Assassination

For the medal, see Assassin.

The Assassination is a gameplay feature that allows player to enter a third-person view while elaborately taking an enemy player down with a close combat weapon, usually a Combat Knife, Energy dagger, Energy Sword, Gravity Hammer, a Ball/Bomb, their hands, knees, legs or feet. Assassinations have been featured in Halo: Reach, Halo 4, and Halo 5: Guardians.

Assassinations are different from the Beat Down medal. A beat down occurs when Player A melees Player B by simply tapping the melee button while behind them, resulting in an instant kill. An assassination occurs when Player A presses and holds the melee button when directly behind Player B. This will also give you the Assassination medal.

Assassinations performed in Halo: Reach multiplayer count towards the Rear Admiral commendation; those performed in Halo 4 multiplayer and Spartan Ops advance the Assassin and Backstab commendations. In Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer, they advance the Assassin commendation and Spartan Company commendation "So Cuddly".

Mechanics

There are four different basic assassination types that are played according to the species of the players and the current situation: If both players are on the ground, if the assassin is in the air and the victim is on the ground, if both players are in the air, and if the assassin and the victim are both on the ground, but the assassin is higher in elevation than the victim.

The specific assassination animation that is used when both players are on the ground is dependent of where the initial melee lands on the victim's body. There are also unique assassinations that can be performed when the player is holding an Energy Sword, Flag, Gravity Hammer, or Ball/Bomb.

Halo: Reach

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Halo Reach is the first Halo game to feature Assassinations. There are over 40 unique assassination animations spread across the Campaign and Multiplayer.

Spartan vs. Spartan

Both players are on the ground

This assassination involves Player A standing on the same surface as Player B. The specific animation that is used varies depending on which part of the back is meleed.

• Initial melee hits the right shoulder of player B: Player B is spun around to face player A. Holding the knife with the blade pointed up in his/her clenched fist, player A "punches" player B in the chest, stabbing him or her.

• Initial melee hits the right side of player B's back: Player B turns to face player A, who raises his/her combat knife and plunges it down on player B's head.

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• Initial melee hits the center of player B's back: Holding the knife with the blade pointed down in his/her fist, player A forcefully stabs player B in the back, and player B is dragged to the side when the knife is removed.

• Initial melee hits the left side of player B's back: Player A spins the knife, stab's player B in the back, then tosses the body off to the side.

Player A is more elevated than player B, but both are on a surface

Player A extends their arm around player B's neck, bending their stomach outward, then stabbing him/her in the gut.

Both players are airborne

Player A melees Player B's back in the air. Player A combines both there hands together in a fist, moves the fist above there head, and delivers a smash on player B's head.

Note: If the assassin is wielding an Energy Sword, the animation will be bugged, which results in a armor morphing glitch, where both players armor permutations will become one.

The assassin is airborne, but the victim is not

Player B is knocked to the ground, face down. Player A steps on his/her back, crouches down, and snaps their neck.

Spartan vs. Elite

Both players are on the ground

This assassination involves Player A standing on the same surface as Player B. The specific animation that is used varies depending on which part of the back is melee'd.

• Initial melee hits the right shoulder of player B: Spartan pounces on the Elite's chest, pushing them both to the ground. While the Elite struggles, the Spartan stabs the Elite in the eye.

• Initial melee hits the right side of player B's back: Spartan hops on the Elite's back, then the Spartan stabs the Elite in the neck. He sinks to his knees, struggling, and the spartan hops off and rips out the knife.

• Initial melee hits the center of player B's back: Spartan slices the Elite's legs, then stabs him in the back on the head, and pulls the Elite to the ground.

• Initial melee hits the left side of player B's back: The same as if the melee hit the right side of the back, but the Spartan snaps the Elite's neck instead of stabbing him.

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Player A is more elevated than player B, but both are on a surface

Spartan caves in the Elite's right foot and stabs him in the top of the head.

Both players are airborne

Spartan goes to the Elite's back, and quickly stabs him in the neck.

The assassin is airborne, but the victim is not

Elite is pushed to the ground. Spartan jumps and lands on the Elite's head, then hops off.

Spartan vs. Grunt

• Initial melee hits the right shoulder: Player grabs the Grunt and breaks its neck.

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• Initial melee hits the left shoulder: Player grabs the Grunt and stabs it in the head.

Spartan vs. Brute

• Player pushes the Brute down, then stabs it in the back. This assassination is unique in the sense that Brutes can only be assassinated if they have not yet noticed the specific player at any time during their lifespan.

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Spartan vs. Jackal/Skirmisher

• Player drags the Jackal/Skirmisher by its feathers and stabs its neck.

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