Line #20 YMMV/Halo


1	This page lists YMMV tropes for the franchise as a whole. For the first game's YMMV page, [[YMMV/HaloCombatEvolved go here]].
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5	* AccidentalInnuendo: ''Halo: Legacy of Onyx'' has a scene in which Molly and Lucy discuss how much size matters...referring to a combatant's build in a fight, of course.
6	-->'''Lucy:''' Are you saying that this is all about size?
7	* {{Adorkable}}:
8	** 031 Exuberant Witness does her best to help Fireteam Osiris in a very cheerful and friendly manner, and is in general quite endearing with her commentary. This quote sums it best:
9	--> '''031 Exuberant Witness:''' ''(after hacking through one of [[spoiler: Cortana]]'s blocks)'' Ah ha! I did it! I did it. I did it!
10	** Jared Miller, especially in ''Spartan Ops'' episode 5, when arguing with Roland. He's easily flustered and his voice cracks when he gets excited, like a little kid. He also quickly shushes Roland when the AI hints that he may have a crush on Palmer. Awww.
11	* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Given the GreyAndGreyMorality of the Halo universe, this trope is prevalent in both heroes and villains. Characters in the universe that are the most prone to debate are John-117, Dr. Catherine Halsey, Thel 'Vadam, Colonel James Ackerson, and invoked on Admiral Preston Cole.
12	** That said, it took a little longer for the games themselves to begin presenting the "grey" aspects of the verse; Halsey made her first in-game appearance in ''VideoGame/HaloReach'', but ''VideoGame/{{Halo 4}}'' was the first one to reveal her shadier qualities to more casual fans.
13	*** The ''Glasslands'' novel is half dedicated to pressing the view of Halsey being a psychopath on the reader; personal opinion varies ''heavily'' on if it succeeded, as the people who called Halsey out on her controversial projects willingly allowed, no, ''approved'' of them, helped bring them about, were ultimately saved by them, and did just as horrible things on their own. It even glossed over some established canon (namely, Cortana's creation and her reasons for cloning the children) in an attempt to make her more controversial. Much (if not most) of this is generally attributed to Creator/KarenTraviss being [[WriterOnBoard at it again]].
14	** The Forerunners get this as well. Noble, caring beings who sacrificed themselves to save the galaxy and did their best to fix the Flood's damage? Or sociopathic, [[FantasticRacism fantastic racists]] who are the [[AbusivePrecursors root cause of the damage done by the Flood]]? Canon seems to [[WellIntentionedExtremist favor a middle ground]].
15	* AluminumChristmasTrees: There really is a "Master Chief" rank in the US military - [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_Chief_Petty_Officer Master Chief Petty Officer]] is a naval rank, and yes, the correct way to address one ''is'' "Master Chief". Quite understandably, when a suspect of such a rank once showed up on ''Series/{{NCIS}}'', surprise and confusion ensued for some.
16	* AngstAversion: The side-stories, and later the games themselves, make it clear the ''Halo'' universe is not a happy place. [[TheFederation The UNSC]], [[DesignatedHero the so-called good guys]], are willing to spy on their own citizens in the name of the [[TheNeedsOfTheMany greater good]] and screw their alien allies to advance [[HumansAreTheRealMonsters humanity's self-interests]]. And the Convenant is [[ScaryDogmaticAliens even worse]]. The Forerunner book pushes the ''Halo'' series into CosmicHorrorStory territory. And our hero, the Master Chief, [[BeingGoodSucks will save the day while losing close friends and loved ones]].
17	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: '''[[AwesomeMusic/{{Halo}} And how!]]'''
18	* BestLevelEver: [[Awesome/VideoGameLevelsGToM Halo has so many that it has its own very long section on this page]].
19	* BrokenBase:
20	** Which one was best? Or better yet, go out and ask which [[SchmuckBait Halo game was the worst]] or where they stopped being good.
21	** Ever since Bungie left the franchise to Microsoft, who turned it over to 343 Industries (one of their subsidaries), much of the fanbase has been divided into two camps: The fans who have been embracing the decisions changes that 343 Industries have been making to the franchise, and the fans who preferred the Bungie games and how they set the standards of the franchise. Arguments over the art style, lore, and the newer games in general frequently crop up.
22	** [[spoiler: 343 Guilty Spark]] turning out to be NotQuiteDead has remained a contentious topic; a lot of fans feel that it's cheap, ruins the ending of ''Halo 3'', and plain do not want to see the character at all, while another sizable group think his redemption arc in ''Renegades'' was more than captivating enough to justify his revival and look forward to seeing where his character will go in the future.
23	** Both ''VideoGame/Halo5Guardians'' and ''VideoGame/HaloInfinite'' are rated T by the ESRB, a fact that is a common point of conversation among fans. A number of people point to this rating as proof that the series is going LighterAndSofter, and call for a return to the more visceral blood and BodyHorror effects that the the classic ''Halo'' trilogy could provide at times. Others don't put much stock in the rating change, and point out that ''Halo'' has generally always preferred to communicate violence through weapon impact rather than gore. Confusing things further is that ValuesDissonance could be in effect, as PEGI has consistently given every ''Halo'' FPS a 16 rating. This debate is heated enough that ''Infinite'' actually references it, with the [[MediumAwareness Medium Aware]] Glibnub reminiscing about the days when they were M-Rated.
24	* CheeseStrategy: The "Noob Combo" is a common tactic where a player uses the Plasma Pistol overcharge to immediately drop an enemy's shields then switches to a headshot weapon for a OneHitKill. While most games have included nerfs to make the combo less effective, its ease of use and lack of effective counterattack make it a reliable strategy across the series.
25	* CommonKnowledge: Many fans who haven't read ''New Blood'' have extrapolated from its two major plot points (that [[spoiler: the Rookie is killed by Insurrectionists]] and [[spoiler: Mickey betrays over to the Insurrectionists]]) that [[spoiler: Mickey either killed the Rookie directly or intentionally arranged the circumstances that lead to his death.]] Neither is true, [[spoiler: Mickey's FaceHeelTurn occurs as a direct ''result'' of the Rookie's death being a CynicismCatalyst for him.]]
26	* CompleteMonster: [[IronicNickname The Prophet of Truth]], born [[TheChessmaster Ord Casto]], is one of the {{Big Bad}}s of the original trilogy and instigator of the attempted genocide of two species. After finding out that humans are the descendants of Forerunners, thus violating [[Characters/HaloTheCovenant Covenant]] doctrine, Truth, along with his cohorts Mercy and Regret, declares war on all humanity, with the aim of completely destroying them, intending to preserve the strength of their species. Believing the Jiralhane--Brutes--to be more vicious and mindlessly devoted pawns than the Sangheili--Elites--Truth secretly orders the [[FinalSolution genocide of the Sangheili race]] after ensuring the Jiralhane will supplant them, triggering the Covenant CivilWar. Cold-blooded and ruthless, Truth feels no loyalty or affection for his fellow Prophets, prevents Covenant forces from saving Regret in order to use his death for political gain, and allows Mercy to be killed by the Flood in order to seize absolute power over the Covenant. [[NotSoWellIntentionedExtremist Concerned about personal power rather than Covenant religion]], and even after confronted with evidence that the Halo Rings were not a means of achieving godhood but instead weapons of mass destruction, [[OmnicidalManiac Truth still decides to activate them all]], [[GodhoodSeeker dedicated to the idea of becoming a god]] through the Great Journey, willing to kill every living thing in the galaxy while he ascends to godhood.
27	* CriticalBacklash: The franchise tends to get lumped with other shooters such as ''Call of Duty'' as being everything wrong with the video game industry or disproportionately bad, causing people who end up trying it to solicit this reaction.
28	* CrossesTheLineTwice: Shooting Grunts in the head? Cruel. Having the head explode with confetti popping out and children cheering? Hilarious.
29	* DemonicSpiders:
30	** In general, any kind of sniping enemy or flying enemy bar the Watchers, which are more GoddamnedBats, and anything that uses the HitScan UNSC weapons, which usually means fighting humans or any Flood wielding their weapons.
31	** Jackal Snipers. Either you have to worry about being instantly killed by a beam rifle, or have to deal with a Focus Rifle blocking your vision. ''Especially'' in ''2''. The description for ''VideoGame/HaloInfinite'''s [[NintendoHard Legendary difficulty]] even {{Lampshades}} this.
32	** Drones, due to their high numbers and flight. Hiding from them is practically impossible.
33	** Rocket Launcher-equipped Flood in ''Combat Evolved''. Insane reflexes plus sniper rifle accuracy plus a tendency to spawn in enclosed areas equals a bad time for all involved.
34	** Stealth Elites, particularly in ''Combat Evolved'', where your first encounter with them will inevitably result in most of your squad and you being killed in seconds by these invisible, energy sword-toting enemies. Thankfully they're {{Glass Cannon}}s.
35	** Ranger Elites, especially in ''2'', where they can fly indefinitely.
36	** Flood Stalker and Ranged forms. The former aren't to dangerous, but are skittishly fast, sometimes tackle their foes from behind and can be difficult to put down (melee works surprisingly well however) as they reposition, while the Ranged forms can be difficult to kill in larger numbers due to their distance and having to worry about being pelted by their needles, not to mention cocooning whenever you shoot back making them tougher.
37	** Flood Combat Forms in ''2'' and ''3'' on Legendary, maybe Heroic. As usual, they overwhelm you by swarming from above, but with fewer places to hide, and now they can melee while wielding a weapon; a direct melee hit from them is instantly fatal on these difficulties.
38	** Flood Infection forms in these games can [[MookMaker resurrect ungibbed corpses]], [[TransformationTrauma grotesquely transform]] live victims in real-time in part 3, and are instant death if they ''touch'' you with your shields down (unlike the first game where you had a chance to shake them off). And God help you if you randomly run into a Combat Form with a Sniper Rifle in ''2'', who ''will'' be just as accurate as a Jackal and ''will'' hide in the darkest spot of the room. They get a little better in 3, since they're more easily killed, but the Pure Forms more than make up for this.
39	** In ''Halo Wars'' multiplayer, Gauss Hogs, with Gunner/Grenadier Hogs only being Goddamned Bats.
40	** ''Halo 3: ODST'' introduces two new types of Demonic Spiders: Engineers and Drone Majors.
41	*** The Engineers have the annoying habit of flying high above the battlefield while broadcasting an overshield to their allies in the area. They can only be easily killed with Sniper or energy weapons.
42	*** The Drone Major sports recharging energy shields AND rapid-fire Brute plasma rifles. Did we mention that Drones are already almost impossible to hit due to their small size and the way in which they erratically fly around the screen?
43	** It's telling that Drones were pulled from Firefight in ''Reach'' - although half the reason they were cut was because of the addition of Skirmishers, super-powered Jackals who can move as fast and jump as high as Drones. Plus they can carry rifles and use plasma overcharges! Fun!
44	* DiagnosedByTheAudience: By the time of ''Halo 4'' and ''5'', the Chief is showing some signs of PTSD from losing people he cares about during his very long military career. By ''Infinite'', he seems to have gotten it back under control, though it's more because he's too consumed with TranquilFury to dwell on his mental struggles, and it still tends to show up whenever he reflects on [[ItsAllMyFault his responsibility]] for what happened to Cortana.
45	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
46	** [[NobleDemon The]] [[TokenHeroicOrc Arbiter]], despite being controversial when introduced simply for the fact that you weren't always playing as the Chief, eventually exploded in popularity for being an Elite that you could play as, his well-written story, and for he and the Chief becoming BashBrothers extraordinaire by ''Halo 3''. Many rejoiced at his return in ''Guardians.''
47	** Buck from ''ODST'', being a hilariously snarky ODST Sergeant (and later Spartan-IV when he returns as a playable character in ''5''). To top it all off, he's voiced by Creator/NathanFillion.
48	** [[BreakoutCharacter Sergeant Johnson]] was initially just meant to be another Marine; he could be killed in gameplay and would appear later, and appeared getting killed in the Legendary ending when Halo explodes. However, his hilarious lines and no-nonsense attitude, helped greatly by his basis on Sergeant Apone from ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' meant that he was brought back in the sequels as a major character with GameplayAllyImmortality. [[spoiler:May he rest in peace.]]
49	** Vergil, the first Engineer we meet in the games who also provides help for the final missions, including energy shields after having to play the game without them previously. It also has quite a few SugarWiki/FunnyMoments.
50	** Emile-A239 from ''Reach'' gained a great deal of popularity shortly after his first appearance. The fact that he etched a skull into his visor probably had something to do with it. [[spoiler:His [[DyingMomentOfAwesome badass death scene]] only boosted that.]]
51	* EpilepticTrees: (See: WMG/{{Halo}})
52	** Many of the people at the [[http://halostory.bungie.org/ Halo Story Page]] are veterans at WMG, having previously been doing the same thing with the ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'' games.
53	* EscapistCharacter: John-117 was ranked the eighth greatest video game character of all time by Electronic Gaming Monthly, simply because he doesn't talk much and you can't see his face, so you can easily pretend it's really you inside the armour doing all those badass things.
54	* FanNickname: "[[IAmNotShazam John Halo]]" for Master Chief.
55	* FanonDiscontinuity: The ''Kilo-Five'' trilogy of books by Creator/KarenTraviss is largely ignored by the fanbase for being a ''massive'' AuthorTract against [[MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate Dr. Halsey]], ignoring the positives of the SPARTAN-II Program (namely that it ''saved humanity'') or sometimes [[ContinuitySnarl contradicting canon]] to make her look as evil as possible. The contributors behind Halopedia quite blatantly hate these books as well, as shown by some of their articles reinterpreting their events to be far less biased against Halsey.
56	* FauxSymbolism: Just outside the Milky Way Galaxy, [[{{Precursors}} the Forerunners]] built a massive space-station called "TheArk", which protected its inhabitants from an alien race called "[[EldritchAbomination The Flood]]". The ThemeNaming is [[Literature/TheBible obvious]], but that's where the similarities end. The Flood aren't even what killed everyone, ''The Ark itself'' is since that's where the [[LostSuperweapon Halo Array]] was constructed.
57	* FirstInstallmentWins: The original trilogy by Bungie is still considered the height of the series by many, whereas 343 Industries' titles are all some degree of ContestedSequel.
58	* FranchiseZombie: It was going to end with the second game, but Microsoft made them stretch it out [[note]]It should also be pointed out here that problems during Halo 2's development resulted in the game essentially being redone during the last 12-18 months, with a lot of stuff having to be cut to achieve this and resulting in the infamous cliffhanger ending. Halo 3's existence was in part due to the need to tie everything together. ''ODST'' and ''Reach'' were developed as part of contractual obligations to allow Bungie to buy themselves out from Microsoft.[[/note]].
59	* FridgeBrilliance:
60	** Spartans don't die, they're only missing in action, that is how you respawn when you die! Also, the Gravemind's quotes in Halo 3? You know where he calls you the 'child of my enemy?' Originally we thought it was because humanity were the inheritors of the Forerunner legacy. However new information reveals that thousands of years ago humanity repelled the Flood and found a way to destroy them without firing the Halo rings. This Gravemind has the memories of its predecessor.
61	** Also the Monitors' near obsessive insistence on firing the rings. They needed to be that way to prevent whoever was about to kill all life in the galaxy from having second thoughts.
62	* FridgeHorror:
63	** You know the Focus Rifle, the Covenant [[EnergyWeapon Sniper equivalent]] in Reach? It nearly blinds you provided the beam's hitting you in the face, and makes that frightening beeping sound as it's being fired? Keep in mind this is the Covenant ''sniper''. [[GoddamnedBats Jackals]] are still in the game. [[ThisIsGonnaSuck You can start crying now.]]
64	** In ''Halo: Reach'', we are introduced to Brutes in a level where we are escorting civilians out of a city. Brutes are known for eating humans they've killed. So yeah.
65	** You know the Arbiter, that snarky 7-foot alien buddy of yours that kicks ass? He's the one who, [[spoiler:after Jorge died, called in ''the entire goddamn fleet'' to Reach. Essentially, the Arbiter/Thel 'Vadam helped murder most of Reach. Yeah]]. A trailer for ''Halo 2: Anniversary'' actually has the Arbiter mention this, implying that the Chief doesn't know yet (though the latter is obviously under no illusions about the Arbiter's innocence regarding the war as a whole), and both the ''Halo 2'' terminals and ''Halo 5: Guardians'' reveal that Locke had originally volunteered to assassinate the Arbiter for this very reason. It helps, however, that there's some pretty heavy implications that the Arbiter is well aware of his sins while under the Covenant, not just to Humanity, but to the Sanghelli race itself, and is spending the better part of his off-screen time from ''Halo 4'' onwards doing what he can to [[TheAtoner redeem himself]] by ridding the galaxy of the Covenant for good. Fleet Admiral Hood also acknowledges this at the end of ''3'', outright stating that while he can never forgive the Arbiter for what he did, he is grateful for his assistance.
66	* GameBreaker: ''VideoGame/Halo3'' gave us the Spartan Laser, a weapon with virtually unlimited range, can insta-kill players, and cripple if not one-shot most vehicles. Its main downside, that firing it takes a ChargedAttack which gives away your location, often isn't enough to let enemies quickly counter it in the chaos of battle, the relative inflexibility of vehicles, or even just the Spartan Laser's user making clever use of cover to ensure they're unseen until its too late. The main consequence of this is that the Spartan Laser hard-countered vehicles and significantly altered the dynamics of Big Team Battle modes, slowing pacing to a crawl as whatever team had access to the Spartan Laser had a chance to dominate. It is noteworthy that ''VideoGame/HaloInfinite'' introduces the Skewer, a weapon that shares its use case with the Spartan Laser of old (insta-kill players and deal high damage to vehicles, a long-range) but gives it far more relevant and balanced downsides (a projectile with drop-off and travel time, replacing the charge with a punishingly lengthy reload).
67	* GenreTurningPoint:
68	** With ''Halo'', shooters ditched {{Hyperspace Arsenal}}s and took up regenerating health, among other things. Upon its original release, ''Halo'''s combat incorporated three elements in particular: a two-weapon limit, rechargeable shields, and dedicated buttons for instantly-accessible grenade throws and melee attacks. Individually, all these features had been seen before ''Halo'', but they were far from predominant, especially when combined together in a single game like that.
69	** This and the ''VideoGame/CallOfDuty'' series are credited with killing off the more open-plan FPS design philosophy embodied by the likes of ''VideoGame/{{Doom}}'', ''VideoGame/DukeNukem3D'', and ''VideoGame/GoldenEye1997'', and cementing the "corridor shooter" as the standard approach for FPS games for at least the next decade-and-a-bit. From a design standpoint, the sixth console generation marked the point where consoles were powerful enough to depict large-scale set pieces during gameplay, something much harder to script and set up in the more non-linear FPS format. And from a gamer standpoint, many who didn't care for running around searching for keys and flipping switches, and just wanted to shoot stuff, found the corridor shooter format to be much more straightforward and satisfying.
70	* GoddamnedBats:
71	** Yanme'e, aka Drones/Buggers. To the point where ''Reach''[='s=] Firefight leaves them out. They're still in Campaign, though, and just as annoying as ever.
72	** Watchers can be this in ''Halo 4'' if there's a swarm of them. Thankfully they show up less in ''Halo 5: Guardians''.
73	* GoodBadBugs: Plenty existed in Reach, but don't worry, they were fixed. {{Creator/Bungie}} has revealed these at different points:
74	** A female Spartan model would turn male [[DudeLooksLikeALady when their shields popped.]]
75	** When rotating an Elite in the appearance section, the legs wouldn't move with the rest of the body.
76	** Continuously bumping into Kat would cause her to [[ThatCameOutWrong string together suggestive dialogue.]]
77	*** Comic-Con 2010 also revealed one: when using a [[HardLight Hologram]] in Oddball, the hologram could pick up the ball.
78	* HarsherInHindsight: [[BeatingADeadPlayer "Get up so I can kill you again"]] is a ''lot'' less funny when the Flood proceed to ''[[ZombieApocalypse actually get back up]]''.
79	* HesJustHiding:
80	** The ONI official report makes it canon that [[spoiler: Admiral Cole]] is still out there somewhere.
81	** Some people who dislike the DroppedABridgeOnHim deaths of [[spoiler:Black Team]] in ''Halo: Escalation'' like to think that it's different characters wearing similar armor who die.
82	** In ''Literature/HaloFirstStrike'', some fans like to think that Spartans Anton and Li and gunship pilot Polaski were only separated from the others during their apparent flash vaporization.
83	* HilariousInHindsight:
84	** First, Apple does a {{Defictionalization}} of the VoiceWithAnInternetConnection with Siri. Then Microsoft brings the whole deal full circle [[http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/2/5570866/cortana-windows-phone-8-1-digital-assistant naming theirs Cortana]]. Which even has a Halo as its avatar!
85	** The highest difficulty level is named "Legendary". In the Italian version, it's "Leggendaria". Now consider ''VideoGame/{{beatmania}} IIDX 21 SPADA'', a 2013 game, and its infamous ✝[[HarderThanHard LEGGEN]][[GratuitousItalian DARIA]] charts.
86	** Back in '''1988''', Troy Hurtubise started work on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3CzYw5-qdA Project Grizzly]] which was an effort to make a suit of armor (called the Ursus) that could not only survive an attack from a wild bear but also withstand all sorts of heavy impacts and even tumbling falls down steep slopes. Then in 2007, Troy publicly announced that he was offering the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JPS2l5fQ55A Trojan Armor]] for sale which is a full-body bullet-resistant protective suit that was created using the experience he learned from developing the earlier Ursus Armor. The Trojan Armor has been nicknamed the "Halo Suit" due to its unmistakable similarity to the MJOLNIR battle armor. Even though the Ursus [=Mk5B=] (which predates Halo by ''12 years'') is the closest example of a real-life MJOLNIR.
87	* ItWasHisSled:
88	** It is quite impossible to hear about the series without hearing about the Flood, whose existence was the major plot twist of the first game. The later-released novelization of the first game was even called ''Halo: The Flood''.
89	** You're also very likely to have heard about the Arbiter being a second PlayerCharacter for ''Halo 2'', which came as a shock to a lot of people when that game was first released.
90	* ItsPopularNowItSucks: During the series' height of popularity, it was subject to appear in "Most Overrated" lists simply due to the large fanbase it had acquired.
91	* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: In the original trilogy, the BigBadEnsemble, the Prophet of Truth and the Gravemind, are both monstrous characters who commit many atrocities, but are beloved (in a LoveToHate manner) for being charismatic, intelligent, and terrifying. The same cannot be said for 343 Guilty Spark; despite being a WellIntentionedExtremist with a rather sympathetic backstory, he is far more despised for his InsufferableGenius attitude, [[TruthTwister manipulative and duplicitous tendencies]], [[ChronicBackstabbingDisorder constant betrayal of the player]], and [[spoiler:killing [[EnsembleDarkhorse fan-favorite]] Sgt. Johnson]].
92	* MagnificentBastard:
93	** [[FrontlineGeneral Thel 'Vadam]], best known as [[TheStrategist the Arbiter]], is a [[Characters/HaloSangheili Sangheili]] commander and a genius warrior who rose to command through the crucible of battle, defeating and outwitting assassins sent against him by members of his own clan. A brilliant leader, 'Vadam ensured the Covenant victory at Reach, before the Flood was unleashed to deal him a defeat. Condemned by the Prophets, 'Vadam becomes their hidden enforcer, the Arbiter, and a OneManArmy who deals harsh punishment to rebels and heretics. Eventually betrayed by the Prophets, 'Vadam rallies the Sangheili and outfights the Prophets and the Covenant, personally killing the megalomaniac tyrant Truth and helping to ensure a lasting peace between humans and the Covenant, [[FireForgedFriends considering the Master Chief his friend]] when once he believed him a demon.
94	** The surprisingly eloquent and crafty Gravemind is the [[HiveMind Lord of the Flood]]. A genius who nearly defeated the Forerunners with its strategy and power, Gravemind even managed to use its force of will and a [[BreakThemByTalking breaking speech]] to turn a loyal AI to Gravemind's own side while instituting a LogicBomb on the other AI. After being defeated and returning in the current day, Gravemind manipulates the Master Chief and Arbiter into fighting for it to handle its enemies as it prepares the Flood to take over all else, even employing its clever strategy to spread itself, such as when it takes over a ship and crashes it to take over a populated city. Even in defeat, Gravemind proclaims that besting it for the moment is simply added time to "a sentence I never deserved, but you imposed", truly believing that peace will be gained when the Flood dominate the galaxy.
95	* MemeticBadass: [[https://www.halopedia.org/Jonas Jonas]], a [[BigFun 6'10", 800 pounds]] man living in New Mombasa who's featured in Sadie's Story in Halo 3: ODST, has gained such a reputation in shitposting circles partly due to his [[https://halo.wiki.gallery/images/9/96/Jonas.JPG face]].
96	* MemeticMutation:
97	** "I think [[IAmNotShazam Halo]] is a pretty cool guy. eh kills aleins and doesn't afraid of anything." [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/pretty-cool-guy From a hilariously mangled anonymous comment]] about ''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved'' on Website/FourChan.
98	*** Bungie.net 7/23/10 update shows that the Bungie team is aware of this meme:
99	--->'''Q''': "So, Forge 2.0 is pretty cool then, eh?"\
100	'''Chad (Bungie team guy)''': [[AscendedMeme "I think he’s a pretty cool guy. He makes maps and doesn’t afraid of anything."]]
101	** Halo 4's tagline, "[[SealedEvilInACan An Ancient Evil Awakens...]]"
102	** Following the announcement of the ''Master Chief Collection'' for UsefulNotes/XboxOne (which is a compilation of ''Halo 1'', ''2'', ''3'' and ''4'') some gaming outlets have described it as "All of the ''Halo'' games in one box!" Cue snarky fans going "All of the Halos! Except for ''Wars'', ''ODST'' and ''Reach''!" Also HilariousInHindsight, since two of the three later were added to the collection.
103	** "[[Creator/{{Toonami}} They]]. [[PunctuatedForEmphasis Are]]. A. '''''[[ThisIsForEmphasisBitch BITCH]]'''''."[[labelnote:Explanation]]When TOM reviewed ''Halo 4'', he mentions the Promethians. This is what he says about them.[[/labelnote]]
104	** "[[WebVideo/{{Vinesauce}} Suck my dick, Cortana]]!" [[labelnote:Explanation]]Joel from Vinesauce used Cortana on Windows 10. This is one of the things he says to her.[[/labelnote]]
105	** [[WebVideo/ArbyNTheChief I Suck at Halo 3]]
106	** [=#EnergySwordSunday=][[labelnote:Explanation]]Images of people or characters who are definitively ''not'' from ''Halo'', all equipped with Energy Swords and occasionally shown riding vehicles, wielding non-Energy Sword weapons, or carrying team flags. [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DYB24zrW0AAxIw3.jpg It's]] [[https://78.media.tumblr.com/9cc9345284abc696871fbcd087477545/tumblr_pcn6guXueh1ur5rpbo1_540.png fairly]] [[https://78.media.tumblr.com/12d6ff3c9cd655e9647c275ad3b00498/tumblr_pcadnaz3ID1ur5rpbo1_540.png popular]], [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin especially on Sundays]].[[/labelnote]]
107	** "Master Chief, you mind telling me what you're doing on X?" "Sir, finishing this Y." [[labelnote:Explanation]] A snowclone of 2's infamous {{Cliffhanger}} ending which became popular again with the release of the ''Master Chief Collection'' on Steam.[[/labelnote]]
108	** [[https://www.halopedia.org/Mister_Chief Mister Chief]], a poorly drawn Master Chief done by a Bungie employee that was embraced by fans and developers alike.
109	** [[https://img.ifunny.co/images/b850a60f592a96f6c857f9a1a2efc635d4defaabf9e06bf8921bd70494f31665_3.jpg “GO WORK YOUR CRINGE 9-5 ILL BE GAMING”]]
110	** Master Chief in the books be like: ''insert gameplay footage of [=SPARTANs=] performing awesome yet near-impossible feats.'' [[labelnote:Explanation]] An exaggeration of GameplayAndStorySegregation regarding depictions of SPARTAN abilities in expanded lore vs actual gameplay. Often set to [[https://youtu.be/POk4lA4vj0U various]] [[https://youtu.be/1u0aXZ3ThZo popular]] clips of Youtuber [[https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJTTQHKUkxjEKBp-hJYHYcg MintBlitz's]] crazy ''Halo'' stunts.[[/labelnote]]
111	** "They put the mamsnrhbr chehfde in the soder" [[labelnote:Explanation]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uO-J5ImDEi8 A TV ad]] that cross-promoted ''Halo 3'' with Mtn. Dew ended with an image of Master Chief running transitioning into an image of him on the Mtn. Dew bottle's label. A [[https://c.tenor.com/2OZm_F-x3oAAAAAC/soder-master-chief.gif gif of that scene]] with the bizarrely misspelled sentence began to surface in 2021 and more people began to make similar images with other examples of Halo-branded products. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpNvSUBVWhY A video]] by Russian Badger also helped this meme gain popularity.[[/labelnote]]
112	** "GREETINGS!" [[labelnote:Explanation]][[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OY55zyS-1HAA four second clip of an Elite Ultra Honor Guard]] running through a doorway, up to the camera and happily shouting "GREETINGS!" With how out of nowhere the clip is, it caught on as, well, a greeting among Halo fans.[[/labelnote]]
113	** Halo 3 Rat [[labelnote:Explanation]] In 2020, a sudden fascination rose with the [[https://i.redd.it/qvung4218tj51.png model of the Halo 3 rat,]] which led to a spectacular surge of memes involving the rat going to major political events, solving community problems, and generally being praised for being adorable. Peaked in 2021, when a [[https://old.reddit.com/r/halomods/comments/ilvctl/rat_slayer_has_been_released/ modder successfully made a Halo 3 mod where the Slayer gametype is changed so that everyone is playing as the rat.]] [[/labelnote]]
114	* {{Misblamed}}: Halo's userbase has been misblamed for the creation of the "juvenile and unfriendly" gamer. Apparently people haven't heard of the [[ForumSpeak Greater Internet Fuckwad Theory]], which has been in existence long before Halo was even thought of. Halo just brought the issue to light if anything.
115	* MoralEventHorizon:
116	** The Prophet of Truth crossed this back in ''Contact Harvest'' when he [[spoiler:launched the Covenant's war of extermination against humanity after learning that the humans were the true "reclaimers" of the Forerunners, a fact that could cast the Covenant religion into doubt.]]
117	** The Gravemind crossed it when it tortured Cortana while aboard ''High Charity''. When the Master Chief finally rescues her, Cortana says "You found me" with such pain in her voice that you can't help but both get a lump in your throat and swear that the Gravemind is going to pay for what it did. It could be argued that all of its prior actions were driven by its BlueAndOrangeMorality or retaliating against the Forerunners that [[spoiler:rose up against its kind]]. It has no such excuse here.
118	** Colonel James Ackerson's SPARTAN-III program to some readers, which functions entirely on WeHaveReserves using ''children''.
119	* SugarWiki/MostWonderfulSound: ''[[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH AAAAAHHUUHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOHHH UHHHHHH. OHHHHHHHHHHHUHHHHHHH AHHHHHHUHHHHHHHHHHH.]]'' AKA, the only game ever to make [[ManlyTears grown men cry]] just from the music on the ''menu screen.''
120	* MyRealDaddy: Bungie created the foundation for ''Halo'' but it was Eric Nylund's ''The Fall of Reach'' that expanded its universe. The Retcons that began to come about from ''Halo Wars'' and ''Halo: Reach'' caused a good segment of fans to cry foul over negating ''[=FoR=]'''s continuity.
121	* NarmCharm:
122	** 343 Guilty Spark, and Bungie knows it. Even when he gets [[RedEyesTakeWarning red-eyed pissed off]], he's sort of cute.
123	--->'''343 Guilty Spark:''' UNACCEPTABLE! UNACCEPTABLE!
124	** Rtas 'Vadum', as a result of his epic hammyness.
125	* {{Narm}}: The sight of the Prophet of Mercy struggling to fight off one small Infection Form was already a pretty pathetic sight. What was even ''more'' pathetic was realizing that single Infection Form [[spoiler:actually succeed in killing him]]. Downplayed in the ''Anniversary'' version, which is quite violent in comparison.
126	* NightmareFuel: The ''Halo'' universe [[NightmareFuel/{{Halo}} has its own page of horrors.]]
127	* OlderThanTheyThink:
128	** [[https://twitter.com/32nds/status/786965297462771712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw Sprint had been worked on for]] ''VideoGame/HaloCombatEvolved'' and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAwRp7Il4LY was hidden in the code for]] ''VideoGame/Halo2'', [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments which includes an animation for]] FlippingTheBird if the player sprints with the SMG.
129	** On the flip side, GunsAkimbo in ''Halo 2'' and ''3'' was borrowed from a mechanic used in Bungie's earlier ''VideoGame/{{Marathon}}'', to say nothing of several other games to make use of the mechanic between ''Marathon'' and ''Halo 2'' (''VideoGame/{{Blood}}'' is a particularly famous example from the late '90s and often considered the TropeNamer). ''Halo 2'' is just one of the first to allow for two ''different'' types of guns to be wielded together at once, versus other games, including ''Marathon'', forcing you to only ever pair up a dual-wieldable gun with a second copy of itself.
130	* PlayerPunch: The deaths of many favorite characters, including [[spoiler:Captain Keyes, Sergent Johnson, and Miranda Keyes with Cortana's in ''Halo 4'' perhaps being the ultimate example.]] And ''Halo Reach'' is really just one big punch.
131	* PolishedPort: As noted under PortingDisaster and AuthorsSavingThrow, the ''Master Chief Collection'' was had a disastrous launch with broken matchmaking code and downgraded customization options, much to the intense chagrin of players. Around 2019, however, a series of patches were made to resolve the technical issues surrounding the game in preparation for ''Halo Infinite'', alongside porting the games to PC and adding ''Halo Reach'' to the collection alongside the full version of ''Halo 3: ODST''. By late 2020, not only was most of the customization content restored alongside a slew of original content, but several games had additional features added to make the collection finally push into this territory. In particular, ''ODST's'' Firefight mode was heavily expanded to be completely customizable, on a very similar level with ''Reach's'', and both versions also use better multiplayer netcode that practically eliminated the lag and other issues experienced by players in the original versions.
132	** While the original games were locked to 30 frames a second, MCC increased these limits, and with some games like Halo 3 increased the engine tick rate instead of faking it with interpolation, as well as supporting higher resolutions. Engine limits were increased, such as improving the notoriously low draw distances for some aspects of Halo 3 [[note]]Geometry could be rendered extremely far away, but as a compromise enemies had very low draw distances, meaning in some cases they would be invisible at medium distances when they should be easily visible[[/note]].
133	** MCC would also enable official mod support for the PC version, with no need to swap/replace the original game files which had been required up until that point, and revamped versions of the original internal development tools for all games in the collection were released. In addition, some of the limits of older versions of the engines were increased to support more complicated content than what was possible.
134	* PopCultureHoliday: Fans unofficially consider November 6th to be "Halo Day", as ''VideoGame/Halo4'' was released on November 6, 2012.
135	* PortingDisaster:
136	** A strange variant with the original, in that it was mostly competently converted to the PC in and of itself (all that was noticeably lost was co-op mode, in return for actual Internet play for competitive multiplayer and later mod support) and reasonably well-received, but delayed for so very, very long (almost exactly two years after the Xbox version) that by the time it came out, the competition was far ahead in every aspect, and it really stood out how very unremarkable and average it was compared to other PC {{First Person Shooter}}s.
137	** Originally, ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' was supposed to be a ''PC'' game first. That this led to a backlash when the Halo series ultimately became, as the main page says, 'one of the premiere franchises exclusive to the Xbox' is, perhaps, understandable, especially when it was made clear by porting disasters.
138	** The original PC version of ''CE'' has some very strange frame rate behavior. First person animations are interpolated which allows them to be drawn at a higher refresh rate, while the rest of the game world is limited to 30 frames a second. This is surprisingly disorienting. It also has issues with texture detail, due to the heavy use of bumpmapping that, for whatever reason, is only actually visible in this version of the game when the flashlight is shone directly on it, as well as many other graphical effects being far lower quality than in the original Xbox version. This crosses over to the classic graphics in ''Combat Evolved Anniversary'', as well, as it was built off of the PC port, though all of these were eventually fixed in a patch for the Master Chief Collection around 20 and 10 years later respectively. For a while the MCC version had a similar frame rate issue where everything was drawn at 60 frames a second [[note]]This is actually interpolated, since the game engine still runs at 30 ticks a second[[/note]], except for plasma projectiles which were still drawn at 30, giving them a bizarre "stop-motion" effect. As of the latest version, the frame rate on PC is now unlocked and the game will interpolate everything.
139	** ''Halo 2''[='=]s original PC release fared even worse, in that even though its graphics were hopelessly outdated when it finally came out on the PC (the much-better-looking ''Halo 3'' was just four months away from release by that time), it was released as a Windows Vista exclusive to convince people of the technological wonder of DirectX 10. To add even more insult to injury, the game ''doesn't even actually use [=DirectX=] 10''; it just runs a check as to whether you have it or not (unsurprising given that it was made for the first-gen Xbox, which used the equivalent of [=DirectX=] 8.1). A simple hacker-made patch allows it to run normally in Windows XP.
140	** And then, there's the ''Master Chief Collection'', a CompilationRerelease of Halos 1-4 for UsefulNotes/XboxOne, which shipped with horrifically broken matchmaking code that could search for hours on end and still not find a suitable game. Cue a flurry of patches from 343 trying to fix the problem.
141	* SciFiGhetto: In 2011, ''Game Informer'' did a poll on what readers thought was the best military FirstPersonShooter up to that point. They threw out the votes for ''Halo'' on grounds of it being a sci-fi shooter, not a military shooter. Apparently ''Game Informer'' hasn't heard of MilitaryScienceFiction.
142	* TheScrappy:
143	** It would be hard to find someone who likes 343 Guilty Spark, a [[InsufferableGenius smug and condescending egotist]], for putting everyone through ''[[ThatOneLevel The Library]]'' and repeatedly backstabbing the player. And while [[spoiler:finally getting to shut him up at the end of ''Halo 3'' as the FinalBoss]] was likely intended to be a satisfying bit of CatharsisFactor, it fails due to [[spoiler:him being a pathetically easy AntiClimaxBoss that nevertheless serves as the final opponent of the entire trilogy as opposed to any of the more popular antagonists like the [[HiveKing Gravemind]]]]. With ''Primordium'', ''Silentium'' and ''Anniversary'' out, [[spoiler:he [[TheWoobie just might get some sympathy]], considering his backstory. ''Renegades'' is his RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap moment for some, as his ChronicBackstabbingSyndrome is finally confronted, ending with him ultimately overcoming it.]]
144	** Sarah Palmer. She is disliked by many fans because of her lack of respect toward the Master Chief and generally abrasive attitude, as well as her pointless shooting of Dr Halsey despite being ordered not to. Later materials have somewhat improved her reputation, as she acts more fitting for her position and her disliked traits and moments are called out within the series.
145	* ScrappyMechanic: [[GunsAkimbo Dual-wielding]]. Much was made of the new ability to use two guns at the same time in ''Halo 2''... especially when players realized the Magnum, nerfed as it was, still ate through shields when paired up. As Bungie tries to give guns, grenades and melees equal standing in combat, they quickly responded: first by nerfing the Magnum in ''2'', then by making it so dual-wielded weapons did less damage in ''3''. ''ODST'' and ''Reach'' both only feature single-wield guns, and the Chief has straight-up forgotten how to dual-wield in ''4''.
146	* ThatOneBoss: The Halo series only has a few bosses, and generally they are pretty fun on Normal or Heroic, but on Legendary they all easily enter ThatOneBoss territory (except [[spoiler: 343 Guilty Spark]])
147	** The Prophet of Regret in Halo 2 rides around on a flying chair that makes him immune to all damage except melee attacks after you board his chair. His chair also has an instant death laser on it, the same one the Hunters use. As if that weren't enough, he's also guarded by a trio of Sangeili Honor Guards at all times, along with a bunch of grenade spamming Grunts. This alone wouldn't be so bad, but ''his mooks constantly respawn''. You attack the Prophet, board his throne, punch him a few times and get kicked off the Prophet's chair after he teleports? BOOM! You just got hit with a OneHitKill energy sword by one of his Honor Guard. You dispatch a pair of Honor Guards with the [[FanNickname Noob combo?]]. Turns out you spent too much time standing still, and a grenade just landed next you. You try to attack the Prophet only for him to teleport away? Well, turns out he teleported behind you. Instant death laser.
148	** There's also the Heretic Leader in Halo 2. Equipped with a jetpack, near-instant-death dual Plasma Rifles, and holographic doppelgangers that can take almost as much damage as he can and do the same damage.
149	** Tartarus in Halo 2 is also a bitch. He runs just as fast as you do and has a shield that makes him impervious to damage until you can take it down. This means most of the fight will consist of you running away while blindly firing plasma rifles until Johnson decides he wants to snipe him, at which point you have to get in and do as much damage as you can until he turns his shield back on. If you get caught on the scenery or pause for even a millisecond, he will OneHitKill you with his gravity hammer.
150	** The Sangeili Field Marshall at the end of ''VideoGame/HaloReach'' also counts. By himself, he's tough, but manageable, with more health than an Elite Zealot and shields strong enough to withstand two charged plasma pistol shots. He'd be a pushover if it weren't for his squad of Elite Zealots. They distract you while he OneHitKill you with his Fuel Rod Gun. If you try to go directly for him, you'll get gunned down by the Zealots. Unlike every enemy in the game, melee with him is suicide since he will rip out an energy sword and OneHitKill you.
151	** RecurringBoss The Warden Eternal from ''Halo 5: Guardians''. He's pretty much a Hunter taken up to eleven, with a wide array of powerful attacks, and on higher difficulties is a full-on DamageSpongeBoss. And while the ability for teammates to revive each other is usually a minor blessing, on other occasions it's worse than useless since when you get killed by his sword (which has the same unavoidable bullcrap hitbox as Zealots in ''Halo: CE''), any attempts by your teammates to revive you will just get them picked off one-by-one. [[spoiler:Later, Fireteam Osiris fight two at once, and though that battle allows you to avoid having to fight both of them at the same time, there's no such luck when Blue Team fight ''three''.]] On top of that, he always has a small horde of Promethean enemies backing him up, including Focus Turrets in the final encounter.
152	* ThatOneLevel: Levels with the Flood as the primary opponent seem to be the standard.
153	** The Library is the most legendary Ur-Example. Guilty Spark isn't kidding about the ten doors bit. Dank corridors, and nothing but Flood. Sometimes you'll have aid from the Sentinels, but they'll bugger off on occasion and leave you alone. The Flood can seem endless, and while it's not too difficult once you figure out the tricks[[note]]you can backtrack to keep them away from you[[/note]], the level, seemingly knowing this, throws some curveballs; first, it traps you in a space that gives you limited room, and then, Flood with ''rocket luanchers'' show up. This was before fuel rod guns got better and more common, and was usually instant death.
154	** High Charity, the Chief's only Flood mission in ''2''. You've got both Brutes and Flood in a melee, and like half the levels in the game, it's extremely dark. In addition, the oft-cramped corridors can prove chaotic, and later, Flood with ''sniper rifles'' show up.
155	** Cortana. Thankfully, it's nowhere near as long as The Library, and the Flood are easier to kill in ''3''. Unfortunately, they throw almost endless numbers at you, there's plenty of corpses for them to infect, there's bud on the wall that spawn more Flood, the spaces are often cramped and/or have multiple entrances, making hiding difficult, and the entire level is composed of Flood biomass that acts as excellent camouflage for the Flood.
156	** Regret, Regret, Regret. Tons of Jackal Snipers (and you thought Outskirts and Metropolis were bad), sometimes in cramped spaces, plus the sadistic gondola rides, designed to make you a sitting duck for Drones, Banshees, Rangers, and {{BFG}}-wielding Grunts. And ThatOneBoss, the titular Prophet. You'll regret this, Bungie.
157	** Many believe Infinity, Forerunner and Composer are nearly impossible on Legendary; Infinity mainly due to the choke point where you have to hold off the enemy until Cortana opens the door; and Forerunner when you have to shut down the Covenant beam generator. While not the whole level itself, the part in Midnight where the player must make a break for a portal with Crawlers endlessly spawning until they pass through it pissed off many Legendary players.
158	** In Halo 5, every single level where you have to fight [[ThatOneBoss the Warden Eternal]], especially on Legendary.
159	* TheyWastedAPerfectlyGoodCharacter: Unlike Truth and Regret, the [[FlatCharacter Prophet of Mercy]] was pretty much a background character in ''Halo 2''. [[spoiler:Then Truth leaves Mercy to die to the Flood]] before he actually got to do anything noteworthy.
160	* VillainDecay:
161	** A minor example, but still counts: Spec Ops Grunts. In Halo CE, they are [[EliteMook about as badass as the lowly grunts can get]], frequently armed with Needlers and Fuel Rod Guns and with a cloaking device. In Halo 2, they're still pretty lethal for [[IneffectualSympatheticVillain grunts]], but decidedly rarer than before, and also finding one with a heavy weapon is less common. They really start to go downhill in Halo 3/ODST, where the Brutes evidently fuse their rank with the [[MookLieutenant Grunt Ultras]], resulting in a grunt that is rare (usually seen "leading" groups of other grunts), has no cloak, never carries anything bigger than a plasma pistol - and can ''still'' be killed very easily with a simple headshot. By Reach, they are just used like standard grunts, their only defining features being their dark colouration and their tendency to only appear alongside [[BossInMookClothing Elite Zealots]].
162	** Truth turned into Mercy, in ''{{VideoGame/Halo 3}}''. He went from a silver-tongued, smooth-talking Machiavellian schemer into a raving lunatic with no method to his madness. Granted, this is justified due to a combination of insanity from having learned the true purpose of Halo and his true personality showing through, but it's still very jarring.
163	** The Ur-Didact. Perhaps justified in that [[spoiler: his MindRape by the Gravemind drove him insane]], but in any case, it's hard to believe that the unparalleled strategic genius who laid low advanced empires and led the greatest military force in the galaxy could be beaten by... well, anything Chief could throw at him. His tendency to evoke KillHimAlready certainly doesn't help. ''Halo: Escalation'' manages to make him decay ''even further'', as he outright defies his principles and [[spoiler:tries to use a Halo against humanity, even though the whole reason he led an uprising with the Composer was because he ''didn't'' want to use the Halos.]]
164	* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: The series has a bit of that Star Wars-ish look to it, what with big heroic guys in green space armor gracing the cover. Needless to say, any bit of knowledge of the game makes it clear that it is most definitely not for children. Of course, being a massive big-name game, children are sure to hear of it and make their parents well aware of that fact, hence you will always - ALWAYS - find at least one 5-year-old playing on Xbox Live with you. Halo 5 Guardians is eventually rated T with the space opera feel highly toned compared to the previous games though.
165	* TheWoobie:
166	** Cortana [[Literature/HaloEvolutions during the Gravemind's assault]].
167	** By the end of Contact Harvest, you ''will'' want to hug Mack. And Sif. And Dadab. And Lighter than Some. And [[IronWoobie Johnson]]. And maybe [[http://www.halopedia.com/Wallace_A._Jenkins Jenkins]].
168	** A case could be made for Guilty Spark. The terminals from Halo CE Anniversary show how Spark [[GoMadFromTheIsolation went crazy from a hundred thousand years of crushing loneliness]].
169	* WoobieSpecies:
170	** Poor [[http://www.halopedia.org/Huragok Engineers]]. Initially pacifist critters who just like fixing technology, late in the war many of them end up defecting to the UNSC because of how the Covenant has been mistreating them, such as having bombs strapped to them. And how has {{Creator/Bungie}} managed to design a species that's both StarfishAlien ''and'' cute??
171	** [[http://www.halopedia.org/Unggoy Grunts]] could also qualify. They're just SlaveMooks that mostly have no real qualm with humanity. Usually they're too tiny and weak to be a threat. [[GoddamnedBats Usually]]. Plus they can be really funny to listen to, [[http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/-d7IiiyukTc&rel=1 like here]].
172	** Similarly, the Hunters are a largely peaceful race who are working for the Covenant out of fear. If they don't, the Prophets will nuke their homeworld and most of their race with it.

Context YMMV / Halo