Top 10 Halo Maps of All-Time

Trying to pick the best Halo multiplayer maps of all time seems like a
madman’s quest. How do you boil down 10 maps from a decade-old series
littered with classic battlegrounds? We could pick 10 from Halo 2 alone. But alas, here we are, putting it all on the line for you. Because we care that much.

After much thought, reflection, arguing and plenty of CTF matches, we present to you the 10 best Halo maps of all time.
10 Exile (Halo 4)

We Recommend: Capture the Flag, Extraction, Dominion

OK, we know, with SO many maps to pick through, why include a hot-off-the-press Halo 4
level? Because it’s AWESOME! Indoor and outdoor zones, multiple levels
of verticality, oodles of vehicles (Gauss ’Hog, Ghost, Banshee, and
Scorpion tank), all wrapped up in a loop tailor made for fast routes and
even faster Killtaculars – Exile represents the best of the Halo 4
maps. And it’s not just because it’s shiny and new; it plays really
well, in pretty much any mode you throw at it. A perfect map for CTF,
Dominion, Extraction, and Slayer, Exile looks, feels, and plays like
classic Halo. It’s at once new and immediately familiar, offering a
balanced battlefield for vehicular Spartan slaughter and on-foot
shenanigans aplenty.

9 Guardian (Halo 3)

We Recommend: Slayer, King of the Hill, Oddball, SWAT

Guardian provided the small, multi-level fix in Halo 3
that Halo 2 Lockout faithfuls longed for. With its made-for-speed
layout and ample paths that all but stampede you into the fray, Guardian
featured Forerunner aesthetics perched atop an overgrown jungle skyline
bathed in shades of misty green and win. Architecture figured heavily
in pacing, specifically with its many easily identifiable areas, most of
which became magnets of death. Sniper tower was always a first run,
with Sniper, Overshield, and Needler (you could step off the back ledge
for a full view through to lower Yellow Lift, a shooting gallery for
enemies making the run for the Brute Hammer directly under the Center
Platform). It wasn’t uncommon to hear locations shouted out during
matches: blue room, green room, yellow lift -- these were simple to call
out and control when playing online, and a coordinated team could hold
sniper tower (always blasting the fusion core out before, mind you), and
control BR, shottie, and Hammer at Yellow Lift and, well, basically RUN
A TRAIN.

8 Last Resort (Halo 3)

We Recommend: Team Slayer, One Bomb, Assault, VIP, Infection, Capture the Flag

Oh Camp Froman, how many times have we spawned on your sniper rifle
and brained people running at the shotgun in the first five seconds of
the match? An almost exact remake of the venerable Halo 2 map, Zanzibar,
Last Resort was a gushing love letter from Bungie to Halo 2 crazies,
and we ate it up! Small changes only improved things (Spartan Laser
replaced Rockets at the top of the Wheel, a larger flag room in the
station, the obvious graphical facelift, etc.), but more so than almost
any other mid to large-scaled map, Last Resort boasted so many combat
zones. Seawall and the beach were battlefields unto themselves, while
the Wheel, Control Tower, inner and outer Base, and the aforementioned
Camp Froman were non-stop hot spots. Last Resort could play host to
almost any mode, making it an oft-played standby. Plus, it always
conjured up memories of some of the best superbouncing Halo 2 had to
offer

7 Battle Creek (Halo: Combat Evolved)

We Recommend: Capture the Flag, Oddball, Slayer

Battle Creek was the best small map in Combat Evolved (sorry,
Prisoner). We can’t even count how many times we’ve run around those
bases, making a running jump around the corner. Orrun and jumped run up
to rockets, jumped through the teleporter, gotten ganked by Active Camo
campers in the creek, lobbed frags into the little windows in the bases
to grief the people protecting the flag – Battle Creek can choke up many
older Halo players on sight. It’s been since remade several times (the
best being Halo 2’s Beaver Creek). Speaking of which, why did we pick
Battle Creek over Beaver Creek. Duh, Battle Creek has ladders. LADDERS.





6 The Pit (Halo 3)

We Recommend: Team Slayer, Assault, Lone Wolves/Rumble Pit, SWAT

The Pit was quite possibly the best Halo 3 map (not trollin’, just
sayin’). If you spent much time playing Halo 3 multiplayer, you know
why. Fully symmetrical but split up with multiple levels and the always
busy sword base, The Pit really shined in free-for-all Lone Wolves,
Slayer, and SWAT modes. Most Slayer games would begin with either the
run to rockets, or the run to sniper. The former always started with a
shower of grenades (oh how they bounced off the tall walls of rocket
hall) and ended with multiple deaths. There was an undeniable flow to
the map, especially at the bases. The middle section and sword base
would often become choke points, with much of the action gravitating
towards the two points. And every so often you’d spawn up in the high
tower, away from everything, from which you could rain down molten hot
terror on whoever accidentally ran into your line of sight. Suckers.
5 Ivory Tower (Halo 2)

We Recommend: 1 Flag Capture the Flag, Slayer, Assault, SWAT

The many, many angles… the dim, washed-out lighting… the broken
levels and sparse interior design… Ivory Tower is as moody as it is
varied. Spawn on the main floor and you can run for rockets or
Overshield ramp. Spawn upstairs and choose between covering air lift,
elevator, or the back door. Spawn at the bottom of the lift and you can
head for sword or slog off to any of the upper levels. Very few maps did
such a good job of making a relatively small space feel so large, and
even fewer made you feel powerful and vulnerable at the same time. With
shots being fired around every next corner, you had to watch your back
at every turn if you were going to survive. This was never more apparent
than during matches of SWAT, which were lightning fast. Turning the
upper corner near air lift with a jump, sailing through the air and into
the hall run, and then landing two or three no-scoped headshots
delivered a very particular type of thrill.

4 Ascension (Halo 2)

We Recommend: Slayer, Oddball, Crazy King of the Hill, Tower of Power

Ascension is one of those maps with a palpable sense of place. Sure
it had the iconic two towers and relay ring, the long underpass, the
leap of faith to rockets, all on a map floating in the middle of nothing
– with a long, humiliating drop down. But more so it possessed a stoic
sense of indifference; it was a technological killing field with nowhere
to run or hide, not that you’d want to. Much of the map was visible
from several vantage points, but to get to them was to open yourself up
eagle-eyed BR or sniper toting smart guys. Ascension was great for
Oddball, 1 Flag, and Crazy King of the Hill, but really nothing compared
to Tower of Power, a custom game with no shields, only shotguns, and
the large turret on big tower. The goal: GET TO THE TOWER!!! Matches
could last an hour or more, and remain engaging the whole time through.
Fans loved this variant so much that it’s been recreated with Forge
multiple times, and can still be played on Reach with the Pinnacle map
(but it just isn’t the same!!!). Oh, and suuuuuperbounce!!!!!!!!!!!
3 Hang 'Em High (Halo: Combat Evolved)

We Recommend: Capture the Flag, Slayer, Oddball

Hang ‘Em High made for some of the best mid-range gun play in all of
Halo multiplayer. The map presented two decidedly different bases, each
with its own pros and cons. In the span between, the pair of tombstone
fields and the trench helped cement the jumpy, twitchy trinity of Halo
gameplay – guns, grenades and melee. That is, when you weren’t getting
your face blown off by someone across the map. The pistol reigned
supreme, as did snipes, but you could decimate an entire team with rocks
or shottie if you dared venture into open territory or camp the
tunnels. Of course, once each team controlled and held its base, things
quickly turned into a long range shoot out, and stand-offs always forced
great kamikaze base runs. The Tombstone remake that headlined Halo 2’s
final map pack was a firm reminder that Hang ‘Em High is vintage Halo.
Playing it again as a part of the Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary map pack only drove this point home. Hang ‘Em High is a bona fide classic.
2 Lockout (Halo 2)

We Recommend: Team Slayer, SWAT

Deciding between Lockout and Blood Gulch for top honors was seriously
challenging. Lockout is arguably the best small map in all of Halo
multiplayer. Insane pacing, total balance, and every view, angle, and
position is iconic. Lockout was an easy map to memorize, and any Halo
player worth his salt knows the map blindfolded. Lockout became the
default map to play in Custom games; it was only a matter of time until
you found yourself leaping around its snow swept platforms and spaces.
And forget about 1v1 challenges with “that guy” that always accused
someone in your party of standbying, after which we’d retreat to Lockout
and watch the duel, mano y mano. SWAT matches ruled, as did Swords and
Shotties and 1 Flag. And don’t forget the Ghosts of Lockout, and
Guardians (who took credit for killing you when you did something
stupid, like walk off the map), and all the superbouncing madness. If
you’ve played Halo multiplayer seriously, you’ve played Lockout. And not
Blackout, screw that blasphemous imposter.
1 Blood Gulch (Halo: Combat Evolved)

We Recommend: Capture the Flag

Outside of Counter-Strike’s de_dust, is there a more iconic map in
first-person shooter history than the original Halo’s “boxed desert
canyon”? Blood Gulch is the all-time classic Halo battleground, for this
reason above all others: it is the quintessential showcase for what
Halo is. Vehicles, amazing weapons, and tense base encounters during
flag runs make every match a memorable one. And even though the map is
huge, the three-shot death-machine pistol keeps combat fast and
frequent. Remember the gentlemen’s agreement: no blocking the teleporter
pads with the vehicles! We could – and did – play you every single day
of our lives, Blood Gulch. There’s a reason this map has been remade in
multiple Halo games since. And we hope to see it again, too.


So how did we do? Did we get it right? Are we way off? Let us know in the comments