I've been playing video games pretty much nonstop ever since I got my first 360. I love arena shooters, MMOs, and MOBAs, but I'll pretty much try any kind of game.
Reviewed by Benjamin Barr
Over the years, the Halo series has seen some of the most iconic maps in all of gaming. And while many of those maps stand out due to huge environments, vehicle warfare, and all the ways the maps themselves are utilized, some are much simpler. These “simple” maps excel at close-quarters brawls and team coordination, which is perfect for the SWAT game mode. This game mode gives you no shields and a small selection of weapons. It’s all about headshots and learning the map like the back of your hand in SWAT.
Here are my picks for the 7 best maps for SWAT in Halo: Master Chief Collection!
Lockout
Original Game: Halo 2
Lockout might just be the best map in all of Halo for 4v4 game modes, especially SWAT. I don’t know what it is about Lockout, but it just feels perfect. From the four sides with spiraling towers that you can camp on top of, to the underside with all its open bridges and narrow corridors, there’s a part of the map for any way you want to play. Even the “camping” spots I mentioned aren’t a problem because they’re perfectly balanced by opposite spots where you can be seen from and plenty of sight lines all the way down to the bottom. If you’re looking for a place to hone your Halo skills, Lockout is by far my top pick.
Battle Creek
Original Game: Halo 1
Battle Creek might not be the first map you think of when you think of SWAT, but it’s a personal favorite of mine. As a Halo 1 map, it’s very basic. Each side has a base for teams to hide in, but the star of the show is the open river area in the middle. There’s enough cover thanks to all the rocks everywhere so that it doesn’t feel too open for SWAT, but it’s not so close quarters that it’s impossible to take a long line of sight. If you want to really have a great experience, try out pistol-only SWAT (it’s pure chaos).
Haven
Original Game: Halo 4
Haven is the pinnacle of Halo 4 maps in my opinion. I probably (definitely) love Halo 4 more than the average person, but I think everyone can agree with how good this map is. Not only is it absolutely gorgeous, but the circular design is perfect for SWAT. There’s nothing better than making rounds through those side hallways taking out whoever you come across the second they come around the bend. And if that’s not your style, the four-corridor section in the middle is an excellent battleground, and the underground part is equally as good. I don’t think I could make a better SWAT map if I tried.
Hang ’em High
Original Game: Halo 1
Hang ’em High is another map that feels like a guilty pleasure, but it really is great for SWAT. While the extremely open nature of this map can make for some frustrating instant deaths upon spawning, it’s great once you get into it. It’s just such a weird, oddly made map that I find it perfect for this game mode. In Slayer, I usually don’t like how easily you can just get up top and pick off kills, but it’s easy to counter this in SWAT. You can spawn and immediately find someone standing around up top to take out, or you can join them and hope your spot is hidden from wherever someone inevitably spawns in your line of sight.
Zealot
Original Game: Halo: Reach
Zealot might be the weirdest pick on this list, but I have good reason. I really love the vertical nature of this map, combined with the abundance of alternate routes that are completely hidden from the middle. It’s not a map that forces you in any one direction or playstyle, so you can easily react to how others are playing and try to counter them. If you just run around and go into the middle, you’ll definitely have a bad time. But by playing smart, you can get one of the best SWAT experiences in Halo.
Boardwalk
Original Game: Halo: Reach
Boardwalk is a classic Halo: Reach map. It’s designed like a city center or metro area, and it’s probably the largest map I’d consider “great” for SWAT. I just really love how it looks and all comes together in-game, and even though it can be hard to find people in SWAT, it’s still an amazing experience. I don’t think it’s possible for this map to be bad in any mode, so it’s kind of just a free inclusion on any Halo list. I don’t think Halo needs more of this kind of “realistic” map these days, but I really love it for what it is.
Solace
Original Game: Halo 4
This map has always been one that interested me. There’s just something about that massive gravity lift in the middle that makes it hard to ignore. Now, I won’t pretend like getting on the grav lift is a good idea in SWAT, but I also won’t say that I don’t do it every time. 90% of the time you get shot the second you jump into it, but when you manage to fly up there and clear out the enemy team while landing, it’s just perfect. On a more serious note, I actually really love how well balanced this map is, with its parallel high grounds on each side and in-depth underground portion. And the fact that it’s all brought together by a big, dumb gravity lift is just icing on the cake.
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