It’s been a long time since I first picked up an Xbox controller and dove headfirst into a game of Halo, and I really do have nothing but fond memories of playing co-op missions or jumping into a multiplayer game with friends on the other side of the country. But there were always some things that really tended to grind my gears—like one of your fellow teammates intentionally betraying you in the middle of a match just to antagonize, or someone quitting the game and forcing a forfeit.
Thankfully, this latest update from 343 Industries outlines exactly what kinds of behaviors they’ll be cracking down on in Arena, their new multiplayer experience in Halo 5: Guardians.
The list includes “quitting matches, betrayals or team killing, idling, intentional suicides [and] excessive disconnects”. Repeatedly engaging in any of the above is enough to earn a ban and be prevented from the matchmaking arena. Additionally, the length of the ban is dependent on the misbehavior, “so continually killing your teammates to steal the Sniper Rifle will quickly lead to long timeouts from matchmade play,” the team wrote.
There are other updates to the competitive experience of multiplayer too, including a new ranking system called the CSR, or Competitive Skill Rating. Players will have the opportunity to move through a series of placement games in order to be placed into one of seven performance-based ranks—which will be called Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Onyx, and Champion.
Fear not—if you’re unhappy with your ranking, you’ll get the opportunity to try again. The Seasons feature, which will be available starting in December, will allow players to reset their CSR and replay their placement games each month. 343 added that they’ll also be making any changes or modifications based on player feedback after every Season.
Halo 5: Guardians will launch October 27, and Arena is already being touted as a live eSport for all players. How do you think these rule changes will impact the multiplayer experience, if at all? What are your feelings on the new rating system? Are you ready for Nathan Fillion as Nathan Fillion?
(via Polygon, image via 343 Industries)
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