Editing Firefight (Halo 3: ODST)

{{Status|Gameplay}}
[[File:H3ODST Firefight SecurityZone1stPerson.jpg|thumb|300px|Firefight on [[Security Zone]].]]
{{Quote|Built on top of Halo 3: ODST's campaign, Firefight is a cooperative game mode that lets you and up to three of your friends put your skills to the ultimate test. It allows you to jump straight into the heart of ''Halo'' and experience traditional ''Halo'' sandbox encounters with a new, high octane twist. Though you’ve squared off against most of the enemies you’ll face in Firefight before, you’re not going to be able to rely on your past experiences alone to guide you through all of the action. In Firefight, even the most "harmless" enemy can become a dangerous threat when you’re low on ammo, low on lives, and have your back against the wall. Throw game play modifying skulls into the mix and you'll find that the combat can become even more interesting and intense.|Bungie.net description}}
'''Firefight''' is a game mode that debuted in ''[[Halo 3: ODST]]'', and has since become a [[Firefight|staple gamemode]] across the ''Halo'' series.

==Overview==
[[File:H3ODST LostPlatoon Art.jpg|thumb|250px|Officially-commissioned keyart for Firefight, by Brad Rigney.{{Ref/Site|D=01|M=6|Y=2020|URL=http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&link=BWU_091809|Site=Bungie.net|Page=Bungie Weekly Update: 09.18.09}}]]
Firefight is an endless wave-based survival mode introduced in ''Halo 3: ODST'' to supplement regular competitive multiplayer matchmaking. Players compete to survive waves of [[Covenant]] troops deployed by [[Phantom]] dropships for as long as possible, earning points and attempting to survive as long as possible. The mode supports up to four players in splitscreen or Xbox LIVE cooperative play. Players have a limited number of lives - meaning the game only ends when all players are dead. Firefight can be played on [[Easy]], [[Normal]], [[Heroic]] and [[Legendary]] difficulties, and players can optionally enable the Blind, Cowbell, IWHBYD and Grunt Birthday skulls for no increase in score.{{Ref/Site|Id=DropInto|D=01|M=6|Y=2020|URL=http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&link=Halo3ODST_Firefight|Site=Bungie.net|Page=Drop Into Firefight}}

Firefight is structured into waves, rounds and sets. A wave consists of a handful of enemy infantry deploying from one or two dropships or doorways onto the level at a time. Five waves make up a round and three rounds make up a set. At the end of every round, players are restored lives, weapons and vehicles. As a set progresses, a new [[Halo 3 skulls|skull]] will be enabled for each round, though these skulls will reset at the end of the set. Meanwhile, at the end of every set, an additional skull is enabled permanently, making the experience harder and harder. As the waves in a given round and rounds in a given set increase, the enemies deployed onto the battlefield will get harder, progressing from Grunts and Jackals to Brutes and Hunters - ending the round with [[Jiralhanae Chieftain|Brute Chieftains]]. No matter what difficulty is selected for Firefight, the Tough Luck skull is always enabled.{{Ref/Reuse|DropInto}}

At the end of each set is a bonus round. During the short bonus round, a single Phantom will hover over the battlefield and disperse an endless wave of Grunts for players to kill for points and score. During the bonus round, all skulls are enabled including Iron, meaning that if a player dies they will be unable to respawn until the round is complete. However, player deaths in the bonus round do not subtract from the overall pool of lives.{{Ref/Site|D=01|M=6|Y=2020|URL=http://halo.bungie.net/News/content.aspx?type=topnews&link=BWU_081409|Site=Bungie.net|Page=Bungie Weekly Update: 08/14/09}} If players score high enough during the bonus round, they will be awarded bonus lives.

===Skulls===
The following is a summary of the skulls featured in ''Halo 3: ODST''{{'}}s Firefight. Some skulls can be activated before setting up the match, for no change in score, namely: Blind, Cowbell, Grunt Birthday Party and IWHBYD. Most, however, are activated progressively throughout the match, as outlined below. The only ''Halo 3: ODST'' skull which does not feature in Firefight is Thunderstorm.

====Standard Skulls====

{| class="wikitable"
!Set
!Round
!Set skulls
!Round skulls
|- <!-- SET 1 -->
|rowspan=4|1
|1
|rowspan=3|''N/A''
|Tough Luck
|-
|2
|Tough Luck, Catch
|-
|3
|Tough Luck, Catch, Black Eye
|-
|Bonus
|Tilt, Famine, Mythic
|Tough Luck, Catch, Black Eye, Iron
|- <!-- SET 2 -->
|rowspan=4|2
|1
|rowspan=3|Tilt
|Tough Luck
|-
|2
|Tough Luck, Catch
|-
|3
|Tough Luck, Catch, Black Eye
|-
|Bonus
|Tilt, Famine, Mythic
|Tough Luck, Catch, Black Eye, Iron
|- <!-- SET 3 -->
|rowspan=4|3
|1
|rowspan=3|Tilt, Famine
|Tough Luck
|-
|2
|Tough Luck, Catch
|-
|3
|Tough Luck, Catch, Black Eye
|-
|Bonus
|Tilt, Famine, Mythic
|Tough Luck, Catch, Black Eye, Iron
|- <!-- SET 4+ -->
|rowspan=4|4 and above
|1
|rowspan=4|Tilt, Famine, Mythic
|Tough Luck
|-
|2
|Tough Luck, Catch
|-
|3
|Tough Luck, Catch, Black Eye
|-
|Bonus
|Tough Luck, Catch, Black Eye, Iron
|}

====Floodfight Skulls====

There were new achievements called Gravetender, with a similar condition is complete a Floodfight version of [[Vidmaster Challenge: Endure|Endure]]. Currently, the only available set is set 1 while some may try to conquer Gravetender achievement to gain information on skulls that appeared in Floodfight.

{| class="wikitable"
!Set
!Round
!Set skulls
!Round skulls
|- <!-- SET 1 -->
|rowspan=4|1
|1
|rowspan=3|''N/A''
|Tough Luck
|-
|2
|Tough Luck, Famine
|-
|3
|Tough Luck, Famine, Tilt
|-
|Bonus
|Famine, Mythic
|Tough Luck, Black Eye, Iron
|- <!-- SET 2 -->
|rowspan=4|2
|1
|rowspan=3|Tilt
|Tough Luck
|-
|2
|Tough Luck, Catch
|-
|3
|Tough Luck, Catch, Black Eye
|-
|Bonus
|Tilt, Famine, Mythic
|Tough Luck, Catch, Black Eye, Iron
|- <!-- SET 3 -->
|rowspan=4|3
|1
|rowspan=3|Tilt, Famine
|Tough Luck
|-
|2
|Tough Luck, Catch
|-
|3
|Tough Luck, Catch, Black Eye
|-
|Bonus
|Tilt, Famine, Mythic
|Tough Luck, Catch, Black Eye, Iron
|- <!-- SET 4+ -->
|rowspan=4|4 and above
|1
|rowspan=4|Tilt, Famine, Mythic
|Tough Luck
|-
|2
|Tough Luck, Catch
|-
|3
|Tough Luck, Catch, Black Eye
|-
|Bonus
|Tough Luck, Catch, Black Eye, Iron
|}

===Player characters===
{{Main|Armor permutations (Halo 3: ODST)}}
In Firefight, players can choose to play as any of the members of [[Alpha-Nine]], the ODST squad featured in the ''Halo 3: ODST'' campaign mode, with an additional bonus character of [[Avery Johnson|Sergeant Johnson]] for players who pre-ordered the game. In the original ''ODST'' game, characters could be unlocked by completing campaign missions. In ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'', all characters are unlocked in the [[Series 3: Recon]] progression system and available for play, including the previously-exclusive Johnson. ''The Master Chief Collection'' additionally introduces two new character variants based on models used only in the campaign, unlockable through [[Challenges/Halo: The Master Chief Collection|Challenges]]. 

Like [[player customisation]] in other ''Halo'' games, a player's choice of Firefight character has no bearing on their in-game stats and performance.

===Supported maps===
Firefight in ''Halo 3: ODST'' supports eight unique maps, with an additional two "night" variations on existing maps. All maps are based on locations found in the ''ODST'' campaign, typically those involving an element of wave defense in the campaign. Some Firefight maps in the original ''ODST'' release were unlocked by completing the campaign missions they were based off, though in ''The Master Chief Collection'' all are unlocked by default.
*[[Alpha Site]] {{C|Based on the [[ONI Alpha Site]] mission, unlocked via the ''[[ONI Alpha Site (achievement)|ONI Alpha Site]]'' achievement}}
*[[Chasm Ten]] {{C|Based on the [[Data Hive]] mission, unlocked via the ''[[Data Hive (achievement)|Data Hive]]'' achievement}}
*[[Crater]] {{C|Based on the [[Tayari Plaza]] mission}}
**Crater (Night) {{C|Night variation of the Crater level, based on the area found in [[Mombasa Streets]]}}
*[[Last Exit]] {{C|Based on the [[Coastal Highway]] mission, unlocked via the ''[[Coastal Highway (achievement)|Coastal Highway]]'' achievement}}
*[[Lost Platoon]] {{C|Based on the [[Uplift Reserve]] mission, unlocked via the ''[[Uplift Reserve (achievement)|Uplift Reserve]]'' achievement}}
*[[Rally Point]] {{C|Based on the [[Kizingo Boulevard]] mission}}
**Rally Point (Night) {{C|Night variation of the Crater level, based on the area found in [[Mombasa Streets]]}}
*[[Security Zone]] {{C|Based on the ONI Alpha Site mission}}
*[[Windward]] {{C|Based on the [[NMPD HQ]] mission}}

==Changes for ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection''==
[[File:H3ODST LostPlatoon DareBR.jpg|thumb|250px|[[Veronica Dare]] employing a [[BR55HB battle rifle]] in the updated Firefight mode of ''The Master Chief Collection''.]]
In [[2015]], the campaign of ''Halo 3: ODST'' was brought into ''[[Halo: The Master Chief Collection]]'' as a standalone expansion, though the game's Firefight mode was noticeably absent. This would remain the status quo for five years, until the release of ''The Master Chief Collection'' for [[Personal computer|PC]] platforms. On [[2020#June|June 10, 2020]], a [[Halo 3: ODST Firefight Teaser|teaser trailer]] was released by [[343 Industries]] announcing the inclusion of Firefight into the ''Master Chief Collection'' to celebrate the ''Halo 3: ODST''{{'}}s launch on PC. On September 22, the game launched on PC and Firefight was released for PC and [[Xbox One]] editions of ''The Master Chief Collection''.

As part of ''The Master Chief Collection'', Firefight has undergone a number of changes inspired by the customisability of the ''Halo: Reach'' [[Firefight (Halo: Reach)|iteration]] of Firefight. Notably, Firefight now supports gametype customisation, similar to that of ''Halo: Reach''. Players can alter their player traits and equipment to make themselves more or less vulnerable to enemies, have unlimited ammunition or spawn with any weapon in the ''ODST'' sandbox. Notably, this feature now allows players to spawn equipped with a [[Battle Rifle]], a weapon never-before available to use in ''Halo 3: ODST''.{{Ref/Reuse|MCCAugust}}

The other primary major change introduced by the expanded Firefight options in ''The Master Chief Collection'' is the ability to change the vehicle spawns on the map. This change only affects the map [[Lost Platoon]], as it replaces the default [[Warthog]] spawn on the map, but does not add vehicles to any other map. In custom gametypes, players can replace the Lost Platoon Warthog with a [[Gauss Warthog]], [[Scorpion]], {{Pattern|Ogab'd|anti-aircraft Wraith}} or even a [[Hornet]] - the latter two of which have never been available to use prior in the ''ODST'' sandbox.{{Ref/Site|Id=MCCAugust|D=01|M=6|Y=2020|URL=https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/mcc-development-update-august-2020|Site=Halo Waypoint|Page=MCC Development Update - August 2020}}

While ''The Master Chief Collection'' has these expanded options for Firefight play, the original endless survival experience is still available to play unaltered, now named the FF Classic gametype. For [[matchmaking]] play, the standard Firefight gametype performs exactly the same way but ends once one set is completed, and has a thirty minute time limit. Several new gametypes are included by default: Sniperfight, Rocketfight and Fiestafight. The wave options can also be customised, giving players the option of fighting Sentinels and Elites. Specific firefight gametypes that include these new enemies have been added, such as Robocalypse and Elitefight.

===Floodfight===
The April 2022 update for ''The Master Chief Collection'' allows players to fight the [[Flood]] in Firefight, as part of another new gametype called Floodfight. During Flood waves, maps are shrouded in a dense Flood fog. A variety of Flood enemies have been added, including Combat Forms, Pure Forms and Carriers. A new civilian Human Combat Form has been added, as well as Elite Major Combat Forms. In Floodfight, certain weapons on maps have been changed, such as the addition of the Flamethrower as a power weapon on some maps. This mode also adds the ability for the player's corpse to be infected by the Flood, which produces a brand new ODST Combat Form. Additionally, [[Aggressor Sentinel]] may sometimes appear between waves or in a bonus round. Due to the default setting, the Sentinels would often aim for the Flood Combat Forms instead of players. Some maps may receive changes for spawn location, such as Alpha Site where Flood Forms and Sentinels may appear from the elevator. Flood forms were also capable of driving Warthog at Lost Platoon, becoming a lethal force if not deal with quickly enough.

Strategies may be either unchanged or improvised to deal with the Flood forms and Sentinels, especially weapon-wielded ones since in one of the rare chances, players may stumble upon Flood Combat Form using heavy ordinances such as Fuel Rod Guns and Rocket Launchers.

Also in this update, new customization settings have been added to maps in the form of boons. Boons add helpful assets to the map that players can use, such as additional weapons and allied A.I. which spawn on some maps. Two Spec Ops Elites spawn in drop pods on the night versions of Rally Point and Crater, two Marines spawn on Lost Platoon and Security Zone, and two NMPD Officers spawn on Windward. These allies will respawn each round. Allied Elites can come equipped with Needlers, Plasma Rifles, Carbines, or Fuel Rod Guns, allied Marines spawn with Assault Rifles, Battle Rifles or Shotguns, and allied NMPD Officers spawn with Assault Rifles, Silenced Pistols or Shotguns. These allies can assist the player by manning vehicles or turrets.

While making the Floodfight mode, 343 Industries investigated using the opportunity to resurrect the [[Cut Halo 3 enemies#Flood Arbiter|Flood-infected Arbiter]] enemies originally intended for inclusion in the ''[[Halo 3]]'' level [[highcharity]], though ultimately found the [[tag]]s had been discarded too early in development to be useable.{{Ref/Twitter|The_Psycho_Duck|1710525787693355251|Dana Jerpak|Quote=The tags for the cut Flood Arbiter are called the "flarbiter". 😁 We looked into resurrecting the flarbiter (pun intended) for Flood Firefight, but it was cut early enough that there was nothing usable.|D=29|M=03|Y=2024}}

==Achievements==
Many of ''Halo 3: ODST''{{'}}s [[Achievements (Halo 3: ODST)|achievements]] are based in the Firefight mode. Due to ''The Master Chief Collection''{{'}}s already 700-strong [[Achievements (Halo: The Master Chief Collection)|achievement roster]], no Firefight-specific achievements were added to the collection, though a number of Firefight-based [[Challenges/Halo: The Master Chief Collection|Challenges]] were - notably, the Vidmaster Challenge: Endure achievement returned in [[Series 3: Recon]] as a challenge.
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;" | '''Icon (Xbox 360)'''
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;" | '''Name'''
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;" | '''Description'''
! scope="col" style="text-align:center;" | '''{{Gamerscore|Gamerscore}}'''
|-align="center"
|style="background:black"|[[File:H3ODST Achievement Be Like Marty.png]]
|[[Be Like Marty]]
|In Firefight, finish a full round without killing a single enemy.
|{{Gamerscore|10}}
|-align="center"
|style="background:black"|[[File:H3ODST Achievement Firefight Last Exit.png]]
|[[Firefight: Last Exit]]
|Score over 200,000 points in Firefight on Last Exit.
|{{Gamerscore|10}}
|-align="center"
|style="background:black"|[[File:H3ODST Achievement Firefight Chasm Ten.png]]
|[[Firefight: Chasm Ten]]
|Score over 200,000 points in Firefight on Chasm Ten.
|{{Gamerscore|10}}
|-align="center"
|style="background:black"|[[File:H3ODST Achievement Firefight Windward.png]]
|[[Firefight: Windward]]
|Score over 200,000 points in Firefight on Windward.
|{{Gamerscore|10}}
|-align="center"
|style="background:black"|[[File:H3ODST Achievement Firefight Lost Platoon.png]]
|[[Firefight: Lost Platoon]]
|Score over 200,000 points in Firefight on Lost Platoon.
|{{Gamerscore|10}}
|-align="center"
|style="background:black"|[[File:H3ODST Achievement Firefight Crater.png]]
|[[Firefight: Crater]]
|Score over 200,000 points in Firefight on Crater.
|{{Gamerscore|10}}
|-align="center"
|style="background:black"|[[File:H3ODST Achievement Firefight Rally Point.png]]
|[[Firefight: Rally Point]]
|Score over 200,000 points in Firefight on Rally Point.
|{{Gamerscore|10}}
|-align="center"
|style="background:black"|[[File:H3ODST Achievement Firefight Alpha Site.png]]
|[[Firefight: Alpha Site]]
|Score over 200,000 points in Firefight on Alpha Site.
|{{Gamerscore|10}}
|-align="center"
|style="background:black"|[[File:H3ODST Achievement Firefight Security Zone.png]]
|[[Firefight: Security Zone]]
|Score over 200,000 points in Firefight on Security Zone.
|{{Gamerscore|10}}
|-align="center"
|style="background:black"|[[File:H3ODST Achievement Vidmaster Challenge Endure.png]]
|[[Vidmaster Challenge: Endure]]
|In Firefight, on any mission, pass the 4th Set on 4-player Heroic LIVE co-op.
|{{Gamerscore|25}}
|}

==Production notes==
{{Quote|From day one, when designing campaign missions, we outlined spaces that could work for Firefight. We didn’t have the resources to completely create our own, so they happened inside the missions—which helped the narrative, I think. I’d tell designers what spaces were important, because I had a vision for Firefight that couldn’t be played there and then. We took a massive leap of faith, making environments without Firefight yet existing. It worked out at the end.|Paul Bertone on Firefight.{{Ref/Reuse|VICE}}}}
''Halo 3: ODST'' game director [[Paul Bertone]] was responsible for the conception of Firefight as an idea. While [[Development of Halo 3|developing]] ''[[Halo 3]]'', Bertone worked on the game's campaign scoring mode, which he credits with ultimately leading to Firefight. This, mixed with wave encounters like those from the level [[The Truth and Reconciliation]] in ''[[Halo: Combat Evolved]]'' ultimately served as the basis for the Firefight mode. Designer Tim Williams ultimately created the first Firefight prototype in-engine, and [[Martin O'Donnell]] was instrumental in giving Bertone the push needed to pursue active development of the mode.{{Ref/Site|Id=VICE|D=01|M=6|Y=2020|URL=https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/xwqjg3/the-complete-untold-history-of-halo-an-oral-history|Site=VICE|Page=The Complete, Untold History of Halo}}

Bertone and the other designers on ''ODST'' then designed the campaign spaces to serve double-duty as Firefight maps from day one, even before the Firefight mode was functional, due to limited resources available to the small ''ODST'' team.{{Ref/Reuse|VICE}} Firefight was later detailed in a dedicated [[ViDoc]], ''[[Halo 3: ODST ViDoc: Bip. Bap. Bam.|Bip. Bap. Bam. Welcome to Firefight]]''.

When porting Firefight into ''The Master Chief Collection'', 343 Industries explored the idea of allowing the [[M313 Elephant|Elephant]] to be useable, so players could bunker down inside the vehicle with multiple turrets. However, this did not work out due to technical reasons - though the developers are still interested in potentially adding this later down the line.{{Ref/Reuse|MCCAugust}}

==Sources==
{{Ref/Sources}}

[[Category:Halo 3: ODST]]
[[Category:Firefight]]