Halo 4 multiplayer specializations detailed

Halo 4 will feature "Specializations," eight classes that will grant special perks to suit your play style. 343 has detailed each of the perks.

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Halo 4 is 343 Industries' first take on Microsoft's iconic FPS franchise, and the new team is hoping to shake up the formula with a few new features like Spartan Ops. Of course, fans are curious to find out how multiplayer will change. 343 is introducing "Specializations," essentially a class system to let you tailor your Spartan to your liking.

According to Halo Waypoint, once you've reached the standard level 50 with your Spartan, the 8 classes will let you play for an additional 10 levels per class, gaining cosmetic equipment and a special perk along the way. Only two will be available at launch, while the rest will be unlocked later. Limited Edition purchasers can use all eight from the start. You'll also be able to change load-outs mid-match.

Wetworks is a stealth-based class, which makes you a little less obvious when opponents use Promethian Vision, dampens the sound of your sprint, and makes for faster assassinations. Pioneer grants you an experience boost to level up faster. Those two will be the ones available from launch day for standard edition purchasers.

The Engineer gets advanced notice when an item drop is coming, and an arrow pointing to where it will land. Trackers can essentially re-roll item drops to get a new selection of items. The Rogue lets you snipe enemies without unzooming, and makes your reticule more stable. Stalkers give you a HUD icon to track the last one who killed you. A Pathfinder gets a mod to reduce weapon cool-down and move faster with detached turrets. Operators get a bit of resistance to an EMP pulse on vehicles, and recharge vehicle health faster.

343 hasn't detailed when the 6 other classes will come, or how they'll be unlocked. The game is due November 6.

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  • reply
    August 15, 2012 9:30 AM

    Steve Watts posted a new article, Halo 4 multiplayer specializations detailed.

    Halo 4 will feature "Specializations," eight classes that will grant special perks to suit your play style. 343 has detailed each of the perks.

    • reply
      August 15, 2012 9:41 AM

      This game is going to be amazing. I've loved Halo since Halo 1. Although I only started playing MP in Halo 3.

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      August 15, 2012 9:51 AM

      Halo had the only multiplayer I actually cared about, and this seems pretty interesting so I might actually buy the limited edition for once.

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      August 15, 2012 10:05 AM

      I'm not sure I understood the phrasing: "Only two will be available at launch, while the rest will be unlocked later. Limited Edition purchasers can use all eight from the start.". This kind of sounds like a blurring of the model of pay games and freemium games.

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        August 15, 2012 10:12 AM

        yeah, im getting less and less excited. I really like reach, but this feels more and more like call of duty

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          August 15, 2012 10:50 AM

          An actual Halo Fan who enjoyed Reach? This game failed once it introduced the Jetpack. Sprint should have been on since Halo 3 (never was added till Reach). It's a fun game but the last decent one that was out was Halo 3 (even with a terrible 30 FPS).

          I would trade all the aesthetics and visuals for a 60fps game that moved as fast as Call of Duty but played nothing like it.

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            August 15, 2012 11:05 AM

            "YOU ENJOYED REACH?

            THAT GAME FAILED. IT INTRODUCED SPRINT.

            SPRINT SHOULD'VE BEEN IN HALO 3."

            - meoff, 15/8/12

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            August 15, 2012 11:15 AM

            I enjoyed Reach more then 3.

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            August 15, 2012 11:15 AM

            reach was the best halo in both campaign and multiplayer

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              August 15, 2012 11:20 AM

              This man is absolutely correct!

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              August 15, 2012 11:24 AM

              no love for odst?

              reach was pretty great...

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                August 15, 2012 11:48 AM

                ODST was great fun with friends. Didn't care for it much when I tried it solo.

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              August 15, 2012 11:32 AM

              ding ding ding!

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              August 15, 2012 4:27 PM

              backing this up, easily the most satisfying MP, though i think the Halo 1 SP was better for it's time.

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              August 15, 2012 8:33 PM

              [deleted]

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              August 15, 2012 8:43 PM

              best MP but worst variety in maps. Wish they'd allow you to use the maps from 3 and ODST in addition to reach

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            August 15, 2012 11:26 AM

            Look at how wrong you are. Reach is the best since the first.

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            August 15, 2012 8:46 PM

            How could a game with a jetpack be worse than a game without a jetpack? Doesn't make any sense to me.

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      August 15, 2012 10:58 AM

      I think this may be the first Halo game I do not buy on launch.

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        August 15, 2012 5:27 PM

        why not?

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          August 15, 2012 8:28 PM

          Well it's not Bungie and I don't like the idea that classes are locked when I buy the game, unless I buy the more expensive version. My counter to that is to not buy it all.

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            August 16, 2012 11:41 AM

            They're locked for a limited time, they'll available to everyone eventually.
            Also 343 is made up of Former Bungie employees who worked on Halo.

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      August 15, 2012 10:59 AM

      Am I the only one who wants less? I tried to play Halo 3 online and there was 47 flags going everywhere and 79 zones you had to stand in while getting shot at from 360 degrees due to endless respawning all over the map.

      I want to just spawn in OUR BASE and get over the the OTHER BASE and take THEIR FLAG then return it to OUR BASE. Just plain CTF with no leveling up or stupid shit. Halo 1 PC multiplayer was fucking awesome and everything past that was just over the top and in yo face with endless shooting and respawning because morons can't process not killing or not seeing somebody get killed for a whole 5 seconds.

      AS I TYPE THIS SOME ASSHOLE FROM RUSSIA IS MESSAGING ME ON STEAM ASKING ME FOR TF2 HATS. THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM TALKIGN ABOAUTALDLKJF CAPS CAPS CAPS. I picture the entire country of Russia just walking around in massive TF2 hats. I can't play a video game without people I don't know from Russia asking me for in game items. I just want the entire industry to reset and I want id software making games with just 9 employees who talk shit about other studios. I want us all to go back to regular CTF with our 7-9 weapons. I also want the internet to get shitty and slow again so we have a reason to LAN.

      Socksta out.
      /me drops mic and walks off stage.




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        August 15, 2012 11:04 AM

        Update : I told the guy I was worried about his general well being. I asked him why he was panhandling for a fucking digital hat. I told him even earning minimum wage the time he has spent messaging me if he was working he could of just purchased all the items I potentially have. What really gets me is I don't even have anything I gave it all to some Russia a few months ago so I would stop being bothered. I am going to have the most unique rare original TF2 character of all time. HE IS NOT GOING TO HAVE ANYTHING. Its going to blow everybody's minds they are all going to ask me how I got that character and what I had to do to unlock it.

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        August 15, 2012 11:16 AM

        Halo still has regular CTF.

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          August 15, 2012 11:39 AM

          When I attempted to play Halo 3 it gave me one of like 6 options for multiplayer none of which even guaranteed me a particular type of gameplay. It would randomize each time a map ended. And every time a new map loaded there were more flags than players and people spawning in all directions.

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            August 15, 2012 3:50 PM

            that's how halo does it. You get to choose the broad game type and then it will give a few options within that game type. You can't explicitly say you want to play standard ctf (although there are a few game modes where there is only a single game type, like that hammer arena one). I think it's a good thing because you don't end up always playing the same game mode and map over and over again.

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        August 15, 2012 11:46 AM

        i bet you really don't like lol/dota players.

        SOLO MID OR I FEED

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      August 15, 2012 3:40 PM

      Do you still grab weapons at spawn points or did Halo go the way of loadouts completely? I miss the fun in racing for a gun and my memory sucks.

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        August 15, 2012 4:15 PM

        at least in Reach weapon spawns were still very important, loadouts just gave you some initial diversity

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        August 15, 2012 5:15 PM

        Halo 4 has Map weapons, but they're not there at the start, they drop around the map during the match, unlike some reports, they're not random drops, they have a pattern.

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          August 15, 2012 5:43 PM

          Nice... that sounds like a fun inducing compromise

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