Halo 3 Title Updates

This page lists all Xbox Live Title Updates for the Xbox 360 version of Halo 3.

Title Update 1
Released on February 20, 2008.


 * Unlocked Elite Commando Shoulders for everyone. This fixes a glitch that permanently locked it, even after getting the Steppin Razor Achievement.


 * Improved any playlists that contain maps that were remade in the Forge.


 * Improved the "Prefer Good Connection" Matchmaking filter.


 * Changes to the Melee system. Unless one player has a sizable health advantage over the enemy, both players die in a simultaneous melee.


 * Dying while performing a melee no longer accelerates a player's dead body over impossible distances.


 * Fixed the bug that allowed a BXB combo.


 * Miscellaneous bug fixes.


 * Added version "1.1" to the main menu.

Title Update 2
Released on September 23, 2008.


 * Fixed issues under Halo 3's hood.


 * Halo 3 feeds more info to Bungie.


 * New ranking system added to all Matchmaking playlists. After the update, the game tracks experience gained in a playlist and uses it to give a playlist-specific Rank to the player. This rank is affected by experience only. Players will keep their old rank which can be viewed in their Service Record. The system used to calculate this rank is not altered. Ranked playlists will still use Trueskill to match players.


 * 29 New Achievements worth of 750 Gamerscore

The Auto Update 2, released on Tuesday 23rd September 2008, is the second Auto Update to be released by Bungie, and introduced new playlists, ranks and achievements.

Level Changes

 * 1) Added Epilogue – Epitaph with no Shield Doors. Added alongside default variant.
 * 2) Added Boundless – Snowbound with reduced Shield Doors. Added alongside default variant.
 * 3) Added Sand Tarp – Sandtrap without Elephants, with default team spawns switched in one-sided games. Added alongside default map variant.
 * 4) Added Pit Stop – The Pit with inaccessible spawn hives. Added alongside default map variant.
 * 5) Ghost Town – No longer appears in any symmetrical gametype.
 * 6)  Team Slayer – Spawning configuration in default Team Slayer now includes a secondary weapon – the magnum.

Lone Wolves

 * Player count increases from six players to 8 players.

Team Objective

 * Crazy King Hill times increased to one minute. Hill Movement set to Sequence (was Random).

Team Doubles

 * This playlist now requires ALL content (Cold Storage, Legendary and Heroic maps are being used in Team Doubles)
 * Objective Gametypes have had their appearance frequency reduced.
 * Crazy King Hill times increased to one minute. Hill Movement set to Sequence (was Random).

Ranked Big Team Battle

 * This playlist is retired.

Introducing Squad Battle

 * Squad Battle is a Ranked six on six Playlist designed to fill some of the void left by excising Ranked Big Team Battle from the Halo 3 Playlists. Squad Battle gametypes are focused on Slayer and Capture the Flag and this playlist currently requires the Heroic Map Pack.

Big Team Social

 * This playlist is retired.

Rocket Race

 * This playlist is retired.

Multi Team

 * Rocket Race has been added to the gametypes and set with a low weighting.

DLC Playlists
Since Big Team was cut from Social, eight on eight action is reborn in the overhauled DLC playlists section of Matchmaking. DLC Slayer and Objective are both retired. These playlists require Halo 3 Downloadable Content (at least up through Legendary, but in the case of FFA, it requires all DLC) to participate.

DLC FFA

 * This is an eight-player Free For All hopper focused on DLC content. The gametypes contained herein are a mix of Slayer, Objective and Infection modes.

DLC Big Team

 * Eight on eight Social Slayer and Objective action (Gametypes from Big Team Social)
 * Focused on DLC content (Requires both Heroic and Legendary Map Packs)

Team SWAT

 * Objective Gametypes, ShWATguns set to skip after veto
 * Weighting on all Objective games, ShWATguns and Magnums reduced
 * Player Damage Resistance set to 150% (was 200%), players no longer spawn with grenades.
 * SWAT map variants now have Carbines and frag grenade available to pick up, as well as plasma grenades.

Head to Head

 * This playlist is retired.