Armor customization

Originally discovered in the Halo 3 Beta code by modders, Halo 3's new multiplayer armor permutations provide high levels of player customization and were confirmed by GamePro's June issue.

The armor permutations are completely cosmetic; they cause no change in gameplay.

Higher resolution screenshots of the armor permutations in action can be found at the Halo 3 Project's screenshots section at Bungie.net, as of July 2, 2007.

Bungie has stated that there are "thousands" of possible combos, but they refuse to state exactly how many variations will be in the final product, including downloadable content.

In the Bungie Podcast, it was confirmed that 2 SPARTAN and 2 Elite variant armors are given at the start--For SPARTANs, this includes the MJOLNIR Mk. VI armor, and the CQB(Close Quarters Battle) permutation, and for the Elites, the Combat and Assault permutations are included.

Spartan Armor Permutations


Bungie hinted to more types of armor in the June 8, 2007 Weekly Update, along with the June 22, 2007 Weekly Update: "Players were using different permutations than we’ve shown."

There were 5 permutations for Spartans discovered by modders in the Beta code; Bungie confirmed two before the release of Halo 3: EVA(Extra-Vehicular Activity) and CQB(Close Quarters Battle).

Unlocking
Spartan Armor Permutations are unlocked by completing various campaign levels on different difficulty settings or unlocking various achievements via either campaign or online play.

Helmets

 * 1) Mark VI: Default Unlocked
 * 2) CQB: Default Unlocked
 * 3) EVA: Complete Campaign on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary
 * 4) EOD: Complete Campaign on Legendary
 * 5) Hayabusa: Collect all skulls
 * 6) Security: Earn 1000 out of 1000 Gamerscore Points for Halo 3
 * 7) Scout: Complete "Used Car Salesman" Achievement
 * 8) ODST: Complete "Spartan Graduate" Achievement
 * 9) Mark V: Complete "UNSC Spartan" Achievement
 * 10) Rogue: Complete "Spartan Officer" Achievement

Shoulder Armor

 * 1) Mark VI: Default Unlocked
 * 2) CQB: Default Unlocked
 * 3) EVA: Complete The Ark on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary
 * 4) EOD: Complete The Ark on Legendary
 * 5) Hayabusa: Collect 9 skulls
 * 6) Security: Earn 750 out of 1000 Gamerscore Points for Halo 3
 * 7) Scout: Complete "Mongoose Mowdown" Achievement

Body Armor

 * 1) Mark VI: Default Unlocked
 * 2) CQB: Default Unlocked
 * 3) EVA: Complete Tsavo Highway on Normal, Heroic, or Legendary
 * 4) Hayabusa: Collect 5 skulls
 * 5) EOD: Complete Tsavo Highway on Legendary
 * 6) Scout: Complete "Too Close to the Sun" Achievement
 * 7) Katana (Add-On) : Earn 1000 out of 1000 Gamerscore Points for Halo 3

Elite Armor Permutations
The Elite player model also has different armor variations. Elite armor types: A couple of images of the Elite permutations exist below,

Unlocking
Elite Armor Permutations are unlocked by completing various campaign levels on different difficulty settings or unlocking various achievements via either campaign or online play.

Helmets

 * 1) Combat: Default Unlocked
 * 2) Assault: Default Unlocked
 * 3) Flight: Complete Campaign on Heroic or Legendary
 * 4) Ascetic: Unlock "Steppin' Razor" Achievement
 * 5) Commando: Unlock "Overkill" Achievement

Shoulder Armor

 * 1) Combat: Default Unlocked
 * 2) Assault: Default Unlocked
 * 3) Flight: Complete The Ark on Heroic or "The Storm" on Legendary
 * 4) Ascetic: Unlock "Overkill" Achievement
 * 5) Commando: Unlock "Killing Frenzy" Achievement (Still Bugged as of 10/03/07)

Body Armor

 * 1) Combat: Default Unlocked
 * 2) Assault: Default Unlocked
 * 3) Flight: Complete Tsavo Highway on Heroic or Legendary
 * 4) Ascetic: Complete "Up Close and Personal" Achievement
 * 5) Commando: Complete "Triple Kill" Achievement

Concept Art & Rendered Images Spartan
These are the concept art and rendered images that were supposed leaked