Search the Community

Information surrounding the Halo Wars 2 Beta was leaked accidentally in the Xbox Store today: supposedly ahead of it's planned reveal at Microsoft's E3 conference on June 13th. Said leak apparently was a result of Xbox Director of Programming Larry Hyrb aka 'Major Nelson' following said page. Based on what was shown, the Beta will run from June 13th to June 20th. The full list of info gleaned is below: "Be among the first to experience the explosive return of real-time strategy to the Halo universe in the Halo Wars 2 Multiplayer Beta for Xbox One", the opening paragraph reads. Will run from June 13th, 2016 - the day of the Microsoft Press Conference, but not confirmed at what time - to June 20th, 2016 specifically for Xbox One. Windows 10 was not mentioned. Requires an Xbox Live Gold Membership to participate. The Beta will be 13GBs in size. Number of players capable of playing the Beta on one console is restricted to just 1 while it's up to 6 online. The Beta is 100% open, and can be accessed by anyone on it's launch date. As an indirect response to the leak the official Halo Youtube channel has begun uploading intriguing yet haunting '101s' regarding the events of the first Halo Wars. What this means not only for the sequel but for the original is yet to be determined. The canonically-first episode of the series can be seen . Halo Wars 2 is a real-time strategy game slated for release sometime in late 2016 for both Xbox One and Windows 10 - developed in partnership between SEGA's Creative Assembly of Total War fame and 343 Industries. The game will be shown at the Microsoft E3 conference starting at 9:30 AM PT on June 13th. Thanks for reading! Sources: Eurogamer Kotaku Reddit

GameRadar sat down with 343's franchise director Frank O'Connor to discuss topics relating to Halo 5: Guardians for a live stream interview. During the interview a question was raised regarding the possibility of Halo 5 being brought over to PC which O'Connor states that "There is plenty of chance Halo 5 could appear on the PC". He went on to say "Nothing to announce at this point, but it’s absolutely within the bounds of reason." Many PC gaming enthusiast Halo fans have asked for PC releases since the announcement of Halo 3 as Halo 2 was the last major title to release on PC Since then the only Halo titles that have released world wide on PC have been Spartan Assault and Spartan Strike. But there is Halo Online, however Halo Online seems it will only available in Russia, but it's unknown if it will stay in Russia. In the interview Frank O'Connor stated "We developed the game on an Intel platform. It wouldn’t be the hardest thing in the world to move it to PC and take advantage of PC stuff. But nothing to announce today." The next title confirmed for PC is Halo Wars 2, which was announced in August and is set for a 2016 release. In the interview Frank O'Connor stated "We developed the game on an Intel platform. It wouldn’t be the hardest thing in the world to move it to PC and take advantage of PC stuff. But nothing to announce today." The next title confirmed for PC is Halo Wars 2, which was announced in August and is set for a 2016 release. Any PC gamers out there feeling optimistic for a PC release of Halo 5? Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts on this news. Source: IGN

You can watch the whole thing (or view the embedded version below). The ViDoc weaves through a myriad of ideas, backstory, and behind the scenes footage while numerous 343 Industries employees have concurrent "mini interviews". Noteworthy things from the video include (the corresponding images will be linked via #): The introductory cutscene for the ViDoc's name, which might actually be in the game. It shows Locke climbing up some sort of rocky cliff (or getting up? His BR is laying on the ground beneath him, so he could have fallen) while the screen pans up to a view of Chief standing atop the hill. # # # Yellow Gauss Hog, Yellow Mongoose, a Yellow "Wargoose" or Gungoose (seems to have weapons attached to it's hood. It's currently unconfirmed on what it is), a crashed Pelican colored yellow, and an AI character (construction worker?) driving a Mongoose. These might be possible construction themed vehicles. # # # # A dev working on a 343 Industries themed Assault Rifle. # Chief touching Cortana's chip, which vanishes afterward, and a apparition of Cortana. This is from the Blue Team level that has been shown before. # # # An Elite presumably working on a parked Banshee with it's wings & hood raised. # Development model of the Wraith (it's still the actual model that's in the final game), and some weird looking Tank in the background. # Mini Forklift. # A wall in Campaign that can be destroyed by a Shoulder Charge (it's the cracked wall underneath the destroyed stairs). # Chat bubbles over team characters heads when they talk (possibly the same bubbles seen in game chat in Online Coop). # # First Person view of the revive mechanic. # # AI friendly Elites. # First Person view of Locke ordering Spartan Tanaka to pick up a Scattershot. # # Shade Turret. # Anti-Air Turret? # Captain Lasky. # # Buck holding an unknown Magnum variant (his personal sidearm?). # Dr. Halsey. # I have compiled an extensive album of around 103 images from the ViDoc here. Though it certainly is not all of the obtainable screenshots. Finally, the ViDoc itself can be viewed below if you declined to click the IGN link at the beginning of this article. Thanks for reading! Sources: , my own ViDoc album post on r/halo

Here is a comment Frank O'Connor replied to Louis Wu regarding Quick time events. We have seen some quick time events in video, trailers and vidoc's, such as the Chief climbing over some scaffolding/ wreckage, prying open door and the part where the Chief throws an Elite over a ledge. But the the questions is do we control those quick time moments or do they happen automatically like they do in Reach? Here is the comment Frank O'Connor gave: "I would point out these moments are rare and only happen during events that are things you can't normally do physically. The first level has a couple of them to "train" you, but they won't be frequent or presented as QTE problems. They're transitional or cinematic vignettes that don't yank you out of the action. Also, if you don't smash that Elite he tosses you down the shaft". Original Link to Frank O'Connor's Comment Here

Halo 4 Specializations An in depth look at one of Halo's new features By: Absolute Dog 343 Industries.org Specializations may be the unique way Halo again sets itself apart from the rest of the FPS on the market. Halo 4 will continue the use of some of the abilities first introduced in Halo: Reach along with the always available sprint. The game will include new abilities in Promethean Vision, Hardlight Shield, Auto-Sentry, Thruster Pack and Regeneration Field. The base player speed is said to be similar to that of Halo 3 which, when coupled with sprint and specializations, should make for some incredibly fast paced and hectic gaming. The first look will my into the recently released information on Specializations. Included will be a combination of developer quotes, narrative from various sources, video and images that will help the reader to gain a better grasp of this subject. This is the basic overview offered by 343 Industries about Specializations and how they affect or integrate with the ranking system, abilities, armors and various other player aspects. It also mentions unlockable items made available by progressing through the various levels. The UNSC Infinity, the largest starship in the UNSC fleet, is your gateway to the Infinity Multiplayer experience in Halo 4 and serves as the center of your Spartan career. Here you will build your custom Spartan-IV super-soldier, and progress your multiplayer career across both Spartan Ops and the multitude of competitive War Games modes. Halo 4 has fifty levels. Once you have advanced through the standard fifty levels, you will get the option to enlist in a Specialization. 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. Specializations allow you to enlist in specific rank paths. These paths are composed of ten levels each. As you level up through these dedicated paths, you will unlock armor sets, emblems, visor colors, weapon and armor skins, and armor mods – which provide even more options to customize your Spartan-IV to fit your preferred role on the battlefield. These armor mods will work exactly like all other tactical and support mods in the game. They are not tied to specific armor for each Specialization, so you don’t have to wear the armor to use that particular mod. They enhance a small part of the sandbox (meaning good players will still be good, and not good players will still be not good), allowing people to play the style they want to play and experience the parts of the sandbox they like on a more frequent basis. We consider Specializations end-game content because even if you have “access” to all of them on day one, you will still need to reach level 50 before you can enlist in any Specializations. Think of them as giving you control over extending your level cap. Two Specializations – Wetwork and Pioneer – will be available to all players when the game launches, and the rest will gradually be made available in the months following launch. We will be keeping a close watch on player participation post-launch and will roll out the additional six Specializations when the player base reaches certain milestones. There will also be playlists available that do not utilize loadouts or armor mods. That overview included the fact of the 1 through 50 levels of the base ranking system and that once a player reaches the highest level they can then choose which Specialization they first want to unlock. Having to complete it before selecting another is required, but a statement by David Ellis while speaking to IGN indicates that skill earned during this progression may unlock other Specializations. David Ellis...... "By enlisting in a Specialisation you basically raise your own level cap," explained Spartan Ops designer. "With each one, you can extend the level cap a little further. You do not have to rank all the way through again [to unlock another Specialisation]." David spoke to the fact that the Specializations would be more of a reward for players who were dedicated enough to progress up to the fiftieth level in multiplayer and considered to be "end game content". He went on to add, "We'll be watching the level curve of the community closely close launch and will do our best to role Specializations out as we see segments of the playerbase reach max rank." Each class offers nine levels of customization options including armor sets, weapon skins, emblems and visor covers, while a tenth level grants the player with a "game play modifying perk" Specialization Classes_____________________________________________________________________ Wetworks According to recent information offered by 343 Industries we find out that, "Wetwork Specialization is a Spartan optimization for stealth operations which focus on the elimination of an enemy target with the goal of leaving no tactical footprint behind. The Stealth mod armor allows users to move quickly and silently in combat, executing enemy assassinations with lightning fast dexterity. " I think Ryan McCaffrey of IGN put it best by saying,"Halo fans who wore the Hyabusa armor proudly in Halo 3 can now walk the walk in addition to talking the talk. As you may have heard in previous Halo 4 multiplayer footage, these Spartan IVs make some serious noise when they move. How could they not? They’re seven-foot-tall super humans running around frantically while wearing one-ton metal armor. Enter the Wetwork armor mod, which boasts a couple of key stealth-related benefits." His discussion with David Ellis on Specializations led David to point out that, “When someone’s using Promethean Vision, they show up on screen as a big red figure. With this [mod], you still show up, but the only thing that shows up is your outline. And also when you sprint, it adds some sound dampening so you don’t make as much noise. You definitely still show up on radar, let me make that clear.” "Furthermore, the assassination animation will happen faster for you, leaving you vulnerable for a shorter duration of time. " , added McCaffrey. 343 offered additional information about this 'Stealth' armor mod that, "has very sharp shapes and angles, reminiscent of a knife or blade – does a number of things to help a player that likes to get up close and personal. Many times when someone is using Promethean Vision, they scan quickly so if there’s a lot going on, they may miss you. Or you can hope, anyway." This modification with it's faster assassination ability leaves a player less vulnerable to attack from an opponents team mate. Wetworks Weapon Skin as it appears on the DMR Wetworks is one of the two immediately accessible Specializations available to all players out of the box. The other one is Pioneer, so let's take a look at it. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<o>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Pioneer In regards to the other Specialization available on November 6th, 343 Industries states that the, "Pioneer Specialization is a Spartan optimization for deployment into uncharted, hostile territory (such as uncolonized worlds or Forerunner constructs like Requiem) for the purpose of gathering/relaying information." The 'Fast Track' armor modification will allow players to gain more experience points, or 'data', from each gaming encounter which will quicken the pace at which they rank up. McCaffrey says of this variant, "We can’t imagine anyone not starting out by spending a lot of time as a Pioneer, and not just because it's the only other Specialization that everyone will have access to on November 6. Simply, the Pioneer’s Fast Track mod nets you experience points towards the next level at a higher rate, bringing you closer to your high-level goals." Ryan goes on to say, "Ellis and 343 have already planned for the potential exploits of this particular class. “You can change loadouts mid-match, but we put fail-safes in,” Ellis begins. “For Fast Track, you only get extra XP for the amount of time you were using it. You can’t just turn it on right at the end of a match and think you’re going to get extra XP for everything you did in a match." According to additional information from 343 Industries this, "armor mod features armor that has wiring which runs throughout the armor to control temperatures in extreme conditions. Gameplay-wise, it gives the player more post-game experience. In-game, if you get 10 points per kill, you don’t get more at that exact moment, but after the game it modifies the amount of experience your Spartan earns to increase the speed at which you rank up. It’s not for everybody because it takes up a primary spot (that could be used for something like carrying an extra grenade or sprinting longer). And, in case you were wondering, you can’t change to it at the end of a game and get more experience for the entire match." Pioneer Weapon Skin as it appears on the Plasma Pistol That is a preview of the two Specializations shipped with the game, but it important to note the rest of the specializations will be released at a later period unless you purchase the Halo 4 Limited Edition which will access to all eight Specializations at the November 6th game launch. Another incentive to purchase the LE if I do say so myself! I will add the rest of the Specializations right here as time permits this evening.

Here is another video of a spartan ops mission this from THC's youtube channel i posted a video before of some one playing this mission but this quality is a lot better and better to see whats happening. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9jDOnLgnY4

This is what halouniverse said about this picture "A few hours ago, it leaked online a fantastic artwork by Halo 4 representing a new Multiplayer/Spartan Ops map, which however do not yet know virtually nothing, except some possible detail due to its appearance. The map, of generous size, and that has some human structures, seems to fit the frenzied clashes Big Team Battle that Halo has always been accustomed. Furthermore, since there are no mountain ranges scattered in the middle of the arena game, you can expect the use of aircraft. I propose to follow the artwork, stay tuned for updates." Write in the comments below what you think this map may be and if its Multiplayer or Spartan Ops.

Here is a screen shot of what is supposedly called the "Incinerator Cannon" it appears this will be the Promethean/Forerunner Equivalent to the Human Rocket Launcher. Credits to Mysterion from Halo waypoint. Im guessing that this weapon maybe the same weapon that was leaked a number of weeks or months ago below but it does have differences maybe its a different all together.

In this weeks bulletin it shows two new weapons called Boltshot and Suppressor Boltshot shown with the Tracker Specialization although this is possibly the UNSC/Promethean? side arm The Suppressor Shown (Promethean Weapon)

This is a new gameplay video, from Machinima. This gameplay is on the newly shown map Solace. As described in the video, it has a Promethean feel to it, but also with organic compounds. The gameplay shows of the SAW, Beam rifle and Sniper Rifle action. And commentary with HaloCouncils own Nexy. From: Machinima http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVVjuTaODvc