14 DAY TRIAL // Halo 5: Guardians already had a very successful launch, managing to push the Xbox One to the top of the hardware sales chart for the United States in October, according to the NPD Group, and the development team at 343 Industries is ready to deliver the first major, entirely free update for the shooter.
In November, the whole player base will get access to Battle of Shadow and Light, which is designed to add a range of totally new content while also tweaking some of the core mechanics in the Master Chief powered title.
343 Industries has already teased the new REQ cards that are set to arrive, and they are now ready to offer gamers a full look at the 48 strong drops, which will include the impressive Shinobi armor, created using ninja themes, and a capable new light rifle to add more firepower to a character.
A new assassination called Shove It is also being introduced to gamers, with all the new content introduced in the special packs that can be bought using either in-game or real-world currency.
The REQ system has been criticized by some gamers because it tends to make the Warzone experience unbalanced, especially when one team decides to use a lot of cards to increase its firepower and vehicular options.
343 Industries says that it will aim to improve the balance with the title updates for Halo 5: Guardians but has no plans to deliver a major revamp of the feature.
Big Team Battle is also coming to the shooter
Warzone, which combines Player versus Player with Player versus Environment combat and also draws some inspiration from MOBAs, has been a hit with the player community, but in November Battle of Shadow and Light will introduce the Big Team Battle multiplayer mode.
343 Industries explains that, "you’ll recognize elements and aspects of the first four maps in the mix, but all four have been, in varying ways, significantly adjusted for the new mobility, weapons and features of Halo 5 – and all are available in both Custom Games and Matchmaking, and present just a hint of the content featured in next month’s update."
343 Industries will use the November update to also improve the overall balance and to tweak matchmaking based on gathered data and the feedback that the fan base has delivered so far.
No actual date for the patch has been mentioned so far.
The studio has said that all the maps to be launched for Halo 5: Guardians during its first year will be offered for free to keep the community as united as possible.
The REQ system will be used to derive revenue for the studio and to increase the prize pool for the coming World Championship.
A Forge editor will also be offered for the game in December, allowing talented fans to create their maps and share them with the community.
343 Industries has already said that it has no plans to introduce any single-player downloadable content for Halo 5: Guardians, which means that fans will have to wait for the sixth core title to see how the cliffhanger is resolved.
