343 Industries has successfully navigated the transition of Microsoft’s bestselling Halo franchise after Bungie moved on to a new franchise. The game studio saw fans gobble up Halo 4 games in record numbers. With so many players online engaging in Spartan Ops and War Games, Josh Holmes, creative director, 343 Industries, took some time to discuss some of his favorite weapons and maps, while offering some strategies for winning online in this Prima exclusive interview.
What’s your favorite weapon in campaign and why?
The Covenant Carbine, because it is headshot capable and fires so quickly. In mid-range situations it’s perfect because I can zoom in to get the headshot and rapidly weed out the weaker units in a firefight. I also love the Scattershot when facing the Promethean Knights because it’s satisfying to close distance and disintegrate them with a single well-placed shot.
What’s your favorite War Games map and why?
I play Big Team Infinity Slayer more than any other game mode and my favorite map is probably Exile. I love the fast-paced mixture of infantry and vehicle-based combat and the fluidity with which the battle lines shift throughout the course of play.
What strategy do you advise when playing this map?
Go for the Scorpion Tank right off the bat. If you’re playing as Blue team, you want to race to take it out before Red can bring it out onto the field (or capture it yourself if Red team is asleep at the wheel). If you’re Red team, you need to get it out and into the open where you can make the enemy expend effort (and lives) to close distance and try to take it out. Once your team has the tank, you want to work together to try and keep it alive so that you can rack up kills. It’s pretty easy for the opposing team to take out the tank if you aren’t protecting the weak sides.
What’s the best strategy when playing Dominion?
The great part about Dominion is that there is no one way to win. You can gamble and try to take all the bases to eliminate the enemy team, or you can hold bases and use fortifications to grind out the win. The latter is the more conventional strategy and it’s probably the best approach, especially when dealing with a solid opposing team. Some of the keys to victory include maintaining a solid base defense (don’t try to expand and too aggressively as it spreads out your team and allows the enemy to capture your bases), and taking advantage of your re-supply when it occurs.
What’s your favorite multiplayer gameplay mode and why?
Big Team Infinity Slayer for the constant action, the large battlefields and vehicle-based combat.
What’s a good way to work together cooperatively in Spartan Ops?
Think about which loadouts you are going to take and how they might complement one another and the mission at hand. For example, you don’t need four people taking Regen Field, but having one person on the team playing the role of medic can be very effective. Same goes with Reflective Shield – a single team member can provide mobile cover for the rest of the team to utilize when advancing on the enemy. If you’re facing lots of fodder units that are susceptible to head shots (like Promethean Crawlers) consider loading up on precision weapons like the DMR, Lightrifle, BR and Carbine. If you’re facing many units with shields (Elites and Knights), consider splitting the team between energy weapons like the Storm Rifle and Plasma Pistol and precision weapons. Working together one person can strip shields while the other finishes the enemy with a single headshot. This same technique works well for coordinated in War Games too by the way.
What are some good strategies when arming your Spartan before combat through the customization options?
Pairing armor abilities, armor mods and weapons so that they complement one another is the key to building great loadouts. Think about the map, the game mode and the strategy that you want to employ and optimize your loadouts to accommodate. Don’t be afraid to make changes on the fly between respawning. If a strategy isn’t working, then switch it up.
