First is that they appear as markers on everyone in the match’s screen, so other players can easily camp near one to use as bait to ambush greedy players. Second is that you don’t just instantly get the XP for touching them. You need to interact with them for a painful second or two, during which time you can’t shoot or move, leaving you even more exposed. If you’re going to grab one, only do so when you’re confident you’re either alone or have an escape route and cover close by if someone tries to jump you.
Grenades are king
You don’t start out with grenades in Last Man Standing, but you can find them all over the map. Try to pick some up as soon as you can and you won’t regret it. Hitting an unsuspecting enemy with some grenade damage to start or finish a fight will win you more one-on-one battles in the long run. Dynamo grenades are particularly useful in this game mode when enemies duck behind cover in early pistol shootouts.
Run to supply drops
Throughout the match, supply drops will rain down from the sky. Inside, you can find either Active Camo or Overshield power-ups. Getting either of these power-ups gives you a massive advantage over your opponents, and you should constantly be aware of where these are and collect them whenever possible. You can usually hear them when they hit the ground. Getting an Active Camo from a drop pod is a massive advantage since there’s no radar in Last Spartan Standing, and Overshield will allow you to take a lot more damage in a gunfight.
Stick around and learn a thing or two
When you run out of lives, you’re free to quit without penalty (you’ll still receive XP and challenge progress), but we recommend hanging out for a bit. if you’re having trouble reaching the end of a match, it could be beneficial to watch better players and see how they play the new game mode. You might learn about solid areas on the map for ambushing enemies or some better evasion tactics.
Of course, you should balance this with hands-on experience. Watching others will only get you so far, and sometimes getting another match started as soon as possible is the best choice.
