14 DAY TRIAL // The third season of Killer Instinct is coming this year, and one of the big reveals delivered by the teams at Iron Galaxy and Microsoft is that the Arbiter, well known from the Halo franchise, would be a playable character that will offer a unique experience for fans of both franchises.
On the new official site update, 343 Industries explains that there's a deep array of lore to draw from when it comes to the creation of the fighter, but that he is not the same one seen in the shooter series.
Frank O'Connor, who leads the development of Halo, explains that much inspiration is linked to the Hall of Arbiters concept, which shows multiple takes on the same idea, and adds, "So our KI Arbiter is in some ways an amalgam of Arbiters past, as well as more modern Sangheili warriors. And further, like Spartan Nicole-458 from Dead or Alive 4, it helped to insert a subtle canonical buffer between their game and ours, so that players aren’t scratching their heads when the Covenant’s historical champion is fighting a Battletoad in Chicago..."
The Arbiter featured in the fighting game will use the T-51 Carbine for ranged attacks and players can choose between the Prophet's Bane or the energy sword when moving in for close range strikes.
The default look for the character in Killer Instinct will mimic that of Thel ‘Vadam from Halo 5: Guardians, with unlockable color options, and the classic Halo 2 Arbiter is also featured, along with variations for his combat harness.
The Arbiter will feature moves inspired by the Halo series
Killer Instinct aims to offer a solid fighting game experience both for long-term fans of the genre and for those who are exploring it for the first time, and the developers at Iron Galaxy have worked with 343 Industries to create an engaging series of moves for the new character.
The full list is not yet offered, but the two companies are willing to reveal that the carbine has six shots, each featuring three rounds, that use radioactive bullets and can be complemented with plasma grenades, three at the start of the match, that can damage both combatants.
A throw, ender or command throw gives the Arbiter a chance to fire his carbine to deal extra damage.
The character will also have a unique stage in Killer Instinct, called Arena of Judgment, which is located near the ruins of Nuusra, showing off both the long history of the position and including some interesting Easter Eggs linked to the rest of the Halo universe.
More reveals about the Arbiter will come at the finals of the Halo 5: Guardians World Championship, which will take place between March 18 and 20, with 16 of the best teams in the world competing to take home a one-million-dollar (820,000 Euro) first-place prize.
The third season of Killer Instinct will be launched before the end of March, and the development teams promise improvements when it comes to both the engine and the behavior of fighters.
