343 Industries isn’t just announcing next-gen Halo titles, they are still very much supporting Halo 4 as well. They have just announced the Champions Bundle – a bundle of three expansion packs (Steel Skin Pack, Bullseye Pack, and Infinity Armor Pack) plus 18 new items and a bunch of customization. The pack comes in at 800 MS Points, though you can pick up each of the other three as individual packs for 240 on the same date. Let’s take a look at what is in each of them:
Bullseye Pack
Dive headfirst into the exciting Bullseye Pack, which includes the brand new Ricochet game type and two new maps, Pitfall and Vertigo. In addition, Bullseye offers an entirely new armor set based on the Ricochet game type. A description of the new maps, game type, and armor mods is below:
- NEW MAP – Pitfall: As a remake of “Halo 3”’s ‘The Pit’ – Pitfall has new features based on pro and community feedback for increased pace and flow. The map is small, symmetrical, and mostly open with strategically placed cover points. Our new game type Ricochet is also a perfect complement to this map. Play to experience a new take on an old favorite. Pitfall will incite fond memories, and new excitement.
- NEW Map – Vertigo: Vertigo is a small, asymmetrical map that any Slayer or Extraction fan will love. But don’t let Vertigo fool you. Opposing Spartans aren’t the only thing you have to worry about in this small experimental tension conductor facility. This map is hiding a secret: Vertigo brings you the first dynamic event in a Halo multiplayer map in a very long time; the map hides a trigger point, that when shot at – depletes the shields of all Spartans within range.
- NEW Game Type – Ricochet: For nearly a century, gravball competitions have held sway over most competitive sports across the breadth of human-occupied space. Historically, UNSC drill instructors have utilized a variant called Ricochet, where fast-paced combat simulations occur in synch with the classic, frenetic scoring competition. Spartan-IVs aboard Infinity have adopted this format recently in the ship’s impressive combat decks, incorporating a number of adjustments within the War Games simulations in order to effectively hone their skills. Protect your team’s goal and score in the other team’s goal. Running the ball into the goal earns you 50 points, while throwing the ball into the goal gets you 20 points. First team to 150 points wins.
Steel Skin Pack
With the Steel Skin Pack, stylize your favorite loadouts with the most elaborate and impressive “Halo 4” weapon skins to date. Inspired by classic steampunk aesthetics, the Steel Skin Pack covers the gamut with ten UNSC, Covenant, and Forerunner weapons, grafting vivid, dynamic plating and textures across your weapon-of-choice.
Infinity Armor Pack
Stand out on the battlefield: from legendary Mjolnir and Special Forces armor to the ancient Forerunner mail of an era long passed, now is the time to update your “Halo 4” Spartan. With the Infinity Armor Pack, you get access to the vintage Mark V armor of “Halo: Combat Evolved,” the rugged armor worn by the battle-hardened ODSTs, and a hybrid Forerunner armor system used by their civilization’s Prefects more than 100,000 years ago. A description of each set of armor is below:
- Mark V Armor: The vintage Mjolnir Mark V system was first worn by SPARTAN-II super-soldiers in 2525, at the start of the Covenant War. Although many of those wearing it customized the system’s helmet and molding architecture, the standard line stridently remained one of the most common armor systems in the years that followed. Some contemporary Spartan-IVs have requisitioned this GEN1 system with modified components to meet stringent GEN2 standards.
- Prefect Armor: Research on the Forerunner shield world of Onyx, now called Trevelyan, has cultivated numerous findings for the Office of Naval Intelligence. One of the most practical was the discovery of a native armor system, utilized by Forerunner Prefects late into their civilization’s history. The Watershed Division leveraged local Huragok to reverse-engineer the original designs, grafting the abandoned armor system into baseline Mjolnir standards for Spartan-IV use.
- ODST Armor: With the heavy influx of Orbital Drop Shock Troopers into the SPARTAN-IV program, the resurrection of the earlier GEN1 Mjolnir variant was inevitable. While quite distinct from the armor afforded to the average ODST in the field, the GEN2 system utilizes many of the features common to Special Forces suits, making it agreeable to those familiar with them.
The bundle a few additional goodies if you pick them all up at once. Let’s find out what’s what!
Enhance your War Games experience with 3 all-new content packs for one special price3, plus limited-time exclusive bonus content only available for those who purchase the “Halo 4” Champions Bundle. The bonus content gives you an excellent selection of upgrades that simply cannot be passed up, including an armor mod: the Resistor Tactical Package, new weapon skins, new armor skins, and new Spartan stances for your player card. And, with the “Halo 4” Champions Bundle, you get the 3 content packs as well: the Infinity Armor Pack sets your Spartan up with legendary new armor, the Steel Skin Pack brings elaborate steampunk style to your UNSC, Covenant, and Forerunner weapons, and the Bullseye Pack delivers 2 new maps, a sports-themed Spartan armor, and 2 week early-access4 to an insane new competitive gravball game type called “Ricochet”. A description of the armor mod is below:
Resistor Tactical Package: The Resistor Package is a specialized armor mod that allows Spartans to maintain their full mobility and dexterity while taking incoming fire.
The pack is coming in hot on August 20th, and to celebrate we’ve got some sweet screenshots, concept art, and even a video to celebrate. Awesome, right?
Ron Burke is the Editor in Chief for Gaming Trend. Currently living in Fort Worth, Texas, Ron is an old-school gamer who enjoys CRPGs, action/adventure, platformers, music games, and has recently gotten into tabletop gaming.
Ron is also a fourth degree black belt, with a Master's rank in Matsumura Seito Shōrin-ryū, Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do, Universal Tang Soo Do Alliance, and International Tang Soo Do Federation. He also holds ranks in several other styles in his search to be a well-rounded fighter.
Ron has been married to Gaming Trend Editor, Laura Burke, for 28 years. They have three dogs - Pazuzu (Irish Terrier), Atë, and Calliope (both Australian Kelpie/Pit Bull mixes), and an Axolotl named Dagon!
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