343 is planning to change the Halo 5: Guardians beta throughout its duration, altering starting weapons and map styles on a weekly basis.

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This Friday will see the first changes, according to 343 multiplayer designer Quinn DelHoyo. This time, the changes will revolve around map rotation and game modes: new maps will take place of the current ones in Slayer, and the Breakout gametype is set to debut. The changes are going to take place at 12 p.m. EST on Friday.

The starting weapon will also switch to Battle Rifles for Slayer (why it would ever be, or ever has been, Assault Rifles is beyond me) and SMGs in Breakout. Maps Truth and Empire will be dropped for Slayer and replaced by Regret and Eden, as stated by Halo 5 head Josh Holmes. The Breakout maps are called Crossfire and Trench.

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Breakout is a different Halo experience, similar to Counter Strike gameplay. Every player on each team only has one life per round--the first team to eliminate all other players takes the round. A lack of respawns has never been present in normal Halo modes, and it could provide a lot of tense action. Crossfire and Trench are designed specifically with Breakout in mind.

The beta's third week will introduce an objective gametype called Strongholds, which looks to rely on taking and holding certain territory, but 343 has not yet provided details. The beta launched earlier this week, and will run until January 18--access is gained through ownership of Halo: The Master Chief Collection.