Halo 3: Combat Evolved mod for Halo: The Master Chief Collection

Halo 4, the first of 343's entries into the Halo chronology, has recently turned ten years old. Starting a new era in Halo which saw the release of the Master Chief Collection and unprecedented support for Halo modding communities, we thought the best way to celebrate the occasion was to talk about some of the mods that have emerged for Halo more recently - proof positive that for modders, the fight is never finished!

Lumoria Refined

By RVandres

Race to save a scientist and uncover the secrets of Lumoria. Experience the original story of Lumoria with refined visual improvements. Lumoria is a classic Halo CE mod, one of the first to really engage with a brand new story at serious scale, and over the years has maintained a spot as a must-play for CE fans. Lumoria Refined brings this classic back into the modern spotlight with visual enhancements and modernised additions giving us another excuse to dig in to this new story.

Halo PC Marine Campaign

By Fluid Crimson

This is a mod where you play as a UNSC Marine who is filling in for Master Chief because he was too busy buying a new dress for Cortana on Reach and was too late to the Pillar of Autumn's flight! Marines are usually the bread-and-butter of your expendable allies in the Halo games, and whilst we got close to the grunt perspective with Halo 3: ODST, even then, you're a highly trained operative beyond the common footman. This mod lets you tackle the galaxy-wide events of Halo CE from a simpler perspective - and maybe you'll do just as well as Master Chief!

Halo: Combat Revolved

By ConnorDawn

For many, Halo CE's campaign is a classic beyond reproach, but for others, there's plenty of room to improve. Enter - Halo: Combat Revolved, which melds original concepts with elements from later Halo titles in a bid to make the ultimate Combat Evolved experience, along with enhanced visuals that bridge the gap between classic and anniversary, and challenging gameplay achieved via enemy AI behavioral changes. Sometimes the best way to play the classics is with a fresh pair of eyes.

Halo 3 Eta

By Auswirkungen

H3E fundamentally rethinks aspects of Halo 3's sandbox to better reflect modern critiques of the classic game. Important changes include a massive increase to player HP (not shields) which allows players more breathing room to express themselves and take on more enemies at once. Certain issues H3's multiplayer contained (such as weapon spread and viability) were focused on first, with experimental and unique weapons retooled later.

Halo 3: Combat Evolved

By Kashiiera

Halo 3: Combat Evolved is a mod for Halo 3 that re-creates the Halo: Combat Evolved Multiplayer and Campaign experiences within Halo 3. Because this mod utilizes the Halo 3 engine, you can play through Halo: Combat Evolved's campaign with up to 4 players in online Co-Op - and for more than just a visual overhaul, several cut encounters have also been restored, giving you a new look at a classic game.

Make A Girl A Promise

Halo 4 marked a big change for the franchise, with previous series developer Bungie moving on to their own ambitions (which would coalesce into the Destiny games) and Microsoft forming another in-house studio, 343 Industries, to take charge of Halo. Halo 4 was pretty polarising at the time, taking the story in a very different direction and considerably switching up the art style. Its gameplay also saw shakeups with new enemies and a new faction, although, largely built off of Halo Reach's sandbox, it wasn't all from the ground-up. Ten years later, 343 has launched two more continuations of the Halo saga, spin-offs like Halo Wars, and of course, the seminal return to form that was the Master Chief Collection.

More Than Machine

Whilst some may feel 343 is dropping the ball with Infinite, it can't be denied that the modding support offered by MCC (and soon to be offered by Infinite with the release of the most advanced version of Forge ever created) has resulted in a community more than capable of picking up the baton. Halo lives on as it always has - in the community and hands of fans - and ten more years down the line, we'll still be revisiting the Rings with new stories, new weapons, and new characters to explore.