14 DAY TRIAL // 343 Industries and Microsoft have not yet announced an official name for the coming February update for Halo 5: Guardians, but the two companies have made it clear that as new content is added to the title additions, tweaks will be made to core elements like matchmaking and the REQ system.
Brian Richards, a service engineer, explains on the official site that the recent changes to how matches are put together should reward very competitive gamers and will allow the community to have a better idea of how the best players in the world perform.
He adds that reactions from the community and actual data tracked by the company are being collected to make sure that feedback is used to tweak Halo 5: Guardians in the future.
343 Industries also says that it will continue to work on the playlists of the shooter after the removal of Arena Breakout and the addition of top community-made maps for Breakout to the playlists for the season.
When it comes to the REQ system, the company wants to convince players that it's a good idea to use their resources during big Warzone battles rather than hoard them and only deploy them at crucial moments.
343 Industries adds, "One of our main goals with the REQ System in Warzone is to create compelling card choices at every level. Players should be forced to make tough decisions on what they call in no matter what level they are or how much REQ Energy they currently have. Big red flags for us are whenever a card becomes a clear-cut favorite at its level or if a card is rarely used."
The recent cost cuts and the fact that the carbine has not moved to level 2 should make the weapon more present in matches.
It's unclear whether more price cuts are coming to the REQ system for Halo 5: Guardians in the future or if there are also other ways to improve the balance.
Arena is getting its own Premium Bundle on February 16
Gamers who pick it up will be able to get a range of content that enhances their Spartan for player versus player enhancements, with seven packs offered over time and a variety of items.
The new bundle can be bought from the official store and revenue that's linked to it, and the rest of the REQ system will be used to increase the prize pool associated with the World Championship finals that are set to take place during March.
The Warzone-themed bundle can be obtained from the official Xbox store or retailers.
The fan community is speculating that there are at least two new maps coming to Halo 5: Guardians in the yet-nameless February update and that gamers will also receive some bug fixes and improvements affecting a wide range of game mechanics.
343 Industries is trying to make sure that players remain interested in the shooter for the rest of 2016, which means that all big monthly updates for the year are offered for free.