Halo 5's Next Free Update Detailed

By L.Reuter 30 April 2016

343 Industries has shared new details about Memories of Reach, Halo 5's next free update. In the developer's latest weekly update, 343 started off by saying Memories of Reach won't be out until the week after next, meaning sometime the week of May 9. "We'll continue to keep you updated on specific timing as we get closer to release and all final work is completed, tested, and ready to go out the door," it said.

One of the biggest draws of Memories of Reach is the new Infection mode. According to 343, it's now receiving "final tweaks and polish," and is nearly finished. The developer also shared some specifics about the mode and how it plays. Here are the details, written by 343:

• Total player count: 12
• Number of rounds: 4
• Round time limit: 3 minutes each
• New Custom Game option: "Last Squad Standing"
• Spartans have all Spartan abilities
• Infected have Thrust, Smart Scope, Stabilize

There will be 18 medals to collect in Infection, including things like Zombie Hunter, Zombie Slayer, and Hell's Janitor, among others. You can see images of all of these medals here on Halo Waypoint.

Also in the blog post, 343 shared a preview image of the Memories of Reach Req lineup. As you can see, a new Arena map called Stasis is coming to Halo 5 with the update, along with the aforementioned Infection mode. The Brute Plasma pistol is also on the way, as well as new weapon skins and armor. The full Req lineup will be announced sometime next week; check back soon for more.

Additionally, Halo 5's Memories of Reach update will introduce Req weapon balance changes with the aim of bringing their effectiveness "closer in line" for both Warzone and Arena. More than a dozen weapon variants are being changed "to have a more appropriate effectiveness."

Source:  Gamespot