E3 2015: Halo 5: Guardians Will Have Microtransactions

Just like how freedom isn’t free, free online map content for Halo 5: Guardians comes at a cost mitigated elsewhere. It just so happens that it comes in the form of microtransactions, although, as 343 Industries explains it on their blog, it isn’t as bad as you would think.

Halo 5: Guardians includes a Requisition System (REQ System), which gives players bonus extras like content skins, assassination animations as well as starting weapons in the Warzone mode. Players can earn them up upgrading their Spartan Rank or by completing commendations in multiplayer. In Arena mode play, it will only affect your character’s cosmetic stuff, while in Warzone it is restricted to prevent pay-to-win motifs that come with REQ pack weapons.

Energy points are required to power the use of REQ System rewards, meaning that Halo 5: Guardians players who pay for a huge amount of packs can only power a limited amount in a match. Furthermore, the REQ System forces REQ levels, limiting the amount of such rewards you can bring into play. It’s all governed by individual and team play that players earn through being actually talented (or lucky) players, meaning you can’t brute force your way to being an excellent player without having the skills to reach there. Finally, some proceeds of money spent on the REQ system will help fund prize pools for the Halo Championship Series. That is, if they aren’t broken so much that they can’t properly function.

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Ultimately, it sounds like how Battle Packs work in Battlefield, although in Halo 5: Guardians, there doesn’t seem to be another shoe that drops like in Battlefield Premium, which costs almost as much as a full game. It was in the July Game Informer issue where 343 Industries revealed that its 15 planned DLC maps will be released for free, mostly as a sign of good faith after the disastrous mishandling of Halo: The Master Chief Collection. While I’m sure Microsoft Studios won’t be reeling in sales once Halo 5: Guardians is launched exclusively for the Xbox One on October 27, these light microtransactions will be the offset cost for a non-divided multiplayer user base.

Make sure to keep it here with us at GameSided all week, as we will keep you up to date on all the announcements, reveals, gameplay, trailers & more for E3 2015!

h/t Eurogamer

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