Background
The Mark VI MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armour/EOD variant [1], more commonly known as Explosive Ordnance Disposal Armour, and abbreviated as EOD Armour, is a type of United Nations Space Command body armor. It is first seen in Halo 3 multiplayer.
Introduction
The EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) is a variant of the standard Mark VI MJOLNIR powered battle armor. It is an armor permutation in Halo 3 multiplayer. Bungie has confirmed that neither this nor any other armor permutation has an effect on Halo 3 gameplay, although its description states that it helps protect against explosives and other hazardous situations.
Development and History
The MJOLNIR/EOD variant was created at UNSC Damascus Materials Testing Facility facility on Chi Ceti 4. The helmet was designed to channel the pressure wave of an accidental detonation around the user's head, significantly reducing the likelihood of decapitation in the event of an explosion. The MJOLNIR/EOD variant's pauldrons and chest plate were designed specifically to reduce the number of grabbing edges on the armor, decreasing the likelihood of dismemberment, and protecting Spartans during operations involving the handling of explosive ordnance [e.g., clearing/planting land mines, demolishing enemy structures/material and, or planting/defusing bombs].
Characteristics
Helmet Characteristics
The helmet is mostly squared off with two separate eyepieces, rather than a visor. They are more akin to a pair of goggles unlike the other MJOLNIR armor variants that are visor-adorned. In actual combat, this would highly increase protection to the face but also reduce the field of vision considerably. This feature would not help, since the SPARTAN would need to have very good vision. However, in gameplay, the first-person view does not change, as it is the same with all other helmets (probably due to Bungie not wishing for any of the armor permutations to affect gameplay). The helmet also has a single plate over the nose and mouth and a pair of rectangular objects along each cheek, assumed to be cheek guards or lengthy re-breathers.
Shoulder Characteristics
The shoulders are large and rounded. They have been optimized for EOD missions and are designed to decrease the chances of dismemberment if the wearer were caught in a blast.
Chest Characteristics
The chest plate looks and seems to be a bulkier version of the Mark VI armor variant. This design was most likely intended to increase wearer survivability in the event of a full-frontal explosion by decreasing the probability of shrapnel harming anything vital. The EOD chest plate also bears a very striking resemblance to the armor design of the MJOLNIR Mark V armor’s chest plate (from Halo: Combat Evolved.) Because of this, many players use it in conjunction with the Mark V helmet and Mark VI shoulders to create an accurate replica of the original Mark V armor from Halo: Combat Evolved.
Unlock
- Head: Unlock the Campaign Complete: Legendary achievement.
- Shoulders: Complete The Ark on Legendary difficulty.
- Chest: Complete Tsavo Highway on Legendary difficulty.
Gallery
The original render of the helmet.
Trivia
- The EOD helmet is the only helmet with two visors, one for each eye.
- The EOD helmet shares similarities with several different helmets from other fictional games and/or universes. Aside from being similar to a gas mask, it has a resemblance to the Storm trooper, Dark trooper, and Galactic Marine helmets from Star Wars, along with Darth Vader's helmet. It is also similar to Helghast soldiers in the game Killzone and the COG Soldiers in the game Gears of War, and it bears a slight resemblance to the Combine Overwatch soldiers from the game Half-Life 2. The Level 6 Suit, from the survival horror game Dead Space, has a helmet that bears a strong resemblence to the EOD helmet. The helmet and shoulders largely resemble the helmet and shoulder pads of the Space Marines from Warhammer 40,000 as well.
- The Meta in Red vs. Blue: Reconstruction wears an EOD shoulder pad on his right shoulder.
- Bungie holds their own fan made images of EOD helmet with glowing red eyes instead of yellow. This may just be an EOD image expression of the helmet, or it may be a helmet permutation in the future, though this has not been mentioned or confirmed by Bungie, and it seems unlikely due to their statement that there will be no new armor permutations in Halo 3.
- This armor is sometimes referred to as the "monkey" or "spider armor."
- The helmet is very useful when trying not to be seen because the orange visor is so small, making it incredibly hard to spot.
- The EOD helmet is often used as the 'ugly' face in Machinima, namely in Pregame Lobby.