• News

Halo 5: Guardians drops the 'Hammer Storm' today; teases the return of Firefight

Halo 5: Guardians shows some balls with today's Hammer Storm update and the return of three classic ball-based multiplayer modes. Meanwhile, fans of Halo: Reach have a reason to rejoice, as it looks like one of its most beloved game modes is primed to make a comeback.

Ozzie Mejia

February 24, 2016 11:13 AM

2

Halo 5: Guardians is moving forward to the next part of its post-launch support road map, one that was briefly teased earlier this month. The latest update, titled 'Hammer Storm,' is now live and it introduces a couple of new game modes, along with some other new content.

The key parts of this update include some new game modes, mainly the Grifball, Assault, and Fiesta game modes that were originally teased a few weeks ago. These new modes all center around balls and ball-based objectives. To help players bat the ball (and a few enemy Spartans) around, this update will also include the Gravity Hammer as a new melee weapon. Not only can the ball (and players' faces) be whacked, but it's also capable of doling out an area-of-effect energy wave.

Other new content includes the all-new Torque map for Arena. This is a vast courtyard filled with large pistons that can provide cover or help with moving across the map, making it an ideal setting for Capture the Flag and Assault sessions. Halo: Combat Evolved players will be please to see the classic Pistol make its return, complete with original headshot animation. Finally, those building new creations in Forge mode can now use the ball from the new ball-based modes as an item for their new maps.

This update also teases the return of the fan-favorite Firefight mode from Halo: Reach, in which 343 reimagines it to create Warzone Firefight. Just like in Reach, Warzone Firefight will pit multiple player-controlled Spartans against hostile forces in intense PvE action. No word on when Warzone Firefight will debut, but it's likely expected for next month's update.

There are also several bug fixes and balance changes, so to find a full list of those, visit Halo Waypoint. To get a close look at the free Hammer Storm update, check out the video below.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?