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A training facility located in the Highland Mountains, where Spartans are born.

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Highlands
Map overview
Game:	Halo: Reach Defiant Map Pack
Location:	Military Wilderness Training Preserve, Highland Mountains, Viery Territory, Reach
Terrain:	Mountain forest, UNSC training facility
Gameplay overview
Recommended number of players:	8-16

Highlands is one of three maps in the Defiant Map Pack designed for Halo: Reach.

Setting

Main article: Military Wilderness Training Preserve

Highlands is set in the Military Wilderness Training Preserve in the aptly named Highland Mountains on Reach. From 2517 to 2525, the SPARTAN-II program used this area for training the super soldiers on wilderness survival. Outside the map, the Big Horn River dominates the valley floor and in the distance, several CCS-class battlecruisers can be seen glassing Reach.

The middle of the map plays host to a D77-TC Pelican dropship, Bravo 001. During the Fall of Reach, members of SPARTAN-II Red Team deployed to the surface of Reach in Bravo 001 to defend the planet's orbital defense generators from Covenant assault. The Pelican was shot down and crash-landed in the Highland Mountains.

Locations

The following are locations on the map that are so named on the player's heads-up display during gameplay:

• Operations
• Motor Pool
• Waterfall
• Communications
• Rock Arch
• Red Base
• Red Tower
• West Cave
• Underpass
• Pond
• Rappelling Towers
• Blue Base
• Blue Tower
• Big Horn River
• Radio Tower
• Crash Site
• East Cave
• Cliffs
• Out of bounds...

Trivia

• During development Highlands was known as Training Preserve. Current files on Bungie.net are even labelled as Training Preserve instead of the map's final name.
• This is one of two maps to feature locations previously described in the novel Halo: The Fall of Reach, the other being Condemned.
• In the ringed section of The Big Horn river closest to the downed pelican, there are Koi fish. These fish can be shot and killed.
• The crashed Pelican's cockpit emits a radio conversation.
• The Covenant CCS-class battlecruisers hovering in the sky are not static; they wobble from side to side slightly.

Gallery

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  Highlands Map.

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  Concept art of the map, showing a more lush art direction than in the final map.

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  A concept art piece depicting Covenant ships glassing the surrounding landscape.

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  An overhead image of Highlands.

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  A general view of the map.

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  The east cave.

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  A battle on the map.

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  A Spartan Laser shot destroying a Falcon.

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  A Spartan destroying a Banshee.

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  The Covenant cruisers in the background of the map.