Halo 5: Guardians

"The quest of the hunter and the hunted has begun."

- Official summary

Halo 5: Guardians is the upcoming ninth installment in the Halo franchise. It is the second game in the Reclaimer Saga and continues the story of the Master Chief. Originally alluded to in a teaser trailer shown at Microsoft's E3 Media Briefing on June 10, 2013, Guardians was officially announced on May 16, 2014. Exclusive to the Xbox One, the game is in development and is set to be released in fall 2015, with the first major coverage of the game unveiled at E3 2014.

Development
What would later be revealed as Halo 5: Guardians was first revealed with a teaser released on June 10, 2013 during that year's Electronic Entertainment Expo. The trailer indicated that a major Halo release would occur for the Xbox One console in 2014, leading many to believe that this particular game would be the next entry in the Reclaimer Saga and the sequel to Halo 4. However, Microsoft stressed the trailer's phrasing that 2014 would mark the beginning of a "journey", with the implication that this may not mean the release of the then still officially unannounced Halo 5.

Halo 5: Guardians was formally announced on May 16, 2014 by 343 Industries General Manager Bonnie Ross. Ross describes Halo 5: Guardians as a bigger effort than the preceding Halo 4 in terms of the content and scope of the game as well as the technology underpinning it. The game's engine is said to have been completely retooled to take full advantage of the Xbox One's hardware and ecosystem; according to Frank O'Connor, the engine is all-new apart from a number of core features retained from the previous one. Ross states that Halo 5 will incorporate lessons the 343 Industries team learned from Halo 4 with regard to technology, performance, aesthetics, and scale in response to feedback received from the fan community. She also mentioned that the game will run at 60 frames per second and will feature dedicated servers.

In E3 2014, 343 Industries' statements about a "journey" beginning in the fall of 2014 were revealed to be referring to a multimedia project dubbed Halo: The Journey by 343 Industries, set to begin with the release of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, containing remastered "Anniversary" editions of Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, as well as high-resolution versions of Halo 3 and Halo 4. Additionally, it was announced that a multiplayer beta of Guardians is set to be released on December 29, 2014. Exclusive unlockable content for the beta is to be available via The Master Chief Collection and the digital series Halo: Nightfall.

Since the development of Halo 4, the 343 Industries team has undergone several internal changes. Nicolas "Sparth" Bouvier has replaced Kenneth Scott as senior art director, although Scott has been stated to continue serving in an advisory role. Josh Holmes has also been replaced by Tim Longo (known for his previous work on Star Wars: Republic Commando and the 2013 Tomb Raider reboot) as creative director. Christopher Schlerf has been supplanted by Brian Reed as Halo franchise lead writer after Schlerf's departure from 343 Industries. Most of the game's soundtrack is to be composed by Kazuma Jinnouchi, replacing Halo 4 ' s Neil Davidge as the principal composer.

Synopsis
"Peace is shattered when colony worlds are unexpectedly attacked. And when humanity’s greatest hero goes missing, Spartan Locke is tasked with hunting the Master Chief and solving a mystery that threatens the entire galaxy."

- Official summary

Story and characters
The primary protagonist of the Halo series, SPARTAN-II supersoldier Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, returns in Halo 5: Guardians following the end of Halo 4. It has been noted that John has begun to question all of his former beliefs and has disappeared following events further detailed in "The Next 72 Hours", a story arc of the comic series Halo: Escalation. New cinematics and terminals in The Master Chief Collection will likewise link to the story of Guardians. In media released so far, the Master Chief's modified Mark VI MJOLNIR armor is seemingly unchanged from Halo 4. In the initial teaser trailer, the Master Chief is shown wearing a hooded cloak with his armor having suffered considerable damage. He is seen in the possession of an empty data crystal chip on a chain, alluding to his loss of Cortana at the end of Halo 4.

Halo 5: Guardians also features another playable character, Agent Locke, a "legendary manhunter" on a mission to find the Master Chief after several colonies are unexpectedly attacked. Locke is introduced in Ridley Scott's digital series Halo: Nightfall, which will have narrative connections to Halo 5. Although he will be a prominent character, Locke will not be replacing John-117 as the protagonist. Locke was first shown in promotional artwork unveiled with the game's formal announcement, wearing what appears to be MJOLNIR [GEN2] armor with a dark coloration and an Office of Naval Intelligence symbol emblazoned on the chest.

Frank O'Connor has also stated that the game will feature "plenty of strong female characters".

Locations
Several visually diverse locations have been shown in media released so far. The 2013 teaser trailer shows a desolate, deserted location as the setting of John-117's encounter with an enormous Forerunner machine somewhat evocative of descriptions of a war sphinx or seeker from The Forerunner Saga. A piece of concept art by Sparth depicts a human urban settlement in a mountainous location, with the hovering overhead. D79-TC Pelicans and other craft are seen flying nearby. Another concept piece by Sparth, unveiled with the game's formal announcement, depicts a cavern with several structures of an alien design with a statue of a Sangheili and what appear to be two suns are seen looming in the sky. The background of the preliminary box artwork shows an arid location with angular, towering vertical structures. While the background of the wallpaper version is similar in mood and lighting, the structures are different, including a dish-like structure and a cupola similar to those seen in the concept with the Sangheili statue.

Appearances
Note: all subjects below are listed tentatively based on their appearance in media released so far; as such, the following does not reflect the full feature list of the final game.

Gameplay
In Halo 5: Guardians, armor abilities are replaced by a new set of gameplay enhancements known as Spartan abilities, which are available to all players at any time. There is an increased focus on player mobility; players can now use the thruster pack (which allows omnidirectional movement) at all times, vault ledges, rapidly dash for cover or charge an enemy, or generate a shockwave by striking the ground. The sprint function is still present but the player's shields do not recharge while sprinting. Additionally, the charge and slide abilities are executed as sprint reaches terminal velocity. A new feature called the "smart scope" allows players to aim down the weapon's sights in a manner similar to many other modern shooters, although with non-scope weapons this is purely a cosmetic effect and provides little to no actual accuracy enhancement; 343 Industries will use the Multiplayer Beta to gauge the effects of this feature on the game's gameplay balance. The heads-up display once again allows the player to see what other weapon they have but are not currently using, a feature that had been removed in Halo 4. Additionally, Halo 5: Guardians will support up to two players on splitscreen.

Multiplayer
With Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer, 343 Industries seeks to highlight the "arena shooter" aspects of classic Halo multiplayer gameplay. The unlockable custom loadouts and killstreak rewards present in Halo 4 will be disposed of in favor of a "level playing field"; all players will start with identical equipment as in the pre-Halo: Reach games, with a focus on controlling weapons present on the map. The new Spartan abilities also play a large role in the multiplayer; the thruster pack in particular increases player mobility significantly. Another new feature is battle-chatter, automatic dialog among the team in which Spartans call out enemy locations and kills. The multiplayer also includes the name of the segment of the map that the player is currently in being displayed near the motion sensor as in Halo 2 Anniversary and Halo: Reach. When a team wins a match the SPARTAN-IVs on said team will congratulate each other while the losing team's Spartans will only clap.

In addition to the staple UNSC and Covenant weapons, the Forerunner Z-250 lightrifle, introduced in Halo 4, returns in Halo 5. A number of new weapons have been added to the multiplayer sandbox, among them unique weapons including the Truth exclusive power weapon Arbiter's personal energy sword, Prophets' Bane. Other new weapons include the Hydra multi launch missile launcher, and a new model of the rocket launcher.

The Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta will be used to gather data and feedback on the new multiplayer model as well as some of the new features. The beta will feature two new multiplayer modes: Breakout, in which two teams are thrown into a training arena via man cannons and each player has only a single life with no respawns; and Strongholds, in which two teams will control moving territories.

The game's ranking system is similar to Halo 4's dual-ranking system composed of a progression-based rank and a competitive skill rank based on wins and losses.
 * Multiplayer maps
 * Crossfire – A dedicated map used in the Breakout mode in the beta, set in an orbital UNSC training arena with a holographic floor.
 * Eden – A nighttime human urban themed map.
 * Empire – A daytime remake of Eden.
 * Orion – A Forge map.
 * Pegasus – A Forge map.
 * Regret – A multiplayer map based on one of the Arbiter's ships that crashed on a Halo ring after a space battle.
 * Trench – Dedicated to the game mode Breakout.
 * Truth – A remake of the Halo 2 map Midship.

E3 2013 teaser
In their E3 2013 conference, Microsoft showed a teaser trailer intended to showcase the future direction of the Halo franchise on the Xbox One. Rather than announcing Halo 5 in particular, the trailer announced the presence of the Halo franchise on the new console, set to debut in 2014 with a then-unspecified Halo title.

The teaser opens with a hooded figure journeying through a desert on an alien world. The figure, revealed to be John-117 clad in battered MJOLNIR armor, clutches Cortana's empty data crystal chip as he encounters an enormous Forerunner machine rising from the sand.

Multiplayer Beta teaser
First shown during Microsoft's E3 2014 press conference, this announcement trailer unveils the Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta. It depicts Blue and Red teams of SPARTAN-IVs in War Games training aboard a dedicated space station.

Multiplayer Beta First Look
First shown during Microsoft's Gamescom 2014, this trailer presents the first details of the Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta available in Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

Multiplayer Beta: Behind the Scenes
A Behind The Scenes feature released on November 10, 2014, detailing the new features and development of the Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer beta.

The Sprint
The Sprint is a six-part digital series which presents the development of the Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta.

Multiplayer Beta Trailer
The trailer was revealed in December 18, 2014, and presents new gameplay of several weapons, game modes and maps.

Editions
On December 28, 2014, Microsoft announced three editions of Halo 5: Guardians that are available for preorder.

Standard Edition -- Available for $59.99 USD. Additionally, a poster is available for those that preorder.

Limited Edition -- Available for $99.99 USD, also includes digital content, exclusive items, and is packaged in a steel case.

Limited Collector's Edition -- Available for $249.99 USD, the Limited Collector's Edition is the most prestigious edition of the game. Not only will it include all bonuses given to the Limited Edition, but it will also offer a commemorative numbered statue, designed by 343 Industries. More details on the Limited Collector's Edition will be shared at a later date.