Besides being a fairly large Halo Fan I’m also an active member in the Forza community. They have this fantastic app called the Forza HUB that allows you to get weekly bonuses for multiple Forza titles and it makes going back and playing older titles way more rewarding but also makes the most recent title valuable at the same time. It essentially pays homage to the folks the played the older games and keeps the community active and engaged. I was thinking it would be fantastic if Halo/343 incorporated some type of system that tied the waypoint statistics/MCC accomplishments with Infinite to give folks that have played more historically to exclusive content or double xp days that are only available to folks with certain milestones in the original titles. Would love everyone’s thoughts on a system like that in the Halo Universe. Being an older gamer I’m a bit bias on the topic
I’m of two minds on this kind of thing. It’s always nice and gratifying on a personal level to feel that you’re being “taken care of,” and being shown special treatment with exclusive in-game items or boosts simply because you’re not a first timer for a series. I was so proud of my H3 Nameplate in Reach because of this- it was a subtle but substantial reward that acknowledged my achievements in other Halo games for myself and anyone I brushed shoulders with online.
I think as far as boosts and in-game items go, however, if it gets much more substantial than something like a Nameplate, it kind of starts to be more of a gatekeeping thing barring new players from feeling like they really belong and are part of the community than anything else. I think 343i has already said that folks who netted SR152 in H5 should expect something like a Nameplate for Infinite, but not much more. Again, I think this is the way to go. Something small but meaningful like an exclusive nameplate is enough to show off your loyalty and bragging rights without being too much in everyone else’s face.
Exclusive XP Boosts for any reason have always been pretty annoying to me, but I guess granting veteran players a few just for being fans isn’t more obnoxious than someone getting one just because they bought some Doritos or Mtn Dew.
The real standout that I love about your idea, OP, is the idea that there could be some sort of cross-game challenge hub that incorporates and rewards activity for all players across every game (MCC, H5, and Infinite). Making a unilateral challenge ecosystem that keeps players, new and old, engaged with more than just Infinite would be awesome and a great way to keep the legacy of the older games rolling strong into the future.
I just think it’s always important to remember we were all newbies once, and to try to make sure the ecosystem is welcoming and not too intimidating for aspiring new fans.
Well said Superman Kenobi, strongly agree on the piece of the cross-game challenge hub and yah I wouldn’t want newbies to be deterred from the franchise because of unjust XP scenarios etc. My thought being a way to promote folks to go back and play old titles while also giving out recognition to the old timers. Maybe visual recognition be it a weapon skin, armor, name plate, or certain icons next to gamer tag/nameplate in matchmaking, things like that. Halo community is a great group and I’m proud of the Spartans that have been with us for multiple counsels and titles. Just the resurgence in MCC participation reminds me its an active community that will welcome many newcomers when Infinite drops next year. Good stuff.
Back in the day the old Halo Waypoint app on the 360 would unlock exclusive Reach armors for reaching certain achievement milestones. I like the idea of a hub that could offer achievement rewards and cross game challenges. It bugs me how fast 343 has been to drop apps. Halo Waypoint (360), Halo Waypoint (iOS), Spartan Assault (iOS), Spartan Strike (iOS), Halo Channel, and even the MCC stats here on Waypoint, they all got deprecated. I’ll give credit to Bungie they still update their destiny apps.
It could be something really simple. A star shaped medal pinned to your chest that has a point for every game you have completed. The points could even be coloured depending on what level you finished the game on (eg. gold for legendary).
I’m all for getting rewards for certain milestones in 5 and the MCC. It’s a small gesture that goes a long way for the long term fans.
But I’d stick to cosmetics and other content that doesn’t effect the gameplay. Even an XP boost would be a step in the wrong direction I feel.
Id love to see an armour set linked to each game, and the various pieces of armour unlocked via each difficulty; Helmet for LASO, chest for Legendary, that sort of thing.
