Halo 4 Guide

Halo 4 is the eight games in the Halo series, and it begins with a new trilogy all together, known as The Reclaimer Trilogy (Halo 4, Halo 5 and Halo 6).

This post will help you navigate through the game a bit more easily (if you’re new), and if you’re a veteran Halo player you could always help by adding a few of your own thoughts and guides in the comments section. Also don’t miss our complete review of Halo 4.

Halo 4 Main Menu

  • Terms, Characters to be familiar with.
  •  Spartan Hub Walkthrough
    • Carrier > Specialization
    • Customization
    • Settings & Files  > How to use File Browser
  • Campaign:
    • Skulls
    • Achievements
  • Halo 4 Infinity :
    •  War Games (Tips)
    •  Spartan Ops : How is it different from Campaign
    •  How to use Forge.
  • Weapons & Vehicles

Terms/ Characters you should be familiar with while playing Halo 4:

  • UNSC:  United Nations Space Command as Wikipedia defines it: “ It is the military, exploratory, and scientific agency of the Unified Earth Government”
  • Master Chief: John -117 or Master Chief had a tough life, at the age of 6 he was taken away from his home and replaced by a duplicate who died shortly after, Master Chief is the guy responsible to save everybody, the good guy. And yes, you’ll be playing him in the game.
  • Cortana: the UNSC AI who helps you get around levels and briefs you on certain missions.
  • UNSC Infinity: It is the largest and most powerful ship deployed by Earth
  • The Covenant: The enemy alien race you don’t like.
  • Prometheans: Enemy alien race too, they’re worse.

Spartan Hub Walkthrough

Spartan Hub is the center of the Halo Universe; you chose your weapons, your suit armor and other such customizations from here using Spartan Points (which you gain whenever you level up)

Carrier > Specialization :

The Specializations are a  perk-based system for Halo 4. There is a total of 8 specializations, 2 of them out with the launch, the rest being unlockable later. (Unless you purchase the limited edition in which all 8 are unlocked)

Each specialization offers a unique 10 levels of unlocks, including armor, weapon skins, visors, and, at the 10th level, a unique game changing perk.

If you want to check out more about the specializations. IGN has a neat Wiki about it.

Customization:

  • Custom Loadouts:  In this you can change your loadouts on the fly, by keeping a particular set of armour, weapons (both primary and secondary), grenades and armour ability, such as Jet Pack and tactical package such as Mobility, Firepower and finally even support upgrade such as awareness, sensor, ammo etc.
  • Spartan Armour customization: In this you can change your entire body armour, including the helmet, torso, shoulders, forearms, legs and your visor. You can again, purchase these using Spartan Points and customize them in various color mixes and make choices as suitable to you. There are various types of customization options available in all the above mentioned categories.
  • Spartan ID: In this you have the options to change your ‘service tag’, emblem, emblem colors, stance and your gender (Again through using Spartan Points).

How to use File Browser

File browser allows you to save gameplays from Warzone to your Xbox Console which you can edit using theatre. You can also take screenshot, share files with your friends to showcase what you are doing. Read our detailed guide on this here.

Halo 4 File Browser Screenshot

Campaign

What are Skulls:

Started during Halo 2, Skulls are hidden objects that change, gameplay. Once collected, skulls can be activated or deactivated in the lobby. However with Halo 4, you don’t find skulls as they’re always available and you toggle them on or off in the main menu.

The only things collectable in Halo 4 are – Terminals. There are in all 7 terminals hidden throughout the campaign mode in Halo 4. Unlocking a terminal will unlock a video on Halo Waypoint, which is an external app you can download from XBLA.

The following skulls are present in Halo 4 according to various Wiki’s and 343 Industries:

  • Famine – Weapons drop much less ammo.
  • Tilt – Enemy resistances and weaknesses are increased.
  • Mythic – Enemies have increased health.
  • Catch – Enemies like grenades.
  • Black Eye – Shields don’t recharge easily.
  • Tough Luck – Enemies always go berserk.
  • Iron – Restart full mission on death.
  • Thunderstorm – Major upgrade to the capabilities of enemies.
  • Cloud – Motion sensor is disabled.
  • Cowbell – Acceleration from explosions is increased.
  • IWHBYD – Rare combat dialogue becomes more common.
  • Grunt Birthday Party – Headshot a Grunt, BOOM!
  • Blind – The HUD and the first person arms and weapon are hidden.

Level wise Achievements:

You get one achievement for completing every level. Apart from that there are few more as below

  • Dawn: Finding and accessing Master Chief’s records.
  • Requiem: Getting significant air in the Warthog (possible only at 12 AM though)
  • Forerunner: If you can carry a UNSC weapon throughout the level on a difficulty of ‘Heroic’ or harder.
  • Infinity: If you don’t let any of your army die throughout the level on a difficulty of ‘Heroic’ or harder.
  • Reclaimer: If you can hijack the covenant vehicle and use it to kill at least four enemies level on a difficulty of ‘Heroic’ or harder.
  • Shutdown: If you force a Mgalekgolo from the covenant army to “fall into his demise”
  • Composer:  If you take out both the Mgalekgolo’s using the Sticky Detonator.
  • Midnight:   Killing three crawlers in one hit using the gravity hammer.

Halo 4 Infinity:

Spartan Ops :

It is a story-centric multiplayer campaign for four players available in Halo 4. Spartan Ops consists of 5 episodes; one of them is released every week. Currently there are 3 of them out.

The first Spartan Ops was out on 6th November, 2012, second on the 12th of November 22, 2012, third on the 19th November 22, 2012.

How is it different from Campaign Mode :

The way it is different from campaign mode is that these are not single player maps and aren’t a part of the main storyline, but more like an extension to the existing one (in the campaign) and as mentioned above, you get your hands on one every week for 5 weeks.

Forge

Forge is a game mode originally released in Halo 3 to allow players to customise, save, and share maps for Custom Games. Maps altered in Forge are called as map variants where alterations include the modification of spawn points, game type objective points among many other things.

In addition to functioning as map editor, Forge is also a game-play space. Up to 8 people can be on a given map at a time, shifting back and forth between their chosen multiplayer model. A variety of Forge-specific settings can be altered by the party leader while in the Forge Lobby.

Halo 4 Forge

Forge in Halo 4 underwent some changes as compared to previous changes (includes addition and removal of features as per 343 Industries) and includes 3 maps instead of 1 like the previous version (which you can customise, obviously)

  • Objects become highlighted when selected
  • “Magnet” system has been introduced
  • “Lock” feature is now present
  • Duplicate feature
  • Three new Forge World maps
  • Addition of new objects as well as older ones returning
  • Increased budget to 1,000,000
  • Dynamic lighting
  • Trait zones
  • Setting a theme for a map
  • No undo feature will be present
  • No weather settings

The Maps are as listed below:

  1. Erosion: Map’s environment includes a cave and three distinct areas. One houses an arena, other houses a rocky terrain and the last one, a large skybox over a lake.
  2. Impact: Map’s environment is located in space based around UNSC, a great atmosphere and a skybox, including a belt of asteroids and the UNSC base.
  3. Ravine: Map’s environment is hilly terrain, over the sea. Quite similar to the map in Halo: Reach.

Weapons & Vehicles you should be familiar with:

 Weapons

  • UNSC Assault Rifle
  • UNSC Battle Rifle
  • UNSC DMR
  • UNSC Rocket Launcher
  • Covenant Plasma Pilot
  • Covenant Needler
  • Convenant Storm Rifle
  • Prometheans Lightrifle
  • Prometheans Suppressor

Vehicles :

  • UNSC Warthhog: The Warthog is a vehicle used in Halo and is one of the fastest vehicles in the game.
  • UNSC Mammoth: The largest vehicle in Halo 4 and there’s a whole mission surrounding it.
  • Convenant Ghost: The T-23 is a single scouted vehicle fitted with 2 plasma cannons and excellent flexibility and mobility.

I do have a Xbox, it's a standard 250GB one, no Kinect (yet) but I've pretty much been a gamer all my life, first started of with a used Nintendo Gameboy went from that to the Gameboy Advanced and finally the first PlayStation, followed by a PlayStation 2. Never found the PlayStation 3 quite interesting, loved the controller of Xbox :)