Back in 2014, Halo: The Master Chief Collection suffered quite the horrific launch. Complaints were aplenty across platforms such as Halo Waypoint, Reddit, and just about everywhere else on the internet where you could type “Sort it out, Halo!” as players waited hours on end for a single game to start, if they could connect at all. So when last year’s Halo 5: Guardians came around, a seamless launch of online gameplay seemed like nothing more than a pipe dream, with fears that history would repeat itself from the year previous. Yet not only did Halo 5 release with far less issues than the collective MCC of 2014, it brought an array of content that would change the way we approached Halo completely.
Unlike the sandbox style of say Battlefield in terms of online map size, Halo tended to stick to more enclosed arenas as Spartans hopped around maps blasting each other to smithereens.. Though Halo 5: Guardians maintains the usual multiplayer modes of SWAT, Slayer, and the new, yet stylistically familiar Breakout, the game expanded far beyond the confines of these standard modes with a big team battle mode known as Warzone.
And Warzone is BIG. With two teams of 12 and a bunch of AI-controlled enemies to boot, players clamored for control points while scaling large maps, and also indulging in the new REQ system, a feature in card form that rewarded players depending on how much time they spent playing the game. So needless to say, Halo 5 was doing a stand up job overall as an online shooter, regardless of whether you had indulged in the series before or not. Yet at its core, Halo 5 was ultimately still an online shooter, in an industry saturated by games of a similar nature. With the likes of the previously mentioned Battlefield, Call of Duty. and Titanfall all releasing new entries this year, how does Halo attempt to stay up top with the big boys a year later?
Enter Anvil’s Legacy. The ninth free update is now available for Halo 5: Guardians, and its a big one. It is the most feature-filled addition to date, and marks an exciting new chapter to the franchise. Here’s a list of its features and how it manages to keep Halo 5 fresh a year on amongst massive online shooter releases.
Forge coming to PC
Originally releasing back in Halo 3, Forge was a concept that allowed players to let their creative juices flow through customizing, sharing and saving maps to use in custom games. Acting as map variants of sorts, Forge served to let fans make tweaks desired to the gameplay and surrounding environment. Community members have created memorable custom games using Forge, such as a life size version of Jenga, a rendition of Rocket League using Ghost vehicles, and even shooting your way out of a giant toilet. This particular mode had eluded PC gamers up until now, as the Anvil’s Legacy update brings Forge mode to Windows 10 PC.
Having been announced back in May, Forge has finally arrived on the PC platform. The level-creation mode comes with full support for mouse and keyboard, with object manipulation and placement and high 4K resolution displays. Creators will then be able to download created levels on both PC and Xbox One platforms. This is a major boost for the Halo 5 game and the franchise itself, opening the door for new possibilities between the two platforms, which is also aided by the new content browser between the two.
Anvil’s Legacy adds a simple method for Xbox One players to access Forge-created content using the content browser, bridging the gap between PC and console to access each others content regardless of which one it was created on. For further added convenience, Anvil’s Legacy introduces the new Halo App, allowing Windows 10 users to launch into their Halo collection of games, as well as gaining access to the latest news and videos in the Halo universe. The best way to sum up the importance of this latest update is that bringing two opposing platforms together like never before.
New Maps at your Mercy
One of the best ways to keeping multiplayer shooters fresh and relevant? Yep, you guessed it…new maps! What feels special about the Anvil’s Legacy update is that major parts of it feel like a fan service, and one map in particular will be very familiar to fans. The recreation of one of Halo 4’s beloved maps, Mercy, makes its way into Halo 5 with the latest update, thriving in game modes such as Slayer and Strongholds. This haven map features a fresh new art style, debuting the Halo 2 Beam Rifle located near an open ramp somewhere on the side of the map. Nostalgic feels, indeed.
A new Warzone Assault map has also been introduced, called Temple. Providing a mix of higher advantageous ground and structured ruins, Temple is an expansive area that will provide cover for both attackers and defenders, so choose your tactics wisely. New content like this, and free content at that, gives the game a lift that keeps it fresh amongst the upcoming competition, whether its something new for veteran players to experience, or giving those unsure about the game’s direction in terms of additional content more of an idea of what Halo 5 is all about. Its important for games to revitalize themselves even after a short while, and the new maps from Anvil’s Legacy take a big step towards that.
Getting REQ’d with New Weapons and Skins
As discussed earlier, Halo 5: Guardians introduced a new card-based system known as the REQ system, which I’m sure most of you are familiar with by now. And this addition from the update serves the same purpose as the new maps do. It gives the game something a little bit extra, and although adding new weaponry and skin packs isn’t something that’s new to game updates in general, its something else to add to the growing list of new content that Anvil’s Legacy provides.
New REQ items feature weapons including the ultra-rare Gunfighter Magnum, The Landgrave Magnum and The Landgrave BR. As well as sound dampener attachments to increase accuracy and range, the update also adds new skin sets to fan favorite armor outfits, amongst other desirable REQ based goodies.
Coupling this with new maps is something that gives Halo 5: Guardians’ online mode even further replayability than it had before. Following eight previous free updates, its surprising to see just how much Anvil’s Legacy has added, not just intent on breaking new ground between platforms but on a gameplay level also.
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