Halo 5: Guardians lets you sprint, ground pound, clamber and more

Halo 5: Guardians grants players Spartan powers previously seen only in cut-scenes.

In the Halofest Halo 5: Guardians gameplay reveal stream, 343 Industries revealed a bunch of new powers available in multiplayer.

The developer said it wants to give players the powers Master Chief and other Spartans had in cutscenes, and add a fourth element of sandbox combat to the existing trinity of firearms, grenade and melee.

The Thruster pack allows Spartans to use jets to enhance their movement. You can choose to use it while running for a quick speed boost, or to change direction quickly in mid-air while jumping. It looks like you could even use it to hover very briefly, as 343 Industries said you can thrust in any direction.

The Ground Pound is precisely what you'd expect; the ability to come down more quickly out of those typically Halo-like floaty jumps, and also do damage with your momentum.

Clamber lets Spartans climb onto edges that they would otherwise have slipped and bounced off, so if you don't quite make a jump you can press the clamber button to recover and mantle the edge.

The Slide is only available after a certain amount of sprinting, but seems like a good way to get into cover. You could keep your momentum up and use the Charge, though; it's a running melee that pushes through opponents.

As for that Sprint, it comes with a downside - your shields won't recharge while you're sprinting, so if you use it for a quick get away you'd better not run into another group of enemies.

Finally, players will have access to Smart Scope abilities. This is something that's been present in the game's lore since the beginning, as the pistol was supposed to have direct interface with the Spartan.

343 Industries said that all players have access to these abilities in multiplayer, and can choose to use them or not. It wasn't clear if they'd be available in the single-player campaign as well.

A multiplayer beta for Halo 5: Guardians kicks off on December 29 with three modes and seven maps. Beta access is included in Halo: The Master Chief Collection, which launched overnight.