New Halo 4 Maps Already on the Way

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Well, that was quick.  Three weeks after the launch of Halo 4, 343 Industries is already showing off their first batch of downloadable content.  That’s right, more maps are on the way.  And they’ll be here pretty darned quickly.  Read on for all the details and a nifty little trailer.

Halo veterans might remember that it took two and a half months for the first map pack to be released for the last Halo title, Halo: Reach.  The wait won’t be nearly that long this time around, however.  In this week’s edition of 343’s Halo Bulletin, the first batch of Halo 4 DLC was announced.  Entitled the Crimson Map Pack, the package contains three new maps, each built for a different style of match.  Here’s a quick rundown.

Wreckage: a medium sized, asymmetrical map built for objective-based games like King of the Hill, Oddball, and Capture the Flag.  The map’s war torn, debris strewn landscape will test your driving ability.  It can also host up to 16 players on Infinity Slayer.

Harvest: a smaller map ideal for Slayer and SWAT, as well as 8-12 person matches of Capture the Flag and King of the Hill.  If the name sounds familiar, it should.  Harvest takes place on the agricultural planet where humans made first contact with the Covenant.

Shatter: Built around a UNSC mining facility, this map is a vehicle lover’s paradise.  Large and symmetrical, Warthog and Mantis drivers will have plenty of room to maneuver through 16 player matches of Slayer.  The map is also perfect for 12 player matches of Extraction and Dominion.

But enough reading about these maps.  I bet you’re ready to see them for yourself.  343 Industries anticipated this eventuality, and created the trailer below just for you.  Yes, you.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeMNUPFlNxY]

Nifty!  I’ve always been a fan of the Big Team Battle matches, so seeing another large map like Shatter makes me smile.  Setting a map on Harvest, a world that (until now) only existed in the Halo novels, is also a welcome surprise.  The Crimson Map Pack will be released on December 10th and will cost 800 Microsoft Points.  

PROTIP: If you own the Halo 4 Limited Edition, or have already bought the War Games Map Pass, be sure to download the map pack from the in-game marketplace.  If you try to buy the maps from the normal marketplace on Xbox Live, you’ll be paying for the maps twice.


About the Author: (@Joe_of_the_Dead) Lead Editor, Writer

Joe was born in a time of war. A console war. Two electronic titans were locked in a heated battle for the living rooms of America. Which titans, you ask? Well, the Fairchild Channel F and the Atari 2600 of course. You see, Joe is old. So many of his favorite games tend to be on the older side as well. But that hasn’t stopped him from developing unhealthy obsessions with such modern franchises as Halo and Mass Effect. Just don’t tell him how long it’s been since the original Metroid was released. His aging heart can’t take the shock.

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