Remember Reach? Yeah, the game is fifteen years old now. 2010 was fifteen years ago!

While we’re lamenting the relentless passage of time, let us take the opportunity to celebrate and look back on all things Halo: Reach, delve into some of its lesser-known fiction, and round up all the latest lore-related news—from Helljumpers dropping feet first into HELLDIVERS 2 to the upcoming Halo World Championship!

GHOSTS & GLASS

A new Waypoint Chronicle has released to mark the fifteenth anniversary of Halo: Reach!

Halo: ‘Ghosts & Glass’ by B. Giraud is available here on Waypoint, as a free PDF, and in audiobook format on YouTube.

“2558. War journalist Benjamin Giraud pieces together stories of heroism and sacrifice from archives of recorded communications during the fall of Reach.”

At the center of this story is the tale of Beta-Red, a group of Spartan-IIs serving as one of the splinter groups of Red Team that deployed to the surface of Reach during the Covenant invasion.

Their story is told in audio logs that can be found in Halo: Reach itself, as many multiplayer and Firefight maps feature radios that play conversations the player can listen to. These are incredibly easy to overlook, in fact some of you may never have known about them over the last fifteen years, so here’s a list of where you can find them.

BETA-RED

These radios tell the story of Beta-Red as they defend generators for Reach’s orbital MAC platforms.

ONI COMMUNICATIONS

These radios feature two ONI agents discussing Dr. Halsey and her activities at Sword Base.

MISCELLANEOUS CONVERSATIONS

These radios feature a variety of interactions between UNSC personnel during the fall of Reach (with the Tempest radio being set on Alpha Halo). Note that there is a radio on the map Highlands but the recording is unintelligible.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes it’s fun to explore a multiplayer map just to see what little details there are to find. So, jump into a Forge match or custom game, have a wander around, and find those radios!

Of course, if you're looking for a guide, there's always this comprehensive guide put together a few years back by good ol' Halo Canon.

THE FATE OF BETA-RED

So, we now know that Naomi-010 obviously survived the assault on the generator facility and eventually made her way off Reach, but what of the rest of Beta-Red?

As Naomi notes in her transmission, the status of the other five Spartans she was leading is unknown. Did the Pelican designated “Iron Fist” manage to pick up the others in time? Who even were those other Spartans?

Well, just for you on this occasion, let’s crack open the vault of highly classified intelligence and take a look at who made up each splinter team during the fall of Reach.

When Operation: RED FLAG was effectively canned by the Covenant invasion, the twenty-six Spartan-II super-soldiers who had been gathered were deployed on separate missions.

We must acknowledge at this point that Dr. Halsey's statement that kicked off the RED FLAG briefing, that all Spartan-IIs save seven (three too far to be recalled, three killed, and one too severely wounded) are present, simply cannot be factually accurate. Gray Team, Black Team, and the UNSC Spirit of Fire’s contingent of Red Team were not present for the battle (that's ten Spartan-IIs!), and Jorge-052 also went MIA several weeks beforehand, so what follows is a matter largely of arithmetic. Who of the remaining roster can be where, at what time, to ultimately put the neatest possible bow on this little conundrum? Here is how the data shakes out:

BLUE TEAM

The Master Chief led the mission to Gamma Station where their objective was to enact the Cole Protocol, purging the navigation database of the UNSC Circumference. Per The Fall of Reach, these were:

RED TEAM

The remaining twenty-three Spartans were led by Fred-104 as they deployed to the planet’s surface in Pelican Bravo 001. These Spartans split up into splinter teams to protect the generators for Reach’s orbital “super” MAC platforms. Many of these Spartans were killed during the ensuing battles and were, according to protocol, listed as MIA.

ALPHA-RED

BETA-RED

GAMMA-RED

DELTA-RED

Alas, when Bravo 001 came under attack and the Spartans were forced to deploy from the Pelican mid-flight, there were four Spartans who did not survive the drop.

Linda was critically wounded and “clinically dead,” but was later revived by Dr. Halsey in First Strike. James-005 was recovered and revived by ONI before ultimately meeting his final fight in Empty Throne. And Will-043 perished several months later during an encounter with Mgalekgolo, as told in Ghosts of Onyx.

The warden of the archives is giving us some shifty looks right now, so let’s close the book there and make a swift exit, lest we become an exhibit ourselves...

Pour one out for Kirk, Carris, and Keiichi. We hardly knew ye!

LONG NIGHT OF SOLACE

Strewn over a vast mountain range lining the supercontinent of Eposz, the alloy corpse of a sleeping giant remains undisturbed.

Due to the instability of the mountain range from the supercarrier’s crash, only a handful of attempts have been made to send in teams to study and salvage the wreckage over the years. None have ever returned, which has transformed the remains of the vessel into something of a folk story among the Reavian pioneers working to rehabilitate and resettle Reach.

Some tales among the children suggest that the ghosts of Covenant soldiers remain inside, entombing interlopers in glass while condemned to hellishly exist in a broken monument to their commander’s failure—himself doomed to be claimed by madness. Others say that it is nothing more than an empty ruin, a quiet tomb, and a reminder—not just of humanity’s losses, but the scale of the enemy they were ultimately able to overcome.

DEVOTED SENTRIES

On the Covenant side of things, a prominent and recurring presence throughout the campaign of Halo: Reach are the Devoted Sentries.

Unlike Supreme Commander Thel ‘Vadamee, known for leading the Fleet of Particular Justice and cutting a lethal swath through human space, burning worlds to glass, Supreme Commander Rho ‘Barutamee’s Fleet of Valiant Prudence was more specifically focused on archaeological research and artifact retrieval. While possessing a sizeable military complement to repel any enemy forces, ‘Barutamee’s charge was more concerned with reconnaissance, analysis, and security.

‘Barutamee elevated select high-ranking members of the Zealot order to a specialized scout unit known as the Devoted Sentries—a name that has existed for hundreds of years in the far-reaching history of the Covenant. Their divinely ordained mission was to discover, acquire, and secure holy relics, delivering their bounties to the studious scrutiny of the San’Shyuum on High Charity.

‘Barutamee notably made many enemies owing to his ambition, his disregard for the War of Annihilation against humanity, and his deep personal interest in the Forerunner artifacts recovered by his fleet. “Balance” within the Covenant relied on the San’Shyuum maintaining firm control over the study, incorporation, and dissemination of the Forerunners’ technology—a sphere of influence that ‘Barutamee encroached upon throughout his distinguished service.

‘Barutamee’s grand aspiration was to find Maethrillian, the fabled capital of the Forerunner ecumene, and he believed that the relics on Reach—known to the Covenant as Sovolanu—held the key to discovering its location.

Devoted Sentries were deployed to Reach with the task of silencing communications at Visegrád while tracking a scientist of interest—mentioned in intercepted human transmissions—known as Professor Laszlo Sorvad. There, they encountered the Spartans of Noble Team, who they would cross paths with on several occasions throughout the battle of Reach.

FIELD MARSHAL ORSU LAR ‘AHTALEE

Bearing the honorific “Lar” denoting his status as holding the rank of Field Marshal, Orsu Lar ‘Ahtalee was the commander of the Fleet of Fervent Intercession’s Devoted Sentries. He was encountered by Noble Team on multiple occasions throughout the battle of Reach—from Visegrád to New Alexandria—before ultimately meeting his end in the ship-breaking yards of Asźod.

ZEALOT ALSU ‘AHCUREE

Encountered by Spartan-B312 during the battle of Szurdok Ridge, Alsu ‘Ahcuree was tasked with the retrieval of seismic analysis and survey data related to Eposz recorded within the BXR Mining Corporation facility.

JOURNAL TIME

Along with the Limited and Legendary Editions of Halo: Reach came a particularly awesome collectible item, the journal of Dr. Catherine Halsey herself.

It is certainly no exaggeration to say that this remains an absolutely foundational text to the Halo universe. This journal provides a great deal of additional depth and insight into Dr. Halsey and her work on the SPARTAN-II program, Project MJOLNIR, the evolution of generational AI technologies, and the more personal side of things in Halsey’s life—her relationship with a certain then-Lieutenant Keyes, and their daughter Miranda who would come to serve a pivotal role in bringing the Covenant War to an end.

Accompanied by the text are utterly gorgeous illustrations, as well as additional leaflets, candidate records, images—all things that contribute toward creating a genuine artifact of the twenty-sixth century.

And now, it’s yours!

Hit the link below and you’ll download a free digital copy of Dr. Halsey’s journal, along with all the additional lore pieces included with this collector’s item (and the two pages that Halsey tore out from the physical edition).

DOWNLOAD DR. HALSEY’S JOURNAL

HALO WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP 2025

It’s that time of year again where the Halo World Championship event is rolling around, and as ever we’ve got a bunch of panels on the Community Stage you’re going to want to tune into—or attend in person if you’re in Seattle from October 24-26. Here are a few to look out for:

CANON FODDER LIVE! 2025

Join us for another round of fanciful fiction chatter. We’ll be discussing the last year of lore releases and looking ahead to 2026 with some announcements for new books on the horizon!

SCENE READING WITH STEVE DOWNES AND JEN TAYLOR

Legendary voice actors Steve Downes (the Master Chief) and Jen Taylor (Cortana, Dr. Halsey, the Weapon) join us for a round of reading iconic scenes from across the series. And they’ll be performing an exclusive preview scene from Kelly Gay’s upcoming novel Halo: Edge of Dawn.

FEET FIRST

The year is 2185.
Super Earth is at war with three alien aggressors.
Teams of highly trained Helldivers are freedom's only defense.
They are the best of the best.
Of the best.

In case you missed it, not only did HELLDIVERS 2 come to Xbox in the last month, but we partnered with Sony and Arrowhead Studios to bring an all-new Legendary Warbond themed around ODSTs.

That acronym, of course, stands for Obedient Democracy Support Troopers—the stars of a beloved animated series on one of Super Earth’s most popular state-sanctioned broadcasts. That is how “ODSTs” fit into the canon of Helldivers, matching the tongue-in-cheek tone of the game while also utilizing aesthetics that authentically fit the universe.

That’s the official story. In the realm of pure headcanon, perhaps that in-atmosphere slipspace jump over New Mombasa conducted by the Solemn Penance actually had some very unexpected results?

In case you weren’t up to speed already, the Helldivers x Halo: ODST Legendary Warbond contains the following items:

Partnerships such as these are always incredibly exciting, both for fans (on all platforms!) and for us internally, as we explore the “what-if?” space that allows us to put certain elements of the Halo universe in the spotlight. Helljumpers in HELLDIVERS is a combination that just makes sense, and it’s been incredibly heartening to see how veterans of the Galactic War have been dropping in all the high-level tools and toys for new players to play with.

Working together, just a few weeks ago, it was reported that Helldivers managed to successfully repel the Illuminate menace from the city of New Alexandria. Now that’s a way to celebrate Halo: Reach’s fifteenth anniversary!

If you’re interested in peeking behind the curtain to learn more about this awesome collaboration, be sure to check out the video from the Official Xbox Podcast linked below!

THE MODERN ODST

The question is often asked: What is the role of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers in the modern Halo setting, circa 2560?

Since the Drop Jet Jumpers of the twenty-second century, ODSTs have been a critical part of the UNSC Marine Corps. They are an elite, all-volunteer force with a long record of successful high-risk operations across countless conflicts—from counterinsurgency against other humans throughout the Insurrection to the vast interstellar battles of the Covenant War, and beyond.

Following the formal end of the Covenant War and the advent of the SPARTAN-IV program, candidate selection for super-soldier augmentation favored veteran ODSTs. These proved to be few in number, as many sought to retire after years of fighting and many more held resentment towards the SPARTAN program owing to the incident aboard the UNSC Atlas in 2525 that became an oft-repeated story through barracks and mess halls over three decades—along with unsavory and disturbing rumors concerning the origins of the super-soldier program.

As a result, some “old guard” ODSTs display additional animosity toward those who volunteer to become Spartans. Many, however, are of an emerging generation from the latter years of the Covenant War, less attached to prejudices from the past and raised on the propaganda of Spartan heroism and exceptionalism.

In 2560, ODSTs remain a core fighting force for the UNSC, with numerous divisions and battalions assigned to colonies, starships, and space stations.

Some recent notable deployments include:

OPERATION: WOLFE (2559)

The UNSC Infinity conducted a mass deployment of Spartans and ODSTs to the surface of Reach as Blue Team attempted to gain access to CASTLE Base.

OPERATION: SPEARBREAKER (2559)

The ODSTs of Command Squad Sunray were instrumental in preventing the Banished from obtaining a Despair-class hunter-killer, a powerful Forerunner fighter that could have broken the Banished stalemate with the UNSC Spirit of Fire at the Ark.

BATTLE OF NETHEROP (2559)

Tango Team, led by Gunnery Sergeant “Mama” Grim Bear, deployed to the surface of the planet Netherop with Spartan Olympia Vale in the effort to secure possession of an ancient device known as the trikala.

BATTLE OF BOUNDARY (2559)

Led by Sergeant Gentry, ODSTs stationed aboard the UNSC Victory of Samothrace assisted Gray Team during the battle of Boundary, eliminating Gorespike anti-air cannons to help clear the airspace for extraction.

BATTLE OF ZETA HALO (2559-present)

ODSTs numbered among the survivors of the Banished ambush on the UNSC Infinity, some of whom made their way to the crashed remains of the UNSC Mortal Reverie. Others scattered across the ring’s surface found shelter in various protected locations and facilities.

OPERATION: HIVEBREAKER (2560)

Led by Staff Sergeant Tarkov, several teams of ODSTs—accompanied by specialist Hellbringers—were deployed to a Yanme’e hive in contested territory.

COMMUNITY LORE CORNER

Katarn343 strikes again with an incredible feature-length video adapting and retelling the events of Eric Nylund’s Halo: First Strike, the novel which bridges the Master Chief’s story between Halo: CE and Halo 2.

JumperScape’s adaptation of the Waypoint Chronicles continues with Age of Retribution.

Speaking of which, Ultra Studios has put together this amazingly creative toymation of the main action in Age of Retribution.

Eldeeable Gaming is working her way through Halo: Reach and has arrived in the city of New Alexandria where absolutely zero unfortunate events befall Noble Team... right?

Covenant Canon has done a video breaking down the Covenant’s activities during the fall of Reach.

For those who enjoy watching reactions to deep lore goodness, WonderlandRogue has finished her playthrough of Halo 2 and has uploaded a reaction to watching through the Halo 2: Anniversary Terminals.

ALL UNITS! Phoenix Nat returns with a first-time playthrough of Halo Wars.

And finally for this issue, Imperator Vegetarius has created what can certainly be said to be one of the finest Halo space battle mods of all time, titled “Halo Reach: Slipspace.”

This mod brings fleet battles to Halo: Reach multiplayer. Currently, the mod includes six UNSC ships, five Covenant ships, nine types of destructible asteroid, and a selection of destructible UNSC scenery. Head to the Steam Workshop and be sure to subscribe to this mod ASAP—that's an order, soldier!

That brings us to a close for this issue, but we’ll be back next month at the Halo World Championship event with Canon Fodder LIVE! 2025—be sure to tune in for some exciting new information and lore discussion.

Until then, stay tuned for the arrival of Operation: Haloween II in Halo Infinite on October 7. We’ll be kicking off the month with the horror-themed Waypoint Chronicle Ascension on Atropos, and we’ll be concluding October with Fifth Canticle to mark the ten-year anniversary of Halo 5: Guardians.