Oddball

"Play ball!"

The Oddball icon.

Oddball is a multiplayer gametype featured in the Halo series. It has been featured in every Halo multiplayer to date.

Description

A game of Oddball on Sidewinder in Halo: Combat Evolved.

The objective is to locate the skull(s) on the map and to maintain possession of it for the longest period of time possible. The default settings allow the game to be a free for all with one skull on the map, which players need to have possession of for two minutes in order to win. This game can be played as a Rumble Game or a Team Game where the highest score of the lone player (Free-For-All), or on a team's accumulative score, chooses the victor(s). Normally, a player who has the Oddball is the immediate target for the other players, which is what makes Oddball an extremely fast-paced gametype.

While a player has possession of the Oddball, they cannot wield their weapons or throw grenades. However, they can still melee opponents with the skull, which normally inflicts massive damage. In Halo 3, Halo Reach and Halo 4 multiplayer, if a player melee an enemy with the Oddball, it is an instant kill, but this can be tweaked via the game setting. The settings for the game can also be altered to make it more interesting. For example, the player with the Oddball can go invisible or can be slowed down. The number of Oddballs on the map can also be changed.

The Oddball's appearance is nearly identical through the original trilogy; the ball is a plain human skull. They are also identical to the skulls found in campaign in Halo 2 and Halo 3. In Halo: Reach the Oddball is on fire much like the Headhunter skulls. If the skull is dropped in water the flames are extinguished, though it will relight when it is picked up again. In Halo 4, the Oddball is a spherical container containing a light blue holographic skull. The "ball" part consists of black metal brackets that surround the skull. The brackets are positioned to emerge from the back of the skull and leave the 'face" area open. It also serves as the Grifball.

Halo 4 features the first noticeable gameplay changes since Oddball's inception in Halo: Combat Evolved. Players can now throw the Oddball using the grenade throw button (left trigger in default controls). Catching or intercepting a thrown skull awards medals. The skulls are also more noticeably affected by physics, bouncing off the surfaces and getting knocked around by explosions and Gravity Hammer strikes. Additionally, plays can perform Ballsassination — assassinations the skull — which vaporize the target like Forerunner weaponry.

Built-in variants

Halo: Combat Evolved

Title	Description
Oddball	Hold the Skull for 2 minutes to win.
Juggernaut	The Juggernaut does extra damage. Kill the Juggernaut to steal his powers. Score 15 kills to win the game.
Team Oddball	The first team to hold the Skull for 2 minutes wins. 5-second respawn time.
Classic Oddball	Hold the Skull for 2 minutes to win.
Classic Reverse Tag	When you're "it", you run slowly but you score time. Accumulate 2 minutes to win.
Classic Accumulate	Score 5 minutes to win. Kills speed up your time, but you lose your time bonus if you die.
Classic Juggernaut	The Juggernaut does extra damage. Kill the Juggernaut to steal his powers. Score 15 kills to win the game.
Classic Stalker	One sneaky player is invisible. Find him and kill him to gain his sneaky powers. Score 10 kills to win the game.

Halo 2

Title	Description
Oddball	Get ready for a classic game of free-for-all Oddball. Hold the ball for 2 minutes to win.
Rocketball	This game of Oddball with nothing but rocket launchers is a real blast. Control the ball for 1 minute to win.
Swordball	Tense rounds with swords and no motion sensor. Own the ball for 30 seconds to win a round. First to 3 wins.
Team Ball	Up to 8 teams can go head to head in this game of team Oddball. First team with 2 minutes ball control wins.
Low Ball	Team Oddball with a twist. Everyone on your team must hold the ball for at least 30 seconds to win.
Fiesta Oddball	An odd game of ball with random weapons. Earn 2 minutes ball control time to win.

Halo 3

Title	Description
Oddball	Free for all. Hold the skull to earn points. 50 points to win.
Team Oddball	Form teams, protect your carrier. 100 points to win.
Low Ball	Teamwork counts! Every member of your team must earn 25 points to win.
Ninjaball	The ball carrier is fast and agile, but vulnerable. 100 points to win.
Rocketball	You have no allies but your Rocket Launcher. 50 points to win.

Halo: Reach

Title	Description
Oddball	Hold the skull to earn points. It's like Hamlet with guns.

Halo 4

Title	Description
Oddball	Find the ball and hold onto it to earn time. The player with the most time wins.

Halo 2: Anniversary

Title	Description
Oddball	Get ready for a classic game of free-for-all Oddball. Hold the ball for 100 points to win.
Team Ball	Up to 8 teams can go head to head in this game of objective Oddball. First team to reach score goal wins.
Low Ball	Everyone on your team must hold the ball for a certain time to win. Team scores are shown as percentages.
Fiesta	An odd game of ball with random weapons. Control the ball and earn points to win.
Swordball	Free-for-all rounds with swords and no motion sensor. Own the ball and earn points to win a round. Top scorer wins.
Team Swordball	Team game with swords and no motion sensor. Own the ball for points to win a round. Best of 3 rounds wins.
Rocketball	This game of Oddball with nothing but rocket launchers is a real blast. Control the ball and earn points to win.

Halo 5: Guardians

Title	Description
Oddball	Hold the Oddball to score points!
Oddball FFA	Hold the Oddball to score points!
Oddball HCS	Hold the Oddball to score points!

Halo Infinite

Title	Description
Arena:Oddball	Hold the flaming skull.
Arena:FFA Oddball	Hold the flaming skull.
Ranked:Oddball	BR loadouts, Friendly-Fire enabled, Motion Tracker disabled. Hold the flaming skull.

Achievements

The following achievements can be unlocked in Oddball gametypes.

Title	Unlock requirement	Games
Alas, Poor Yorick	Earn 3 Oddball melee kills in a ranked or social match on a map from the Legendary Map Pack.	Halo 3
Crackin' Skulls	Earn 3 Oddball melee kills in any map after having downloaded the Defiant Map Pack.	Halo: Reach
A Fellow of Infinite Jest	Kill three enemies with the ball in an Oddball game in a matchmade game.	Halo Infinite

Trivia

Oddball is derived from Marathon's "Kill the Man With the Ball" game mode.
In Halo: Comat Evolved, when editing the number of Oddballs in the game settings, a joke will appear in the bottom of the screen, depending on the number of balls.
In Halo 3, if you go to the game settings in the Custom Games lobby, go to Oddball Settings and change the ball number to two, a little notice appears at the bottom saying, "Players fight over two objectives. Ha, thought I'd make a ball joke, didn't you?"^{[citation needed]}

Gallery

The "Kill The Man With The Ball" game mode from Marathon.
Sprite of the "Ball" in the XBLA port of Marathon 2: Durandal.
Sprite of the player holding the "Ball" in Marathon 2: Durandal XBLA.
A player holding the ball in a Team Oddball game in Halo: Combat Evolved.
A Spartan holding the Oddball in Halo 2.
Two Spartans in an Oddball game with multiple Oddballs in Halo 2.
A Spartan melees another with the Oddball in Halo 3.
The Oddball being held in Halo: Reach.
A player holding the Oddball in Halo: Reach.
A game of Oddball in Halo: Reach.
A Spartan holding the Oddball in Halo 4.
A Spartan attacks the Oddball carrier in Halo 4.
A Spartan chases down the Oddball in Halo 4.
A Spartan performs a Ballsassination in Halo 4.
A Spartan prepares to throw the Oddball in Halo 4.
A Spartan holding the Oddball in Halo 2: Anniversary multiplayer.
A Spartan chases after the Oddball carrier in Halo 2: Anniversary multiplayer.
A Team Oddball game in Halo 5: Guardians.
A Spartan-IV holding the ball in Halo Infinite, in a pose likely referencing the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare.
Three Spartans escorting the ball carrier in Halo Infinite.
First person view of the skull.