From IGN:

Halo 4 lead multiplayer map designer Kynan Pearson shows off “Shatter” from the Crimson map pack.

Shatter – IGN’s Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Developer Walkthrough, Part 2

The next time you log into Halo 4, you will be prompted to download a title update. This particular title update tackles actual game and gameplay issues, not sandbox tweaks and balances. We have another TU in the works and will continue working on the timing and content of the next one. For now, here is a change list of what was included in today’s title update.

• Implemented general stability improvements
• Fixed glitch where quickly reloading after firing the Boltshot resulted in an instant reload
• Fixed glitch where sprinting prior to activating the Hardlight Shield allowed players to move faster
• Fixed glitch were players could throw a grenade and then immediately sprint afterwards to perform a high velocity grenade
• Fixed glitch where Mantis could fire more rockets without reloading if the machine gun was fired partway through unleashing the charged missile barrage
• Fixed issue where DLC was unavailable for other profiles on the same console
• Fixed issue where DLC disappeared after console reboot
• Fixed issue where players could not unlock Campaign completion achievements when using a rally point other than Alpha for any mission to finish the Campaign
• Fixed issue where players were not given credit for completion of a Spartan Ops Episode Difficulty Challenge when completing it through Matchmaking
• Fixed issue where players with 99 or more Xbox LIVE friends could not get File recommendations
• Fixed issue where loadout configurations were lost if the game was booted and then powered off before passing the “Press START” screen
• Fixed issue where attempting to upload large films to the File Share under poor network conditions caused the upload to fail
• Improved time to load variants with separate profiles
• Fixed issue where moving a profile from one controller port to another after relaunching the game reset loadout settings
• Improved consistency of random ordnance navigation marker display
• Fixed performance issues when launching Halo Waypoint from Halo 4

We will update everyone when we have more information about the next Halo 4 TU. If you’d like to read more about this TU or the upcoming Matchmaking playlist update, please check out the 12.06 edition of the Halo Bulletin.

From Rooster Teeth:

Jack and Geoff go at it in today’s episode of Achievement PIG in Halo 4. Hooray, platformers!

Editor’s note: Language is mature. Proceed with caution.

Halo 4 – Achievement HORSE #104

From Rooster Teeth:

Jack and Geoff go at it in today’s episode of Achievement PIG in Halo 4. Hooray, platformers!

Editor’s note: Language is mature. Proceed with caution.

Halo 4 – Achievement HORSE #104

From IGN:

Halo 4 design director Mike Ellis shows off “Shatter” from the Crimson Map Pack. It’s your new chance to pilot the Mantis mech!

Shatter – IGN’s Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Developer Walkthrough

Halo is a fictional universe. However, sometimes we catch sight of things in real life that remind us of our favorite science fiction video game franchise. This particular series, titled Halo in Real Life, showcases those very moments. Enjoy the subtle Halo references sometimes spotted when out and about in the real world, and if you have a picture you’d like to submit for possible future inclusion, send it to bsangel[at]halowaypoint.com!

As seen and captured by Funkychainsaw08

From The Halo Council:

This is our second Top 5 Halo 4 Plays, commentated by our very own u4iX. Enjoy!

The Halo Council’s Top 5 Halo 4 Plays, Episode 2

From HT Edge:

This is our fourth Halo 4 Montage, featuring clips from the FFA Throwback playlist!

FFA Throwback – Halo 4 Weekly Montage 4

Some people show their love for Halo by playing the games. Others get a relevant image permanently placed upon their body. Enjoy this particular example of a Halo-related body modification, and if you have a picture you’d like to submit for possible future inclusion, send it to bsangel[at]halowaypoint.com!

Halo tattoo, as seen on TrippinCJ12

From TEAMHEADKICK:

TEAMHEADKICK brings a Halo 4 parody of PSY’s Gangnam Style for the Halo community. Enjoy!

Spartan Style – A Halo 4 Parody of PSY’s Gangnam Style Music Video

From IGN:

Halo 4 lead multiplayer map designer Kynan Pearson shows off “Harvest” from the Crimson Map Pack. See Harvest brought to life for the first time in a game!

Harvest – IGN’s Halo 4 Crimson Map Pack Developer Walkthrough

Every Monday, we feature a community member who does one or more of the following things: routinely goes above and beyond for their fellow forum members, is a positive and active member of the community, and/or sends me mass amounts of cat pictures. This week our Community Member of the Week is Yiazmat012. Read about this particular person below, then hit their profile to learn more about this Mega Man-loving gamer!

Gamertag: Yiazmat012.

Origin of Gamertag: In Final Fantasy XII, the ultimate boss in the game is named Yiazmat and takes about three hours to beat if you are at the highest level with the best equipment. But I choose this name for another reason. A man named Yasumi Matsuno worked on previous Final Fantasies but quit during the start of the game’s creation. This depressed a lot of people in the studio, and they decided to name the dragon after him to honor what he had done for the company. The Japanese name for the Yiazmat is Yasmat but translated is Yiazmat. I honor him since Final Fantasy made up part of my childhood.

Current clan/community: None, I play Halo for fun and carnage.

Halo game(s) you are currently playing: Halo 4.

Favorite map, game type and playlist: Exile, Grifball, and Dominion.

Least favorite map, game type and playlist: Haven, Grifball, and CTF.

Preferred control scheme: Default.

Halo playing style (offense, defense, sniper, driver, etc.): I can drive a vehicle better than most people, and I like to go on offensive.

Favorite character: The Arbiter.

Favorite Halo book: First Strike or Cryptum.

Favorite Halo quote: “The Reclamation has begun…”

Anything else we should know? I don’t like the My Little Pony fad going around, but if you don’t try to shove it down my throat, you and me will get along just fine!

Get to know Yiazmat012 here!

From Parsnipes:

This is Episode 3 of our weekly montage series featuring The Spartan Force community. Enjoy!

Multikill Monday 3 – A Halo 4 Montage

War Games Weekly Challenges

Spartan Ops Weekly Challenges

Campaign Weekly Challenges

12.3.12 5:30PM PT Update

Some players that were eligible for the Specializations post-launch offer did not receive their fulfillment email due to having an invalid email address associated with their Xbox LIVE account. We are working to send affected players their codes via the Xbox LIVE Message Center (which is accessible on both web and console). The text will read as follows, and we expect players to start receiving these messages this week. Thank you for your continued patience, and we will provide an update when all messages have been sent.

Xbox 360 Dashboard message text:

Your Halo 4 gift is waiting! Here is your token to unlock six Specializations in Halo 4. We apologize for the delay in providing this and thank you for participating in our program. See you on the virtual battlefield!

If you’re reading this, you more than likely have a question about the Specializations email that was recently distributed by Xbox LIVE. Before I start addressing some frequently asked questions, please note:

DO NOT PUBLICLY POST YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS OR ANY OTHER ACCOUNT-RELATED INFORMATION ON OUR FORUMS. AGAIN, DO NOT POST YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS OR ANY OTHER ACCOUNT-RELATED INFORMATION ON OUR FORUMS.

As a general rule, to protect yourself and your account, you should never post or share any personal information online, and that includes our forums.

Now, back to business. When Halo 4 launched, there was a special offer involving the following.

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Play Halo 4 Standard Edition while connected to Xbox LIVE by November 20, 2012, and you’ll get early access to six Specializations. That’s 60 additional levels and new content in Halo Infinity Multiplayer.

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Codes giving early access to six Specializations were sent yesterday. The email says the following and includes an image of Master Chief and the Halo 4 logo.

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Here’s your free gift from Xbox LIVE

Thanks for being an Xbox LIVE member. You’ve earned a free gift. Just follow the instructions below, and you can download it immediately.*

Here’s how to redeem:

• Click here or on the “Get your free gift” link below.
• Sign in to your Xbox LIVE account using the email address you received this message at (if you are not already signed in).
• Your code is automatically entered on the page so simply click Redeem Code.

Get your free gift –>

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Here are a few reasons why your inbox may still be empty.

• Emails were sent to both opt-in and opt-out accounts (in regard to your receive marketing emails preference).
• If you did not play Halo prior to November 20 at 11:59 PM EST, you would have not received the email.
• If you are registered with Xbox LIVE in Europe, the Middle East or Africa, you would have not received the email. As noted on the original offer, these regions were not part of the Specializations offer as Specializations were extended as a pre-order offer, not a post-launch offer.

If you don’t think you have received this email, here are a few things to consider.

• It may be in your spam folder. Check now!
• The codes were sent to the email address that you used when you signed up for your Gamertag. If you are now using a different email address but did not change it with Xbox LIVE, the code will have been sent to the email address associated with your Gamertag as of November 20.
• The title of the email is “You have a gift from Xbox LIVE”. Since Specializations are not directly mentioned, you may have skipped over it.

If you successfully redeemed your code, you will gain early access to six Specializations.

If you received the email but are experiencing issues, here are a few possibilities as to what could be going on:

The Specializations are locked.
Specializations cannot be accessed until you reach SR50. Once you have advanced through the standard fifty levels, you will then get the option to enlist in a Specialization under “Infinity”. You can choose the order in which you tackle unlocked Specializations. However once you select one, you must advance through it completely before enlisting in a separate Specialization. Please read this article for more information.

I don’t see any new Specializations.
Redownload the content from your download history (from the Xbox Dashboard: Settings–>Account–>Download History). If you have the content properly downloaded, try restarting the game.

The link in my email is not resolving properly.
Please wait an hour or two and try the link again.

Please visit The Official Specializations Email Thread if you have additional questions.

From ducain23:

This is my first Halo 4 custom map that I have built, and I thought it was appropriate to remake my most popular map “Star Wars Space Battle”. Drive and fly past Darth Vader’s TIE Fighter, two X-wings, a normal TIE Fighter, TIE Bomber, and the Millennium Falcon. Be sure to download it and enjoy.

Star Wars Space Battle – A Halo 4 Map

From HaloFanForLife:

This painting was submitted to my website by rhinoting, who created it in about three hours. Nice work I’d say!

Master Chief Painting – Halo 4 Fan Art

From petetehduck:

Forge Quacks are bite-size videos that demonstrate some of the quirks that exist in Halo 4’s Forge editor. If you have a suggestion for a Forge Quack video, use the form on this page to submit it.

Today’s Forge tip: A Dominion base turret that has been manually activated will continue to exist and function after its base has been deleted.

Forge Quacks 2 – A Halo 4 Video

From Anoj:

Anoj counts down his favorite 10 community-submitted Halo 4 multikill clips. Upload your clips to your File Share and submit at Top10Series.com to be featured in future episodes!

Top 10 Halo 4 Multikills

From Beorn:

Rise and shine, it’s wallpaper time (again)! I was watching the “A Hero Awakens” video and was fascinated by some of the new design elements on Cortana’s skin in Halo 4, especially the artwork on her spine and shoulder blades. Now, I’ve admittedly been a bit apprehensive about the new angular, mechanical aesthetic introduced with Halo 4, and while the above definitely fits into that category, I saw that clip and thought, “I have to make a wallpaper based on her design!” So, here we are; I hope somebody enjoys this one as much as I do! Comments and constructive feedback are always appreciated.

Cortana – A Fan-made Halo 4 Wallpaper