Ghosts of Meridian

Previous:	Hammer Storm
Next:	Memories of Reach
Ghosts of Meridian
Includes content for:	Halo 5: Guardians
Season information
Start date:	April 6, 2016
End date:	May 12, 2016
Number of REQs:	33
Total unlock cost:	115,000 REQ points; (11 silver packs, 6 gold packs)

"New maps for Arena and Warzone, all-new vehicle variants, new power weapons and more cosmetic REQs arrive in the free Ghosts of Meridian release for Halo 5: Guardians. If Warzone is your multiplayer flavor of choice, party up and drop into Skirmish at Darkstar to take down opposing Spartans and never-before-seen bosses. In Arena, you can engage in furious 4v4 battles and epic objectives on Tyrant, a new small-scale symmetrical map built for Capture the Flag and Assault game modes. Ghosts of Meridian also includes a myriad of adjustments for Forge, as well as bug fixes and tweaks to Multiplayer, Campaign, UI, and more!"

— Ghosts of Meridian description^[1]

Ghosts of Meridian is the fifth major content update for Halo 5: Guardians and was released on April 6, 2016. The update included new multiplayer maps, weapons, vehicles, Requisitions, and Forge options.^[2] This update would also see the beta for Warzone Firefight, a gametype intended to release within the update of the same name in June of 2016.

Update content[edit]

General overview[edit]

33 new REQs
New armor sets
- Dynast
  - Dynast Lilioc
  - Dynast Cincindel
New multiplayer maps:
- Tyrant
- Skirmish at Darkstar
New sandbox items:
- Grenadier armor mod
- Gravity Hammer
- Z-130 Suppressor
  - Song of Peace
  - Razor's Edge
- Hannibal vehicle variants for the Scorpion and Mantis

General customization[edit]

2 armor skins: Mark IV GEN1 Arcadia, Mark V Alpha Reflex
5 weapon skins: Blue Steel (MA5D assault rifle, M6H2 magnum, BR85 battle rifle, M395B DMR, M20 PDW)
1 visor: Glacier
6 emblems: Sol, Distraction, Supercombine, Dog Pound, Steaktacular, Money 8S
2 assassinations: Fisticuffs, Take a Look
1 stance: Pink Mist

Marketing[edit]

Ghosts of Meridian livestream teaser[edit]

Main article: Ghosts of Meridian livestream teaser

A small, 20 second teaser for the Ghosts of Meridian update, showcasing the Suppressor variants, along with a small tease of the Hannibal Mantis on Skirmish at Darkstar. This was shown during the Hammer Storm livestream held by 343 Industries on February 23, 2016.

Ghosts of Meridian teaser[edit]

Main article: Ghosts of Meridian Teaser

A small skit and teaser for the then-upcoming Ghosts of Meridian livestream held by 343 Industries, released on April 4, 2016.

Ghosts of Meridian Launch Trailer[edit]

Main article: Halo 5: Guardians - Ghosts of Meridian Launch Trailer

A full trailer released on April 6, 2016, showcasing the update's content and features.

Patch notes[edit]

April 6, 2016 (update launch) patch notes

New features and updates:^[2]

New Warzone map added: Skirmish at Darkstar
New Arena map added: Tyrant
Weather effects added to Forge
New sound effects added to Forge
Spartan Company members will now appear in the Active Roster
April 14 – 18: Warzone Firefight Beta playlist goes live.

Multiplayer:

Fixed exploit that allowed players to hide inside Armory base geometry in Warzone
Significantly improved the speed and responsiveness of the REQ Menu, especially for players with a large number of REQs
Favorited friends now appear at the top of Active Roster
Fixed issue where players that a join a match in progress did not have full REQ Energy to start
Reduced instances where the assaulting team could be spawn blocked on Warzone Assault maps
Fixed issues with invisible environment boundaries allowing vehicles to push players out of normal map boundaries
Fixed issue where some players who had recently dealt damage to a Boss did not receive Takedown credit when the Boss was killed by a teammate
SWAT DMRs added to the SWAT playlist
Fixed an issue that caused the Event Feed to not display at the end of a round or match
SWAT game type options have been balanced to allow for even weighting between Magnums, BRs, and DMRs
Gravity Hammer is now the starting weapon in Grifball
Reduced Boss Takedown damage requirement from 10% to 1%
Random Weapon and Random Vehicle REQs can now unlock the most up-to-date REQs, including those from Ghosts of Meridian
Daily Win Bonus Packs can now unlock the most up-to-date single-use REQs, including those from Ghost of Meridian
Players can now “ping” their location in a game when alive to alert teammates by pressing UP on the d-pad in Warzone or Arena
Fixed an issue that caused explosive barrels to not be explosive when the Deathless option is turned on in Custom Games

Sandbox:

Fixed a bug that caused the Spartan Laser to deal incorrect damage against shields
Fixed a bug where damage dealt to Gungoose Cannons did not properly transfer damage to the rest of the vehicle. (The Spartan Laser is excited about this change, too)
Mantis armor has been increased
Reduced the explosion radius of the Whiplash
Needler projectiles now do damage to Wraith and Scorpion weak points
Fixed an issue where Rail Gun aiming light can be seen through geometry
Fixed server crashes surrounding picking up powerups
Fixed a bug that made picking up powerups impossible
With Speed Boost activated, Spartan Charging now kills upon impact
Hydra Launcher now only locks onto the torso of enemy Spartans
Fixed a bug that allowed players to perform a Spartan Charge after performing a Thrust in mid-air
Fixed a bug with Phaeton damage regions that resulted in incorrect weak spot hit markers
Slightly reduced bloom for the Halo: CE Pistol
Improved readability of shields popping immediately after they begin to recharge
Lowered the damage of an uncharged Plasma Pistol shot when fired upon a Ghost’s weak point
Fixed a bug that did not allow Ball holders to pick up grenades
Fixed a bug with Advanced Sensors’ speed threshold that caused players to show up on radar in some cases where they were not moving at Sprint/Thrust speed or faster

Forge:

New & Updated Features:

Weather Effects added to map properties [Rain, Snow, Dust, Embers, Papers, Motes]
Sound Effects added to extras menu
Starting energy can now be adjusted on weapon
Starting energy and clips can now be adjusted for weapons on weapon pads

New Assets:

props> cover> style> plated>
- Cover: Plated [3x12x12; forge]
- Cover: Plated [3x12x12; torque]
- Cover: Plated [3x12x16; forge]
- Cover: Plated [3x12x16; torque]
- Cover: Plated [3x16x8; forge]
- Cover: Plated [3x16x8; torque]
- Cover: Plated [3x16x12; forge]
- Cover: Plated [3x16x12; torque]
- Cover: Plated [4x12x4.5; forge]
- Cover: Plated [4x12x4.5; torque]
- Cover: Plated [5x16x12; forge]
- Cover: Plated [5x16x12; torque]
natural> trees> fulls>
- Tree: Full [34x36x44; acacia; glacier]
- Tree: Full [38x40x52; acacia; glacier]
- Tree: Full [42x46x44; acacia; glacier]
- Tree: Full [55x52x70; acacia; glacier]
- Tree: Full [72x70x72; acacia; glacier]
- Tree: Full [60x70x94; acacia; glacier]
- Tree: Full [75x95x95; acacia; glacier]
natural> plants> ivy>
- Plant: Ivy [10x10; glacier]
- Plant: Ivy [20x20; glacier]
- Plant: Ivy [10x10; glacier; top]
- Plant: Ivy [20x10; glacier; top]
natural> plants> bushes>
- Plant: Bush [4x4x3; glacier]
- Plant: Bush [8x8x6; glacier]
- Plant: Bush [8x8x8; glacier]
- Plant: Bush [16x16x16; glacier]
natural> plants> grass>
- Plant: Grass [2x3; glacier]
- Plant: Grass [4x6; glacier]
- Plant: Grass [6x6; glacier]
natural> trees> fulls>
- Tree: Full [34x36x44; acacia; alpine]
- Tree: Full [38x40x52; acacia; alpine]
- Tree: Full [42x46x44; acacia; alpine]
- Tree: Full [55x52x70; acacia; alpine]
- Tree: Full [72x70x72; acacia; alpine]
- Tree: Full [60x70x94; acacia; alpine]
- Tree: Full [75x95x95; acacia; alpine]
natural> plants> ivy>
- Plant: Ivy [10x10; alpine]
- Plant: Ivy [20x20; alpine]
- Plant: Ivy [10x10; alpine; top]
- Plant: Ivy [20x10; alpine; top]
gameplay> shields> type> two-way>
- Shield: Two-Way [8x48]
- Shield: Two-Way [16x48]
- Shield: Two-Way [24x48]
- Shield: Two-Way [32x48]
- Shield: Two-Way [48x48]
- Shield: Two-Way [64x24]
- Shield: Two-Way [64x48]
gameplay> gravity-vols> type> invisible>
- Gravity Volume [8x8x16; invisible]
- Gravity Volume [16x16x32; invisible]
- Gravity Volume [32x32x64; invisible]
- Gravity Volume [64x64x128; invisible]
- Gravity Volume [128x128x256; invisible]
- Gravity Volume [128x256x128; invisible]
- Gravity Volume [256x256x256; invisible]
- gameplay> gravity-vols> type> visible>
- Gravity Volume [8x8x16; visible]
- Gravity Volume [16x16x32; visible]
- Gravity Volume [32x32x64; visible]
- Gravity Volume [64x64x128; visible]
- Gravity Volume [128x128x256; visible]
- Gravity Volume [128x256x128; visible]
- Gravity Volume [256x256x256; visible]
gameplay> shields> type> one-way>
- Shield: One-Way [8x24]
- Shield: One-Way [8x48]
- Shield: One-Way [16x24]
- Shield: One-Way [16x48]
- Shield: One-Way [24x24]
- Shield: One-Way [24x48]
- Shield: One-Way [32x24]
- Shield: One-Way [32x48]
- Shield: One-Way [48x24]
- Shield: One-Way [48x48]
- Shield: One-Way [64x24]
- Shield: One-Way [64x48]
gameplay> shields> type> emitters>
- Shield [3x3x24; emitter]
- Shield [3x3x48; emitter]
gameplay> shields> type> generators>
- Shield [4x4x48; generator]
gameplay> shields> type> corners>
- Shield [8x8x48; generator; corner]
structures> accents> doors>
- Accent: Door [2x14x17; forge]
- Accent: Door [2x14x17; torque]
primitives> rings>
- Ring: 16' [56x56x8; half]
- Ring: 16' [56x56x8; quarter]
- Ring: 16' [56x56x8; eighth]
- Ring: 16' [56x56x16; half]
- Ring: 16' [56x56x16; quarter]
- Ring: 16' [56x56x16; eighth]
- Ring: 16' [56x56x20; half]
- Ring: 16' [56x56x20; quarter]
- Ring: 16' [56x56x20; eighth]
- Ring: 16' [64x64x20; half]
- Ring: 16' [64x64x20; quarter]
- Ring: 16' [64x64x20; eighth]
natural> plants> grass>
- Plant: Grass [2x3; alpine]
- Plant: Grass [4x6; alpine]
- Plant: Grass [6x6; alpine]
natural> plants> bushes>
- Plant: Bush [4x4x3; alpine]
- Plant: Bush [8x8x6; alpine]
- Plant: Bush [8x8x8; alpine]
- Plant: Bush [16x16x16; alpine]
props> exploding>
- Fusion Barrel [Forerunner; 3x3x4; red; exploding]
- Fusion Barrel [Forerunner; 3x3x4; blue; exploding]
props> construction> canisters>
- Canister [8x2x4; stand]
- Canister [18x2x4; stand]
- Canister [9x46x9; single]
props> urban> vending>
- Soda Can [1x1x1.5; forge; a]
- Soda Can [1x1x1.5; forge; b]
props> holograms>
- Hologram [7x5x12; station; blue]
- Hologram [7x5x12; station; red]
extras> sounds> alarm>
- Sound: Alarm [small]
- Sound: Alarm [medium]
- Sound: Alarm [large]
extras> sounds> urban>
- Sound: Urban [traffic]
- Sound: Urban [construction]
extras> sounds> crowd>
- Sound: Crowd [walla]
- Sound: Crowd [cheer; small]
- Sound: Crowd [cheer; large]
- Sound: Crowd [cheer; chant]
- Sound: Crowd [boos]
extras> sounds> nature>
- Sound: Nature [ledge; debris]
- Sound: Nature [wind; gust]
- Sound: Nature [wood; groans]
- Sound: Nature [lava; small]
- Sound: Nature [lava; medium]
extras> sounds> water>
- Sound: Water [drips; slow]
- Sound: Water [drips; fast]
- Sound: Water [bubbles; thick]
- Sound: Water [bubbles; fast]
- Sound: Water [wall; light]
- Sound: Water [wall; heavy]
- Sound: Water [rain; window]
- Sound: Water [river; small]
- Sound: Water [river; medium]
- Sound: Water [river; large]
- Sound: Water [waterfall; small]
- Sound: Water [waterfall; medium]
- Sound: Water [waterfall; large]
- Sound: Water [waves; laps]
- Sound: Water [waves; ocean]
- Sound: Water [underwater]
extras> sounds> animals>
- Sound: Animal [cat; fight]
- Sound: Animal [piggy; grunts]
- Sound: Animal [piggy; startled]
- Sound: Animal [piggy; angry]
- Sound: Animal [whale; calls]
extras> sounds> covenant>
- Sound: Covenant [chant]
extras> sounds> horror>
- Sound: Horror [stinger]
- Sound: Horror [movements; forest]
- Sound: Horror [movements; cave]
- Sound: Horror [scream; distant]
- Sound: Horror [impacts; distant]
- Sound: Horror [ghost; moan]
- Sound: Horror [ghost; goofy]
extras> blockers> type> vehicle>
- Blocker: Vehicle [1x1]
- Blocker: Vehicle [1x2]
- Blocker: Vehicle [2x2]
- Blocker: Vehicle [2x4]
- Blocker: Vehicle [4x4]
- Blocker: Vehicle [4x8]
- Blocker: Vehicle [8x8]
- Blocker: Vehicle [8x16]
- Blocker: Vehicle [16x16]
- Blocker: Vehicle [16x32]
- Blocker: Vehicle [32x32]
- Blocker: Vehicle [32x64]
- Blocker: Vehicle [64x64]
- Blocker: Vehicle [64x128]
- Blocker: Vehicle [128x128]

Bug fixes, Tweaks, & Cleanup:

Fixed issues where objects would become almost completely black when placed under certain conditions
Fixed an issue that would prevent Forgers from being able to save a map until they restarted Halo 5: Guardians
Fixed a bug where objects would randomly rotate when opening the objects property menu
Objects moved via scripting will respect, “Reset Object Position” commands
Fixed bugs surrounding welding, especially when welding to animated machines (i.e. pistons)
Fixed Magnets for Wall 2x64x4 base variant
Fixed various object LOD (level of detail) issues

Grav volumes:

Fixed dimensions of some grav volumes that were intended to be wider than tall, and vice versa
Fixed magnets on some grav volumes
Grav volumes can no longer be selected from the top, making it easier pick up objects inside them
Fixed an issue with Phased/Fixed crates despawning incorrectly
Crates despawned via scripting now correctly respawn on “Respawn All Objects”
Locked objects can no longer be accidentally deleted
Fixed an issue that caused FX to stop working after the first round in round based game types
Fixed an issue where changes to a script’s properties wouldn’t take effect right after changing the script’s type
Fixed an issue where opening the object properties menu, rotation edit is applied and is incorrect
Added length, width, and height organization to Shields and Grav volumes to help organize the increased quantity of those objects
One-way and Two-way shields respawn time can now be adjusted with the respawn properties. NOTE: All previously placed shields will no longer respawn unless updated. To replicate original behavior, set respawn timer to 10 seconds (default)
All objects in props>exploding now do consistent damage when destroyed
Fixed an issue that caused weapons and power ups to block players when set to Phased or Fixed

Production notes[edit]

The Sharktooth grin weapon skin set and the Cyclops armor were promoted in the teaser for Ghosts of Meridian at the end of the Hammer Storm stream, however these items would be delayed until the Memories of Reach and Warzone Firefight updates respectively.