The Gauntlet is a combination map and game variant that together provide a fun game of high risk and high reward.

Download the Gauntlet (map and game variant) to your Xbox

Built in The Pit map, the Gauntlet makes good use of forced object respawns and long, narrow, central hallway of the map.

The reward of the map is super-human (or, rather, super-Spartan/super-Elite) speed, jumping, vampyric draining of shields, and unlimited ammo and grenades for a reasonable duration of time. Located in the center of the central hallway is a rocket launcher and a custom powerup that together provide the tools necessary to rule the map.

You just have to survive the Gauntlet to get it.

The Gauntlet itself consists of a series of fast-spawning fusion coils and propane tanks that once ignited can continue exploding for anywhere from thirty seconds to ten minutes. And if you're caught inside (or even near the entrances), you're a goner.

Since you never know how long the chain reaction will last, you need to be able to keep yourself occupied while waiting for debris to stop falling from the sky. A number of options are available.

The upper rooms on each side house active camo, a sniper rifle, a Spartan laser, and a machine gun turret. Spawning up there can be quite a pleasant stroke of luck.

The central command room offers an overshield and a flamethrower buried under a number of wooden palettes (a grenade will clear them out of the way quickly).

And on each side, beneath the towers with machine gun turrets and two of each grenade type (with decent respawn times), a Mongoose, a shotgun, and two maulers, giving you the ability to get to someone quickly and drop them at close range.