Very Quick Tips for the Halo 5 beta

Coming your way soon

The Halo 5 beta is out for Xbox One preview accounts and select members of the press, and will be coming your way soon on December 29 if you are qualified. I…don’t know how I feel about it yet, as my experience has been mixed so far.

It’s definitely a beautiful-looking shooter, but the gunplay feels off at times. I need to play more to make a full judgment, and this is a beta after all! Here’s some tips to help you whenever you happen to get into it.

General tips:

• You don’t need to aim down your weapon’s sight (ADS, or, “Smart Scope” in Halo 5) all the time. Try using it at a range for your BR, but don’t rely on it — it’s actually more effective in the air when aiming. Also, the pistol is more viable in Halo 5 it seems, so switch to that if you don’t have another weapon available.

• You can’t regenerate shields if you’re sprinting — so find some cover, heal up, then start running again.

• When the screen flashes while sprinting, you’ve reached your maximum sprint speed. At this point a few moves open up.

• To use the “ground pound,” a super move of sorts, hold in the right stick and release after making a large jump.

• Another special move is the Spartan Charge, which you can do by sprinting at full speed (flashing screen) and then pressing the melee button (RB).

• Use the B button to enact the Thruster Pack. While it seems obvious to use it while jumping, one of the best uses you can get out of it is to burst around corners to avoid fire or surprise an opponent.

• You can ledge-climb in Halo 5. Get used to spamming the A (jump) button near a ledge to make sure that you grab onto it. The gameplay is quite fast so if your timing is off you may miss your opportunity.