Warzone, Halo 5: Guardians' new PvE mode, is the most fun I've ever had with a Halo game. Like most FPS multiplayer modes, I'm really not a good match for Arena mode, especially the newer twitchier version. I find my eyes get tighter, the corners of my mouth turn down, and my lips press into a firm line and the satisfaction of a high K:D ratio somehow leaves me feeling mostly cold.
But I could see myself buying Halo 5: Guardians just for Warzone. Its large 12v12 battles are structured around a basic conquest mode, where you compete with the other team for territorial bases to control the map. However, controlling the map isn't a win condition in and of itself—though if you control all bases, the enemy base core loses its shielding, which can be destroyed as a condition for success. Controlling the map gives you more options for the actual goal: defeating the environmentally spawned Covenant and Promethean enemies.
More stations means more spawn option points, and a bump to different options in the REQ system. If you aren't familiar with it, I highly recommend checking out this animated short they made with Nick Offerman (who played Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation). The REQ system in Warzone opens up new slotted tiers of options as you take down enemy combatants for a small score or large rewards for the environmentally-spawned enemies.
Once you've opened up a new tier of weapons or vehicles and then select one of them, you drop back however many slots that vehicle or item take up. But this recharges over time: Points open up new tiers, but as long as you are playing, it will recharge to the level you've reached eventually (if you don't constantly REQ lower-level items). Individual weapons and cosmetic options can be added to the tiered queue through REQ packs, a CCG option similar to the drops in Mass Effect 3's multiplayer (and monetized similarly, it appears as well) but with some being permanent options.
Warzone's gameplay, then, is a mix of Arena mode territorial control and competition over spawned enemies. You can be in the middle of taking down a giant Promethean Knight with a tank, only to have it sniped by an industrious Ghost from the other team swooping in at the last moment. Or be blasted into oblivion by another player because you were too focused on the mobs. This creates a more tactical gameplay experience, not far from a large-scale MOBA, where you're competing for resources and those resources also are trying to kill you.
At one point, while our teams were contending over one of the two armory outposts that give a good position towards the center of the map, I REQ'd a Banshee and was able to fly it inside the armory through an improbably small hole in the ceiling. I laid waste to the enemies within, securing the base for our team. There was just enough room inside to turn the banshee and fire in every direction, but I think I took out more enemies by scraping them against the walls.
I had a great time playing Warzone. If I felt the PvP aspect became too frustrating, I could go hunt the PvE enemies, or hang back and wait until I could REQ a better weapon or vehicle, making the playing field more level. There's a real sense of accomplishment in taking down the AI bosses too, since they tend to be hardcore and require either a lot of time or a lot of teamwork. Halo 5's Warzone is the first exclusive Xbox experience I've really been tempted by from the console, since many of the Xbox console exclusives have PC versions. It's pretty dang solid.
