Halo 4 Updates Next Week with Spartan Ops 7, New Specializations, and More

For those not keeping track of developer 343 Industries, they have been adding a steady stream of content to Halo 4 ever since it released back in November.  The bulk of these updates come in the form of the companion-campaign entitled Spartan Ops, online missions supporting up to four players, which serve in place of the Firefight mode from previous installments in the franchise.  The latest Spartan Ops package will be available Monday, January 28 and includes five new missions.

In addition, according to a recent developer post on the Halo Waypoint Blog, next week’s update will also include a special Grifball playlist.  343 assures that they have “worked closely with GrifballHub to create several different Grifball experiences in this new Matchmaking playlist ,” and that fans are in for a real treat.

For those who’ve never experienced Halo’s popular Grifball, it is best described as a “sport” in which two teams of four equipped only with Gravity Hammers and Energy Swords compete in an enclosed arena, or “court.”  The objective is to obtain the “ball” (which is actually a bomb), via smacking it with a Gravity Hammer, and push it through the opposing team’s goal post.  It’s as easy to explain as it is fun, which is to say, it’s incredibly fun.

The last update mentioned features two new specializations: Engineer and Stalker.

The post describes them as follows:

“Engineer: Spartan optimization for the subversion, repair and reconstitution of a wide range of technology, including Covenant and Forerunner complex networks. The Drop Recon Armor Mod allows users to predict the location and time of an Ordnance Drop through an external suborbital monitoring system.

Stalker: Spartan optimization for target shadowing missions which require tactical invisibility despite operating at an extremely close range to the target itself. The Nemesis armor mod allows users to target and track down previous attacking enemies, highlighting them on the armor’s passive sensors.”

Basically, if you enjoy snatching up all the heavy weapons, the Engineer class is the way to go; and for those who enjoy taking revenge on the opponent who just took you down, the Stalker will give you the edge you need to see you vengeance satisfied.

That’s all for next week’s update.  Are you still playing Halo 4?  What’s your current favorite matchmaking playlist?  And most importantly, who’s ready for some Grifball?!?  Let us know in the comments below.