Campaign scoring

From Halopedia, the Halo wiki

Template:Ratings Campaign Scoring, also referred to as Meta-game, is an optional game feature for the campaign mode of Halo 3.

When playing Halo 3's Campaign with Campaign Scoring turned on, progress is measured in points, which are earned by killing enemies. Different enemies give different points, and bonuses are provided in the form of medals. Betrayals and deaths deduct points. Having Gold Skulls activated will multiply your points, as will playing on higher difficulties or finishing the level quickly. Using the Save and Quit feature allows you to continue the game from the last checkpoint, but it also turns off Campaign Scoring and discards all points you have earned in that session. To find out more about campaign scoring, listen to Mission Design Lead Paul Bertone on the Bungie podcast.

Free-for-all vs. Team Scoring

In Free for All scoring, points are awarded to individual players based on their kills. This can also be used to unlock the meta-game achievements. To activate, go to Edit Campaign Options by pressing X in Campaign Lobby and go to campaign scoring and switch either to "Team" or "Free For All."

In Team Scoring, points are shared among the team, culminating in a cumulative team score.

Note: You cannot get any of the Meta-scoring Achievements for the level simply by using team scoring; both players' individual scores are presented when the level is finished. Individual scores determine whether an achievement is unlocked. For example, two players could get 15,000 total score on the mission Sierra 117, but neither would receive an achievement due to the fact that their total is based on a combination of player 1 & player 2's scores (unless one player got 15,000 points by him/herself, in which case he/she would get the achievement).

Point Values

Points are earned by killing enemies, with the player shooting the killing shot (or throwing the killing grenade) earning the points. If a player is driving a vehicle, any kills by AI passengers will earn the player full points. The following is a list of base points earned for killing enemies (without any multipliers). If the player or party reverts to the last checkpoint (through death or options menu), they will restart with the number of points they had when they hit the checkpoint minus a 25 point penalty for each restart. (note that multipliers also increase the amount of points deducted). If you revert to your last saved checkpoint you get deducted the same points as you would if you died.

Covenant
Heroes
Brute Chieftain (Weapon/Armor Variants) 150
Leaders
Brute Captain 50
Brute Captain Major 50
Brute Captain super ultra
Specialists
Brute Stalker 30
Brute Jump-pack 30
Brute Bodyguard 30
Jackal Sniper 20
Grunt Heavy 10
Grunt Spec-Ops 10
Hunter 150
Infantry
Brute Minor 20
Brute Major 20
Brute Ultra 20
Grunt Minor 10
Grunt Major 10
Jackal Minor 15
Drone Minor 10
Drone Major 10
Flood
Specialists
Pure Form Stalker 20
Pure Form Ranged 30
Pure Form Tank 50
Infantry
Flood Carrier Form 10
Combat Form (Human,Brute,Elite) 10
Forerunner
Infantry
Sentinel Aggressor Minor 5
Vehicles
Light
Shade 50
Ghost 100
Chopper 100
Standard
Prowler 150
Banshee 100
Heavy
Wraith (Both Variants) 200
Giants
Scarab 500
Phantom 250[1]
Point Deduction
Dying 25
Betrayal 50
Arbiter 50
Elite 50
Marine/Civilian: 50
ODST 100
Marine Sergeant 100
Sentinel 5
Hornet 150
Mongoose 50
Pelican/Scorpion 200
Warthog 150
Gauss Warthog 100

Multipliers

Difficulty Multipliers

Overall
Difficulty Multiplier
Easy 0.25x
Normal 1.00x
Heroic 2.00x
Legendary 4.00x

Skull Multipliers

Overall
Skull Multiplier
Iron (Teammate dead? Reload checkpoint. Everyone dead? Restart level.) 3.0x
Black Eye (Melee for shields to recharge) 1.5x
Tough Luck (Enemy saving throws) 1.5x
Catch (AI throws more grenades) 1.5x
Fog (No motion sensors) 1.5x
Famine (Half ammo dropped by enemy's weapons) 2.0x
Thunderstorm (Both Enemy and Ally are given field promotions) 1.5x
Tilt (Enemy resistances increased) 2.0x
Mythic (Doubles the enemy's health) 2.0x

Time Multipliers

Overall
Mission Times & Multipliers
Sierra 117 0-15 min = 3.0x, 15-20 min = 2.5x, 20-25 min = 2.0x, 25-30 min = 1.5x, 30+ min = 1.0x
Crow's Nest 0-20 min = 3.0x, 20-25 min = 2.5x, 25-30 min = 2.0x, 30-35 min = 1.5x, 35+ min = 1.0x
Tsavo Highway 0-15 min = 3.0x, 15-20 min = 2.5x, 20-25 min = 2.0x, 25-30 min = 1.5x, 30+ min = 1.0x
The Storm 0-15 min = 3.0x, 15-20 min = 2.5x, 20-25 min = 2.0x, 25-30 min = 1.5x, 30+ min = 1.0x
Floodgate 0-10 min = 3.0x, 10-15 min = 2.5x, 15-20 min = 2.0x, 20-25 min = 1.5x, 25+ min = 1.0x
The Ark 0-20 min = 3.0x, 20-30 min = 2.5x, 30-40 min = 2.0x, 40-50 min = 1.5x, 50+ min = 1.0x
The Covenant 0-20 min = 3.0x, 20-30 min = 2.5x, 30-40 min = 2.0x, 40-50 min = 1.5x, 50+ min = 1.0x
Cortana 0-15 min = 3.0x, 15-20 min = 2.5x, 20-25 min = 2.0x, 25-30 min = 1.5x, 30+ min = 1.0x
Halo 0-15 min = 3.0x, 15-20 min = 2.5x, 20-25 min = 2.0x, 25-30 min = 1.5x, 30+ min = 1.0x

Style Multipliers

Per-kill
Style Multiplier
Grenade Stick (plasma or spike grenade) 1.25x
Headshot (Shoot in the Head) 1.25x
Assassination! (melee from behind) 1.25x
Splatter (run over enemy) 1.25x
Multi-Kill (at least 3 enemies within 1.5 seconds) 1.25x
Needler Superdetonation! (Kill someone with a needler explosion) 1.25x

Scoring Formula

The Formula for Campaign Scoring is:

Points Earned = Unit's base point value X (Style Multiplier + Occasional Secondary Style Multiplier) X Difficulty Multiplier X Sum of Skull Multipliers X Time Multiplier

*Note* - The time multiplier is added not to every score but at the very end (i.e. total score =15,000 X 2.0 for time bonus = Grand Total of 30,000)

Achievements

Achievement Name Points Required Level
Guerilla 15,000 Sierra 117
Demon 15,000 Crow's Nest
Cavalier 15,000 Tsavo Highway
Askar 15,000 The Storm
Exterminator 15,000 Floodgate
Ranger 50,000 The Ark
Vanguard 50,000 The Covenant
Orpheus 15,000 Cortana
Reclaimer 15,000 Halo

Trivia

  • Meta in ancient Greek means "after", so meta-game means "after-game", or in a more philosophical sense, "the game behind the game". In the case of campaign scoring, you playing a meta-game in which you are trying to get as high score as possible, and to accomplish that, you are playing the actual campaign game -- in other words, the Campaign Metagame is a game about a game. See also the Wikipedia article.
  • The very first mission (Arrival) has not been made an achievement to get a certain score because it is unplayable and therefore a player would have no chance of getting any score.
  • A good way to get points is to play on Normal with the Iron Skull; if you manage to avoid dying, its 3x multiplier can be quite helpful.

External Links

Sources