Halo Reach armor abilities guide

A dos and don'ts guide to how not to get murdered in multiplayer with Reach's snazzy new armor abilities

Words: Jordan_Baughman on September 28, 2010

Above: Halo Reach! Finish the fight! Oh… wait a minute…

In case you missed the marketing blurb posted up by every single gaming publication on the planet, Halo: Reach introduces a brand new mechanic into the series with armor abilities. Each of these perks adds quite a bit more bang to your run-of-the-mill Halo multiplayer match. While advanced strategies regarding each armor ability are still in their fledgling stages, online play has already demonstrated quite a few “do’s” and “don’ts.”

Sprint

Above: Haul ass in Halo: Reach

What is it?

The Sprint armor ability is exactly as it sounds: you run faster when it’s activated. Halo fans have been begging for a sprint feature since Halo: Combat Evolved. Well, it only took around 9 years to get the coding right, but Bungie has finally delivered.

Do’s

Me First! Me First!!

Sprint affords you a much higher mobility than anyone else on the battlefield (you know; assuming that they aren’t also using Sprint). Take advantage of that to snatch up your favorite startup weapons and vehicles.

Sure, your team of Major League Gaming hopefuls will probably be bitching the entire match about how you don’t know what the hell you’re doing. F#$@ those guys. You’re the one who gets to drive the Scorpion Tank while equipped with the rocket launcher and sniper rifle; not them.

Peace Out

Above: RUN!!!

While fighting to your last breath over and over again is all heroic and whatnot, living looks much better on the scoreboards. Should an enemy get the drop on you and take out half your shields before you even know what’s going on, don’t turn to face your assailant. Show everybody what a skittish little bunny rabbit you are by hauling ass out of there. Seriously. Leg it to somewhere safe to recover and counterattack.

Melee Marathon Man

The Sprint armor ability is a godsend for all of you plasma sword-wielding sociopaths. The technique is simple enough. Run like Hell towards the person you want to plasma shank. Make sure to stop sprinting once you are within close proximity of your prey, as you cannot attack while sprinting.

Don’ts

The One-Man Army

Being the first one to get a kill is awesome; rushing ahead of your team to engage the enemy is not. You’re fast, not invincible. There’s nothing special about being the first to get a bunch of enemy ordinance lodged in your teeth.

Stick with your team, chief.

Above: Mr. Blue Guy thought he was a badass. Now look at him. LOOK AT HIM!

Platforms:

Xbox 360

43 comments

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shucks9 - January 2, 2011 9:06 a.m.

yea with the hologram its kindof a no brainer cause you dont see the red name above it. but whait i dont get is tht people still fall for it which makes it funny
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DoGz1337 - October 23, 2010 5:23 p.m.

I swear to GOD that spartan in the last picture is me. IM sure. i got killed that way. and thats my armor.
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gameraper420 - October 20, 2010 12:04 a.m.

i know a super do for sprint if you get stuck with a plasma grenade from close up just go kamakazie just like all those darn grunts on gruntopocylpse
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cronomonkey - October 6, 2010 2:19 a.m.

i use active camo when my team is a bunch of pussies who quit on me
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TaichouDaidai - October 4, 2010 12:11 p.m.

i know a don't for the hologram running right by your hologram charging toward 3 enemies is a don't i remember seeing a dumbass do that i guess he didn't know that your name shows above your guys head if your pointing at them
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D0CCON - October 4, 2010 1:42 a.m.

"You're the one who gets to drive the scorpion while armed with the rocket launcher and sniper rifle" God I hate people who do that when they are on my team (I love enemies who do it though). They do realize they can only use one of their uber-weapons at a time right? As long as they are a live, they have a powerful weapon doing nothing instead of letting a teammate actually help out (luckily, this seems to happen less in Reach).
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Vader999 - October 3, 2010 11:53 p.m.

Actually, dive spamming isn't that bad.......
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SenorHurt - October 3, 2010 11:47 a.m.

I already knew how to use the Armor Effects but I hadn't yet figured out how to best use them. Some of the scenarios you mentioned are gonna be a lifesaver for me. I find that I forgot to use them a lot at first. Now that I have been playing for a while I find I am using them much more.
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Raistlarn - October 2, 2010 8:52 a.m.

Here's a don't for the hologram. When you see someone on your radar don't stop and make your hologram or make any funny odd jerky movements while making your hologram, because alot of people actually watch their radar and when someone sees a weird jerk or a pause then something runs out of cover it will most likely be a hologram. The best way to make the hologram is to run with it when you make it then just stop after it is already made. Another don't is to not do it when the enemy sees you. Although you can get away with using it when you have a couple more teammates and you are in a huge close quarters combat fight, it will literally confuse the opponent especially if they are being fire on from multiple angles and you are not their sole focus(although if you pull an energy sword or a grav hammer, you'll just be painting a huge target on yourself). Another don't is don't aim to far or it will run against a wall and keep running in the same place. And the last don't with the hologram is don't aim it at breakable glass because the hologram will not break the glass it will just run in place at the glass.
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theloofa - October 1, 2010 8:25 p.m.

lol @ "Lt. Corporal"
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ethoreson9761 - September 30, 2010 4:49 p.m.

A do for the hologram stay a good distance from the edge of cover so when you use it the enemy won't see the initial shimmer and they start to shoot it. by the time they put 2 and 2 together they're already dead.
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seanbidwell - September 30, 2010 3:56 a.m.

dude i learned alot about what ive been doing in other words i was using them wrong
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gamefreakl1996 - September 30, 2010 2:10 a.m.

Lol, I love how I do basically all the "don't"s and almost none of the "do"s, I love just putting the camo on and standing infront of the enemy, or using the holgram and standing right next to it
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SinisterThougts - September 29, 2010 12:19 p.m.

Awesome article, really helpful on some points. I really like how my screenshot was used to show Evade <3
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Logan2911 - September 29, 2010 4:48 a.m.

Hologram = Shadow clones ^_^
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Defguru7777 - September 29, 2010 4:10 a.m.

I found that Armor Lock can be used very successfully in melee fights. Both you and your opponent melee and take out each other's shields. Then you go into Armor Lock and the other guy melees. While he's recovering from the melee (1 second) come out of Armor Lock and deliver the finishing melee blow. I've gotten a lot of successful kills out of this (and even a Double Kill once).
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Spybreak8 - September 28, 2010 11:36 p.m.

I couldn't believe there were so many people that kept getting killed when I used the armor lock and they tried to run me over!^^
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gmknoble - September 28, 2010 11:09 p.m.

nice article
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FACANAWESOME - September 28, 2010 9:13 p.m.

Do: Buy another game! Do not: Buy another marginally better Gaylo game! Your Welcome!
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Crabhand - September 28, 2010 8:29 p.m.

There are some very good tips in this one, although there is one "don't" for the hologram. Don't just point it at a wall and go, the Spartan making a b-line for the wall isn't going to draw much fire (although some bad players will still go for the assassination =P)
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