Specializations are another 10 levels of progression you can enroll in when you hit level 50. The first one you enroll in will take you from Level 50 to level 60, the next from 60 to 70, and so on. You do not go back to level 1 like with Prestige in Call of Duty. You can only enroll in one Specialization at a time, and you must complete it before enrolling in a new one. Each level gained in a Specialization unlocks something for your Spartan. That can include armor, armor skins, weapon skins, emblems, and after achieving the 10th and final level of the Specialization, an armor mod that will be added to your existing Tactical and Support packages.
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Halo 4 |OT| Spartans Never Die
- Thread starter GhaleonEB
- Start date
Specializations are another 10 levels of progression you can enroll in when you hit level 50. The first one you enroll in will take you from Level 50 to level 60, the next from 60 to 70, and so on. You do not go back to level 1 like with Prestige in Call of Duty. You can only enroll in one Specialization at a time, and you must complete it before enrolling in a new one. Each level gained in a Specialization unlocks something for your Spartan. That can include armor, armor skins, weapon skins, emblems, and after achieving the 10th and final level of the Specialization, an armor mod that will be added to your existing Tactical and Support packages.
AHA-Lambda
Member
Just finished the campaign, really enjoyed it; man dat ending.
I do admit however, going forward the backstory of the games can not be relegated to other media all the time! my biggest disappointment of the games campaign is all of these unanswered questions and plot threads that are never mentioned or explained in game and are only fleshed out in the transmedia content.
That is not the way to tell a cohesive story 343!
I do admit however, going forward the backstory of the games can not be relegated to other media all the time! my biggest disappointment of the games campaign is all of these unanswered questions and plot threads that are never mentioned or explained in game and are only fleshed out in the transmedia content.
That is not the way to tell a cohesive story 343!
NullPointer
Member
Just wanted to say that even though I do have some major gripes about the Halo 4 campaign, the feel of movement as a Spartan, and the audio and visual work across the board is nothing short of phenomenal. And when we're given those story moments in game, they're all very well done - if anything the game needed more of those.
But most importantly, I hope the Spartan Ops machine keeps on chugging. I'm in for as many episodes as 343 will make. Its something I've wanted for a long time: GRAW 2 like co-op missions with the persistence and customization of Rainbow Six 2's P.E.C. system. Very little fluff (although appreciated for context) and a whole lot of combat. The bite-sized chunks (15-25 minutes) are perfect for us adults too, because we have shit to do, but want our Halo fix too.
But most importantly, I hope the Spartan Ops machine keeps on chugging. I'm in for as many episodes as 343 will make. Its something I've wanted for a long time: GRAW 2 like co-op missions with the persistence and customization of Rainbow Six 2's P.E.C. system. Very little fluff (although appreciated for context) and a whole lot of combat. The bite-sized chunks (15-25 minutes) are perfect for us adults too, because we have shit to do, but want our Halo fix too.
Jex
Member
Also, I've found that very few of the new weapons dropped into the game are that interesting or different enough to be included alongisde the standard set up. Rather than picking and choosing between specific classes of weapons it just feels like they dropped them all into the game at once - which is why it's got the DMR and the BR. Not that my complaints revolve around the human weapons, I'm more concerned with all the Promethean weapons, none of which feel that interesting to use. It reminds of when they introduced the Covenant shotgun, it felt completely redundant.
The last time that I've found a new weapon enjoyable was the grenade launcher from Reach because that was a radically different weapon that required you to learn a new skill and adapt to every environment and situation - where as most of these new weapons are boring. Not to say that redundant weapons haven't been present in previous games!
The last time that I've found a new weapon enjoyable was the grenade launcher from Reach because that was a radically different weapon that required you to learn a new skill and adapt to every environment and situation - where as most of these new weapons are boring. Not to say that redundant weapons haven't been present in previous games!
Mr. B Natural
Member
This game needs sound settings, especially for those like me that play voice chat on their headphones.
NullPointer
Member
The only weapon I haven't learned to love is the Promethean Pistol. Feels like you fire wet farts, and doesn't provide a sense of power or lethality outside of the charged shot. The suppressor has definitely grown on me, as all the automatics do. But that won't keep me from grabbing a battle rifle, DMR or carbine as the opportunity arises, but the DMR and AR are still my all-time favorites.
+1 to this. The most glaring has been the menu music. I have to turn the game audio way down to hear my party chat. Then back up again once we're in the game proper.
BruiserBear
Banned
Yup. It's too loud and high pitched. There were parts where Cortana was talking while I drove it, and I almost couldn't hear her over the blaring engine noises. :/
Mr. B Natural
Member
The mp menu music is already on my nerves. It's oddly creepy. I wish I could just set it to 0.
Phaethon0017
Member
Thank you for that. I had no idea either. My attempts at Wiki searches just made the story seem convoluted. I read the books up through Ghosts of Onyx but stopped since none of the games referenced jack in them. No intentions of going back either. The story is above average, but not 3 books worth.
AndresON777
shooting blanks
Is there no way to check your friends' stats in the game menu? Is waypoint still down?
I agree about the Promethean weapons. I don't hate them, but they're basically slightly tweaked re-skinned versions of what we already have been using. I wish they'd tried to be more creative in that regard. Guess it's something for them to put on the to-do list for the next major release or maybe some sort of dlc. Would like to see some sort of unique Promethean vehicle in the future too.
Visually, the Prometheans are fantastic imo. But I would've liked to see more behavioral variety and some more unique power related to their machine background other than the teleportation and little robot that rebuilds them. Maybe some transformer combiner type ability ;-) I liked them, but I think 343 missed some opportunities to really expand the combat variety.
So, Halo 4 is one of my favorite games of the year, but still plenty of room for 343 to improve and move the series forward in the future.
Visually, the Prometheans are fantastic imo. But I would've liked to see more behavioral variety and some more unique power related to their machine background other than the teleportation and little robot that rebuilds them. Maybe some transformer combiner type ability ;-) I liked them, but I think 343 missed some opportunities to really expand the combat variety.
So, Halo 4 is one of my favorite games of the year, but still plenty of room for 343 to improve and move the series forward in the future.
You can view the basics like Kills/Deaths in each of the main game types but it's nothing super detailed like in waypoint or on the website.
The Lamonster
Member
Cool, thanks dude!
Grenade Launcher was incredibly difficult to be good at. I sorta like the rail gun for the high risk->incredibly satisfying kill.
Jex
Member
Just playing the Mantis vehicle section at the moment - who thought this was a good idea? Did they take their inspiration from all those terrible and boring vehicle sections from Gears of War games? It seems weird for them to go in that direction considering that the Halo series has always approached vehicles in a very different manner.
I thought it was fun *shrug*
RedAssedApe
Banned
Feel this way about some of the weapon sounds as well. Specially magnum and BR compared to previous Halo games.
jediyoshi
Member
Beat the first two spartan ops missions
IOnEI Falcon
Member
Me too! I was just coming here to post this. I replayed mission 4 on solo legendary and the tank section leading up to the mantis is so awesome and it looks freaking fantastic the whole way through. I thought the mantis was a nice break and was a cool way of showing how big the Infinity is.
Jex
Member
It certainly wasn't easy to use the Grenade Launcher, or has some dubbed it, the pro-pipe, but the feeling of learning to master the weapon was unique. It didn't radically change the combat situation or break the game but the fact that you could bounce grenades off wall and into peoples faces or drop a banshee out of the sky with a well timed shot changed the battlefield in a very interesting and dynamic way. Of course, unlike say the Spartan laser or the rail gun there's no trade off required, but they're far easier to use initially.
Right, and I don't like the sound of the Scorpion either. I thought I might have been alone in this because multiple reviews praised the sound design, complement the mix and said all the new sounds were "crisper" and "punchier".
Ah, cool. Just beat campaign last night so haven't jumped into it yet. Thanks!
I've been writing up impressions but everyone seems to be reporting all the same complaints/observations D:
Do it anyways.
NullPointer
Member
I loved the Mantis at every opportunity. Co-op mantis action is fucking nuts too.
But I could have lived without the (early/mid-game spoilers -->)
Ghost-boost and Mammoth
Jex
Member
I think my main problem with it is how slow and ponderous it is. Every other vehicle in the game is faster and more effective at destroying targets than the Mantis so it doesn't even make sense to me tactically.
Beyond the feel of the Mantis I don't really care for it's design or it's animation, but I understand that's a far more personal complaint.
After you accrue enough points in multiplayer, you will get an overlay offering you three choices. You press the corresponding direction on the d-pad for your choice and it will drop in front of you for pickup.
They have to balance it some how. I don't even want to imagine a faster more effective one right now.
Silly.Mikey
Banned
I finished the campaign this morning and i have to say, wow. The game started off a bit easy (on heroic, no skulls) and then from chapter 4 got more challenging. Just enough to be fun, yet not cheap or frustrating. Incredible game for their first effort.
The story telling really puts Bungies to shame. It just shows you how much better the Halo stories could have been in the past after playing this. Im really happy with how it ended, acting, dept of characters, etc.. You even start caring for the other guys like Lasky and hating other ones that will remain nameless to avoid spoilers. Great stuff. Although i dont like having to go through Waypoint to watch the terminals....
The gameplay for the most part is top notch, but in some instances i found that the enemy AI would just stopped reacting. I hope they fix this cause imo, it really hurts the replayability. But overall, they did an amazing job.
Level design is good too. Some parts are more linear but then you get to some really open ones that open up the battle areas. Very fun. Although i found that there was too much (in some of the levels) wasted on driving somewhere for like 2 minutes with no enemies or really anything to do or explore. But those visuals and atmosphere, holy shit. Amazing stuff.
The music is great too although it doesnt always sync well with gameplay. Otherwise, its great. That menu music...top notch.
Overall, im incredibly satisfied. Love the SP, love the MP and i just started SO and so far, im really enjoying that too.
Good job 343, you really delivered.
But i do have some suggestions:
- Fix the instances in the SP and SO when enemy AI just waits and lets you attack them from far. It happened to me maybe 4-5 times and it kinda sucked cause they became really easy to kill, even on heroic.
- Add an X when players die online. Its helpful to know where players are dying without having to look at my radar.
- Add more diverse playlists, like 1 flag, and put in a Big team flag playlist. And some more classic playlists too.
- Make the covy carbine a tad stronger.
- Make those new Promethean grenades a tad stronger too.
Otherwise, amazing game. Cant wait to start over solo on Legendary.
The story telling really puts Bungies to shame. It just shows you how much better the Halo stories could have been in the past after playing this. Im really happy with how it ended, acting, dept of characters, etc.. You even start caring for the other guys like Lasky and hating other ones that will remain nameless to avoid spoilers. Great stuff. Although i dont like having to go through Waypoint to watch the terminals....
The gameplay for the most part is top notch, but in some instances i found that the enemy AI would just stopped reacting. I hope they fix this cause imo, it really hurts the replayability. But overall, they did an amazing job.
Level design is good too. Some parts are more linear but then you get to some really open ones that open up the battle areas. Very fun. Although i found that there was too much (in some of the levels) wasted on driving somewhere for like 2 minutes with no enemies or really anything to do or explore. But those visuals and atmosphere, holy shit. Amazing stuff.
The music is great too although it doesnt always sync well with gameplay. Otherwise, its great. That menu music...top notch.
Overall, im incredibly satisfied. Love the SP, love the MP and i just started SO and so far, im really enjoying that too.
Good job 343, you really delivered.
But i do have some suggestions:
- Fix the instances in the SP and SO when enemy AI just waits and lets you attack them from far. It happened to me maybe 4-5 times and it kinda sucked cause they became really easy to kill, even on heroic.
- Add an X when players die online. Its helpful to know where players are dying without having to look at my radar.
- Add more diverse playlists, like 1 flag, and put in a Big team flag playlist. And some more classic playlists too.
- Make the covy carbine a tad stronger.
- Make those new Promethean grenades a tad stronger too.
Otherwise, amazing game. Cant wait to start over solo on Legendary.
If you're wondering why it's not working for you it may be because of whatever mode you're playing. It doesn't show up in a few modes, can't think of them off the top of my head.
AndresON777
shooting blanks
Here I've been wondering this whole time wtf the mantis is! It's the mech and yes it's magnificient. I only passed chapter 1 of campaign so I just called it the mech.
I saw a dude on my team in btb stomp on a warthog. So awesome
---uh I play BTB only and when my teammates die there is an X. It's only there for a few seconds but I'm constantly looking at radar since I camp
I saw a dude on my team in btb stomp on a warthog. So awesome
---uh I play BTB only and when my teammates die there is an X. It's only there for a few seconds but I'm constantly looking at radar since I camp
mocolostrocolos
Member
I have reinstalled the second disc twice and the problem with Spartan Ops persists.
When the game is loading, it crashes and goes back to title screen.
I'm really pissed.
When the game is loading, it crashes and goes back to title screen.
I'm really pissed.
Mizzou Gaming
Member
ive already wasted an hour searching this thread for an answer so Im just going to ask. In WayPoint the Halo CE Anniversary Terminals are all locked even though Ive played through Anniversary and located all of the Terminals in the campaign. What exactly is going on here and how do I unlock them?
Silly.Mikey
Banned
Do your friends have the game too? Might be a disk problem. You could just borrow theirs to install the game. Then exchange it or call ms.
Surface of Me
I'm not an NPC. And neither are we.
Grenades are either way too weak or all vehicles are way too strong. A sticky should absolutely kill a ghost, as should the sticky pistol. Ghosts can also survive direct railgun shots.
Also, the thruster moves you way too little to be if any use. Promethian vision and regen are the only useful AAA.
Also, the thruster moves you way too little to be if any use. Promethian vision and regen are the only useful AAA.
Silly.Mikey
Banned
There is a "perk" that improves grenades online. Dont remember the name.
Squall ASF
Member
Completed Legendary on Co-op last night, extremely easy as it doesn't seem as though it's scaled. I'm curious to see how challenging it is on single player and will start that up very soon. As for my feelings on the campaign:
I will have to wait until my solo legendary run to rate it against the others proper, but it's going to be right up there if not at the top.
Presentation: The graphics and art style make for a very rich atmosphere that really had me immersed anew each mission. The backdrops are just stunning and at times had me in awe. The cut scenes were very well done with fantastic facial animations and voice acting that delivered believable and empathetic performances. The marriage of the three really garnered my interest and made me care more about the events taking place and the fate of some characters. These elements allowed for a darker and more dramatic tone without any of it being off-putting. I loved the body language exhibited by MC, the added weight in his gait is as if he has the weight of the universe on his shoulders. Also made for a Bane-esque bad ass stroll-up a time or two. Presentation is where this game really shines and absolutely obliterates all entries before it.
Gameplay: Honestly, it's hard not to have a blast in just about any game when you can play co-op with friends. That said, I still really enjoyed what is here between multiple new enemies requiring a different approach than the Covenant, a few new vehicles, NO BLOOM (for the most part), permanent sprint, and a nice variety in mission environments that made for varied game play between missions. It would have been very easy for them to use many grey forerunner environments that look the same and I'm glad they didn't do that.
The Mantis is a blast to mow down enemies with and who doesn't enjoy a powerful curb stomp? While nothing overly special to pilot per se, I think a great deal of Halo fans have long waited to control a
and it was neat to finally do so. The
The Mammoth was fun to play with friends as well, holding up against outside forces on a moving platform. Too bad on Legendary you get WRECKED if you try to use the rocket turrets!
As for the new enemies, the Watchers bring a similar property to the fight as Engineers from Reach and ODST, but as Engineers are not present in 4, create a different set of priorities than a Covenant group calls for. Crawlers are similar in treatment to grunts but have far more mobility and cover more varied terrain (climbing walls) but the Knights are what really bring a different combat element to the table. The approach for tackling a Promethean Knight requires far more aggressiveness than any covenant. They can absorb a great deal of bullets and outside of power weapons or the noob combo (or concentrated rifle fire in co-op), generally require getting up close and personal to finish them off efficiently. Their shields regenerate extremely quickly so wearing their shield down and closing in for a quick melee or two can be paramount to taking them down with lesser weapons. Pro tip for final mission:
The Promethean weapons look pretty neat and love the animations and special effects from enemy death. It would have been nice to get a weapon in there that brings something new to the table but I still enjoy the feel of some weapons, most notably the LR. It's a lot of fun to use in Campaign and I'm curious how it holds up in MP. The lack of recoil and the preciseness of the single zoomed-in shot are great but I haven't fought against an enemy wielding a BR or DMR with one. The Saw is a beast and a lot of fun to wreck havoc with. Large clip was a good idea to counterbalance how quickly you pour out ammo. The Rail Gun is awesome and I can't wait to blast people in MP with it. It actually rewards you for quick aim and release as you're far more likely to connect that way as opposed to letting it charge overly long. Happy to have the Beam Rifle back if only for nostalgia. Oh, and it feels terrific firing a gun without bloom getting in the way.
Story: Halo 4 almost gets an unfair advantage in that I was pining to get back to MC and Cortana and the previous entries have long had me interested in the Forerunners. Still need to check out the latest books. I don't feel you can ever truly judge a story for a trilogy entry until you get the full package, but I will say there were some large surprises and a pretty original plot element that I enjoyed. I'm definitely interested in seeing what happens next and that's the mark of a successful first entry in a trilogy. I'm not going to write a large spoiler comment on the story right now, I'll wait until more people have beaten it and can discuss it. I think I'll find the story far more interesting in this trilogy than the last and it's more difficult to discern where the story will go from here. Can't wait for Halo 5! I will say the relationship between Chief and Cortana is fantastic and with all the aforementioned qualities from my Presentation portion, really made for an emotional piece of work.
Sound
I can't really evaluate the music just yet as playing co-op can be noisy with chatter so I'll have to wait until after my solo run to properly evaluate this. What I can evaluate is the sound effects and man are they awesome for weapons! Every weapon packs a punch that makes it far distinctive and satisfying to use. I found myself greatly anticipating what a new power weapon or especially the Scorpion Tank was going to sound like for my first shot. Almost added an extra layer of depth for weapon use (I know that sounds ridiculous but it enhanced the weapons for me).
TLDR: Bravo 343! Campaign is fantastic and can't wait to see what happens next. Bring on MP!
I will have to wait until my solo legendary run to rate it against the others proper, but it's going to be right up there if not at the top.
Presentation: The graphics and art style make for a very rich atmosphere that really had me immersed anew each mission. The backdrops are just stunning and at times had me in awe. The cut scenes were very well done with fantastic facial animations and voice acting that delivered believable and empathetic performances. The marriage of the three really garnered my interest and made me care more about the events taking place and the fate of some characters. These elements allowed for a darker and more dramatic tone without any of it being off-putting. I loved the body language exhibited by MC, the added weight in his gait is as if he has the weight of the universe on his shoulders. Also made for a Bane-esque bad ass stroll-up a time or two. Presentation is where this game really shines and absolutely obliterates all entries before it.
Gameplay: Honestly, it's hard not to have a blast in just about any game when you can play co-op with friends. That said, I still really enjoyed what is here between multiple new enemies requiring a different approach than the Covenant, a few new vehicles, NO BLOOM (for the most part), permanent sprint, and a nice variety in mission environments that made for varied game play between missions. It would have been very easy for them to use many grey forerunner environments that look the same and I'm glad they didn't do that.
The Mantis is a blast to mow down enemies with and who doesn't enjoy a powerful curb stomp? While nothing overly special to pilot per se, I think a great deal of Halo fans have long waited to control a
Pelican
Broadsword was a blast to control, really felt like a run on the death star! If you hold down boost, you can make some crazy jukes and turns just narrowly missing an explosive death if you have fast reflexes.
As for the new enemies, the Watchers bring a similar property to the fight as Engineers from Reach and ODST, but as Engineers are not present in 4, create a different set of priorities than a Covenant group calls for. Crawlers are similar in treatment to grunts but have far more mobility and cover more varied terrain (climbing walls) but the Knights are what really bring a different combat element to the table. The approach for tackling a Promethean Knight requires far more aggressiveness than any covenant. They can absorb a great deal of bullets and outside of power weapons or the noob combo (or concentrated rifle fire in co-op), generally require getting up close and personal to finish them off efficiently. Their shields regenerate extremely quickly so wearing their shield down and closing in for a quick melee or two can be paramount to taking them down with lesser weapons. Pro tip for final mission:
there's a room early in the level where you can choose between a few floating weapons, one being the gravity hammer...grab it. The hammer DESTROYS Knights even on legendary, effortlessly and will prove very useful in the final stretch where you are fighting many of them.
The Promethean weapons look pretty neat and love the animations and special effects from enemy death. It would have been nice to get a weapon in there that brings something new to the table but I still enjoy the feel of some weapons, most notably the LR. It's a lot of fun to use in Campaign and I'm curious how it holds up in MP. The lack of recoil and the preciseness of the single zoomed-in shot are great but I haven't fought against an enemy wielding a BR or DMR with one. The Saw is a beast and a lot of fun to wreck havoc with. Large clip was a good idea to counterbalance how quickly you pour out ammo. The Rail Gun is awesome and I can't wait to blast people in MP with it. It actually rewards you for quick aim and release as you're far more likely to connect that way as opposed to letting it charge overly long. Happy to have the Beam Rifle back if only for nostalgia. Oh, and it feels terrific firing a gun without bloom getting in the way.
Story: Halo 4 almost gets an unfair advantage in that I was pining to get back to MC and Cortana and the previous entries have long had me interested in the Forerunners. Still need to check out the latest books. I don't feel you can ever truly judge a story for a trilogy entry until you get the full package, but I will say there were some large surprises and a pretty original plot element that I enjoyed. I'm definitely interested in seeing what happens next and that's the mark of a successful first entry in a trilogy. I'm not going to write a large spoiler comment on the story right now, I'll wait until more people have beaten it and can discuss it. I think I'll find the story far more interesting in this trilogy than the last and it's more difficult to discern where the story will go from here. Can't wait for Halo 5! I will say the relationship between Chief and Cortana is fantastic and with all the aforementioned qualities from my Presentation portion, really made for an emotional piece of work.
Sound
I can't really evaluate the music just yet as playing co-op can be noisy with chatter so I'll have to wait until after my solo run to properly evaluate this. What I can evaluate is the sound effects and man are they awesome for weapons! Every weapon packs a punch that makes it far distinctive and satisfying to use. I found myself greatly anticipating what a new power weapon or especially the Scorpion Tank was going to sound like for my first shot. Almost added an extra layer of depth for weapon use (I know that sounds ridiculous but it enhanced the weapons for me).
TLDR: Bravo 343! Campaign is fantastic and can't wait to see what happens next. Bring on MP!
Surface of Me
I'm not an NPC. And neither are we.
Perks shouldn't give you that much of an edge.
Silly.Mikey
Banned
I think it improves the splash, not the actual force of it.
It increases blast radius but decreases the power.
Legendary solo started hard. The first 3-4 chapters were painful. The second half of the game became much easier. (But maybe i just got better). There were a few times i ran past enemies because there was no way i would take them down.
I don't understand this. The Terminals in Halo CEA play in game.
Surface of Me
I'm not an NPC. And neither are we.
Well that's good, but I still think stickies should kill ghosts, with or without perk.
Oh, I thought it increased the splash and decreased the damage you take from grenades lol.
Silly.Mikey
Banned
Its weird, ive killed ghosts with a perfect stickie.
I wonder how much of this has to do with maybe some lag?
AndresON777
shooting blanks
I agree 1 hit with the railgun should destroy a warthog or at least the ghost ffs. I usually stick the warthog and it just seems to only blow it up depending on how much damage they've already taken. Some times I just end up killing the driver and not the gunner.
How the hell do you use that grenade pistol launcher? I can't kill anybody to save my life and of course I always get it on the ordinance drops.