Halo is an ever-expanding universe that inspires us each and every day, and your creations tell us that we’re not alone. This particular series, Fan Art Focus, showcases the amazing artwork created by talented members of our community. Enjoy these lovingly-crafted homages, and if you have work that you’d like to submit for possible future inclusion, send it along with your Gamertag to community[at]HaloWaypoint.com.

Chief

Author: Chuck Jackson

We are excited, as this week, Halo: Spartan Assault became one of the first titles available across multiple Windows devices for the price of a single download, starting with Windows and Windows Phone 8.1!

Note: This functionality is currently only available to Windows and Windows Phone 8.1 users. The single-download functionality will be expanded to Windows 8.0 users in May.

Enlist as a Spartan soldier and sharpen your tactical skills in battle! Set between the events of Halo 3 and Halo 4, Halo: Spartan Assault, developed by 343 Industries in conjunction with Vanguard Games, is a new chapter within the award-winning Halo universe. Spanning over 30 missions in vibrant, dangerous worlds, dive deeper into the backstory of Human-Covenant wars and the origins of the Spartan Ops program.

Learn more about Halo: Spartan Assault

Spartans, it’s time to vote on what you’d like to see in Matchmaking! We have listed three different game types below, and after tallying all the votes from the Halo community, YOU will decide which game type is playable on April 28. So, vote for your top choice, and stop by next week’s Bulletin to read which option is the winner. This week, we’re asking you which game type you’d like to see added to Multi-Team.

Click here to vote on the Waypoint forums! Voting will be open for approximately four days. Next week, we’ll announce the Community Choice winner along with the Matchmaking Update!

This Monday, I came into the office a bit early. It was quiet, with only a dozen or so early birds at their desks working on all sorts of unannounced projects. Needing to catch up on work, I naturally spent the first 20 minutes reorganizing the various amount of Halo figures, plushies, and limited edition trinkets on my desk in to the perfect arrangement. Then I finally headed into the kitchen to get a morning cup of tea. That’s when it happened.

I hear a pretty loud “THUD!” behind me, and turn to a co-worker to find out where the noise came from. Our eyes gravitate toward the refrigerators that house a variety of beverages that keep 343’ers quenched throughout the day. Frozen sodas were splatted across the glass. Initially, this gave me an extreme craving for a Slush Puppie, but I then realized that a soda had violently exploded and that we might have an issue on our hands. I walked over to the refrigerator and saw something I may never forget.

Throughout the entire fridge, several dozen kamikaze sodas had already exploded, leaving tasty, frozen carbonated slush and jagged-edged soda-can-shrapnel all over the place. Seconds later, another exploded and sent the neatly stacked Coke Zeroes into a domino-like tumble. At this point, I realized the studio was in extreme danger, and took the necessary precautions to keep everyone safe.

What I’m trying to say is that I made a sign. Two signs, actually.

About a minute or two after making these very serious signs, a team member from the Halo Waypoint web team approached the fridge, and I cautioned them to not open it. Seconds later, another “THUD!” was heard as another self-destructive soda came flying at the glass. We looked at each other for a moment. Did I save his life? Yes. Did I save many lives that morning? Probably. Am I a hero? No. The real hero is the refrigerator maintenance man who bravely, without any tactical gear, let alone facial or cranial protection, exposed himself to extreme danger as he emptied the fridge out one explosive can at a time.

Lesson: If you want colder soda, don’t turn the temperature down. That turns the fridge into a vicious life-threatening machine. Use ice cubes.

This week we’ve got a lighter Bulletin, but a few things to talk about. Let’s get into it. 

Below, you’ll find the top 200 players in the Proving Ground Playlist as of 4.13.14. To participate, head into Proving Ground and start playing! You can track your CSR (Competitive Skill Rank) for the playlist by visiting your Halo 4 Service Record. To learn more about CSR, head here. Only CSR 50 players will have a progress bar next to their ranking, which will allow for direct comparison between other CSR 50 players. We are currently in Season 1 of the Proving Ground Top 200, which ends on 5.12.14. Check back next week to see if you made it into the Top 200!

Rank	MVP	CSR
1	Bi0h
2	FlawlessNSP
3	Skiperior
4	Twissted Mindss
5	ZeuCifer
6	GooN iZz BacK
7	ElBurgerWeiner
8	I Shoota I
9	Honest Paradox
10	xXBOXx L1VE
11	Dirtying
12	Smoke Yadig
13	MileyCyrus21343
14	Sour Onion
15	Alanimaul
16	WhyIsMyButtSore
17	Gamble007
18	Throttle
19	Keonelehua
20	Adapt to Crime

We have been working with the Xbox team to integrate the Community Meld, a new Xbox One feature that you may have seen on Killer Instinct, into Halo: Spartan Assault.

We’re excited about the potential of the Community Meld and want to let you in on how we’re thinking about this feature for our games. You shouldn’t have to leave the game to get the latest news and information about new products and more. We realize that you don’t always want to open up a website on your laptop or mobile device, and that it might be easier to skim through news and upcoming projects and watch new videos right in the game itself. As more news is released this year, we are excited to bring you details about future projects, game updates, and all the latest information in the Community Meld.

Learn more about Halo: Spartan Assault

Every two weeks we update Halo 4 Matchmaking with exciting new game types, playlist changes and more. You can see what we have planned in the months ahead by visiting the Matchmaking Playlist Calendar, but below you can get details on what’s now available in today’s Halo 4 Matchmaking Update.

Ninja Assassins

Ninja Assassins is an 8-player Free-for-All game type that features Spartans decked out in custom armor, equipped with Energy Swords and Sniper Rifles, and outfitted with the Thruster Pack. Motion tracker is disabled, and ten points are awarded for each kill. Watch your back, though! Assassinations will net players 30 points – the equivalent of three kills. During each life, you’ll level up – this is accomplished by getting kills in succession. One kill will bring you to level 1, two kills for level 2, and if you manage to get three kills in a row, you’ll be at level 3 – here are the details and attributes of each level:

Ninja Level 1
Shields recharge at a faster rate (2x)
Assassinations performed at a faster rate (2x)

Ninja Level 2
Shields recharge at a faster rate (2x)
Shields recharge sooner than normal (after 3 seconds)
Assassinations performed at a faster rate (3x)

Ninja Level 3
Shields recharge at a faster rate (2x)
Shields recharge sooner than normal (after 2 seconds)
Assassinations performed at a faster rate (4x)
Unlimited Thruster Pack energy

Ninja Assassins will be available as our featured playlist through April 28. 

Big Team Battle Refresh

Here’s what’s coming in the Big Team Battle playlist:

Neutral Flag

The game type will be played on the following maps:

• Ragnarok
• Exile
• Longbow

We also added Excavation and Panic Station, two brand new community maps with help from Community Cartographers Flying Shoe ILR and The Psycho Duck.