First Halo 4 map pack incoming

Crimson Map Pack adds three new maps and new game mode

Posted on Nov 29, 2012 - 5:12pm EST

343 Industries announced today the Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack will be available for download starting Dec. 10, featuring three new environments and a new game mode.

Wreckage is the manifestation of the chaos of war; a medium-sized, asymmetrical map great for accommodating a wide range of objective-based game modes including King of the Hill and Capture the Flag. Wreckage supports up to 16 players in Infinity Slayer and up to 12 players in a variety of other modes, including Capture the Flag, King of the Hill and Oddball.

Harvest is a canon concept brought to life – the doomed agricultural planet where humans first made contact with the Covenant. A small to mid-size map, Harvest is ideal for Capture the Flag. Harvest allows up to 12 players to face off in Capture the Flag, Infinity Slayer, King of the Hill, SWAT and Slayer Pro.

Shatter is themed around natural crystalline surfaces and the huge UNSC factories mining them. This large, symmetrical map is a playground for the Warthog and Mantis. Shatter is a great fit for Dominion and the new game type Extraction. Shatter enables multiplayer mayhem for up to 16 players in Infinity Slayer and up to 12 players in other modes, such as Capture the Flag, King of the Hill, Dominion and Extraction.

In addition to the Crimson Map Pack, a new game type Extraction will be introduced to online matchmaking day and date with the map pack. Extraction is a 5 vs. 5 objective-based game type where opposing Spartan teams are tasked with extracting assets from various sites around the map. Once a team has found a site and is in position, they must plant their beacon and protect it from the opposing team while the extraction process occurs. The first team to extract five points wins.

The Crimson Map Pack is the first of three upcoming Halo 4 War Games add-ons, and will include eight all-new Achievements worth a total of 250 Gamerscore. The DLC will be available this December on Xbox LIVE for 800 Microsoft points.

Halo 4 is an Xbox 360 exclusive title that was released earlier this month. For more on the return of Master Chief, check out our Halo 4 Review.