Reach

This article is about the planet. For the game, see Halo: Reach.

Reach
Astrographical
System:	Epsilon Eridani system
Orbiting:	Epsilon Eridani
Orbital position:	Second planet
Moon(s):	Two; Csodaszarvas, Turul
Physical
Diameter:	15,273 kilometers (9,490 mi)
Gravity:	1.08 G
Length of day:	27 hours
Length of year:	390 days
Atmosphere:	1 (O2, N2)
Surface temperature:	-26°C to 42°C (-15°F to 108°F)
Societal
Demonym:	Reavian
Species:	Humans (Non-native)
Population:	703,341,500 (2535) 121,000 (c. 2558)
Colonized:	2362
Government:	Unified Earth Government Eposz Reclamation Collective (Post-fall)

"...our fortress among the stars."

— Dr. Catherine Halsey

Reach, also known as Epsilon Eridani II and referred to by the Sangheili as Sovolanu, is a human colony world in the Epsilon Eridani system, located within the Inner Colonies and is the sister planet of Earth itself. At 10.5 light years from the Sol system, it is located at Earth's metaphorical doorstep. Reach is the fourth largest planet in the Epsilon Eridani system, and second closest to the star Epsilon Eridani.

Once home to a Forerunner presence, Reach held considerable importance to the United Nations Space Command as the nexus of its military and the site of many military-industrial facilities such as shipyards. It was also significant for being one of the largest producers of titanium, which is plentiful on the planet. Though most commonly recognized for its status as a military world, Reach was also humanity's most populous colony world, its civilian population living in its preplanned cities or defying the planet's harsh nature in sturdy pioneer settlements. It was considered a center for civilian enterprise and logistical hub.

Reach became the target of a Covenant invasion in 2552. Although the planet was defended by the UNSC for several weeks, Reach eventually fell to the Covenant, resulting in the planet's glassing in one of the most decisive defeats suffered by humanity over the course of the Human-Covenant War and the demise of the majority of its population.

Overview

A comparison of Earth's size to Reach's.

Orbital characteristics

Reach has a strong aurora phenomenon, to the extent the planet is covered in an "aura" of aurorae. Reach has two natural satellites; the large, ringed Csodaszarvas and the small, cratered Turul which was captured into Reach's orbit as recently as some 70-80 thousand years ago. Reach's oceans also experience strong tidal phenomena.

Orbital locations

• Anchor 9
• Casimir Station
• Medical Facility Endurance
• Reach Station Gamma
• 20 Orbital defense platforms
  • At least 1 Moncton-class orbital weapon platform
  • Quezon Station
• Reach orbital shipyards
  • Naval Yard AS-9

Topography and ecology

For a young planet with an age of less than one billion years, compared to Earth's 4.6 billion year existence, Reach is remarkably geologically stable. Reach is larger than Earth, having a diameter of 15,273 kilometers, compared to the 12,756 kilometers diameter of Earth. Reach was originally inhospitable for human life, requiring some degree of terraforming before it could be colonized. Mostly a rugged and harsh wilderness filled with towering mountains, deserts and weather-beaten forests, Reach's surface is pockmarked with meteor impact craters, some of these forming large seas.

Reach was home to numerous species of indigenous animals and vegetation, with some being imported by humans. The spadehorn is a herbivorous animal native to Reach's grasslands. Moa are large, flightless birds, with reptilian features, that are often domesticated and consumed by humans. The gúta is the largest terrestrial lifeform discovered on Reach and is very dangerous, albeit rarely aggressive. A species of bird visually similar to birds from Earth, were also found on the planet. Wolves and owls, from Earth, inhabited the forests of Reach. Koi were often found in decorative ponds and water gardens. Rats were also common pests on the planet. Cherots, gupers, and kropeys were native animals of Reach.

Some of Reach's indigenous fauna are known to have survived the fall of the planet. Flocks of moa still survive on Reach in remote sectors that were not glassed by the Covenant, while some were transported to other worlds before Reach's glassing.

The planet was home to hundreds of species of vegetation, including cedar trees from Earth. It also contained deciduous forests.

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  Landscape in Visegrád, Highland Mountains.

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  The city of New Alexandria.

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  A ship breaking yard at Asźod, Ung.

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  SWORD Base at the Babd Catha Ice Shelf.

Locations

Note: For more information regarding the map of Reach and the locations of various sites encountered in media set on the planet, see this page.

Viery Territory Unidentified BXR titanium mine Ütközet Szurdok Ridge Ütközet hydroelectric power plant Szurdok Ridge BXR facility Eposz New Alexandria (Locations) Babd Catha Ice Shelf SWORD Base Farragut Station Airview Base Babd Catha Forerunner Complex Farkas Lake Sabre Program Launch/Research Range Kisköre Base Kisköre Canal Lapos River Észac Plain Dombräd Springs Vadász Dombok Bull's Blood Ujeger Cliffs Ujeger Highlands Tárnoc Gorge Tárnoc Falls Alföld Manassas Manassas Spaceport Visegrad Visegrad Relay Ung Asźod Ship breaking yards Mount Törött Bars Arany Basin Tököl Mohács/New Mohács Bük Burn Cavity Logistics Base Gödöllő Gödöllő Steppe Juh Mező Aqueduct Juh Mező Township Kisköre Manor Kisköre Irrigation Tunnel Dél Eléri Végtelen Mászás Esztergom Esztergom Spaceport Highland Mountains Black Iron Gorge Csáki Narrows Iron River Falls Bíbor Cliffs Figyelő Point Lébény district Gönc Canyon Gönc Drifts Scheelite Workings Csongrád Region Vanadinite Mountain Omeiite Mountain Menachite Mountain CASTLE Base Menachite portal complex Big Horn River Camp Hathcock Camp Independence Fairchild Field Reach High Command HIGHCOM Armory Omega Longhorn Valley Military Reservation 01478-B Military Wilderness Training Preserve ODG Facility A-331 Reach FLEETCOM Military Complex Naval Officers' Academy

WHITE TOWER Veszprém Big Crater Bay Fenyot Basin New Miskolc Szarvas Regeneration and Salvage Facility Black Sea Naval Force Reconnaissance School Casimir Csárdás Erőd Rajtom Facility Fehérvár Hévíz Karácsony Kecskemét Lábatlan ODG Facility A-412 Pálháza Quezon Siófok Siófok Firing Range Sopron Szolnok

Known residents

• Cutter family
  • James Cutter – UNSC Navy captain and commander of the UNSC Spirit of Fire
  • Mary Cutter and daughter – civilian wife and child of James Cutter
• Jorge-052 – SPARTAN-II commando
• Catherine Halsey – ONI civilian scientific advisor and creator of the SPARTAN-IIs
• Marcus Hudson - Recon/communications specialist of the ODST unit Fireteam Raven
• Laszlo Sorvad – Renowned civilian xenoarchaeologist
• Sára Sorvad – Civilian
• Dimah Tchakova – UNSC officer cadet
• Bella Disztl - a cross continent buggy racer
• Nairn – Insurgent; former planetary militia member
• Gabe – Civilian
• Mason - Orbital Drop Shock Trooper

History

Ancient history

The Forerunners maintained a presence on Reach long before human colonization, creating a portal complex under Menachite Mountain.

At some point, an unknown Forerunner starship crash landed into Reach leaving a debris field across Eposz. The vessel specifically landed at what would end up becoming SWORD Base at Babd Catha Ice Shelf.

Rise of humanity

Main article: Project OUTBOUND

The FLEETCOM Military Complex in Reach's Highland Mountains.

The first planetary confirmations of Reach were made in the early 21st century. Originally colonized during humanity's first wave of extrasolar colonization in 2362 by the Odyssey, Reach was chosen to be the site of a colony due to its rich titanium deposits.

Upon arriving, the Odyssey was deconstructed into terraforming installations and a research colony of 5,000 scientists and workers. Soon more people arrived. By 2390, the first wave of terraforming was done and a second major colonization effort began. The UNSC transitioned much of its administrative and technical infrastructure to the system, which was soon followed by corporate investments. This included the building of the planet's first space elevator at Veszprém. More space elevators would be built across Reach's equatorial band.

BXR Mining Corporation had mined these titanium reserves since the early years of colonization, and set up facilities across the planet's super-continent.

By 2490, Reach had become the UNSC's primary naval yard and training academy; producing warships and colony ships and training special forces.

Insurrection

Main article: Insurrection

Despite its position as the UNSC's largest naval base, strategic headquarters, and second-largest population center, the Epsilon Eridani system was wracked by Insurrectionist activity throughout the early 26th century. Reach's sister planet, Tribute, was one of the fronts for the UNSC's anti-terrorist campaign, Operation: TREBUCHET. In 2525, mere months before the outbreak of the Human-Covenant War, Reach was the site of a major terrorist bombing against the luxury liner National Holiday. Two orbital taxis filled with explosives were crashed into the liner, causing the liner to plummet into the atmosphere, incinerating everyone on board.

The legendary SPARTAN-IIs were trained and housed on Reach, in the Reach FLEETCOM Military Complex in the Highland Mountains. Frederic-104 said Reach was their home and every SPARTAN-II would fight to the death to defend it.

Human-Covenant War

Main article: Human-Covenant War

In 2525, the single surviving vessel of Battle Group 4, the CMA Heracles, returned to Reach recounting the First Battle of Harvest.

In 2531, the operations of an insurrectionist saboteur cell on Reach were disrupted by a four-man team of Spartan-II supersoldiers known as Blue Team. Circa the early 2530s, the mines under Menachite Mountain were active before being appropriated by ONI Section Three. By 2535, a third of the planet's population was part of the military and the Epsilon Eridani system was seemingly on permanent warfooting.

In 2547, plans were put in place to save machines, tools and personnel from an unknown ship manufacturer on the under attack colony of Skopje and move them to Reach to continue the war effort.

Fall of Reach

Main articles: Fall of Reach, Reach Defense Coordination Zone, Aftermath of the Fall of Reach

Reach after its glassing.

Reach fell to the Covenant during the Human-Covenant War in 2552. An advance strike force first arrived at the planet in late July, taking out a major communications outpost and attacking several UNSC facilities over a span of several weeks. This force was effectively destroyed when the fleet's flagship, the Sh'wada-pattern supercarrier Long Night of Solace was destroyed during Operation: UPPER CUT. However, a significantly larger Covenant fleet sent by the Ministry of Resolution arrived on August 14 and began to lay siege to several cities on the planet shortly after the Long Night of Solace was destroyed. The final battle for the planet was fought when a massive combined Covenant invasion fleet over 300 ships strong led by the Supreme Commander Thel 'Vadamee and the Fleet of Particular Justice arrived in the morning of August 30. Additionally, the other human colonies in the Epsilon Eridani system were attacked by the Covenant, including Tribute.

The final attack halted Operation: RED FLAG, a plan devised by the UNSC to bring an end to the war, as the UNSC Pillar of Autumn, which was already on its way to the mission, was recalled to Reach to defend the planet against the massive Covenant attack. The majority of the SPARTAN-IIs aboard the ship were dispatched to the planet's surface to protect the generators for the orbital defense platforms, while a small team led by John-117 boarded Reach Station Gamma to secure an unprotected NAV database aboard the ONI prowler Circumference. Eventually, the Autumn was one of the few ships to escape the battle.

The battle was a disaster for the numerically-inferior UNSC fleet, despite the orbital defense platforms. The Covenant glassed most of Reach with plasma bombardment. CASTLE base was destroyed after the planet's fall and the Covenant began searching for a Forerunner crystal. The remaining UNSC forces finally abandoned the planet during a small raid a few days later. The raid turned into a rescue operation when it was determined that Spartans were still alive and on Reach, resulting in the destruction of over a dozen Covenant capital ships and many of their ground forces, at the cost of four Spartan-IIs and heavy damage to a UNSC-captured ship. Glassing of the world ceased by September 27, 2552.

Reach's surface received black rain for months after being glassed.

Postwar

Main article: Eposz Reclamation Project

"We all have our own reasons for returning to Reach. Istvan Erdei says it’s the one place in the colonies where a man doesn’t need a piece of paper to prove he’s useful. Rendor Borbély claims it’s because he and his family won’t join their ancestors in the afterlife if they’re buried on a different world. I’m here because these are my people, and there weren’t a lot of doctors volunteering to come back with them. I doubt any of us really understand why the others are here—and I don’t see that it matters."

— Somogy to John-117 during Operation: WOLFE.

A pioneer alongside two Spades on Reach after its glassing.

In November 2553, a pioneer group arrived on Reach for an initial search and preparation for the planet's reterraforming. Due to its symbolic and strategic value, Reach was quickly selected for rehabilitation and full-scale recolonization by the Unified Earth Government, classified as a priority redevelopment area. This was against the wishes of some who wanted to prioritize the reconstruction of Sol.

In 2554 and 2555, technical staff landed on the planet to fully assess the condition of the world, refit the original terraforming systems, and install new atmospheric scrubbers to prevent further damage to the biosphere.

Although an ambitious and lengthy project, Reach's recolonization is aided by the planet's handful of surviving settlements and the remaining space elevators, though hindered by the devastation to all major military sites and population centers during the Fall of Reach. Aquarius Terraforming Solutions was a prime candidate over the Liang-Dortmund Corporation in the restoration project of Reach; especially as the latter would have required politically risky territorial and resources concessions.

Operations conducted by the UNSC on Reach are under strict ONI security classification, classified to other UNSC personnel regardless of rank or position. Terrestrial and orbital operations were complicated by the presence of unaffiliated local civilians, contractors of the Unified Earth Government, and unlicensed Kig-Yar salvagers. While specific strategic objectives were classified, Spartans with experience and a background in combat engineering and covert action were asked to report to ONI for screening and assessment for a mission to Reach. It was rumored that ONI intended to dispatch Spartan-IVs to search CASTLE Base under Menachite Mountain for an unspecified object.

Circa 2558, Reach has a population of 121,000; UNSC presence was minimal.

Blue Team fighting in the surface of a glassed Reach on October 2559.

Created uprising

Main articles: Second Ark Conflict, Created uprising

On April 2, 2559, Captain James Cutter and Professor Ellen Anders attempted to send Installation 09 from Installation 00 to the former site of Installation 04 in the Soell system, where a distress beacon would be deployed. Their hope was that this would be within communication range of Reach, where someone might hear them and be able to send reinforcements. However, the Halo and Professor Anders would be intercepted by one of Cortana's Guardians before they reached their destination. Prior to October 9, 2559, the Banished, Keepers of the One Freedom, Ravaged Tusks and the Legion of the Corpse-Moon began to occupy parts of the planet.

On October 9, Blue Team, was deployed to the planet in Operation: WOLFE as part of a covert attempt to retrieve assets that could help in the fight against the Created's occupation of the Orion Arm. By the 12th, the UNSC Infinity was in orbit of the world along with a complement of Anlace-class light frigates and Longswords, destroying old satellites to stop any communication from going interstellar and alerting the Created.

The surface of Reach, restored to a habitable state, in 2589.

Distant future

By 2589, Reach was in a habitable state, and new human colonists were re-settling the planet. The planet was still evidently littered with destroyed ship and debris from both the Covenant and UNSC, thirty-seven years after the fall of the planet. By 2610, at least two cities on the planet, New Alexandria and Esztergom, were reconstructed.

Government

Reach was the most important headquarters for the United Nations Space Command outside of Earth and the main supplier of military and civilian spacecraft, and the location of the UNSC's largest and most active shipyard. High Command, Fleet Command and the Marine Corps maintained headquarters on Reach, as well as many primary Naval Intelligence bases, which included the highly classified CASTLE Base. It was also where the UNSC's most elite troops, including the ODSTs as well as the SPARTAN-IIs, were trained. Reach's purpose was not solely military, however, the surface of the planet also featured farmland and civilian towns and districts. The largest cities on Reach were Manassas, Quezon, Esztergom and New Alexandria.

The license plates for some land vehicles, such as the Spade, had Reach as an identifier on them.

After the planet fell, the Eposz Reclamation Collective would be created by rehabilitation pioneers and govern at least parts of Arany Basin.

Defenses

UNSC ships stationed above Reach prior to its destruction.

While Earth was rightly seen as the UNSC's commercial, political, and cultural center, Reach was undeniably the hub of its military power. The Epsilon Eridani Fleet was a full strength carrier group with the Punic-class supercarrier UNSC Trafalgar at its core.

A semi-mobile array of twenty orbital defense platforms, equipped with heavy MAC guns also known as "big sticks," orbited around Reach. At least one Moncton-class orbital weapon platform was in place as early as 2527, with Erőd-class orbital weapon platforms requiring the usage of extensive ground-based orbital defense generator facilities entering service by 2552. The "big sticks" were defended by multiple wings of single ships and tactical multi-role craft. In addition, there were also about 100 to 150 starships stationed in the Epsilon Eridani system at any time. Reach also had a network of 18 refit stations orbiting it. The UNSC Army also maintained "wet navy" assets on Reach, specifically submarine arsenal ships. At the height of the Insurrection, the CMA stockpiled weaponry on the planet including vast quantities of early model VK78 Commandos.

An ONI super-AI network used for high-level number crunching was also located on Reach. REACH DOC NET was a computer network on or around Reach. Reach also had a slipspace COM launcher.

Prior to its fall, these were Reach's defense statistics:

• Total available military manpower: 385,421,100
• Total land assets: 58,430
• Total naval assets: 1,209 (T); 75 (X)
• Total air assets: 11,050
• Serviceable airports: 1,246
• Defense budget: cR. 38,287,000,000 [as of 2548]

Following the fall of the planet and the initial resettlement, defense of some parts of Reach fell to the Viery Militia under the Eposz Reclamation Collective.

Society

Economy

Reach had nine space elevators, three of which were located near the city of New Alexandria, one located in the city of Manassas, and another located in Veszprém.

Reach was the largest non-automated exporter of titanium within the human colonies. Deposits of the element could be found in abundance on the planet, sometimes breaking the surface in the form of large spires. The BXR Mining Corporation would mine titanium across the planet's super continent. Kisvárda Metals invested in the mining of Titanium and other minerals such as rhodium while another corporation would mine the tungsten ore of scheelite in the Highland Mountains.

Before the Covenant invasion, Epsilon Eridani's superior interstellar jump point had been the most active Slipstream space transfer zone (arrivals and departures) for over thirty years, with the system's inferior IJP and Sol's superior IJP regularly trading second and third place spots.

A public center in Quezon.

Culture

Many of Reach's original settlers hailed from Europe, particularly Hungary, which is reflected in some of the place names on the planet. Many of the planet's inhabitants also spoke Hungarian as their first language. Despite Reach's harsh nature, some settlers chose to live in small communities of homesteads, referred to as "kivas", in the wilderness instead of the major cities. Rounded and enclosed, they were comfortable but practical, shuttered against Reach's forceful climate and bunkered into hillsides. It also related their independent nature; powered by wind turbines and hydroelectric plants, they were off the grid and self-sustaining. Reach was also the host of sporting events such as the 2552 Reach Galactic Cup and 24 Hours of Quezon.

Non-canon and dubious canon appearances

Reach in the Silver Timeline.

Silver Timeline

Main article: Reach/Silver

Reach in the Silver Timeline is an Inner Colony and the largest and most prominent human colony with a population of around 703,341,500. Most of this population is of Eastern European descent, predominately Hungarian and Romanian. Reach was a key mining world and has the most significant shipyards outside of Sol. It is defended by the Reach Military Complex.

Reach was the first extrasolar world settled by humanity and would be important for further colonization due to its habitability and slipspace routes.

Gameplay

The map Powerhouse, which is set on Reach.

Reach, in the midst of its glassing, briefly appears in The Heretic in Halo 2 and Halo 2: Anniversary.

Two levels of the Halo Interactive Strategy Game take place on Reach: Defense of Castle Base and The Hidden Artifact of Reach.

Every Campaign level of Halo: Reach takes place on Reach. Save for the map Installation 04, all of Halo: Reach's Firefight maps are set on Reach. Tempest, Forge World, and five of the Anniversary Map Pack multiplayer maps are not set on Reach; while High Noon and all other maps in the game do take place on or around Reach.

Production notes

Concept of an ONI base near Mount Törött.

There remains some debate about whether humanity settled worlds outside the Sol system before Reach in 2362. The original Xbox.com timeline and The Impossible Life and the Possible Death of Preston J. Cole state that colony ships were built beginning in 2310, and the Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition) states extrasolar colonies Juneou and Titus had colonization dates of 2330 and 2355 respectively. An explanation as to why humanity unveiled their ships in 2310 and then waited 52 years to start the colonization process has yet to be given, beyond "decades of planning". Most sources state that the Odyssey was the very first colony ship and Reach the very first colony.

Halo Online

In the pre-alpha of Halo Online, the JUGGERNAUT-class armor states that its design was found on Reach in 2553 and all new sets of it are flecked in Reach's dirt.

Halo Infinite

At one point, concept art for Halo Infinite was created of settings on a post-glassed Reach, likely indicating that at one point in development, Reach was to be a visited location in the game.

Gallery

Browse more images in this article's gallery page.

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  Reach being glassed by Covenant forces in Halo 2.

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  Daisy-023 in a city on Reach in Homecoming.

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  A Manassas spaceport in Remember Reach.

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  A geographical map of Reach.

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  A map showing the Viery Territory of Reach.

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  The surface of Reach from orbit.

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  A view of Reach with Turul and Csodaszarvas, the two natural satellites of Reach.

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  A typical kiva on Reach.

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  A hologram of Reach in Ardent Prayer's holotank.

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  A destroyed UNSC frigate over Reach during the Fall.

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  Reach being glassed.

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  Reach in the final stages of the battle.

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  Texture of Reach in the final stages of the battle as seen in Condemned's skybox.

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  A size comparison of Reach (Second from top row) to other planets in the known universe.

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  UNSC ships in orbit around Reach in Halo: Fall of Reach.

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  Reach in Halo Warfleet

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  A map and brief summary of Reach as seen at Outpost Discovery.

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  A map, showing the civilian centers and several military bases on Reach.

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  Concept art of an ONI base on Reach for Halo Infinite.

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  Concept art of an abandoned airfield on Reach.

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  Concept art of a base on Reach.

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  Concept art of an array of satellite dishes on Reach.

List of appearances

Halo: The Fall of Reach (First appearance) Adjunct (Mentioned only) Halo: Combat Evolved (Mentioned only) Halo: The Flood (Mentioned only) Halo: First Strike Halo 2 (Flashback) Halo: Ghosts of Onyx (Mentioned only) Halo 3 (Mentioned only) Halo: Contact Harvest (Mentioned only) Halo: The Cole Protocol Halo Wars: Genesis (Mentioned only) Halo Wars (Mentioned only) Halo 3: ODST Pre-mission Evaluation (Mentioned only) Halo 3: ODST (Mentioned only) Halo Legends Origins Homecoming Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe Pariah Dirt (Mentioned only) The Return (Mentioned only) Remember Reach Halo: Reach Dr. Halsey's personal journal Halo: Fall of Reach Boot Camp Covenant (Mentioned only) Invasion Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary (Mentioned only) Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn (Mentioned only)

Halo 4 (Mentioned only) Infinity Briefing Packet (Mentioned only) Halo: Mortal Dictata (Mentioned only) Halo: Broken Circle (Mentioned only) Halo 2: Anniversary (Flashback) Halo: New Blood (Mentioned only) Hunt the Truth (Mentioned only) Hunt the Signal (Mentioned only) Halo: Fleet Battles Halo: The Fall of Reach - The Animated Series Halo 5: Guardians (Mentioned only) Limited Edition dossiers (Mentioned only) Halo: Ground Command Halo Mythos Halo: Fractures Breaking Strain (Mentioned only) Rossbach's World (Mentioned only) Halo Wars 2 (Mentioned only) Halo: Retribution (Mentioned only) Halo: Fireteam Raven (Mentioned only) Halo: Silent Storm (Mentioned only) Halo: Official Spartan Field Manual Halo: Lone Wolf (Mentioned only) Halo: Outpost Discovery Halo: Oblivion (Mentioned only) Halo: Shadows of Reach Sacrifice (Mentioned only) Halo: Divine Wind (Mentioned only) Halo Infinite: Memory Agent (Mentioned only) Halo Infinite (Mentioned only) Halo: Outcasts (Mentioned only) Halo: Battle for the Blood-Moon (Mentioned only) Halo: Venezian Sonata (Mentioned only)