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What do you think about a game variant in multiplayer where you could choose to be any one of several Halo characters (Brutes, Elites, Spartans, Flood, Promethean Knights or Hunters)? I am not sure what I think about it at this point, but I wanted to put it out there and see what other folks in the community think about this. I would not want every variant to have this, just a specific game variant. You would be able to customize each of the characters similar to the way we customize the Spartan armor, loadouts, specialties, etc. What do you think?

Imagine the UNSC unlocks Forerunner secrets related to the Flood/Prometheans, and works on creating a next gen Spartan. I am not saying we would play as this next gen, we would still be master chief. These next gens would perhaps eventually become the enemy as they could (possibly) be controlled by the Hive Mind? Anyway, in my mind there would be several cast off hybrids that would escape and be part of the larger Flood threat, but more to the point, The next gen soldiers would have specific Armor Abilities. If you can think of some Flood-based armor abilities, share them here. Here are a few I have thought of, and I will share more as I think of them: Flood Sense: With this ability you would have enhanced audio reception, which could come in handy where Promethean vision can not detect Flood Strength: Enhanced strength with heavy items (moving/lifting/throwing), meles, etc. Flood Jump: Just as it says. Flood Regen: Able to heal more quickly from damage, or revive dead players (who were not head shot or blown to dust). This is kind of a take off from Battlefield med packs and defibrillator. Med packs help damaged players heal faster, and a player carrying the defibrillator can revive dead of unconscious players. Share some of your thoughts/ideas! Crim

Hey guys, i was just wondering if anybody is as much in love with the halo universe as i am. To be more specific the Forerunner saga. I've already read the first two of the Forerunner books and would love to just discuss it with people who have also read the books and are as much looking forward to the third and last of the Forerunner series. I really want to discuss the conversation the Didact had with the primordial towards the end of the second book. Talk about how awesome ancient humans must have been during the Forunner-Human War. Talk about how you guys feel about their 'Religion', so to speak, of upholding the mantle and of being the guardians of all life. That and everything else that makes Forerunners an amazing fictional race. Seems as if we could actually learn a lot form this fictional culture. And to Bungie and 343 for making/continuing such an awesome universe. Hopefully 343 that this will not be the last we hear of the Forerunner, I want to read more books regarding their culture, maybe even everyday life for a Forerunner. Maybe even some small conflicts that the forerunner had to overcome in their long years.

The map is inspired by the Mount Doom mission from Lord of the Rings: Conquest, of course with more than a few differences to help improve the map's flow to better fit Halo 4's pace. Set in Orbit, the map would have a heavy Human/Promethean theme being a human installation designed around this Forerunner Foundry which is still running after this entire time. The point of the map is to add a new flavor to Halo 4 Multiplayer it doesn't have just yet. I've studied the layout extensively and I believe I can remake it... in theory. I don't have Halo 4 right now so I can't experiment really. Here's a with some gameplay on this mission. The question I'm asking you guys, is can it be done?

Hey guys, as this is my first topic, i'll be brief how about in halo 5 you could fight more prometheans: 1) Knights that hover in the air and carry a weapon similiar to the sentinel beam 2) Promethean spiders that hold 2 boltshots. 3) Watchers that are tougher and hold a binary rifle Any other ideas are welcome

This has been around my mind for a while so I decided to share it here. It would be like normal Invasion (capture territories, destroy targets etc.) BUT, one major difference is that you play as ANY character of the side you are. For example, if you are on the Human side, you would randomly spawn as a low-ranked marine, an advanced marine with more armor, maybe ODST, and Spartan. And for the Covenant, grunt, jackal, elite etc. Or maybe even Prometheans would be awesome too! Imagine an Invasion match: Human vs Covenant vs Prometheans vs Flood! That would be incredible for us to see/play! Like the Humans defending their base form the Covenant and the Flood trying to sabotage or kill everyone, while Prometheans try to stop them! Now for the balancing part, players have 1~3 loadouts to choose, depending on their rank. I know that the only problem is the game balance, the gametype would work well, I believe. Post your thoughts or your ideas

So we all know now we find promethean weapons and prometheans before that point in the game. So did they just create that just for E3?

Is it just me or is every Promethean/forerunner weapon overpowered ? There is a weapon kinda like a sniper that fires 2 shots and each one can kill in one shot. Plus there's another Promethean weapon that requires you to charge it up and fire a blast that is way too strong and can get one shot kills from across the map, especially in Ragnarok . It's ridiculous and sch a game breaker , i actually quit playing for a while yesterday from one shot kills coming from my enemy side one after the other . The light rifle ( pic related also feels over powered I was killing enemy's left right and center with still clips left in the gun and getting kills with only 2/3 head shots. Health also seems a little too short for a halo game. I have an over-shield but it might as well not be there .It's already disappeared from 3 shots on a DMR. Other than that 343 done a great job.And the game is awesome. But i think some weapons need nerfing ASAP

Thought it would be fun to create a happenstance battle between the Covenant and Prometheans and see what people think and how it would play out. It's an all out brawl, and whoever is left standing wins. Covenant: 1 Elite Field Marshall - Fuel Rod Gun, Duel Energy Swords, master of evading and CQC. Instructs the entire Covenant side. Has an overshield and Active Camo. Extremely difficult to deal with. 2 Elite Zealots - 1 with a Fuel Rod Gun, 1 with a Plasma Turrent. Both have Energy Swords for backup. Know how to evade efficiently and know great CQC. Hard to take down. 4 Elite SpecOps - All equipped with Carbines and Plasma Rifles with 2 Plasma Grenades. All know simple evading techniques. All have Active Camo (invisible to Promethean Vision). Much weaker than Zealots. 3 Elite Rangers - Jetpacks. 1 Has a Focus Rifle, the other 2 have Carbines. All have Plasma Repeater backup. Stronger than SpecOps. Known to act as Marksmen/Scouts that report back to the Marshall. 1 Hunter - Obviously equipped with it's mounted/modified Fuel Rod Mortar. Slow, but extremely powerful. 1 blow to a Knight demolishes it. 6 Jackals - 2 of which have Beam Rifles and are positioned in the distance, the other 4 have Hardlight Shields, Carbines, and Plasma Pistols. Very accurate. 6 Skirmishers - Extremely agile, evasive, and smart. Equipped with Carbines and Needlers. Personal Hardlight Shields adorned on forearms and legs for controlled damage intake. 2 of them have Focus Rifles. 10 Grunts - Plasma Grenades, Needlers, and Plasma Pistols. Weak in health, but provide excellent cover fire in groups. Start to panic if their respectful Elite gets killed. Suicide-grunt if necessary. 20 Drones (Bugs) - Very annoying and persistent. Only carry Plasma Pistol, but are great distractions for higher-ranked comrades to take their best shots. Also are very invasive and agile since they can fly very erratically. Weakest of the team. Prometheans: 5 Knight Lancers - 2 have Scattershots, the other 3 have Light Rifles. All have Supressor as backup. Know how to Teleport and use Promethean Vision. Each have 1 Pulse Grenade. Can be resurrected by Watchers if given enough time. 1 Knight Battlewagon - Much slower than the Lancers, but brutally powerful. It dual wields an Incineration Cannon and a Supressor. 2 Pulse Grenades. Basically works like a Hunter, but can still Teleport. 6 Watchers - 1 for each Knight. They catch grenades and throw them back, can supply shields for Knights, and can resurrect Knights if given enough time (let's say 10 minutes). Wield Supressor if proximity is too close. 15 Crawlers - All over the place. Use Boltshots (uncharged) from far away and close up. Very agile, but also pretty weak. Known to overwhelm the opponent with their numbers. 3 Alpha Crawlers - Lead the other Crawlers and determine their positioning, formation, strategies, etc. Each control a squadron of 5 Crawlers. Equipped with Supressors and Boltshots (charged). Stronger and smarter than regular Crawlers. As for the arena, this fight would take place on a landscape almost exactly the same as Valhalla/Ragnarok; plenty of hills, rocks, trees, and uneven terrain. No vehicles included. As far as their strength/health/shields go, imagine Legendary difficulty in Campaign. This battle is obviously non-canonical. Just play it as you see it. Although the Covenant are still highly advanced, I gave them higher numbers since the Prometheans are much more advanced and strategic. but all-in-all, I believe this could be a very compelling fight. Now what I'd like from you is what you think would happen. The more detailed and "play-by-play", the better. GET CREATIVE I'm hoping to see some great ideas.

Take a Look at the New Promethean Weapons Trailer (With a Twist) Bravo has come out with another one of his wacky quick worded weapons trailer videos. He does a great job at telling you absolutely everything happening in the video while you also get to see the weapons in action. Note there is some swear words, but they are :bleeped out: Here is the video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PU8n0Eashoo&list=UUq7AJTe2LVeTN_vanfZ5bkw&index=5&feature=plcp Video by BravoMLG It took me a while to get this one up for some reason, but here it is. Just wanted to shed some humor on our beloved Halo. Tell me what you think and like if you thought it was entertaining.

Was watching the Forward Unto Dawn episode 1 and in the beginning when master chief is in cryo out of the window, you can see the blue light of requiem shining over the horizon but then there is a red flash. What could that red flash be or what could it foreshadow. Do you think the Infinity crew are going to meet the prometheans in Forward Unto Dawn. It would be awesome to see what they would look like!

I think this video has been posted before but it was about the Other half of this video But anyway what do you guys think of the incineration cannon It's a bit like the rail gun in how it only has a 1 bullet Mag

Hey guys, I am a little confused about 343's approach to the new enemies. We have been shown 3 new enemies (Promethean Knights, Promethean Crawlers and Promethean watchers). Are Promethean Knights as to Forerunners as Elites are Covenant? The Knights, crawlers and watchers are all obviously a warrior class of the Forerunners. However we have always been led to believe that the Forerunners are a highly advanced and powerful race (something which is evident in the trailers thus far). They are also supposed to highly intelligent, do you think we will encounter ACTUAL forerunners, as in the the higher ranking and more powerful individuals like the Holy Ones, The Ancients of the Creators? Just as we encountered the Prophets from Halo 2, though significantly more bad ass. I don't know about you but I will be very disappointed if the entire game is spent exploring a new world, battling the foot soldiers of the Forerunner race. I hope it is as epic as they say. Anyway please let me know what you think!

Halo 4 at New York Comic-Con. Details from 343i Below: Frankie is currently on tour (with stops planned for Germany, France, UK, and Spain), Josh is getting ready to go to the land down under (no, that was not an inappropriate joke), and a handful of us are packing our bags for New York (HaloGAF, I’m looking at you). Yes, we are busy, but we wouldn’t have it any other way. We have both a panel and a floor experience planned for New York Comic Con. We’ll tell you more about the latter soon, but those assuming the booth will provide a fresh experience would not be incorrect. As far as the former goes, details are as follows. Saturday, October 13, 4:00 pm -5:00 pm Halo 4: The Master Chief Returns and Multiplayer goes to Infinity On November 6th, the Master Chief will return after 5 years lost in space to find a dangerous new Halo universe and tons of surprises in Halo 4. Get an up-to-the-minute status report on this new beginning for Halo and the exciting plans for the competitive multiplayer of War Games and the revolutionary continued storytelling and adventure of Spartan Ops, the brand new game mode that will continue the story of Halo 4 for months after you finish Master Chief’s campaign. Don’t miss this opportunity to get hands-on with Halo 4, and stay tuned for more details as the event gets closer.

NEW HALO 4 PROMETHEAN WEAPONS VIDOC! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=15Ksq4dvLuk&feature=g-all-u In other news the Halo Bulletin was released today, Here's what 343 has to say has to say about the weapons: *Lots more info coming soon!* Chris King (Lead Sandbox Designer), David Ellis (Spartan Ops Designer), and Christopher Blohm (Senior Sandbox Designer), along with Josh Holmes, Alyson Szymanski, Humberto Castaneda, Jeremy Patenaude, Brad Welch, Vic DeLeon, Paul Featherstone, Ali Zandi, Bill Clark, Kynan Pearson, Robert Pearsall, Chase Thompson, Jayce Diaz, Annie Wright, Leonard Holman, Sam Wolpert, and Tom Mathews joined me to share their thoughts about this particular subset of weapons. The Forerunners utilize the following base weapons: BOLTSHOT DESIGNATION: Z-110 Directed Energy Pistol/Exotic MANUFACTURER: Unknown/Forerunner Origin MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 10 Forerunner particle dilator used for both its precision at mid-range and its burst functionality when up close. David - It’s taken a while for me to completely wrap my head around all the combat options the Boltshot provides, but I think I’m finally there. In fact, for non-vehicle maps it’s pretty much my go-to secondary weapon at this moment in time. Timing the bolt blast effectively sets the average player apart from someone who will gladly wreck your face with a pistol. The animations in particular help to set this weapon apart as a beast. The first time you pick it up, your Spartan’s entire arm convulses as if you’re not sure if your Mjolnir will be able to contain all the energy packed into this tiny weapon of destruction. Chris B. - This is a fascinating secondary weapon. With two fire modes, it gives you options… and we all need options. I rate it slightly under the Magnum when firing normally. The beauty comes when you figure in the charged shotgun-like blast. For players who enjoy the corner fight or lurk-about it can be a killer. Also on some maps, like Adrift, it can be used to great effect. I should say great effect in the right hands. It takes some skill and time to get a feel for the optimum range and the timing, but it is extremely satisfying to disintegrate a hard charging enemy that dismisses your pistol. Chris K. - This gun has a bit of a learning curve on it but once you figure it out, it’s a ton of fun. It features two firing modes (similar to a Plasma Pistol). The primary firing mode does headshots and fires extremely fast. However, it doesn’t have a scope and each individual shot is relatively weak. This makes it a great option for playing cleanup on enemies up close. The secondary firing mode is where things get really interesting. If you hold the trigger down, four flaps on the gun flip open and it does a powerful charge shot that functions like a shotgun blast. The blast is extremely powerful but it is also hard to pull off as you will need to learn the timing as you can’t hold the trigger down indefinitely (much like the Railgun, it will eventually auto-fire). It’s also only effective at extremely close ranges. I think of all the Forerunner weapons, this one has the coolest animations of the bunch (and that’s saying something, as they are all pretty cool). The reload and charge-up animations are totally rad! Paul (Assistant Director of Photography) - The Boltshot has become my go-to sidearm in MP because of the double functionality of the charge blast. Nailing someone coming around the corner with a one-shot kill is always satisfying. Sam (Software Development Engineer) - I love the Boltshot because of its secondary fire mode. It's the ultimate risk/reward trade-off: you have to start charging at exactly the right time or the blast will fire before your enemy is at point-blank range. Get your timing right, though, and this handy little Forerunner pistol will send your opponents straight to deathcam with a single shot. Unleashing the Boltshot on an unsuspecting player coming around a corner is immensely satisfying. It's also a great weapon to pair with weapons that are more effective at longer ranges, like the BR, DMR, and LightRifle. Charging opponents wielding short-range weapons got you down? Don't worry, a couple of encounters with your trusty Boltshot will make them think twice about coming near you, making it that much easier to pick them off with a series of well-aimed headshots from your rifle of choice. SUPPRESSOR DESIGNATION: Z-130 Directed Energy Automatic Weapon MANUFACTURER: Unknown/Forerunner Origin MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 48 Fully automatic Forerunner infantry weapon, firing bolts of hard light in rapidly accelerating succession. Chris B. - People say “spray and pray”. I say, in the right situations, feather the trigger and dance on the corpses. On tight maps, one of my favorite loadouts is the Firepower package with a DMR and Suppressor (DMR for the heavy lifting and the Suppressor for the CQB and cleaning up). Mid-range combat with a Suppressor, just say no. Seriously. David - At first glance, the Suppressor might seem like a less accurate cousin to the AR, and you might not be entirely wrong in that initial assessment. However, this Forerunner SMG has a special place in my heart as it just plain shreds enemy Knights at close quarters. As Chris said, this weapon should only be used at closer ranges, but if you’re smart about positioning your Spartan relative to sightlines and geo, you will be rewarded. Chris K. - If you like close-quarters combat in tight spaces, this is the gun for you! Individual shots are relatively weak, but it more than makes up for it with sheer brute force. It features an enormous clip (48 bullets) and the fastest firing rate of any of the fully-auto primary weapons (roughly 150% faster firing than the AR or Storm Rifle). The projectiles slow down over time so to be effective, you really need to use it like an SMG, although you can still psychologically overwhelm enemies at range with a barrage of projectiles. I find myself always rolling with the Suppressor on Adrift as the tight hallways really favor the strengths of the gun. It’s oh-so-satisfying to have someone come around a corner and be able to unload half a clip into them before they even realize what hit them. Alyson (Producer) - The suppressor has slowly won me over and become my favorite Promethean weapon. It feels good, sounds good, and breaking a Knight’s shield just before finishing him off or the popping death of a Watcher is a satisfying kill. Annie (Editor) - There are players who operate like armored ninjas with guns: Swift, precise and most of all stealthy. This gun is not for those people. This gun is for players like me, whose strategy (if I can be said to have one) is more along the lines of “Expect to die, shoot anything that moves, and try to take as many of those moving things with me when I go”. I’ve always preferred closer combat to long-range attacks, and the Suppressor allows me to get fairly near and still cover a pretty decent area without sacrificing too much in the way of power. Combine with the Ammo Upgrade to put your carrying capacity over the top and Shield Package to make up for lack of cover if you want to experiment with the Suppressor on larger maps, and you’re in pretty decent shape! Brad (Lead Designer) - At very close range, the Suppressor lays down the smack far more quickly than either the AR or Storm Rifle. It's a great weapon in maps such as Adrift where you have plenty of cover and corners. If you play the ambush game or use cover to quickly close distance, you can be devastating with it. The Suppressor's effective range drops off quickly, so you don't want to get caught in the open or a long hallway with it. Pair that sucker with some form of precision weaponry - a Magnum or use the Firepower Tactical Package to get a second precision primary. SCATTERSHOT DESIGNATION: Z-180 Close Combat Rifle/Asymmetric Engagement Mitigator MANUFACTURER: Unknown/Forerunner Origin MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 5 Close-combat weapon with a deadly blast at short-range and a versatile ricochet effect against hard surfaces. David - The Scattershot is a perfect example of the combined efforts of the sandbox designer plus the animation, art, and sound teams really creating a showpiece weapon. I think it’s been mentioned before, but the Scattershot (in its current incarnation) helped the team for a cohesive vision about the Forerunner weapons in general. Much like the UNSC shotgun, it’s absolutely satisfying to blast away foe after foe in close quarter encounters. Word of warning though: Because of the lightshow ignited with every trigger pull, this weapon is more difficult to conceal than its human-themed counterpart. Chris B. - Not your Dad’s UNSC Shotgun. It’s not as straight of a beast as the raw power of the human tech, but it gives you a little more tactical flexibility. I find its range slightly extended from that of the a shotgun and occasionally will try to bank shots with the higher ROF of the Scattershot. Plus… disintegration. Chris K. - By now, I’m sure most people are pretty familiar with this one. It’s a Forerunner shotgun, with ricocheting bullets that allow for really interesting tactics in tight spaces. Oh, and if you blast a guy up close, you get that totally sweet Forerunner incineration effect. This gun is definitely in my top three favorite power weapons. The FX, the animations, and it’s just so satisfying to fire. If you use it correctly, you can go on an absolute terror. One pro-tip – I see some people try to use this from longer distances than they should. Don’t be fooled by the projectiles; this weapon is lethal up close but you won’t have much luck starting a dual against a DMR player 100’ away. Vic (Lead Mission Artist) - I love the Scattershot because it’s so much freaking fun to use. I can’t compare it to any other weapon. You can aim for your target like most weapons, which is no doubt how you will fire it for the first time like I did, but once I understood the projectiles and how they ricochet off hard surfaces (the non-meat-made surfaces), I started using it more strategically – aiming at floors, walls and ceilings. I’ve been able to bounce shots off corners and nail players, taking out shields then going in for the death blow. (It’s true, I have been known to shriek wildly when I get one of these in a game). Josh (Creative Director) - The Scattershot is what would happen if a shotgun and a roman candle made deadly babies. Essentially a futuristic shotgun that explodes with the heat of a miniature sun, the Scattershot will disintegrate anyone that takes the full brunt of its attack. As an added bonus, you can bounce projectiles off surfaces, making bank shot kills utterly possible. Kynan (Lead Multiplayer Level Design) - I like the Scattershot because Brrrrauwwww… Brrrrauwwww… Brrrrauwwww… Brrrrauwwww… Brrrrauwwww!! LIGHTRIFLE DESIGNATION: Z-250 Directed Energy Engagement Weapon MANUFACTURER: Unknown/Forerunner Origin MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 36 Precision weapon that uses particle acceleration to fire beams of hard light for mid-range to long-range combat. David - Best of both worlds, master of subtlety, these are terms that I just wrote to describe the LightRifle. Neither quite captures the complexity of this piece of kit. I find both firing modes are a tiny bit less forgiving than the DMR and BR, but definitely put in the time to master the subtle idiosyncrasies of the LR. Your efforts will be rewarded. Chris B. - Of the rifle class, the LR offers a bit more tactical options for the player (I’m sensing a theme here). It gives you the best of the BR and the DMR, depending on if you are scoped. Don’t be thrown off by the distinctive sound or the scope; use it to its strengths in all encounters, and you will be happy. Chris K. - The LightRifle is a long-range semi-auto precision rifle. It features a 3x zoom, hitscan projectiles that do headshots, but, most importantly, it features two firing modes. The best way to think of it is a hybrid of the BR and DMR. When firing from the hip, it fires in three-round bursts, similar to a BR. Once the player zooms however, the gun switches over to a more powerful firing mode and combines the normal three projectiles into a singular shot. When zoomed, the LightRifle can kill a Spartan in four shots (w/headshot). That being said, there are still tradeoffs here that make it balanced in line with the other semi-auto weapons. It fires slightly slower when zoomed, and it’s just a smidge less viable from the hip versus the other stuff. Overall, this is a formidable weapon and has developed a cult following internally at 343. Josh (Creative Director) - The Light Rifle provides the ultimate in versatility when it comes to a mid-to-long range precision weapon. In many ways, it's a combination of the BR and DMR. It's a little slower to transition into zoom compared to the BR and DMR, and you give up some additional situational awareness, but the sound alone is enough to strike fear into the heart of your opponent. BINARY RIFLE DESIGNATION: Z-750 Special Application Sniper Rifle MANUFACTURER: Unknown/Forerunner Origin MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 2 Extreme-range sniper rifle, designed to take down even heavily armored infantry with a single shot. David - Poo-inducing. That’s how I describe the gut-clenching terror shuddering through my body every time I see the telltale laser sight of the Binary Rifle projecting across the map. Unlike other sniper rifles, this beastly harbinger of death is a one-hit kill rifle. ONE HIT. It’s a pretty rare ordnance drop and in Matchmaking, it doesn’t carry much ammo. But if you see the HUD marker announcing its arrival on the battlefield, RUN. Either towards the Binary Rifle in a mad, Hunger Games-like scramble, or away as fast as possible in the hopes that person wielding this weapon has difficulties tracking targets over extreme distances. Chris B. - Boss. That’s really it (This gun rules. It has a hefty tell, but when your enemies are nothing more than carbon blowing away on the wind, why do you care?). Chris K. - This gun is absolutely devastating! When someone manages to get one of these in MP, it’s a game changer. At its core, it’s a Forerunner sniper rifle. Unlike the other sniper weapons in the game, you don’t necessarily have to get a headshot though to score a kill. If you hit a Spartan anywhere, they will quickly incinerate from the point of impact in a spectacular fashion. That being said, there are some significant tradeoffs in using this weapon. For starters, it has a clip size of two, meaning you will need to reload more often than you will with the other sniper rifles. In addition, it is extremely inaccurate when shooting from the hip (think shotgun-sized firing cone, meaning you shouldn’t expect to have much luck no-scoping unless you are in someone’s face). And finally, when scoped, several laser sights on the gun are enabled that act as a tell to opposing players (think a more in-your-face version of the Splaser tell). I love the way this gun instantly changes the dynamic in MP, though. When someone gets one and scopes it and you see the lasers aiming towards you, it’s time to stop what you are doing and get to cover pronto! Humberto (Producer) - I absolutely love disintegrating enemies with the Binary Rifle, which is essentially the Forerunner sniper weapon. Watch out for Crawlers peeking out with that ominous red light, though. All they need is an instant and then… ZAP! Total protonic reversal. Josh (Creative Director) - Like the name implies, the Binary Rifle is a one-shot instakill when you hit anywhere on your opponent's body. Nothing is more satisfying than zooming in and nailing an opponent from across the map, and watching as they are immediately incinerated from the point of impact. Chase (Audio) - I love watching someone derez after a headshot with the Binary Rifle. That weapon just feels so dangerous and powerful, and sounds so huge that I can’t resist picking it up every time I see one! Jeremy (Franchise Writer) - This weapon is no friggin’ joke. Last week, we were playing Regicide on an unannounced map, which is a large symmetrical map that fans will unquestionably dig – evergreen, plenty hilly, and Forerunnerlicious. Generally speaking, you don’t play Regicide on maps this large, but we were doing it, and it was AWESOME. At any rate, I had been trading the King spot with one other player the entire match, and it looked like he was going to pull away with it because time was running out and he had just climbed into a vehicle that is a straight-up death dealer. He was about to square-off against three other players who were rushing him with small arms (not sure what they were thinking). They didn’t have a chance, it was a certain win for him... until an ordnance drop fell from the sky: The Binary Rifle! I raced to it, drew it up and fired on two of the other players, instantly turning them into ash. I reloaded, fired on the third for another instant kill, and then fired on my nemesis to secure the victory. And his -Yoink!- exploded into a million pieces. Such a crazy ending to such a crazy match. Jayce (Spartan Ops Designer) - The Binary Rifle, or Bi-Ri as it’s affectionately called, is my favorite Promethean weapon hands-down. It’s incredibly powerful in the right hands (or wrong hands, if you’ve come up against a Knight Ranger). The trade-off here is the two-shot ammo capacity, but two shots are all you really need. If you’re good, an Elite will go down in one hit, while a Knight typically takes two. Just don’t miss. Ali (Systems Designer) - The Binary Rifle is a great way to spear through multiple Spartans with one shot. It’s quite interesting because it will give away your position when you are zoomed in as a counter balance to its lethality. You can also try to use it like a shotgun, which is quite BAUS! Robert (Test) - Lift the Binary Rifle to your eye, double zoom-in on a Promethean Knight, reticle between his eyes and pull the trigger to feel the WHUMP of the energy leave the weapon as he derezzes. Kynan (Lead Multiplayer Level Design) - The Binary Rifle is my favorite Halo power weapon ever. It’s like Christmas every time you pick it up. A one-hit kill no matter where you hit an enemy. It’s sooo good when you just barely clip someone’s foot and then watch as they fragment into thousands of angry burning embers. I also love that even though it’s incredibly powerful, when someone is zoomed in and looking to take a shot, you can see a laser leading to everything they are looking at. Points you right to where they are. INCINERATION CANNON DESIGNATION: Weapon/Anti-Materiel Z-390 High-Explosive Munitions Rifle MANUFACTURER: Unknown/Forerunner Origin MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 1 Powerful shoulder-mounted weapon that launches highly charged particles at a target with explosive results. David - I love watching someone use the Incineration cannon for the first time, as it often ends in hilarity and self-immolation. The submunitions offer a new wrinkle to the concept of the traditional “rocket launcher” weapon class. You definitely want to make sure you keep your distance from your intended target in as many situations as possible, but I try to use the particular personality of this weapon to my advantage. Enemy camping around the corner? Well, fire your main shot as close as possible and watch the submuntions bounce and explode right on top of your unsuspecting foe. Campaign pro tip: Beware the Incinerator-wielding Knight Commanders. They are deadly. You cannot outgun them so you’re required to outthink them. Chris B. - Devastating, and at times fickle. The main round is slightly less deadly than the UNSC Rocket Launcher but also MIRVs into four submunitions. These subs can catch the people that try to jump the main round, as they can bounce out and hit people on the edge of the area-of-effect that survived the main, and they can break your heart occasionally by missing entirely. With great power comes great heartbreak (or something like that). It’s a fun weapon to use in all cases, especially against vehicles and groups of enemies. Try shooting it at a low ceiling above an enemy sometime. Chris K. - This is another Forerunner Weapon that has the ability to incinerate opponents. This can lead to especially impressive multi-kills given the large area-of-effect/submunitions. Not too long ago, I was able to kill four enemies with one shot, and watching them all dissolve in front of me was about as satisfying as it gets. Another cool moment I witnessed with this one involved a teammate firing it near a speeding Warthog with three enemy passengers, all of which were killed and starting dissolving while seated in the ‘Hog. Rad! Worth noting here, this weapon has an especially long reload time; you have to reload between every shot, and the projectile itself is fairly slow. This means you really need to connect with your shot, or you will be at a disadvantage to your opponents. Bill (Software Development Engineer) - My favorite weapon is the Incineration Cannon. Even just the initial warhead is punchy and powerful. When you add in the chaos of the submunitions flying around, it’s a recipe for mayhem and destruction. The fact that whoever you just wrecked is dissolving into a million glowy bits is the icing on the cake. The awesome reloading effects as you prepare for another shot is the cherry on top. Leonard (UI Engineer) - You just gotta love the Incineration Cannon; it’s like a Rocket Launcher that spawns baby Promethean bombs. It’s a pain in the ass when your enemy has one aimed at you since you know you’ll likely turn into Promethean fairy dust. However, when the tables are turned and you’ve got one of these bad boys slung on your shoulder, you know whoever you see next is pretty much dead. Another cool thing about this gun is, if the initial hit doesn’t kill, the splash damage will likely finish what your aim couldn’t, plus it will likely take out anyone or anything near it! The only real drawbacks are the reload speed and that you’ll likely shoot your eye out if you’re not careful... splash damage works both ways. Sam (Software Development Engineer) - Apparently, the Forerunners don't mess around when it comes to blowing stuff up. The Incineration Cannon is probably my favorite weapon in the game. It's like the Rocket Launcher, if the Rocket Launcher fired an oscillating cluster of energy that disintegrated any unfortunate soul it came into contact with. Rockets explode on impact; on impact, the projectile fired by the Incineration Cannon divides into *more* packets of energy that *also* disintegrate anyone unlucky enough to be in the way. Explosions are awesome. Fountains of disintegration are awesomer. Tom (Software Development Engineer) - This thing is a beast. If you see it pop up on your HUD, get ready with your grenades as you close distance because there’s going to be another few Spartans making a beeline for it. Once you have this beauty in your hands, aim carefully because you have to reload after each shot. But it’s so very, very worth it: the gentle pull of the trigger sends out a number of projectiles weaving towards your foe. Upon impact, these projectiles then blossom out from the initial detonation into a cascade of secondary explosions. Nothing feels better than slamming a fresh round into the cannon while watching three or four of your enemies disintegrate into electronic dust. PULSE GRENADE DESIGNATION: Z-040 Attenuation Field Generator/Localized MANUFACTURER: Unknown/Forerunner Origin MAGAZINE CAPACITY: N/A A field-effect-generating attenuation device used to overload both simple and complex power networks, forcing them temporarily offline. David - The Pulse Grenade is an odd beast. It’s extremely powerful in the right hands, but it requires you to use it differently from other Halo grenades. I find it be most useful as an anti-vehicle or area-ofdenial weapon. Chris B. - The Pulse Grenade adds a lot to the dynamic of the battlefield. It does constant damage for the life of the sphere, but you should be most concerned about the blast when the sphere forms and when it collapses. Since it doesn’t bounce, you can place it accurately. Try throwing at a person’s feet for a huge hit on their shields, or throw it behind them and force them back into it. Or, if you need to run for your life, throw it down and go. Enemies rarely will charge through it, and the screen shake can throw off that final killing shot. Remember, you only get one with a normal loadout, but it can change the battlefield, so don’t shy away from its use. Chris K. - Functionally, this is somewhat similar to the Halo 3 Power Drain. It’s a bit different from the other grenades in that it doesn’t bounce off surfaces; instead it will stick to the ground/walls and then pop out and detonate a split-second later. This means you can be a bit more precise with it than you can with the frag or sticky ‘nades. It also makes for some interesting ambush options when you consider the bounce (for example, toss it above the ceiling in front of a door way to surprise someone before they run through). It’s great for area-of-denial and is a favorite of mine for objective-based MP modes. As mentioned above, one significant tradeoff with the Pulse Grenade is that you only get one grenade by default in MP (two w/the Grenadier Armor Mod). And that wraps up today’s feature about Forerunner weapons. Stick around, though, because I still have lots to talk about. And “lots” is an understatement. View full article

From here until Halo 4 comes out I am going to complete the entire Halo series on co-op! Starting with Halo CEA, You must have a microphone and be at least 14. This is gonna go on Youtube so don't act stupid, Act Funny! To enter you must: Be 13 or older Have a microphone Be willing to be on Youtube Agree to Microsofts Content Usage Rules Have Halo CEA and/or Halo 3 To enter Send me a message on Xbox Live GT: A 4Runner Tank Recording starts every other day at 6pm up until Halo 4 releases on November 6

New Halo 4 Vidoc "Making of Halo 4: Return of the Forerunners" Tons of new gameplay! Check it out below! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL8QP6hSU9A&feature=player_embedded http://blogs.halo.xbox.com/Headlines/post/2012/09/12/The-Halo-Bulletin-91212.aspx Here we have the old Promethean designs: https://waypointprod.blob.core.windows.net/blogfilestore/storage/blogs/headlines/2012/9/12/knightconceptart.jpg

Here is a screen shot of what is supposedly called the "Incinerator Cannon" it appears this will be the Promethean/Forerunner Equivalent to the Human Rocket Launcher. Credits to Mysterion from Halo waypoint. Im guessing that this weapon maybe the same weapon that was leaked a number of weeks or months ago below but it does have differences maybe its a different all together. View full article

In this weeks bulletin it shows two new weapons called Boltshot and Suppressor Boltshot shown with the Tracker Specialization although this is possibly the UNSC/Promethean? side arm The Suppressor Shown (Promethean Weapon) View full article

So according to the new article by Gameranx The Fuel Rod seems to have a new look similar to the style of the 'STORM' The Binary Rifle looks pretty cool and really looks like it could be a Promethean version of the Sniper Rifle "Halo 4's Fuel Rod looks a lot like the one featured in Halo Reach, but comes with a load of neon blue lights and a black finish instead of the tan and gray color scheme of the one in Halo Reach." "Promethean Sniper Rifle, which—if the leaker is to be believed—called the Binary Rifle." View full article

This theory is based on research done using halo.wikia.com. So the theory is based on fan contributed information and may have some flaws, but hopefully not. First, the theory is assuming that Didact (http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Didact) is the villain for Halo 4 as his symbol is shown in the most recent E3 2012 trailers. Didact is a forerunner of the promethean class, which is a Warrior-Servant class. Didact has a hybrid personality because he downloaded his memories and personality into a young forerunner nambed Bornstellar (http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Bornstellar_Makes_Eternal_Lasting). Didact hates humans although Bornstellar has some empathy towards them. Part of the reason for Didact's hate is the Human-Forerunner war which was a human-san 'shyuum (Prophets) alliance vs forerunners (http://halo.wikia.com/wiki/Human-Forerunner_war). Humans, back in 110,000BC, had equaled forerunner technology by adapting Precurser technology, which is also where forerunner tech comes from. Precursors were "god-like" beings pre-dating forerunners and humans. a side story that the new trilogy may focus on. Didact most notably fought well in the human-forerunner war and the flood-forerunner. He was against building the Halo Arrays and imprisoned in a Cryptom for his beliefs. Bornstellar was the one who found him and then was downloaded with his memories during their subsequent journeys together. But, back to the theory. If Didact hates humans and was the reason for human technology being wiped out post war (and the de-evolution of the species), then the reappearance of humans near requiem would have to piss him off. On Didact as a promethean, prometheans were supposedly around 4 meters tall and as a warrior, Didact would be able to crush a human skull with one blow. the promethean AI's shown in the E3 trailers are basically sentinal type of machines. They are supposed to engage and eradicate any foreign beings that get near or on requiem. They are supposed to be blue, but the fact that they are red suggests corruption or guidance by an evil entity, ala Didact. Didact was supposed to have died in the Halo Array release by the forerunners, which wiped out their race of beings. But its alluded that Didact survived somewhere, ala Requiem. So the theory goes that Didact managed to learn of and then hide on Requiem, which shielded him from the effects of the Halo activation. Thousands of years later (prometheans lived for thousands of years, unsure of how time has affected him physically) he sees the re-emergance of humans and covenant. If this rogue covenant faction is being led by a prophet, then that would also add to Didact's mood as he fought against the Syn'Shyuum as well. My theory is that the sentinals will not be the only enemy on Halo 4. The level shown on the gameplay trailer already tells you how to beat them and seems to be the 2nd level of the game. If all you do is fight covenant and promethean sentinels then the gameplay should be fairly easy. I would theorize that Requiem was the "safe place" Didact told the Librarian (his wife) could go to when the halo arrays were activated. This being said, what was it a safe place for during that time? He had to have told others about it and possibly escaped with other prometheans or even other beings who have been living there for thousands of years. Also, the fact that the previous Halo games hypothesized that humans or Master Chief could be a decendent of forerunners makes for an interesting story arch. If Master Chief is a decendent of forerunners, wouldn't he be a promethean as well? This calls for Didact to try to recruit Master Chief to his side and fight humans and covenant alike and retake the "Mantle" left by the Precursors. Just a theory.