It feels like only yesterday that Series 12 of Forza Horizon 5’s Festival Playlist Weekly Challenges started kicking off, but already we’re in the concluding week with the arrival of Spring.
With that move comes a host of new events and races to partake in, with rewards aplenty on the cards for those able to master the racing skills required. And that’s where we come in with the best cars and the finest tunes that will help you through the challenges for Series 12 – Spring.
Part 1: #Forzathon Weekly Challenge – On The Run
Let’s start as we mean to go on, with the usual “obtain a car and do stuff in it” part of the weekly journey.
The subject of the challenge this week is none other than the Nissan Pulsar GTi-R, a car that I have a soft spot for. Packing the 200bhp turbo engine out of a Nissan 200SX, adding AWD and a sensible hot hatch body was always going to be a fun recipe. If you don’t have one yet, completing the “Blaze a Trail” championship will gift you one, or you can get one at the Autoshow for a reasonable 20,000 credits.
Chapter 1 – Baby Godzilla
Godzilla was the name given to the R32 Skyline when it dominated racing in Australia, so it seems a good name to adopt for this weapon.
Get in it, and hit the throttle to complete step one.
Chapter 2 – Mini Skyline
Step two requires us to win a Street Race in our new car.
Now, I’m going to keep this stock for this one, as the next step would require a completely different tune. If it is too hard, then there is no shame in lowering the difficulty: we’re here to have fun, right?
Chapter 3 – Attesa
For this step, we simply have to win a dirt race.
I was going to tune up for this one a little, adding off road tyres and suspension, but discovered that even in stock trim, it is more than capable of beating other cars off road. Stock trim is the best trim!
And, just to make things a touch easier, this does also complete the Treasure Hunt challenge for this week.
Chapter 4 – Hottest Hatch
200mph in a hot hatch? A hot hatch from 1990? Madness.
Luckily, with a bit of fettling, this car is good for it. Use share code: 127938081, go to the highway in the middle of the map, and hold on tight. Don’t worry about the noise of the car, I may have committed sacrilege and put a rotary engine in the chassis.
And with this unlikely feat, the weekly challenge is complete!
Part 2 – Weekly Challenges
New events and new races makes up the second part of this week’s challenges
The Trial – Off The Beaten Track
Ah, The Trial, my favourite event of the week. Any event that sees a team of people who have never met come together to forge a lean, mean racing team against unbeatable driverbots (who, whisper it, aren’t actually that unbeatable) is okay by me.
In this event, we need to take an Offroad vehicle, restricted to only B Class 700, and go wild in the country.
I chose a Ford Ranger T6 Rally Raid, which has done sterling service in the past, and its share code is: 166960440.
Winning this event will see you take home a #65 Porsche 911 Desert.
Eventlab – Twisted Knot Presents Rally Trail | Custom| Open Day
Oh dear, it’s back.
Reading the blurb sounds promising, as it is claimed to be “A rally event created from the ground up| Hand built over 26 hours”. I wonder if the creator has thought of doing something else?
Anyway, to complete this we have to use a Rally Monster tuned up to the Top of A Class 800, and so obviously I went with the old faithful, Hoonigan Cossie V2, as it doesn’t need any tuning for this event.
While I can appreciate the work that has gone into this track, it suufers from the same problem as the last one – lack of flow, and stupid traps like 90 degree bends after a ramp that you have no chance of making. Did not enjoy.
Still, at least I’m now the proud owner of a modern black puebla dress, so the day wasn’t a complete washout… (insert eye rolling emoji here).
Seasonal Playground Games – Team Flag Rush
There is actually a point to playing the Playground Games this week, as the prize car is the one that we need for the Photo Challenge this week.
In this game we need to get a flag from one end of the arena to the other, or else prevent the flag transportation from occuring by causing an RTA! We need a Hot Hatch type car this week, so I went with a Civic Type R from 2007, and the share code is : 122431574.
Winning (or losing, as we are all winners when we play together or some such trite nonsense) will net us a Mitsubishi Evo VI GSR from 1999.
Speed Zone – Ranchito
This week, the speed zone in question sees us needing to get an S2 Class 998 car, of any flavour, through the zone at an average speed of 100 mph or more, and given that the track is off road, this may be a challenge.
I had to use an off road car in the end, the BMW X5 M Forza Edition, share code: 519084427.
I approached from the north, and the second half of the course is a lot more open than the first half, so nail it after the bends.
Screaming through the zone fast enough will get you a Super Wheelspin.
Danger Sign – Stadium Jump
Flying through the air with the greatest of ease, it’s those daring souls in their racing machines, as the song lyrics don’t say.
Take your finest S2 Class 998 car, and jump a distance of over 426m. You’re best off using an Agera, as I always do, share code: 109282883.
Should you manage to jump far enough, a Super Wheelspin might make all your dreams come true. Or at least get you a nice pencil skirt…
Drift Zone – Rancheria
Mmmm, Drifting. I do love the noble art of Touge, and this time it is an S2 Class car that we need. Our target is a hefty 98,500 drift points.
Now, my favourite car for this event is a Formula Drift Supra Mk IV, so I decided to see if I could make it into an S2 Class beast. And the news is bad, as it won’t upgrade high enough!
I went instead with the Hoonigan Hoonicorn Mustang, the silver one, in an attempt to clear the points and just about managed it, despite it being AWD. Stock trim as well. Maybe the AWD helps as the course is off road, but it is doable.
Yet another Super Wheelspin will be awarded for sliding about a bit.
Seasonal Championship – The Gauntlet
Continuing the theme established at the start of this season, we have the final “enormously long” class race to take part in, this time it is The Gauntlet.
We have to take a Rally Monster car, tuned to only S1 Class 900. Of course, for this class and type of race, the answer is the Hoonicorn Escort , and the share code is: 264985022.
Winning the race (which may take a while, given that I think we see every part of Mexico) will award us with an Escort RS1800 from 1977.
Seasonal Championship – Blaze a Trail
Given the class restriction this week, “blazing” a trail may be beyond these cars. Maybe a light smoulder? Yes, its Classic Rally cars to a maximum of only D Class 500, and as we all know, there’s only one car for the job – a classic Mini Cooper. My tune share code is: 680141490.
Winning this championship, or best two out of three in a convoy, will get us the subject of this week’s challenge, the Nissan Pulsar GTi-R. Nice!
Seasonal Championship – Dirt Endurance
The new weekly endurance event, where we have to complete five races instead of three, this week moves onto the dirt. We need a Modern Rally car of a maximum class of B 700, and so for a change, I went with an Evo, as you’d expect, the Evo VIII MR, share code of : 141172186.
Winning will get us a Subaru, the Impreza WRX from 2005.
Part 3 – Other Challenges
Away from the main events, there’s the usual stuff to enjoy – the #PHOTOCHALLENGE, a chance to win The Eliminator and a Treasure Hunt to take in.
Photo Challenge – #RUNNINGWILD
Pretty simple this week, take a Evo Vi GSR (won from the Playground Games event if you don’t have one) to the Horizon Wilds Outpost and snap away.
I’ll include my artistic efforts below to provide inspiration or hilarity, whichever is most appropriate.
Have you always wanted a Police Siren horn on your car? Then it’s your lucky day!
Treasure Hunt – Rally on the Wild Side
The clue this week reads “Victory awaits whoever can brave the dirt with a rallying cry of nostalgia” and the illustration shows a photo of a Quattro. So, again, without requiring “ze leetle grey cells” of Hercule Poirot, I think we need to win a dirt race in a Classic Rally Car.
Luckily, the weekly challenge step three will complete this for us, as the Pulsar is classed as a Classic Rally Car!
I’ll include a photo of where the chest is once it spawns below, and it contains 100 of the finest FP to add to your collection.
The Eliminator – Battle Royale
Ah, the Eliminator, the weekly chance for me to prove how inept I am at driving across a field without crashing into a tree!
Luckily, we don’t have to win, just survive long enough to get into the top 30 players left. I usually accomplish this feat by hiding in a bush, but however you do it, if you make the Top 30, a prize awaits.
What prize you ask? Well, a Forza Link phrase, “This isn’t even my final form”. The number of times I’ve wanted to say that in a game…
Part 4 – Hot Wheels Events
Series 12 – Spring gives us the chance to head off to Hot Wheels Park to enjoy a couple more events too.
Danger Sign – Forest Escape
Jumping a ridiculous distance and the Hot Wheels park seem to go hand in hand, and so it is here, with a distance in excess of 365m.
The car is restricted to an S2 Class car, of any type, so I reached for the trusty Koenigsegg Agera as usual, and the share code is still: 109282883. Hitting the ramp at more 190mph saw the distance cleared easily.
Jumping sufficiently far will get us yet another Super Wheelspin.
Seasonal Championship – Hit the Orange Trail
Finally for this week, and this season, we have a championship in the Hot Wheels park requiring a Rally Monster class car tuned to a maximum of A Class 800. Of course, this is just crying out for the talents of the same Hoonigan Escort Cossie V2 as before, Still in stock trim too!
Winning will get us yet another Subaru, the WRX from 2011 this time around. More Scoobies than you can shake a stick at!
Anything else to get involved in? Well, you’ve probably completed the two Monthly Rivals challenges – the Bola Ocho Circuit and the Forza EV Emerald Circuit – but if you haven’t, this is your last chance to go slowly slowly and nail a clean lap.
All done? Great, now head off and pick up your Series 12 – Spring rewards of the Nissan Sentra for 20pts and the Ferrari 512TR for 40pts. If you’ve been following our guides for the last few weeks, you should have more than enough to take the full Series rewards of the 80pts Audi RS e-tron and the McLaren 765LT which costs 160pts.
If you don’t yet have a copy of Forza Horizon 5 then it is playable on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S or PC via the Xbox Store. It’s on Game Pass too whilst the Hot Wheels expansion costs real money.
Please remember to head into the comments if you like this guide. Or if there are things we can change that will make it easier for you, give us a shout. We’re on the usual socials too.
