What’s in Week 2 of the Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta?

If you’re a proud Halo: The Master Chief Collection owner, you’re hopefully knee-deep in the ongoing Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta at this point. And if you’re not playing yet, the Multiplayer Beta runs through January 18, 2015 (PST), so jump in while you still can! 343 Industries is busily adding more and more content each week – and as the Multiplayer Beta heads into week 2 today, you can get your hands on some new weapons.

Week 2 brings back fan favorites like the Battle Rifle, Magnum, Designated Marksman Rifle (DMR), Energy Sword, Sniper Rifle and the Submachine Gun (SMG), plus the Light Rifle and the UNSC Hydra! And, just as exciting, you get four new maps – and one new gameplay mode – to try them all out in.

Tight corners and predictable routes make Regret a fantastic map for a straight-up fight; no hiding on this one! Holding the top floor of this jungle-themed map allows teams to lock down the bases where players tend to spawn. It’s a risky move, but grabbing the power weapon at Bottom Mid will give your team a significant advantage off the break. And on Eden, stay high to dominate your foes from the Top Catwalk and Red Nest. Pitched battles for the sniper rifle and energy sword off the initial spawn allow teams to control the pace of the match.

Inspired by competitive paintball fields, Crossfire shows off the awesome new Breakout mode, combining the cover-based combat of paintball with the verticality of Halo. Hold the map from the BR Tower, or slink your way through the trenches to flank your opponent. The House and Stage areas hold grenades to flush out opponents holed up in power positions. And finally, Trench is a focused combat environment that will test your Halo 5: Guardians team tactics. Focused fire is key to gaining an advantage on this map: After the first enemy player falls, teams can exploit crucial flanking paths that will give them the jump on remaining hostiles and allow them to avoid the open mid.

That’s a heck of a lot of new content – and we’ve got even more coming next week! Stay tuned to the Halo Channel for all the latest updates on Halo 5: Guardians and the rest of the ever-growing Halo universe, and enjoy your time in the Multiplayer Beta!