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Beginner How-To & Guidelines Headset/Mic

OP PompousHero

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OP
PompousHero
This is the starting rank.

PompousHero

Recruit - Iron
Made your first hot drop into HaloWaypoint.com View your Service Record on the web. Become a member of an active Spartan Company.
Hi all, first time poster, I'll include a little background: longtime original Halo player, newer Halo 5 player (SR81) with about 500 games.

I only really played social and often seemed to play players way better than myself so my Kill/Death ratio is below 1.0. Anyways, I want to get better and improve my skills and just began playing ranked. I had this apprehension about playing ranked for the longest time, but now that I just started playing ranked, the gameplay is so much more balanced and better matched my skill to the other players. Anyways. I just got a headset so I can participate more and contribute to team battles. I'd obviously also love to somehow rank up so I can get to the highest rank (152?) by the time halo infinite comes out.

My questions are:
1. What do I need to do in game or settings or whatever to participate with headset/mic?

2. I see from going through forum posts that there's a game chat and a private party chat, so do I need to join a game chat every time I get out into a new match? Does it happen automatically and there's just no one talking in matches?

3. Is there something I should say to communicate to my team that I want to use the mic with them to communicate?

4. How do I chose a clan or whatever so I can play with others looking to play similarly?

5. Should I join more than one clan?

6. What questions am I not asking that you can give me guidance or answers to? haha
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eLantern
3000 posts required to hit this rank.

eLantern

ODST - Silver
Halo 5: Guardians MP Beta participant. View your Service Record on the web. Become a member of an active Spartan Company.
PompousHero wrote:
My questions are:

1. What do I need to do in game or settings or whatever to participate with headset/mic?
Just plug your mic in and then communicate helpful information to your teammates.

There's a high chance that other teammates won't be using mics themselves, but that doesn't mean that they won't hear the information you're attempting to pass on to them unless they opt to mute you or are in their own private party chat instead of game chat.
Quote:
2. I see from going through forum posts that there's a game chat and a private party chat, so do I need to join a game chat every time I get out into a new match?

Does it happen automatically and there's just no one talking in matches?
Game chat is default within Halo, so yes that's where you're at automatically and if you don't hear any chitchat or mic noises it means either (1) that nobody has a mic plugged in, (2) those with mics plugged in have them muted or they're just managing to stay silent/quiet without being muted, (3) you've accidently muted the match lobby, or (4) the people with mics could possibly be in their own private party chat(s).

Private party chat is hosted by Xbox Live; not Halo. You have to actively create a private party chat, or join one that someone else created, by way of Xbox Live's Party Chat feature. Of course you're free to use other private communication options too like using Discord, etc. to speak with friends instead of Xbox Live's Party Chat.

Side note: Xbox's private party chat can be created or joined and then within the options of the party chat players can opt to switch over to "game chat" while maintaining a spot in the active party channel; in other words, you can toggle between game chat and party chat once in a chat party.
Quote:
3. Is there something I should say to communicate to my team that I want to use the mic with them to communicate?
You can ask if anyone has a mic and willing to communicate information during the game. Not sure if that'll motivate someone to plug their mic in or not, but I'm sure it'll increase the odds of it happening verses not saying anything at all.

On a personal level, I sometimes just communicate information and then others opt to plug in their mics to either communicate back or to tell me to shut-up which I often just ignore. Other times I'll hear someone communicating information like that and I'll opt to plug my mic in so that I can do likewise for them. However, if they're just ranting nonsense or complaining or playing music then I probably won't; instead, I'll mute them.
Quote:
4. How do I chose a clan or whatever so I can play with others looking to play similarly?
You can search HERE, HERE, & HERE for a Clan/Spartan Company. Of course, to just find players to play with you can also create a "Looking For... Request" via Xbox Live or post in Discord's LFG (Looking For Gamers/Group) section too.

I'm not sure how active the recruiting forum is here on Waypoint or if anyone uses the Discord LFG section nowadays or what particular Clans/Spartan Companies have a solidly active membership group, but there's only one way to discover answers to those: follow the Recruiting Forum and keep an eye out for new threads, post a thread yourself, follow the Halo Discord, post inquires there, and seek out a Clan/Spartan Company with a membership group that's actively participating/playing.
Quote:
5. Should I join more than one clan?
You can only join and be a member of one Spartan Company at a time.
Quote:
6. What questions am I not asking that you can give me guidance or answers to?
Just some helpful information:
Anyways, good luck and have fun.
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tuhin94
4000 posts required to hit this rank.

tuhin94

ODST - Onyx
View your Service Record on the web. Made your first hot drop into HaloWaypoint.com Become a member of an active Spartan Company.
Just adding to the above since eLantern covered everything so thoroughly already, I suggest staying away from clans and focusing on Spartan Companies. The former tends to be comprised of people solely interested in flooding the custom game browser with pointless “recruitment” games where people stand around and create weird drama about how other clans don’t stand around in their games properly. The latter is a great feature 343i introduced for getting together with like-minded players and really build a virtual community. As an aside, you can unlock the Achilles armor set by being in a Spartan Company, one of the few armor sets in H5 you can unlock by reaching certain milestones.

Best of luck!
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OP
PompousHero
This is the starting rank.

PompousHero

Recruit - Iron
Made your first hot drop into HaloWaypoint.com View your Service Record on the web. Become a member of an active Spartan Company.
eLantern wrote:
PompousHero wrote:
My questions are:

1. What do I need to do in game or settings or whatever to participate with headset/mic?
Just plug your mic in and then communicate helpful information to your teammates.

There's a high chance that other teammates won't be using mics themselves, but that doesn't mean that they won't hear the information you're attempting to pass on to them unless they opt to mute you or are in their own private party chat instead of game chat.
Quote:
2. I see from going through forum posts that there's a game chat and a private party chat, so do I need to join a game chat every time I get out into a new match?

Does it happen automatically and there's just no one talking in matches?
Game chat is default within Halo, so yes that's where you're at automatically and if you don't hear any chitchat or mic noises it means either (1) that nobody has a mic plugged in, (2) those with mics plugged in have them muted or they're just managing to stay silent/quiet without being muted, (3) you've accidently muted the match lobby, or (4) the people with mics could possibly be in their own private party chat(s).

Private party chat is hosted by Xbox Live; not Halo. You have to actively create a private party chat, or join one that someone else created, by way of Xbox Live's Party Chat feature. Of course you're free to use other private communication options too like using Discord, etc. to speak with friends instead of Xbox Live's Party Chat.

Side note: Xbox's private party chat can be create or joined and then within the options of the party chat players can opt to switch over to "game chat" while maintaining a spot in the active party channel; in other words, you can toggle between game chat and party chat once in a chat party.
Quote:
3. Is there something I should say to communicate to my team that I want to use the mic with them to communicate?
You can ask if anyone has a mic and willing to communicate information during the game. Not sure if that'll motivate someone to plug their mic in or not, but I'm sure it'll increase the odds of it happening verses not saying anything at all.

On a personal level, I sometimes just communicate information and then others opt to plug in their mics to either communicate back or to tell me to shut-up which I often just ignore. Other times I'll hear someone communicating information like that and I'll opt to plug my mic in so that I can do likewise for them. However, if they're just ranting nonsense or complaining or playing music then I probably won't; instead, I'll mute them.
Quote:
4. How do I chose a clan or whatever so I can play with others looking to play similarly?
You can search HERE, HERE, & HERE for a Clan/Spartan Company. Of course, to just find players to play with you can also create a "Looking For... Request" via Xbox Live or post in Discord's LFG (Looking For Gamers/Group) section too.

I'm not sure how active the recruiting forum is here or the discord LFG section is nowadays or what particular Clans/Spartan Companies have a solidly active membership group, but there's only one way to discover answers to that: follow the threads in the Recruiting Forum, post a thread yourself, follow the Halo Discord, post inquires there, and seek out a Clan/Spartan Company with a membership group that's actively participating/playing.
Quote:
5. Should I join more than one clan?
You can only join and be a member of one Spartan Company at a time.
Quote:
6. What questions am I not asking that you can give me guidance or answers to?
Just some helpful information:
  • Improving
  • Collection of Tips & Tricks
  • While already referenced in the above collection link I'd recommend following ShyWay's YouTube Channel for more recent super in-depth Pro-level Tips & Tricks. The reason is because the collection link above hasn't been properly updated with ShyWay's informative videos for some time and he continues to create insightful H5 videos on the regular.
  • Understanding the H5 matchmaker & CSR system
  • Matchmaking & Rank FAQ [Answers from Josh Menke]
Anyways, good luck and have fun.
Thank you eLantern! I appreciate you taking the time to respond. Your guidance was so incredibly helpful, informative, insightful, and well laid out!
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OP
PompousHero
This is the starting rank.

PompousHero

Recruit - Iron
Made your first hot drop into HaloWaypoint.com View your Service Record on the web. Become a member of an active Spartan Company.
tuhin94 wrote:
Just adding to the above since eLantern covered everything so thoroughly already, I suggest staying away from clans and focusing on Spartan Companies. The former tends to be comprised of people solely interested in flooding the custom game browser with pointless “recruitment” games where people stand around and create weird drama about how other clans don’t stand around in their games properly. The latter is a great feature 343i introduced for getting together with like-minded players and really build a virtual community. As an aside, you can unlock the Achilles armor set by being in a Spartan Company, one of the few armor sets in H5 you can unlock by reaching certain milestones.

Best of luck!
Thank you tuhin94! I appreciate your additional insight into the clan/spartan company question. I've requested to join a Spartan Company.
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