Fan-favorite mode Grifball comes to Halo 5 later this month

Halo 5: Guardians is about to see the return of an old friend, and he's carrying a gravity hammer. Fan-favorite mode Grifball is coming later this month, freshly tweaked for Halo 5's fancy new framerate and Spartan abilities, such as thrusting and the always-satisfying ground pound.

If you've never partaken of the "sport," Grifball started as a joke from the Halo-based webseries from Rooster Teeth, Red vs. Blue. From there, Rooster Teeth grew the idea into a multiplayer mode where two teams of 3-4 players race toward a neutral bomb, everyone armed with gravity hammers and swords. The player who grabs the bomb can score a point for their team by running it into the opposing team's goal, at which point the bomb explodes and everything resets for a new round.

It's basically Halo rugby, but with 6-foot hammers and plasma blades. And explosions.

There's more good news for those with a penchant for explosives: Assault will also be debuting in Halo 5 later this month. Similar to Grifball, this mode spawns a neutral bomb, which teams must then fight to deliver to the enemy's base. In Assault, however, maps are more varied and players have access to the usual stock of weaponry. The mode has received a few changes for Halo 5. Spartans can instantly kill anyone they punch while holding the bomb, and they'll get an extra boost to their thrusters while acting as carrier.

Lastly, 343 Industries says Fiesta mode will also be making its way to Halo 5. Fiesta has several variants introduced throughout the series' history, but the developer's announcement wasn't clear on which version is coming. In any case, I suppose you could say that when the update goes live, it'll be a whole new ballgame.

Yeah, I'll see myself out.

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Sam Prell

Sam is a former News Editor here at GamesRadar. His expert words have appeared on many of the web's well-known gaming sites, including Joystiq, Penny Arcade, Destructoid, and G4 Media, among others. Sam has a serious soft spot for MOBAs, MMOs, and emo music. Forever a farm boy, forever a '90s kid.