Armor permutations (Halo 3)

A player using a mix of armor sets in Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

Armor permutations in Halo 3 allow players to customize their Spartan and Elite player model with a variety of armor pieces available to players. The feature is an improvement of Halo 2's player customization feature, and the first in the series to allow players to change the physical model of their character beyond species and colour selection.

Overview

Artwork by Isaac Hannaford revealing the existence of Recon, long before the armor was officially announced.

Halo 3 features a number of armor selections for both Spartan and Elite player characters, unlocked primarily by accomplishing feats within the campaign, Matchmaking and earning achievements. The system was initially unveiled in the July 2007 issue of GamePro, featuring a handful of images of the EVA and CQB armor sets alongside the standard Mark VI, though was noted by Bungie to not be the full set of armor available in game.^[1] Bungie later officially announced the inclusion of Elite armor variants^[2], and on Bungie Day 2007 officially unveiled the CQB and EVA permutations' visuals and lore. A piece of art illustrated by Isaac Hannaford released at the same time additionally revealed the existence of the Recon armor, though the armor was not specifically called out by Bungie or given any attention until later.^[3]^[4]

In total, there are 17 armor sets included in Halo 3, 12 of which for the SPARTAN-II character model and 5 for the Elite character model. These armor permutations are organized into three categories: Helmet, Chest and Shoulder. Certain armor permutations can only be unlocked by completing the game on certain difficulties, accumulating certain Gamerscore, or by obtaining certain multiplayer-specific achievements. Some, such as Recon or the exclusive Bungie Armor, have more esoteric unlock requirements, and can only be granted under certain conditions. Additionally, some Spartan armor sets only contain a helmet piece or chest piece, with no other associated armor selections.

Halo 3 unlock requirements

Note: The below unlock requirements only apply to the original Halo 3 game on Xbox 360 or via Xbox One backward compatibility. In The Master Chief Collection, all armor is unlocked by default for all players - including the Bungie armor.

Spartans

Spartan armor
Armor	Helmet	Chest	Shoulders
Mark VI	Unlocked by default	Unlocked by default	Unlocked by default
CQB	Unlocked by default	Unlocked by default	Unlocked by default
EVA	Complete the entire Halo 3 campaign on Normal difficulty or higher (Campaign Complete: Normal)	Beat Tsavo Highway on Normal difficulty or higher (The Road)	Beat The Ark on Normal difficulty or higher (Refuge)
EOD	Complete the entire Halo 3 campaign on Legendary difficulty (Campaign Complete: Legendary)	Beat Tsavo Highway on Legendary difficulty	Beat The Ark on Legendary difficulty
HAYABUSA	Collect all 13 skulls	Collect 5 skulls	Collect 9 skulls
Scout	Unlock the Used Car Salesman achievement	Unlock the Too Close to the Sun achievement	Unlock the Mongoose Mowdown achievement
Recon	Be granted the Recon armour by Bungie (2007-2009) Complete all Vidmaster Challenges in Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST (September 2009-March 2012) Unlocked for all Halo 3 players in two waves by 343 Industries (No longer attainable for new accounts)
Security	Get 1,000	N/A	Get 750
ODST	Reach the rank of Private in multiplayer (Spartan Graduate)	N/A
Mark V	Achieve the rank of Sergeant in multiplayer (UNSC Spartan)	N/A
Rogue	Reach the rank of Lieutenant in multiplayer (Spartan Officer)	N/A
Katana	N/A	Earn 49 achievements or earn 1,000	N/A
Bungie Armor ("Flaming head")	N/A	Be an employee of Bungie Studios	N/A

Elites

Elite armor
Armor	Helmet	Chest	Shoulders
Combat	Unlocked by default	Unlocked by default	Unlocked by default
Assault	Unlocked by default	Unlocked by default	Unlocked by default
Flight	Complete the entire Halo 3 campaign on Heroic difficulty or higher (Campaign Complete: Heroic)	Beat Tsavo Highway on Heroic difficulty or higher	Beat The Ark on Heroic difficulty or higher
Ascetic	Unlock the Steppin' Razor achievement	Unlock the Up Close and Personal achievement	Unlock the Overkill achievement
Commando	Unlock the Overkill achievement	Unlock the Triple Kill achievement	Unlock the Killing Frenzy achievement Auto-unlocked for all players in Title Update 1

Halo: The Master Chief Collection

The Demo, Suture and Compass armors introduced into Halo 3.

For the Halo 3 multiplayer component of Halo: The Master Chief Collection, all armor - including Recon and Bungie - was unlocked for all players for use by default. Between the game's launch in 2014 and the launch of Halo 3 on PC in 2020, armor customization was limited to full sets with no mix-and-match customization, due to the difficulties of running multiple engines in the menu component. In this launch rendition, the armor sets were displayed in the menu as static renders, with the armors using full armor sets or - in the case of armors with no associated armor for chest, helmet or shoulder elements - Mark VI to supplement missing elements. As such, using a helmet such as Mark V or ODST required the usage of all Mark VI for everything else. Using the Katana chest, however, would use Hayabusa for all other armor elements. Additionally and for the first time, The Master Chief Collection allowed players to use the Bungie Armor (now renamed "Flaming Head"), and would display the characteristic flames and EOD chest as it did in the original game, though with enforced Mark VI shoulders and helmet.

Following the launch of Halo 3 on PC and start of Season 2: Spark, this system was updated to display Halo 3 character models in Unreal Engine 4, with full customization in-game as it was at the launch of Halo 3. In this change, the Bungie Armor chest was renamed "Legacy", and the Security armour set was given a chest armour piece; in launch Halo 3, equipping the Security helmet additionally outfitted the chest with a small antenna. Following the Season 2 update, the antenna is now considered a separate chest, and can be used regardless of helmet.

With the launch of Season 3: Recon, Halo 3 customisation was updated with the inclusion of skins for application on a player's weapon and several new visor colour options for use with all helmets. The full list of Halo 3 skins can be viewed here.

In the Season 4 December update, Halo 3 was expanded to include new techsuit customization, with the players being able to change it between a new Halo 3 techsuit and Halo 4 techsuit (both colored and full black).

Season 5: Anvil included twelve new armor permutations for Halo 3, originally created for the cancelled Halo Online. Additionally, included new forearm and leg customisation, allowing players to choose between the new twelve armors or the default Mark VI. These armors can be toggled off for a more classic experience, with any players using Halo Online armor instead displaying as default Mark VI.^[5]

Season 6 will include several new armor permutations, including six Halo Online armor permutations and the four ODST armors used by Fireteam Raven in the namesake game. It will also add a "Back Accessory" option, allowing players to choose between six new back packages (four being based on Halo: Fireteam Raven), three new techsuit options, and at least three new animated visor colors.

Armor

Spartan armor
Armor	Helmet	Chest	Shoulders	Forearms	Legs
Air Assault	Series 5, Tier 3 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 15 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 7( 1)	Series 5, Tier 12 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 27 ( 1)
Aviator	Series 5, Tier 9 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 11 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 17 ( 1)	N/A	Series 5, Tier 94 ( 1)
COS	Series 6, Tier 53 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 73 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 66 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 90 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 71 ( 1)
Compass	Series 5, Tier 82 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 96 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 62 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 74 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 89 ( 1)
Deadeye	Series 5, Tier 78 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 38 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 54 ( 1)	N/A	Series 5, Tier 97 ( 1)
Demo	Series 5, Tier 37 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 26 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 39 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 32 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 66 ( 1)
Hammerhead	Series 6, Tier 75 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 11 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 35 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 22 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 46 ( 1)
Hivemind	Series 5, Tier 64 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 41 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 59 ( 1)	N/A	Series 5, Tier 67 ( 1)
Infiltrator	Series 6, Tier 33 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 13 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 29 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 49 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 59 ( 1)
Lancer	Series 6, Tier 16 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 42 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 27 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 31 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 56 ( 1)
Navigator	Series 5, Tier 72 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 92 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 81 ( 1)	N/A	Series 5, Tier 75 ( 1)
Nomdagro	Series 6, Tier 4 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 39 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 19 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 7 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 26 ( 1)
ODST/COMM	Series 6, Tier 40 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 52 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 62 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 60 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 64 ( 1)
ODST/DEMO	Series 6, Tier 20 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 32 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 55 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 48 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 44 ( 1)
ODST/HVY	Series 6, Tier 57 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 72 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 93 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 68 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 76 ( 1)
ODST/TAC	Series 6, Tier 2 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 14 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 30 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 25 ( 1)	Series 6, Tier 6 ( 1)
Pioneer	Series 5, Tier 49 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 34 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 29 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 16 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 57 ( 1)
Rhine
Rhine	Series 6, purchase at The Exchange ( 20)
Soldier	Series 5, Tier 19 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 98 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 73 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 99 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 44 ( 1)
Suture	Series 5, Tier 63 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 69 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 71 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 5 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 52 ( 1)
Tanker	Series 5, Tier 87 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 6 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 23 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 84 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 8 ( 1)
Warrior	Series 5, Tier 56 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 14 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 47 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 88 ( 1)	Series 5, Tier 46 ( 1)
Mirage	The Exchange ( 2)	The Exchange ( 2)	The Exchange ( 2)	The Exchange ( 2)	The Exchange ( 2)
Duke Shoulders	N/A		The Exchange ( 2)	N/A

Visors

Visor customisation was introduced to Halo 3 in Season 3: Recon. A number of visor colours can be unlocked for Season Points, though like other Halo 3 skins, they can be toggled off in the menu. Season 6 will include animated visor colors. Season 6 introduced more visors in the form of animated visors.

Appearance Name	Unlock Requirements	Description
Blue	Series 3, Tier 1 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Red	Series 3, Tier 3 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Green	Series 3, Tier 4 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Yellow	Series 3, Tier 5 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Purple	Series 3, Tier 7 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Orange	Series 3, Tier 8 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Bronze	Series 3, Tier 10 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Silver	Series 3, Tier 11 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Dark Red	Series 3, Tier 13 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Dark Yellow	Series 3, Tier 15 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Dark Purple	Series 3, Tier 17 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Dark Blue	Series 3, Tier 19 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Dark Green	Series 3, Tier 20 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Spectrum	Series 3, Tier 23 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Dark Orange	Series 3, Tier 26 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Pastel Blue	Series 3, Tier 27 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Pastel Green	Series 3, Tier 29 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Pastel Red	Series 3, Tier 30 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Pastel Yellow	Series 3, Tier 32 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Pastel Purple	Series 3, Tier 34 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Pastel Orange	Series 3, Tier 35 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Groovy	Series 3, Tier 37 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Pearlescent Yellow	Series 3, Tier 38 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Pearlescent Blue	Series 3, Tier 41 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Platinum	Series 3, Tier 42 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Pearlescent Red	Series 3, Tier 44 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Pearlescent Green	Series 3, Tier 45 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Pearlescent Orange	Series 3, Tier 47 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Pearlescent Purple	Series 3, Tier 48 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Onyx	Series 3, Tier 49 ( 1)	Part of a suite of experimental VISR enhancements.
Another Sunrise	Series 6 Challenge: Package Deal	Every sunrise is proof of victory.
Cool Depths	Series 6, Tier 5 ( 1)	What lies beneath?
Neon	Series 6, Tier 37 ( 1)	Let's be frank...
Burn Radius	Series 6, Tier 98 ( 1)	Danger! Do not touch!
Nebula	Series 6, Tier 74 ( 1)	So close, yet so far away.
Old Salt	Series 6, Tier 82 ( 1)	Worn, but ready for battle.
Patina	Series 6, Tier 69 ( 1)	Mark of a true veteran.
Plated	Series 6, Tier 84 ( 1)	Anniversary edition faceplate.
Red Shift	Series 6, Tier 92 ( 1)	Spartans in motion around distant stars.
Shadow	Series 6, Tier 89 ( 1)	What lies within?
Shoreline Sunset	Series 6, Tier 10 ( 1)	This is living.
Tall Tales	Series 6, Tier 80 ( 1)	The after-action reports may have been exaggerated.
Turbulence	Series 6, Tier 67 ( 1)	Spartans work well in murky environments.
Uncontrolled Growth	Series 6, Tier 78 ( 1)	Even the flower of life can bring death.
Tropic Cove	Series 6, Tier 8 ( 1)	Smells like vacation.
Eclipse Dream	Series 8, The Exchange ( 2)	Feels like yesterday.
Dot Product	Series 8, Tier 99 ( 1)	Full spectrum battle management.
Umbral Cold	Series 8, The Exchange ( 2)	Cool as ice.
Astral Heat	Series 8, Tier 35 ( 1)	Some like it hot.
Prism Scan	Series 8, The Exchange ( 2)	Eyes on. Target locked.
Solar Circles	Series 8, Tier 64 ( 1)	Blinding in its majesty.
Nightscan	Series 8, The Exchange ( 2)	Your distinctiveness will betray you.
Scrambler	Series 8, Tier 78 ( 1)	System Error!
Seattle Sunset	Series 8, Tier 4 ( 1)	The smoke makes for great vistas.
Teal Dream	Series 8, Tier 91 ( 1)	Imagination run riot.
Search and Assess	Series 8, Tier 71 ( 1)	Tracking down the prime instigator.

Back accessories

Back Accessory customisation was introduced to Halo 3 in Season 6.

Armor customization (Halo 3)/Backpack

Techsuit

A comparison of all Season 5 techsuit variants. From left to right: the original Halo 3 techsuit, the new GEN1 techsuit, the GEN2 techsuit and the GEN2 Tinted techsuit.

As of the December 2020 update, Spartans in Halo 3 can now choose between three different techsuits to display underneath their MJOLNIR armor. Season 6 will include three new colored techsuits, with these techsuits not inhereting the player's primary color. These include the following;

GEN1: Integral to the entire Mjolnir system, the techsuit encases the wearer's body and provides attachment points for the armor plating above it.
- This techsuit replaces the standard Halo 3 techsuit available in the original game and pre-update MCC. It is noticeably more detailed than the original, and is much more form-fitting.
- By Season 6, if the player has the toggle option for Halo 3 skins off, the Spartan model will be replaced with the original Halo 3 Spartan model.
GEN2: Though similar to earlier systems, the GEN2 techsuit is a bespoke form-fitted armored polymuscle exoskeleton.
- The standard GEN2 techsuit introduced in Halo 4, Online and Halo 5: Guardians. This undersuit is only available in black.
GEN2 Tinted: A variant of the standard GEN2 techsuit with additional chromatic customization options.
- A coloured variant of of the GEN2 undersuit, which inherits the player's primary colour.
GEN2 Azure: The sky is not the limit.
- GEN2 techsuit with blue coloration.
GEN2 Gunmetal: Never one for subtlety.
- GEN2 techsuit with grey coloration.
GEN2 Maroon: A pleasant color for a gruesome business.
- GEN2 techsuit with dark red coloration.

Trivia

Mistakes

In reusing tooltips from Halo: Reach's appearance menu, the updated customization menu for Halo 3 in Halo: The Master Chief Collection now erroneously states the choice between a Spartan and Elite player model is only applicable to appropriate, species-specific gametypes, despite the option being available regardless of gametype.
- Additionally, when hovering over the menu element to change Elite armor permutations, the game erroneously states the option is to change Spartan armor. This would be fixed with the release of Halo 3: ODST on PC.

Miscellaneous

A certain conceptual helmet seen in The Art of Halo 3 greatly resembles the AIR ASSAULT-class Mjolnir set that'd later appear in Halo: Reach.
In Halo 3, the neck of an Elite (regardless what armor permutation used) is completely immune to any form of damage except for a shot from an overcharged Plasma Pistol. In addition, the projectile will simply pass through the neck, as though the neck wasn't there, without a blood spatter. This is because both Elites and Spartans have similar models.
Many people speculate that hitboxes of the Spartans and Elites are shared but this is not true. While Bungie has officially commented on the hitboxes, they regard the size of the hitbox not the arrangement. Hitboxes are an unseen registry mechanic, which fall into the player models. They determine whether or not something has collided with the player. If an Elite is facing profile (sideways), and a shot is fired underneath the head (to where a Spartan's chest would be), the game will not register a hit. The head "hitbox" is forward more on Elites than it is Spartans.

Gallery

Concept art

Four conceptual armor sets from The Art of Halo 3. The Scout helmet is visible.

Menu images

The armor permutation menu for Spartans in the Xbox 360 edition of Halo 3.
The armor permutation menu for Sangheili in the Xbox 360 edition of Halo 3.
The armor permutation menu for Halo 3 on The Master Chief Collection prior to Halo 3: ODST's PC launch, featuring an erroneous tooltip, and a different pose for the player's Spartan.
Color choices for Halo 3 in Halo: The Master Chief Collection, following Halo 3: ODST's launch, with an updated character pose.

Screenshots

All the Elite permutations in Halo 3.
A recreation of a Sangheili Zealot on Valhalla using the armor customization system.
The glitched armor from Floodgate, It appears to be a combination of the front part of the Assault permutation and the back of the Combat permutation.

Miscellaneous

All of the Spartan permutations in Halo 3. Note: If a part of the armor set doesn't exist, it has been substituted with its Mark VI counterpart.

Sources

^ GamePro, issue 226: July 2007 (Archive)
^ Bungie.net, Bungie Weekly Update: 06/08/07 (Retrieved on Jun 1, 2020) [archive]
^ Bungie.net, Way Beyond the Beta: Screenshots Galore (Retrieved on Jun 1, 2020) [archive]
^ Bungie.net, 7/7/07: Love, Bungie (Retrieved on Jun 1, 2020) [archive]
^ Halo Waypoint Forums, MCC Development & Flighting Updates: Page 4, post 63 "The team is currently working on a game update that expands the existing skin toggle in the settings menu to also apply to armor. If you prefer a true classic experience, you’ll be able to flip the “New Skins in Halo 3” toggle to “disabled” and you won’t see any new cosmetic items (weapon skins, vehicle skins, or armor) when you’re playing Halo 3. If you decide to turn off cosmetics, any players in your game who are wearing new armor will appear as default Mark VI." (Retrieved on Jun 1, 2020) [archive]

Navigation

[1] GamePro, issue 226: July 2007 (Archive)

[2] Bungie.net, Bungie Weekly Update: 06/08/07 (Retrieved on Jun 1, 2020) [archive]

[3] Bungie.net, Way Beyond the Beta: Screenshots Galore (Retrieved on Jun 1, 2020) [archive]

[4] Bungie.net, 7/7/07: Love, Bungie (Retrieved on Jun 1, 2020) [archive]

[5] Halo Waypoint Forums, MCC Development & Flighting Updates: Page 4, post 63 "The team is currently working on a game update that expands the existing skin toggle in the settings menu to also apply to armor. If you prefer a true classic experience, you’ll be able to flip the “New Skins in Halo 3” toggle to “disabled” and you won’t see any new cosmetic items (weapon skins, vehicle skins, or armor) when you’re playing Halo 3. If you decide to turn off cosmetics, any players in your game who are wearing new armor will appear as default Mark VI." (Retrieved on Jun 1, 2020) [archive]

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