Will you let death take you, or greet him like an old friend?"
- The Deathly Hallows.

Gametypes supported: Multi-team, Team Slayer, Strongholds, and CTF.

With the release of the newest Harry Potter movie today: "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," I thought this map was fitting to be released.

Background

Welcome to the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry! Which wizarding house will you get sorted into? Funny enough, multi-team works pretty well for this map as the colors are red: Gryffindor, blue: Ravenclaw, Yellow: Hufflepuff, and Green: Slytherin. Otherwise, prepare your wands... for players can now battle across familiar locations throughout the legendary castle from Harry Potter. Eternal glory awaits those that win.

The Design

I built the castle based on a variety of blueprints I saw online, along with dozens of images from the movies. I certainly had to make slight alterations to the map in order for it to be playable within Halo’s gameplay, so that you can reach various ledges, hopefully adding to a more fluid flow of gameplay. However, it was impossible to make this a hardcore competitive map, as it was built with more of a focus on aesthetics and nostalgia. So simply enjoy it for what it is; casual fun.

You can duel within Hogwarts classrooms, courtyards, and castle ramparts. There’s also the clock tower with functioning pendulum, and of course the tower with moving staircases. Finally, you’ll also be able to fight within the Great Hall, where you can either hang out by the fire drinking some Butterbeer, or check out the sorting hat itself on the head table. For swifter transitions, try the apparation link from behind the head table to the corner of the fountain courtyard.

Gameplay

Keeping true to the books and movies, I worked to pair halo’s weapon sets with wizard-type attacks. You have to work to gain access to the elder wand (aka. the railgun), the resurrection stone (overshield power up), and the invisibility cloak (obviously the invisibility power up). Other power weapons include the sniper rifle, shotgun, and the hammer. Again, the map allows for all sorts of gametypes of your desire, so pick what you feel is best.

As always, I welcome any and all suggestions to improve my maps. I hope you enjoy your time with something that certainly invoked nostalgia for me. Cheers!