My Halo News.com

The latest news about the Halo series of games from Microsoft

  • Halo 4 Summer Tournament Update and RTX Details

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    My name
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    When we first announced our summer tournament, we said that the full details would be available today. Unfortunately, we are still wading our way through the 20 pages of legal mumbo-jumbo that will eventually become the rules and regulations. We expect to have all of our i’s dotted and t’s crossed on Wednesday, so keep an eye out for our announcement then. In the meantime, we want those of you who are attending RTX (Rooster Teeth Expo) this weekend to be able to practice for the tournament we are hosting on the show floor, so below is all of the information you need to know to prepare…and then some!

    As we mentioned in last week’s Bulletin, we’ll be hosting an in-person Free-For-All tournament at RTX as part of our larger summer tournament. The tournament will span all three days, with the finals being broadcasted on the eSports main stage. Here is what you need to know if you have a pass to RTX and would like to participate in the tournament (participation is limited to attendees).

    • Pre-registration will begin on-site on Friday, July 5th starting at 9am in Hall 5 (this is the same location as RTX attendee registration) – arrive early to ensure a spot in the tournament!
    • If you miss this registration period, there will be an opportunity to register at the booth on Friday when the show floor opens.
    • The tournament is a single elimination FFA bracket, with top players advancing to the next rounds.
    • The tournament will begin on Friday afternoon in the Halo 4 booth.
    • Group stages will continue through Saturday, with top players advancing to Sunday.
    • Sunday will include the final rounds of FFA matches and end with a 1v1 bracket to determine the champion of RTX!

    The following maps and game types will be played, so start practicing!

    FFA Game Type
    Time limit: 8 minutes
    Score to win: Unlimited
    Motion Tracker: Enabled
    Personal Ordnance: Armor Abilities (v4 settings)

    Loadouts:
    (All feature one primary rifle, no secondary weapon, 2x Frags, no Armor Ability, Tactical Package: Resupply, and Support Upgrade: Ammo)
    Battle Rifle
    DMR
    Carbine
    LightRifle

    FFA Maps
    Haven
    Skyline
    Onyx (Forge Island)

    1v1 Game Type
    Motion Tracker: Disabled
    Score to Win: 10
    Time Limit: 20 Minutes (Game ends at 10:00 unless score is tied, in which case sudden death begins)
    Personal Ordnance: Armor Abilities (v4 settings)

    Loadouts:
    Same as above

    1v1 Maps
    Skyline
    Onyx (Forge Island)

    We will be releasing the full details of these game types and maps this week, so stay tuned for the full settings and File Share links.

    We’ll be broadcasting the finals on Sunday – be sure to stay tuned to Halo Waypoint for more details and a live stream schedule. If you’ll be in Austin this weekend, we’ll see you soon!

    Discuss

  • Halo 4 Summer Tournament Update and RTX Details

    —

    by

    My name
    in

    When we first announced our summer tournament, we said that the full details would be available today. Unfortunately, we are still wading our way through the 20 pages of legal mumbo-jumbo that will eventually become the rules and regulations. We expect to have all of our i’s dotted and t’s crossed on Wednesday, so keep an eye out for our announcement then. In the meantime, we want those of you who are attending RTX (Rooster Teeth Expo) this weekend to be able to practice and prepare for the tournament we are hosting on the show floor, so we have posted all of the information you need to know below.

    As we mentioned in last week’s Bulletin, we’ll be hosting an in-person Free-For-All tournament at RTX as part of our larger summer tournament. The tournament will span all three days, with the finals being broadcasted on the eSports main stage. Here is what you need to know if you have a pass to RTX and would like to participate in the tournament (participation is limited to attendees).

    • Pre-registration will begin on-site on Friday, July 5th starting at 9am in Hall 5 (this is the same location as RTX attendee registration) – arrive early to ensure a spot in the tournament!
    • If you miss this registration period, there will be an opportunity to register at the booth on Friday when the show floor opens
    • The tournament is a single elimination FFA bracket, with top players advancing to the next rounds
    • The tournament will begin on Friday afternoon in the Halo 4 booth
    • Group stages will continue through Saturday, with top players advancing to Sunday
    • Sunday will include the final rounds of FFA matches and end with a 1v1 bracket to determine the champion of RTX!

    The following maps and game types will be played, so start practicing!

    FFA Game Type
    Time limit: 8 minutes
    Score to win: Unlimited
    Motion Tracker: Enabled
    Personal Ordnance: Armor Abilities (v4 settings)

    Loadouts:
    (All feature one primary rifle, no secondary weapon, 2x Frags, no Armor Ability, Tactical Package: Resupply, and Support Upgrade: Ammo)
    Battle Rifle
    DMR
    Carbine
    LightRifle

    FFA Maps
    Haven
    Skyline
    Onyx (Forge Island)

    1v1 Game Type
    Motion Tracker: Disabled
    Score to Win: 10
    Time Limit: 20 Minutes (Game ends at 10:00 unless score is tied, in which case sudden death begins)
    Personal Ordnance: Armor Abilities (v4 settings)

    Loadouts:
    Same as above

    1v1 Maps
    Skyline
    Onyx (Forge Island)

    We will be releasing the full details of these game types and maps this week, so stay tuned for the full settings and file share links.

    We’ll be broadcasting the finals on Sunday – be sure to stay tuned to Halo Waypoint for more details and a live stream schedule! If you’ll be in Austin this weekend, we’ll see you soon!

    Discuss

  • Halo 4 Summer Tournament Update and RTX Details

    —

    by

    My name
    in

    When we first announced our summer tournament, we said that the full details would be available today. Unfortunately, we are still wading our way through the 20 pages of legal mumbo-jumbo that will eventually become the rules and regulations. We expect to have all of our i’s dotted and t’s crossed on Wednesday, so keep an eye out for our announcement then. In the meantime, we want those of you who are attending RTX (Rooster Teeth Expo) this weekend to be able to practice and prepare for the tournament we are hosting on the show floor, so we have posted all of the information you need to know below.

    As we mentioned in last week’s Bulletin, we’ll be hosting an in-person Free-For-All tournament at RTX as part of our larger summer tournament. The tournament will span all three days, with the finals being broadcasted on the eSports main stage. Here is what you need to know if you have a pass to RTX and would like to participate in the tournament (participation is limited to attendees).

    • Pre-registration will begin on-site on Friday, July 5th starting at 9am in Hall 5 (this is the same location as RTX attendee registration) – arrive early to ensure a spot in the tournament!
    • If you miss this registration period, there will be an opportunity to register at the booth on Friday when the show floor opens
    • The tournament is a single elimination FFA bracket, with top players advancing to the next rounds
    • The tournament will begin on Friday afternoon in the Halo 4 booth
    • Group stages will continue through Saturday, with top players advancing to Sunday
    • Sunday will include the final rounds of FFA matches and end with a 1v1 bracket to determine the champion of RTX!

    The following maps and game types will be played, so start practicing!

    FFA Game Type
    Time limit: 8 minutes
    Score to win: Unlimited
    Motion Tracker: Enabled
    Personal Ordnance: Armor Abilities (v4 settings)

    Loadouts:
    (All feature one primary rifle, no secondary weapon, 2x Frags, no Armor Ability, Tactical Package: Resupply, and Support Upgrade: Ammo)
    Battle Rifle
    DMR
    Carbine
    LightRifle

    FFA Maps
    Haven
    Skyline
    Onyx (Forge Island)

    1v1 Game Type
    Motion Tracker: Disabled
    Score to Win: 10
    Time Limit: 20 Minutes (Game ends at 10:00 unless score is tied, in which case sudden death begins)
    Personal Ordnance: Armor Abilities (v4 settings)

    Loadouts:
    Same as above

    1v1 Maps
    Skyline
    Onyx (Forge Island)

    We will be releasing the full details of these game types and maps this week, so stay tuned for the full settings and file share links.

    We’ll be broadcasting the finals on Sunday – be sure to stay tuned to Halo Waypoint for more details and a live stream schedule! If you’ll be in Austin this weekend, we’ll see you soon!

    Discuss

  • Halo 4 Summer Tournament Update and RTX Details

    —

    by

    My name
    in

    When we first announced our summer tournament, we said that the full details would be available today. Unfortunately, we are still wading our way through the 20 pages of legal mumbo-jumbo that will eventually become the rules and regulations. We expect to have all of our i’s dotted and t’s crossed on Wednesday, so keep an eye out for our announcement then. In the meantime, we want those of you who are attending RTX (Rooster Teeth Expo) this weekend to be able to practice and prepare for the tournament we are hosting on the show floor, so we have posted all of the information you need to know below.

    As we mentioned in last week’s Bulletin, we’ll be hosting an in-person Free-For-All tournament at RTX as part of our larger summer tournament. The tournament will span all three days, with the finals being broadcasted on the eSports main stage. Here is what you need to know if you have a pass to RTX and would like to participate in the tournament (participation is limited to attendees).

    • Pre-registration will begin on-site on Friday, July 5th starting at 9am in Hall 5 (this is the same location as RTX attendee registration) – arrive early to ensure a spot in the tournament!
    • If you miss this registration period, there will be an opportunity to register at the booth on Friday when the show floor opens
    • The tournament is a single elimination FFA bracket, with top players advancing to the next rounds
    • The tournament will begin on Friday afternoon in the Halo 4 booth
    • Group stages will continue through Saturday, with top players advancing to Sunday
    • Sunday will include the final rounds of FFA matches and end with a 1v1 bracket to determine the champion of RTX!

    The following maps and game types will be played, so start practicing!

    FFA Game Type
    Time limit: 8 minutes
    Score to win: Unlimited
    Motion Tracker: Enabled
    Personal Ordnance: Armor Abilities (v4 settings)

    Loadouts:
    (All feature one primary rifle, no secondary weapon, 2x Frags, no Armor Ability, Tactical Package: Resupply, and Support Upgrade: Ammo)
    Battle Rifle
    DMR
    Carbine
    LightRifle

    FFA Maps
    Haven
    Skyline
    Onyx (Forge Island)

    1v1 Game Type
    Motion Tracker: Disabled
    Score to Win: 10
    Time Limit: 20 Minutes (Game ends at 10:00 unless score is tied, in which case sudden death begins)
    Personal Ordnance: Armor Abilities (v4 settings)

    Loadouts:
    Same as above

    1v1 Maps
    Skyline
    Onyx (Forge Island)

    We will be releasing the full details of these game types and maps this week, so stay tuned for the full settings and file share links.

    We’ll be broadcasting the finals on Sunday – be sure to stay tuned to Halo Waypoint for more details and a live stream schedule! If you’ll be in Austin this weekend, we’ll see you soon!

    Discuss

  • Visualizing the Halo Universe Round 13: Ancients

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    by

    halo@bungie.org
    in
    Postmortem stopped by to announce Round 13 of his ‘Visualizing the Halo Universe’ challenge – how well is the Forerunner Capital fleshed out in your mind’s eye?(Louis Wu 20:57:52 UTC)

  • Final Figure Sale

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    by

    halo@bungie.org
    in
    petin is down to the end of his Halo figures collection – swing by for a last batch of pictures, and a take ’em all price!(Louis Wu 20:53:53 UTC)

  • Still no ‘Keep off the Grass’, though

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    by

    halo@bungie.org
    in
    Stephen Loftus found another batch of vectorized Halo artwork he hadn’t posted – and we’ve added 18 new images to his ‘Signs’ collection. Check the end of the Civilian collection (here), the end of the ‘Miscellaneous’ collection (here), and the end of the ‘UNSC’ collection (here). Great stuff!(Louis Wu 20:50:54 UTC)

  • Halo 3 not free in July, after all

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    halo@bungie.org
    in
    At the Microsoft E3 Press Conference, the ‘Games with Gold’ program was announced – two titles would be made free for XBL Gold members every month. The rumor had been that Halo 3 would be one of the two July titles… but when Major Nelson announced that the first July title was Defense Grid: The Awakening, so many people asked what had happened to Halo 3 that he tweeted this yesterday:

    FAQ: “Halo 3” and “Assassin’s Creed II” were mentioned as part of the program – no date was given for their release

    I guess we’ll keep our eyes open!(Louis Wu 20:47:08 UTC)

  • HaloSphere2 – Now Even Better

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    by

    halo@bungie.org
    in
    Firestream let us know that Halosphere, the web-based Halo MMORPG, has gotten a complete makeover. Plenty of new features, and just the first of several major upgrades this year! Swing by and try it out. (It’s been a while since I visited, and I was pretty impressed with what I saw!)(Louis Wu 20:39:36 UTC)

  • Community Member of the Week: Cerilium

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    by

    My name
    in

    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 Cerilium. Read a little more about this particular fan below, then hit their profile to learn even more!

    Community Member of the Week

    Gamertag: Cerilium.

    Origin of Gamertag: Self-made when I was trying to think of one, and I think it sounds like a type of rock that would be a pink colour.

    Current clan/community: I have never been a part of a clan as I don’t like them. It’s always been more for the fun part of gaming with my friends. I did use the Bungie forums for a bit but not on this account (SangheiliHobo was my old one).

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

    Favorite map, game type and playlist: My favorite map would have to be Exile or Haven. The game type I love the most is Dominion, and the playlist to play is Action Sack or Slayer.

    Least favorite map, game type and playlist: Exile BTB, Capture the Flag (because of lack of teamwork half of the time) and Team Snipers (because I don’t like everyone using a sniper, too much camping).

    Preferred control scheme: Bumper Jumper, which makes it tricky to use a jet pack.

    Halo playing style (offense, defense, sniper, driver, etc.): Offensive, unless it’s Dominion, etc. which requires defending. I like to defend if needed, as most of the time the base is left open with no defense if I’m not there.

    Favorite Halo character: Roland or Arbiter.

    Favorite Halo book: I have not read any but would like to if I can get my hands on one.

    Favorite Halo quote: Heretic! Heretic! -Halo 2 Grunt chant. The Journey awaits! -Prophet of regret, Halo Wars.

    Anything else we should know? I love Halo and have grown up with it, still owning the original Halo CE that came with the Xbox!

    Get to know Cerilium here

    Discuss

  • Halo 4 Weekly Challenges: 7.1.13

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    by

    My name
    in

    War Games Weekly Challenges

    Halo 4 Weekly Challenges


    Spartan Ops Weekly Challenges

    Halo 4 Weekly Challenges


    Campaign Weekly Challenges

    Halo 4 Weekly Challenges

    Halo 4 Weekly Challenges

    Discuss

  • The Dead Serious ‘Tage 2: Vol. 1 – A Halo Montage

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    by

    My name
    in

    From BlackTieRiot:

    We’re proud to present a Black Tie Riot production featuring gameplay from SirTopEmHat, Smuttny, iDrako, FlawlessNSP, ThePlaZma and Lts BiG BaLL3s. Enjoy!

    The Dead Serious ‘Tage 2: Vol. 1 – A Halo Montage

    Discuss

  • Podtacular 378: Big Winnings

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    by

    theguardians@podtacular.com (Dust Storm)
    in

    Download | Shownotes
    Podtacular is playing catchup for the next couple of weeks as Dust Storm as commitments on Thursdays, so for now, we cover the June 19th bulletin. Spartan Ops was shown off at E3 showing how the Halo universe can expand past the Xbox platform onto your mobile device in Spartan Ops. You’ll get to play as Spartan Davis and Palmer as you go through their Spartan IV careers from the start. There’s also a newly announced Halo 4 tournament with up to $500,000 worth of prizes up for grabs. Pre-registration and first round of qualifiers will be hosted at RTX this year. Big item on the matchmaking front this week was mini-Spartan slayer. We’re hoping to see some new maps get integrated with this gametype. Enjoy

  • Halo 4 Matchmaking Update: 7.1.13

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    My name
    in

    Today several new items were added to Halo 4 Matchmaking, including new game types, maps and more. Check out the full details below!

    In Spartan Ops, we are featuring a “fan favorites” selection of Episodes 1-5, which includes the most played missions by you, the community. The below missions have the highest number games played per mission, so if you haven’t played through all of them yet, you may want to check out some of the most popular selections this week.

    Spartan Ops Fan Favorites: Episodes 1-5

    Episode 4 – Chapter 2: Rally Point
    Episode 3 – Chapter 4: Shootout in Valhalla
    Episode 5 – Chapter 2: Nothing Can Go Wrong
    Episode 5 – Chapter 4: The Cauldron Base
    Episode 2 – Chapter 5: Gagarin

    Big Team Skirmish

    Big Team Skirmish premieres today, replacing the Team Objective playlist. We have chosen to offer 8 vs. 8 objective as a separate offering from Big Team Infinity Slayer so as to not disrupt our most popular playlist. However, we’ll monitor population and trends so that we can react accordingly. The following 8 vs. 8 game modes are currently offered:

    Big Team CTF – Longbow, Ragnarok, Complex
    Big Team King of the Hill – Exile, Longbow
    Big Team Regicide – Complex, Settler

    The above are some of our favorite map and game type combinations. We are currently planning on adding additional maps and game types to this playlist in the future, so as always, swing by the War Games Feedback section of our forums and let us know what you’d like to see!

    Flood Updates

    We’ve teamed up with the Community Cartographers and Flood fanatics to deliver a new game type and accompanying maps, which premiere in the Flood playlist today. The new game type, Hivemind, adds a brand-new experience to the playlist.

    If you’re a Flood fanatic and dying to know some of the settings in this game type, you can find some of the key values below:

    Hivemind Base Human Player Traits

    • Damage Resistance: 90%
    • Shield Recharge Rate: 10% (Slower)
    • Shield Recharge Wait: 20 Seconds
    • Damage Modifier: 75%
    • Melee Modifier: 500%
    • Primary Weapon: Assault Rifle
    • Secondary Weapon: Magnum
    • Weapon Pickup: Enabled
    • Armor Ability: None
    • Sensor Range: 25 Meters
    • Player Speed: 90%

    Hivemind Flood Traits

    • Damage Modifier: 50%
    • Melee Modifier: 50%
    • Ability Usage: Disabled
    • Sensor Range: 40 Meters
    • Jump Height: 125%

    Thanks to the above settings and new maps, the game type creates an entirely new experience for the Flood playlist, and I’d recommend checking it out (even if you don’t frequent the playlist). Hivemind is offered on the following maps:

    Payload by Narb Guy
    Drillsite by Pa1nts
    Temple by Mr Pokephile
    Repression by Auxi Klutch


    Dominion

    Dominion has received some updates as well. First, the resupply of the bases now provides mostly Loadout weapons and grenades rather than a large number of power weapons. Also, we’ve added a brand-new game type named Lockdown. This new mode focuses the action on one central base that both teams must fight to control. The scoring settings are as follows:

    • Score to win: 100
    • Capture Points: 0
    • Standard Capture Time: 1
    • Fortified Capture Time: 5
    • Fortify Points: 0
    • Fortify Time: 15
    • Resupply Points: 10
    • Resupply Frequency: 25
    • Last Stand: False

    We’ve also updated weapon and power-up respawns across the following maps in Dominion:

    Exile
    Overshield near Blue spawn – Repawns in 90 seconds
    Sticky Detonator above Red spawn – Respawns in 120 seconds

    Longbow
    Shotgun near each spawn – Respawns in 120 seconds
    Rocket Launcher on back beach in between Alpha and Charlie – Respawns in 120 seconds

    Meltdown
    Needlers in each teleporter bunker – Respawns in 60 seconds
    Fuel Rod Cannon on main bridge – Respawns in 120 seconds

    Vortex
    Concussion Rifle near Red spawn – Respawns in 120 seconds
    Sniper Rifle near Blue spawn – Respawns in 120 seconds
    Energy Sword underneath Bravo – Respawns in 120 seconds

    Additionally, we’ve optimized spawns on Haven (removed the “ditch” spawns on bottom Open Ramp), fixed a rotating ordnance issue on Simplex, and updated voting options in Infinity Slayer, SWAT and Big Team Infinity Slayer to include an on-disk map in the first slot to allow for the best experiences for split-screen players and optimized overall map variety.

    Action Sack’s Mini Slayer has also received a new map! The map, appropriately named Napoleon, uses a blocked-off section of Complex’s central cliff-side base and provides compact, arena-esque chaos to tickle your Mini Slayer fancy. Hop into the Action Sack playlist to give it a shot.

    We’re excited about all of the new maps, game types and settings, and we hope to see you online!

    Discuss

  • Halo Legends Abridged Open Casting

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    by

    halo@bungie.org
    in
    CbWilliams is getting ready to film the final episode of his Halo Legends Abridged video series – and he needs your help. Swing by his post for full details on how you can audition for one of the parts available!(Louis Wu 20:51:32 UTC)

  • A case for reassessment

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    by

    halo@bungie.org
    in
    aPK has some thoughts about the most recent updates to the Halo 4 multiplayer gameplay – go watch his video and see what he has to say! If you left Halo 4 due to unhappiness with the gameplay choices, this might help convince you that it’s worth another look!(Louis Wu 20:48:54 UTC)

  • Hey! Look! Behind you!

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    halo@bungie.org
    in
    pete_the_duck (that’s the third time I’ve had to write that today) and some HBO friends assembled last night to play Halo: Reach – and the clip in his forum post shows off just how clueless the Red team was being. I laughed.(Louis Wu 20:43:47 UTC)

  • Halo 4 Forge Fridays – Episode Two | Speedrun

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    by

    halo@bungie.org
    in ,
    halofix posted a new episode of Forge Friday – their focus was pete_the_duck’s Speedrun map/gametype. Go watch!(Louis Wu 20:42:14 UTC)

  • Stronger

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    by

    halo@bungie.org
    in ,
    AssaultGodzilla released a new Halo music video to celebrate his birthday this year (Happy birthday, AG!) – it’s set to Emphatic’s Stronger, and it’s inspired by another HMV. Go watch!(Louis Wu 20:37:56 UTC)

  • More Fails and Horses

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    by

    halo@bungie.org
    in ,
    More AchievementHunter goodies, as usual courtesy of Nikko B201 – you can watch Fails of the Weak 145 (AH.com or YouTube) if you’re up for funny fails, or Halo Horse 133 (AH.com or YouTube) if you want to see Burnie faces off against The Martinizer. Enjoy!(Louis Wu 20:29:43 UTC)