Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta

The Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta, also known as the Halo: Reach Beta, was a phase of the development of Halo: Reach, produced by Bungie, LLC and organized by Microsoft Game Studios. The beta ran from May 3 through May 20, 2010.

Details of the Beta
The beta introduced a variety of new user-interfaces such as an expanded player customisation system and player investment system, gametypes such as Headhunter, Generator Defense, and Invasion and a re-innovated gameplay feature called Armor Abilities.

Headhunter, Team Slayer, Team Slayer Pro, Team SWAT, and Covenant Slayer (Elites Vs Elites) made their debut on May 3rd while Invasion came out on the 7th, Generator Defense came out on 14th.

Included Features
The beta test featured the majority of features from the final multiplayer experience, though it had been hinted that not all were shown. The features were:

Weapons
UNSC
 * Combat Knife
 * M6G Personal Defense Weapon System
 * M9 High-Explosive Dual-Purpose Grenade
 * M41 Light Anti-Aircraft Gun
 * M45 TS
 * M392 Designated Marksman Rifle
 * MA37 Individual Combat Weapon System
 * SRS99 Special Applications
 * M319 Individual Grenade Launcher
 * M41 SSR MAV/AW
 * Weapon/Anti-Vehicle Model 6 Grindell/Galileian Nonlinear Rifle
 * AIE-486H Heavy Machine Gun

Covenant
 * Type-1 Antipersonnel Grenade
 * Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword
 * Type-2 Energy Weapon/Hammer
 * Type-25 Directed Energy Pistol
 * Type-31 Rifle
 * Type-33 Guided Munitions Launcher
 * Type-51 Directed Energy Rifle/Improved
 * Type-52 Special Applications Rifle
 * Type-52 Guided Munitions Launcher/Explosive
 * Type-42 Directed Energy Support Weapon

Vehicles
UNSC
 * M12 Light Reconnaissance Vehicle
 * M808B Main Battle Tank

Covenant
 * Type-25 Assault Gun Carriage
 * Type-26 Ground Support Aircraft
 * Type-32 Rapid Assault Vehicle

Multiplayer

 * Armor Abilities
 * Loadout
 * The Armory (Player customization)
 * The Arena

Gametypes

 * Generator Defense
 * Invasion
 * Headhunter
 * Stockpile

Saved Films

 * Theater

Playlists

 * Arena
 * Invasion
 * Grab Bag
 * Network Test 1 (Generator Defense)
 * Free-For-All

Trivia

 * An invitation to the beta was included with all copies of Halo 3: ODST.
 * Multiple invitations to the beta were randomly distributed to Xbox LIVE users by Microsoft as gifts for being loyal Xbox LIVE customers.
 * The beta required an Xbox LIVE gold account to play matchmaking, however it was possible to run the beta and custermize your spartan and embelm with only a Xbox LIVE silver account.
 * Players who played the beta and then signed onto Halo Waypoint received an exclusive hoodie for their avatars.
 * The beta was initially intended to end on May 19, 2010, but Bungie decided to push the end date by one extra day.
 * During the beta's two-week run, over 2.7 million unique players played a total of over 6 million gameplay hours in the beta, making it one of the most played beta programs any platform. Overall, there were over 1.1 billion kills registered in the beta.

Related Pages

 * Halo: Reach
 * Halo 3: ODST
 * Halo 3 Beta
 * Reach