Armor effects

Armor effects are a special customizable option in the Armory in Halo: Reach, and for Halo: Reach and Halo 4 for The Master Chief Collection. Armor effects are visible in all gametypes, though they are not displayed in cutscenes.

On November 16, 2020, when Season 4: Reclaimer was released in Halo: The Master Chief Collection, it made them available to use on the Elites. In June 23, 2021, with the release of Season 7: Elite, these effects were added into Halo 4 as a new customization option.

Death Effects

The following effect occurs when the player is killed.

Birthday Party

“

Your death is softened by a joyful noise. And confetti.

”

• Effect: When a player dies, confetti explodes out from their body and a clip of children cheering will play. The effect is seemingly identical to the Grunt Birthday Party skull, which was first seen in Halo 2 without the cheering. The cheering sound effect would come later in Halo 3, Halo: Reach, and all subsequent games.
• Trivia: The clip of sound is a sample from Viva Piñata for Xbox 360.

Effect	Unlock (Halo: Reach)	Unlock (Halo: Reach MCC)	Unlock (Halo 4 MCC)
Birthday Party	200,000 cR	Season 1 Tier 25, 1	Season 7 Tier 71, 1

Living Effects

The following effect is continuously visible as long as the player is alive.

Legendary (Flaming Helmet)

“

Flames ensconce the skulls of the loyal.

”

• Effect: Flames similar to those from Bungie Armor burn around the player's head.

Effect	Unlock (Halo: Reach)	Unlock (Halo: Reach MCC)	Unlock (Halo 4 MCC)
Legendary (Red Flaming Helmet)	0 cR - Included with the Legendary Edition of Halo: Reach.	Season 1 Tier 83, 1	Season 7 Tier 84, 1

Eternal

“

Burn bright; burn blue.

”

• Effect: Similar to Flaming Helmet, but with blue flames instead of orange.

Effect	Unlock (Halo: Reach)	Unlock (Halo: Reach MCC)	Unlock (Halo 4 MCC)
Eternal (Blue Flaming Helmet)	0 cR- Formerly only available to Bungie employees, required e-mail verification through Bungie.net. Available until 7/7/11.	Season 1 Tier 100, 1	Season 7 Tier 100, 1

Living/Death Effects

The following effects are continuously visible as long as the player is alive, with a secondary effect when the player is killed.

Heart Attack

“

Upon expiry, flying hearts mark your demise.

”

• Effect: Every few seconds, a heart floats out of the player's body and disappears. When a player dies, several flying hearts will appear around the body of the player.
• Trivia: The hearts are actually based on a temporary effect used by Bungie effects artist Steve Scott for debugging. The effect is also seen in the "Dancing Marty" Easter egg in Halo 3: ODST.
• Note: This armor effect has the potential to kill enemies in both firefight and matchmaking according to the Bungie.net heatmaps.

Effect	Unlock (Halo: Reach)	Unlock (Halo: Reach MCC)	Unlock (Halo 4 MCC)
Heart Attack	300,000 cR	Season 1 Tier 65, 1	Season 7 Tier 62, 1

Pestilence

“

Foul brown clouds stink and swirl around steel.

”

• Effect: Bugs and a cloud of green flows around the player. When hit, instead of blood, the player bleeds a green liquid similar to the pus-like fluid which is seen when shooting Flood forms. Upon the player's death, he/she explodes in a manner similar to a Flood carrier form. Occasionally the cloud will be red instead of green.

Effect	Unlock (Halo: Reach)	Unlock (Halo: Reach MCC)	Unlock (Halo 4 MCC)
Pestilence	1,000,000 cR	Season 1 Tier 52, 1	Season 7 Tier 25, 1

Inclement Weather

“

High voltage, indeed.

”

• Effect: Electricity and thunderclouds swirl around the player's body. Upon the player's death, a bolt of lightning strikes its body.
• Trivia: This Armor effect's name is possibly a reference to Cortana's comment on Halo's climate as heard on Halo: Combat Evolved campaign level Assault on the Control Room; "Interesting... the weather patterns here seem natural, not artificial. I wonder if the ring's environment systems are malfunctioning... or if the designers wanted the installation to have inclement weather."

Effect	Unlock (Halo: Reach)	Unlock (Halo: Reach MCC)	Unlock (Halo 4 MCC)
Inclement Weather	2,000,000 cR	Season 1 Tier 79, 1	Season 7 Tier 43, 1