Intro
Updates | A rolling log of noteworthy news.
09/22 | New Bungie.net article, this time covering The Arena.
09/21 | Cleaning up the news log, and adding links to other Reach discussion threads below.
09/15 | Popular Mechanics has a behind the scenes article looking at the development of Reach.
09/21 | Cleaning up the news log, and adding links to other Reach discussion threads below.
09/15 | Popular Mechanics has a behind the scenes article looking at the development of Reach.
GAF Active Halo Reach Threads
Other threads on GAF focused on specific aspects of Reach discussion.
Halo Reach Screenshot Thread SPOILERS
Devoted to noteworthy custom screenshots.
Halo Reach Forge |OT| - Create, Share & Kill
For showing and sharing custom maps in Forge.
Halo Reach Meetup Thread - Light 'Em Up
A thread to meet and coodinate meetings with GAFers to play Reach with.
Devoted to noteworthy custom screenshots.
Halo Reach Forge |OT| - Create, Share & Kill
For showing and sharing custom maps in Forge.
Halo Reach Meetup Thread - Light 'Em Up
A thread to meet and coodinate meetings with GAFers to play Reach with.
Reach Sales-Age
Reach moved 44k in the first week in Japan.
The launch of Reach doubled 360 hardware sales in the UK.
Reach has surpassed Halo 3's record for simultaneous players, and made over $200m in day 1 sales.
Reach debuts at #1 in the UK, outselling Halo 3 slightly, with ~300k units moved.
The launch of Reach doubled 360 hardware sales in the UK.
Reach has surpassed Halo 3's record for simultaneous players, and made over $200m in day 1 sales.
Reach debuts at #1 in the UK, outselling Halo 3 slightly, with ~300k units moved.
Note: Most images in the thread are thumbnails linked to larger versions.
A summary of SKUs, resources and the top-level features. Consider this the short version of the thread.
SKUs | For details on the three Reach SKUs, click here. For the Xbox 360 hardware bundle, click here.
Halo Reach 101
Essential guides to various aspects of Reach.
Halo: Reach Project Page
A hub for all Reach content on Bungie.net. Videos, FAQs, Guides, game details, matchmaking playlists, the works.
Welcome to Reach
A round up of resources on Bungie.net
Halo: Reach Support FAQ
A list of comment questions and issues - with answers.
Welcome to Noble Team
All about Credits, the Armory and player customization.
Networking 101
A FAQ to networking issues in Reach.
Welcome to The Arena
A detailed guide to Seasons, Ratings, Divisions, etc.
A hub for all Reach content on Bungie.net. Videos, FAQs, Guides, game details, matchmaking playlists, the works.
Welcome to Reach
A round up of resources on Bungie.net
Halo: Reach Support FAQ
A list of comment questions and issues - with answers.
Welcome to Noble Team
All about Credits, the Armory and player customization.
Networking 101
A FAQ to networking issues in Reach.
Welcome to The Arena
A detailed guide to Seasons, Ratings, Divisions, etc.
HDD Install
Yes, Reach will load faster when installed to the hard drive, unlike Halo 3.
Players
Campaign | Splitscreen: 2 | Live/LAN: 4
Firefight | Splitscreen: 2 | Live/LAN: 4
Multiplayer | Splitscreen: 4 | Live/LAN: 16
Forge | Splitscreen: 4 | Live/LAN: 8
Firefight | Splitscreen: 2 | Live/LAN: 4
Multiplayer | Splitscreen: 4 | Live/LAN: 16
Forge | Splitscreen: 4 | Live/LAN: 8
Achievements | Listed and described in this Bungie Weekly Update.
Official Reach Resources
Official Reach Sites | Project Page | Developer Blog | Xbox.com/Halo Waypoint
Official Media | Trailers and ViDocs | Screenshots | Character, Weapon and Vehicle Renders | Artwork
Bungie | Bungie.net | Bungie Podcast | Youtube | Twitter | Facebook
Official Media | Trailers and ViDocs | Screenshots | Character, Weapon and Vehicle Renders | Artwork
Bungie | Bungie.net | Bungie Podcast | Youtube | Twitter | Facebook
Reviews | Gamerankings | Metacritic
Over-arching systems encompassing all or multiple gameplay modes.
Gameplay
Reach retains Halo's core gameplay (guns, grenades, melee; recharging shield; two-weapon limit, etc), but makes several additions and expansions over the previous games in the series.
Targeting Bloom
The player's targeting reticule will expand and recede with each shot fired, indicating the decay in accuracy between shots. Firing quickly will be less accurate that spacing shots out, so players need to learn each weapon's ideal rhythm at various ranges.
Health System
Similar to Halo 1, Reach features a health meter beneath the recharging shields which must be replenished with health packs when depleted. In a more significant change, non-power weapons will not have their damage carry through shields to the health below, no matter how little shield is left. For instance, a melee strike when the shield is only 10% up will pop the shield - and no more.
Fall Damage
In a return to Halo 1 (and ODST), fall damage is included in Reach. It is not severe, but it should give you pause when leaping from great heights. Crouching upon impact will reduce both the damage and the brief stun that occurs from a high fall.
Dual Wielding
Gone.
Armor Abilities
An evolution of Halo 3's equipment, armor abilities are a "fourth leg" to Halo's combat. Players can equip one at a time, selected as part of a load out or picked up in certain game modes. Their effects vary, from invisibility to a jet pack. See the Weapons & Ordnace section for more details.
Loadouts
Used in Multiplayer and Firefight, Load Outs are game-specific bundles of weapons, grenades and Armor Abilities which can be selected at the start of each game, and between spawns. They can be customized for custom games.
Spartans vs. Elites
While the Spartan is the default player model for Campaign and most MP game types, certain one-sided gametypes and Firefight Versus will pit Elites against Spartans.
Assassinations
Optional flourish added to from-behind melee kills, triggered by holding down the melee button. Over 40 unique assassinations exist, many specific to either Multiplayer or Campaign/Firefight.
The player's targeting reticule will expand and recede with each shot fired, indicating the decay in accuracy between shots. Firing quickly will be less accurate that spacing shots out, so players need to learn each weapon's ideal rhythm at various ranges.
Health System
Similar to Halo 1, Reach features a health meter beneath the recharging shields which must be replenished with health packs when depleted. In a more significant change, non-power weapons will not have their damage carry through shields to the health below, no matter how little shield is left. For instance, a melee strike when the shield is only 10% up will pop the shield - and no more.
Fall Damage
In a return to Halo 1 (and ODST), fall damage is included in Reach. It is not severe, but it should give you pause when leaping from great heights. Crouching upon impact will reduce both the damage and the brief stun that occurs from a high fall.
Dual Wielding
Gone.
Armor Abilities
An evolution of Halo 3's equipment, armor abilities are a "fourth leg" to Halo's combat. Players can equip one at a time, selected as part of a load out or picked up in certain game modes. Their effects vary, from invisibility to a jet pack. See the Weapons & Ordnace section for more details.
Loadouts
Used in Multiplayer and Firefight, Load Outs are game-specific bundles of weapons, grenades and Armor Abilities which can be selected at the start of each game, and between spawns. They can be customized for custom games.
Spartans vs. Elites
While the Spartan is the default player model for Campaign and most MP game types, certain one-sided gametypes and Firefight Versus will pit Elites against Spartans.
Size Matters
Relative to Spartans, Elites are significantly larger, have more health, move much faster, and recharge their shields more quickly.
Health
Spartan health bars recharge in sections: up to the nearest third lost. (i.e., lose nearly all your health, it recharges 1/3 back). The remainder requires health packs. Elite's health recharges completely.
Relative to Spartans, Elites are significantly larger, have more health, move much faster, and recharge their shields more quickly.
Health
Spartan health bars recharge in sections: up to the nearest third lost. (i.e., lose nearly all your health, it recharges 1/3 back). The remainder requires health packs. Elite's health recharges completely.
Assassinations
Optional flourish added to from-behind melee kills, triggered by holding down the melee button. Over 40 unique assassinations exist, many specific to either Multiplayer or Campaign/Firefight.
Player Investment & Customization
Reach replaces Halo 3's XP and rank system with a larger set of features to encourage and reward play, this time encompassing all gameplay modes (Campaign, Multiplayer, Firefight, Forge).
Commendations
A large set of metrics (several dozen) covering player behavior, such as headshots, assists, etc. Commendations have five levels each: Steel, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Onyx; a large number of cR are paid out at each threshold.
Challenges
In-game objectives which Bungie will be updating weekly, and which pay out big buckets of Credits upon completion (and are recorded in the Service Record for posterity). Five Daily Challenges a day and one Weekly Challenge each week. Click here for current Challenges.
Credits & The Armory
Commendations, Challenges and just plain playing Reach earn credits, which are spent at the Armory on (cosmetic) customization. Click here for details on Credits and armor customization..
Consistent Player Identity
The Spartan that you customize, Noble Six, will be featured in Multiplayer, Firefight, Forge and Campaign (including the Cinematics). They can be male or female, and feature a different base model and voice actor for each sex.
Rank
A military rank earned via a player's lifetime cumulative credits. Rank is the representation of a player's time spent and accomplishments achieved in Reach. It is not a factor in Matchmaking, which is purely TrueSkill driven.
A large set of metrics (several dozen) covering player behavior, such as headshots, assists, etc. Commendations have five levels each: Steel, Bronze, Silver, Gold and Onyx; a large number of cR are paid out at each threshold.
Challenges
In-game objectives which Bungie will be updating weekly, and which pay out big buckets of Credits upon completion (and are recorded in the Service Record for posterity). Five Daily Challenges a day and one Weekly Challenge each week. Click here for current Challenges.
Credits & The Armory
Commendations, Challenges and just plain playing Reach earn credits, which are spent at the Armory on (cosmetic) customization. Click here for details on Credits and armor customization..
Consistent Player Identity
The Spartan that you customize, Noble Six, will be featured in Multiplayer, Firefight, Forge and Campaign (including the Cinematics). They can be male or female, and feature a different base model and voice actor for each sex.
Rank
A military rank earned via a player's lifetime cumulative credits. Rank is the representation of a player's time spent and accomplishments achieved in Reach. It is not a factor in Matchmaking, which is purely TrueSkill driven.
Matchmaking
Current playlists are here. Campaign, Multiplayer and Firefight vary in player count, but share the same matchmaking systems. The Campaign playlist will be activated in about a week.
Veto System
Accept the initial map/gametype combo, or vote for one of three alternatives - or none of the above.
Active Roster
A list of all Friends playing Reach, the members of their Party, their status, and player details integrated into the main UI. Useful for quickly pulling teams together, or joining one. It is essentially an upgrade of Halo 2's "Y-button menu".
Queue-Joining
If a Friend is in a non-joinable game (i.e., Matchmaking), this will automatically add you to their Party when they become joinable.
Psych Profile
A set of personal settings to express what kind of player you'd like to be matched with: chatty or quiet, lone wolf or team player, what language they speak, etc. These will inform but not dictate matchmaking.
Social vs. Ranked
Reach has eliminated the distinction between Social and Ranked games. Under the hood, all games are matched based on True Skill ratings, and your Social Settings. The True Skill rank is hidden, never exposed to the player. Party splitting will only occur if you enter a playlist with more players than one team supports (for instance, entering a 4v4 playlist with 5 players in the party). There is an ultra-competitive subset of Matchmaking for Multiplayer, called The Arena. See the MP section for details.
Accept the initial map/gametype combo, or vote for one of three alternatives - or none of the above.
Active Roster
A list of all Friends playing Reach, the members of their Party, their status, and player details integrated into the main UI. Useful for quickly pulling teams together, or joining one. It is essentially an upgrade of Halo 2's "Y-button menu".
Queue-Joining
If a Friend is in a non-joinable game (i.e., Matchmaking), this will automatically add you to their Party when they become joinable.
Psych Profile
A set of personal settings to express what kind of player you'd like to be matched with: chatty or quiet, lone wolf or team player, what language they speak, etc. These will inform but not dictate matchmaking.
Social vs. Ranked
Reach has eliminated the distinction between Social and Ranked games. Under the hood, all games are matched based on True Skill ratings, and your Social Settings. The True Skill rank is hidden, never exposed to the player. Party splitting will only occur if you enter a playlist with more players than one team supports (for instance, entering a 4v4 playlist with 5 players in the party). There is an ultra-competitive subset of Matchmaking for Multiplayer, called The Arena. See the MP section for details.
Custom Content Sharing
User-created content, which consist of custom maps, custom game types, screenshots and saved films can be shared with friends and the community at large, both in-game and on bungie.net.
File Share
Similar to Halo 3, the File Share is an online space for players to share their custom content to the community. Custom maps, game types, screenshots and film clips placed in the File Share can be downloaded by anyone in the community via Bungie.net and in-game. (Files can also be sent to individuals.) Six slots and 25 MB of online storage is standard for all players.
File Browser
A tool built into Reach to search for custom content, by category or keyword, where ever it is: locally saved, shared within the community or recent player history.
Local Storage Limit
One thousand pieces of each content type (maps, game types, films, screenshots) can be saved to the HDD, assuming there is space.
Similar to Halo 3, the File Share is an online space for players to share their custom content to the community. Custom maps, game types, screenshots and film clips placed in the File Share can be downloaded by anyone in the community via Bungie.net and in-game. (Files can also be sent to individuals.) Six slots and 25 MB of online storage is standard for all players.
Bungie Pro
An expanded File Share and access to video rendering tools via bungie.net is available via a Bungie Pro subscription.
An expanded File Share and access to video rendering tools via bungie.net is available via a Bungie Pro subscription.
File Browser
A tool built into Reach to search for custom content, by category or keyword, where ever it is: locally saved, shared within the community or recent player history.
Local Storage Limit
One thousand pieces of each content type (maps, game types, films, screenshots) can be saved to the HDD, assuming there is space.
bungie.net
For an overview of the new bungie.net, click here. There is far too much to summarize, but the type of support falls into a few major areas areas.
Service Record
The Service Record provides an overview of a player's Reach career: the customized Noble 6 is displayed alongside Rank, Commendations, time spent playing, Arena rating, lifetime credits, past and in-progress Challenges, etc. It also includes details of every game ever played.
Career Stats
An aggregated summary of every game played, from every game mode (Campaign, Multiplayer, Firefight, Forge). Career stats can be seen in aggregate, or filtered by mode, map, playlist and gametype. This area includes things such as total career medals earned, enemies and vehicles killed and the tools used to do so. Individual games can be drilled down into for a wealth of stats, from medals earned to the number of Grunts killed in an individual wave of Firefight.
Custom & Community Content
Bungie.net will serve as a hub for user-created content (maps, game types, films, screenshots). The past 30 screenshots taken in the Theater mode will be automatically uploaded to that player's Service Record, in addition to any content in the File Share. Across the Reach community, all custom content can be searched, tagged, rated and queued for download to your 360, where it will download automatically the next time you sign in.
The Service Record provides an overview of a player's Reach career: the customized Noble 6 is displayed alongside Rank, Commendations, time spent playing, Arena rating, lifetime credits, past and in-progress Challenges, etc. It also includes details of every game ever played.
Career Stats
An aggregated summary of every game played, from every game mode (Campaign, Multiplayer, Firefight, Forge). Career stats can be seen in aggregate, or filtered by mode, map, playlist and gametype. This area includes things such as total career medals earned, enemies and vehicles killed and the tools used to do so. Individual games can be drilled down into for a wealth of stats, from medals earned to the number of Grunts killed in an individual wave of Firefight.
Custom & Community Content
Bungie.net will serve as a hub for user-created content (maps, game types, films, screenshots). The past 30 screenshots taken in the Theater mode will be automatically uploaded to that player's Service Record, in addition to any content in the File Share. Across the Reach community, all custom content can be searched, tagged, rated and queued for download to your 360, where it will download automatically the next time you sign in.
Theater
Similar to Halo 3's theater, saved films can be viewed for all games in Campaign, Firefight, Multiplayer and Forge for viewing later.
Clips
Highlights can be clipped out of any game (Campaign, Firefight, Multiplayer, Forge) and saved for later viewing or sharing. (Side note: we can rewind Campaign and Firefight this time around, as well.)
Screenshots
Screens can be taken and saved from any film. A rolling record of the last 30 screenshots are saved automatically to the player's Service Record on bungie.net.
Highlights can be clipped out of any game (Campaign, Firefight, Multiplayer, Forge) and saved for later viewing or sharing. (Side note: we can rewind Campaign and Firefight this time around, as well.)
Screenshots
Screens can be taken and saved from any film. A rolling record of the last 30 screenshots are saved automatically to the player's Service Record on bungie.net.
Features
Players | Splitscreen: 2 | Live/ LAN: 4
Matchmaking
As with Multiplayer, Campaign includes matchmaking support through the Matchmaking menu; select the Campaign playlist to find other players.
Scoring
As with Halo 3 and ODST, this option enables Firefight-style score keeping and medal displays during Campaign.
Difficulty
Easy, Normal, Heroic, Legendary. Bungie recommends Heroic for a "just right" solo game for experienced players.
Skulls
Skulls are modifiers which change change aspects of the game; Gold skulls increase difficulty and are multipliers in scored games. Silver skulls are just for fun.
Enemy AI and numbers will scale with the number of players.
Matchmaking
As with Multiplayer, Campaign includes matchmaking support through the Matchmaking menu; select the Campaign playlist to find other players.
Scoring
As with Halo 3 and ODST, this option enables Firefight-style score keeping and medal displays during Campaign.
Difficulty
Easy, Normal, Heroic, Legendary. Bungie recommends Heroic for a "just right" solo game for experienced players.
Skulls
Skulls are modifiers which change change aspects of the game; Gold skulls increase difficulty and are multipliers in scored games. Silver skulls are just for fun.
Mythic | Enemies have 2x health.
Catch (Gold) | Enemies like to throw grenades. A lot of grenades.
Tough Luck (Gold) | Enemies are especially skilled at dodging projectiles, vehicles and grenades.
Famine (Gold) | Weapons dropped by fallen foes have 1/2 the normal ammunition.
Cloud (Gold) | Say goodbye to your radar.
Tilt (Gold) | Shields deflect bullets, armor reflects plasma.
Black Eye (Gold) | Your shields will no longer recharge, and can only be replenished by meleeing an enemy.
Grunt Birthday Party (Silver) | Headshot Grunts for a fun party.
Cowbell (Silver) | The physics impact of explosions are enhanced. Big time.
IWHBYD (Silver) | Rare in-game dialog is common, common dialog is rare.
Catch (Gold) | Enemies like to throw grenades. A lot of grenades.
Tough Luck (Gold) | Enemies are especially skilled at dodging projectiles, vehicles and grenades.
Famine (Gold) | Weapons dropped by fallen foes have 1/2 the normal ammunition.
Cloud (Gold) | Say goodbye to your radar.
Tilt (Gold) | Shields deflect bullets, armor reflects plasma.
Black Eye (Gold) | Your shields will no longer recharge, and can only be replenished by meleeing an enemy.
Grunt Birthday Party (Silver) | Headshot Grunts for a fun party.
Cowbell (Silver) | The physics impact of explosions are enhanced. Big time.
IWHBYD (Silver) | Rare in-game dialog is common, common dialog is rare.
Story | From the beginning, you know the end.
Set just prior to the start of Halo 1, Reach tells the story of one of the largest battles in Halo lore: the Covenant invasion and, ultimately, the destruction of the planet Reach, home of the UNSC military machine and to the Spartan program.
We play as Noble Six, the newest member of Noble Team, a squad of Spartan III's (and one Spartan II) as they do their best to slow the inevitable.
Noble Team | Click image for Noble Team bios. From left to right: Carter | Emile | Jorge | Kat | Jun | Noble Six