Halo 5: Guardians Will Not Have Pay-to-Win in Arena Multiplayer

Halo 5: Guardians will have packs of items, weapons, and skins for purchase, but items that have an effect on gameplay will not be allowed in Halo 5's arena multiplayer.

REQ packs, according to the Halo Waypoint website, can be acquired via the in-game currency or by purchasing them with real-world money. These packs will give you access to armors and weapons as well as skins and animations. But to keep its 4v4, skill-based mode fair, developer 343 Industries is banning weapons and armor received in these packs from it. However, anything you get in a REQ pack will be usable in the game's newly announced Warzone multiplayer mode.

According to the developer, "While players will earn REQ Packs across both Arena and Warzone, only cosmetic items can be used in our Arena experience. This is to ensure that all players start with the same weapons and abilities as part of our vision for the balanced, competitive play in Arena multiplayer."

The developer goes on to explain that it wishes to provide a breadth of different play experiences in the big-team, MOBA-inspired Warzone mode. "Within Warzone, you'll have the ability to deploy a multitude of weapons and vehicles from your inventory of REQs throughout a match," 343i states. "These requisitions are governed and balanced by Warzone's in-match REQ Level and Energy systems, which are driven by player and team performance within the mode."

The developer promises that the option to purchase the REQ packs exists only "as a matter of convenience." Additionally, money from the purchases will help fund the prize pool for the Halo Championship Series.

Check back on GameSpot all this week for further news and previews about Halo 5: Guardians. The game launches on October 27 for the Xbox One.