Editing Weapon skins (Halo 4)

{{Title|Weapon skins (''Halo 4'')}}
{{Status|Gameplay}}
{{Center|For other uses, see [[Weapon skins]].}}
[[File:H4 - Prefect on Vertigo.jpg|300px|thumb|A [[PREFECT-class Mjolnir|Prefect]]-clad Spartan wielding a [[Z-130 Suppressor|Suppressor]] with the Shatter skin.]]
'''Weapon skins''' in ''[[Halo 4]]'' allow players to customize the appearance of their [[SPARTAN-IV program|Spartan]]'s [[loadout]] weapons. Weapon skins can be unlocked via progression in [[Specializations]], purchasing specific editions of the game and DLC, and finally, by buying specific figures from [[McFarlane Toys/Halo 4 Series 2|Series 2]] of the [[McFarlane Toys|McFarlane]] line of figures.

==Overview==
{{Series/Gameplay/Sandbox}}
''Halo 4'' was the first game in the ''Halo'' franchise to feature weapon skin customization, with the player being able to swap preset patterns on their weapon in the loadout modification menu. Then, when spawning with that loadout, their chosen skin will be permanently applied to that weapon; even if dropped or picked up by another player. A player's skin is only applied to weapons the player spawns with via loadout, with weapons found on the map retaining the default skin regardless of the player's selection. Additionally, in the [[Xbox 360]] version of Halo 4, the player will always spawn with the default skin in gametypes where loadouts are disabled.

Coinciding with ''Halo 4's'' release on PC as part of ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'', the weapon skin system was modified in the ''MCC'' version of the game. It now allows the player to select a base skin for all weapons that support them, independent of loadout. This selection will be applied to spawn weapons in gametypes like SWAT or Legendary Slayer, where custom loadouts are disabled. Should the player choose to, they can also override this skin selection per-loadout, allowing them to choose particular skins for particular loadouts, regardless of their global skin choice for the weapon.

==Unlock requirements==
===Specialization skins===
A number of weapon skins are unlocked through the game's [[Specializations]] system. Each specialization has exactly one weapon skin tied to it, and it is earned when you reach {{Rank/H4|5}} within that specialization. For instance, upon reaching {{Rank/H4|5}} within the [[WETWORK-class Mjolnir|Wetwork]] Specialization, the "Noble" DMR skin is unlocked.

All specialization skins were available in the original [[Xbox 360]] game at launch, and were unlocked by default in ''MCC''.

===Pre-order skins===
Specific editions of the game, such as the [[Halo 4 Limited Edition|''Halo 4'' Limited Edition]] included special weapon skins for buyers. The Limited Edition includes the "Prime" [[MA5D assault rifle|assault rifle]] skin, specifically. Meanwhile, the Battle Rifle skin "Arctic" was unlocked by pre-ordering the game from specific retailers. These skins were later made available for buyers of the [[Halo 4 Game of the Year Edition|''Halo 4'' Game of the Year Edition]]. The ''Halo 4'' Xbox 360 console includes the "Imprint" [[Z-250 lightrifle|lightrifle]] skin, though this was not made available for buyers of the ''Halo 4'' Game of the Year Edition.

As with specialization skins, these skins were present in the original [[Xbox 360]] game at launch, and upon the launch of ''MCC'' in  [[2014]], were unlocked by default in its version of ''Halo 4''.

===DLC skins===
DLC skins refer to skins that were available through [[downloadable content]]. In particular, the [[Champions Bundle#Steel Skin Pack|Steel Skin Pack]] included a set of [[Wikipedia:Steampunk|steampunk]]-inspired skins, one for each weapon. Meanwhile, the [[Champions Bundle]] included the Steel Skin Pack (among two other DLCs) and a further five extra skins, with a hidden sixth skin being unlockable by playing ''[[Halo: Spartan Assault]]''. These skins were not added to the Spartan Ops map files, so they can not be used in it; if you select a loadout that uses one of them, the weapon will simply adopt the default skin.

The DLC skins were initially not available in ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'' but were added in a post-launch update, and are all available for unlock in [[Series 4: Reclaimer]].

===McFarlane Toys tie-in skins===
A number of skins were obtained by buying ''Halo'' action figures produced by [[McFarlane Toys]]. These were unlocked by purchasing specially marked figures from [[McFarlane Toys/Halo 4 Series 2|Series 2]] of the toy line launched in [[2013]]. For example, purchasing the [[Sangheili Ranger|Elite Ranger]] figure will unlock the "Chill" skin for the [[Kelos'vaarda-pattern storm rifle|storm rifle]]. These skins were also initially not available in ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'' but were included in a post-launch update and can be unlocked in [[Series 7: Elite]].

===Cut skins===
At least two skins were known to be produced during the lifespan of the initial release of ''Halo 4'' on Xbox 360, but were never released: "Concrete" and "Blast". They were present in the game files as of the [[Halo 4 Title Updates#Title Update 8/19/2013|8/19/2013]] update, but could not be unlocked legitimately. However, they were accessible in custom games, through the use of [[Halo 4 weapon skin glitch|a glitch]].{{Ref/YouTube|ZieCsC3o6Jc|Moonlit|Halo 4 Glitches: Unreleased Weapon Skins Tutorial|D=15|M=05|Y=2025}} Renders of these weapon skins were later discovered in the game files of the "[[Halo Insider Program|FireFlight]]", a public test of ''[[Halo: Reach]]''{{'}}s [[Firefight (Halo: Reach)|Firefight mode]] in the lead-up to ''[[Halo: The Master Chief Collection]]''{{'}}s PC release.{{Ref/Twitter|zeddikins|1167258915039535104|Zeddikins|Quote=Looking back at the MCC ui dumps, looks like the missing H4 weapon skins have icons, including the Concrete DMR and Blast BR.|D=30|M=08|Y=2019}}

Eventually, both "Blast" and "Concrete" were included in the ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'' version of the game, with "Blast" being a seasonal challenge reward in Series 4: Reclaimer and "Concrete" featuring as an unlock in the Season Pass for Series 7: Elite.

===''Halo: The Master Chief Collection''-exclusive skins===
A number of ''Halo 4'' weapon skins were also added to ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'' in updates, which were not known to exist beforehand. They may have been cut during the development of ''Halo 4'' but not publicly shared, or specially made as post-launch content for ''MCC''. The first to release was "Blood" for the DMR, as part of a seasonal challenge in Series 4: Reclaimer, which featured a pattern akin to the "Trauma" skin of ''Halo 4's'' assault rifle.

Later, in Series 7: Elite, several more ''MCC''-exclusive skins were added, including another "Blood" skin - this time for the Magnum - and a number of new sets of weapon skins, such as "Pixel", "Maw" and "Edgework", each of which could be applied to various human loadout weapons. Some of these are unlocked through the Season Pass, while others are available via seasonal [[Challenges/Halo: The Master Chief Collection|challenges]].

==Weapon skins==
===Assault Rifle===
Skins for the [[Assault Rifle]].
{{/AssaultRifle}}

===Battle Rifle===
Skins for the [[Battle Rifle]].
{{/BattleRifle}}

===DMR===
Skins for the [[DMR]].
{{/DMR}}

===Storm Rifle===
Skins for the [[Kelos'vaarda-pattern storm rifle|Storm Rifle]].
{{/StormRifle}}

===Covenant Carbine===
Skins for the [[Mosa-pattern carbine|Covenant Carbine]].
{{/Carbine}}

===Suppressor===
Skins for the [[Z-130 Suppressor|Suppressor]].
{{/Suppressor}}

===Lightrifle===
Skins for the [[Z-250 lightrifle|Lightrifle]].
{{/LightRifle}}

===Magnum===
Skins for the [[Magnum#Halo_4|Magnum]].
{{/Magnum}}

===Plasma Pistol===
Skins for the [[Plasma Pistol]].
{{/PlasmaPistol}}

===Boltshot===
Skins for the [[Z-110 Boltshot|Boltshot]].
{{/Boltshot}}

==Production notes==
The Suppressor's Shatter skin was originally a vibrant blue with black stripes lining the weapon. This was changed before release, replacing the blue details with a light grey, contrasting slightly against the slate grey of the weapon beneath. However, the weapon's menu icon was not changed accordingly, and in the [[Xbox 360]] version of ''Halo 4'', the icon still used the original blue colour. This issue was fixed in the ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'' version of the game.
<gallery>
File:H4-SuppressorRifleSkin.png|Original Shatter skin
File:H4 - Shatter skin (transparent).png|Launch Shatter skin
</gallery>

During the “What’s Next: Halo 4 Summer 2013″ panel at RTX 2013, 343 Industries' promotional art for the bundle featured the "Bones" and "Striped" [[M395 DMR]] weapon skins as part of the content update's bonus content. The "Bones" skin would later be relegated to a code found with the CIO Spartan in [[McFarlane Toys/Halo 4 Series 2|Series 2 of McFarlane's ''Halo 4'' line of figures]], while the "Striped" skin could be unlocked through earning certain achievements in ''[[Halo: Spartan Assault]]''.

By accessing ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection's'' internal files, two additional cut weapon skin icons can be found on the game's PC port. The first is Battle Rifle BLD{{Ref/File|HTMCC|Halo The Master Chief Collection\Data\ui\texturepacks\mainmenutexturepack|LARGE_UNSC_BATTLERIFLE_BLD_SKIN}}, likely tying into both the DMR BLD and Magnum BLD skins. The second is DMR KSS.{{Ref/File|HTMCC|Halo The Master Chief Collection\Data\ui\texturepacks\mainmenutexturepack|LARGE_UNSC_DMR_KSS_SKIN}} Neither cut weapon skin possesses a complete icon, with a pink placeholder icon in their place.
<gallery>
File:HTMCC - Weapon skin icon - BR BLD.png|The icon for Battle Rifle BLD.
File:HTMCC - Weapon skin icon - DMR KSS.png|The icon for DMR KSS.
</gallery>

===Mistakes===
Upon the release of Series 4: Reclaimer and the addition of the Champions Bundle weapon skins to the ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'', the newly updated menu featured erroneously flipped MA5D renders for the Turbine and Teeth skins, resulting in the charging handle being placed on the wrong side of the weapon.

With the addition of the previously-missing figure skins to ''MCC'' in Series 7: Elite, the Storm Rifle's Chill skin is missing certain textures in ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection''. On the Xbox 360 edition of ''Halo 4'', the weapon's barrel, rotating coil, and small sections of the topside of the weapon are colored mint green. In ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'', these mint green regions are missing, and are erroneously colored with the weapon's base gray-silver.

==Gallery==
===Launch skins===
<gallery>
H4 - Prime skin (default).jpg|Prime AR skin.
H4 - Prime skin (reloading).jpg|Prime, while reloading, revealing more of the skin's pattern.
H4 - Predator skin (default).jpg|Predator AR skin.
H4 - Predator skin (reloading).jpg|Predator, while reloading, revealing more of the skin's pattern.
H4 - Arctic skin (default).jpg|Arctic BR skin.
H4 - Dunes skin (default).jpg|Dunes BR skin.
H4 - Noble skin (default).jpg|Noble DMR skin.
H4 - Reign skin (default).jpg|Reign Carbine skin.
H4 - Imprint skin (default).jpg|Imprint lightrifle skin.
H4 - Imprint skin (melee).jpg|Imprint, while meleeing, revealing more of the skin's pattern.
H4 - Shatter skin (default).jpg|Shatter Suppressor skin.
H4 - Shatter skin (melee).jpg|Shatter, while meleeing, revealing more of the skin's pattern.
H4 - Static skin (default).jpg|Static Magnum skin.
H4 - Static skin (reloading).jpg|Static, while reloading, offering a more clear view of the skin's pattern.
H4 - Fracture skin (default).jpg|Fracture Plasma Pistol skin.
H4 - Fracture skin (overcharge).jpg|Fracture, while overcharged, revealing more of the skin's pattern.
H4 - Piston skin (default).jpg|Piston Boltshot skin.
</gallery>

===Steel Skin Pack skins===
<gallery>
H4 - Turbine skin (default).jpg|Turbine AR skin.
H4 - Turbine skin (reloading).jpg|Turbine, while reloading, revealing more of the skin's pattern.
H4 - Steam skin (default).jpg|Steam BR skin.
H4 - Monocle skin (default).jpg|Monocle DMR skin.
H4 - Locomotive skin (default).jpg|Locomotive Carbine skin.
H4 - Industrial skin (default).jpg|Industrial lightrifle skin.
H4 - Industrial skin (melee).jpg|Industrial, while meleeing, revealing more of the skin's pattern.
H4 - Compression skin (default).jpg|Compression Storm Rifle skin.
H4 - Compression skin (overheating).jpg|Compression Storm Rifle skin, while overheating, revealing more of the skin's pattern.
H4 - Mechanical skin (default).jpg|Mechanical Suppressor skin.
H4 - Mechanical skin (melee).jpg|Mechanical Suppressor skin, while meleeing, revealing more of the skin's pattern.
H4 - Combustion skin (default).jpg|Combustion Magnum skin.
H4 - Combustion skin (reloading).jpg|Combusion Magnum skin, while reloading, offering a more clear view of the skin's pattern.
H4 - Boilerplate skin (default).jpg|Boilerplate Plasma Pistol skin.
H4 - Boilerplate skin (overcharge).jpg|Boilerplate Plasma Pistol skin, while overcharged, revealing more of the skin's pattern.
H4 - Engine skin (default).jpg|Engine Boltshot skin.
</gallery>

===Champions Bundle bonus skins===
<gallery>
H4 - Teeth skin (default).jpg|Teeth AR skin.
H4 - Teeth skin (reloading).jpg|Teeth, while reloading, revealing more of the skin's pattern.
H4 - Trauma skin (default).jpg|Trauma AR skin.
H4 - Trauma skin (reloading).jpg|Trauma, while reloading, revealing more of the skin's pattern.
H4 - Salvage skin (default).jpg|Salvage BR skin.
H4 - Striped skin (default).jpg|Striped DMR skin.
H4 - Indigo skin (default).jpg|Indigo Magnum skin.
H4 - Indigo skin (reloading).jpg|Indigo Magnum skin, while reloading, offering a more clear view of the skin's pattern.
H4 - Flare skin (default).jpg|Flare Magnum skin.
H4 - Flare skin (reloading).jpg|Flare Magnum skin, while reloading, offering a more clear view of the skin's pattern.
</gallery>

===Figure skins===
<gallery>
H4 - Riptide skin (default).jpg|Riptide AR skin.
H4 - Riptide skin (reloading).jpg|Riptide, while reloading, revealing more of the skin's pattern.
H4 - Engage skin (default).jpg|Engage Carbine skin.
H4 - Bones skin (default).jpg|Bones DMR skin.
H4 - Chill skin (default).jpg|Chill Storm Rifle skin.
H4 - Chill skin (overheating).jpg|Chill, while overheating, revealing more of the skin's pattern.
H4 - Refractive skin (default).jpg|Refractive Suppressor skin.
H4 - Refractive skin (melee).jpg|Refractive, while meleeing, revealing more of the skin's pattern.
</gallery>

===Cut skins===
<gallery>
H4 - Blast skin (default).jpg|Blast BR skin.
BR_Blast.png|The cut BR85HB Blast skin if it was included in ''Halo 4''.
H4 - Concrete skin (default).jpg|Concrete DMR skin.
DMR_Concrete.png|The cut M395 DMR Concrete skin if it was included in the game.
</gallery>

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

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[[Category:Halo 4]]
[[Category:Customization]]
[[Category:Deleted material]]