As part of Halo's 25th anniversary celebration, we're inviting Halo fans from around the world to share favorite memories and vote on community polls in our official Halo Discord server. Follow @Halo on social media to join the fun!

Between video game adventures, novels, web shows, and silver-screen gems, there are many stars to ponder in Halo's constellated media universe. As part of our latest silver anniversary community topic, we asked fans on Discord to help us enshrine all of Halo’s time-honored tales, be they legends or lore.

Check out this month's video quiz to "prove your legend" as a Halo mythos master!

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This quiz offers 25 questions whose sacred answers rely on wisdom both mundane and arcane. Think you've got the sagely skills to reach the end? Tell us how you did in the YouTube comments!

Art by Thoro_blend. (Source)

Our first Discord poll asked fans to choose their favorite novels from the Halo canon. Halo: The Fall of Reach, which details the Master Chief's origins as a SPARTAN-II candidate and his eventual induction into Blue Team, earned first place with a whopping 41% of the vote.

Lore lovers split the remainder of the vote among equally notable novels, with shout-out choices earning second place (15%) just ahead of Halo: Ghosts of Onyx (14%).

Photo by Briarfox13. (Source)

• master freak: The Fall of Reach is my favorite, personally. I miss you, Samuel. WE miss you, Samuel.
• Lematth88: The Fall of Reach is overrated. Shadows of Reach is peak war nerdist (but no payoff in HINF). Retribution is peak polar writing. Broken Circle is not the most well-written, but provides some Covenant lore and a really unique perspective. So, for me, even if it's centered on John (#EndtheChief), Silent Storm really captures Halo in the Covenant War era.
• BlackTurtle: Remember Reach!
• unidus: Ghosts of Onyx was amazing!
• SoulBlazerz: Needs Silentium, but otherwise, yeah it's Ghosts of Onyx.
• USS Command: Halo: The Flood for years was my favorite Halo novel, it was also my go-to in getting friends and family into the deeper lore, as, in my opinion, it's the bridge between the novels and games. When Halo: The Rubicon Protocol came out, it actually just barely passed The Flood as my favorite book. However, with everything shared so far with the upcoming Master Chief Omnibus and its new edits to The Flood, I expect it to become my favorite all over again.
• ChaosBxR: The Flood is Combat Evolved with a lot more details.
• warbrand2: Personally, I like Halo: The Flood. Its original print is the first Halo book I got.
• UltimateGuy: The Flood was absolutely peak.
• Wapiti_Elk: First Strike was the first Halo book I had ever read, many eons ago when I was a wee boy… Anyways, favorite book, hands down!
• CIA391: My favourite piece of Halo media, huh? Safe to say it's a hard one for a Halopedian such as myself. All the novels struggle to fit on my shelf. That said, the upcoming Halo: The Master Chief Omnibus releasing on November 10, 2026 might be a personal favourite of mine, and I can't wait for you all to experience it when it releases! (Yes, even I am amazed they all fit well…)

Photo by CIA391. (Source)

• Senabunn: I LOVE EDGE OF DAWN!!!! I'M HYPED FOR THE FUTURE OF HALO!!!!!!
• Jtflorencio6: Edge of Dawn. It's very good, it also has the best book cover.
• Wade_Weinhmann: Empty Throne was my first Halo book that I bought. Now, I have three of them: The Rubicon Protocol, Edge of Dawn, and Empty Throne. But my most favourite book is Edge of Dawn because it tells the story after Halo Infinite—and I'm so excited for it!
• Spartan Stro: Halo: Outcasts has my GOAT the Arbiter in it along with Vale.
• Longbow: Shadows of Reach, my GOAT! Fall of Reach is close, though—also the Alpha-Nine novels.
• AuroraTheProto: Lt. Chappov in Shadows of Reach! Unsung hero for most of the book.
• TekHardy: Cryptum was the first Halo novel I ever read, and it was my all-time favorite. I love learning about the Forerunners and the Didact. Really great book all around.
• The Hero of Kvatch: Cole Protocol because of Jai on the front cover.
• raptormanzero: Oh boy, Halo novels. The first one would be The Fall of Reach—both the original and the definitive, updated version from the last decade. It was the first Halo book (it came out before the first Halo game) and first to explain and introduce the Halo lore to fans.
  Second: First Strike. A good bridge gap between CE to Halo 2. Third: The Cole Protocol. A good story set from early on to the halfway point of the Human-Covenant War. It introduces a new unique area/colony, The Rubble, and introduces the most unorthodox SPARTAN-II team, Grey Team. Fourth: Ghost of Onyx. Good thrills, a good amount of action, and focuses on a survival mission for Blue Team. Fifth: Contact Harvest. That novel tells the story of how the war between humanity and the Covenant began.
  Honorable mentions: Red vs. Blue. A web series that spoofs Halo and pokes fun at things in Halo and parodies real military things in Halo. Full of fun and silly characters. The series is impressive, running for 20+ years with 19 seasons. Even though it ended two years ago, maybe one day it will return with new adventures and the same humorous charm (if Burnie Burns is ever interested in doing it again).
  And lastly: Halo Legends. A seven-part anthology that focuses on events of Halo lore, with six canon and one non-canon (Odd One Out) stories. A great video for fans of the series and lore enthusiasts. And Halo, the TV series. A live-action show set in an alternate timeline (Silver Timeline) that takes different approaches to characters and story.
• case: My favorite is Contact Harvest, because it’s the only one I have read so far.
• NiceGuyMax: Contact Harvest is my fave!
• Magikman: Halo: Divine Wind. Biggest "W."
• MidriffManiac: I really liked Halo: New Blood. The romance between Gunny and Veronica is just mwah! Chef's kiss.
• Pelux94: For me it's Halo: Renegades because there's my favorite character in that novel (Spark), and there's so much lore and so many events… Point of Light shares the podium with it.
• SiK GambleR: For me it's Waypoint Chronicles. I LOVED those short stories!
• EXMOK: It's going to sound insane because there's a lot of arguably better books, but Cole Protocol has a special place in my heart. I was a teenager when I first picked up a copy, and I was blown away reading about Mike-120, a character that shared my name, personality, and armor color. It was as if the author pulled a self-insert out of my brain.
  Crazy-deep Mok lore: I started wearing JFO armor all the time because, when I was young, I thought it would be the most fitting for Mike. I remember being devastated when it was eventually revealed that he had a security helmet in the 2022 Halo Encyclopedia lmao
• Jega 'Rdomnai: Any novel where Jega 'Rdomnai or Jai-006 appears! (Jega: Halo: Edge of Dawn, Halo: The Rubicon Protocol, "Headhunters" in Halo: Evolutions; Jai: Halo: The Cole Protocol, Halo: Envoy, Halo: Empty Throne)
• TheArbiter117: My favorite is Halo: Silent Storm. I love Troy Denning's writing style, and I love stories set during the Human-Covenant War, especially early in the conflict where both sides are still discovering things about each other's capabilities.
• Tidalsquare8883: Point of Light is such an amazing book, so are The Rubicon Protocol and Edge of Dawn. Kelly Gay has become my Halo author GOAT.
• HaloFanForLife1: Edge of Dawn is great. Though for me, it’s edged out (see what I did there) by Shadows of Reach, by Troy Denning. His book was a fun read and IMHO, could easily have been made into Reach 2! Now you'd play as MC and the rest of Blue Team, getting to fight the Banished on Reach, with the ultimate prize being the Weapon! (Joyeuese)
• Nakai Targaryen (Covenant Canon): My favorite Halo novel by far is Halo: Broken Circle, primarily because unlike all other Halo books, this one is entirely based around the Covenant. No humans, no Forerunners, just the story of the Elites and Prophets. I love how it tells the complexity of their alliance, from the very beginning of the Covenant in the first half to the Great Schism in the last half. I love Ussa and M’ken’s tragic conflict, and I love how their descendants found an accord which they themselves were unwilling to do. It’s a tale of division, faith, and how lies and deceit can topple empires, and truth and light can build new works out of the ruins of the old.
• Tibu: I really liked Halo: Outcasts, mostly because it features two of my favorite characters as the main leads. It was great to see more of the Arbiter, especially given his influence on Sanghelios and the weight of his past actions. I also enjoyed seeing him team up with Olympia Vale on a desperate mission, as well as Vale's character growth since Halo: Hunters in the Dark—going from an ONI diplomat to a Spartan calling the shots.
• Max: The Rubicon Protocol! A compelling tale of survival and loss, with characters whose sacrifices you feel cut deep. Really enriches Halo Infinite’s story and open world.
• NebulaPaladN: Empty Throne felt like an Avengers movie for the Halo novels, brought in a variety of characters from lots of different books, references so many different elements of the lore and introduces some fun new ideas. My favourite for sure.
• Halo Repository: The Rubicon Protocol is goated 🙌
• BullworthGraduate: So, for me, I only chose The Fall of Reach in the poll, but honestly my favorites (and I really can’t choose between them) are TFoR, The Flood, and First Strike, with Uprising being my favorite graphic novel in the entire series, serving as a nice epilogue to that first novel trilogy. Can I just say that I’m glad you guys are finally bringing those first three books into a hardcover format? I’ve been wanting a hardcover copy of those three for a long time.

Art by GnySgtKabar. (Source)

The next community poll headed to the silver screen to ask Halo fans about their favorite film, television, and other visual adaptations, ranging from official game tie-in series to epic antics from the Red vs. Blue-niverse.

Fans agreed that Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn deserved highest honors (67%), followed by Halo Legends (21%) and a film festival of shout-out choices.

• Jtflorencio6: Daisy-023, my beloved!
• master freak: Lasky is life, Lasky is love. Forward Unto Dawn, my beloved.
• LockedInRed: You missed the Fall of Reach animated show!
• warbrand2: Hard pick, but have to go with Halo Legends because of all the cool world building—though Forward Unto Dawn is just epic overall!
• CIA391: I'd love to say all Halo shows and visual media have something great to them! But (to give a spotlight to something I am glad to see got re-released recently) I'll share the four Halo: Evolutions motion comics: Midnight in the Heart of Midlothian, The Return, The Mona Lisa, and Headhunters.
  All four motion comics offer something different and unique that I feel everyone should give them a watch. They even introduced several things to the universe that continue to see use to this very day, one of which was introducing the Halberd-class light destroyer that finally made its game debut in the Operation: METEORITE missions in Halo: Campaign Evolved!
• Hider: I haven’t had a chance to read any books besides Epitaph (even then I haven’t finished it lol) but I’m a sucker for anything Forerunner- and Ancient Human-related so I like it.

Art by NeoAmron. (Source)

This month's final poll indexed auditory delights from the Halo library, with Halo: The Fall of Reach and Halo: Edge of Dawn tied for first place (30% each), narrowly out-narrating Halo: Waypoint Chronicles Volume 1 (20%) and an assortment of audiobook faves.

• OperatingEMT: The audiobook of Edge of Dawn was so good! I really hope they do more audio books with the voice actors in the future!!
• CIA391: There are so many great audiobooks for Halo. But the one that absolutely stands out to me the most was Halo: Primordium with its narrator; that single casting choice turned this Halo novel into something far more special. The audiobook doesn’t just tell the story of Chakas, their journey across a Halo ring, and how they ultimately became [SPOILER]* —it is actually [SPOILER]* with their voice actor, [SPOILER]*, narrating it. To me, few adaptations ever achieve that level of seamless brilliance. This audiobook also showed me the potential Halo audiobooks had for the future they now have, and yes, indeed, other audiobooks have delivered!
  *I "spoilered" the text because I fully believe going in blind will give first-time listeners a simply amazing experience—and allow them to have their minds blown at the end—that even makes me wish the audiobook was how I experienced it first.
  [SPOILERS: Guilty Spark, Guilty Spark, Tim Dadabo]
• Kontrabandito: Point of Light. Tim Dadabo.

Like Reclaimers seen through a Luminary, the greatest living legends are the members of the Halo community. Thanks to everyone who participated in this month’s chat! Stay tuned for a new community poll and video quiz on next month’s topic starting soon.

Don’t forget to bookmark the Silver Anniversary Community Hub for all the latest updates from our 25th anniversary celebration.

We’ve been floored by the overwhelming response to our anniversary testimonial series. Since we still have countless fan stories to share in future installments of Your Halo Story, the submissions portal is now closed—but we’ll continue celebrating Halo’s iconic legacy with new video quizzes and community polls in the monthly Anniversary Angle.

Whether you’re a battle-hardened Spartan or a Halo rookie, we hope you’ll join the fun in our official Discord server, on social media @Halo, or on r/Halo with the #Halo25Together tag.