This month, Mantic Games has been shipping out their latest wave of releases for their Halo tabletop miniature game, Halo: Flashpoint. Whether you’re leading a team of Spartans or Elites to victory, Halo: Flashpoint continues to release more expansions… and keeps selling out! In this latest wave of releases, Mantic Games’ reprint of the Spartan Edition starter is the largest ever since launch, and has sold out even before release.
So what’s new on Zeta Halo? The UNSC Marine reinforcement joins their Spartan and ODST allies in their continued fight against the Banished. We got our hands on a copy of the expansion and have the unboxed contents below.
Unboxing the UNSC Marines
This expansion is part of the new 1.5 Ruleset, which has consolidated rules and a new balance update after two years of content releases. This expansion’s cards are fully compatible with the new rules, so you don’t need to get the new Unit Cards Expansion for them.
UNSC Marine Box Contents:
- 1x Spartan Tomas Horvath
- 1x UNSC Corporal with M45K 'Avenger' Carbine
- 1x UNSC Medic with M6C/SOCOM
- 1x UNSC Marine with M41 SPNKr
- 1x UNSC Marine with S7 Sniper Rifle
- 2x UNSC Marine with BR55 Battle Rifle
- 2x UNSC Marine with VK78 Commando
- 2x UNSC Marine with Pulse Carbine
- 2x UNSC Marine with MA5D Assault Rifle
- 13x Unit Stat Cards
- 2x Special Order Cards
All the figures come pre-assembled in their updated plastic. The earlier releases had very soft plastics, which were a pain to prep and clean for painting.
Sgt. Derpy over here escaped QC, but is still dedicated to the cause. He has spirit, gumption, and a face only a mother could love.*
One of my Battle Rifle marines had a manufacturing defect, so I reached out the Mantic Support Team. Not only did they get back to me right away, but they sent out a replacement. so, if you have any issues with your expansion, be sure to reach out to them for help!
The box also includes a Zeta Halo rulebook, which includes information on the faction reinforcements, new keywords, and new scenarios.
UNSC Unit Cards
In addition to the new unit cards, there are two new special order cards: Our Time to Shine and Target Acquired. These give UNSC players some options for building out their UNSC Fireteam and help bolster the Support keyword for the UNSC Marines. Aside from Tomas Horvath, the box includes a single copy of the Medic, Sniper, Rocket, and Corporal. So, if you’re building out your Fireteam and need more copies of the aforementioned troopers, you’ll need more boxes.
The Sniper and Medic seem particularly useful, with the Sniper being particularly deadly and the Medic able to remove wounds. I can see myself reaching for them often when building teams.
Final Thoughts
Since the first day I played Halo: Flashpoint, I have been anxiously awaiting the inclusion of both ODSTs and Marines into the game. With the ODSTs released last year, I am now able to build some fun and thematic UNSC lists with the Marines. I am excited to see what these pieces bring to the table as they continue the fight against the Banished forces.
Have you played Halo: Flashpoint yet? Let us know! Don’t forget to follow GamingTrend for more Halo and Halo: Flashpoint board and video game news and reviews.
