Terminus Firefight Review - Halo Wars 2

Terminus Firefight is included with the Awakening the Nightmare expansion pack or the Halo Wars 2 Complete Edition. It was one of the last pieces of content added to the game, and since the meta is stale, this review remains relevant.

The Good

Different Strategic Layer

• Completely different team composition strategy than matchmaking
• Instead of thinking about destroying enemies or quick teleportation
• Focus on keeping the Terminus alive longer
• Terminus is in the center of the map with shields - game ends when its health depletes

Great Leader Synergies

• Shipmaster's Displacement works well
• Johnson's Bunker Drops and Bunker Walls for garrisoning
• Siege excels: Anders' Siege and Pavium's Mega Turrets are excellent
• Johnson's Remote Sensors (expanded line of sight) helps Siege leaders flourish
• Can destroy many units before they reach the Terminus

Variety and Twists

• Different enemies including the Flood on some waves
• Boss fights
• Flood waves
• Direct air attacks
• Keeps gameplay interesting

Building Options

• Can build turrets and walls beyond initial base area
• Take mini bases for line of sight
• Direct enemies down particular paths
• Strategy: Wall off all entrances except one to create a funnel/choke point

Relaxing Gameplay

• Less micromanaging than standard multiplayer
• Especially on economy side
• Can relax and let resources accumulate

The Bad

Only One Map

• Same map over and over
• Main reason for not playing Terminus Firefight as much
• Same issue with Blitz Firefight (one map)

Wished-For Features

• Different map layouts: Full expansion bases (only minis available beyond starting base)
• Flood-only mode: Like Flood Fight in MCC
• PvPvE mode: Two Terminus objectives, each team defends while Flood attacks from center
• New maps: Inspiration from multiplayer maps or callbacks to Halo Wars series (e.g., Arcadia City)

Limited Ranked Options

• Has ranked matchmaking
• Wished for more ranked variations like FPS Halo's Firefight options

No Mod Support

• Community could create map variations, unique challenges, or gameplay modifiers
• Examples: No siege, infantry only - to increase difficulty
• Would add significant replay value

What's Included

When you buy Awakening the Nightmare:

• Full Banished campaign (High Charity, Flood, blur cutscenes)
• Two new leaders (Voridus and Pavium)
• Terminus Firefight game mode

Verdict

Terminus Firefight is a great mode as an individual experience in Halo Wars 2. The issues don't make it bad - it's very fun and worth trying with friends if you have the Complete Edition or Awakening the Nightmare expansion.

The single map repetition is the main drawback, but the strategic depth and relaxing gameplay make it an enjoyable change of pace from standard multiplayer.