You are the last of your kind—a cyborg super-

soldier engineered to turn the tide in an ongo-

ing war with the Covenant, a collective of alien

races united in their fanatical religious devo-

tion. The Covenant have nicknamed you the

Flawless Cowboy, but to most, you are simply

the Master Chief, the last of the secret military

project called SPARTAN-II.

This chapter provides an introduction to Halo’s

primary characters with specific focus on your

alter ego, the Master Chief. You’ll find strate-

gies for developing an efficient control scheme,

using your available weaponry, and managing

your health and shields. This chapter also

includes exclusive excerpts from the Halo Story

Bible that offer additional background informa-

tion on Halo characters and story elements.

1: HALO PRIMER

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COPYRIG

HTED M

ATERIAL

THE MASTER CHIEFYou assume the role of Master Chief, a supersoldier built for warand bred for combat. In Halo’s early moments, the Master Chiefrises from a cryogenic slumber and is quickly ushered into battleagainst an invading Covenant force. Given the Master Chief’s exten-sive background in warfare, he slides easily into the familiar role.You control his every move—while he may be a supersoldier, it’syour combat skills that will determine the Master Chief’s success in combat.

This section provides a tactical overview of efficient control schemesthat enhance your abilities in combat, your arsenal, and your health and shields.

1 : H A L O P R I M E R

HALO STORY BIBLE: MASTER CHIEF

The Master Chief is a second-generation product of the SPARTAN project: he was selected at age six and received intense

augmentation and indoctrination as part of a super-secret military experiment. He began his career—after thorough political

indoctrination and advanced training in weaponry and infantry tactics—as a Petty Officer Third Class. His first combat

deployment was 2525, at age 14, participating in a spec ops mission against an anti-government separatist group. However,

such missions were only a prologue.

Shortly thereafter, the threat of the Covenant was discovered. In November of 2525, the SPARTANs were issued the MJOLNIR

Mark V armor, and soon became one of the UNSC’s most effective surgical strike tools against the aliens. The Master Chief’s

ground engagements with the Covenant throughout the Outer Colonies, and into the Inner Colonies, number over 200, spanning

a field career of more than 25 years. He has been awarded every major service medal except the Prisoner of War Medallion.

In order to force a peace, Earth’s military commanders conceived a plan for a specially equipped team of super-soldiers to

board a Covenant vessel, access the target ship’s computer core, and pinpoint the location of the Covenant home world.

Once this was accomplished, it was hoped the team could then be covertly deployed to capture the Covenant’s leaders and

broker a gunpoint truce.

Before the plan could be implemented, the Covenant arrived at Reach—the last major human naval base, and the training

area for the SPARTANs—and obliterated the planet. Of the SPARTANs present, it is believed that only the Master Chief sur-

vived, fleeing the system aboard the cruiser Pillar of Autumn.

Though typically addressed by his rank (Master Chief) or by his serv-

ice number (SPARTAN-117), his real name is John-117. His last name

was deleted from the SPARTAN project records on Reach. This name

is not used by anyone except his instructors and the SPARTAN-II science team. In

fact, his name is not included in his military dossier. Only Doctor

Catherine Halsey’s secret files on Reach contained the “names”

of the SPARTAN-II subjects. These records were presumed

destroyed during the Covenant assault on the planet.

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ControlsAn efficient control scheme—one that lets you naturally perform all actions without having tolook down at the keyboard—is one of the most important aspects of succeeding in a first-personshooter. Halo’s default control setup is a great starting point, but don’t hesitate to customize thecontrol mappings. This section highlights specific actions, their default keystrokes, and theimportance of performing the actions efficiently.

Movement (WASD): “WASD” is the most popular first-person-shooter movement configuration.W moves forward, D moves backward, and A and S strafe left and right. The configuration iswidely used because it puts your left hand near several large keys (Tab, Left Shift, Left Ctrl,Space) that can be mapped to important functions. But a left-handed player might find that8546 on the number pad works better, and a similar configuration is achieved with the 0,Enter, and + keys nearby for vital mappings. The arrow keys are also in an efficient forma-tion but the nearby keys aren’t placed as conveniently.Switch Weapons (Tab): The ability to switch weapons quickly is invaluable. The Master Chiefonly carries two weapons at any time and it’s important that one complement the other—expect to switch weapons frequently. Also, if you’re firing the assault rifle and you exhaust aclip, it’s faster to switch to your secondary weapon and use its fresh clip against the currentfoe than to reload. A Middle Mouse Button (or clicking the mouse wheel) is also an effectivechoice since it’s adjacent to the default fire button (Left Mouse Button). This is a veryimportant function so keep it close to your movement or firing keys.Toss Grenade (Right Mouse Button): Covenant are adept at dodging grenades, but a well-placedexplosive can turn the tide in a battle. Your reflexes must be quick, especially in regard to theCovenant’s plasma grenade. At close range you can toss the grenade directly at an enemy tostick it to him. The plasma grenade adheres to the enemy and there’s no escape from the blast.Melee (F): A swift melee attack is often a spur-of-the-moment strike. You may spot apatrolling Elite walking away from you in the campaign, or spy an opposing sniper who’soblivious to your approach in a multiplayer game. Configure your melee attack to a conven-ient key to launch a surprise assault or in case combat becomes hand-to-hand. Changing the melee button to E or Q helps if you find the default cumbersome. Since you’re generallymoving forward (defaults to W) when you’re about to melee strike, adjacent keys are wiseselections.Reload (R): Weapons reload automatically after you exhaust a clip (see Figure 1.1), but it’swiser to reload manually when you have the opportunity, such as when you’re able to takecover during a battle or after defeating a group of enemies and entering the next area. TheSpace bar also makes a good reload key because you won’t have to stop moving to reload.Jump (Space): Jumping obviously gets you from one ledge to another, and it can help youavoid explosions—jump away from the blast radius to minimize splash damage. Multiplayergamers also jump during firefights to present a more difficult target. In the default configu-ration, your thumb rests on the Space bar, which makes it easy to jump quickly. You couldalso switch to Shift (close to the left-movement key, A) and use Space for another function,such as reloading or melee-attacking.

T H E M A S T E R C H I E F 3

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Duck (Ctrl): Crouching cankeep you hidden behind anobstacle and ready toambush an enemy or multi-player opponent with aclose-range weapon. You canalso duck as you jump toreach a ledge that simplyjumping wouldn’t allow youto reach. Press toward theledge, jump, and press theduck key at the apex of thejump to reach the ledge.Zoom (Z): The human pistol,sniper rifle, and rocketlauncher possess the zoomability. Zoom helps pinpointa long-range target.Headshots inflict much moredamage that other shots do, so it’s to your advantage to utilize a weapon’s zoom for moreaccurate aim. Some people like using the mouse wheel for this function.

WeaponsThis section offers some general tips on weapon management. For a comprehensive look at Halo’shuman and Covenant weaponry, see Chapter 2, “Human and Covenant Weapons.”

You can only carry two weapons at any given time in Halo. This facilitates tactical gameplaynot often seen in the first-person-shooter genre. It’s important to have the right weapon forthe right situation and to make sure that your weapons complement each other. Study eachweapon’s strengths and weaknesses by reading Chapter 2 and the multiplayer sections of this guide.Human weapons use ammunition, which you must gather from clips or discarded weaponsscattered around the level. All human weapons use clips; when you finish a clip, you mustreload the weapon. Once you exhaust your on-hand ammunition, you can use the weapononly to melee-attack opponents until you locate more ammo.Covenant weapons use batteries. They don’t require reloading, and once the battery isexhausted, the weapon is useless except in melee situations. Covenant enemies discardCovenant weapons, so these weapons are readily available throughout the campaign. Don’thesitate to exchange your weapon for a new one just to gain some extra battery life.The PC version of Halo features two new weapons: the human flamethrower and theCovenant fuel rod gun. Both weapons are covered in detail in Chapter 2, “Human andCovenant Weapons,” and in the multiplayer chapters of this guide.

1 : H A L O P R I M E R

FIGURE 1.1: Watch your ammunition level carefully so you aren’tforced to reload during a hectic firefight.

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ShieldA protective energy shield over the MJOLNIR Mark V armor absorbs damage and keeps the MasterChief safe from attack. But the shield isn’t invulnerable and can be fully depleted with enoughenemy weapons fire. Once destroyed, the shield takes 10 seconds to recharge (see Figure 1.2).Without shield protection, alldamage Master Chief sustainswill decrease his health insteadof being absorbed by the protec-tive shield.

All enemy fire damages yourshield, but the Covenant plasmapistol’s overcharge mode is themost dangerous. Used frequentlyby Jackals, the plasma pistol’sovercharge shot can depleteyour shield in a single blast.When facing a plasma pistol, it’simportant to have cover near-by—you’ll need a place to avoidan incoming overcharge shotand to wait patiently for a dam-aged shield to recharge beforeexposing yourself to moreweapons fire.

T H E M A S T E R C H I E F

FIGURE 1.2: When you hear the alarm that signals a loss of shields,retreat and take cover until your protection regenerates.

HALO STORY BIBLE: MJOLNIR MARK V ARMOR

The MJOLNIR Mark V Assault Armor is currently the most advanced piece of tactical military hardware in human hands. Each

suit costs as much as a small starship. The MJOLNIR armor is the brainchild of Dr. Catherine Halsey, and the SPARTAN-II pro-

gram was, in large part, Halsey’s attempt to create a soldier whose physical capabilities would be sufficient to interface with

her vision of the final phase of project MJOLNIR—a fully neural-linked system with an integral on-board AI using the human

mind for parallel processing. Such technology did not exist when work began on the Mark I prototype.

The MJOLNIR armor is composed of a multilayer alloy shell over a thick black armored bodysuit. The plates have an irides-

cent refractive coating to disperse energy-weapon attacks. The

armor’s inner structure is composed of a revolutionary reactive

metal liquid crystal. It is amorphous, yet fractally scales and ampli-

fies force, doubling lifting capacity and increasing reaction time by a factor of

five. Unfortunately, the system is so reactive, normal human beings can-

not use the suit without injuring themselves. Only an augment-

ed human such as a SPARTAN-II can safely wear MJOLNIR.

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CORTANACortana is a highly advanced artificial intelligence that’s theheart of the Pillar of Autumn and, in Halo’s first campaignmission, becomes the heart of the Master Chief. Cortana pro-vides key mission updates during the campaign. These includenew mission objectives; navigational indicators to pinpointkey locations, enemies, and targets; and general story com-ments to keep the Master Chief and the player abreast of the cur-rent situation against the Covenant.

1 : H A L O P R I M E R

HALO STORY BIBLE: CORTANA

“Cortana” is the AI assigned to the Master Chief as his MJOLNIR Mark V AI system. She was also to act as the Pillar of

Autumn’s shipboard AI until the team reached their target. Cortana is highly intelligent and adaptable, and assists the ves-

sel’s crew in tactical matters.

Her self-determined guise is female, with a dry, witty sense of humor and even elements of a hot temper. She is fiercely pro-

tective of the Master Chief, the crew, and her ship.

She is capable of navigating Halo’s computer system, intercepting

and translating Covenant battle transmissions in real time, and pro-

viding the Master Chief with mission waypoints, cartographic data, and tactical advice.

Following her experiences on Halo—where she spends considerable time lis-

tening in on Covenant networks—Cortana is probably the best

source of intelligence on the Covenant in human hands.

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MARINESSeveral of Halo’s campaign missions include com-puter-controlled Marines that battle alongside theMaster Chief. You don’t have direct control overthe Marines, but you certainly play a huge role intheir survival and their ability to assist youthroughout the mission.

When Marines are battling a particular foe,use the distraction to stick a plasmagrenade on the enemy or even to runbehind the enemy and perform a meleestrike for a quick kill.Observe which enemy target the Marines arefiring on and assist them to whittle downenemy numbers quickly.Likewise, engage any enemytarget firing on the Marinesto help keep your allieshealthy.Keeping Marines alive paysoff significantly in missionswith a Warthog and/orScorpion tank (for instance,Assault on the ControlRoom). In a Warthog, twoMarines can assist: one as agunner and another as apassenger. Both have theability to fire on enemy tar-gets. In a Scorpion, Marinescan sit above the treads andfire on targets (as Figure 1.3 shows).You can force a Marine outof a Warthog’s gunner orpassenger seat by exiting the Warthog and pressing the E key when standing adjacent to theMarine. Do this if the Marine is unhealthy and can be replaced with a healthier ally, or ifyou’re attempting to usher a sniper rifle–wielding Marine into a passenger seat. For more onthese techniques, see Chapter 3, “Human and Covenant Vehicles.”While certainly dishonorable, it’s possible to shoot a fellow Marine to gather his discardedweapon and ammunition. This is a last resort because it’s much more advantageous to havethe Marine alive and engaging enemies.

M A R I N E S

FIGURE 1.3: The Scorpion can hold Marines on its left and right sides,and these Marines fire on enemy ground targets.

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