Copied from Halo Waypoint:

“Looking for the details of the December Halo: Reach Matchmaking playlist update? Here are the specifics, in one handy-dandy bulleted list:

• Team Objective, Squad Slayer and Multi Team updated to TU settings.

TU game types are our standard Reach Matchmaking settings with the Title Update changes. Those changes are: damage bleed enabled, modified reticle bloom, sword block removed, Armor Lock modified, and Active Camo modified.

• TU Beta updated to be ZB Slayer.

The Beta category is a place where we can develop and experiment with new playlists, game types, options, and settings. So you can expect this category to stick around and be updated regularly with different experiences.

• Zero Bloom secondary weapon updated to be an Assault Rifle rather than a Pistol.

• Premium Battle removed.

We’ve adjusted the Matchmaking algorithm to match players who have DLC with other players who have DLC more often than in the past. We’ve also upped the weighting for DLC in our playlists so that you’ll see the DLC in your voting options more frequently. Also, remember that all of the Anniversary maps have been added to the majority of the playlists. The combination of these things means that you’re going to be able to enjoy your premium DLC in Matchmaking much more often than ever before.

If you would like to continue playing the game types and maps featured in this particular playlist after December’s Matchmaking update goes live, here’s a handy-dandy cheat sheet to get you started on replicating that experience.

Slayer – Visit Team Slayer, Squad Slayer, and Big Team Battle, where DLC has been weighted to show up frequently.
Objective – Visit Team Objective and Big Team Battle, where DLC has been weighted to show up frequently.
Invasion – Visit the Invasion playlist, where Invasion Breakpoint has been set to show up frequently in slot one.

• BTB voting options updated so that a developer-created map will always show up in slot one. We also rearranged and reweighted voting options (including new DLC).

• Team Slayer voting options updated so that a developer-created map will always show up in slot one. We also rearranged and reweighted voting options (including new DLC).

• Pistol tweaked to return to pre-TU behavior in TU game types.

There was a slight variance between the damage output of the DRM and the Pistol. To bring them closer, we tweaked the Pistol to do slightly less damage in the TU game types. Four shots to the body and one to the head will kill the player now, as will seven to the body. The one small difference is that where four body shots would pop your shields previously, it will not now. That’s okay, though, as shield pop means significantly less in TU game types because damage bleed is active. In other words, a fifth headshot will still result in a kill.

• MLG and Grifball playlists updated.”

End Copy/Paste

Now with this all revealed, I’m not sure how to take it. I played today in multiteam, team slayer, team objective, double team and Anniversary Squad. Earlier in the day the changes seemed to be fine. Maybe it was in part whom I was gaming with. As I gamed into the night with other friends, the playlists seemed to be a little more difficult in some ways.

Before I go further on the specific changes let me remark on what the possible outcomes could be to these changes.

1) The pull back in gamers who left Reach because it wasn’t enough like previous Halo titles

2) It further divides gamers, those that left previously still stay away, some that remained also now leave making Reach’s gamer population take even more of a hit

3) Not much changes population wise, just gamers to. Some come back to Reach, some leave Reach. So it appears then that the update did little

It remains to be seen what effect the changes will have as it’s only the first day of them. I heard complaints and congrats on both sides. I’m in the middle so far and will continue to play. Though I may once again have to change my play style.

Now onto more specifics.

Team Objective, Squad Slayer and Multiteam having TU settings. Hmm, not really liking the changes to Objective. Multiteam seems to have gotten better though as I can kill quicker. I do not play much squad slayer so no comments there.

TU Beta becomes ZB Slayer. Um, ok, again didn’t play this much and likely won’t play it much due to the changes.

Zero Bloom weapons is now AR instead of Magnum. Well that’s ok. The ZB magnum is a powerful weapon. It’s more accurate without bloom and it shoots VERY quick, so I can see people taking advantage of that. (I did to a degree in the TU Beta playlist). So the AR takes it’s place. Meh.

Premium Battle removed….WHAT! This one I’m perturbed about. I LOVED playing Premium Battle. Now there is NO 6V6 playlist. Man this stinks. Very often I have enough friends to play Premium and we rolled in it. I’m not a fan of BTB so this was a great alternative. Now that it’s gone, I’m going to be severely limited in playlists I’ll participate in.

Since Team Slayer has those wretched fan-made maps (most I think are garbage with a couple of exceptions-those being Trident and Wayont). I know that with the update more DLC maps will be in and weighted more to show up and also the first slot to vote on will always be a developer map. Still though, there are TOO MANY  fan made maps. I believe 343 needs to make a Fan Made playlist. Then I can avoid those maps altogether. I want professionally designed and tested maps.

Lastly the daily credit cap has been raised. To what amount 343 does not say. As an Inheritor credits mean nothing to me anymore. I still do the daily challenges for fun though. Still, I will all the credits I’ve earned since getting 100% armory completion would be able to be spent on something. I’ve got over 19.5 million credits and nothing to do with them. I along with many were hoping for a secondary armory when Halo Anniversary came out, to no avail.

Bringing it back to the update. As it stands now, it’s just the first day. Halo Waypoint is alight with threads about the changes and MANY of them are negative about it.