Armor customization (Halo 3)

This article is about the armor customization in Halo 3. For other games, see armor customizations.

A player using a mix of armor sets in Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

Armor customization in Halo 3 allows players to customize their Spartan and Elite player model with a variety of armor pieces available to players. The feature is an improvement of Halo 2's player customization feature, and the first in the series to allow players to change the physical model of their character beyond species and colour selection.

Overview

Artwork by Isaac Hannaford revealing the existence of Recon, long before the armor was officially announced.

Halo 3 features a number of armor selections for both Spartan and Elite player characters, unlocked primarily by accomplishing feats within the campaign, Matchmaking and earning achievements. It was first hinted at during the Halo 3 Beta, with the limited-access featuring the ability for players to customise their armour colouration and emblem - though no ability to customise armour permutations. Hidden in the Beta's files were strings referencing the in-development names for the multiplayer armours, with some modders able to figure out the existence of a potential armour customisation system ahead of the official release.

The system was initially unveiled in the July 2007 issue of GamePro, featuring a handful of images of the EVA and CQB armor sets alongside the standard Mark VI, though was noted by Bungie to not be the full set of armor available in game. Bungie later officially announced the inclusion of Elite armor variants, and on Bungie Day 2007 officially unveiled the CQB and EVA permutations' visuals and lore. A piece of art illustrated by Isaac Hannaford released at the same time additionally revealed the existence of the Recon armor, though the armor was not specifically called out by Bungie or given any attention until later.

In total, there are 17 armor sets included in Halo 3, 12 of which for the SPARTAN-II character model and 5 for the Elite character model. These armor permutations are organized into three categories: Helmet, Chest and Shoulder. There are a total of 30 color options to use with these armor permutations. Certain armor permutations can only be unlocked by completing the game on certain difficulties, accumulating certain Gamerscore, or by obtaining certain multiplayer-specific achievements. Some, such as Recon or the exclusive Bungie Armor, have more esoteric unlock requirements, and can only be granted under certain conditions. Additionally, some Spartan armor sets only contain a helmet piece or chest piece, with no other associated armor selections.

Halo 3 unlock requirements

Note: The below unlock requirements only apply to the original Halo 3 game on Xbox 360 or via Xbox One backward compatibility. In The Master Chief Collection, all armors from Legacy Halo 3 are unlocked by default for all players - including the Bungie armor.

Spartan armor

Spartan armor
Armor	Helmet	Chest	Shoulders
Mark VI	Unlocked by default	Unlocked by default	Unlocked by default
CQB	Unlocked by default	Unlocked by default	Unlocked by default
EVA	Complete the entire Halo 3 campaign on Normal difficulty or higher (Campaign Complete: Normal)	Beat Tsavo Highway on Normal difficulty or higher (The Road)	Beat The Ark on Normal difficulty or higher (Refuge)
EOD	Complete the entire Halo 3 campaign on Legendary difficulty (Campaign Complete: Legendary)	Beat Tsavo Highway on Legendary difficulty	Beat The Ark on Legendary difficulty
HAYABUSA	Collect all 13 skulls	Collect 5 skulls	Collect 9 skulls
Scout	Unlock the Used Car Salesman achievement	Unlock the Too Close to the Sun achievement	Unlock the Mongoose Mowdown achievement
Recon	Be granted the Recon armour by Bungie (2007-2009) Complete all Vidmaster Challenges in Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST (September 2009-March 2012) Unlocked for all Halo 3 players in two waves by 343 Industries (No longer attainable for new accounts)
Security	Get 1,000	N/A	Get 750
ODST	Reach the rank of Private in multiplayer (Spartan Graduate)	N/A
Mark V	Achieve the rank of Sergeant in multiplayer (UNSC Spartan)	N/A