Armor customization (Halo 2: Anniversary)

Armor customization in Halo 2: Anniversary allows players to customize their Spartan and Elite player model. Following in the footsteps of Halo 3, and Halo 4, the customization system would be revamped and overhauled following Halo: The Master Chief Collection's launch in 2014.

Overview
Upon launch, Halo 2: Anniversary originally featured six basic armor sets, split between Spartans and Elites. The Spartan and Elite's visual styles were rooted in the aesthetic of MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor [GEN2], and the Covenant remnant introduced in Halo 4, respectively. Originally, the armor players could use in Anniversary were locked to pre-made armor sets, lacking any customization whatsoever. Additionally, the six base sets were freely unlocked, with no prerequisites present for their use.

For the launch of Series 3: Recon in 2020, the customization system was updated, allowing players to swap individual helmets, shoulders, chests, wrists, and legs for Spartans, and helmets, arms, chests, and legs for Elite models.

With 343 Industries celebrating the 20th anniversary of Halo in late 2021, a new armor permutation was added to Halo 2: Anniversary: the Orion armor. ORION is based on the armor used by the Master Chief, seen during Halo's reveal in 1999, and was made available through The Exchange exclusively.

The launch of Series 9 in 2022 saw the release of several new Fractures armor sets for the game's customization suite; Trooper, Megaframe, Panzerdoll, and Bioroid. Additionally, a new canon armor set, Breach, was added - with its design being based on unused Halo 3 concept art.

Production notes
Halo 2: Anniversary's cosmetic options would undergo dramatic overhauls over the course of The Master Chief Collection's lifespan.

Notably, the Unreal Engine 4 models for both Spartans and Elites got overhauled over time. Upon Halo 2: Anniversary's PC release, all six models were of lower quality, lacking the shiny, metallic nature of the actual, in-game armor, while the techsuit featured a predominantly deep black coloration, with a slick sheen that isn't present in-game. With the release of Series 3, the models would all be updated, featuring higher quality assets overall. The metallic shine present on in-game armor would be added, and the techsuit would be rendered in a gray color, featuring a more game-accurate techsuit. Series 8 would update the models again, amplifying the armor's shine, while also returning the smooth sheen once present on the techsuit.

Additionally, during Series 3, when the options for customization were initially widened, the player's Spartan's bicep armor was determined by their choice of wrist armor, not by their shoulder armor. Eventually, this would be changed, and swapping shoulder pieces would also swap the bicep armor underneath it. Finally, in a first since Hammer Storm, the release of Series 8: Mythic would see the colors the player could select being altered, with each being darkened dramatically compared to its pre-Series 8 counterpart. This change resulted in more visual parity between the Unreal Engine 4 render and the in-game character model. It also would not be noted in the Series' patch notes.

Mistakes

 * Upon Halo 2: Anniversary's PC release, the customization menu reused tooltips from Halo: Reach's customization menu. Erroneously, the updated customization menu stated the choice between a Spartan and Elite player model is only applicable to appropriate, species-specific gametypes, despite the option being available regardless of gametype. As of Series 8, the preferred species prompt's tooltip still insinuates the choice is only applicable to appropriate, species-specific gametypes.
 * Additionally, during Series 2: Spark, the Spartan customization menu reused Reach tooltips, and stated the player can change the appearance of their Spartan by "adding or removing armor", despite the game only providing the option to switch armor sets at that time. The Elite menu properly stated the player can only select specific armor classes. This would be updated for Series 3: Recon later in 2020, opting to use more general terminology with the switch to more intensive customization.

Miscellaneous

 * As of the release of Halo 2: Anniversary on PC, the updated Elite armor sets reused descriptions from the Minor, Spec Ops, and Ranger Elite armor sets seen in Halo: Reach, as a result of reused menu text. With the release of Halo 3: ODST later in the year, these would change to the descriptions based on those seen in a 2015 Canon Fodder blog post.
 * The internal unlock files for Halo: The Master Chief Collection indicate the ORION armor was originally slated to be released in the ultimately cancelled Season 9. Likewise, the same files indicate the Bioroid, Breach, Trooper, Megaframe, and Panzerdoll armor sets included with Series 9 were originally intended for release in the similarly cancelled Season 10.
 * The internal unlock files for the armor within Series 9 also refer to the Breach armor sets as "BREACH A" and "BREACH B". To create "A", the player must combine the Breach Scout helmet, the TAC/SRV-III shoulders, and the UA/KOTIN chest piece. To create "B", the player must combine the Breach Link helmet, the UA/WAYLAND shoulders, and the UA/GRT78 chest piece.