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The Halo franchise has reached a prodigious mile-stone, selling over 65 million units on all platforms to date! Halo is a legendary series that we've all come to know and love, though it's changed in many ways over the years, it has still managed to keep a sense of magic and awe to it. It's been reported by IGN.com that the game series has sold a combined total of over 65 million units worldwide on the original Xbox, the Xbox 360, and of course the younger grandson, the Xbox One. It is very likely that these numbers will grow higher with the upcoming release of Halo 5: Guardians, and because of it, sales for Halo: The Master Chief Collection may also increase. What is surprising is that Halo: The Master Chief Collection only sold about 1 million copies in its first week, with factors like a broken launch and a new platform tying into the retrospectively small outcome. This year marks the 14th anniversary for the legendary franchise, and Halo 5: Guardians will be the 8th game in the franchise, excluding remasters and mobiles. View attachment: h5sales.png All information and images sourced from Microsoft at SDCC, 343 Industries, and IGN.

This article will be based on the features shown, and not necessarily the story elements that were revealed. You can go to Greenskull's article here if you would like to read through the whole experience. Universal Campaign Features: The AI system is very similar to Left 4 Dead in which 3 AI teammates (the 3 other Spartans besides the Leaders in each Spartan Team: Fireteam Osiris, and Blue Team) will follow around the host until another player joins in. These AI companions will accompany the host throughout the entire game. Each of the 8 Spartan characters have unique HUDs, starting Loadouts, and of course voices & personalities. Chatter between the characters will be commonplace. The player can use D-Pad commands to order around their Spartan Teams. Greenskull stated on the matter, "If you are looking at a weapon and press up on the D-Pad, a teammate will run over and pick it up. Point at an enemy and your team will focus fire on it. You can even direct them to cover..." Similar to Borderlands, every player can be crippled or "downed". The player will crouch onto the ground, and will die if another player, or AI doesn't come in to revive them. The player will still respawn if they're in Online Coop, but if you die in Singleplayer you'll revert to a previous checkpoint. When downed you can press a button to notify everyone else to save you, and all it will take is the press of the "use" button (the button mapping will be different if you're using an alternate control scheme) by a teammate to get you back up. The time it takes to revive a player is around 2-3 seconds. Online Coop: Utilizes a "jump-in-drop-out system", which allows anyone to join in and leave without impacting the host's game too much. This means that Join In Progress is in Halo 5. Any new player joining the game can choose which character they want to be (Fred, Linda, Kelly - Tanaka, Vale, Buck). The original Host will ALWAYS be Chief or Locke. Both of the leader positions (Chief or Locke) have access to the D-Pad commands, while every other character doesn't. The commands are somewhat the same in Online Coop in comparison to Singleplayer. Continued from Greenskull's quote above, "With a team of human players, the party leader (Master Chief or Spartan Locke) can still perform these commands (the ones listed above in the Universal section) to help direct their teammates to locations, enemies, or hidden weapons." Lastly, difficulty will be scaled based on how many players are in the game. A mission played on Legendary with 4 players will be more difficult than a Solo run on Legendary. Prometheans & Enemies: Prometheans are returning with a new type being introduced: The Promethean Solider (pictured in the image at the top of this article). The only other information there is is that it moves fast, and is around the same size of a Spartan such as the Chief. An ENORMOUS new enemy called a Guardian has been introduced, though Guardians have existed in Halo lore long before Halo 5, and it's currently unknown if these Guardians are connected to the old ones. Standing at 4,635 feet tall, the Guardian easily is the most massive enemy ever featured in a Halo game (the Gravemind is probably another good candidate). Here's an image from Greenkskull's video on Youtube based on scale. ALL Covenant enemies speak English due to Jul M'Dama's authority loosening. He originally banned the usage of English and other human language which is why the Covenant spoke their native languages in Halo 4. This comes from the Halo 5 Gameinformer issue that was recently revealed. Environments: The playtesters were shown a brief Campaign teaser, and Greenskull named the things he saw to the best of his ability, "It moved so fast it was hard to point anything out. That being said, what my eyes feasted upon was jaw dropping: massive enemies, space battles, and more. I saw Hunters forming from worms (Lekgolo) on the ground, Banshees flying past a space station, and a flying Forerunner vehicle shooting at a massive covenant station (it almost looked like a mining rig).", he went on to say, "The scale was unlike anything we’ve seen in Halo, specifically the giant vehicle scene. There were vehicles flying around, Covenant shooting plasma through the air, and explosions illuminating the landscape. It was hard not to get excited." The maps have plenty of alternate routes, and passageways aside from the main path. The many nooks, and crannies also harbor secrets. Greenskull found a specific easter egg (a black alien skull looking thing) in Singleplayer, and confirmed that many other eggs are within the game. The reveal came with an absolutely HUGE amount of screenshots, and HD images, and you can see them all here. Halo 5: Guardians releases on October 27th of this year, and a full reveal of the game will be in Microsoft's press conference at E3. You can see the whole E3 schedule at IGN. Sources: ReadyUpLive,

NEW HALO 4 PROMETHEAN WEAPONS VIDOC! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15Ksq4dvLuk&feature=g-all-u In other news the Halo Bulletin was released today, Here's what 343 has to say has to say about the weapons: *Lots more info coming soon!* Chris King (Lead Sandbox Designer), David Ellis (Spartan Ops Designer), and Christopher Blohm (Senior Sandbox Designer), along with Josh Holmes, Alyson Szymanski, Humberto Castaneda, Jeremy Patenaude, Brad Welch, Vic DeLeon, Paul Featherstone, Ali Zandi, Bill Clark, Kynan Pearson, Robert Pearsall, Chase Thompson, Jayce Diaz, Annie Wright, Leonard Holman, Sam Wolpert, and Tom Mathews joined me to share their thoughts about this particular subset of weapons. The Forerunners utilize the following base weapons: BOLTSHOT DESIGNATION: Z-110 Directed Energy Pistol/Exotic MANUFACTURER: Unknown/Forerunner Origin MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 10 Forerunner particle dilator used for both its precision at mid-range and its burst functionality when up close. David - It’s taken a while for me to completely wrap my head around all the combat options the Boltshot provides, but I think I’m finally there. In fact, for non-vehicle maps it’s pretty much my go-to secondary weapon at this moment in time. Timing the bolt blast effectively sets the average player apart from someone who will gladly wreck your face with a pistol. The animations in particular help to set this weapon apart as a beast. The first time you pick it up, your Spartan’s entire arm convulses as if you’re not sure if your Mjolnir will be able to contain all the energy packed into this tiny weapon of destruction. Chris B. - This is a fascinating secondary weapon. With two fire modes, it gives you options… and we all need options. I rate it slightly under the Magnum when firing normally. The beauty comes when you figure in the charged shotgun-like blast. For players who enjoy the corner fight or lurk-about it can be a killer. Also on some maps, like Adrift, it can be used to great effect. I should say great effect in the right hands. It takes some skill and time to get a feel for the optimum range and the timing, but it is extremely satisfying to disintegrate a hard charging enemy that dismisses your pistol. Chris K. - This gun has a bit of a learning curve on it but once you figure it out, it’s a ton of fun. It features two firing modes (similar to a Plasma Pistol). The primary firing mode does headshots and fires extremely fast. However, it doesn’t have a scope and each individual shot is relatively weak. This makes it a great option for playing cleanup on enemies up close. The secondary firing mode is where things get really interesting. If you hold the trigger down, four flaps on the gun flip open and it does a powerful charge shot that functions like a shotgun blast. The blast is extremely powerful but it is also hard to pull off as you will need to learn the timing as you can’t hold the trigger down indefinitely (much like the Railgun, it will eventually auto-fire). It’s also only effective at extremely close ranges. I think of all the Forerunner weapons, this one has the coolest animations of the bunch (and that’s saying something, as they are all pretty cool). The reload and charge-up animations are totally rad! Paul (Assistant Director of Photography) - The Boltshot has become my go-to sidearm in MP because of the double functionality of the charge blast. Nailing someone coming around the corner with a one-shot kill is always satisfying. Sam (Software Development Engineer) - I love the Boltshot because of its secondary fire mode. It's the ultimate risk/reward trade-off: you have to start charging at exactly the right time or the blast will fire before your enemy is at point-blank range. Get your timing right, though, and this handy little Forerunner pistol will send your opponents straight to deathcam with a single shot. Unleashing the Boltshot on an unsuspecting player coming around a corner is immensely satisfying. It's also a great weapon to pair with weapons that are more effective at longer ranges, like the BR, DMR, and LightRifle. Charging opponents wielding short-range weapons got you down? Don't worry, a couple of encounters with your trusty Boltshot will make them think twice about coming near you, making it that much easier to pick them off with a series of well-aimed headshots from your rifle of choice. SUPPRESSOR DESIGNATION: Z-130 Directed Energy Automatic Weapon MANUFACTURER: Unknown/Forerunner Origin MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 48 Fully automatic Forerunner infantry weapon, firing bolts of hard light in rapidly accelerating succession. Chris B. - People say “spray and pray”. I say, in the right situations, feather the trigger and dance on the corpses. On tight maps, one of my favorite loadouts is the Firepower package with a DMR and Suppressor (DMR for the heavy lifting and the Suppressor for the CQB and cleaning up). Mid-range combat with a Suppressor, just say no. Seriously. David - At first glance, the Suppressor might seem like a less accurate cousin to the AR, and you might not be entirely wrong in that initial assessment. However, this Forerunner SMG has a special place in my heart as it just plain shreds enemy Knights at close quarters. As Chris said, this weapon should only be used at closer ranges, but if you’re smart about positioning your Spartan relative to sightlines and geo, you will be rewarded. Chris K. - If you like close-quarters combat in tight spaces, this is the gun for you! Individual shots are relatively weak, but it more than makes up for it with sheer brute force. It features an enormous clip (48 bullets) and the fastest firing rate of any of the fully-auto primary weapons (roughly 150% faster firing than the AR or Storm Rifle). The projectiles slow down over time so to be effective, you really need to use it like an SMG, although you can still psychologically overwhelm enemies at range with a barrage of projectiles. I find myself always rolling with the Suppressor on Adrift as the tight hallways really favor the strengths of the gun. It’s oh-so-satisfying to have someone come around a corner and be able to unload half a clip into them before they even realize what hit them. Alyson (Producer) - The suppressor has slowly won me over and become my favorite Promethean weapon. It feels good, sounds good, and breaking a Knight’s shield just before finishing him off or the popping death of a Watcher is a satisfying kill. Annie (Editor) - There are players who operate like armored ninjas with guns: Swift, precise and most of all stealthy. This gun is not for those people. This gun is for players like me, whose strategy (if I can be said to have one) is more along the lines of “Expect to die, shoot anything that moves, and try to take as many of those moving things with me when I go”. I’ve always preferred closer combat to long-range attacks, and the Suppressor allows me to get fairly near and still cover a pretty decent area without sacrificing too much in the way of power. Combine with the Ammo Upgrade to put your carrying capacity over the top and Shield Package to make up for lack of cover if you want to experiment with the Suppressor on larger maps, and you’re in pretty decent shape! Brad (Lead Designer) - At very close range, the Suppressor lays down the smack far more quickly than either the AR or Storm Rifle. It's a great weapon in maps such as Adrift where you have plenty of cover and corners. If you play the ambush game or use cover to quickly close distance, you can be devastating with it. The Suppressor's effective range drops off quickly, so you don't want to get caught in the open or a long hallway with it. Pair that sucker with some form of precision weaponry - a Magnum or use the Firepower Tactical Package to get a second precision primary. SCATTERSHOT DESIGNATION: Z-180 Close Combat Rifle/Asymmetric Engagement Mitigator MANUFACTURER: Unknown/Forerunner Origin MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 5 Close-combat weapon with a deadly blast at short-range and a versatile ricochet effect against hard surfaces. David - The Scattershot is a perfect example of the combined efforts of the sandbox designer plus the animation, art, and sound teams really creating a showpiece weapon. I think it’s been mentioned before, but the Scattershot (in its current incarnation) helped the team for a cohesive vision about the Forerunner weapons in general. Much like the UNSC shotgun, it’s absolutely satisfying to blast away foe after foe in close quarter encounters. Word of warning though: Because of the lightshow ignited with every trigger pull, this weapon is more difficult to conceal than its human-themed counterpart. Chris B. - Not your Dad’s UNSC Shotgun. It’s not as straight of a beast as the raw power of the human tech, but it gives you a little more tactical flexibility. I find its range slightly extended from that of the a shotgun and occasionally will try to bank shots with the higher ROF of the Scattershot. Plus… disintegration. Chris K. - By now, I’m sure most people are pretty familiar with this one. It’s a Forerunner shotgun, with ricocheting bullets that allow for really interesting tactics in tight spaces. Oh, and if you blast a guy up close, you get that totally sweet Forerunner incineration effect. This gun is definitely in my top three favorite power weapons. The FX, the animations, and it’s just so satisfying to fire. If you use it correctly, you can go on an absolute terror. One pro-tip – I see some people try to use this from longer distances than they should. Don’t be fooled by the projectiles; this weapon is lethal up close but you won’t have much luck starting a dual against a DMR player 100’ away. Vic (Lead Mission Artist) - I love the Scattershot because it’s so much freaking fun to use. I can’t compare it to any other weapon. You can aim for your target like most weapons, which is no doubt how you will fire it for the first time like I did, but once I understood the projectiles and how they ricochet off hard surfaces (the non-meat-made surfaces), I started using it more strategically – aiming at floors, walls and ceilings. I’ve been able to bounce shots off corners and nail players, taking out shields then going in for the death blow. (It’s true, I have been known to shriek wildly when I get one of these in a game). Josh (Creative Director) - The Scattershot is what would happen if a shotgun and a roman candle made deadly babies. Essentially a futuristic shotgun that explodes with the heat of a miniature sun, the Scattershot will disintegrate anyone that takes the full brunt of its attack. As an added bonus, you can bounce projectiles off surfaces, making bank shot kills utterly possible. Kynan (Lead Multiplayer Level Design) - I like the Scattershot because Brrrrauwwww… Brrrrauwwww… Brrrrauwwww… Brrrrauwwww… Brrrrauwwww!! LIGHTRIFLE DESIGNATION: Z-250 Directed Energy Engagement Weapon MANUFACTURER: Unknown/Forerunner Origin MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 36 Precision weapon that uses particle acceleration to fire beams of hard light for mid-range to long-range combat. David - Best of both worlds, master of subtlety, these are terms that I just wrote to describe the LightRifle. Neither quite captures the complexity of this piece of kit. I find both firing modes are a tiny bit less forgiving than the DMR and BR, but definitely put in the time to master the subtle idiosyncrasies of the LR. Your efforts will be rewarded. Chris B. - Of the rifle class, the LR offers a bit more tactical options for the player (I’m sensing a theme here). It gives you the best of the BR and the DMR, depending on if you are scoped. Don’t be thrown off by the distinctive sound or the scope; use it to its strengths in all encounters, and you will be happy. Chris K. - The LightRifle is a long-range semi-auto precision rifle. It features a 3x zoom, hitscan projectiles that do headshots, but, most importantly, it features two firing modes. The best way to think of it is a hybrid of the BR and DMR. When firing from the hip, it fires in three-round bursts, similar to a BR. Once the player zooms however, the gun switches over to a more powerful firing mode and combines the normal three projectiles into a singular shot. When zoomed, the LightRifle can kill a Spartan in four shots (w/headshot). That being said, there are still tradeoffs here that make it balanced in line with the other semi-auto weapons. It fires slightly slower when zoomed, and it’s just a smidge less viable from the hip versus the other stuff. Overall, this is a formidable weapon and has developed a cult following internally at 343. Josh (Creative Director) - The Light Rifle provides the ultimate in versatility when it comes to a mid-to-long range precision weapon. In many ways, it's a combination of the BR and DMR. It's a little slower to transition into zoom compared to the BR and DMR, and you give up some additional situational awareness, but the sound alone is enough to strike fear into the heart of your opponent. BINARY RIFLE DESIGNATION: Z-750 Special Application Sniper Rifle MANUFACTURER: Unknown/Forerunner Origin MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 2 Extreme-range sniper rifle, designed to take down even heavily armored infantry with a single shot. David - Poo-inducing. That’s how I describe the gut-clenching terror shuddering through my body every time I see the telltale laser sight of the Binary Rifle projecting across the map. Unlike other sniper rifles, this beastly harbinger of death is a one-hit kill rifle. ONE HIT. It’s a pretty rare ordnance drop and in Matchmaking, it doesn’t carry much ammo. But if you see the HUD marker announcing its arrival on the battlefield, RUN. Either towards the Binary Rifle in a mad, Hunger Games-like scramble, or away as fast as possible in the hopes that person wielding this weapon has difficulties tracking targets over extreme distances. Chris B. - Boss. That’s really it (This gun rules. It has a hefty tell, but when your enemies are nothing more than carbon blowing away on the wind, why do you care?). Chris K. - This gun is absolutely devastating! When someone manages to get one of these in MP, it’s a game changer. At its core, it’s a Forerunner sniper rifle. Unlike the other sniper weapons in the game, you don’t necessarily have to get a headshot though to score a kill. If you hit a Spartan anywhere, they will quickly incinerate from the point of impact in a spectacular fashion. That being said, there are some significant tradeoffs in using this weapon. For starters, it has a clip size of two, meaning you will need to reload more often than you will with the other sniper rifles. In addition, it is extremely inaccurate when shooting from the hip (think shotgun-sized firing cone, meaning you shouldn’t expect to have much luck no-scoping unless you are in someone’s face). And finally, when scoped, several laser sights on the gun are enabled that act as a tell to opposing players (think a more in-your-face version of the Splaser tell). I love the way this gun instantly changes the dynamic in MP, though. When someone gets one and scopes it and you see the lasers aiming towards you, it’s time to stop what you are doing and get to cover pronto! Humberto (Producer) - I absolutely love disintegrating enemies with the Binary Rifle, which is essentially the Forerunner sniper weapon. Watch out for Crawlers peeking out with that ominous red light, though. All they need is an instant and then… ZAP! Total protonic reversal. Josh (Creative Director) - Like the name implies, the Binary Rifle is a one-shot instakill when you hit anywhere on your opponent's body. Nothing is more satisfying than zooming in and nailing an opponent from across the map, and watching as they are immediately incinerated from the point of impact. Chase (Audio) - I love watching someone derez after a headshot with the Binary Rifle. That weapon just feels so dangerous and powerful, and sounds so huge that I can’t resist picking it up every time I see one! Jeremy (Franchise Writer) - This weapon is no friggin’ joke. Last week, we were playing Regicide on an unannounced map, which is a large symmetrical map that fans will unquestionably dig – evergreen, plenty hilly, and Forerunnerlicious. Generally speaking, you don’t play Regicide on maps this large, but we were doing it, and it was AWESOME. At any rate, I had been trading the King spot with one other player the entire match, and it looked like he was going to pull away with it because time was running out and he had just climbed into a vehicle that is a straight-up death dealer. He was about to square-off against three other players who were rushing him with small arms (not sure what they were thinking). They didn’t have a chance, it was a certain win for him... until an ordnance drop fell from the sky: The Binary Rifle! I raced to it, drew it up and fired on two of the other players, instantly turning them into ash. I reloaded, fired on the third for another instant kill, and then fired on my nemesis to secure the victory. And his -Yoink!- exploded into a million pieces. Such a crazy ending to such a crazy match. Jayce (Spartan Ops Designer) - The Binary Rifle, or Bi-Ri as it’s affectionately called, is my favorite Promethean weapon hands-down. It’s incredibly powerful in the right hands (or wrong hands, if you’ve come up against a Knight Ranger). The trade-off here is the two-shot ammo capacity, but two shots are all you really need. If you’re good, an Elite will go down in one hit, while a Knight typically takes two. Just don’t miss. Ali (Systems Designer) - The Binary Rifle is a great way to spear through multiple Spartans with one shot. It’s quite interesting because it will give away your position when you are zoomed in as a counter balance to its lethality. You can also try to use it like a shotgun, which is quite BAUS! Robert (Test) - Lift the Binary Rifle to your eye, double zoom-in on a Promethean Knight, reticle between his eyes and pull the trigger to feel the WHUMP of the energy leave the weapon as he derezzes. Kynan (Lead Multiplayer Level Design) - The Binary Rifle is my favorite Halo power weapon ever. It’s like Christmas every time you pick it up. A one-hit kill no matter where you hit an enemy. It’s sooo good when you just barely clip someone’s foot and then watch as they fragment into thousands of angry burning embers. I also love that even though it’s incredibly powerful, when someone is zoomed in and looking to take a shot, you can see a laser leading to everything they are looking at. Points you right to where they are. INCINERATION CANNON DESIGNATION: Weapon/Anti-Materiel Z-390 High-Explosive Munitions Rifle MANUFACTURER: Unknown/Forerunner Origin MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 1 Powerful shoulder-mounted weapon that launches highly charged particles at a target with explosive results. David - I love watching someone use the Incineration cannon for the first time, as it often ends in hilarity and self-immolation. The submunitions offer a new wrinkle to the concept of the traditional “rocket launcher” weapon class. You definitely want to make sure you keep your distance from your intended target in as many situations as possible, but I try to use the particular personality of this weapon to my advantage. Enemy camping around the corner? Well, fire your main shot as close as possible and watch the submuntions bounce and explode right on top of your unsuspecting foe. Campaign pro tip: Beware the Incinerator-wielding Knight Commanders. They are deadly. You cannot outgun them so you’re required to outthink them. Chris B. - Devastating, and at times fickle. The main round is slightly less deadly than the UNSC Rocket Launcher but also MIRVs into four submunitions. These subs can catch the people that try to jump the main round, as they can bounce out and hit people on the edge of the area-of-effect that survived the main, and they can break your heart occasionally by missing entirely. With great power comes great heartbreak (or something like that). It’s a fun weapon to use in all cases, especially against vehicles and groups of enemies. Try shooting it at a low ceiling above an enemy sometime. Chris K. - This is another Forerunner Weapon that has the ability to incinerate opponents. This can lead to especially impressive multi-kills given the large area-of-effect/submunitions. Not too long ago, I was able to kill four enemies with one shot, and watching them all dissolve in front of me was about as satisfying as it gets. Another cool moment I witnessed with this one involved a teammate firing it near a speeding Warthog with three enemy passengers, all of which were killed and starting dissolving while seated in the ‘Hog. Rad! Worth noting here, this weapon has an especially long reload time; you have to reload between every shot, and the projectile itself is fairly slow. This means you really need to connect with your shot, or you will be at a disadvantage to your opponents. Bill (Software Development Engineer) - My favorite weapon is the Incineration Cannon. Even just the initial warhead is punchy and powerful. When you add in the chaos of the submunitions flying around, it’s a recipe for mayhem and destruction. The fact that whoever you just wrecked is dissolving into a million glowy bits is the icing on the cake. The awesome reloading effects as you prepare for another shot is the cherry on top. Leonard (UI Engineer) - You just gotta love the Incineration Cannon; it’s like a Rocket Launcher that spawns baby Promethean bombs. It’s a pain in the ass when your enemy has one aimed at you since you know you’ll likely turn into Promethean fairy dust. However, when the tables are turned and you’ve got one of these bad boys slung on your shoulder, you know whoever you see next is pretty much dead. Another cool thing about this gun is, if the initial hit doesn’t kill, the splash damage will likely finish what your aim couldn’t, plus it will likely take out anyone or anything near it! The only real drawbacks are the reload speed and that you’ll likely shoot your eye out if you’re not careful... splash damage works both ways. Sam (Software Development Engineer) - Apparently, the Forerunners don't mess around when it comes to blowing stuff up. The Incineration Cannon is probably my favorite weapon in the game. It's like the Rocket Launcher, if the Rocket Launcher fired an oscillating cluster of energy that disintegrated any unfortunate soul it came into contact with. Rockets explode on impact; on impact, the projectile fired by the Incineration Cannon divides into *more* packets of energy that *also* disintegrate anyone unlucky enough to be in the way. Explosions are awesome. Fountains of disintegration are awesomer. Tom (Software Development Engineer) - This thing is a beast. If you see it pop up on your HUD, get ready with your grenades as you close distance because there’s going to be another few Spartans making a beeline for it. Once you have this beauty in your hands, aim carefully because you have to reload after each shot. But it’s so very, very worth it: the gentle pull of the trigger sends out a number of projectiles weaving towards your foe. Upon impact, these projectiles then blossom out from the initial detonation into a cascade of secondary explosions. Nothing feels better than slamming a fresh round into the cannon while watching three or four of your enemies disintegrate into electronic dust. PULSE GRENADE DESIGNATION: Z-040 Attenuation Field Generator/Localized MANUFACTURER: Unknown/Forerunner Origin MAGAZINE CAPACITY: N/A A field-effect-generating attenuation device used to overload both simple and complex power networks, forcing them temporarily offline. David - The Pulse Grenade is an odd beast. It’s extremely powerful in the right hands, but it requires you to use it differently from other Halo grenades. I find it be most useful as an anti-vehicle or area-ofdenial weapon. Chris B. - The Pulse Grenade adds a lot to the dynamic of the battlefield. It does constant damage for the life of the sphere, but you should be most concerned about the blast when the sphere forms and when it collapses. Since it doesn’t bounce, you can place it accurately. Try throwing at a person’s feet for a huge hit on their shields, or throw it behind them and force them back into it. Or, if you need to run for your life, throw it down and go. Enemies rarely will charge through it, and the screen shake can throw off that final killing shot. Remember, you only get one with a normal loadout, but it can change the battlefield, so don’t shy away from its use. Chris K. - Functionally, this is somewhat similar to the Halo 3 Power Drain. It’s a bit different from the other grenades in that it doesn’t bounce off surfaces; instead it will stick to the ground/walls and then pop out and detonate a split-second later. This means you can be a bit more precise with it than you can with the frag or sticky ‘nades. It also makes for some interesting ambush options when you consider the bounce (for example, toss it above the ceiling in front of a door way to surprise someone before they run through). It’s great for area-of-denial and is a favorite of mine for objective-based MP modes. As mentioned above, one significant tradeoff with the Pulse Grenade is that you only get one grenade by default in MP (two w/the Grenadier Armor Mod). And that wraps up today’s feature about Forerunner weapons. Stick around, though, because I still have lots to talk about. And “lots” is an understatement.

July 2014 (CE3 2014 Demo) March 2015 (Current Build) Before I get started, I want to say that past recruitment from this site has been great, with the help of talent we picked up here Installation 01 has gone from a concept build in July 2014 (CE3 2014) to the sexiness you see up above. (note: the BR is a placeholder model) We’ve been delayed by massive reworkings of the game itself for greater stability and modularity, critical elements in a community-oriented game. Being a fan team, we can’t make any money, not even from donations, so we are doing this in our spare time. Professionals, students, and passionate Halo fans coming together with whatever free hours they have. We are making something that we’ve craved for a long time, a full Halo game for PC, Linux, and Mac, boasting classic gameplay and game modes from multiple Halo titles, all bundled into a shiny package of modern graphics. Positions we need filled so this project moves faster: Programmers: • Proficient in C#. • Unity or other comparable game experience. • Capable of using Github. • Willingness to communicate well with our senior engineers. • A team player. Artists: -2D- • Knowledge of GIMP, Photoshop, or any other comparable 2D graphics program. Largely needed for UI and texture work. • Willing to work on assigned projects within their deadlines. (we aren’t super hardcore about this, but this is more about not signing up for anything you know you can’t finish on time). • Knowledge of 3D modeling is a plus, but not required. -3D- • Skills with any widely used 3D modeling software, such as Blender, Max, or Maya. Zbrush is also • welcomed. • Work within deadlines (once again, we don’t have a lot of deadlines, just know your limits) • Be comfortable with assigned tasks from senior modelers. • Doesn't matter if you prefer environmental, structural, or organic modeling, we need you. • Knowing how to texture models well is a plus, but is not required. Sound and recording: • Own/have constant access to professional sound equipment and software. • Have experience with sound design for games or professional videos. • Willingness to adapt to whatever is needed at the moment. (voice, gun shots, birdsong, etc.) If you wish to help out as any of those roles, just comment here about it and one of the team members will get back to you soon NOTE: We are abiding by Microsoft’s Fair Use Policy, hence why we cannot make any money off the project, and why we must build everything ourselves, we cannot distribute “rips” of any kind from any Halo game. This is a community project, there is no chance for profit, the only reward for our devs is that they have the satisfaction of making a small dream into reality. Thanks for reading, here’s some more eye candy:

As reported in Comic Book Resources the Halo comic book series will continue in Halo:Initiation by DarkHorse comics. featuring Sarah Palmer. This new series will be written by Halo 4 writer Brain Reed, who also adapted the Halo:Fall of Reach into a comic book series for Marvel, and feature the artwork of Marco Castiello (shown below from Wired) and take a deeper look into the Spartan-IV program. Spartan OPs may have left fans wanting to know more and Dark Horse will release the new series of comics in mid August. DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES NEW ERA OF "HALO" COMICS Fri, April 26th, 2013 at 11:29am PDT CBR News Team, Editor Official Press Release Dark Horse continues in the tradition of bringing only the biggest and best characters and story lines to comics with the announcement of the Halo: Initiation miniseries, launching in August! This exciting new miniseries will be written by Halo 4 writer and comics veteran Brian Reed, with art by Marco Castiello (Secret Invasion: Front Line, Star Wars: Purge)! Before she was a supersoldier defending humanity as part of the Spartan-IV program, Sarah Palmer was an ODST—Orbital Drop Shock Trooper—carrying out the most dangerous missions behind enemy lines! See how she became the first Spartan-IV commander in this must-read series for fans of Halo 4 and the Halo franchise! "A rich science fiction universe driven by compelling characters, Halo has all the makings for show-stopping comics, " said Dave Marshall, Dark Horse Editor. "In Initiation, Brian and Marco are delivering an action-packed thrill-ride with a beating heart of authentic human drama." “It’s really exciting to work with Dark Horse in continuing the Halo story in comics. After Halo 4 and Spartan Ops, fans wanted to know more about the origins of the Spartan-IV program and Sarah Palmer in particular. So it’s great fun to be able to grant those wishes with a partner like Dark Horse,” said writer Brian Reed. About Dark Horse Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics has proven to be a solid example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and establish a small, homegrown company as an industry giant. The company is known for the progressive and creator-friendly atmosphere it provides for writers and artists. In addition to publishing comics from top talent such as Frank Miller, Mike Mignola, Neil Gaiman, Brian Wood, Gerard Way, Felicia Day, and Guillermo del Toro, and comics legends such as Will Eisner, Neal Adams, and Jim Steranko, Dark Horse has developed its own successful properties, including The Mask, Ghost, Timecop, and SpyBoy. Its successful line of comics and products based on popular properties includes Star Wars, Mass Effect, Buffy the Vampire Slayer,Aliens, Conan, Halo, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Serenity, Game of Thrones, and Domo. Today Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent comic book publisher in the US and is recognized as one of the world’s leading publishers of both creator-owned content and licensed comics material.