As we get closer and closer to the opening of the Halo: Reach multiplayer beta Bungie are slowly releasing more and more information about the highly anticipated game. This week we find out how Elites stack up against Spartans, what weapons will be available in the beta, what the Armor Abilities are, how Load Outs work and more.

Bungie have made it their goal to make the Elites in Reach bad-asses and, from what they've said so far, they will be. The Elites of Reach will be bigger, stronger and faster than their Spartan counterparts and will come with better equipped shield technology. The Elites normal running speed is the equivalent to the Spartans sprint while both their health and shields recharge significantly faster than a Spartans. They do have the down side of being huge, which makes them a much easier target if you can sight them. Bungie stated that certain maps, like the Arena maps, will only allow you to play Elite vs Elite to avoid balance issues while they are still cooking up some interesting scenarios for the other game modes. I like the fact that Bungie are making the two races different and I wonder if the Elites in multiplayer will be the same as the ones in the singleplayer. If they are then singleplayer is going to be seriously challenging.

One of the things I've been looking forward to most in Reach is the weapons. Whether it be the old weapons that are getting a makeover or the host of new weapons Bungie are adding to the game I'm generally excited. Bungie told Game Informer that at least five entirely new weapons will be available in the beta. These include the focus rifle:

A Covenant really long-range 'reach out and burn your face off' sniper-slot weapon.... you need to hold it on your opponent for approximately one and a half seconds to kill them. It's more about long range suppression than instant death.

There is also the pro-pipe which is the Spartan grenade launcher. It was designed:

To fill a similar role to the plasma pistol and give the Spartans an EMP-capable weapon. It has two modes of fire - manual and auto. If you pull the trigger and release it, a single round will fire and detonate upon hitting a target. If you keep the trigger held, the player can choose when they want the grenade to detonate.

Other new weapons, which have previously been revealed, include "the plasma launcher ("the Covenant's answer to the rocket launcher and Spartan laser"), the plasma repeater ("the Elite answer to the assault rifle") and the needle rifle ("a needler mixed with a carbine")". 

Bungie's weekly update also addressed the weapons of Reach in greater detail. It explained that grenades "will still do minor impact damage should you bean another player with a direct shot. Which is awesome. And hilarious." Yes it certainly is. 

Bungie explain that you won't have to go up against the Elite Plasma Repeater in the campaign because it is a little too powerful and instead they'll just have the normal Plasma Rifle they've always had. The Plasma Launcher will allow the player to shot from 1 to 4 rounds at an enemy and they act in the same way needler rounds do, that is with a slight tracking feature. Even though it's not a true lock-on Bungie explain that "if you play it right, you can affix an explosive round to some poor sucker’s face." Very cool. Apparently this will be the gun you'll want to know the location of on every map, it's that powerful. They also explain the function of the Focus Rifle a little better: 

Zoom in and hold the focused beam on your opponent and you’ll tear through their shields and take out their health pretty quickly. Even if you don’t kill your enemy, you can bet they’ll be encouraged to give up their ground and get behind something that doesn’t smell like burning.

Hmm I always find it best to hide behind things that don't smell like burning as well. The final weapon detailed is the pro-pipe grenade launcher. They largely explain it's delayed detonation feature. Basically when you fire off a round you can hold onto the trigger button after you've fired. The round will then only detonate when you release your finger from the trigger meaning you can set up some nice little explosive traps. The explosions also cause an EMP effect. One thing they don't explain is whether, if you die before releasing your grip, the round will blow up when you die. I would assume it would, meaning death from the grave here I come.

Finally they explain Load Outs and Armor Abilities. Load Outs are similar to classes in other multiplayer shooters. The difference is each playlist will have pre-defined Load Outs for you to choose from which will affect your starting equipment. Players can't customize their Load Out but there will be a sizable amount to choose from. Players choose their Load Out at the start of a match, round or in between respawns if they choose. The Load Outs come with a primary and secondary weapon, grenade and Armor Ability.

The Armor Abilities, another new feature, include Active Camo (for Elite and Spartan use), Armor Lock, Evade, Jet Pack and Sprint (Spartan only). Most of the abilities come with advantages and disadvantages. For instance Sprinters can't use weapons while it's engaged, Armor Lock locks you to the position where you activated it but makes you invulnerable (even destroying vehicles that try to splatter you), Active Camo becomes more visible the faster you move and Jet Packs don't allow you to be evasive. Evade, so far, appears to be full of advantages, like ditching weapon locks, and no disadvantages. It should be noted that Abilities aren't part of the dropped bounty when you kill someone, you have to manually change your load out to access a new ability.