Halo 4 Interactive Guide

Opening screen of the site.

Halo 4 Interactive Guide was a promotional website for Halo 4. It was launched in late October, 2012, and was hosted on Halo Waypoint's website. The site is now defunct and redirects to Halo 4's main page on Halo Waypoint. The information can still be found on Halo Waypoint on Xbox 360.

Basics

Game Modes

Campaign: Four years after the end of the Covenant War, Cortana has awoken the legendary Master Chief within the battered and stranded remains of the UNSC Forward Unto Dawn. In front of them looms Requiem, a Forerunner world unlike any other, home to a power far greater than anything humanity has ever faced before. The Chief must now fight his way through enemies, both new and familiar, to uncover secrets one hundred thousand years old.
War Games: This unparalleled, revolutionary battle simulation system is where Spartans go to hone their skills in competitive combat. Through the dual purposing of holographic technology and vast pneumatic riser fields, the War Games facility is transformed into a hyper-realistic battlefield, simulating both real and hypothetical combat arenas. Moderated by the War Games AI, Spartans engage in a variety of classic and new gametypes.
Spartan Ops: The designation "Spartan Ops" has been given to any and all on-record missions conducted by Spartans of the UNSC Infinity. For longtime Halo fans, however, Spartan Ops represents a watershed moment of immersive, story-driven cooperative gameplay delivered in addictive, bite-sized episodic pieces. Spartan Ops episodes run the course of a season, providing epic gameplay experiences driven by the powerful stories of the Spartans aboard Infinity, as they encounter the hostile alien world of Requiem.
Forge: Forge is a game mode which offers players the ability to edit multiplayer maps Through a powerful toolset, players can add, remove, and move around map objects such as weapons, vehicles, power-ups, and props. Players can even modify some of the structures found on the map, with a handful of maps allowing an extreme level of modification within large open spaces. In Halo 4, Forge is introducing several new features, such as the real time highlighting and labeling of objects, the ability to lock, duplicate, and magnetically link objects together, and the option to change player traits in a given location on a map.
Theater: Through Halo 4's Theater mode, players have the ability to rewatch their competitive War Games experiences from any angle, as well as capture screenshots and video clips of their matches. Over Xbox LIVE, players cam then exchange screenshots and video clips with each other. displaying their combat legacy for all to see.

Career

Challenges: Halo 4 players can take part in Challenges, specifically crafted objectives within the game, to gain bonus experience points (XP) which can be used to advance their Spartan Rank. Challenges can occur on both a daily and a weekly cadence, spanning Campaign, Spartan Ops, and War Games modes. Additional Challenges will be offered through Waypoint outside of this scheduled cadence. Challenges will vary from time to time, but current progress can be observed under Career > Challenges within the Start menu.
Commendations: Throughout the course of playing Halo 4, players are rewarded as they accomplish various tasks in the game such as the effective use of a particular weapon or the neutralization of a specific enemy type. These awards accumulate as they are accomplished, eventually rewarding the player with a Commendation. The type of Commendations available to players may vary, but one's current progress can be observed under Career > Commendations within the Start menu.
Specializations: During their career as a Spartan, players are offered Specializations though a variety of channels, allowing them them to enlist in specific rank paths that come with armor sets, mods, emblems, and a variety of other components. Once a player has advanced through the standard fifty (50) rank levels allotted to Spartans, they will have access to a selection of Specializations. These paths are composed of ten rank levels each, with the player, once opting for the Specialization, must advance through in order to improve their rank and before being allowed to enlist in a separate Specialization.
Service Record: Through both War Games and Spartan Ops, personnel can effectively rank up, unlocking items, such as armor kits, components, and skins, for use within their custom loadouts. What's more, Spartans earn points while ranking up that they can use to purchase items to improve their combat performance and abilities in the field.

Customize

Loadouts: Protocol mandates that Spartans are fully equipped prior to engaging in live combat. When building a Loadout, Spartans are required to carry one Primary Weapon, such as a rifle, one Secondary Weapon, such as a pistol, and a grenade. Spartans can also choose among a selection of Armor Abilities, Tactical Packages, and Support Upgrades to customize their functionality and augment their overall performance in the field.
Armor Customization: As personnel within the UNSC's Spartan branch advance in rank, they earn a wide selection of armor sets and individual pieces, which they can mix and match to reflect their personal tastes. In addition, they can outfit their armor with alternate skins to elaborate their field presence and identity. Some of the rarest armor sets and components can only be recieved upo completion of specific in-game Commendations, Challenges, or other Waypoint goals.

Emblem Customization
Spartan ID's

Settings

Heads-up display
Audio/video
Controller
File browser

Network: Halo 4 can be played locally on a single Xbox 360, though System Link with other Xbox 360 consoles, or on Xbox LIVE. Network Status can also help indicate the general network conditions the player will encounter on Xbox LIVE, rated relatively against average residential connections.

Story

Characters

Meet Fireteam Majestic

Composed of five SPARTAN-IV soldiers, Fireteam Majestic play an extremely important role in the events of Halo 4.
You can learn more about Fireteam Majestic and everything Halo 4 in the all-new Halo 4: The Essential Visual Guide which is available in stores now.