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Sync Time 11:37:35 | 10.16.15 C O N F I D E N T I A L
<< Halo 5: Guardians is officially out in public hands and releases on 27 October 2015. Tangible information outside of that revealed in official media is progressively being released through streams, and - inevitably upcoming - leaks. If you were looking to go dark, now is the time to do it. Spoiler tags are not required ITT. You have been warned. >>
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So, with H5G having gone gold, review copies being sent out and (allegedly) physical copies being in the wild, actual, factual spoilery information is going to start entering the scene. As of today (16 Oct. 2015) reviewers are allowed to stream Campaign missions 1, 2, 3, and 8 - Osiris, Blue Team, Glassed, and Swords of Sanghelios, respectively. Multiplayer coverage is coming next week. Regarding what we know so far, here's a comprehensive breakdown:
STREAMS
Nak3d_Eli
IGN Early Access
MULTIPLAYER
Most MP functionality isn't yet available due to the day one patch unlocking content; as-is, of the three major tabs in the main menu, Campaign is available while Multiplayer and the more enigmatic "Community" are in no way accessible. However, the launch Matchmaking hoppers have been revealed, which subsequently details our 21 launch maps. While roughly half are indeed Forge presets (most of which are Breakout maps), we have 8 Arena maps at launch as well as 6 Warzone maps - taking into account prior titles, this still outclasses just about every title following 3's launch lineup - note that, subtracting Forge presets, Reach launched with a whopping 9 maps total.
Playlists are also granted a little more specificity in the official Waypoint article, due to some formatting hiccups with the IGN's initial publishing of the article. Two particular controversies have been alleviated in this: Eden and Empire originally weren't said to be listed as maps in Team Slayer, though come launch they will, in fact, appear in the playlist. Likewise, there's only a single SWAT playlist featuring traditional SWAT and SWATnums (SWAT with exclusively Magnum starts), rather than one playlist per each.
THE STORY SO FAR...
Following the events of Halo 4 and later Halo: Escalation, Halo 5: Guardians takes place in the later half of October 2558. The UNSC's flagship juggernaut - or juggernaut flagship, in this case - the UNSC Infinity receives a transmission from the wanted criminal, technical genius and contracted SPARTAN Program handler Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey. Captain Thomas Lasky and SPARTAN-IV Commander Sarah Palmer jointly assemble a powerful ensemble of Spartan-IVs under the nomination "Fireteam Osiris" to perform a series of operations, starting with the live capture of Dr. Halsey. Fireteam Osiris consists of Spartan Jameson Locke, a freelancer assassin-gone-ONI acquisitions specialist tasked with leading the squadron; Spartan Holly Tanaka, a UNSC Army NCO (non-commissioned officer) Engineer whom joined the Spartan program upon evaluation of her survival on Minab, her home planet, ravaged by a Covenant orbital bombardment-induced nuclear winter; Spartan Olympia Vale, UNSC Navy and ONI polyglot, Sangheili-Human Relations liason and hyper-lethal record in combat simulacra; and Spartan Edward Buck, former Orbital Drop Shock Trooper upgraded to Spartan-IV following a bittersweet Forerunner Engineer (native "Huragok") acquisitions operation. Their ties prior to formation of the fireteam are tangential at best, but their combined skillsets and the clinical resolve of leader Agent Locke make them the best bet for recovering Dr. Halsey from the now-dwindling forces of Covenant splinter Supreme Leader, Jul 'Mdama.
Meanwhile, the SPARTAN-II Blue Team are reunited once more, consisting of Spartan John-117, field commander and close quarters combat expert Frederic-104, frightening pinpoint Sniper marksman specialist Linda-058, and the reflexively lightning-fast scout Kelly-087. While the four in their current Blue Team configuration have performed over two-hundred operations (over half of which were full campaigns), as of their latest reunion they've ran missions for the UNSC non-stop - and while most of Blue Team opts for downtime in times of necessity, John still mourns over the recent loss of sentient Smart-AI assistant and emotional crutch Cortana - and while still fighting-fit, has not allowed himself any time to recover in-between his seemingly never-ending array of accepted missions.
Blue Team has been tasked with recovering an ONI research station, the Argent Moon, which has been overrun with Jul's Covenant remnant forces. However, goings-on in Outer Colony space are presenting a grave threat to the integrity of the UNSC and greater Humanity as a whole - and with John a nearly broken man and Infinity's ONI spooks knowing more than it seems, the thread between John's dedication to duty and his capacity for alignment with the United Nations Space Command have begun to thin...
CAMPAIGN
Here's all the missions as we know them:
(All of Halo 5's launch achievements can be found at the official Waypoint article.)
KEY
#. Mission Title. Achievement for Completion. Playable Characters
"Mission description when available."
- Relevant achievement 1
- Relevant achievement 2
01. Osiris. Into the Fire. Osiris
"Fireteam Osiris is dispatched to find the UNSC's most wanted criminal: Doctor Catherine Elizabeth Halsey."
- Your Team Is Your Weapon: Command your Spartan fireteam.
- Enemy of My Enemy: Assist a Zealot charging a hill.
02. Blue Team. Argent Moon. Blue Team
"The Master Chief is reunited with his Spartan-II Blue Team for a routine investigation of the lost ONI research station Argent Moon."
- I Thought I'd Lost You: Skip the Hunters in the lab and encounter them in the hangar bay.
- On My Mark: Assassinate two Elites at once.
03. Glassed. Glasslands. Osiris
"Osiris must pursue Blue Team to a glassed world beyond UNSC jurisdiction."
- Going the Distance: Complete mission without entering vehicle.
- Shoot from the Hip: Complete mission without ADS.
04. Meridian Station. Roots of the Earth. Osiris*
"Osiris learns that Meridian Station harbors many secrets."
- No Relevant Achievements
*Based on mission description structure.
05. Unconfirmed. Stolen Gauntlet
- Waiting on You: Kill an enemy that's had its armor repaired.
- Maverick: In co-op, copilot a vehicle and score 30 kills between both occupants.
06. Evacuation. Escape
- Savior: Keep 6 Miners alive at the elevator on Heroic.
- Fire Drill: Complete in 18:00 on Heroic.
07. Reunion. Together Again
- Take a Hike: Traverse the canyon without a Phaeton on Heroic.
- No Witnesses: Destroy the Phantom at the Covenant camp on Heroic.
08. Swords of Sanghelios. Swords
- No Knock Raid: Destroy 10 walls or floors.
- Preying Mantis: Finish level in co-op with both Mantises intact.
09. Alliance.* Old Bones
- No Relevant Achievements
*Name gleaned from IGN stream.
10. Mission Title TBD. Breakthrough
- No Relevant Achievements
11. Enemy Lines. Stormbound. Osiris
"In order to activate the Guardian, Osiris must track down a Forerunner Constructor."
- Kracken Lackin: Complete without destroying a Kraken stationary turret.
- Emergency Boarding Procedures: Escape doomed Kraken by riding on a Spartan's Phaeton.
12. Battle of Sunaion. Civil War. Osiris
- Death from Above: Kill a Grunt and smash a grate using Ground Pound. (Concurrently?)
- Worms Don't Surf: Knock two Hunters into the ocean.
13. Mission Title TBD. Reclamation
- Tank Still Beats Everything: Complete mission without losing Scorpion.
- Rolling Thunder: Operate 4 different vehicles at once on Legendary.
14. The Breaking. A New Dawn
- Harbinger: Complete mission without the entire fireteam dying.
- Prison Break: Simultaneously kill two Wardens on Heroic.
15. Guardians. Sentinels
- Icy Cool: Ground Pound an exterior power core on Heroic.
- Double Stuff: Destroy two power cores at once on Heroic.
EXTRAS
Season 2 of HUNTtheTRUTH, the Soundcloud and Tumblr-hosted mixed-media audio drama, is currently in progress - and while Season 1 was a much more self-contained story, Season 2 lay much more closely to the heart of Halo 5's goings-on - and looks to continue concurrently into and beyond the happenings of the Halo 5 campaign...
Season 3 of The Sprint, a behind-the-scenes look into Halo 5: Guardians development is also underway; episodes 1 and 2 have already released, with episodes 3 and 4 releasing the 26th and episodes 5 and 6 releasing in mid-November.
Note that spoilers regarding the Extras will also go unmarked, due to their ties to the primary Halo 5: Guardians campaign.
By Rokklaggio Go To Postwtf i has outta was when this shit shat out your like 15??
Are you having a stroke?
By J-Twelve Go To PostAre you having a stroke?
Obligatory post for a new Halo thread.
So I've been looking for spoilers since the game went streetdate broken. How hard is it to find these damn things.
I think people are just saying that there are spoilers out there in the wild just to drum up the masses. I haven't seen one yet and I haven't been actively avoiding them the past couple days either. I mean, I'm sure there some big ones... Somewhere... But thankfully they don't seem to be getting spread around
By Ragnarok Flames Go To PostSo I've been looking for spoilers since the game went streetdate broken. How hard is it to find these damn things.
Street date never broke. Those pics from Imgur were a Target employee taking pictures of backroom inventory. Target's street date policing is far too strong.
I expect mom and pop shops to get their copies this week. Then it'll be out in the wild.
By GringoSuave89 Go To PostStreet date never broke. Those pics from Imgur were a Target employee taking pictures of backroom inventory. Target's street date policing is far too strong.Damn. I fully expect some Walmart somewhere to drop the monitor and go ahead and start selling it.
I expect mom and pop shops to get their copies this week. Then it'll be out in the wild.
I just read elsewhere that there are only three Blue Team missions.
Master Chief being phased out like whoa. I recall Frankie denying that a long time ago though.
Master Chief being phased out like whoa. I recall Frankie denying that a long time ago though.
He's not being phased out in a literal sense I don't think- he's becoming more of a legendary figure as he continues to follow the path to reclamation. 3 BT missions will definitely feel light on Chief airtime, but as long as they are meaningful and lore heavy chunks, I'm okay with it.
We'll probably see BT outside those three missions also, through the eyes of Osiris and cutscenes, etc.
The story is clearly revolving around Blue Team and what they are doing, but it'll just be more from Osiris's perspective looks like.
We'll probably see BT outside those three missions also, through the eyes of Osiris and cutscenes, etc.
The story is clearly revolving around Blue Team and what they are doing, but it'll just be more from Osiris's perspective looks like.
Nintendo didn't phase out Mario. What gives 343 the gall to think they can phase out master chief for Generic Mcboring
It really bothers me that 343 are forcing g us to play as osiris more missions than Blue Team.
Locke is kind of a cardboard take all the orders character.
Locke is kind of a cardboard take all the orders character.
By Ragnarok Flames Go To PostIt really bothers me that 343 are forcing g us to play as osiris more missions than Blue Team.
Locke is kind of a cardboard take all the orders character.
So was Chief, at one point. If anything, when Locke inevitably comes around in H5G, it's going to illustrate he wisened up to ONI's bullshit more quickly than someone who was more or less made into a war machine by them.
By Wahrer Go To PostSo was Chief, at one point. If anything, when Locke inevitably comes around in H5G, it's going to illustrate he wisened up to ONI's bullshit more quickly than someone who was more or less made into a war machine by them.If they couldn't do anything with Palmer writing wise, I'm not too excited. I really wanted to like palmer and I really want to like locke bug all we've seen is "follow orders" and "lifeboat rules".
Then again, if nylund wrote Locke or anyone wrote Locke like Sgt Johnson. I'd probably love him.
By Ragnarok Flames Go To PostIf they couldn't do anything with Palmer writing wise, I'm not too excited. I really wanted to like palmer and I really want to like locke bug all we've seen is "follow orders" and "lifeboat rules".
Then again, if nylund wrote Locke or anyone wrote Locke like Sgt Johnson. I'd probably love him.
I'd say Palmer was 343's attempt at Johnson more than Locke was. Locke strikes me as more of a Chief / Veronica Dare hybrid.
And to be fair, Escalation has done wonders for Palmer. Her dynamic with Halsey is actually pretty interesting, I'm looking forward to seeing the two face off in the last two issues.
By Ragnarok Flames Go To PostShit man, just write Locke like Roadblock from GI Joe: RetaliationJust write everybody like GI Joe, and everybody will be amazing.
This is true of everything.
From the cut scenes I have seen, Locke expresses a certain arrogance to him. He seems to have little patience. He cuts off people mid sentence or basically tells his team to shut up by saying "let the guns do the talking."
As much as I don't like that, at least he seems to have a personality lol
As much as I don't like that, at least he seems to have a personality lol
More personality than the Chief ever had in any of these games. Shouldn't have taken this long to get a playable character that isn't a faceless emotionless mute.
By Jay Eleven Go To PostMore personality than the Chief ever had in any of these games. Shouldn't have taken this long to get a playable character that isn't a faceless emotionless mute.We had the arbiter in Halo 2. Locke is garbage tier compared to the arbiter.
I read through Locke's mission briefing and through the dossiers of the two teams that came with the LCE, and I didn't spot anything spoilery through it.
Also, did anyone else notice Halsey's journal in the pre-opening cinematic during her voice-over? I thought was an awesome little nod, combined with Cortana's container used in the last bit of the game.
Also, did anyone else notice Halsey's journal in the pre-opening cinematic during her voice-over? I thought was an awesome little nod, combined with Cortana's container used in the last bit of the game.
By CRIMSONxSERAPH Go To PostI read through Locke's mission briefing and through the dossiers of the two teams that came with the LCE, and I didn't spot anything spoilery through it.
Also, did anyone else notice Halsey's journal in the pre-opening cinematic during her voice-over? I thought was an awesome little nod, combined with Cortana's container used in the last bit of the game.
Yep. I own the journal... Noticed it right away. It's the little things....
So, real spoilers. Anyone see the Gaf thread? THE POSSIBILITIES. I can see why they're already working on Halo 6
I saw on reddit something about Cortana gaining a full physical body and showing megalomaniacal tendencies like Halsey, using the Guardians to hold the galaxy hostage. It sounded like the whole "Master Chief is a traitor" thread was a marketing distraction from the real wackiness.
By Jay Eleven Go To PostI saw on reddit something about Cortana gaining a full physical body and showing megalomaniacal tendencies like Halsey, using the Guardians to hold the galaxy hostage. It sounded like the whole "Master Chief is a traitor" thread was a marketing distraction from the real wackiness.
P much
I think the story is bad. Like I thought it was better when it was Chief v Locke.
Now it's like " people couldn't understand Halo 4 without books, legs make a cliche dumbed down story so EVERYONE ca n understand. "
Now it's like " people couldn't understand Halo 4 without books, legs make a cliche dumbed down story so EVERYONE ca n understand. "
By Ragnarok Flames Go To PostI think the story is bad. Like I thought it was better when it was Chief v Locke.
Now it's like " people couldn't understand Halo 4 without books, legs make a cliche dumbed down story so EVERYONE ca n understand. "
I think the story could be good if Cortana uses her Halsey related nature as the reason for doing something morally wrong for the ends to justify the means. This would give greater context tied into the lore for her own motivations instead of an excuse plot for rogue AI.
theirs nothing i hate more then cliffhanger endings. their literally my biggest pet peeve in games/movies/etc. sounds basically like me2. game ends with large threat about to wipe out the galaxy.
By Ragnarok Flames Go To PostI think the story is bad. Like I thought it was better when it was Chief v Locke.
Now it's like " people couldn't understand Halo 4 without books, legs make a cliche dumbed down story so EVERYONE ca n understand. "
I don't see how you can make that judgement without having played the game and experienced the full story as presented in it's proper context.
Knowing your disposition, I realize this is a moot point and you'll go in wanting to not like it regardless.
By Lou Sassel Go To PostI don't see how you can make that judgement without having played the game and experienced the full story as presented in it's proper context.Because halo4 was bad and I think bryan Reed is a shite writer. But tell me how good everything 343 does, is.
Knowing your disposition, I realize this is a moot point and you'll go in wanting to not like it regardless.
My disposition doesn't mean shite, so step back from that.
They haven't released a good game yet. I'm aware of that.
Halo 5 seems promising though. My disposition allows me to not be completely cynical about every little thing about it before even experiencing the thing.
Halo 5 seems promising though. My disposition allows me to not be completely cynical about every little thing about it before even experiencing the thing.
I'm sure the story will be shit as always, but I've been watching some twitch streams and Arena looks sooo good
I mean I am cynical, I don't deny that. But this story end is just as tropey as MC is Jesus.
It's 'Faithful Companion/ AI buddy' dies saving 'Badass in robot suit' and returns as 'Ultimate Evil'
It's 'Faithful Companion/ AI buddy' dies saving 'Badass in robot suit' and returns as 'Ultimate Evil'
By Storm Go To PostSo it's evil Cortana instead of traitor vs government?Yep. But everyone playing is going to say its the bees knees and not tropy.
By Ragnarok Flames Go To PostSo, Tyler... Does the Legendary Ending change anything?It's Cortana humming while you see a Halo power on. Pretty hype setup for Halo 6
By a zoojoo Go To PostIt's Cortana humming while you see a Halo power on. Pretty hype setup for Halo 6People keep throwing g arou d the word hype. I just feel like the story is cliche. From what I've seen.
By Ragnarok Flames Go To PostPeople keep throwing g arou d the word hype. I just feel like the story is cliche. From what I've seen.I honestly like where they're going with the story but to each his own.
By Ragnarok Flames Go To PostPeople keep throwing g arou d the word hype. I just feel like the story is cliche. From what I've seen.
It's been done in Sci Fi before, but the fact thesee are characters we know and love changes things up considerably. Especially the hints of AI that join with Cortana. Saint's Testimony fit with Halo 5 pretty well. Funny that no one caught on.
Idk, I dig the ending. Chief and Co being stuck on a powerless Elite home world, Infinity being forced to stay on the run, it all changes things up in a way that's more exciting than another Human Civil War or The Adventures of Space Jesus John 117. Especially with how hard they leaned on the human on human conflict, I'm surprised more people aren't jazzed that the story isn't going in that direction. We dodged a bullet in that regard.
Would I use the word hype? Not yet, I haven't played the game. But I'm very excited to see how this changes everything. Hell, I'm actually a bit bummed now, knowing the next Halo game is another story in the past.