Bone Cracker

Were you looking for the similarly named achievement from Halo 2 for Windows Vista, Bonecracker?

The Bone Cracker (Beat Down in Halo 3, Pummel in Halo: Reach, Melee in Halo 4, and Melee Kill in Halo: The Master Chief Collection and Halo 5: Guardians) medal is awarded for killing an opponent with a melee attack from any direction other than from behind. Melees from behind will result in either a Beat Down or an Assassination.

In Halo 2 through Halo: Reach it is represented by an inverted five-point silver star with a dark green fist. In Halo 4 and The Master Chief Collection the medal is represented by a silver fist in a blue circle on a gray four-point star. In Halo 3 after you kill an opponent with a melee attack, a message appears on your screen that says: "You beat down (player's name)." In Halo: Reach the message "You pummeled (player's name)" will appear. In Halo 4 the message says "You meleed (player's name)."

In Halo 3, ODST, and Reach it also awarded if an Energy Sword or Gravity Hammer is used to kill an opponent with the right trigger. In Halo 4 these weapons award their own medals. In Halo 5: Guardians the Melee Kill medal is awarded for kills with the Gravity Hammer but not the Energy Sword, which again has its own medal.

Tips

• A common way for players to get the medal at the same time is to get a Double Beatdown.
• A simple method to earn this medal is to play Grifball.

Trivia

• This medal has changed names every game it is included in (Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo Reach, Halo 4, Halo 5: Guardians).
• The "Green Fist" could be a reference to the Incredible Hulk; the Hulk uses his powerful fists in battles. It may also depict a MJOLNIR-armored gauntlet.
• Earning this medal in a Halo 2 for Windows Vista matchmade game on a would unlock the Bonecracker achievement.
• Prior to the shutdown of Xbox 360 Halo online services on January 13, 2022, earning five Beat Down or Assassin medals in a Halo 3 ranked free for all playlists would unlock the Up Close and Personal achievement.
• Prior to the shutdown, earning this medal five times in a Halo 4 War Games matchmaking game on a Castle map would unlock the Beating Up the Beat achievement.

• The medal has a Bungie difficulty rating of 3 out of 10.

Gallery

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  The Halo 3 version.

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  The Halo: Reach version.

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  The Halo 4 version.

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  The Halo 5: Guardians version.