Updated December 21, 2018
At around 9pm EST on March 10th, 2018 I, DoubleSama, became the 267th Halo 5 player to reach the maximum rank in the game (SR 152) according to HaloTracker.com. Halo 5: Guardians was released on October 27th, 2015 which means I completed the quest to max rank in just under 2 and a half years.
At the start of the journey, leveling up is easy; you can go up a level after each multiplayer match. However, the higher you get, the more experience you need in order to level up. Just going from SR 151 (the second highest level) to SR 152 (the highest level) took almost 5 months.
For reference, if you are SR 1 then you have a minimum of 0xp. To be SR 2 you need 300xp. To be SR 152 like myself, you need 50,000,000xp. Yes, 50 million, 15 million of which is just for going from SR 151 to SR 152.
In fact, by the time you make it to SR 150 you?re actually not even halfway to SR 152 in terms of total experience needed.
The Post-Match Level Up Screen (Featuring My Top Medal of the Match)
So how does one get to SR 152?
Well the answer is simple: you play Halo 5 a lot. Way too much, in fact. You have to play the game beyond the point at which you stop having fun.
For me, personally, I set a minimum daily xp goal to reach. Every single day for over 1 year I got a minimum of 100,000xp which takes an average of 4 hours.
By the time I made it to SR 152 I had put 2,859 hours into Halo 5. That?s over 119 days of continuous play time in just under 2 and a half years (roughly 900 days).
Was all that time spent playing Halo 5 worth it?
No. Obviously not.
The only thing you get for getting to SR 152, other than that level next to your name, is an in-game emblem which looks terrible compared to others you could use instead. Am I using this dumb emblem instead of the Unicorn emblem I had been using for over a year? You bet I am because I earned it.
The Mantle Emblem for SR152
While I?ve made it to the maximum rank in Halo 5, there?s more to do in the game. There are 73 achievements you can get through completing certain challenges as well as 592 commendations (basically mini achievements) that you can earn as well.
However, getting to SR152 took so long that I already completed all 73 achievements and 592 commendations long before reaching max rank.
But have no fear, there?s also the coveted Achilles armor and helmet that you can earn by completing extra challenging commendations as part of a Spartan Company (the clan system in Halo 5). Well, I already got both the Achilles armor and helmet long ago too.
So what?s left in Halo 5 for me? Nothing. In fact, I haven?t played the game since, but that doesn?t mean I?ll stay away from it forever.
You see, the players who put in the time to get to SR 152 are the true diehard Halo fans. We?re the ones who play the game because we love it. It doesn?t matter if there?s nothing left to do, we?ll keep playing anyway.
So as for my current Halo 5 venture, I started a new Spartan Company in January in order to help other players obtain the Achilles armor and helmet. We currently have 94/100 members and are known as the Anti Bully Rangers.
Akarin Akaza, The Original Anti-Bully Ranger
As for the future, I hope that Halo 6 will bring another challenging maximum level for me to achieve because I don?t think I?ve wasted quite enough of my life playing Halo just yet.
If you liked this post and want to read more written by me, I have my own website full of anime-related reviews and posts at DoubleSama.com.
Update: December 21, 2018
During 343 Industries? social stream on Wednesday, December 19th, it was revealed that all players who achieve SR 152 in Halo 5: Guardians will be receiving a ?token of appreciation? in Halo Infinite. So, is making it to max rank in Halo 5 worth it now? Definitely.
And, the great part about this new reward for reaching SR 152 is that if you haven?t completed the grind yet, you probably have at least another year to do so before Halo Infinite comes out.
