Halo 5: Guardians’ debut multiplayer mode, Warzone, has been the highlight of recent gameplay demonstrations after its reveal at E3. Bringing together a mix of PvP and PvE gameplay, Warzone looks as if it’s a blend of almost every gameplay element that goes into Halo. That’s not all though – 343 Industries recently hinted that there may be multiple variants of Warzone, including an Attack/Defend variant similar to Halo: Reach‘s Invasion mode, and an AI-only mode reminiscent of Halo: Reach‘s Firefight.
What makes Warzone special is that a blend of player-versus-player-versus AI in large-scale battles, complete with ground and air vehicular combat, has never been attempted in a previous Halo title. The scale of it is simply enourmas. The only game modes that come close are Invasion and Firefight, two incredibly popular game modes from Halo: Reach and Halo: ODST, respectively.
Considering that both game modes are absent in Halo 4, many longtime fans of the series have pushed for their return.
Taking to NeoGaf, 343 Industries’ Executive Producer Josh Holmes gave fans of Invasion something to look forward to in Halo 5: Guardians, stating that they’re currently developing a Base Assault attack/defend Warzone variant focused solely on PvP.
Here’s the full quote (emphasis added):
“We’ve talked about this here at E3 so I expect it will come out in the press coverage over the next couple of days. For Warzone we have two different variants planned:
1. The core mode, which is focused on the combination of 12v12 player-versus-player action, base capture and AI-controlled combatants (including bosses). This is what we are demoing and is playable here on the E3 show floor.
2. A Base Assault attack/defend scenario in which one team is attempting to defend each base on a map and the other is pressing to capture the base and push them back in timed phases. The defenders are attempting to hold the base until time runs out. As the attackers manage to capture each base, they force the defenders back and extend time until they are assaulting the Home Base of the defending team and trying to destroy their core. This variant focuses solely on PvP without AI adversaries.
The mode plays differently depending on the variant. In addition, we are working on a more classic BTB experience with timed weapon and vehicle spawns, and this will be introduced shortly after launch with a number of maps specifically optimized for BTB”
Holmes also added during a Community Update on Halo Waypoint that, while no support is currently planned, 343 Industries will look into adding a Firefight-style variant post-launch if there is enough demand.
“We have no plans for a PvE-only version of Warzone,” he said, when asked if they were building a PvE variant. “But this is something we may consider post-launch if there is enough enthusiasm from the Halo 5 community.”
Invasion was a community favorite when it debuted in Halo: Reach, so it’s great to see that 343 Industries is somewhat bringing it back in Halo 5: Guardians. If there is enough fan-demand, and a Firefight-style PvE-only Warzone mode is released, then Halo 5: Guardians may have the most robust multiplayer offering in the series’ history.
Holmes also reaffirmed above that Big Team Battle, a Halo classic, will be added post-launch.