Halo 5: Guardians is, like many games these days, partnering with retailers to offer exclusive pre-order bonuses. The good news is you won't have to wait to purchase pre-order bonuses you miss out on down the road or wait for a hypothetical Halo 5: Game of the Year edition to get them. In fact, you don't have to pre-order at all to get the goods, as you'll be able to grab them via Halo 5's REQ Packs - a feature new to the series that hides unlockables behind blind packs of content that can be purchased using in-game or real-world currency.
When asked by a fan on Twitter if a specific rifle advertised as pre-order bonus content would be available in a particular region, 343 studio head Josh Holmes tweeted that "ALL unlockable content can be earned by everyone. Preorder just guarantees you have it out of box." Well, that's certainly a nice change from needing a spreadsheet to keep everything straight.
Now, if you would like your shooty-shooty bang-bang immediately, here's who's selling what:
GameStop: Spartan Locke's HUNTER-class armor and helmet, plus the Sentinel Battle Rifle with Laser Targeter and Bloodthirst Battle Rifle Weapon Skin
Amazon: The Projection SMG with Long Barrel and Potence SMG Weapon Skin
Best Buy: $10 in Reward Certificates, Longshot Assault Rifle with Recoil Compensator and Steel Assault Rifle Weapon Skin
Microsoft Store: $10 Xbox gift card digital code within 10 days after the game’s release, Recon Assault Rifle with Energy Bayonet and Lagrange Assault Rifle Weapon Skin
Sign up to the 12DOVE Newsletter
Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more
Walmart: This probably isn't right, because according to the current description on Walmart's website, pre-ordering Halo 5 will net you the Fighting Chance Pack, a DLC grab-bag of goodies for … The Evil Within.
So, are you going to unlock everything the old-fashioned way or give yourself a leg up by pre-ordering? Let us know in the comments, and if you've seen something newsworthy, tell us!
Sam is a former News Editor here at GamesRadar. His expert words have appeared on many of the web's well-known gaming sites, including Joystiq, Penny Arcade, Destructoid, and G4 Media, among others. Sam has a serious soft spot for MOBAs, MMOs, and emo music. Forever a farm boy, forever a '90s kid.