From the shadows comes a voice...

"GET TO THE FALCON!"

Operation: Shadows is the first Operation of our 2025 Fall Update but it will not be going quietly into that dark night. With the Falcon in the skies and the Vestige Carbine in hand, Operation: Shadows launches Famished Famished Falcons and Banished Slayer into the spotlight.

Let's check those out!

Famished Famished Falcons

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a cast of Falcons!

Why are Falcons flocking to fly furiously across the sky in pursuit of the furled flag? Why, it’s because they’re famished, of course!

Based loosely off a children’s game featuring starving river horses, Famished, Famished Falcons pits four teams of three players against each other. Work together as a team, pile into your Falcon, and race to the middle with the ultimate goal:

Capture the Flag.

To make things a bit more fun, everyone has a Plasma Pistol (which can EMP vehicles!) and a Grappleshot allowing you some creative freedom and movement opportunities.

Skyblocks

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This is the (very colorful) map you’ll be having your aerial dogfights on. Remember what color platform you start on so you know where to bring the flag!

Just remember…no one said you had to be on your Falcon to capture the flag. You just gotta get the flag to your zone to score a point.

Four teams, four falcons, 12 Spartans, one flag. You do the math.

Banished Slayer

Get locked and loaded… It’s time for Banished Slayer!

This asymmetrical matchmaking mode will have you thinking strategically (who am I kidding, you should always be doing that anyway…) and working together to out-play the enemy (should be routine as well!).

Looking at Loadouts

Before you come for me for the “l” word, it’s simply a way to differentiate starting gear for both teams and has some nice alliteration. Banished Slayer is a two team mode that features asymmetrical “loadouts.” What does that mean, exactly? One team will spawn with UNSC gear:

While the other team has some of the Banished armory at their disposal, as well as the Infected Banished overlay:

For those that played it, this may feel somewhat familiar to Invasion Slayer from Halo: Reach. Beyond the starting equipment, everything else is business as usual. Team based slayer, race to 50 kills, everyone has access to content on the map, etc.

If you’re looking to get your hands on the Vestige Carbine and put it through its paces, this is a great mode for that since half the lobby will be spawning with it. If you spawned with a Bandit Evo, well… You know how you can earn one. 😈

Experience Ecotone

You’ll be playing on nine maps that should be familiar such as Forest, Prism, Dredge, and many others, along with a new Community Forge map, Ecotone! You should also be able to find Ecotone in Quick Play Slayer, KOTH, Oddball, and Strongholds if those are your jam.

Ecotone

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Credits: Yeehaw J24, Scrubulba, Igrizhar, Jovaliant

Danger could be lurking around any corner...on any level. Also, say hi to Fret when you find him.

And with that, it’s time to venture out, feel the power of the Vestige Carbine, hear the spin of the Falcon rotors, and put your skills to the test! Read more about the update in our 2025 Fall Playlist blog.

See you on the battlefield!