Hey guys Hat here, and I just found probably the most detailed report from 343 about how Halo 4's leveling up will be. Yes some of this is pretty much is copy and paste but it's better than going through a million different links on Google. Hope you enjoy and answers many of your questions, I know it did for me! Note: anything in parenthesis is a side note by me.
Halo 4 progression system
Spartan-IV Career
When you first enter Infinity Multiplayer, you automatically enlist into the SPARTAN-IV program and begin your Spartan career. This career spans all of your gameplay in War Games, Spartan Ops, Forge and Theater.
New SPARTAN-IV recruits are issued the following gear:
• Assault Rifle
• Magnum
• Frag Grenade
• Recruit Armor, Emblem, Visor and Stance
(So basically when you first start out your Halo 4 career you don't get to spawn with a precision weapon such as the DMR or the BR... I know it sucks :/)
Stances are a new customization option that let you select a pose for your Spartan on your Player Card. This card is seen in every multiplayer lobby in the game and is how your Spartan is identified outside of gameplay.
You will have to rise up through the Spartan ranks to unlock more gear and make your way through the SPARTAN-IV program.
Spartan-IV Ranks
Spartans begin their career in the base SPARTAN-IV ranks. There are 50 ranks to work your way through, from SR-1 to SR-50, unlocking gameplay and visual customization items as you rank up. (1-50, seems alot like H3 skill, or Halo 2's XP progression system)
To rank up, you need to earn XP. You earn XP by:
• Playing War Games (Like Reach's Firefight) - earn more for winning and high personal score
• Playing Spartan Ops (Like MW2's spec ops)- earn more for higher difficulties
• Completing each level of a Commendation
• Completing Challenges
• Using Forge (I may as well leave my Xbox on over night on Forge
)
At each rank, you will earn one or more Spartan Points or SP (Basically Reach's CR). SP are used to purchase gameplay items for your personal loadouts. Once you purchase an item, it can be used in any of your loadouts.
The Spartan Point system is based around offering choice at each rank. The full suite of gameplay items is available for purchase by SR-26 but you won’t have enough SP to buy everything until SR-50. It’s up to you to decide the order in which you want to build up the arsenal for your Spartan-IV.
Loadouts
Each loadout contains a Primary Weapon, Secondary Weapon, Grenade, Armor Ability, Tactical Package and Support Upgrade(Just like in CoD). As you rank up, you will gain access to the Armor Ability slot (SR-3), the Tactical Package slot (SR-7), and the Support Upgrade slot (SR-12).
We have default loadouts in our War Games playlists to give you a preview of these items before you reach those ranks, and to offer an alternative to your own custom loadouts.
Over the course of the SPARTAN-IV ranks, you also unlock four extra loadouts - at SR-6, SR-14, SR-26 and SR-41 (Just like every other prestige in CoD) for a total of five loadouts. You can rename these loadouts, so pick names that match the role or gear for that particular loadout.
Visual Customization
All Spartan-IVs start out with the same Recruit look. As you rank up, this is reflected in the look of your Spartan, which is visible to other players in gameplay and every Multiplayer lobby(Just like in Reach).
Visual customization items such as Armor, Armor Skins, Weapon Skins, Visors, Emblems and Stances are unlocked through several means:
• Earning a specific SR rank
• Earning a specific rank in a Specialization
• Mastering a Commendation
• Completing a Waypoint goal
When you meet the prerequisite, you will gain access to the items automatically; you do not need to spend Spartan Points. (The CQB armor in Halo Reach for example)
Specializations
Once you hit SR-50, you have the option to enlist in a new Specialization. You can choose which of the available Specializations to enlist in. (Almost like going into a Prestige)
Specializations are composed of ten levels each. As you rank up in Specializations, you will unlock new armor sets, emblems, visor colors, armor and weapon skins and armor mods – which provide even more options to customize your Spartan-IV to fit your preferred role on the battlefield.
Once you commit to a Specialization, you have to complete it before switching to a new one. It will take roughly as long to complete a Specialization as it does to go from SR-40 to SR-50.
All players have access to two Specializations at launch:
• Wetwork: WK-1 to WK-10
• Operator: OP-1 to OP-10
The rest, which are listed below, will gradually be made available in the months following launch. We will be keeping a close watch on player participation post-launch and will roll out the additional six Specializations when the player base reaches certain milestones. Purchasers of the Limited Edition (Like me) and pre-orders in certain territories have launch day access to the remaining six Specializations – although you still need to complete the initial 50 Ranks before you can enlist in one.
• Engineer: EN-1 to EN-10
• Tracker: TK-1 to TK-10
• Rogue: RG-1 to RG-10
• Stalker: SK-1 to SK-10
• Pathfinder: PT-1 to PT-10
• Pioneer: PR-1 to PR-10
Other players will be able to see your overall progress through the Specializations by your SR rank. This keeps going up by one each time you earn a Specialization rank, all the way up to SR-130. There might be a reward or two waiting for those who hit SR-130!
Commendations
Halo 4 features over 120 commendations covering a wide variety of activities (per weapon, per enemy type and per game type, for example). There are commendations based around earning specific medals, and we also have aggregators that require you to master multiple commendations to complete them. Commendations also have a variable number of levels.
Certain Commendations can award visual customization items when you master them. To master a Commendation, you need to have earned its highest level.
We see the Commendation system as the long-term progression with the most exclusive items. Most players will still be mastering Commendations well after completing the Specializations.
Challenges
Like Commendations, Challenges have been expanded in Halo 4. We not only have daily content, but also a weekly and monthly cadence as well, giving players ample time to complete different challenges with varying levels of difficulty.
Challenges are divided into four categories:
Campaign
2 Weekly Challenges
War Games
2 Daily Challenges
2 Weekly Challenges
1 Monthly Challenge
Spartan Ops
6 Challenges
Waypoint
Exclusive daily challenges for War Games
Well guys and girls, hopefully after reading this you noticed the same thing i did. They did NOT include anything of Elites. Perhaps they're evil again? Or perhaps as you were asleep the majority of them were wiped out (Excluding the one that almost rips your face off in the preview of the campaign)[/u]
Halo 4 progression system
Here are a few of the basic points of the Halo 4 progression system.
Here are a few of the basic points of the Halo 4 progression system.
You can progress your multiplayer career across both Spartan Ops and War Games.
Unlock pace will be regular, but not so fast that it causes confusion.
Goal was to give progress more meaning by having impact the gameplay in Halo 4.
Can modify weapons and abilities.
You can build your character and experience the way you want with quick access to the things you want to use.
More difficult choices lie in Specializations, which come later.
Quitters do not get game completion XP (But do not lose like in H3)
Below is a breakdown of the Halo 4 progression system.
Here are a few of the basic points of the Halo 4 progression system.
You can progress your multiplayer career across both Spartan Ops and War Games.
Unlock pace will be regular, but not so fast that it causes confusion.
Goal was to give progress more meaning by having impact the gameplay in Halo 4.
Can modify weapons and abilities.
You can build your character and experience the way you want with quick access to the things you want to use.
More difficult choices lie in Specializations, which come later.
Quitters do not get game completion XP (But do not lose like in H3)
Below is a breakdown of the Halo 4 progression system.
Spartan-IV Career
When you first enter Infinity Multiplayer, you automatically enlist into the SPARTAN-IV program and begin your Spartan career. This career spans all of your gameplay in War Games, Spartan Ops, Forge and Theater.
New SPARTAN-IV recruits are issued the following gear:
• Assault Rifle
• Magnum
• Frag Grenade
• Recruit Armor, Emblem, Visor and Stance
(So basically when you first start out your Halo 4 career you don't get to spawn with a precision weapon such as the DMR or the BR... I know it sucks :/)
Stances are a new customization option that let you select a pose for your Spartan on your Player Card. This card is seen in every multiplayer lobby in the game and is how your Spartan is identified outside of gameplay.
You will have to rise up through the Spartan ranks to unlock more gear and make your way through the SPARTAN-IV program.
Spartan-IV Ranks
Spartans begin their career in the base SPARTAN-IV ranks. There are 50 ranks to work your way through, from SR-1 to SR-50, unlocking gameplay and visual customization items as you rank up. (1-50, seems alot like H3 skill, or Halo 2's XP progression system)
To rank up, you need to earn XP. You earn XP by:
• Playing War Games (Like Reach's Firefight) - earn more for winning and high personal score
• Playing Spartan Ops (Like MW2's spec ops)- earn more for higher difficulties
• Completing each level of a Commendation
• Completing Challenges
• Using Forge (I may as well leave my Xbox on over night on Forge
)At each rank, you will earn one or more Spartan Points or SP (Basically Reach's CR). SP are used to purchase gameplay items for your personal loadouts. Once you purchase an item, it can be used in any of your loadouts.
The Spartan Point system is based around offering choice at each rank. The full suite of gameplay items is available for purchase by SR-26 but you won’t have enough SP to buy everything until SR-50. It’s up to you to decide the order in which you want to build up the arsenal for your Spartan-IV.
Loadouts
Each loadout contains a Primary Weapon, Secondary Weapon, Grenade, Armor Ability, Tactical Package and Support Upgrade(Just like in CoD). As you rank up, you will gain access to the Armor Ability slot (SR-3), the Tactical Package slot (SR-7), and the Support Upgrade slot (SR-12).
We have default loadouts in our War Games playlists to give you a preview of these items before you reach those ranks, and to offer an alternative to your own custom loadouts.
Over the course of the SPARTAN-IV ranks, you also unlock four extra loadouts - at SR-6, SR-14, SR-26 and SR-41 (Just like every other prestige in CoD) for a total of five loadouts. You can rename these loadouts, so pick names that match the role or gear for that particular loadout.
Visual Customization
All Spartan-IVs start out with the same Recruit look. As you rank up, this is reflected in the look of your Spartan, which is visible to other players in gameplay and every Multiplayer lobby(Just like in Reach).
Visual customization items such as Armor, Armor Skins, Weapon Skins, Visors, Emblems and Stances are unlocked through several means:
• Earning a specific SR rank
• Earning a specific rank in a Specialization
• Mastering a Commendation
• Completing a Waypoint goal
When you meet the prerequisite, you will gain access to the items automatically; you do not need to spend Spartan Points. (The CQB armor in Halo Reach for example)
Specializations
Once you hit SR-50, you have the option to enlist in a new Specialization. You can choose which of the available Specializations to enlist in. (Almost like going into a Prestige)
Specializations are composed of ten levels each. As you rank up in Specializations, you will unlock new armor sets, emblems, visor colors, armor and weapon skins and armor mods – which provide even more options to customize your Spartan-IV to fit your preferred role on the battlefield.
Once you commit to a Specialization, you have to complete it before switching to a new one. It will take roughly as long to complete a Specialization as it does to go from SR-40 to SR-50.
All players have access to two Specializations at launch:
• Wetwork: WK-1 to WK-10
• Operator: OP-1 to OP-10
The rest, which are listed below, will gradually be made available in the months following launch. We will be keeping a close watch on player participation post-launch and will roll out the additional six Specializations when the player base reaches certain milestones. Purchasers of the Limited Edition (Like me
) and pre-orders in certain territories have launch day access to the remaining six Specializations – although you still need to complete the initial 50 Ranks before you can enlist in one.• Engineer: EN-1 to EN-10
• Tracker: TK-1 to TK-10
• Rogue: RG-1 to RG-10
• Stalker: SK-1 to SK-10
• Pathfinder: PT-1 to PT-10
• Pioneer: PR-1 to PR-10
Other players will be able to see your overall progress through the Specializations by your SR rank. This keeps going up by one each time you earn a Specialization rank, all the way up to SR-130. There might be a reward or two waiting for those who hit SR-130!
Commendations
Halo 4 features over 120 commendations covering a wide variety of activities (per weapon, per enemy type and per game type, for example). There are commendations based around earning specific medals, and we also have aggregators that require you to master multiple commendations to complete them. Commendations also have a variable number of levels.
Certain Commendations can award visual customization items when you master them. To master a Commendation, you need to have earned its highest level.
We see the Commendation system as the long-term progression with the most exclusive items. Most players will still be mastering Commendations well after completing the Specializations.
Challenges
Like Commendations, Challenges have been expanded in Halo 4. We not only have daily content, but also a weekly and monthly cadence as well, giving players ample time to complete different challenges with varying levels of difficulty.
Challenges are divided into four categories:
Campaign
2 Weekly Challenges
War Games
2 Daily Challenges
2 Weekly Challenges
1 Monthly Challenge
Spartan Ops
6 Challenges
Waypoint
Exclusive daily challenges for War Games
Well guys and girls, hopefully after reading this you noticed the same thing i did. They did NOT include anything of Elites. Perhaps they're evil again? Or perhaps as you were asleep the majority of them were wiped out (Excluding the one that almost rips your face off in the preview of the campaign)[/u]
