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Heroic

From Halopedia, the Halo wiki

Revision as of 20:07, December 22, 2019 by 84.182.161.154 (talk)
The Heroic shield, as per Halo: The Master Chief Collection's release.

"Your enemies are as numerous as they are ferocious; their attacks are devastating. Survival is not guaranteed."
— Description from Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, and Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

"Fight against formidable foes that will truly test your skill and wits; this is the way Halo is meant to be played."
— Description from Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo: Reach.

"Fight against foes that will truly test your skill - this is the way Halo is meant to be played!"
— Description from Halo 4.

"Formidable opposition will test your resolve. Skilled, tactical play required. Recommended for veteran Halo players."
— Description from Halo 5: Guardians

"You will have to utilize every skill and tactic you've learned to survive. Recommended for players who have mastered Halo Wars 2."
— Description from Halo Wars 2

Heroic is the second hardest difficulty in the Halo series campaign mode.

Summary

The symbol for the Heroic difficulty setting in the trilogy is represented with a shield that has the Marathon logo encrusted into the center; over the shield are two UNSC machetes crossed over each other. In Halo 3: ODST, it is represented by two silenced SMGs crossed over a shield with the Marathon symbol encrusted into the center.

Heroic pits you against the Covenant, who are now slightly smarter, and their weapons inflict more damage per hit than their Normal-level counterparts. Even the weakest of infantry, the Grunts, can withstand quite a few bullets before they go down. It is otherwise considered "Hard", in other games. Although in Normal Master Chief, The Covenant and the Marines have a more reasonable strength and health, Bungie has stated that Heroic difficulty is the "true Halo universe", due to the fact that in Heroic enemy numbers and accuracy are more realistic.

The following are a list of changes in the Heroic difficulty:

  • Health meter is smaller. Hits do more damage.
  • Shields are only 75% their "normal" capacity.
  • Increased shields and/or armor for enemies.
  • Many Minor Elites are replaced by Major Elites. Major Grunts are more frequent as well, along with other opponents.
  • Enemies are smarter regarding tactical actions, and are thus harder to kill (ex. starting to hide behind barriers when their shields are down).
  • Marines have reduced effectiveness and are weaker; their tactical intelligence has also been reduced.
  • Ultra Elites and Ultra Grunts appear ever so often and for the Elites, they normally dual wield.
  • Many more Jackal snipers are placed throughout levels, and in Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST, some of them have Beam Rifles instead of Carbines.
  • The numbers of enemy forces will be increased.

All of these wrap up into a nice gameplay option for more experienced players, who find Normal less exciting, and Legendary too hard. This difficulty may be deemed the most realistic by some players; however, this is not to be stated as a fact, as each player has his/her own comfort zone, regarding difficulty.

In Halo 3, Heroic was intended for those who have played the prior games and multiplayer, resulting in increased skill. This increase means that those who found Normal comfortable in Halo 2, will find Heroic just right for Halo 3, according to Frankie. Martin O'Donnell stated that, 'Normal is for beginners who are embarrassed to pick Easy. Heroic is what we intended.'

Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo: Anniversary

General differences

Awards

Halo 2

General differences

Awards

  • In Halo 2: Vista:
    • The Demon achievement is awarded for completing a level of Halo 2: Vista without dying on Heroic or harder.
    • The Hero achievement is awarded for completing Halo 2: Vista on Heroic.
  • In Halo: The Master Chief Collection:

Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST

File:TLJ Heroic Difficulty (ODST).png
The Halo 3: ODST Heroic shield.

General differences

Awards

Halo Wars

General differences

Awards

  • The Adjudicate the Arbiter achievement is awarded for completing Halo Wars on Heroic.
  • The Mr. Punctual achievement is awarded for completing all missions in Halo Wars on Heroic, under the par times.
  • The Big Al's Scooter achievement is awarded for winning a Heroic Skirmish game against AI in under ten minutes.
  • The Penny Pincher achievement is awarded for obtaining a winning high score against a Heroic AI with ten or less squads.

Halo: Reach

The Halo: Reach Heroic shield.

General differences

Awards

Halo 4

The Halo 4 Heroic shield.

General differences

Awards

  • In Halo 4:
    • The Bropocalypse achievement is awarded for completing any campaign mission cooperatively on Heroic or harder.
    • The Bromageddon achievement is awarded for completing Halo 4 cooperatively on Heroic or harder.
  • Shared between Halo 4 and Halo: The Master Chief Collection:

Halo 5: Guardians

The Halo 5: Guardians Heroic shield.

General differences

Awards

  • The Enemy of my Enemy achievement is awarded for helping the Elite General Kitun 'Arach charge the hill in Osiris on Heroic difficulty.
  • The Savior achievement is awarded for keeping 6 miners alive at the elevator in Evacuation on Heroic difficulty.
  • The Fire Drill achievement is awarded for completing Evacuation within 18 minutes without dying on Heroic difficulty.
  • The No Witnesses achievement is awarded for destroying the Phantom at the Covenant camp in Reunion on Heroic difficulty.
  • The Take a Hike achievement is awarded for traversing the canyon without a Phaeton in Reunion on Heroic difficulty.
  • The Rolling Thunder achievement is awarded for operating four different vehicles at once during Genesis on Heroic difficulty.
  • The Prison Break achievement is awarded for simultaneously destroying two Wardens in The Breaking on Heroic difficulty.
  • The Icy Cool achievement is awarded for using a ground pound on an exterior power core in Guardians on Heroic difficulty, as per the achievement's official description.
    • It is actually unlockable on any difficulty.
  • The Double Stuff achievement is awarded for simultaneously destroying two cores in Guardians on Heroic difficulty.
  • The My Rules achievement is awarded for completing any mission with three or more skulls active on Heroic difficulty.
  • The One for All achievement is awarded for completing any mission in co-op on Heroic difficulty.
  • The All for One achievement is awarded for completing all missions in co-op on Heroic difficulty.
  • The Heroes Rise achievement is awarded for completing Halo 5: Guardians on Heroic difficulty.

Halo Wars 2

The Halo Wars 2 Heroic shield.

General differences

Awards

  • The The hard fight achievement is awarded for completing Halo Wars 2 on Heroic.