Halo 5: Guardians Gets New Info About Campaign, Co-op, and Fireteams

In Halo 5: Guardians, you'll take control of Master Chief and Agent Locke. Both characters will be accompanied by their own squads of Spartans, regardless if you're playing solo or co-op. Recently, developer 343 Industries shed some light on how this new system will work.

In a post on the Halo website, studio head Josh Holmes explained that the game features a more dedicated co-op experience than in any other Halo game. Because you play with a squad of Spartans, the game is also more conducive to cooperative play--which means that the campaign is built for multiple players, whereas previous Halo titles focused on solo play.

"This creative pillar has influenced many decisions throughout the game's technology and design," Holmes wrote. "While you can still expect the same great single-player experience that Halo campaigns have been known for, engaging in cooperative play gives the campaign a new level of depth and richness."

Jumping into a friend's co-op campaign session is seamless. If you are a session leader, you will control either Locke or Master Chief. Your friends can join your game at any time during a mission, and they will be prompted to choose which Spartan in your squad to take control of. Achievements and collectible skulls will be unlocked simultaneously for all people in a session. If your friend leaves during a mission, their character will immediately be taken over by the game's AI.

If you're playing without friends, your squad will be under your control. As such, you can command your squad members to do different things: Attack this target, go to this location, use this vehicle, pick up this weapon, or revive teammate. Characters now have revive states--instead of dying immediately, you will fall into an injured state during which other squad members can come and revive you.

Additionally, the different Spartans in the squads will have different attributes. Linda in Master Chief's Blue Team, for example, will carry a Sniper. Blue Team's Kelly is the fastest Spartan. Tanaka on Locke's Fireteam Osiris, on the other hand, has extended motion tracker range. They all have personalized Heads Up Displays, as well, which are supposed to correspond to each Spartan's unique armor.

Finally, Locke's Fireteam Osiris is equipped with new technology that Master Chief's group does not have. This is called the Artemis Tracking System which is similar to the VISR tech from Halo 3: ODST or Promethean Vision from Halo 4. It lets you scan environments for points of interest.

Halo 5: Guardians launches on October 20 for Xbox One. Recently, the developer also explained why the game will not have split-screen multiplayer support.