Halo: The Essential Visual Guide
Author(s):	Jeremy Patenaude
Publisher:	DK Publishing
Publication date:	July 4, 2011
Media type:	Print (hardcover)
Pages:	208 pages
Dimensions:	7.1 x 0.8 x 9.5 inches
Weight:	1.4 pounds (0.64 kg)
ISBN:	0756675928 978-0756675929

Halo: The Essential Visual Guide is a visual guidebook of the Halo universe, published by DK Publishing on July 4, 2011. The book contains images and additional information on the locations, characters, creatures, vehicles, and weapons from the Halo universe. Each page in the guide is dedicated to one element, focusing on its role and significance in the Halo universe. The book also features over 600 pieces of screenshots, renders and several pieces of artwork specially commissioned by Microsoft artists.

The book was a collaboration of many at 343 Industries and was primarily written and overseen by Content Creator Jeremy Patenaude. In addition, 343 Industries consulted Stephen Loftus, a long-time Halo fan known for his technical analyses on various aspects of the Halo universe, as a technical advisor on some of the details, as a general fact checker, and to create additional info where needed.

A separate book, Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide, was later released to cover new material introduced in Halo 4.

Official summary

“

The essential visual guide to the Halo universe. Take a journey into the world of Halo and discover everything you ever wanted to know about the characters, creatures, locations, vehicles and weapons from Halo, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo Wars and Halo 3 ODST. Each page in this handy guide is dedicated to one element, focusing on its role and significance in the Halo universe from Master Chief, the Arbiter, the Halo Array, the UNSC Pillar of Autumn, and the Spartan Laser. It also features over 600 specially commissioned artworks by Microsoft artists. A must have for any Halo fan.

”

Content review

Halo: The Essential Visual Guide is an A to Z reference for characters, vehicles, locations, and weapons of the Halo universe. Each article contains an introduction, a large picture and statistics of the subject, as well as facts and trivia. Every game in the series as of the book's release—up to and including Halo: Reach—is well documented throughout. The entries in the guide are color-coded by affiliation (UNSC, Covenant, Forerunners, Flood) and arranged in alphabetical order according to their most common names.

Contents

Air Assault Armor Albatross Alpha Halo Anchor 9 Anders Anti-Air Wraith Arbiter (Ripa 'Moramee) Arbiter (Thel 'Vadam) Arcadia Ardent Prayer Ark Armor Abilities Assault Rifle Auntie Dot Banshee Banshee Fighter Battle Creek Battle Rifle Blood Gulch Brute Chieftain Brute Shot Brutes Buck Cairo Station Carrier (Covenant) Carter Cartographer Chopper Cobra Commando Armor Concussion Rifle Control Room Cortana Corvette (Covenant) Covenant Carbine CQB Armor CQC Armor Cruiser (Covenant) Cruiser (UNSC) Cutter Cyclops Dare Delta Halo Deployable Equipment Destroyer (Covenant) DMR Dreadnought Drones Drop Pod Dutch Earth

Elephant Elite Ascetic Elite General Elite Ranger Elite SpecOps Elite Zealot Elites Emile Energy Sword Engineers EOD Armor EVA Armor Falcon Flame Grenade Flamethrower Flood Focus Rifle Forge Forklift Forward Unto Dawn Frag Grenade Frigate (UNSC) Fuel Rod Gun Gauss Warthog Ghost Grafton Gravemind Gravity Hammer Gremlin Grenade Launcher Grenadier Armor Grizzly Grunts Guilty Spark Gungnir Armor Halsey Harvest HAZOP Armor High Charity High Council Honor Guard Hornet Hunters In Amber Clad Ivory Tower Jackals JFO Armor Johnson Jorge Jun Kat

Keyes, Jacob Keyes, Miranda Library Lockout Locust Long Night of Solace Longsword Lord Hood MAC Machine Gun Turret Magnum Mantis Mark IV Armor Mark V Armor Mark VI Armor Master Chief Mauler Mickey Midship Missile Pod Mongoose Needle Rifle Needler New Mombasa Noble Six ODST ONI Alpha Site Operator Armor Particle Beam Rifle Pelican Penitent Tangent Phantom Pillar of Autumn Pilot Armor Plasma Cannon Plasma Grenade Plasma Launcher Plasma Pistol Plasma Repeater Plasma Rifle Portal at Voi Prophet of Mercy Prophet of Regret Prophet of Truth Prowler Reach Recon Armor Red Team Revenant Rhino Rocket Launcher

Rocket Warthog Rogue Armor Romeo Rookie Sabre Savannah Scarab Scorpion Scout Armor Scythe Sentinel Sentinel Beam Seraph Serina Shade Shadow Shadow of Intent Shield World Shipmaster Shortsword Shotgun Skirmishers Sniper Rifle Solemn Penance Spade Sparrowhawk Spartan Laser Spectre Spike Grenade Spike Rifle Spirit Spirit of Fire Submachine Gun Substance Superintendent Sword Base Target Locator Tartarus Threshold Troop Transport Truth and Reconciliation Tyrant Valhalla Vampire Voi Vulture Warthog Wolf Spider Wolverine Wraith Zanzibar

Errors

• On page 4, in Statistics the word Air "Assault" is misspelled Air "Assult".
• On page 12, the main illustration used to depict Arcadia is actually the planet Harvest from the first cutscene of Halo Wars.
• On page 16, it is erroneously stated that the MA5C assault rifle does not appear in Halo 3: ODST.
• On page 33, the MA37 assault rifle is mistakenly referred to as the MA5C assault rifle.
• On page 38, the Type-51 Carbine is in one instance mistakenly referred to as "Type-52".
• On page 61, the Sangheili rank of Imperial Admiral is mistakenly listed as "Imperial Commander."
• On page 74, UNSC Forward Unto Dawn is mistakenly said to appear in Halo 3: ODST. This is likely a misattribution of the UNSC In Amber Clad's cameo in that game.
• On page 81, the abbreviation of Flood Super Cell is misspelled "FCS" instead of "FSC".
• On page 93, High Charity's population is listed as 23,831,346. According to the Bestiarum, this is instead the total number of San'Shyuum in the Covenant.
• On page 119, the MA37 assault rifle's shroud and barrel are misaligned, giving the appearance of two under-barrel flashlights.
• On page 126, the M274 Mongoose is in one instance mistakenly referred as "M247".
• On page 160, the Rookie should be listed with "UNSC Marine Corps" instead of "UNSC Navy", similar to his squadmates' entries.

Gallery

• 

  Front and back covers.

• 

  The front cover and spine feature a silver metallic logo.

External link

• Halo The Essential Visual Guide Preview at DK Publishing