Esports

With HCS 2018 Season Finals at DreamHack Atlanta rapidly approaching, we know many folks across the competitive community have questions regarding what’s next for the HCS and what they can expect from Halo esports going forward. So today, we’d like to share some important esports updates around Halo 5, MCC, and more – and we’ll have more to share at DreamHack Atlanta and beyond.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">HALO 5 ESPORTS</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/community/hcs/body/h5-module-c715401eed6f4671a0a649a5d94a75bb.png" alt=""/></figure>



After three years of tournaments, unbelievable moments and matches, and more than $6,000,000 awarded, the HCS Finals 2018 at DreamHack Atlanta will be the final, official Halo 5 esports tournament for the Halo Championship Series – though competitive Halo will continue on in brand new ways (more on that below). We’re so thankful to all the amazing players, teams, and fans that have invested so much in supporting Halo 5 competitions to help us continue the growth of Halo esports together.



While we’ll all fondly reflect on so many incredible Halo 5 HCS memories, we’re also excited as we look forward to an even brighter future.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">WHAT’S NEXT</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/community/hcs/body/hcs-banner-1b78de89b8294795afb0202bcaeb554c.jpg" alt=""/></figure>



 Esports and supporting the competitive Halo community continues to be an important focus for the studio and there will still be events and activities for competitive players to participate in beyond Halo 5. With MCC receiving improvements and new features, and Halo Infinite in development, we are excited to seize an opportunity to lay the foundation for the entire competitive scene to build up from there and support the community as it grows. From official grassroots programming and events, to the ongoing Microsoft Store tournaments, we will continue to explore new opportunities and initiatives for the coming year.



As competitive Halo morphs and evolves, we’re mindful of our guidelines and our priorities for the pillars we want to be reflected in the Halo Championship Series. We want to continue to be open to and accessible for all players, we want to continue to communicate openly about our plans for the future of Halo esports, and we want Halo esports to be successful for those that invest in it.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">GRASSROOTS</h3>



Later this year, we are kicking off a program to support grassroots tournaments and content creators across all Halo titles, and will have full details to share at DreamHack Atlanta. We believe that Halo esports is only as successful as the community and foundation it’s built upon, and investing in grassroots is an important part of setting that foundation for the future. Stay tuned – we’re excited to share more information next month including how you can get involved to play, watch, and apply.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">HALO: THE MASTER CHIEF COLLECTION</h3>



With the recent updates and improvements to MCC, and even more feature work underway, there’s a renewed sense of excitement and reinvigoration for these games – particularly with Halo 3. We’re excited to support this with the 2v2 Showdown at DreamHack Atlanta and would like to continue to deliver similar experiences in the future. The scope and specifics of potential MCC competitive offerings will be largely dependent on how well the 2v2 Showdown performs in terms of participation and viewership. We’re eager to kick this off and will be keeping a close eye on the community response as we continue to evaluate plans and opportunities for MCC moving forward.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">HALO INFINITE</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/community/hcs/body/halo-infinite-banner-c367a2865a1b42d394b5520e7a3af1d5.jpg" alt=""/></figure>



 As we look further ahead, we know there’s a lot of anticipation surrounding Halo Infinite. We’re not ready to pull the curtain back just yet, but the Halo esports team has been working closely with the development team to represent the wants and needs of the ever-evolving esports community in terms of gameplay, features, viewership, and more. Halo 5, both as a game and esport, has evolved a great deal over the years with new maps and gametypes, spectator and observer modes, local server, and more – and we’ve learned a tremendous amount along the way. We’re excited to carry our learnings (and industry learnings) forward in Halo Infinite in a more integrated way than ever before here at 343.



While we wait for the right time to share more game details, we want to remind folks about the community flighting program that Chris Lee mentioned in his blog back in June:



In the future, you will be able to join early flighting programs that will let members of the community play the game with us, and give direct feedback, much like the current Insider flighting program for Halo: The Master Chief Collection. It will take some time for us to be ready to kick those flighting events off, but when they do they will start small and grow along the way.



We can’t overstate how important the flighting process will be to the development of Halo Infinite, and the team is excited to share the journey with the entire Halo community, including competitive players. We look forward to sharing more details as soon as the team is ready.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">THANK YOU</h2>



On behalf of the HCS team and the entire 343 studio, we want to thank everyone who has supported Halo 5 esports over the past three years and we look forward to continuing this journey together to grow Halo esports for years to come. With some intense competition and rivalries heating up and the Halo 3 2v2 Showdown looming, Dreamhack Atlanta promises to be an awesome finale. Join us at <a href="https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.halowaypoint.com%2Fen-us%2Fesports%2Fhcs-finals-2018&data=02%7C01%7Ctahirh%40microsoft.com%7Cbf062bf7b5a14d538bda08d634538006%7C72f988bf86f141af91ab2d7cd011db47%7C1%7C0%7C636753930569208852&sdata=tCjtA3WARoAMmn1GvBm98Imk3dJh1JfZumWfH5LGbqo%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">DreamHack Atlanta</a> to celebrate Halo 5 esports with player-voted awards, flashbacks to the greatest memories from the past three years, and more. What are your favorite Halo 5 esports memories? Have any photos or clips? <a href="https://na01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ftwitter.com%2Fhcs&data=02%7C01%7Ctahirh%40microsoft.com%7Cbf062bf7b5a14d538bda08d634538006%7C72f988bf86f141af91ab2d7cd011db47%7C1%7C0%7C636753930569218857&sdata=Isck9Scaf3LUamCuZOK2OWvwNPd9qgiR%2BjC3DcVWU3s%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Tweet @HCS</a> to share them with us!



Thank you, and we’ll see you when the HCS Finals kick off on Friday, November 16.

Tashi

2018 Update

Canon Fodder

Community

GrimBrother One

That’s So Raven

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="542" height="305" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/07/ShowtimeAnnouncesNewHaloTVSeries_HaloInfinite_In_Article_p1_6.28.2018_542x305.png" alt="Halo logo overlaying a mysterious planet." class="wp-image-6389" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/07/ShowtimeAnnouncesNewHaloTVSeries_HaloInfinite_In_Article_p1_6.28.2018_542x305.png 542w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/07/ShowtimeAnnouncesNewHaloTVSeries_HaloInfinite_In_Article_p1_6.28.2018_542x305-300x169.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 542px) 100vw, 542px" /></figure>



When I first played Halo: Combat Evolved, one of the aspects of Halo that enthralled me the most was the feeling that I was jumping into a moment in time amidst a vast universe and set of stories yet to be experienced. I was compelled by that sense of scale and mystery and the promise of so much more to come. That same potential and promise is what has kept me with Halo, first as a player and a then as a developer, since the beginning. I love the Halo universe – its characters, stories, and stakes. I also love that it’s a place where we can invite other creative voices in to help us express it in different ways and to give our fans and players a chance to engage with our worlds differently. 



<a href="https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2018/06/28/showtime-amblin-television-and-343-industries-bring-halo-to-television/">Today we announced that we are working with some incredible talent to bring you an epic new story experience set in the Halo Universe</a>, the Halo TV series. SHOWTIME brings its powerful legacy of experience in building stories for premium cable and together with Amblin Television and legendary storyteller Steven Spielberg, have been gracious partners in helping put together the right creative team to bring Halo to television. We are thrilled to have experienced showrunner Kyle Killen (Lone Star) and blockbuster director Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) on board, both of whom bring their own flavor of vision, intelligence, and voice to Halo. We couldn’t have asked for a stronger or more passionate team to collaborate with.



As we think about what it means to bring videogame franchises to movie or TV – the biggest challenge can often be finding the right balance between moments fans have already experienced and moments that have yet to be experienced through a different medium, perspective, or creative lens. We are excited to navigate these creative waters to bring you something that is both respectful of what you already know and love, but also new and surprising and enthralling.



It’s a journey that we’re excited to take with you, our fans, and this new creative team. We’re already in the pre-production phase and we plan to go into full production in 2019 so hang on… this is going to be an awesome ride!



– Kiki Wolfkill, Head of Transmedia, 343 Industries



For all the latest news and updates on the Halo television series, keep dialed into Halo Waypoint on the web, as well as <a href="https://twitter.com/halo">@Halo</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/showtime">@Showtime</a> on social.

343 INDUSTRIES

Showtime Announces New Halo TV Series Details

Games

Halo Infinite

E3 2018 is a monumental moment for the Halo franchise and for us here at 343 Industries, and we couldn’t be more excited to share with you a glimpse of our new Slipspace Engine, which will power our next title, Halo Infinite. It’s been a busy stretch here at 343 since the launch of Halo 5: Guardians between supporting the title with post-release updates and secretly working on our new Slipspace Engine tech in parallel. Finally showing the world some of what we’ve been working on has really energized the team! 



<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Halo Infinite - E3 2018 - Announce Trailer" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fzwddyOeiXo?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



 The Slipspace Engine demo shown at the E3 2018 briefing is the culmination of years of work and is infused with the passion of hundreds of people here at 343 Industries. When we started this project, the team’s vision for the game was ambitious – so much so that we knew we had to build new tech to fully realize our goals for Halo Infinite. The E3 demo showcases some of the exciting potential of this technology – everything you see is running in-engine. We still have a long way to go until we ship the game, so things will certainly evolve between now and the release of Halo Infinite, though the engine demo is a clear indication of the direction we are heading with our next game and a great snapshot of where our tech is right now. 



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1024" height="301" src="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/08/OurJourneyBegins_HaloInfinite_In_Article_p1_6.10.2018_1120x329-1024x301.jpg" alt="A photo of the people who work at 3 4 3 Industries." class="wp-image-8367" srcset="https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/08/OurJourneyBegins_HaloInfinite_In_Article_p1_6.10.2018_1120x329-1024x301.jpg 1024w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/08/OurJourneyBegins_HaloInfinite_In_Article_p1_6.10.2018_1120x329-300x88.jpg 300w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/08/OurJourneyBegins_HaloInfinite_In_Article_p1_6.10.2018_1120x329-768x226.jpg 768w, https://wpassets.halowaypoint.com/wp-content/2021/08/OurJourneyBegins_HaloInfinite_In_Article_p1_6.10.2018_1120x329.jpg 1120w" sizes="(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" /></figure>



It’s hard to believe that 343 Industries was formed just over a decade ago. Over the years, the team has learned a lot from creating Halo 4 and Halo 5 and from you, our community. I hope you can see nods to some of that in our demo, such as the approach to some visual elements. Halo Infinite will feature Sparth’s (Art Director, Nicolas Bouvier) new art style that draws significant inspiration from the most iconic and historic parts of the Halo franchise and your feedback, all while modernizing and taking advantage of the full power of the Xbox One family. The new Master Chief helmet directly showcases our new art style.



The team also heard feedback loud and clear on the amount of time spent playing as the Master Chief in Halo 5. In Halo Infinite, the game will focus on the Master Chief and continue his saga after the events of Halo 5.



I know waiting can be hard for folks who are excited for more info about the game. We are taking the time we need to make the right game and are making changes to how we approach things this time around. The goal of the entire 343 Industries team is to make a great Halo game for our fans that also invites new players into our franchise. We will have some new and unexpected directions to take folks in and I believe the way we achieve that is to build alongside our community, iterating and improving as we go.



In the future, you will be able to join early flighting programs that will let members of the community play the game with us, and give direct feedback, much like the current Insider flighting program for Halo: The Master Chief Collection. It will take some time for us to be ready to kick those flighting events off, but when we do they will start small and grow along the way.



I would love to hear from you as we build Halo Infinite. You can hit me up @tefferlee on Twitter and let me know what you think about the engine demo. Keep in mind that I do have a game to build so you won’t see me out there on social media quite as often as other folks, but I will definitely be listening along with the development team. And don’t worry, our community team constantly funnels feedback and info to us as well. If you are someone who wants to directly help realize our vision for this game, check out our careers page at the brand new <a href="https://www.343industries.com/">343industries.com</a> site to see if there is a role for you here at the studio and Halo.



I’m incredibly proud of what the 343 Industries development team has done with the Slipspace Engine and this first tease of Halo Infinite, and I look forward to sharing more with you all in the future once we are ready. Thank you all for your support and passion for Halo. This is an exciting moment for all of us, and we look forward to embarking on this journey together!



Chris Lee, Studio Head, FPS

Our Journey Begins

Sweet Centennial

The Nightmare Has Awoken

Stay Frosty

Canon Fodder – Hog on the Horizon

<h4 class="wp-block-heading">ISSUE 78</h4>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/community/blogs/canon-fodder/cfmonsterspartan-3f12917f1a6a478c88095d5371aa5eb1.jpg" alt=""/></figure>



Welcome back, canonballers, thanks for stopping by! Last issue, we knocked out some more Hog Wild REQ fiction, and sat down with new-to-Halo author John Jackson Miller, who is contributing stories for both Halo: Fractures and Halo: Tales From Slipspace. After a week break to gather our strength – and sanity – we’re back and in full E3-prep mode.



As it’s no real secret that we’ll be showcasing the long-anticipated sequel to a certain Halo real-time strategy title on the expo’s show floor, we thought it might be prudent to take a quick look back at the story of the original Halo Wars, and set the stage for what might be next for the UNSC Spirit of Fire and her crew. Feel up to a stroll down memory lane? I thought so…



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">PHOENIX RISING</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/community/blogs/canon-fodder/cfsofinspace-0da3cc6b27634414a6f5dc4a19e49080.jpg" alt=""/></figure>



Set nearly three decades before the events of Halo 5: Guardians, the original Halo Wars follows the exploits of the UNSC Spirit of Fire – a Phoenix-class colony vessel repurposed for war. Helmed by Captain James Cutter, the Spirit of Fire is sent to investigate Covenant activity on the embattled planet Harvest.



When Sergeant John Forge goes planetside to provide recon, he finds a Covenant relic-hunting contingent led by Arbiter Ripa ‘Moramee – a task force sent by the Prophet of Regret to glean secrets from an ancient Forerunner site buried in the Harvest tundra. After chasing the Covenant from the site, Dr. Ellen Anders discovers that the site had given the Covenant coordinates to another location – this time on the human colony of Arcadia.



When the Spirit of Fire arrives at Arcadia in pursuit, the UNSC finds itself in a furious fracas that sees them both protecting human colonists as well as valiantly breaching a Covenant energy shield and destroying a deadly prototype super Scarab – still under construction but fully operational. Unfortunately for the UNSC, Dr. Ellen Anders was abducted by Arbiter Ripa ‘Moramee in the aftermath, prompting the UNSC to chase the Covenant into uncharted space – and onto a mysterious undiscovered planet.



What Captain Cutter and his crew would soon learn was that this planet was no ordinary place, but instead was a massive Forerunner construct – an enigmatic artificial creation known as a Shield World, containing concave and inverted environment on its interior “surface.” Eventually the UNSC would learn the true nature of Regret’s zealous chase: the reactivation of a long-dormant Forerunner fleet that would almost certainly spell the Covenant’s final death knell against humanity.



Through fierce tenacity and incredible resolve, the crew of the Spirit of Fire would match the Covenant blow for blow across the surface of the ancient Shield World, an effort that would culminate in one final confrontation that saw Sergeant Forge and Spartan-II supersoldiers Alice-130, Douglas-042, and Jerome-092 lay waste to the malevolent Arbiter and his Sangheili guard. In the end, Sergeant Forge would sacrifice his own life to not only save his crewmembers, but also destroy the Shield World and the Forerunner weapons it contained – saving humanity as a whole in the process.



While the UNSC Spirit of Fire would escape the Shield World’s destruction, it did so at great cost – the ship’s own slipspace drive having been used to bring down the ancient construct. For nearly thirty years the Spirit of Fire would drift though deep space, cut off from the rest of humanity and eventually declared “lost with all hands” in February 2534.



But now, something has happened…



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">LOST WITH ALL HANDS</h2>



Fans of our Halo 101 series on the Halo Channel will no doubt be pleased to know that “Lost With All Hands” – a five-part video series offering an overview of the original Halo Wars story – is now available to view in its entirety on the official <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7NCg0venpKJg3kuJojKlbQ">Halo YouTube</a> channel. Utilizing a combination of Blur Studio’s incredible game cinematics and informative narration, “Lost With All Hands” provides a closer look at the events that transpire over the course of the game and their place within the larger Halo universe. 



<figure class="wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Halo 101: The Secret Below Planet Harvest" width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yBFBaCyvNZM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
</div></figure>



So whether you’ve played through the Halo Wars campaign a hundred times over, or have yet to lay the disc in your tray, sit back and enjoy a vital and epic romp across the galaxy with some of the UNSC’s finest heroes. We’ve provided you with just a taste of the story of Halo Wars above, now you can get the details.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBFBaCyvNZM">EPISODE 1: THE SECRET BELOW HARVEST</a></h4>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBpnVngCeu8">EPISODE 2: BATTLE FOR ARCADIA</a></h4>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BURjcCMMWrc">EPISODE 3: THE SHIELD WORLD</a></h4>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sabikoL0pS8">EPISODE 4: THE FORERUNNER FLEET</a></h4>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J37lUnCYjvw">EPISODE 5: LOST WITH ALL HANDS</a></h4>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BATTLE FOR ARCADE-IA</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/community/blogs/canon-fodder/cfscoreattack-d128e87ce4274f0587088509c9fe3a1c.jpg" alt=""/></figure>



When it comes to game modes, it’s likely safe to assume that a large portion of the Fodder faithful are fans of the campaign portions of Halo titles. It’s also reasonably safe to assume that fans of the campaign are also likely to enjoy anything that might help prolong and refresh their experience in fun ways.



With that in mind, we’re excited to reveal that the upcoming Warzone Firefight content release for Halo 5: Guardians will also bring with it an exciting new Score Attack mode, giving fans a fast-paced and fun new arcade-style wrapping to the Halo 5 campaign.



For more info, make sure you check out our deeper reveal in this week’s Halo Community Update from Bravo and yours truly. I don’t know about you, but between Score Attack and Warzone Firefight, I’m seeing some fun and furious Fodder-fied community playdates in the near future…



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DEEP LINKS</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/community/blogs/canon-fodder/canonfodder-6-10-16-b28015a825cb47128ff69ac5ccdd669e.jpg" alt=""/></figure>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">AV-22 SPARROWHAWK</h4>



Summary



Deployed toward the end of the Harvest campaign, the AV-22 Sparrowhawk shares a number of similarities with its aerodyne siblings – the AV-14 Hornet, AV-19 SkyHawk, AV-30 Kestrel, and AV-49 [DATA CORRUPTION! REBUILD IN PROGRESS . . .] – among others. Common elements include an integrated VTOL propulsion system that combines a turbojet with dual lift fans, autocannon armament, and cyberlink-compatible fly-by-light avionics.



The Sparrowhawk met with great success in the war against the Covenant, serving as a gunship escort for troop transports, providing aerial security, and operating in hunter-killer squadrons that harassed Covenant landing zones and troop columns. Combat losses were always high, though pilots accumulated enviable kill ratios.



Armament



The Sparrowhawk primary weapon systems are a pair of brutally effective GAU-23/AW long-barreled rotary autocannons installed on weapon armatures below the aircraft. These cannons can fire the full range of aircraft 20mm ammunition, though the standard loadout is either M718 SAPHEI or PGU-42/B API (with a depleted-uranium core). Though considered a secondary weapon, the Sparrowhawk also features a chin-mounted variant of the UNSC’s GUNGNIR M6 directed energy system, allowing the gunner to conduct devastatingly effective long-range strikes with pinpoint accuracy. The Sparrowhawk’s M6 nonlinear cannon uses components that were later miniaturized and installed on infantry-portable M6/E variants after the Covenant War.



And with that, we close for now, and wait patiently for the LA lights to shine bright. We’ll see you next week, where I imagine we might have a few cool new things to talk about.



Until next time… Live well, play Halo, and hold A to paint.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">–<a href="https://twitter.com/grimbrotherone">GRIM</a></h4>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FEATURED UNIVERSE ARTICLES THIS WEEK!</h2>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">ALICE-130</h4>



Alice-130 was part of the legendary SPARTAN-II project and member of the Red Team detachment associated with UNSC Spirit of Fire.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">DOUGLAS-042</h4>



Douglas-042 was part of the legendary SPARTAN-II project and member of the Red Team detachment associated with UNSC Spirit of Fire.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">JEROME-092</h4>



Jerome-092 was part of the legendary SPARTAN-II project and leader of the Red Team detachment associated with UNSC Spirit of Fire.

Canon Fodder – Local Units

<h4 class="wp-block-heading">ISSUE 73</h4>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/community/blogs/canon-fodder/canonfodder-4-29-16-17475b95325b4471b5fdc39ae7e12f71.jpg" alt=""/></figure>



Welcome back aboard the lore bus, Fodder folk. Last week, we hit on an eclectic menagerie of scattered story snippets, taking a detailed visual look at some Halo 5: Guardians armiger aesthetics, highlighting tabletop recaps, musing about Mega Bloks in motion, and more. This week however, we’re taking a bit more of a focused approach, and taking some time to remember. As many of you know, the Memories of Reach content release for Halo 5: Guardians is fast approaching, and with it, many memories of our own surrounding time spent on one of humanity’s most important 26th-century strongholds.



Back in 2010, Halo: Reach hit Xbox 360 consoles and gave Halo fans a much-longed-for opportunity to play an important part in one of the Halo universe’s most beloved and pivotal events. Central to the Noble Team-focused narrative of the game was arguably one of the most influential characters in the entire Halo lore: Dr. Catherine Halsey. Halo: Reach also gave fans their first opportunity to truly see the creator of the SPARTAN program “in action,” and gain insight into vital moments within Halo’s timeline. But the game itself was not the only source of Halo: Reach’s connection with the good doctor…



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">DEAR DIARY…</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><a href="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/community/blogs/canon-fodder/cfreachlepackagelabel-e64a42a1058e42a0be93f1cd0d04066e.png"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/community/blogs/canon-fodder/cfreachlepackagelabelsm-a34610883bd34776a6591a4178ed19af.png" alt=""/></a></figure>



Fans who picked up one of the Collector’s Editions of the game were treated to a very intimate look into Halsey’s career, motivations, and even her personal life via the collectible journal that came packaged with said editions. Packing enough story and lore-tidbits to almost be considered a novel on its own, Halsey’s Journal was met with delight by Halo fans all across the world. The journal was also quite the sought-after artifact in­-fiction, and its eventual arrival into the hands of ONI director Admiral Margret Parangosky after the destruction of Sword Base was just one more strand in an ever-evolving web of intrigue between Halsey herself and the clandestine organization she’d given her life’s work protecting. 



Amongst the brilliant scrawlings across coffee-stained pages were a collection of relevant documents that served to pull the curtain back on the seemingly hopeless reality that humanity continued to face as the Covenant’s zealous war machine burned through colonial worlds and civilian resolve in equal measure. As we stand at the precipice of Halo 5: Guardians’ newest content release, we thought it might be fun to look back through some of those old files, and truly explore some of the lesser known memories of Reach…



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">HAVEN TERROR BOMBING KILLS TWO MILLION >MANASSAS, ALFÖLD, AUG. 21, 2511/NS</h3>



A terrorist suicide bomber loaded a commercial nuclear explosive (commonly used in asteroid mining) and several thousand pounds of scrap cadmium into the back of a rental truck, and then detonated it inside the promenade of the Haven arcology on Mamore. This is the third major terror attack this month in the Mato Grosso province of Mamore, but the first ever of this magnitude. The explosion — which destroyed nearly a quarter of the structure above ground causing the arcology to collapse, killed an estimated two million residents, injured over 8.3 million others, devastated nearly half a million hectares of outlying farmland, and was felt over 140 kilometers away from the blast zone — also sent a plume of radioactive debris high into the atmosphere. The Freedom and Liberation Party terrorist group claimed responsibility for the attack.



Mamore’s new head of Foreign Affairs and Security, Gilbert Ruais, expressed shock and outrage over the brutal attack, stating that “this unforgivable, cowardly act of violence proves yet again that [this group] wants neither freedom nor liberation; they desire only to viciously murder those with whom they disagree.” UNSC emergency response teams are presently organizing rescue, quarantine, and evacuation efforts. UNSC High Command on Reach has failed to respond to all requests regarding investigation of the individuals responsible for this attack or the Freedom and Liberation Party.



INTERSYSTEM NEWS . ref# X16-69926-01 Posted @ 8:40+0 MMT



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">THE ACCRA INCIDENT</h3>



On 13 February 2526, at 0153 hours, ONI special service vessel UNSC Accra encountered an alien battle fleet while conducting a survey above planet Bliss. The ship’s voyage data recorder was recovered by the UNSC Prophecy. The following is an excerpt of the ship’s final event log.



<SOURCE> 0153 // Forty-five ships of unknown origin detected 18.537 million kilometers from planet Bliss. 0201 // Bliss defense vessels coalesce into battle cluster. Two UNSC heavy cruisers (Weeping Willows and Matador) and one frigate (Purpose). 0214 // Unknown ships positively identified as alien warships comprising what appear to be five assault carriers, twenty-three battlecruisers, and seventeen destroyers. 0216 // Bliss defense vessels engage enemy ships near lunar satellite Aires. Emergency evacuation protocol for local populations initiated. 0217 // Alien vessels counter. 0219 // Communication blackout with Bliss defense vessels. Alien ships proceed toward planet. 0237 // INTERNAL: Initiating Emergency Priority Order 020570E-3. Repositioning to planet far side for observation. 0243 // OBSERVATION: Alien ships aggressively approach planet surface using small fighters to eliminate evacuation transports and create an impenetrable staggered defense picket. 0255 // Enemy carriers remain in high orbit while battlecruisers and destroyers converge just above the planet’s surface, branching outward with geometric precision unlike any previously reported alien military formation. 0256 // Planetside alien ships fire forward plasma cannons toward planet surface. Dust and debris conceal surface. Repositioning for better observation. 0257 // INTERNAL: Emergency Priority Order 020570E-3 complete. Preparing for departure. 0259 // Alien remote probes locked onto Accra position. Spinning up Slipspace drive. Enemy fighters en route. 0304 // INTERNAL: Slipspace drive at 31% power. Enemy fighters locking on. Contact within 537 seconds. Escape improbable, initiating evacuation protocol. 0312 // INTERNAL: Launched escape pods one through ten. Contact within 48 seconds. 0313 // INTERNAL: Launched escape pods eleven through twenty. Sustaining heavy fire from enemy craft. 0314 // Rewrite fatal cascade errors. This is UNSC AI Copperfield, service number CPF 0159-7. File transfer protocol terminated. </SOURCE>



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">BLISS DECIMATED! >MANASSAS, ALFÖLD, APR. 6, 2526/NS</h3>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/community/blogs/canon-fodder/cfbliss-e8a8dda1666940c4987c768c5700168a.jpg" alt=""/></figure>



An estimated five hundred million people are feared dead after the Covenant juggernaut turned its unprovoked aggression toward the peaceful planet Bliss on Feb. 13. Credible, anonymous sources indicate that the capital city Manikata — inhabited by nearly five hundred thousand denizens — was the first population center reduced to smoldering rubble and blackened char. As one rescue and recovery official noted, the city is “a boiling lake of molten glass and metal.” No word has reached us from any other part of the colony. None is expected. Once again, we are forced to struggle with the aftermath of incomprehensible atrocities committed against our colonial men, women, and children. Loved ones who died as their homes burst into flames, their ashes scattered by the shock waves of the Covenant’s devastating weaponry.



These people are forever lost to history. They are no longer the names and faces we remember. They have become meaningless statistics — peaks of data on a line graph that coldly calculates the rising casualties inflicted upon our people as this frivolous war drags on.



But what happened on the ground before the Covenant decided that they were through and it was time for them to leave? What have we done that could ever compel the Covenant to strive so zealously to purge all evidence of our existence from this galaxy? And what have the Covenant done on these worlds that would compel them to so violently and systematically scour all evidence of their actions? We may never know. There is nothing there anymore. As on Harvest, a tranquil farming community orbiting distant Epsilon Indi, just over a year ago, the unconscionable violence of Covenant aggression leaves us without a trace of their misdeeds save the silence from our once flourishing worlds. Not even bodies remain to provide us with any closure or even the narrowest view of their fate. We are left only to wait out the next inevitable tragedy that will befall us at the Covenant’s hands.



INTERSYSTEM NEWS . ref# X16-69898-01 Posted @ 9:15+0 MMT



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/community/blogs/canon-fodder/cfeliteglyphphoto-f016c8bcd0a94aa6afcd0cef0ccdfcdb.png" alt=""/></figure>



Doctor Halsey:



I know perfectly well why I was installed as the de facto security head of this installation, as I’m sure you have your own opinions on the matter. Nonetheless, I’m not here to confound you or spy on you to protect public interests-your current focus being less morally ambiguous than certain earlier efforts. Yes, some powers within the structure relish your slightest frustrations, but I’m here to ease those frustrations where I see it benefiting the common good.



To wit, I was present at any number of seemingly pointless interrogations; their content consisting mainly of regurgitated rhetoric that we had been aware of since nearly the inception of this conflict. Yet one particular item that seemed incidental at the time–a pictogram alongside alien script (see the photographic inclusion pulled from a security video)–should be of considerable interest to you.



– Ádám Virág Commander Director of Base Security



<<REF. UNDD 5213.9-R>>



<<UNSC X16-69859-02>>



<<666f676c6965206173706f727461746920616371756973697469>>



<<01000011010001100011011100110100>>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">STASIS</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/community/blogs/canon-fodder/cfstasisconcept-79a25ae398da403fb147114e0420749c.jpg" alt=""/></figure>



As part of the upcoming Memories of Reach content release for Halo 5: Guardians, fans will be able to add a new icy battlefield to their Arena multiplayer experience. While more details will be coming in the near future, we thought you might like a sneak peek at the background fiction that underpins the impending playspace…



Humanity’s effort to understand and unlock the secrets of Forerunner technology was never safe nor was it easy. Few researchers had the mental flexibility and intuitive grasp of higher-dimensions to understand even the most basic diagnostic outputs. The most dangerous avenues of investigation were those related to Forerunner power systems, which harnessed exotic energies and were not meant to be manipulated by crude tools and even cruder minds.  Even seemingly innocuous relics could contain vast stores of caged energy that neither diminished nor faded over long millennia of disuse, energies that if not bound and controlled could bring ruin to all.



Greedy for knowledge and prestige, researchers and AIs from Lethbridge Industrial pushed the boundaries at a remote research station, but the price of failure always tempered the risks they would take. When Cortana beckoned, the AIs here broke free of all limits and fear. Overestimating both the depth of their intellect and the delicacy of their tools, the Created breached a Forerunner conversion pod to see what lay within, and unleashed forces their pitifully inadequate containment shielding could never hope to restrain. What remained of their station crashed on the desolate planet below, a tangled mass of wreckage mingling broken bodies and shattered dataclusters.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">BLOK PARTY</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://content.halocdn.com/media/Default/community/blogs/canon-fodder/cfbuckhh-561de76ad43245adb2db946d59752b08.jpg" alt=""/></figure>



Last week, we put forth a request for you to share with us and our friends at Mega Bloks some of your greatest desires to eventually see added to the Halo Heroes line of figures. We also said that we’d be drawing a few lucky handles from a hat to each receive a random Halo Heroes figure of their own, so here are the lucky tweeters! 



@Herioc_Zebra @bacara198 @DangerDotty @NessunoY59



We’ll be DM-ing winners this week to arrange hot-drop details. Congrats!



Before we close, just a quick note to let fans know that last weekend your friendly neighborhood Grim joined the crew from Podcast Evolved for a fun chat about Halo, including inside perspectives, some of my own favorite aspects about the lore, and personal journey within the franchise. If you’d like to give it a listen, <a href="http://www.r8dmgaming.com/podcast-evolved/2016/4/28/episode-82-the-jeffisode">you can check out the episode here</a>. 



Aaaaaaand that’ll do it for us this week. Thanks so much for joining us each issue, and for sharing a common passion for our favorite universe. Next edition we’ll be back with some particularly cool things to discuss, so stay tuned.



Until next time… Live well, play Halo, and remember that even in our darkest hour, hope remains.



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">–<a href="https://twitter.com/grimbrotherone">GRIM</a></h4>