Armor effects

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

On November 16, 2020, when Series 4: Reclaimer was released for Halo: The Master Chief Collection, it made the effects available for use on Sangheili player models in Reach. On June 23, 2021, with the release of Series 7: Elite, these effects were added into Halo 4 as a new customization option.

Halo Infinite would feature player effects in a major capacity, following their absence in Halo 5: Guardians.

Halo: Reach and Halo 4

Armor effects functioned as passive character model effects, visible to other players in-game. They served no purpose past being aesthetic changes. Certain effects such as Heart Attack, and Pestilence featured specific death effects, which activated as the player died, such as a flurry of hearts floating above the player's place of death. Others, such as Legendary and Eternal were only active as the player remained alive, with no specific death effect associated to them.

Originally, Halo: Reach was the first and only Halo title to feature armor effects in any capacity, with the original releases of Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians forgoing the option. However, in 2021, Halo 4 would be updated to feature Reach's suite of armor effects within The Master Chief Collection. They functioned identically to their Reach counterparts.

Armor effects v • d • e
Kill Effect	Description	Unlock (Halo: Reach)	Unlock (Halo: Reach MCC)	Unlock (Halo 4 MCC)
Legendary	Flames ensconce the skulls of the loyal.	0 cR - Included with the Legendary Edition of Halo: Reach.	Series 1 Tier 83, 1	Series 7 Tier 84, 1
Eternal	Burn bright; burn blue.	0 cR- Formerly only available to Bungie employees, required e-mail verification through Bungie.net. Available until 7/7/11.	Series 1 Tier 100, 1	Series 7 Tier 100, 1
Birthday Party	Your death is softened by a joyful noise. And confetti.	200,000 cR	Series 1 Tier 25, 1	Series 7 Tier 71, 1
Heart Attack	Upon expiry, flying hearts mark your demise.	300,000 cR	Series 1 Tier 65, 1	Series 7 Tier 62, 1
Pestilence	Foul brown clouds stink and swirl around steel.	1,000,000 cR	Series 1 Tier 52, 1	Series 7 Tier 25, 1
Inclement Weather	High voltage, indeed.	2,000,000 cR	Series 1 Tier 79, 1	Series 7 Tier 43, 1

Halo Infinite

Following their absence in Halo 5, and their reintegration into Halo 4, Halo Infinite would feature armor effects in a notably more major capacity. Unlike Reach and Halo 4, which featured armor effects that could be passive, activated on death, or both, Infinite would divide effects into three defined categories: Armor Effects, Mythic Effect Sets, and Kill Effects.

Armor effects act much like they did in prior titles, being passive, aesthetic changes to the player's character model. Unlike Reach and 4, these effects didn't feature any death effects, with their presence being solely limited to when the player is alive.

Mythic effect sets are passive effects that affect the player's character model's actions, such as footsteps, and slides. They can also be activated through the use of certain equipment, which varies by the effect. These can be used in tandem with different armor effects, and aren't defined by them, unlike prior titles.

Kill effects take the place of death effects in prior titles, and are a part of weapon customization. Following the theme of armor and mythic effect sets, kill effects are activated when the player kills another, and unlike prior titles, are defined by the killer's choice of effect.

Armor Effects

Armor effects v • d • e
Armor Effects	Manufacturer	Lore	Rarity	Unlock Requirements
Judgment Mantle	Korolev Heavy Industries	Burning with conviction.	Legendary	Season 01: Heroes of Reach Battle Pass level 85 (Premium)
Judgment Helm	Korolev Heavy Industries	Tempered by flame.	Legendary	Season 01: Heroes of Reach Battle Pass level 97 (Premium)
Neon Hawk	343 Industries	Water runs deep and never fade away. Pals	Epic	Cyber Showdown Event Pass level 10
Neon Screen	343 Industries	The world is synthetic. The emotions are real.	Epic	Cyber Showdown Event Pass level 5
Perfect Circle	Lethbridge Industrial	Don't let the power go to your head.	Epic	Purchase from the Shop for 300 cR

Mythic Effect Set

Mythic Effect Sets v • d • e
Mythic Effect Set	Manufacturer	Lore	Rarity	Unlock Requirements
Enlightened Path	Korolev Heavy Industries	There is no destination in this journey.	Legendary	Purchase "Enlightened Path" Bundle from the Shop for 2,000 cR
Judgement Flame	FOTUS	Leave only ashes in your wake.	Legendary	Season 01: Heroes of Reach Battle Pass level 100 (Premium)
Neon Beat	Lethbridge Industrial	Life is just a lesson. Death is a misperception.	Epic	Purchase "Neon Beat" Bundle from the Shop for 1,000 cR
Perfect Sector	343 Industries	There's a glitch in the simulation.	Epic	Purchase "Perfect Ascension" Bundle from the Shop for 800 cR

Kill Effect

Kill Effects v • d • e
Kill Effect	Manufacturer	Lore	Rarity	Unlock Requirements
Judgement Phoenix	FOTUS	Ready to be reborn.	Legendary	Season 01: Heroes of Reach Battle Pass level 50 (Premium)
Neon End Credits	343 Industries	You can't outrun inevitability. At least, not forever.	Epic	Purchase from the Shop for 600 cR
Enlightened Blossoms	Fractures Samurai	Beauty blooms in adversity.	Legendary	Purchase the "Doom & Bloom" Bundle from the Shop for 700 cR

Trivia

General trivia

• The clip of sound for "Grunt Birthday Party" is an audio sample from Viva Piñata for Xbox 360.
• "Heart Attack" has the potential to kill enemies in both firefight and matchmaking according to the Bungie.net heatmaps.
• The hearts of "Heart Attack" 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.
• The Eternal armor effect was originally exclusive to Bungie employees, before being given out to players who verified their email on Bungie.net in 2011. The "Noble Fire" armor effect seen in Halo Infinite references this, being a blue flaming helmet effect, that is exclusive to 343 Industries employees.

References

• Inclement Weather'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."