Halo 4 Spartan Ops Ep.10 And Playlist Updates

By Andrew Ogley,
A few updates for fans of Halo 4 today.

First of all, following the recently released preview trailer, the full version of Spartan Ops Episode 10 has been released. This is the final episode of the current season and contains five new missions which need to be completed. No spoilers, just watch and enjoy.



Next we have a developer video covering the making of the upcoming DLC, the "Majestic Map Pack". During the relatively comprehensive clip running a shade short of four minutes, various members of the development team describe how the three new maps went from concept and design through to inclusion in the expansion.



Finally, we have news of the matchplay changes for this week featuring the new Team Throwdown playlist. This is one of the larger updates that we have had so grab a coffee first before starting reading. From the official Halo Waypoint blog we have the following details:
Overall Settings
The following will be applied to the entire playlist and all game types.

Friendly Fire: Enabled
Game Length: 15 minutes
Custom Loadouts: Disabled
Death Cam: Disabled
Initial Ordnance: Enabled
Random Ordnance: Enabled - Used to create static weapon spawns
Personal Ordnance: Enabled in BR start / v2 settings:
- Left: Thruster Pack
- Down: Hologram
- Right: Hardlight Shield
Personal Ordnance: Disabled in "Deluxe" settings
Split-Screen: Enabled
Guests: Disabled
Sensor Mode: Allied movement - 25 meters
Player Speed: 110%
Overshield: 200%
Power Weapon / Powerup Spawns:
- Railgun: 2:00
- Sticky Detonator: 2:00
- Energy Sword: 2:00
- Sniper Rifle: 2:00
- Incineration Cannon: 3:00
- Rockets: 3:00
- Overshield: 2:00

The playlist will launch with two different variants in the voting options:

BR Start Settings:
These variants are the “v2” settings that have become popular within the competitive community. In the playlist voting options, they will appear as “Slayer BRs,” Extraction BRs,” etc. These settings will only feature one loadout:

v2 Game Loadout
Starting Weapon Battle Rifle
Secondary None
Grenades 2x Frags
Armor Abilities None
Tactical Mod Resupply
Support Mod Explosives

These settings will be available in the first and second voting slot at launch. Now, onto the new settings that we’ll be testing out in the Team Throwdown playlist.

“Deluxe” settings:
These variants were developed with help from veteran competitive players Walshy, StrongSide, and Ghostayame. We will be testing these variants in the Team Throwdown playlist, and they will only be available in the third voting option at time of launch. The goal of these settings is to offer a very different option from the BR start / v2 settings - Deluxe will feature 3 different starting rifles: the DMR, Battle Rifle, and Light Rifle - all mixed across 5 different loadouts. Additionally, to balance these rifles, we’ve added select armor abilities, tactical packages, and support upgrades to the loadout options. Here they are:

Deluxe Game Loadouts

Loadout 1

Primary Weapon – DMR
Secondary Weapon – None
Grenades – 2x Plasma
Armor Ability – None
Tactical Package – Shielding
Support Upgrade – None

Loadout 2

Primary Weapon – Battle Rifle
Secondary Weapon – None
Grenades – 2x Frag
Armor Ability – Hologram
Tactical Package – Resupply
Support Upgrade – Dexterity

Loadout 3

Primary Weapon – Battle Rifle
Secondary Weapon – None
Grenades – 2x Pulse
Armor Ability – Hardlight Shield
Tactical Package – Mobility
Support Upgrade – Sensor

Loadout 4

Primary Weapon – Battle Rifle
Secondary Weapon – None
Grenades – 2x Frag
Armor Ability – Thruster Pack
Tactical Package – Grenadier
Support Upgrade – Awareness

Loadout 5

Primary Weapon – LightRifle
Secondary Weapon – None
Grenades – 2x Frag
Armor Ability – Regeneration Field
Tactical Package – AA Efficiency
Support Upgrade – Ammo

These loadout options were the result of extensive brainstorming, testing, and modifying with professional players, and we look forward to hearing your feedback. In the Deluxe settings, you’ll notice that each loadout can play a distinct role, and it is our hope that these loadouts are not only balanced, but allow for interesting and evolving strategy. For consistency and comparison purposes, the Deluxe settings will feature the same overall game and map settings as the BR start / v2 game types, but personal ordnance will be disabled entirely, as discussed earlier.

Here are the game types and maps that will be featured for both variants:

Team Slayer
50 points to win, kill point = 1 point
Maps: Abandon, Haven, Shutout, Simplex, Solace

Extraction
5 points to win, 1 active site, sequential site movement, 5 second arm and conversion time, total extraction time = 1 minute per location, conversion timer pause enabled
Maps: Dispatch, Haven

King of the Hill
250 points to win, progressive hill movement, hill move: 2 minutes, hill spawn penalty disabled
Maps: Shutout

CTF
Adrift - 5 flags to win, 15 second flag reset, 3 second flag return, flag at home
Simplex -5 flags to win, 15 second flag reset, 3 second flag return, flag at home
Solace - 3 flags to win, 15 second flag reset, no flag return, flag does NOT need to be at home
The "Majestic Map Pack" is due to be released on February, 25th costing 800 MSP. For those with the Halo 4 Limited Edition or the Map Pass, the DLC will be free.

We've got the full list of Halo 4 achievements - check the list for guides to unlocking them.
Andrew Ogley
Written by Andrew Ogley
Andrew has been writing for TA since 2011 covering news, reviews and the occasional editorials and features. One of the grumpy old men of the team, his mid-life crisis has currently manifested itself in the form of an addiction to sim-racing - not being able to afford the real life car of his dreams. When not spending hours burning simulated rubber, he still likes to run around, shoot stuff and blow things up - in the virtual world only of course.
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