Series 4: Reclaimer

This article is about the content update released for Halo: The Master Chief Collection. For the seasonal update for Halo Wars 2, see Season 4 (Halo Wars 2).

Previous:	Series 3: Recon
Next:	Series 5: Anvil
Series 4: Reclaimer
Start date:	November 16, 2020
End date:	January 27, 2021
Number of tiers:	50
Total unlock cost:	50
Includes content for:	Halo 3 Halo 4

Series 4: Reclaimer is the fourth series released for Halo: The Master Chief Collection, and began alongside the launch of Halo 4 on PC platforms on November 16, 2020. It featured new customization items for Halo 3 and Halo 4. The series' logo is a stylised representation of the Ur-Didact's Cryptum.

Halo 3's items took cues from the customization added to Halo: Combat Evolved in Series 2: Spark.

Originally, the series was to feature customization items for Halo: Reach, such as new helmets and armor pieces, and a wider array of armor sets with the prosthetic arm, but difficulties during development forced the Legacy team to push this content back to a later series. Nevertheless, armor effects for Elite player models in Reach were still implemented alongside Series 4, as intended.

Series unlocks

Keyart from Xbox.com showcasing some of the series' content.

The content of Series 4: Reclaimer involves that of the long-absent Champions Bundle weapon skins for Halo 4, along with additional skins for Halo 3, including newly implemented vehicle skins, with weapon skins now encompassing new weapons. New nameplates have also been added, being mostly Halo 4 themed in nature. The unlocks have been divided into 5 tiers of ten unlocks each. To progress a tier, all ten unlocks within must be unlocked, following in the footsteps of Series 3: Recon. Including Challenge unlocks, Series 4 introduces the following content to The Master Chief Collection;

18 Halo 3 weapon skins. 4 for the Sniper Rifle (One unlockable via Challenge) 3 for the Shotgun 3 for the SMG 2 for the Rocket Launcher 2 for the Flamethrower 1 for the Needler 1 for the Plasma Pistol 1 for the Plasma Rifle 1 for the Fuel Rod Gun 15 Halo 3 vehicle skins. 3 for the Warthog 2 for the Gauss Warthog 3 for the Ghost 3 for the Banshee 4 for the Scorpion

15 Halo 4 weapon skins (two of which cut from the original release) 3 for the Assault Rifle 3 for the Battle Rifle (One unlockable via Challenge) 3 for the DMR (One unlockable via Challenge) 1 for the Storm Rifle 1 for the Carbine 1 for the Suppressor 1 for the Lightrifle 3 for the Magnum 1 for the Plasma Pistol 1 for the Boltshot 29 Nameplates.

All new Halo 4 skins are those which were previously useable in the game's original Xbox 360 release by way of the Champions Bundle, with two additional skins cut from the original launch of Halo 4 obtainable via series Challenges. All skins previously in The Master Chief Collection remain unlocked by default. The new system of unlocks has also expanded the way Halo 4 weapon skins work. As well as being customisable on a per-loadout basis like in the original game, skins can also now applied universally, which will affect gametypes without custom loadouts, in addition to custom loadouts that do not explicitly override the universal setting. Unlike Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 3 skins, Halo 4's skins still operate the way they did in the original game; only weapons that you spawn with will have your skin applied, and picking up a weapon will not change the skin it uses.

The Halo 3 Sniper Rifle Avalanche skin was unlockable by hitting Competitive Rank in the timed Recon Slayer playlist. This challenge was started prior to the update's launch with progress carrying over to the final release. The challenge was timed, and ended on November 25, 2020.

Unlike Series 3, each unlock slot can be unlocked for 1 - rewarded through the collection's updated rank scheme or the Challenges implemented in the prior Spark update. In total, 50 are needed to unlock all content in Series 4.

Page 1

Tier	Unlock requirements	Unlocks	Images	Game
1	1	Assassin nameplate
2	1	Didactic nameplate
3	1	Warthog Arctic skin
4	1	Kelos'vaarda-pattern storm rifle Compression skin and MCC Helmet nameplate
5	1	SMG Tech Camo Alpha skin
6	1	Pistol Indigo skin and Awakening nameplate
7	1	Ghost Zealot skin
8	1	Shotgun Woodland skin and Pizza Time nameplate
9	1	Pistol Combustion skin and Elite nameplate
10	1	Rocket Launcher Hunter's Blood skin

Page 2

Tier	Unlock requirements	Unlocks	Images	Game
11	1	Assault Rifle Teeth skin and The Maw nameplate
12	1	Scorpion Bengal and Banshee Brutal skins
13	1	Needler Zealot skin
14	1	DMR Monocle skin and 117 nameplate
15	1	SMG Bengal skin and Flamethrower Hot Pepper skin
16	1	Ibie'shan nameplate
17	1	Carbine Locomotive skin and Remnants nameplate
18	1	Combat Skin nameplate
19	1	Rocket Launcher Corrosion skin
20	1	Plasma Pistol Boilerplate skin

Page 3

Tier	Unlock requirements	Unlocks	Images	Game
21	1	Gauss Warthog Corrosion skin and The Rookie nameplate
22	1	Sniper Rifle Woodland skin
23	1	Banshee Schism skin and Parg Vol nameplate
24	1	Shotgun Golden skin
25	1	SMG Hunter's Blood skin and Carapace nameplate
26	1	Boltshot Engine and Suppressor Mechanical skins
27	1	Scorpion Grim Reaper skin and Knight Terror nameplate
28	1	Pistol Flare skin and Quattro nameplate
29	1	Warthog Rally Hog skin
30	1	Fuel Rod Gun Brutal skin

Page 4

Tier	Unlock requirements	Unlocks	Images	Game
31	1	Plasma Pistol Zealot skin and Lifeshaper nameplate
32	1	Opportunity nameplate
33	1	DMR Striped skin
34	1	Banshee Zealot skin and Shadow of Intent nameplate
35	1	Sniper Rifle Desert skin
36	1	Synthesis nameplate
37	1	Gauss Warthog Shark skin
38	1	Shotgun Hunter's Blood skin and Augmented nameplate
39	1	Scorpion Arctic skin and Cryptum nameplate
40	1	Plasma Rifle Schism skin and Wreckage nameplate

Page 5

Tier	Unlock requirements	Unlocks	Images	Game
41	1	Light Rifle Industrial skin and Infinity nameplate
42	1	Warthog Hazard Pay skin
43	1	Flamethrower Dear John skin
44	1	Ghost Ultra skin and Requiem nameplate
45	1	Battle Rifle Salvage and Assault Rifle Turbine skins
46	1	Battle Rifle Steam skin and Threshold nameplate
47	1	Scorpion Hazard Pay and Ghost Schism skins
48	1	Assault Rifle Trauma skin and Halsey nameplate
49	1	Sundered nameplate
50	1	Sniper Rifle Golden skin and Cracked Visor nameplate

Challenge and event unlocks

A number of items were made exclusive to specialised challenge unlocks. These include two weapon skins for the battle rifle and DMR in Halo 4 originally cut from the Xbox 360 release and one skin for the sniper rifle in Halo 3. The sniper rifle challenge skin was active during the final few weeks of Series 3, with the reward given upon Series 4's release or upon the successful completion of the Challenge. During the flighting for Series 6, the Avalanche skin was one of the items made available in the widespread test of the Exchange, though community pushback meant the item did not appear in the final series, with 343 intending to leave more time before pushing ranked play skins into the Exchange.

Weapon skins
Skin	Name	Unlock	Game
	Battle Rifle Blast skin	Series 4 Challenge: Fireteam Spree Reach Rank in the Halo 4 Squad Battle competitive playlist.
	DMR Blood skin	Series 4 Challenge: Fireteam Frenzy Reach Rank in the Halo 4 Squad Battle competitive playlist.
	Sniper Rifle Avalanche skin	Series 4 Challenge: Recon Renegade Reach Rank in the competitive Halo 3 Recon Slayer playlist. (Challenge active October 21-November 25)

A number of nameplates were made available for all players as of the start of Series 4, with a few others unlocked as event rewards. Notably, the Infinite nameplate corresponds to Halo Infinite's original release date of November 2020, the Anniversary nameplate to the 19th anniversary of the release of Halo: Combat Evolved, the Veteran nameplate to Veterans Day on 11/11, and the Movember and Native American Heritage Month nameplates both corresponding to the month of November in general. The Turkey Shoot nameplate was unlocked for all players as of Thanksgiving Day 2020, and the 343 Day nameplate for players who played on December 8 and December 9, 2020 - the 343rd day of 2020. However due to a bug, this nameplate was awarded to all players who played MCC before January 4, 2021. The Shadow nameplate was unlocked for all players as of December 16 after previously being cut from the original series unlock table.

Name	Unlock Requirements	Category	In-game Appearance
Anniversary	Unlocked by default as of Series 4.	Event
Movember	Unlocked by default as of Series 4.	Event
Veteran	Unlocked by default as of Series 4.	Event
National Native American Heritage Month	Unlocked by default as of Series 4.	Event
Infinite	Unlocked by default as of Series 4.	Event
Turkey Shoot	Unlocked by default as of November 24, 2020.	Event
343 Day	Play Halo: The Master Chief Collection between December 8 (17:00 PT) and December 9 (17:00 PT) in 2020.(Original requirement) Due to a bugged release, the 343 Day nameplate is now awarded to players who log into The Master Chief Collection before January 4, 2021.	Event
The Inner Circle	Play The Master Chief Collection's Halo 4 flighting build. Retroactively unlocked in the December 2020 patch.	Event
Shadow	Unlocked by default as of December 16, 2020.	Event
117 Day	Play The Master Chief Collection on January 17, 2021 (1/17 in US date notation).	Event

Flights

Main article: MCC Insider Program

Flighting for this series was conducted in late-October and early-November of 2020, and was active starting on October 20. The Flight was intended to end earlier, though ended up being extended to end on the eigth anniversary of Halo 4's release; November 6. The Flighting for this series did not actually focus on series content, but instead on testing the upcoming release of Halo 4 on PC platforms. Due to this Flight being for the final game brought to PC, all users registered for the Halo Insider Program were invited. Players who played the Flight were able to earn an exclusive nameplate.

• 

  The exclusive nameplate.

• 

  The Inner Circle nameplate unlocked for playing in the Flight.

Flight features

During the Flight, the following features were tested;

• Input-based matchmaking & crossplay
• Crossplay is fully available in Firefight, Forge, and multiplayer modes
• Halo 4’s Campaign and Spartan Ops mode do not currently support crossplay between Xbox and PC
• Server Region Selection
• Per-Piece Customization for Halo 4 (Visors can now be selected for Halo 4 Customization)
• Halo 4 Forge improvements including Trait Zones, New Movement Control, and Local/World Axis Toggle
• Advanced Graphics Options for Halo 4 (PC only)
• Text Chat Availability and Moderation
• A Field of View (FOV) option will be available for Halo 4 on Xbox One consoles

Gameplay content

Campaign

• Missions: Requiem, Forerunner, Reclaimer, Shutdown, and Composer
• Playlists: Canyon Combat

Spartan Ops

• Departure: Land Grab, Sniper Alley, The Challenge, Sacred, and Core
• Artifact: Clean Up, For Science, Hacksaw, Pelican Down, and Gagarin

Multiplayer

• Social Games: 2v2, 4v4, 8 player Free-for-All (FFA), 12 player FFA (Infection), 8v8
• Competitive: H4 Squad Battle (6v6)
• Maps: Adrift, Exile, Haven, Longbow, Meltdown, Ragnarok, Impact, Landfall, Skyline, Perdition, and Pitfall

Patch notes

November 17 (Season 4 launch) patch (Version 1.1955.0.0)

November 17 patch notes (Version 1.1955.0.0)

Season 4 launched alongside a large patch for The Master Chief Collection, with bug fixes and quality of life changes. The patch notes can be seen in full below.

New Features

• Halo 4 is now available on PC
  • Halo 4’s Forge mode now includes “Thorage” content – this means new features, a higher budget, dozens of new items, and more
  • Per-piece armor customization and “global” weapon skins for all loadouts are now available on all platforms as well
  • PC players can now jump into Cross-Game Playlists in Campaign
• Crossplay and input-based matchmaking for multiplayer are now available on both Xbox and PC
  • While players will be prompted to select their preferred input device upon their first launch of the game, this option can also be changed at any time from Settings menu while in the Main Menu
• This update also brings Xbox Series X

December 16 (Season 5 content) patch (Version 1.2028.0.0)

December 16 patch notes (Version 1.2028.0.0)

Released on December 16, 2020, this patch added the content for the upcoming Series 5: Anvil (including the new Halo 3 armor and Halo: Reach armor) to view, though not unlockable or equippable until the launch of Season 5.

Install Size Version

Steam

• Max size of 6.4 GB

Microsoft Store and Xbox Game Pass for PC

• Max size of 26.47 GB

Xbox

• Max size of 22.29 GB

New Features

• Profanity filter: A new option has been added to disable the profanity filter on incoming messages. Disabling the text chat profanity filter will only impact what you see in other players’ messages.
• Your outgoing messages will still appear filtered from your perspective, even if some other players can read it.
• By understanding what the filter is hiding, you will know what your teammates with the text filter enabled can see and you can communicate during teamplay more effectively.
• Season 5 content: Season 5 content has been added to the game files and will become available early next year when Season 5 begins.
• Tech suits in Halo 3: Tech suits for Halo 3 Spartans are available now in the customization menu.

Halo 4 Squad Battle changes

• Increased respawn time to 10 seconds in Squad Battle objective games.
• Reworked Dominion objective ordnance in Squad Battle so that each base has a precision rifle, a grenade, and a power weapon drop. This reduces the total number of power weapons that will be in play at any given time in this game type.
• Added a jump-up to the Dominion Bravo base from the red side on the “Outcast” map variant used in Squad Battle.

Resolved Issues

Many improvements come from Insiders feedback reported by our community during or after the Flight period of Halo 4. Thank you for participating and please keep submitting tickets! Below is a breakdown of fixes in this update:

Global

• The default setting for text chat channel availability is now set to All instead of Squad Only.
• Clarified messaging in console to specify that the Xbox Series X

Cut Series content

Originally, Series 4 was intended to include several armor sets cut from the original release of the Anniversary Map Pack for Halo: Reach, alongside a few new robot arm variants. The pieces were delayed to Series 5, due to production issues.

• 2 new Halo: Reach helmets: AKIS, Mariner
  • 3 Halo: Reach helmet attachments for AKIS: GRD, CBRN, GRD/CBRN
• 2 new Halo: Reach chest pieces: EXO/TSCS
• New combinations of chest pieces combined with the prosthetic arm for Halo: Reach

Gallery

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  Series 4 splash screen.

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  Logo-less keyart for the Series.