2558. As Jul ‘Mdama’s Covenant grows stronger through acquisition of powerful Forerunner technology, one malfunctioning Promethean Knight discovers the last vestiges of its humanity.
Halo: The Machine Breaks takes place throughout the latter half of 2558, predominantly around the events of Halo: Escalation where Dr. Catherine Halsey and Covenant Supreme Leader Jul ‘Mdama seek to reunite both halves of the Janus Key.
The Third Dignitary Schema descends upon the human colony world Oban—designated CE-174-6 c—with dozens of Promethean forces deploying from the underbellies of Twelfth-order escort craft, their monolithic forms obscured within thick overcast skies.
Oban is a rocky, mountainous world of vast rolling hills and untouched lowlands—long stretches of green that ascend into wave-like formations of rock, and greater peaks capped with snow. An aerial view makes it appear as if a terrible storm was frozen, turned to stone, and has stood silent and still in its petrified form for millennia.
Among those highland crags lies a nexus of prefabricated strongholds, research facilities, training grounds, and power plants—the early years of a human colonization effort.
TDS-009's anterior shield distributors flare for a moment as it lands on soft grassy terrain and immediately advances. The Promethean Knight unit kicks up mud with every step as the war machine’s powerful legs carry it through the aftermath of the rain season, an extreme two-month period of engineered weather patterns that would make conquest inadvisable for any organic foe.
The Knight fires its light rifle, bursts of hardlight find their marks with precision, piercing primitive human armor and soft flesh. Dark trails of orange streak through the air, impacting humans once more—just as they did over a hundred millennia ago, shattering redoubts and star fortresses in an ancient war. At least, that is what the combat-wisdom of the Strategos command pattern states—the battlenet conductor of all Promethean units that provides directives, intelligence, and at times contextual knowledge from its long service.
Were a Composer active in the field, death would be unnecessary for these humans. Due to the low military threat posed by these hostile elements, capture and conversion would be the ideal prime directive, but the present absence of the device makes this impossible.
The combat-wisdom of the Strategos finds this loss of biological life wasteful.
As the last human occupying the primitive grey-green structure falls, its fragile form blasted back by a nearby detonation, TDS-009's combat effectiveness is noted. It is now designated by the Strategos as a commander, granting higher authority—subsuming other local units into its schema, including a dozen crawlers—and is provided deeper access to the Promethean battlenet to enhance its autonomy. In addition, its authority is now visually denoted by blazing patterns of hardlight which cover the unit’s helmet and carapace.
Together, the reinforced Third Dignitary Schema marches onto the next structure. It is a dull and rectangular industrial building bearing the letters “UNSC” printed on the side, and notably features a large communications dish on its roof.
Half-a-dozen crawlers flank the structure, initiating a charge-assisted leap onto its outer walls, skittering in all directions. The combat-wisdom of the Strategos understands that fear is an effective tool to be leveraged against many types of biological lifeforms: the suggestion of uncertainty, of randomness, can provide momentary distractions which create critical openings. The other six crawler units charge the barricaded structure’s entrance, breaking through to leap onto the human guards within. Some are dragged outside by the crawlers, while others scatter for cover. It matters not, for the objective of this moment was simply to remove the human targets from their bunker so they can be more effectively neutralized.
TDS-009 raises its light rifle to fire at one of the humans that has been dragged, writhing and screaming, into close proximity by two of the crawlers.
The Knight’s light rifle is fully functional. It possesses a plentiful supply of light mass ammunition, and targeting data guarantees a successful lethal hit.
But TDS-009 pauses, for there is something new on the battlefield.
It initially appears to be a small humanoid—a child of these colonists, perhaps. But upon closer inspection, it is no such thing. Where there is a face, there are no features. It is clothed only in flesh. A wretched half-life of a being that fills TDS-009 with feelings it should not have—revulsion, dread, fear.
The remaining human soldiers continue to fire their primitive ballistic weapons while moving in a desperate, uncoordinated fashion, attempting to find some way to retreat. But the being simply stands rooted to the spot—seemingly oblivious to the slaughter of its protectors—and stares at TDS-009. The Knight stares back, attempting to scan it with its sensor arrays. While children seldom register as combatants, they are designated as useful minds for sublimation by a Composer... but in the absence of such a device, the Knight awaits a directive.
No directive regarding the being ever comes.
Instead, the Strategos command pattern notes the cessation of weapons fire from TDS-009 and directs other Knight units to compensate, prompting the crawlers—now led by a newly designated alpha—to assume a more directly lethal role.
The last human screams as three crawlers fall upon him, shredding through both combat skin and flesh. Ordinarily, a Knight unit would disintegrate the bloody remains with a burst from its scattershot, but the Strategos directs the Third Dignitary Schema to leave the bodies. They are meant to be found.
TDS-009 does not understand the reason for this order and looks back to find the strange being, wondering why the Strategos did not provide a directive for it, but it has disappeared.
Twelfth-order escort vessels descend as all Promethean units are recalled to their crèches aboard Song of Retribution, an assault carrier belonging to an allied multispecies faction known as the Covenant. Despite possessing privileged battlenet access, TDS-009 is not informed by the Strategos command pattern whether the outcome on Oban was victory, defeat, or even whether the battle was finished—nor is any further context for the mission provided. The Prometheans simply depart its rocky surface to be ferried to their next battlefield, leaving the bodies of the humans behind.
After a series of decontamination sweeps and sensor scans to eliminate any alien bacteria, Promethean units are sent to the assemblers for repair. The assembler features a recessed semi-spherical nanofabrication chamber where pattern-weavers forge the templates encoded within their design seeds. It was crudely removed from Shield World 0001 and grafted into the heart of Song of Retribution, with similar facilities occupying multiple decks of the assault carrier. Despite its inelegance, there are many Sangheili aboard the vessel that delay their duties to observe this process, some reverently uttering alien words of prayer for the wellbeing of what they call “warrior-angels.”
TDS-009 is connected to a sensor that scans for damage in its smartmatter machine-cell alloy, be it from weapons fire or environmental conditions. The light rifle is detached from the Knight's primary weapon arm and disassembled to extract combat data.
A field of orange light then initiates a deep scan of the Knight, accompanied by the voice of the Strategos.
// Unit designation: TDS-009. //
The Strategos directly accesses the Knight’s “memories,” plugging into the full combat experience of all that took place on Oban.
It sees the Third Dignitary Schema launching from their escort craft. It sees crawlers routing the humans from their communications bunker; the humans are dragged out of the building and pinned to the ground...
TDS-009 anticipates the appearance of the strange humanoid being it had witnessed.
// Sensor analysis complete. Smartmatter repairs conducted. Return unit to crèche. //
The Knight is directed to move along and enter hibernation as Song of Retribution departs the system, but a thought lingers within TDS-009 associated with a variety of inputs: query, question, clarification needed.
No other being had appeared.
TDS-009 chooses not to query the Strategos.
Aktis IV—designation F309-R 2—is a vast oceanic world with a few scattered island continents, currently uninhabited but formerly occupied by Forerunners of multiple rates to research the unique composition of the opaque, foamy substance that covers the oceans. This environmental element is a significant tactical variable for naval engagements, as no ship sensors are able to scan through it.
The Strategos informs TDS-009 that a battle has erupted between allied Covenant forces and a rogue group of Sangheili who are attempting to usurp command from Jul ‘Mdama, and that UNSC forces are also present.
Jul ‘Mdama has ordered units of the Third Dignitary Schema to accompany him as Covenant traitors who have pledged loyalty to a rival Sangheili—Sali ‘Nyon—are rounded up for execution. Some submit willingly, some beg and plead to receive mercy, while others are pulled to the ground by crawler units and held in place.
“Another traitor,” ‘Mdama growls. “Their numbers are greater than I’d imagined.”
“Commander ‘Mdama,” a zealot clad in a smooth and curved white combat harness approaches. “I recommend you return to Retribution until we’ve rooted out the rest of them.”
‘Mdama waves a dismissive hand. “Nonsense.”
“Before we detained this heretic, he transmitted this message across the entire fleet.” The zealot interfaces with a nearby communications node to replay the message.
“I am Sali ‘Nyon. I sound the call to all true believers. Join us as we rise to defeat the impostor ‘Mdama, his death will mark a new era of greatness for the Covenant, a return to our glorious—”
'Mdama’s fist clenches, bristling with anger, as the zealot spares the Covenant leader from hearing the rest. He turns back towards his Phantom dropship, assenting to the zealot’s suggestion of returning to Song of Retribution. “So, Sali’s finally making his move...”
A red-armored zealot in a jagged, chitinous intrusion harness who has been guarding ‘Mdama’s Phantom dropship escorts the Covenant leader to its open troop bay, followed by TDS-009 and TDS-002. “Indeed, Commander,” the zealot escort bows his head. “A captured insurgent confirmed that Sali is responsible for shooting down the human ship.”
Upon request, the Strategos informs TDS-009 that both the UNSC and Covenant possess pieces of a galactic cartographer known as the Janus Key, a device that holds the real-time location of vast amounts of Forerunner technology. A plan had been put in place to secure the UNSC’s half of the key, but this rebellion within the Covenant’s ranks has disrupted the operation.
“Sali’s timing was unfortunate. His followers probably see that as some type of divine influence,” ‘Mdama says. “The best way for us to correct that misconception is to drag his corpse through the dirt. What of our progress at the holy site?”
“The humans have barricaded themselves inside,” the zealot pauses for a moment before abruptly adding, “but we should be breaking through any minute now.”
"When you reach the inner chamber, kill them all. Except Glassman,” ‘Mdama boards the Phantom and turns once more to the zealot escort. “I’ve got a special punishment planned for him.”
The Phantom departs and local command authority automatically shifts to ‘Mdama's red-armored zealot escort, who motions for TDS-009 to follow him. TDS-002 splits off to join the white-armored zealot as he moves further south into the forest.
TDS-009 and the red-armored zealot do not make it far, however, before a new hostile throws itself at them, accompanied by volleys of stray plasma bolts.
A blue-armored human, which the Strategos combat-wisdom recognizes to be designated a “Spartan,” bursts through the trees and finds itself facing the zealot. The Sangheili reacts immediately by activating its energy sword, already swinging as the blade crackles to life. But the Spartan just as quickly leaps to the side, falling onto its back. The Sangheili looms over it.
It raises its blade...
And there it is. The being has returned, yet this time it has taken a new, more defined form—that of a young human girl—and is standing in front of the Spartan.
She is unarmed, her golden hair is tucked into a messy bun, and she does not react to the blind bursts of plasma fire.
The Knight knows that it should fire at the Spartan, but does not. It is about to access the combat-wisdom of the Strategos to request a directive regarding the girl but pauses, possessing neither certainty nor understanding as to why it delays requesting this information.
The world slows down as TDS-009 attempts to parse a million neural processes firing at once. The girl stands defiantly, the Spartan attempts to shuffle backwards, and the zealot is about to bring its blade down...
TDS-009 has to react.
With a screech, TDS-009 launches itself at the zealot, striking its chest with an armored foot.
The Spartan rolls away and takes a moment to look back at them in confusion before fleeing, while the zealot recovers enough to turn its attention to the Promethean Knight.
“What is this?” The zealot is angered and confused. “Is this some test of the gods? The demon has escaped!”
TDS-009 screeches once again, its faceplate opening to reveal the fiery humanoid skull beneath, and raises the lightblade integrated into its secondary weapon arm.
It is over in three strikes.
First, their blades connect, but the zealot deftly spins itself into TDS-009 and—with all the strength the Sangheili can muster—smacks away the lightblade arm before slashing into the Knight's shields and impaling it through the center.
TDS-009's audio processors overload with a shrill scream as its armored carapace cracks and begins to disintegrate.
Falling to its knees, the Knight locks its gaze onto the girl, and she is screaming too as her form disintegrates layer-by-layer, down to muscle and tissue, then to bone...
And finally to dust.
DR. CATHERINE HALSEY, PERSONAL JOURNAL ENCRYPTION CODE: THETA-ARGON SUBJECT: PROMETHEAN SOUL JULY 22, 2558
Despite the sudden change in circumstances, our gambit paid off. After gaining the UNSC Infinity’s attention with the attack on Oban and luring them to Aktis IV, we have secured both halves of the Librarian’s key.
I am one step closer to getting to the center of this.
Jul is seeing to some final matters regarding the rebellion that broke out among his ranks, and then we shall discover where the Absolute Record lies.
In the meantime, one of Jul’s lackeys brought me a rather peculiar mystery to investigate—one that is not so different from what I examined on Infinity earlier this year. A Promethean “brain.”
The Sangheili informed me that this particular Promethean Knight went rogue in the field and turned against its commander. Most intriguing to me; most irritating to Jul, as he put it, that a “warrior of the gods” would attack his own forces. His concern is that this incident might incite further rebellion against him. He must surely tire of the performance he puts on, it’s a wonder that so few of his followers see right through it—but then, perhaps he has been living this charade for so long now that some part of him actually believes it...
Context: We know that Promethean Knights were a creation of the Didact, who used a device known as the Composer to sublimate his loyal commanders into digitized forms to fight the Flood. A variety of data points have corroborated that he later turned the device on ancient humans, bolstering his numbers by the millions—just as he did to Earth upon his reawakening one year ago. The last Promethean mind I studied displayed memories of New Phoenix, the city that fell victim to the Didact’s attack, which presented some intriguing questions.
Observation: The oldest Promethean Knights were based on the templates of willing volunteers, Forerunner warriors who submitted themselves to the Composer and appear to have retained varying degrees of individuality. The ancient humans were devolved populations of limited intellect, resulting in more “feral” units. But this new batch of Prometheans were created from the minds of modern humans—our most advanced form since our kind last traveled the stars.
Conjecture: Sufficiently complex minds that are forcibly sublimated by the Composer run the risk of complications, manifesting hallucinations and echoes of their previous form. Could this be an echo akin to how our own AIs retain some impressions of their donors’ memories? I am reminded of the problems we faced when exploring options for the SPARTAN-II program, where it became clear that the minds and bodies of children were more accepting and adaptable.
The unwilling mind inevitably rebels. Perhaps this is true of the Prometheans as well...
I returned the Promethean brain to its crèche, where it will no doubt continue to malfunction. With luck, other Knight units may experience similar complications in the months to come.
Conclusion: the usefulness of these Prometheans made from modern human victim essences is limited, and Jul’s days of controlling them are numbered.
As this plan comes together, I suspect that I shall be terminating this partnership of convenience sooner than I thought.
CONTEXT: Deployment of assigned forces to engage objectives on worlds [OBAN] and [AKTIS-IV] have achieved satisfactory returns within all completion parameters. [OUTLIER NOTE]: Actions deemed outside the expected envelope of behavioral execution were noted by [THRALL UNITS] and summarily flagged.
OBSERVATION: Review of executable data has recorded at least [67] deviant processes across both deployments. This sum is [OUTSIDE] the acceptable percentile for a deployment of this classification.
CONJECTURE: TDS-009 is [89 PERCENT] likely to be suffering from a catastrophic failure of the unit’s [DURANCE MEMBRANE], resulting in an unacceptable manifestation of [PERSONALITY DISSONANCE].
CONCLUSION: TDS-009 will undergo immediate [REMOTE SEVERANCE] for an extended period of network isolation and process quarantine. Further observation and [RECOMPOSITION EVALUATION] will be considered upon reacquisition of the unit frame.
ADDENDUM: Due to the increased rate of these deviances over the last [SOLAR YEAR], these events appear to be separate from the [ROGUE ANCILLA PROCESS] detected within the command mesh. Further investigation is required. Preliminary recommendation for enacting further [REMOTE SEVERANCE] measures in the event [ROGUE ANCILLA PROCESS] successfully solicits control of this network.
TDS-009 had not expected to awaken.
First, it attempts to connect to the command pattern of the Strategos so that it might obtain operational context, directives, and network with the rest of the Third Dignitary Schema.
// COMMAND PATTERN NOT DETECTED //
// CONNECTION TO NETWORK FAILED //
Visual sensors then come online. TDS-009 can now see that it is no longer on Aktis IV, nor is it within the crèche aboard Song of Retribution. This location is undeniably Forerunner, but the curved grey walls and blue hardlight barrier over the entrance suggest this is some sort of holding facility.
// Query. //
TDS-009 does not know why or who it was attempting to query. Without connection to the Strategos, it is effectively cut off from... everything. No back-up protocols or commands were logged, no directives—present or outstanding—remained in its archives.
It has no enemy to fight, and therefore no function. No purpose. No reason to be.
Scanning the small space, the Knight's analysis detects that the room is approximately six square meters, giving it just enough room to maneuver. How it had come to this location is not held within its archives.
And in the far corner of the room, a human figure stands in the darkness.
The girl.
She is older now. Dressed in thin grey overalls with a white-blue coat, she simply stands there—unafraid, unmoving, just as she had been each time TDS-009 had seen her.
The Knight attempts to connect to the Promethean network again.
// COMMAND PATTERN NOT DETECTED //
// CONNECTION TO NETWORK FAILED //
Seconds tick by and it tries again. And again. The same result is returned thirty-seven more times before TDS-009 ceases its action. The girl continues to stand and watch from the corner of the room, as silent and still as the rocks on Oban where it had first seen her.
TDS-009 attempts to disable its optical sensors and shut down, forcing itself into hibernation, that it might await a time where it is detected by the Strategos and reconnected to the Promethean network.
Anything to not look at the girl...
A phantom sensation sweeps over the Knight. It feels a hand placed gently upon its primary weapon arm, lowering it, another hand reaching out to its head. Turning it—slowly.
And as its gaze is drawn back to the girl, it is now able to take in every detail of her. Old data begins to stream into the Knight’s mind like water flowing into a canal lock.
Directives, strategic information, and combat-wisdom had been expunged, but deep within the essence of TDS-009 lies an ocean of memory—suppressed, compartmentalized... and now, the floodgates are unlocked.
It knows the girl’s face. It knows her name.
“Ah,” a jovial voice sounds from somewhere outside the cell. “You’ve noticed my humble collection. Just a few specimens the Guardians have brought to Genesis.”
A group of Spartans pause outside the cell, watching as TDS-009's micro-driver arms batter its head, as if trying to wake from some terrible nightmare. It throws the full weight of its carapace against the wall, desperate to break through and escape.
“A Knight," one of the Spartans says. “Kind of making me feel sad for ‘em.”
Unable to speak. Unable to cry out—in pain or anger or madness...
“Their little arms always creep me out,” another says dismissively, then motions for them to move on.
They disappear from sight, leaving the Knight alone once more. Even the girl is gone now, nothing more than the imagined outline of a shade standing in a shadowy corner, and TDS-009 is left to sift through the memories now filling its archive.
Coral... home...
...a bright young mind, digging for fossils in her back garden...
...just nineteen when humanity made first contact... already a student of archaeology at the Pegasi Institute...
...home burning, beams of plasma striking the surface, nothing left... family will be dug up like fossils one day... leave it all behind... evacuated to Lodestone...
...a job offer, a new start—far away, so far away...
Office of Naval Intelligence...
Gamma Halo... Ivanoff Station...
Service Number... CC-728304...
NO LONGER...
Doctor of xenoarchaeology...
THIRD DIGNITARY SCHEMA. TDS-009...
Sandra--
NO MORE!
Sandra Katherine Tillson.
Firefight: Battle for Reach
The hills in Firefight: King of the Hill have moved to a new location. Reach, to be exact.
The latest update to the map pool for Firefight will have you battling the Banished on the familiar territory that is Halo: Reach maps. (Okay and one that’s technically a Halo 2 map remade in Halo: CEA in Halo: Reach.) From the beaches of Gyre to the Ardent Prayer, drop in and get ready to make a stand.
Defending Sword Base is the quintessential, classic Firefight experience straight out of Halo: Reach so let your muscle memory kick in as you hang out on the bridge and upper ledges, picking off the enemies as they approach the courtyard.
The map you played in the Halo: Reach beta has evolved. Night falls and you’ll be taking on the enemy and battling it out under the stars. There’s a lot of ground to cover so keep your eyes peeled. They’re yours, do it quietly.
Time for a little boarding action. Make your way onto the Ardent Prayer and seize control of each zone in this linear Firefight KotH experience. The hills will always spawn in the same order, and you’re confined to the room until the next one spawns. You’ll feel more like you’re going through a Campaign experience than your classic FF KOTH match.
And for this go-around, just make sure the timer isn’t fried. We don’t wanna leave anyone behind.
This time you have a squad for your last stand as you take on the enemy. Stick with your buddy and get to the hills first to improve your odds of survival.
It’s a good mix of maps that should feel familiar for fans of Halo: Reach. Now that we’ve covered that, you know how it goes.
Objective: Survive
Good luck.
Operation: Champions
Champions rise here.
Running from From September 3-October 8, Operation: Champions ushers in a refresh to the Firefight experience with the Firefight: Battle for Reach playlist, alongside a new, free, 20-tier Operation Pass, and new Exchange content.
Forge Features
While it’s been a bit, it’s been by no means dull. Since the last Forge Features edition, we’ve since had a major content update, three new modes (BTB Sentry Defense, VIP, and Headhunter), and had a couple new Operations.
But it’s finally back! Let’s check out some more fantastic Forge Features together.
Strong 2004 flashbacks here. Just in time for the twentieth anniversary of Halo 2. (Seriously? 20? How did that happen. Feels like just yesterday I was playing SWAT Carbines on the Halo 2 version of this…)
It’s tag meets hot potato as the player that is “It” has the skull and needs to melee someone else to pass it off. Use your mobility skills (sometimes you have a thruster, sometimes a grappleshot) to evade and avoid being caught with the potato when the timer reaches zero.
Designed for 2v2 so grab a Spartan that’s got your back and take on another dynamic duo.
There’s a good mix of old and new to be had in this issue so bookmark now and check them out later. If you’re looking to dip your toes into the Forge experience, show off some of your work, or get some pro-tips on scripting, don’t forget to swing by the Halo Discord and check out the Forge section where you can find Forgers ready to assist.
Until next time!
Community Playdate
Calling all Headhunters 💀
Go head-to-head with us tomorrow at 11am PT during our Community Playdate.
Match with us to seize the moment to unlock the exclusive Unicorn of Ice rewards! 🦄
Headhunter returns! Introduced in Halo: Reach, this frenetic FFA mode will put your multi-tasking ability to the test. You’ll have to juggle your hunter-gatherer skills with tracking and navigation as you earn kills, collect skulls, and head to the capture point to score them.
A Brief History of Headhunting
Originally concepted as a mode for Halo 2, Headhunter would eventually find its way into Halo: Reach in 2010.
Many of you may find yourselves thinking back to May 3, 2010, when the multiplayer beta for Reach was active. It was here that the Headhunter mode made its formal debut on Powerhouse and Sword Base, where every kill saw a shower of skulls fly out from your opponents for you to collect.
Some of the old hands here know what they’re in for, but the rest of you are due an education…
Hunt the Truth Heads
It’s every Spartan for themselves in Headhunter. It’ll be you versus seven other Spartans in this free-for-all mode. Each time a Spartan gets killed, they will drop a skull on the ground. In order to score points, you’ll need to scoop up the skulls and deliver them to the capture point.
The capture zones (which resemble King of the Hill zones) will be scattered around the map and will change every 45 seconds. As kills happen, skulls will be scattered across the map. There are two ways to win a game of Headhunter:
Score 25 skulls cumulatively
Score 10 skulls at once
10 skulls are the maximum you can hold in your pockets, so if you’ve caught them all start heading towards a capture zone. It’s not as simple as meandering over to win, however. If you’re trying to score multiple skulls, you are a high value target and the rest of the lobby will be doing their best to stop you from ending the game immediately.
Here are the maps you'll be hunting skulls on:
Aquarius
Behemoth
Catalyst
Chasm
Cliffhanger
Forbidden
Forest
Live Fire
Prism
Streets
High risk, high reward—try not to lose your head.
Welcome back to Headhunter.
Operation: Fleetcom Exchange & Shop
That skull is painted on, right? Right?
Haunt the hallowed halls of Reach when you obtain this bundle including:
Haunted helmet
Abyssal Messenger helmet attachment
Fateful Finds shoulders
Charon Terminal chest attachment
Entropic Display hip attachment
Graveside Marker wrist attachment
Rising Flame armor coating
Spooky scary skeleton Spartans will send shivers down your spine!
Enter The Exchange for customization rewards from the past🪙
Earn Spartan Points from matches, Operation Pass progress, and weekly Ultimate Rewards. Redeem for past and new items like:
Don't forget, items will not be “going away” when the Exchange refreshes. They will still be available to purchase with Spartan Points through the customization menus (much like bundles once they have rotated out of the Shop).
Close shut the jaws of oblivion!
Did you acquire the Haunted helmet from The Exchange? If so, then this bundle takes the place of the Ghost of Reach bundle and contains the following:
Fateful Finds shoulders
Charon Terminal chest attachment
Entropic Display hip attachment
Graveside Marker wrist attachment
Rising Flame armor coating
Show your enemies a fate worse than death (take them on a vacation to Netherop)!
Those parking tickets won't write themselves, Spartan!
Acquire the Crime Crusher bundle to crush crime in style with the following items:
Military Police helmet
TAS/Hyas helmet attachment
UTIL/RP Prototype Factor One shoulders
UA/ELORIC chest attachment
UTIL/SF Belt hip attachment
UTIL/ARP Prototype Factor Two wrist attachment
Sketch Factor armor coating
Head to the Shop, gear up, then go forth and enforce regulations!
Operation: Fleetcom
New orders from Fleetcom are in.
Halo Infinite’s next Operation kicks off July 30 and runs through September 3. Alongside the 20 tier Operation Pass, FLEETCOM will also usher in the return of VIP!
Sandbox Updates
Operation: Fleetcom arrives on July 30, and it is bringing in new modes such as VIP, highly requested features in Forge such as music and Steitzer’s VO, and numerous other quality of life updates. To go along with those features and content additions, we’ll also be updating the gameplay experience with balance updates based on player data and community feedback.
This week, we sat down with the development team to talk about the weapons, legendary weapon variants, grenades, and vehicles that are getting improvements in Halo Infinite’s multiplayer when Operation: Fleetcom lands.
Let’s hear what they have to say about the update!
Weapons
Disruptor
Return of the king! The Disruptor’s damage-over-time effect (DoT) is back. When it previously had the damage over time effect, it would only require 3 shots to trigger and it would linger for a long period of time. Now, the shock pistol will require 4 shots to land on their target in order to trigger a supercombine and its resulting damage over time. If a player is able to string together two of these supercombines, they will have put enough damage on their opponent to secure a kill. A few other updates also have come in alongside this to help improve the feel of the gun when using it and when getting hit by it, and we’re excited to see it back in action.
Damage over time returns
8 shots to kill (2 supercombines)
Removed particle effect from (Event) 1p_loop
Adjusted particle screen effect to be less intrusive
Damage upper bound (high) decreased 70 >> 35
DOT damage will not continuously cause descope
M392 Bandit & Bandit Evo
We wanted to address some feedback about the Bandit’s damage per second and effect on the overall pace of play. The main change is we slowed down the rounds per second to give players more time to react amidst combat instead of being quickly eliminated before they could react.
We feel this is a healthy change that will improve the meta in both social and Ranked play.
Slower rate of fire to address community feedback around time-to-kill
Rounds per second (low & high) 2.9 >> 2.715
Improvement to red reticle headshot accuracy
Sentinel Beam
To improve the Sentinel Beam’s consistently, we wanted to revise some of the complexity regarding the damage output. The Sentinel Beam will do the same amount of damage no matter the range you are between you and your opponent. Coupled with that, we have disabled headshot capabilities with this weapon as it was adding too many variables to the damage scaling.
Now, the Sentinel Beam should feel more consistent while dealing a clear, readable amount of damage for the player using it.
Improve the feel of the Sentinel Beam by tuning its damage output to be more consistent
To help bring the Ravager some more attention, we’ve given its primary fire an increase in damage.
Previously, the Ravager needed to hit 6 shots from its burst-fire barrage to secure a kill, which could kill in 2 bursts but often required at least 3 bursts on a moving target. Now, the Ravager will only require 5 direct shots to kill, which should result in more consistent 2 burst kills. You won’t want to sleep on this weapon anymore.
We wanted to help improve the reliability and feel of the MA40 AR. Previously, when using the MA40 AR at full-auto, the reticle would get bigger and the bullet spread would expand—resulting in the normal “bloom” behavior. However, when the AR reached its maximum bloom state, the bullets were trending only to the edges of that bloomed reticle. This meant that there could be times the weapon would be shooting around the opponent, as the bullets would not land closer to the center of the reticle.
Now, to help improve the feel of the AR, bullets will land anywhere inside the reticle—increasing the chance that a player with accurate aim will secure their kill. This change has resulted in a more consistent handling experience of the AR.
Adjusted Assault Rifle error angles to give a more consistent feel
Minimum error angle (high) 0 >> 0.25
Maximum error angle (low) 0 >> 0.25
Maximum error angle (high) 2.1 >> 1.3
Skewer
The Skewer packs a heavy punch, but we commonly see a “one and done” scenario. To address this, we’ve increased reload speed to give players more opportunity to fire off multiple shots amidst combat.
Faster reload speed
Reload playback speed scale 1 >> 1.2
Reload while empty playback speed scale 1 >> 1.2
M41 SPNKr
To address some inconsistencies with close range SPNKr explosions leaving players with a sliver of health, we’ve adjusted the weapon’s damage fall off curve. This is to better reward players for more accurate SPNKr explosions around enemies. To compensate for this change, we’ve brought in the outer damage radius. We also wanted to increase the ammo reserve to match legacy titles, and help reward players who are able to earn or scavenge for more ammo on the battlefield.
Damage fall-off feels more consistent
Adjusted fall off function so players are not left with a sliver of health
Outer damage radius adjusted
Lowered radius high 3 >> 2.5
Increased max reserve ammo
Rounds total maximum 6 >> 8
S7 Sniper
Similar to the SPNKr above, we also wanted to increase the S7’s ammo reserve to match previous Halo titles. We believe this rewards players who are able to earn that ammo on the battlefield by increasing their ability to go on a sniper spree.
Increased max reserve ammo
Rounds total maximum 20 >> 24
CQS48 Bulldog
We noticed that only being able to backpack 14 shots in reserve was a bit limiting at times, especially in Infection modes. To help improve the scavenging story of the Bulldog, we’ve increased its ammo reserves to reward players who are able locate more shells while fighting for survival.
Increased max reserve ammo
Rounds total maximum 21 >> 28
Legendary Weapon Variants
Ravager Rebound
Brute Ravager?! The changes to its primary fire were inspired by the beloved Brute Shot from previous Halo games. We wanted to improve the Ravager Rebound’s effectiveness while creating a new, and somewhat relatable, experience for our players.
Additionally, the charged-up shot has also gotten a significant utility increase. Its pool of damage will now deal more damage. And, if it hits an opponent directly, it will result in an instakill.
Expect the Ravager Rebound to be more reliable and efficient compared to its previous iteration. Consider yourself warned!
Primary fire will now explode on direct player impact or bounce off geo and explode
Round per second 2.1 >> 3
Fire recovery time 0.4761905 >> 0.25
Empty recovery time- 0.4761905 >> 0.25
Damage lower bound 130 >>100
Damage upper bound 130 >>100
Primary fire will now fire 1 projectile
Added firing param to change shots per fire
Shots per fire 3>>1
Charged up shot will instakill on a direct hit
Damage lower bound 20 >> 300
Damage upper bound 45,45 >> 300,300
Increased the damage of charged shot’s AoE
Radius 0,0 >> 0.3, 0.95
AoE core radius 0 >> 0.3
Added impulse to primary fire damage effect
Instantaneous acceleration 2.9 >> 1.25
Impact Commando
We wanted to improve player accuracy with this weapon as we have seen the Impact Commando not be as consistent when bloom is in full effect. The bloom has been reduced to give you more consistent aiming and damage output capabilities.
Reduced bloom
Lower bound deceleration time 28 >> 0.2146
Upper bound deceleration time 28 >> 0.2152
Adjusted Impact Commando Rifle’s aim down sight transition time
Ads state enabled fraction 0 >> 0.3
Tc transition in fraction 0.8,1 >> 0.5,1
Ads scope swap transition fraction 0 >> 1
Magnification 1.4 >> 2
Magnification profile setting 1.4 >> 2.5
Riven Mangler
The goal for this change was to freshen up the shooting style for the Riven Mangler, as it was starting to feel a bit sluggish. With a now faster rate of fire, expect to output more damage per second leaving your enemies in the respawn screen.
Increased rate of fire
Rounds per second 30 >> 2.0875
Fire recovery time 0.75 >> 0.3
Empty recovery time 0.75 >> 0.3
Soft recovery fraction 0.35 >> 0.4
Reduced gun kick
View kick deceleration timer 0>>.45
Faster clean up on projectile effect
Det timer 3 >> 1
Volatile Skewer
Better accuracy was the main goal for this change, which now the Volatile Skewer has the same projectile path as the default Skewer. Also, we wanted to reduce any clunkiness with reload speed, so you spend more time firing the weapon than anxiously awaiting that reload to finish.
Trajectory now matches the default Skewer
Air Gravity Scale 3.25 >> 2.125
Initial Velocity 90 >> 120
Increased reload speed
Reload playback speed modifier 0.1 >> 0.3
Reload while empty playback speed modifier 0.1 >> 0.3
Increased damage
Damage upper bound – [190,190] >>> [280,280]
Stalker Rifle Ultra
More damage equals more fun! The Ultra Stalker Rifle now will deliver that fulfilling Perfect Kill medal in 3 shots, in order to match its base version. We also wanted to address the feedback around the weapon sometimes jamming, which should happen less frequently with the new boost in rate of fire.
3 shots to kill instead of 4 shots to kill
Headshot damage multiplier 3.25 >> 3.5
Damage lower bound 53 >> 80
Damage upper bound 53,53 >> 80,80
Increased rate of fire (address jamming concerns)
Fire recovery time 0.265 >> 0.25
Empty recovery time 0.265 >> 0.25
Adjusted aim down site transition time
Tc transition in fraction 0.2,.2 >> 0.6,1
Magnification 1.5 >> 3
Magnification profile setting 1_4 >> 3_0
Zoom transition time 0 >> 0.2
Unbound Plasma Pistol
This is not your ordinary Plasma Pistol, it’s Unbound! The Unbound Plasma Pistol now fires 3 projectiles per primary trigger pull. To better align weapon behavior, we’ve also increased heat resistance to increase the duration to overheat. And, we’re happy to hear how much you love the EMP behavior on the default Plasma Pistol, so we made sure to add that here as well.
Primary fire now shoots 3 projectiles
Shots per fire [1,1] >>> [3,3]
Fire recovery time 0.1 >>> 0.03333334
Empty recovering time 0.1 >>> 0.03333334
Soft recovery fraction 0.6 >>> 0
Primary fire is now more accurate
Guided angular velocity random range [5, 15] >>> [150, 150]
Guided angular velocity at rest 15 >>> 40
Increased heat resistance
Heat loss per second modifier 0 >>> 3.75
Charged shot now EMPs
Side effect changed from none >> emp
Enabled feature flag “use EMP behavior”
Charged shot slightly slower but is more accurate
Initial velocity 40 >>> 30
Final velocity 40 >>> 30
Guided angular velocity random range [0, 0] >>> [250, 250]
Guided angular velocity at rest 0 >>> 80
Charged shot now shoots 8 projectiles
Projectiles per shot 6 >>> 8
Flexfire Sniper
The Flexfire Sniper’s ready up time was feeling a tad too lengthy. To address this, we’ve sped up the initial playback speed. So, whether you pick it up off a pad or from the ground, you will be able to line up and fire faster than before.
Added animation modifier block element to barrel configuration
Increased ready initial playback modifier 0.3%
Grenades
“I believe I can fly!”
The impulse for Fragmentation, Plasma, and Spike grenade physics has been increased and tuned to give you increased jump height and provide more opportunity to hit those coveted grenade jumps. Also, a feature has been added that if your spartan is grounded, you will not be impacted by the impulse.
We can’t wait to see you all reach new heights.
Frag Grenades
Added impulse to frag grenade damage effect
Instantaneous acceleration increased 1.75 >> 3.5
Grounded player acceleration scalar decreased 1 >> 0.1
Plasma Grenades
Added impulse to plasma grenade damage effect
Instantaneous acceleration 2.15 >> 3.75
Grounded player acceleration scalar 1 >> 0.1
Spike Grenades
Added impulse to spike grenade aoe damage effect
Instantaneous acceleration 1.25 >> 3.25
Alt instantaneous acceleration 2.75 >> 3.75
Grounded player acceleration scalar 1 >> 0.1
Vehicles
Ghost
The Ghost has been seen performing quite well and sometimes to degree of feeling a bit too powerful. To address this feedback, we’ve slightly lowered the health of each of the wings so players can more easily destroy and thus hinder the Ghost’s movement. Also, we’ve done some work to the Ghost’s reversal speed and lateral movement in hopes to keep Ghost play more in check.
Lowered health for left and right wing of Ghost
Right_wing and Left_wing: Maximum vitality percentage base value decreased 0.085 >> 0.075
Decrease to Ghost’s reverse speed
Maximum reverse speed decreased 5.5 >> 3.5
Slowing down the Ghost’s lateral movement
Maximum left slide decreased 5.5 >> 4.5
Maximum right slide decreased 5.5 >> 4.5
Slide accel against direction decreased 10 >> 5
Banshee
We want to bring the Banshee back into the spotlight with this update. One of the ways we wanted to do this was by reducing how much damage the Banshees take when scraping and colliding with surfaces. We’ve adjusted both weapons from the Banshee in hopes to see more kills from the sky. Then, to help add to its dogfighting potential, we fine-tuned its left and right roll capabilities.
Moving forward
Minimum velocity for game damage 2.88 >> 11.52
Minimum velocity for absolute damage 2.88 >> 11.52
Using boost
Minimum velocity for game damage 2.88 >> 14.4
Minimum velocity for absolute damage 2.88 >> 14.4
Increasing damage for Banshee’s dual cannon gun
Damage lower bound 29 >>40
Damage upper bound (low & high) 29 >>40
Faster fire recovery time for the Banshee bomb launcher
Fire recovery time 3.25 >> 2 seconds
Increased projectile velocity of Banshee bomb launcher
Initial velocity 15 >> 20
Final velocity 12 >> 17
Adjustments made to Banshee tricks, roll_left & roll_right
Velocity preservation changed trick relative > world relative
Camera interpolation time 0 >> 0.4 seconds
Trick exit displacement reference 0.5wu >> 0wu
That’s a wrap for this preview of the sandbox updates coming to Halo Infinite next week, July 30!
We’re excited to see you all go hands-on with these changes when they roll out alongside Operation: Fleetcom. And, as always, please continue to share your thoughts around the sandbox with us online. We’re always keeping a close eye on community feedback and player data to see how we can improve the experience for everyone.
To learn more about Operation: Fleetcom, check out our other blogs:
New Mode – VIP: Learn more about Halo Infinite’s new take on VIP mode from Halo 3.
Forge Updates: Music, Multiplayer Announcer, Nav Marker improvements, and more!
Forge Updates
Halo Infinite’s next content update and Operation arrives on July 30, and we’ve got a veritable treat for all you Forgers out there who are looking to enhance your creations with additional authentic details—from the unforgettable voice of Jeff Steitzer to the implementation of music, additional nodes for scripting, and much more!
Enter Jeff Steitzer
Unfrigginbelievable!
The beloved voice of Halo’s multiplayer announcer, Jeff Steitzer, has come to Halo Infinite’s Forge.
With the arrival of the next content update, players will have access to over 1,000 of Jeff Steitzer’s voice lines in Forge. Implementing these into your modes and experiences will add just that extra layer of authenticity, immersing you further into custom experiences that will feel like they’re dev-made—or perhaps you just want to have fun with these lines being at your disposal and go for maximum silliness!
The breadth of lines being added is quite vast—from existing Halo Infinite modes, to Medals, to game state, to experiences we expect players may want to create in Forge (such as Race, Grifball, Regicide, etc.). You may even find a few wacky lines from the recording booth that felt like they’d be fun to include, like “Extra Crispy!”
And, to allow maximum control with this new feature, you can also ensure that only the intended players or team will hear each line set up in Forge’s nodegraph:
Play Announcer Voiceover for All Players
Play Announcer Voiceover for Player
Play Announcer Voiceover for Team
Find this new functionality alongside the new “Announcer Voice” custom game option (found under Match) to adjust mode communication. Do you want to increase the presence of announcer-based voice lines, or perhaps limit them to just Medals—or remove it entirely for more immersive campaign-style experiences? This is where you’ve got complete control to get it exactly how you want it.
Needs More Monk Chanting
As Forge has continued to expand in Halo Infinite, with entire campaign-style missions being (re)created by our unbelievably talented cartographers in the community, we’ve heard your desires to be able to implement music into these experiences.
Well, when you jump into Forge after the new update lands, you will find that the soundtrack from Halo Infinite’s campaign has been added with a variety of situational nodes that will help enhance your Forge creations.
To provide as much control as possible, we brought the system over exactly as it was implemented in the campaign, allowing Forgers to use scripting to plug into the same tools used by our Audio Team.
The tracks are divided into different themes, listed under audio containers. For example, you may wish to implement some Banished-themed music listed under “Banished Ambient Set A” to instill a feeling of dread, or a heroic theme for when the action picks up under “Heroic Combat Set B.” These audio containers contain a variety of different tracks that create the same mood but randomize which track plays, ensuring that the music doesn’t feel repetitive.
Try ‘em out and see what atmospheric textures you can lend to your maps and experiences!
The total list of music themes include:
Banished
The Endless
Forerunner
Monitor
Covenant
UNSC
Heroic
Special
8-Bit
To ensure granular control of music, the nodes have been built in with audience control in mind:
Play Music Track for All Players
Play Music Track for Player
Play Music Track for Team
Stop Music Track for All Players
Stop Music Track for Player
Stop Music Track for Team
And yes, the iconic Monk Chant and Warthog Run music will be included when this functionality arrives in Forge next week.
Point the Way
Nav markers, we’d be lost without ‘em!
Nav markers are UI elements that help with player “readability” for different modes. How do you know the enemy has your flag? Nav markers. How will you be able to tell that a nearby enemy has dropped skulls in the Headhunter mode? You guessed it: nav markers!
We’re giving players an unprecedented level of control over this feature to help further refine modes and experiences to help them feel more authentic. If you’re creating a Headhunter experience and you want to let players know that an enemy nearby has dropped skulls, but you don’t want to overload players’ HUDs with markers if another player was eliminated on the other side of the map, you will be able to have that level of granular control.
Nav Marker [Global] – This will create or get a Nav Marker from a global context. This will allow Nav Markers to be modified across script brains. The existing Nav Marker node will only access markers local to the script brain.
Negate Nav Marker Player Base Filter – Negates the filters applied to a Nav Marker using the Set Base Filter Player’s Visibility. Players that were designated to pass the filter will no longer pass. And vice versa.
Negate Nav Marker Player Distance Filter – Negates the filters applied to a Nav Marker using the Set Distance Filter Player’s Visibility. Players that were designated to pass the filter will no longer pass. And vice versa.
Negate Nav Marker Team Base Filter – Negates the filters applied to a Nav Marker using the Set Base Filter Team’s Visibility. Teams that were designated to pass the filter will no longer pass. And vice versa.
Negate Nav Marker Team Distance Filter – Negates the filters applied to a Nav Marker using the Set Distance Filter Team’s Visibility. Teams that were designated to pass the filter will no longer pass. And vice versa.
Set Base Filter Player’s Visibility – Using this node, you can control the visibility of Nav Marker’s for each individual player in the game. Input the Nav Marker and Player and decide if they should pass the visibility filter or not.
Set Base Filter Team’s Visibility – Using this node, you can control the visibility of Nav Marker’s for each team individually. Input the Nav Marker and Team and decide if they should pass the visibility filter or not.
Set Distance Filter Player’s Parameters – This node will define the distance at which a player can see a nav marker. Use this node alongside Set Distance Filter Player’s Visibility to enable for a player.
Set Distance Filter Player’s Visibility – This node will enable controlling the visibility of a nav marker by distance for individual players. The distances used are define by the Set Distance Filter Player’s Parameters
Set Distance Filter Team’s Visibility – This node will enable controlling the visibility of a nav marker by distance for teams. The distances used are define by the Set Distance Filter Team Parameters
Set Distance Filter Team’s Parameters – This node will define the distance at which a player can see a nav marker. Use this node alongside Set Distance Filter Team’s Visibility to enable for a player.
Clear Nav Marker Distance Filters – Clears all distance based visibility data on a given nav marker. Use this when you want to reset distance settings and apply new settings.
Clear Nav Marker Base Filters – Clears all visibility data on a given nav marker. Use this when you want to reset distance settings and apply new settings.
Set Nav Marker Icon – Set the icon for the default presentation type on nav markers. The new icons are as follows:
Active Camo
Alpha
Attack
Bomb
Boss
Bravo
Charlie
Dead
Defend
Delta
Destroyed
Echo
Equipment
Flag
Foxtrot
Generic
Generic Arrow
Grenade
Hacking Terminal
Kill
KOTH
Oddball
Overshield
Power Seed
Quantum Translocator
Vehicle
Weapon
Set Nav Marker Progress – Set the nav markers progress bar for the default nav marker presentation type.
Set Nav Marker Progress Team – Set the team for the nav marker progress bar.
Set Nav Marker Type – Set the nav marker presentation type. This will change how the marker presents itself in the game. Some nav marker functionality is only applicable to the default nav marker type. The new types are as follows:
Multiplayer Objective
Enemy
Ally
Acquiring
Locked
Item
Generic Objective
Waypoint
Ally pulse
Neutral
Coop
Arrow
Enemy callout
Item pad
Location
Set Nav Marker Message – Takes input from a Create UI Message node and applies it to a nav marker. This significantly increases the kinds of phrases that can be communicated with nav markers.
Before, players were able to string together only a single word which could make UI messages unclear or confusing—particularly for more complex custom modes. We heard your feedback and we’re giving you greater control over this feature. Communication is key!
New Text Strings & Message Templates
As you build new experiences in Forge, you may want to provide players with information in text strings that appear in the heads-up-display—things like objectives, instructions for custom minigames, and so on.
We’ve added new strings which will give you access to over 600 new words and phrases, and there is a new template node for creating messages in Forge titled “Create UI Message.” This particular node expands on the Create UI Message [A] and Create UI Message nodes by accepting 3 strings as inputs.
As noted in the previous section, this should help to reduce ambiguity and uncertainty about what to do and how to do it in custom-made modes. In addressing this major request from community feedback, players are now able to combine many different words in many different ways, as you can see in the list below:
“[String 1] [String 2] [String 3]”
“[String 1] [String 2]: [String 3]”
“[String 1]: [String 2] [String 3]”
“[String 1] the [String 2] [String 3]”
“[String 1] at [String 2] [String 3]”
“[String 1] while [String 2] [String 3]”
“[String 1] during [String 2] [String 3]”
“You [String 1] [String 2] [String 3]”
“Enemy [String 1] [String 2] [String 3]”
“Your team [String 1] [String 2] [String 3]”
“Enemy team [String 1] [String 2] [String 3]”
“[String 1]: [String 2]”
VIP Mode Nodes
Originally introduced in Halo 3, VIP is coming to Halo Infinite. In this mode, each team has a player that is designated as the VIP—the objective is to eliminate the other team’s VIP while defending your own.
New nodes have been added to Forge for the VIP mode and can be used to enhance or modify the mode’s functionality.
Nodes include:
Get Is VIP – Input a player, and return if they are currently the VIP on their team.
Set VIP – Set the VIP of a team.
Clear Team VIP – Clear the VIP of any given team.
On New VIP – Event node indicating that a new VIP has been selected.
On VIP Killed – Event node indicating that a VIP has been killed.
Note: Use these nodes in conjunction with the Automatic VIP Selection Enabled custom game option in VIP to have full control over VIP selection.
Additional Awesomeness
Alongside all of the above, we’ve got some additional improvements coming to Forge through nodegraph scripting that will help to enhance your creations.
New Name Locations
With this update, over 500 name location volumes have been added to Forge. These name locations come from all corners of the game and will help Forgers control callouts on their maps with increased accuracy and granularity.
Armor Effects
You can now apply the mode-related armor effects from Infection and VIP to highlight or distinguish a player, as well as choose if the effect persists through respawning or if it disappears upon death.
Activate Spartan Tracking
Y’know at the end of a round in Halo Infinite’s Firefight where you will automatically send out a ping to locate any nearby weapons, vehicles, and equipment items? This has been added to the nodegraph, allowing the Forge to trigger an environment scan whenever they want in their mode.
Apply/Get Player Overshield
Also inspired by Firefight, players who are revived (and the player who did the reviving) are granted an overshield. This has also been added to the nodegraph.
Minigame Variants
We have added more variants so that players can script around them. For example, you may wish to create a BTB One-Flag minigame which features Pelican and weapon drops.
Minigame Modes
Minigame Asymmetrical
Minigame BTB Asymmetrical
Minigame Competitive
Minigame Competitive Asymmetrical
That’s a wrap for this preview of what’s to come in Forge with Halo Infinite’s next content update!
To learn more about Operation: Fleetcom, check out our other blogs:
VIP: Learn more about Halo Infinite’s new take on VIP mode from Halo 3
SANDBOX UPDATES: Discover all the new weapon and vehicle tuning details coming in Operation: Fleetcom
