In less than a week, we’ll once again be packing our bags for even more warmer weather. As we mentioned just after E3, we’ll be spending our Fourth of July weekend at this year’s Rooster Teeth Expo (RTX), an annual pilgrimage/celebration of all things Rooster Teeth that we look forward to each summer. We have a bunch of fun stuff planned for those of you who will be joining us on the show floor, as well as those of you who will be participating in the festivities via panel live streams and at-home-on-the-couch Twitter scrolling. Here are some of the things we’ll have going on next weekend!
Swing by the booth!
If you’ll be on the show floor, be sure to swing by the Halo booth and say hello! After saying hi, you’ll have an opportunity to pick up some super-limited-edition swag, wearables, and more from our store. But that’s not all!
HFFL: Well crap. I wonder what the limited edition swag will be. I hope it’s something I can pass on. I’d ask if someone can pick me some of that swag, but I don’t know who all is going. One thing I absolutely abhor is when people pick this stuff up and then scalp it on eBay. (that is to say, sell it for high profit) Much of that swag is free. So while others scalp that kind of stuff, it’s just something I won’t do. If I got it for free, I should give it away FOR FREE. Maybe that’s just me though…
Halo: The Master Chief Collection Campaign Demo
We’ve got exclusive behind-closed-doors demos of Halo: The Master Chief Collection going all weekend. This will be your first chance to see Campaign gameplay, UI, and more. To get an exclusive look, be sure to arrive early each day and hop in line!
Play-a-Pro
This year, with the anniversary of Halo 2 filling everyone’s hearts with love and fond memories, we’ve decided to bring a truly old school competition to the show floor.
We’re hauling some giant, heavy CRT TVs, original Xbox consoles, several “Duke” controllers and other sundry treats for the First and Only Official Fourth of July 2014 Classic Halo Play-a-Pro Competition (we probably need to come up with a better name for it…any suggestions?). Be sure to get in line early for a chance to play one of 343’s skilled Halo champions on a classic throwback setup and win fortune and glory. We’ll also have freeplay during the event, so if you’re just itching to play a Lockout 2 vs. 2 with your friends, you can, because we like you.
The unboxing (or was this re-boxing?!) of ancient relics that will soon be heading down to RTX.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection Panel
If you find yourself with an extra hour on Saturday, July 5 from 12-1 p.m. CT, we’d love for you to join us for an exclusive look at the development of Halo: The Master Chief Collection. Designers and devs from 343 and Certain Affinity will be discussing the design and vision of the project, with original Halo 2 development stories from lead Halo 2 multiplayer designer/Certain Affinity president Max Hoberman. We may even have a few surprises in store. Whether you’ll be in the room with us, watching on Twitch, or listening from the hallway with your ear against the wall, we can’t wait for you to join us. We’ll have more specifics and Twitch details next week.
If you can’t make it to the show, we’ll have plenty of updates, giveaways, and more on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and right here on Waypoint. Stay tuned for updates!
HFFL: Looks like I’ll be tuned into Twitch at that time. Hopefully they’ll also release a vid on YouTube for this panel.
Halo: The Master Chief Collection RTX Panel
July 5, 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM CT
Main Hall, Austin Convention Center
Watch Live: http://RTXevent.com/RTXLive/
Halo: The Master Chief Collection Pre-Order Skulls
We know many of you are itching for pre-order bonus details, and Halo: The Master Chief Collection has a variety of pre-order Skulls (game modifiers that dynamically affect campaign gameplay) available at various retailers. Below, you’ll find the latest for US pre-orders. If you’re outside of the US, check with your local retailer in your region for available pre-order offers.
| Skull Name | Description | US Pre-Order Location |
| Bandana | Unlimited ammo and grenades | Gamestop |
| Grunt Funeral | Grunts will explode after their death | Best Buy* |
| Piñata | Enemies will drop plasma grenade with every melee | Amazon |
*US Best Buy pre-orders will also receive a Prima Games Multiplayer Map Guide.
By pre-ordering at one of the above locations, you’ll gain exclusive access to the corresponding Skull, so choose wisely! After a certain period of time, the Skulls will become unlocked for all players.
HFFL: YES! That’s the news I was hoping to hear. As I’ve reported not to long ago, those skull will become available in December. With only a month between exclusivity and free access, I don’t really have to consider who I’m going to pre-order from. Given the Prima Guide bonus with Best Buy, it looks like that is where I’ll be getting mine.
We’ll have lots more juicy info on Halo: The Master Chief Collection (including more info on pre-order Skulls) in the near future. Stay tuned!
Halo: Escalation #7
This week, Halo: Escalation 7 – “The Fall of New Phoenix” – drops into your local comic shops and online! Here’s an intro to the issue:
Eight months ago, an attack on Earth left seven million dead, including the family of Spartan Gabriel Thorne. Today the city has been opened from quarantine, and Thorne is going home to see what’s left and what it has to do with the Master Chief.
HFFL: I reported on this yesterday. Of the seven issues released thus far, this is my least favorite of them. No action, plain and simple.
This issue is written by our very own Brian Reed, and the cover art done by our very own Sparth. We got an exclusive peek at some of the early line art used while pulling the story together. Check it out below:
HFFL: Hmm, perhaps I should hold a ‘Color Me This’ contest for this?
Matchmaking Playlist Calendar Update
We’ve got some new Halo 4 Matchmaking playlists on the way this summer! Check out our newly updated calendar below, which can always be found here.
HFFL: Alright! I like this new color choice. MUCH easier to read. About the choices for the rotational playlist:
DLC is active right now. So for all of you who may have voiced concern over not being able to play on these maps even though you purchased them, NOW is your chance!
Team Oddball – SWEET! I always enjoy this game type. If you still need to work on the commendations for Oddball, this would be a great time to do it.
Big Team Swat – Oy, this will be Fun? Frustrating? A Cluster…? All of the previous? I’ll kindly stay away from this one.
Community Forge Race – Now this could be a lot of fun or stink. Hopefully the maps chosen will have really been scrutinized for gameplay AND aesthetic. I’ll play in this for sure.
Extraction – This game type can be fun at times. Without commendations attached to it, you know you’re going into it for the fun of it. I may play a little of this one.
In the event that you’re viewing this Bulletin on a tiny screen, we’ve also listed the game types and their featured time periods below:
July 7 – July 21: Team Oddball
July 21 – August 4: Big Team SWAT
August 4 – August 18: Community Forge Race
August 18 – September 1: Extraction
We’ll have more details for each of the above playlists as their start dates get closer! We hope you’re looking forward to the return of some favorites, as well as brand new playlists, such as Community Forge Race. If you’re aware of some great tracks that are compatible with Halo 4’s Race game type, shoot ‘em over to me on Twitter!
Silentium Beckons
Starting at 9:00 PST on Monday, June 30, due to routine maintenance, several features on Waypoint may be unavailable including stats, file share, and other features. Do not despair! We expect this downtime should only last about two hours and we’ll be sure to update you once we’re back in fighting shape.
Thanks for your patience and understanding. If you have friends who don’t frequent Waypoint or read the Bulletin (gasp!), be sure to let them know!
Screenshot Spotlight: LightRifle
Two weeks ago, we turned the spotlight on the Ghost. Take a gander at the following LightRifle screenshots, and maybe even find inspiration to make your own.
HFFL: Of this gallery, I like ‘Theron’s Prowl’ by Spexil and especially like ‘Snapdragon’ by topsniper707. The Forerunner armor and color choice looks great with the light rifle.
For your chance at being in the next spotlight, take a screenshot that features a Rocket Launcher and then tag it with “Rocket” and “Halo Waypoint,” and maybe, just maybe, yours will be featured in the next Halo Bulletin!
HFFL: Rolls eye…will I ever submit a screenshot for the spotlight?
And with that, this week’s Bulletin comes to a close.
Until next week,
Bravo
-Sal
I too am happy about the skulls only limited for a month. However, I am still not happy about how 343 handled the DLC maps. 343 is acting like they’re treating us good and that they’re “listening” to us with the addition of DLC to the playlists but the problem is that its only some of the DLC (4v4 maps only since its Team DLC). Its quite obvious that 343 could just make a permanent DLC playlist but they don’t want to probably because they’re scared of losing players in other playlists which is disappointing considering we paid for the DLC and we can rarely play it. Not only that but the thing that irks me the most is that some of the achievements are STILL glitched for some people like me. 343 even acknowledged this before (https://forums.halowaypoint.com/yaf_postst236154_Halo-4-Achievement-Issues.aspx) but they still haven’t fixed this because I tried getting some of the easy ones in the DLC playlist such as “Clever Girl” and I know I fulfilled the requirements (Kill 5 enemies when Active Camo is on? EASY) but it still haven’t popped. Very disappointing. -rant over-
Oh, I’m totally with you about there being a permanent DLC playlist. There are certain playlists that I feel should be merged and a couple that should just be gone. One in particular, ‘Proving Ground’. Yes, I know that’s the only one for would-be-pros. However, in the past couple of months, I’ve not seen more than 120 people in that playlist at PEAK hours, let alone slow hours. Those slow hours, that playlist is dreadful. I’ve been on it when there have been 8 people. Yes EIGHT. That’s only enough for ONE game’s worth of people. If you’re the ninth person to come to the playlist, you could be waiting for a LONG time to get in a match. Personally, I want an all inclusive Team Objective playlist. That would include CTF, KotH, Oddball, Dominion, Team Regicide and Extraction. There are many commendations attached to some of those. Try getting those now. CTF is the only one that is easy to get. The rest are hell to try and get. I’m glad I got those out of the way before 343 messed around with the playlists.