14 DAY TRIAL // A new Infinity Armory content update is set to arrive for free for Halo 5: Guardians before the end of next week, and the development team at 343 Industries and publisher Microsoft have already offered plenty of information about the coming new maps and other items that gamers will get access to.
A new official site update is focused more on the lore that underpins the coming content and explains how much of it has been created.
343 Industries offers quick information about the Riptide and the Urban maps that are part of the Infinity Armory update and explains that the new Mark V Alpha armor comes with integrated shield emitters and with enough computing power for a Smart AI.
But the biggest draw of the official site lore-driven article is the way it explores the system that's being used to create the various Mjolnir armor versions that are part of the downloadable content for Halo 5: Guardians.
One of the big draws of the Infinity Armory update is the Achilles equipment, and 343 Industries explains that it is putting in a lot of effort to make sure that it delivers as much lore as possible in the space of the 240-word description associated with it.
The explored themes include the evolution of armor tech and manufacturing, the way augmentation techniques and neural interfaces are becoming standard among the population, factions that develop inside the human military forces, the impact of alien, including Forerunner, discoveries.
The new armor is only offered to those who are part of a Spartan Company
343 Industries states the Achilles required more effort than other items, adding, "As there was freedom to be a little poetic due to the marquee quality of Achilles I ramped up the symbolism, paralleling the tactical advantages of inducing a berserker battle focus with that of the mythical Achilles himself – a peerless killing machine who’s pride and accursed rage brought only grief to everyone he encountered."
Even the name is the result of a complex process, which takes into account potential risk associated with each choice, approval by the leadership of 343 Industries and a synergy with descriptions and in-game use.
Gamers who want to get the Achilles and the associated helmet will have to reach certain targets while playing Halo 5: Guardians as part of one of the Spartan companies.
Infinity Armory is also offering a wide range of other REQ cards, which gamers can get via gameplay or by using real world money to get packs from the official store.
343 Industries has not offered any details about the kinds of gameplay changes that it might make in the patch associated with Infinity Armory, and no official date is mentioned at the moment.
Halo 5: Guardians will continue to get content for free all through 2016, and the company is also preparing for the World Championship for the title, which will take place during March of this year.
There are currently no plans to deliver any single-player DLC for the game and the future of Master Chief will be explored in the coming title in the franchise and associated novels and comic books.