This is our first major update for Halo since its release! We’ve been playtesting Halo diligently for months. While we like the game (very much!) we always believe we can make it better. This is a list of changes to further fine tune and perfect the game into the quality we want it to be at.
Core Rule Changes
-When you miss with an area of effect hailfire attack, instead of removing the hailfire, the HF is reduced by half (rounded down)
-In a squad minion weapons do not jam, and attacks not supported by the leader do not gain or lose morale points for the leader and squad.
Race, Subrace, and Background Changes
*Major* Several Command, Leadership, and Requisition Values have changed for UNSC characters
Marine Field Commander have increased to Good Leadership
Marine Mavericks have increased to Average Leadership
ONI have increased to Excellent Command and Requisition.
Pilots have increased to Average Leadership
Spartans have increased to Good Requisition
*Major* Artificial Intelligence playable characters have undergone a major change. Now, they have both standard and minor actions each round. Every AI ability has been updated to be either a standard or minor action. AIs started with 1 standard and 1 minor. They continue to gain standard actions on levels 10, 20, and 30. They now gain minor actions on levels 5, 15, and 25.
-Spartans cannot gain a Spartan Focus from an action they spent a Spartan Focus on.
-The Heroic Stand ability of the marine maverick now reduces hailfire of all attacks on them and there units by half. Missed attacks never gain hailfire against them.
-Officers now gain advantage on rally checks, and can generate more than 3 morale points from a rally action.
-Elites have received several boosts to make them more similar in power to brutes. They now add their defensive training ranks to their shield armor, and add their instinct to damage with ranged weapons.
-Brutes and Elites are now both high threat, causing them to count as two characters for giving and receiving experience.
-Grunt squad leaders now gain +1 defense for every grunt in their unit, instead of -1.
Specialization, Skill and Talent Changes
-Added a new talent for leader characters: Reinforcing Command. Reinforcing Command refreshes the duration of combat augmentations upon being rallied
-Clarified that Inspiring Presence now fully affects you and your squad when leading a unit
-The Advanced and Mastered specializations of the Leader theme has changed to be more powerful and greater benefit to dedicated squad-leadership characters.
-Additional clarifications under the Leadership skill, the difference between team leadership and squad leadership. Team leadership only applies to different individuals outside units. Squad leadership is a character leading their own unit. Also, fixed the improper mention that rallying is more difficult for larger squads. This is an old rule.
-The leadership combat augmentation options to use on your own squad of units have been completely redone with new options. Previously, only one option was considered useful: Cover Formation. Now, the cover formation benefit is automatic and new options have been introduced to provide tactical flexibility in different circumstances.
Call-down and Orders Changes
-Clarified artillery strikes do not benefit from aiming, but do benefit from tactics and morale points
-The command point cost of all call-down orders has been reduced by roughly 1/3.
-The Ammo Drop order can swap out one weapon and matching set of ammunition for 3 medipacks or 3 explosives
-There are three new minor call-down orders for both Covenant and UNSC. Minor call-downs are basic orders that only have a command cost of 1 and a tactics DC of 5. They are designed as budget ‘filler’ orders for characters that only need a minor effect, few remaining command points, or low command point total.
-Targeting Laser gives allies +5 accuracy against a single target for 1 round
-Scanner Sweep is a detector action that covers a Burst 10 area
-Replacement replaces a single lost squad member.
Equipment and Vehicle Changes
-The banshee’s damage resistance has been reduced to 18.
-The Charged Shot weapon trait (most noticeably on the plasma pistol) only needs to be charged for 1 round to be fully charged. However, the benefits have changed to +5 penetration, +20 damage, and ignoring all shield armor when charged.
-You can now allocate wounds to any member of your unit, instead of the most wounded members.
-The Magnum Handgun has had its damage reduced to 20 and its power rating decreased to +3 instead of +4
-Covenant Hunters gained +4 accuracy on their bash attack and +3 accuracy on their assault beam
-New rule in the Core Rulebook that larger creatures gain bonus accuracy based on their size to their attacks.