Halo 4 Crimson DLC hits Dec. 10, adds three maps and Extraction game type

Halo 4's Crimson Map Pack will be available on Dec. 10, and will add three new maps as well as the Extraction game to the War Games competitive multiplayer mode, developer 343 Industries announced today.

Players can purchase the pack through Xbox Live for 800 Microsoft Points ($10), which also includes eight new Achievements totaling 250 Gamerscore and exclusive access to a premium playlist featuring all three new maps.

Extraction is an objective-based game optimized for two teams of five. Opposing teams must steal assets from sites scattered across the map and claim them, setting up protective beacons to prevent the opposing team from taking the assets. If the defending team keeps the site, they receive one point, but if the opposition wins they receive a point. New sites will pop up as existing sites are taken, and the first team to collect five points wins.

New maps include:

• "Wreckage," a "manifestation of the chaos of war," is medium-sized map packed with broken debris and asymmetrical terrain. The map supports up to 16 players in Infinity Slayer and 12 in other modes including Capture the Flag, King of the Hill and Oddball.
• "Harvest," is a small abandoned agricultural planet, site of the first human contact with the Covenant. Players will need to engage in close-quarters combat or set up snipers in order to dominate this map, which allows up to 12 players to participate in Capture the Flag, Infinity Slayer, King of the Hill, SWAT and Slayer Pro games.
• "Shatter" is named for the crystals being mined by the UNSC factories set on this large map. The terrain features both closed quarters and expansive open landscapes, and supports up to 16 players in Infinity Slayer and 12 players in other modes including Capture the Flag, King of the Hill, Dominion and Extraction.

The Crimson Map Pack is the first of three scheduled DLC packs for Halo 4's War Games mode. War Games Map Pass and Halo 4 Limited Edition owners will receive automatic access to the packs once they become available. The second and third rounds of DLC are expected to release in February and April.