Big Boss isn't feeling the best at the moment, but we are wishing him well and look forward to his return. Outside of vacations being in order... he wants the news to continue rolling out for the true supporters of SDGT Ent. So, it's time to roll more out.
Halo and Rooster Teeth – a match worthy of the Great Journey! Last weekend at RTX 2016 in Austin, TX, 343 Industries hosted a panel diving deep into the massive Halo universe, revealing new information including Halo Wars 2 multiplayer beta stats, a first look at Halo 5: Forge on Windows 10, Content Browser for Halo 5: Guardians, a look at the exclusive Halo figure from the Halo Legendary Crate, details on Fireteam Apollo, and more.
Halo Wars 2 Beta Stats and Blisterback Preview
Announced on stage at E3 2016, the Halo Wars 2 Beta ran from June 13 to June 22 and featured two game modes, Domination and Deathmatch. The Halo Wars 2 Beta was a true developer beta, releasing eight months before launch on February 21, 2017, giving 343 Industries and Creative Assembly the chance to listen to player feedback and make changes in time for launch.
As seen in the infographic above, players put in work during the open beta and racked up more than 1.2 million hours of gameplay. Our favorite stat is how expensive it costs to keep UNSC troops and vehicles healthy – $831 trillion! Also very cool is the win percentage between the UNSC and Banished, with the latter just barely coming out on top. Commander Cutter will definitely have his work cut out for him next February.
343 Industries also previewed one of the seven brand new units to Halo Wars 2: the Blisterback. Clad in the distinct red armor of the Banished, the Blisterback is a heavy-artillery, long-range Brute vehicle designed for precise elimination of enemy factions.
Thanks to everyone who jumped in to the open beta on Xbox One and for those of you on PC, fret not; a second multiplayer beta will run closer to launch on both Xbox One and Windows 10!
First Look at Halo 5: Forge on Windows 10 and Content Browser
Ever since Forge was released in Halo 5: Guardians, players have found countless ways to create amazing, creative and wacky ways to utilize the powerful map-creating tool. So far, the community has grown to over 16.5 million players, who have spent more than 272 years in Forge and built nearly 330,000 maps!
In May, 343 Industries announced Forge is coming to Windows 10 and at RTX today, attendees and viewers got to see their first look at what it’s like to create maps using the precision of a mouse and keyboard! In Halo 5: Forge on Windows 10, players will have a redesigned interface specifically made for Windows 10 and interchangeable support between an Xbox One controller or a mouse and keyboard.
Of course, creating maps is only one part of the user-generated content experience in Halo 5: Guardians. The ability to easily find and share your maps with friends is very important, and 343 Industries finally lifted the covers on one of the most requested features in Halo 5: Guardians – the Content Browser! The Content Browser is available on both Xbox One and Windows 10, and enables easy sharing and searching of custom maps, game modes and Forge Object Groups.
A Retrospective on Red vs. Blue and New Look at Season 14
Fans of the short-series Red vs. Blue, take notice! Burnie Burns took the mic to discuss Season 14 of the show and talk about how far the series has come. Burns also showed a clip from Season 14 and shared details on Grifball and Forge Machinima that you definitely won’t want to miss.
Sneak Peek at the Halo Legendary Crate
343 Industries shared new details and items in the first Halo Legendary Crate, “SPARTAN-IV INITIATION,” which is currently available for preorder. As previously mentioned, crates are shipped every two months with the first coming out in August. Each Halo Legendary Crate contains a figurine from the Halo Legendary Figure Collection, and fans got to see the first figure at RTX!
Anyone who orders the Halo Legendary Crate and links their Microsoft account will become a member of Fireteam Apollo, a brand new superfan program steeped in Halo lore. Members of Fireteam Apollo will receive an exclusive in-game emblem, exclusive REQ packs for Halo 5: Guardians, and access to new stories told digitally and through in-crate items. Year-long subscribers will receive a “Legendary” pin.
Halo 5: Guardians – Bigger and Better than Ever
Since Halo 5: Guardians launched back in October, 343 Industries has continuously updated the game each month with new game modes, maps, armors, weapon skins and more customization options. Warzone Firefight, the eighth and largest content release to date, recently arrived in Halo 5: Guardians and at RTX, 343 Industries spoke about the past, present and future of Halo 5: Guardians’ sustain content and what it means for the franchise moving forward.
It’s never been a better time to be a Halo fan, with Halo Wars 2 on the horizon, new future content releases for Halo 5: Guardians, the expanding world of Forge, and amazing collectibles coming through the Halo Legendary Crate! Stay tuned for more!
Looking back: I may be one of a few, but Halo 4 felt like a bit of a blur. Halo 3 was much more memorable, even if I enjoyed Halo 4, I honestly don't remember much of what I enjoyed about it. I do want to enjoy Halo 5's story one day soon.
