Halo 5's next free update will add three new maps, the Warzone Firefight mode and more

By John Callaham
last updated

Microsoft and 343 Industries revealed more information on what will be included in the next free update for the Xbox One shooter Halo 5 Guardians. The update will include the previously announced Warzone Firefight mode, along with three new maps and much more.

Microsoft revealed some, but not all, of the new content coming to the Warzone Firefight update in a post on the Halo Waypoint site. Here a quick reminder of what the new mode will bring to Halo 5:

Quite simply, Warzone Firefight is an ambitious new multiplayer mode coming to Halo 5: Guardians that stands primed to offer the biggest Halo cooperative experience ever in franchise history. In Warzone Firefight, up to 8 players will work together to complete five rounds of increasingly difficult, dynamic objectives set against a timer to emerge victorious.

The update will also add Score Attack to Halo 5's campaign, allowing players to earn points and claim up to 50 medals for taking out the game's enemies with style.

The Warzone Firefight update brings three new multiplayer maps, of which just one, Prospect, has been revealed so far:

On Prospect, players get dropped immediately into a mining facility and are tasked with attacking the defenders that lie within. A key opening strategy is to take advantage of various flank paths hidden in the terrain to gain the upper hand. The level itself is layered with strategically-placed scaffoldings, plenty of cover, and well-worn trenches, all designed to give players on both sides of the battle more options to take the fight to their opponents, whether they are pushing the objective or holding the line at the Core. Speaking of which, defending that Core now has more options than before. On Prospect, players can focus on power weapons and rush, or opt to try open the gates open to get vehicles in to support ground troops. All in all, it's an exciting new opportunity to evolve the nature of the Warzone Assault game type, and we're eager to see what new strategies and tactics begin to emerge when your boots hit the glassy ground in the near future.

The update will add a new Forge map editing canvas, called Tidal, to the mix, along with the rare Temple Banshee vehicle, and more new armor, weapons and other REQ packs. More info on the update will be revealed before it is released sometime in late June.

If you have not bought Halo 5, you are in luck as the Limited Edition disc version of the game is on sale now for just $39.99 (opens in new tab) at the Microsoft Store site.

See at Microsoft Store (opens in new tab)

John Callaham
John Callaham
21 Comments
  • But when DAMNIT! Posted via the Windows Central App for Android
  • "More info on the update will be revealed before it is released sometime in late June."
  • Halo lost me with Halo 5: Guardians, but the beta test for Warzone Firefight had me playing again. Can't wait for it's return.
  • In terms of multiplayer gameplay mechanics, Halo 5 is the best FPS ever.
  • And in terms of map design, it's the worst. In terms of campaign, IDK about worst FPS ever, but it's definitely the second-worst Halo campaign ever.
  • If you don't mind me asking, which one is the worst campaign?
  • Definitely ODST for me. The storytelling style was disjointed and unpleasant. the "jilted lover" junk felt forced and awkward, and it had no reason to be there. I couldn't even bother to keep the story straight because I have never liked when stories are told in the manner of seeing the present, then the past.
  • I agree. I liked ODSTs style for sure, but the campaign felt odd. And hunting for the clues at night in New Mombassa was annoying. 5s campaign is not what it was hyped up to be. There was so much potential with the plot, yet it all just flopped. They made it seem as if there would be this huge deal with Chief/Locke, it was like 1 fight, then they realized who the real enemy was. To this day, I still don't understand what is the background art on the game cover, the little city with those banshees flying around.
  • Clarify, not the storytelling style, but that of being an ODST.
  • Halo 5 is extremely divisive. For me multiplayer is simply brilliant and the best in the series. The campaign was okay to play but the story very poor. Still a big improvement on ODST and Reach.
  • Reach's story was great.
  • The balance in Halo 5, with regards to the maps, is just indefensibly bad. The lack of symmetry, paired with poor spawn locations, doesn't make sense. Grenades are too strong, travbel too far, and are spawned in too many places. The ranking system is garbage and illogical. My friend and I play similarly well, yet we never get similar rankings, and win-loss record doesn't seem to be the deicer, even after 343 said it was the ONLY factor in your ranking before the release of the game. THe maps are very often tiny and full of spawn killing (Tyrant is the worst map I can recall in my entire life, in that regard). Honestly, I can't pick a map from Halo 5's multiplayer that I actually like. Instead, you have something where Torque is OK, and Eden/Empire are barely passable. Warzone's just a mess. The scoring's balanced terribly so base capturing never matters. Getting credit for the crucial boss kills is always a crapshoot of 100 bullets colliding with the guy at once, and it seemingly not knowing who to credit from the two teams attacking that boss. So, you'll have 1 guy from a team and 4 from the other, all shooting a guy, and the guy by himself will get credit for 3 bullets that made contact at the end. The maps aren't especially interesting. Warden is a horrid boss, and they put him EVERYWHERE. The bosses as a whole aren't good. The Mantis boss getting wailed on with Plasma Pistol bolts is pathetic design). They really needed a bigger/better pool of bosses, another map or two (at launch), and randomized enemy spawns (ideally with random spawns as well), so it's not a formulaic joke. The campaign's story was my issue. It didn't push anything forward. The new characters were meaningless additions and not interesting. The whole of the Halo 5 campaign could have been told in one level, basically. Isntead, we got a campaign that was 5 hours (despite being told it was twice the length of the 8-hour Halo 4) of filler material played primarily in a new character's perspective, and it was some nobody with no business being a part of a story. They even wasted time with that pre-release movie. They had a media campaign that was completely useless and built up meaningless hype that was unrealted to the actual content of the game. Warden was a lazy antagonist with no meaning, in place of a decent Didact that they just killed off between Halo 4 and Halo 5 without any notice (found that on the Internet). As fore core gameplay, the game is mostly fine. My one complaint there has been that the sensitivity istoo inconsistent from close range to far. It's too stiff at distance and too wild up close. Weapon balance could be a bit better, but it still tops what most every other FPS has done. Movement is really strong, though the Ground Pound and Spartan Charge are horribly implemented (and generally bad ideas), and the change of the shield to not charge if running made no logical sense (why would the military make that change?). The real breakdown in the game is just how bad the multiplayer maps are. They're unbalanced, tiny, and unpleasant to be on.
  • Same here. Never played much mp with H5. The beta of WZ FF peaked my interest though and look forward to loading the game back up once this update hits.
  • I hope Firefight is a LOT different than it was in the beta. The maps were the same as always, there was no challenge, and it was really redundant. Everything was kill the super-easy little guys until statuesque Warden(s) spawns, then grab your high-level REQ and easily dismantle him.
  • The beta did nothing for me. Found the whole mode to be fairly dull and easy. At least the full version will use every Warzone map including the ones we haven't seen yet.
  • Hah if you are matched with players with some to none reqs then you are a goner
  • Not sure what that means.
  • £9.99 in game for the limited edition when bought with any Xbox one item. Buy a £5 live card. Bargain.
  • where is this deal?  
  • Would be nice if they added in split-screen.
  • Seems like I'm part of the minority. I feel Halo 5 is the best iteration. I actually like what 343 did with the franchise :|