Tips for Halo 5: Guardians' multiplayer beta
To be honest, the Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer can be a challenge. It’s easy to spend your first hour wondering who shot you from where, or rushing heedlessly into firefights only to consistently come out dead.
Want to improve those kill/death ratios, or at least spend less time respawning? Get to grips with the maps, basic tactics and your new Spartan abilities, and everything will become much, much easier.
Here's a few handy tips to help you get to grips with the Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer:
1. Learn when to scope, and when not
The Smart Scope is great at mid to long-range when you’re not in imminent danger, but absolutely useless up close. It gives you a better view and increases accuracy, but limits your angle of vision and delays you when you’re trying to aim and fire. Forget what you’ve learnt from Battlefield or Call of Duty; when the enemy is close, always shoot from the hip.
2. Learn the maps and avoid the killzones
Halo 5’s maps are complex, multi-level affairs with a lot of crannies, high-level vantage points and sniper zones. These are balanced by numerous routes around the map and weak points for those high positions, but if you spend too much time wandering aimlessly around the open areas you’ll be dead in seconds. Learn the maps, understand how they flow and be decisive.
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3. Work as a team
Whether you’re playing Slayer or Breakout playlists, you need to start working as a team. Look for strategies that support or complement your team-mates, stick together, and work to either defend and dominate the pivotal areas of the map, or to outflank and blindside enemies that have your comrades pinned down. Teamwork is even more crucial in Breakout, as lone wolves rushing the enemy tend to die fast, leaving their teammates outnumbered and outgunned. Work together, move in concert, and your team has a better chance of coming out on top.
4. Silence isn’t golden
Even if you’re not using a headset or microphone, keep your ears open. The Spartans now chatter automatically, pointing out kills, enemy sightings and incoming heavy weapon drops, and while some of its just atmospheric clutter or feel-good backslapping, some of the info can help give you the edge. If you’re playing Breakout, however, we’d recommend switching that headset on. Play a few matches or even stream some in-game action, and you’ll see that the best teams call out enemy and weapon positions or provide useful advice. Keep it civil and on-point, but talk.
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5. Work the weapon drops
The power weapon drops in Slayer mode are an opportunity. For one thing, they’re an opportunity to grab a power weapon that can help your team dominate the map. For another thing, they’re an opportunity to shoot any poor, senseless souls running in to grab a power weapon that can help their team dominate the map. The latter strategy is the kind of despicable, campy, cowardly custard nonsense that will make people hate you and eventually get you killed, but – sadly – it can also be effective. If your kill/death ratio is looking bad, give it a try.
6. Get to grips with the Battle Rifle
Where week one of the Beta threw you into combat with the assault rifle, week 2 starts you off with the battle rifle. It’s a very versatile, precision weapon that’s good at mid-to-long range and fine up close, but it’s no good if you’re a spray-and-pray player or can’t aim for toffee. Keep practising with the battle rifle, or develop strategies around grabbing an assault rifle or SMG and going in close. Either weapon will give you the edge in short-range duels.
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7. Thrust, clamber, sprint and slide
Halo 5’s new movement options are there to be used. If your shields don’t need recharging, sprint to get faster to objectives and make yourself more difficult to shoot. Use the thrusters (B then left-stick) to dodge, cross small gaps or alter your direction in mid-air. Jump, thrust and clamber onto platforms or ledges, and use the slide move (reach top spring speed then click the right stick) to enter a gunfight in style. Remember that using the smart scope while in mid-air will trigger your thrusters, enabling you to plug away at an enemy before you land. Exploit your new abilities – because others will.
8. Master the new melee moves
While you’re at it, get to grips with the new melee abilities. Hit top sprint speed then click the right bumper and your Spartan will do a shoulder barge; ideal for smacking that poor sucker who hasn’t quite got time to turn and shoot you. Hold and then release the right stick while jumping down on an opponent to pound them into the ground. Use the last option sparingly, though, as it has a nasty habit of failing and leaving you an easy kill.
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9. You only have one life in Breakout
You only have one life in Breakout, so don’t waste it. Instead or rushing with a bellow straight down the central channel of the map, look for positions you can defend, routes where you can outflank the enemy, and areas where your team can ambush or control the other team. Charing straight into battle isn’t courage – it’s carelessness.
10. Switch to your sidearm
It’s an old FPS trick, but one that’s particularly pertinent to Halo 5. If your clip runs out mid-firefight, stopping to reload will get you killed. Tap Y to summon your sidearm, then plug away with that instead. Remember that the magnum isn’t just a short-range weapon, but surprisingly capable at mid to long-range. If you’re stuck with an SMG against a battle rifle, it’s better to pull out the pistol than go down spraying bullets.