Firefight was one of the later features added to Bungie’s original Halo games. It made its first appearance in 2009 with the release of Halo 3: ODST during the height of horde modes thanks to games like Left 4 Dead and Gears of War 2.
Halo’s twist on the game type brings modifiers in the form of skulls to change combat encounters on the fly, not to mention the breadth of options in Halo’s deep custom game rules. Combined with a bevy of excellent maps, and no two games of Firefight ever went down the same. Thanks to the Master Chief Collection on PC and console, fans can easily enjoy both of its iterations in ODST and Reach.
10 Waterfront (Reach)
Reach’s multiplayer levels, including Firefight maps, were all lifted directly from areas in the campaign. This understandably causes a variety of problems as few of the maps, if any, succeeded in being excellent for both single and multiplayer. At their most offensive, they ended up like Sword Base.
The problems are less noticeable when the areas are used for Firefight. You’re essentially playing a modified single-player after all. Firefight takes place at a hydroelectric power plant visited during the campaign mission Nightfall. Between the tunnels, buildings, roofs and open plaza, Waterfront boasts plenty of room for different strategies.
9 Holdout (Reach)
Holdout is based on part of the end of the 10th Reach mission, The Pillar of Autumn. It hosts an extended series of combat encounters before the mission comes to an end. Revisiting it in Firefight lets players see its flexibility for a variety of battles.
Thanks to relatively open areas across its multiple levels, Holdout has room for a lot of mobility for both enemies and players. It’s easy to get surrounded when you’re hiding from Phantoms in one of the buildings but also easy to sneak around and turn the tables right back around on the Covenant.
8 Last Exit (ODST)
Last Exit is a medium sized map centered around a large and open roundabout. While players assault it in ODST’s final campaign mission, they’re forced to defend it in Firefight. Gather weapons, like the sniper rifle and rocket launcher on the elevated platforms and fire away.
The high ground is extra important here as the map is large enough for the Covenant to drop Ghosts. You don’t want to be caught on the ground against one of those, especially on higher difficulties.
7 Windward (ODST)
The New Mombasa Police Department headquarters hangs high above New Mombasa and is home to one of ODST’s more interesting Firefight maps. Players can choose between the multi-leveled, open wings on each side of a central building or the tight quarters within it.
The central building is integral for efficient strategies as remaining outside forces you to deal with Phantom drop-offs and Banshees while fighting off ground soldiers. Hole up, remain inside and deal with threats as they file through choke points instead.
6 Courtyard (Reach)
Courtyard is one of Reach’s better maps. It has the Forklift. It’s mostly open with small hallways for players to dip into for a brief respite. Pick off headshots on Grunts and lob grenades at the rest from the high pathways on either side. Because the map is so long, it’s easy to forget about or miss enemies spawning on the far ends only for them to sneak up on you later.
Luckily, the Target Locators that spawn on this map clear out the crowds that can form from meeting squads most excellently.
5 Crater - Night (ODST)
The nighttime maps in ODST win some points on their own thanks to the VISR mode they encourage. It traces outlines on buildings and highlights light sources and enemies in a gorgeous way that you almost want to have it on every chance you can.
Unlike its daytime equivalent, Crater features a rare appearance of Engineers, who will provide shields for enemies below and blow up upon their demise or allies all being killed.
4 Crater (ODST)
Crater’s midday lighting is gorgeous. Much like Last Exit, the situation here is flipped from its campaign incarnation. Players spawn on the high ground and must defend from Covenant dropped off on the other side of the courtyard or filing through the bottom and side entryways from neighboring buildings.
Its circular design lends itself to a good sense of momentum too as you sweep through the corners to take out the final remaining Covenant who may be hiding away at the end of waves.
3 Corvette (Reach)
Corvette is taken from the Reach campaign mission Long Night of Solace, where players must board a Covenant corvette. Players clear out the hangar that’s repurposed for this map. It’s one of the smaller Firefight maps in Reach’s pool.
Spirits are the primary dropships here instead of the usual Phantoms. Despite its small size, Wraiths are also occasionally deployed.
2 Installation 04 (Reach)
Installation 04 released as part of the Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary map pack. It’s set at one of the towers from that original first level on Halo. It’s also the first Firefight map for players to have human AI allies. Four ODSTs spawn and stay around the middle structure but all die before every bonus round.
Later ODSTs will drop from Pelicans along with a Warthog for players to use to better combat the Covenant.
1 Alpha Site (ODST)
Alpha Site’s is shaped like a diamond. Players spawn in the middle and enemies drop from Phantoms outside. This makes the central area a good place to defend as enemies pour through the hallways. It’s easier to handle the multiple pathways with more players but larger enemies and invincible Brute chieftains complicate matters.
There’s a cheesier strategy on this map though. One player can stand inside the elevator and stand at its corners. Brutes will try to melee through the glass, fail and repeat, leaving them open to assassinations from other players sneaking around.