Halo 5: beginners tips for dominating Warzone

Halo 5: beginners tips for dominating Warzon

One of the most satisfying things you can do in Halo 5: Guardians is win a Warzone match. Similar to Arena, it's full of close games - if you know what you're doing.

Unlike Arena, however, it's full of floating symbols and things to do, and your objective isn't always clear. Fear not, we have a few essential tips for anyone looking for the right way to enjoy this mode.

Read on to win.

Pay attention to the HUD to see everything at a glance

This may sound like shooters 101, but in Warzone, there’s quite a bit going on than your average multiplayer shooter.

There are three key elements you need to be aware of. First, look over to see which team holds what bases. All maps have three bases each. Now, take a closer look to see if any of them are flashing. If a base bears your team’s colours and it’s flashing, the enemy is trying to capture it.

One thing to note, the icon showing your progress when you’re trying to capture one of your enemy’s bases only fills up once, unlike games like Battlefield where you have to neutralise the point first, then capture it.

Finally, make sure you know which enemy bosses are where, and if it’s a better decision to engage them over recapturing a lost base. Sometimes these enemies will continue to spawn after getting killed and the game will show a countdown timer next to their HUD icons indicating their next spawn.

You can choose your spawn point if your team holds more than one base

This is something I didn't realise even after a few rounds; clicking up or down on the D-pad changes your spawn point. You spawn at your home base by default, which is a pain in mid and late-game.

You can spawn at any of the bases your team holds, even if it’s being contested.

Unfortunately, the spawn screen is not very good at telling you where you’re most needed, so you’ll need to take a minute to check the live feed and see if a base is being raided.

REQ stations replenish your ammo

As soon as you establish a home base, run up to a requisition (REQ) station to refill all your ammo. Get in the habit of running up to one every time you spawn. 90 percent of the time they’re only a few steps a way.

They won’t replenish your grenades, but both your primaries will be full, and trust me, you need all the ammo you can get in Warzone.

Worth noting, too, that you don’t spawn with full ammo, making this even more crucial for lasting longer out there.

Don’t be afraid to use the Smart-Link (aim-down-sights)

This being Halo, you’re always at a disadvantage when you aim-down-sights. Whether it’s a scope, or the new mode introduced in Halo 5 (called Smart-Link), you won't gain any accuracy and will lose valuable peripheral vision.

All that being said, Warzone is a little bit different. The key difference is that you’ll be engaging enemies at double the distance of regular Arena maps. Meaning you’ll need to see where your shots are landing, even if just to get a bead on someone.

Remember that you always get de-scoped when you’re hit, so you won’t be able to camp.

Just ADS for a second, then continue firing from the hip. If you’re getting shot from long range, it’s likely that person is using the Smart-Link.

Make sure you kill all AI enemies at the start

You will not believe how confused people get when they drop from Pelicans at the start of a Warzone round. They shoot the AI soldiers waiting outside then head on to capture their home, only to stumble and not know what to do next.

It’s pretty simple, really. Just get rid of all the enemy combatants and the base will become available as a spawn point. Enemy AI only shows up inside basses when you’re the first on the scene, which is obviously the case for your home base when the game starts.

Don’t head out until you hear the announcer says “home base secured.” There's also a counter at the top telling you how many of them are left.

Don’t turtle, use up those energy points

Every time you score kills or complete objectives in Warzone, you gain energy – signified by the green hexagons at the bottom of your screen.

This energy can be spent either at your spawn screen (by hitting Y), or through various REQ stations scattered around all bases. The more lethal the weapon or vehicle you want to spawn in, the more energy it will cost.

Energy is recharged as you play the round normally, so don’t save everything. It’s always a good idea to dispense a Mongoose to rush bases or objectives early in the round. The same can be said for other cheap items like early power weapons, or the various boosts (speed, shield, etc).

Some of these will be unattainable, even if you have enough energy. That’s because they’re late-game toys that unlock after reaching REQ level 5 or 6. You’ll know you've reached this level when the announcer says so.

Some objectives matter more than bases

The nature of Warzone is that you’re constantly at war with the other team, as well as enemy bosses that spawn around the map throughout the round.

Capturing bases, even if you have all three, doesn't get you to the win fast enough. In fact, if you hold all three bases and your enemy is wiping bosses as they spawn, you’ll likely lose.

These bosses could be anything from Covie Hunters or Scorpion tank units, to Promethean Knights or Wardens. Each has different point values associated with it that go to whichever team gets the kill.

These points go directly to your total pool, and will push you up considerably and may just be the thing to help you win – for more on this, see the next point.

Even if you’re falling behind considerably, you can still win

This isn't some pep talk, self-help nonsense. This is raw, hard, video game science.

Towards the end of every Warzone round, the game spawns in a high-value target worth 150 points. That target is usually a challenging boss that rolls alongside his posse. Bosses kill you in one hit, but if you manage to get your team together and take him down, you’ll have 150 points instantly added to your team score.

Bosses of similar point values spawn throughout the round, but the final one is the most crucial.

Often, this all you need to get yourself back in the game, you may even be a short few points away from beating your opponent, depending on the round.