What’s in Week 3 of the Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta?

Next week marks the last leg of the ongoing Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta, which wraps up on Sunday, January 18 PST. As the third week of the beta dawns, 343 Industries is introducing the all-new Strongholds mode (playable on Regret and Empire), as well as Pegasus, the new map created with an early version of Forge customization tools and voted into the beta by fans this past week.

They’ve also loaded even more weapons – including the Sniper Rifle, Energy Sword and the legendary Prophet’s Bane making a return. Fan favorite the Rocket Launcher is also making its Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta debut!  And as with weeks past, you will still be able to battle it out in Slayer mode on Truth, and Breakout mode – which was introduced in week 2 – returns on the Crossfire and Trench maps.

Building off the strengths of team-based Slayer mode, Strongholds features three control zones placed around the map that your team will need to control in order to dominate the enemy. But take note! Only the team that controls two Stronghold zones can score points: the first team to score 100 points, wins the match. Try to control all three zones and you’ll be spread too thin, so your team will need to strategize and stick together to hold the combination of two Strongholds that establish map control!

Pegasus, the winner of the fan vote over Orion, features long sightlines, perfect for marksman weapons. Holding down the raised area with the Sniper Rifle, Rocket Launcher or Light Rifle gives a team excellent presence, and the ability to lock down huge swathes of the map. However, this spot is vulnerable to grenades and flanking routes that the opposing team should use to retake the high ground.

We hope you continue to enjoy your time in the multiplayer beta. As always, stay tuned to the Halo Channel for all the latest Halo 5: Guardians updates – and keep an eye on Xbox Wire for more updates as we move ever closer to the Halo 5: Guardians release later this year!