14 DAY TRIAL // Halo 5: Guardians aims to revolutionize the multiplayer experience of the series by introducing a big new Warzone mode, which allows teams of 12 players to do battle on the biggest maps that the franchise has ever offered.
And the development team at 343 Industries admits that some of the mechanics of the experience are similar and were inspired to some extent by the very popular Multiplayer Online Battle Arena genre and its top representatives, DOTA 2 and League of Legends.
In an interview with GamesonNet, Kevin Franklin, who is the multiplayer design director for Halo 5: Guardians, explains that, "What we started off really early with was the AI bosses, they took a little while to come together, but you could definitely make parallels with MOBAs there which we’re not shying away from."
In Warzone, the teams will need to try and destroy each other's base or simply dominate each other on the battlefield, but they will also have to deal with a number of Artificial Intelligence controlled enemies with various levels of power.
Apparently, at one point 343 Industries even considered the possibility of adding Marines for each side that would attack the other base independently, but the idea could not be justified inside the lore of the franchise.
Halo 5: Guardians also delivers Arena for more competitive gamers
Warzone is a big draw because it mixes two types of experiences and is entirely new for the coming title but the studio is also working on Arena, which offers core concepts designed to appeal to those who want more classic multiplayer action.
Halo 5: Guardians will also feature Capture the Flag on launch, with mechanics inspired by the best previous titles in the series, and there are plans to add Big Team Battle, with its own set of maps, during the first few weeks after launch.
343 Industries is tweaking the abilities of Spartans in the new shooter in order to create a more dynamic experience and to encourage players to constantly change their tactics to suit the situation and the enemies they are facing.
Halo 5: Guardians will be offered only on the Xbox One and can be played starting on October 27.