DISCLAIMER: This is a symmetrical Slayer Map built for Free-for-All Slayer, but supports 4 vs. 4 Team Slayer as well.

PROJECT GOAL: Sadly, I’m not as passionate about Forging in Halo as most; it’s often been more of a curious hobby of mine than anything else. That said, with the beefed up Forge that came with Halo 5: Guardians, I wanted to test my creative abilities by digging my top three maps out of the older Halo iterations, and seeing if I could successfully overhaul each of them so they could support the new gameplay mechanics of Halo 5: Guardians. Have I met that goal? I’ve no bloody clue, but I deem this map, the second of my three projects, completed, regardless (pending any welcome feedback).

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: The origin of this map was born out of a single challenge: to use whatever skills I’d acquired during my tinkering with Forge to create my first functional asymmetrical map. Let me start off by saying that I DEFINITELY succeeded in sticking to the “asymmetrical” part; the part where it had to be “functional” on the other hand… Let’s just say that the map, created in Halo: Reach under the title Fortress, likely would have put Picasso’s works to shame. It was a mess, a hodgepodge utter nightmare of structures and super-linear pathways. While I considered it a failed project, I still felt that there was something I could salvage out of that hellscape maze. Thus, I attempted to bring the map back to life in Halo 4’s Forge, but that iteration’s “budget” cut my plans short.

Then came Halo 5: Guardians. With the vastly increased budget, I decided to give salvaging Fortress one final try. I sacrificed my foolish ambitions for an asymmetrical build and focused entirely on one thing: the core concept of Fortress was that it was two small bases buried underground and connected by stone tunnels. So that’s what I built: one human base, one Covenant base, and a trio of caves to connect them. Fortress was now completely redesigned and reorganized into Impasse.

When it came to the design aesthetics, I wanted to build something a bit more varied than my Olympus project. So, I went with architecture that carried influences from pre-Halo 5 games; Halo Wars was a fairly large influence on the designs and color choices, not to mention the Forerunner ship in the larger cavern (or rather, what tiny bit of the vessel’s side I could build). The human base generally took more influence from Halo 4 while using bits of Halo Wars’ colors, while the Covenant base is derived from High Charity’s architecture in Halo 2: Anniversary. As an added bonus to generate the feeling that this digsite was a forgotten battle of the Human-Covenant War, human and Sangheili corpses are strewn around the level.

GAMEPLAY MAIN POINTS: Going back to a more symmetrical layout, each base has an equal amount of weaponry, grenades, and power-ups; whether playing on teams or going solo in FFA, players will be able to find something to add to their arsenal from the start of the match. As I stuck with a pre-Reclaimer Saga theme, I left out most modern weaponry and included the three throwback weapons: the Halo: Combat Evolved Magnum, the Halo 2 Battle Rifle, and the Halo 2 Brute Plasma Rifle.

When it comes to the Weapon Pads, there’s a split between FFA and Team Slayer: in FFA, there is a single Pad housing a River of Light Incinerator Cannon, but it’s locked behind an unbreakable shield that must be dropped first before anyone can claim the weapon; in Team Slayer, there are two wide open Pads that hold a SPNKr Rocket Launcher and a Halo 2 Beam Rifle (once again sticking to the throwback theme). In each case, however, each power weapon is counterbalanced by the close spaces and short paths of the map, discouraging any reckless use.

As for the layout, there really isn’t much to say. The natural sections of the map are divided into two levels while each base has three, putting a larger focus in verticality – Gravity Launchers at each base provide players with quick access between top and ground levels. The narrow spaces bring out a focus on close-quarters combat, though a good eye might be able to pick off a Spartan from across the map in a few spots.

In short, thanks for checking this one out, and I pray it isn’t as much of a failure as its predecessor. Feel free to offer any feedback you wish; I’ll try to accommodate as best as possible. Thanks again, and take care.