Despite only appearing in two Halo games to date (ODST and Reach), Firefight has had quite the history. It hasn’t appeared since Reach, and it was difficult to throw any parties together in that game the older it got. Thanks to it and ODST joining the Master Chief Collection however, Firefight has been renewed.
343 Industries did a great job at bringing back all the maps and game types, and even retroactively applying some customization options to ODST’s Firefight. Whether you’re an ODST purist or all you play is Rocketfight, there’s no shortage of fun to be had, or created, in the MCC’s horde mode.
8 Versus (Reach)
Versus was originally a 2v2 matchmaking game type that focused on Spartan vs. Elite warfare. Elites were joined by the hordes of Covenant while Spartans filled their usual Firefight role. Players fought to slay the opposing force while racking up points.
Players swapped sides between rounds in an attempt to ensure balance. The team with the most points at the end of the game won the match. While Versus is a fun twist, it distracts from the chill co-op experience that makes Firefight so appealing.
7 Generator Defense (Reach)
Generator Defense, which originally made its appearance in the Reach beta, returned as a Firefight mode in the full release. Spartans were forced to fight waves of the Covenant looking to assault a variety of generators across the map.
Players can customize the amount of generators to make the game easier or harder based on their preference. It’s still Firefight, with the barest of twists. Fun fact: Generator Defense was originally used in the Reach beta test in a modified form to test the game’s online co-op netcode. These network tests allowed Bungie to clean up the matchmaking before the game was released.
6 Sniperfight (Reach And ODST)
Sniperfight is one of those things that sounds fun on paper but its charm doesn’t last long. Snipers are great fun in most game modes after all. Only having snipers means that you have to use them for all targets: Grunts, Drones, Hunters, everything.
Limited ammo and long wait times between shots means that clearing out a squad of smaller, more fragile enemies can become stressful and frustrating. A fun challenge for some, misery for others.
5 Score Attack (Reach)
Score Attack is basically micro-Firefight. It consists of one round and only one player can play it at a time. The goal here is high scores. Compete against others and your own personal best as you shoot for higher scores.
As a matchmaking playlist in Reach, it featured four different game modes to give players a healthy rotation to enjoy: Firefight, Gruntpocalypse, Sniper Attack and Mythic Attack. Unless you’re serious about tracking scores, this isn’t too much different than limiting a standard Firefight game down to the settings you need.
4 Firefight/Firefight Classic (Reach/ODST)
These two are practically the same. Firefight Classic uses the same rules as ODST’s Firefight while the default Firefight mode ends after a single set is completed or players run out of lives. No modifiers, no changed rules.
This is Firefight at its most pure. Team up, fight the Covenant, survive as long as possible. This is the basis for all game modes and there’s a wealth of options across both games to tailor your Firefight experience to the exact length, difficulty and configuration that you want.
3 Rocketfight (ODST/Reach)
Much like Sniperfight, Rocketfight limits players to one weapon type only: rocket launchers. Unlimited ammo and plenty of enemies make this a dream game type to play when you need to relax or chill for a bit. Sit back, blow up some Covenant. Have some fun.
If you want to make the fun a bit more explosive, make sure to turn on the Cowbell skull, enable unlimited grenades and let players use the Fuel Rod Cannon as a secondary weapon. Explosions for days. Blow the Covenant up through space, back to the planets they came from.
2 Fiestafight (ODST)
Another excellent game mode for chilling out and having some fun with Halo’s deep and fun sandbox. Each time you respawn in Fiestafight you’ll wield two random weapons with infinite ammo. Sometimes you get a rocket launcher and shotgun, sometimes you end up with a plasma pistol and magnum.
That’s what keeps Fiestafight so fun. You have to make the most of whatever you spawn with, unless you want to throw the life away. It also makes you want to fight even harder to keep the great weapons when you get them.
1 Gruntpocalypse (Reach)
There will never be a better incarnation of Firefight than Gruntpocalypse. Endless waves of Grunts that spawn randomly. No dropships. Only DMR and Magnum loadouts. Grunt Birthday Party on. Nothing is more satisfying than popping off successive Killtaculars or Killtrocities as you clear one wave after another.
It’s incredibly fun and deceptively challenging as Grunts eventually spawn with Fuel Rod Guns and their higher numbers surround you. Some maps like Courtyard even give you access to the special dropped weapons like the Target Locator. It’s so satisfying to see all those Grunts go flying from an orbital bombardment.
