Challenges are daily objectives for Halo: Reach posted on Bungie.net and Halo Waypoint. All challenges are reset at 11am GMT (3am PDT) with Daily Challenges resetting each day and Weekly Challenges resetting each Monday. A player is awarded a certain number of Credits[1] after completing an objective. Challenges cannot be completed on the Easy difficulty.
Players who complete a Weekly challenge are awarded the achievement One Down, 51 to Go. Players who complete all of the Daily Challenges on a single day are awarded the achievement A New Challenger.
The level cap in Halo: Reach was lifted when 117 million daily and weekly challenges were finished. This was being recorded on the Bungie.net homepage.[2]
Custom Challenges
A new feature, Custom Challenges, was added through Halo Waypoint as of November 2011. Users can make a challenge and invite friends to complete it as well as themselves. They can only be created in the official Halo Waypoint webpage, or through the Waypoint mobile app, but current invitations and challenges can be viewed in Halo Waypoint for Xbox 360.[3]
Custom Challenges have the following elements:
- Name
- Variants: Matchmaking Multiplayer, Campaign, Matchmaking Firefight, Custom (Custom includes custom Firefight and custom Multiplayer games)
- Time limit (3 to 60 hours)
- Goal type
- Kills
- Kills with a specific weapon
- Kills of a specific enemy
- Headshots
- Wins
- Medals
- Goal amount (1 – 9999)
- Optional constraints: map, difficulty, skulls (for Campaign and custom)
- Invite up to 7 friends
Up to five challenges may be created at the same time, until either the time ends or if the player succeeds in completing it, and "turns in" the challenge, freeing one slot for creation of a different challenge, however, credits will only be awarded once the time runs out. Once a challenge is made with a specific goal, such as headshots, that goal cannot be set for any other challenges of the same type until the challenge ends, in one way or another. If the player that created a challenge wants to cancel it, there is an option of forfeiting the challenge, which won't give any credits. The number of credits earned for completing each challenge depends on its goal, type and time, multiplayer matchmaking challenges seem to award the highest amount of credits, more specifically, headshots and wins challenges. For example, 300 kills in 60 hours will give 6389 Cr, 300 headshots in 60 hours will give 12282 Cr, and 75 wins in 48 hours will give 15825 Cr.
Current Challenges
| Icon | Name | Requirement | Credit Reward | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly Challenges | ||||
|
Tip of the Spear: LASO | Complete Tip of the Spear, Legendary, All Skulls On (LASO). | 13000 cR | July 23-July 29, 2012 |
| Daily Challenges | ||||
|
More than a Handful | Kill 25 enemies in multiplayer Matchmaking. | 2000 cR | July 27, 2012 |
|
Killing Frenzy | Earn a Killing Frenzy in a multiplayer Matchmaking game. | 4000 cR | July 27, 2012 |
|
|
Above the Neckline | Kill 7 enemies with headshots in a multiplayer Matchmaking game. | 2500 cR | July 27, 2012 |
|
|
T-Hug It Out | Kill 4 enemies with close quarters combat in a multiplayer Matchmaking game. | 2500 cR | July 27, 2012 |
Past Challenges
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Strategies for common Challenges
Note: All Campaign challenges, unless otherwise labeled, must be done on Normal difficulty or harder.
- There Are Many Like... - Kill (number) enemies with precision weapons in the Campaign today.
- Start The Package at Rally Point Bravo. You can kill the Grunts dropped by the first wave of Phantoms with your DMR and then optionally revert to the last checkpoint and kill the same enemies again.
- Return of the Mack - Kill (number) Elites in Campaign today on Normal or harder.
- Nightfall from mission start and Long Night of Solace from rally point bravo (or waiting for a LONG time at Mission Start) both have many Elites. In the case of Nightfall, if you manage to get a checkpoint just before the first Elite you can snipe or assassinate him, reload the checkpoint, and repeat until the challenge is complete.
- Also in Nightfall, when you pass the Active Camouflage and get to the small cliff to the first large group of enemies, if you have it on Heroic there will tend to be four Ranger Elites on the first building on the right. Snipe them as they are usually a one shot with the sniper. When you kill the last one quickly go back to last checkpoint before the next checkpoint appears.
- Leadership Element - Kill (number) enemy leaders in the Campaign today.
- The Thunderstorm skull will promote all enemies making many of them leader class. Alternately, repeatedly killing the first Elite on Nightfall, as mentioned under Return of the Mack above, can be effective due to that Elite counting toward the challenge whether he is a leader rank or not.
- Close Talking - Earn (number) kills with close quarters combat in multiplayer Matchmaking.
- Close quarters combat kills include kills by melee, shotgun, gravity hammer, and energy sword. Playing Infection may help as all players spawn with either a shotgun or a sword. However, since Grifball is now available full-time on the Community playlist, that gametype is suggested since it is faster-paced and is more fair to each side (there are no guns in Grifball, only hammers and swords, and it is impossible to camp).
- (Heroic) Killagruntjaro! - Earn (number) multikills in a Firefight Matchmaking game (on Heroic or harder).
- Go to Score Attack Matchmaking. Vote "'None of the Above'" until you see Gruntpocalypse on Holdout. Go on top of the building on the western edge. It offers a great vantage point and allows for many spawn kills. The Grunts will often wait at their spawn point, allowing for many multikills with a DMR. There is also a ammo crate in the bottom floor below. Corvette is also a good map to make progress on this challenge in.
- Shootin' and Lootin'/Blastin' and Relaxin' - Kill (number) enemies in any game mode in Reach.
- Since this challenge applies to any game mode (Campaign, Firefight (Custom & Matchmaking), Multiplayer Matchmaking, and Custom Games), this challenge can easily be accomplished while trying to get other challenges (i.e. Gunslinger, Covenant-Cide, and One Spartan Army)
- A fast way to get this challenge (either once other challenges are complete, or if you want to get it really fast) is to go into a custom firefight game with the damage percentages set to your advantage, bottomless clip on, and with any type of Grunt Squad. Grunt squads (of any type) provide the most amount of enemies per wave, letting you get this challenge even faster.
- An even faster way is to utilize the ONI: Sword Base target locator method that will allow you to complete the challenge in mere minutes or even seconds. Simply sprint from the very beginning of the level to the area where the target locator is found, without killing too many enemies. You will receive a checkpoint either before or after you pick up the locator, which you can then use upon the hordes of Covenant coming down the incline behind you. If you are lucky you may even receive a checkpoint right after arming the locator and thus speed up the kill count after each revert.
- Note: You cannot get banned for utilizing this method.[4]
- Neuroscience/Headshot Honcho - Kill (number) of enemies with headshots in a multiplayer matchmaking game.
- Team SWAT is a great playlist to get headshots.
- Single Wield - Earn (number) kills with small arms weapons in multiplayer Matchmaking.
- Go to Team SWAT and vote for SWAT Magnums to do this quickly.
- Go to Living Dead and use the Magnum to take out zombies from afar when human. Particularly useful on The Cage or Pinnacle from the loft areas.
- Cannon Fodder - Kill (number) Infantry-class foes in the Campaign today.
- Most enemies in Exodus from Mission Start are infantry class, and most are easily killed Grunts (Skirmishers are usually considered "specialists"). Brutes on Heroic or lower are quickly killed with a Plasma Pistol that the Grunts/Skirmishers may drop.
- You Want This, Don't You? - Earn (number) kills with precision weapons in a multiplayer Matchmaking game.
- Team Snipers, Team SWAT, and the gametypes labeled "Pro" (including Slayer and CTF, Stockpile, etc.) and Slayer DMRs are the best games to try this. Just remember the Magnum does not count as a precision weapon, so keep kills to the primary weapons.
- That Pink Mist - Kill (number) enemies with a Supercombine from the Needler or Needle Rifle in Firefight Matchmaking.
- FRG Attack (Score Attack), and FRGfight (Firefight Arcade) work best. This is because you are granted infinite ammo and the Needler is already your secondary weapon.
Trivia
- Pass the Rock is a reference to a quote from Sergeant Johnson during the opening cutscene of the Halo 2 level Metropolis. He stated that the whole platoon had two sticks and a rock: "And we had to share the rock!"
- Harder than Some is a reference to the Huragok in Halo: Contact Harvest, Lighter than Some.
- There Are Many Like... is a reference to the Rifleman's Creed said by the United States Marine Corps today.
- Killagruntjaro! is a portmanteau of Killamanjaro and Grunt.
- Demon is a reference to John-117, who was called a "Demon" by the Covenant.
- Hyper Lethal Vector is a reference to Noble Six, who was described as "...more of a hyper lethal vector than a soldier." It is also a reference to the "status" of he and John-117.
- Tough Luck... On is a reference to The Announcer, who says this when a round of Firefight is started with the Tough Luck skull on.
- Katanarama is a reference to the Katana, an ornamental sword, in Halo 3, available as an armor permutation.
- ...Is a Virtue is a reference to the common phrase, "Patience is a virtue."
- No "I" in Team is a reference to the phrase, "There is no 'I' in team," which promotes teamwork
- Freelancing is a reference to the Freelancers, an organization of super soldiers in the Halo Machinima, Red vs Blue.
- Fourth Horseman is a reference to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, in the Book of Revelation in the Bible, the Fourth Horseman is often known to represent Death.
- House of Blue Leaves is a reference to the book House of Leaves, in which every time the word 'house' appears, it is always blue.
- Light Fuse, Run Away is a reference to a section from the level, The Maw.
- T-Hug It Out is a reference to the character Ari Gold from Entourage, who uses it as a catchphrase.
- Now I Have a Machine Gun is a reference to the movie Die Hard, where the hero John McClane sends a dead terrorist in a lift to the main group of terrorists with 'Now I have a machine gun too. Ho Ho Ho' written on his jumper.
- Pod Kettle Black is a pun on the expression 'the pot calling the kettle black' used to indicate a hypocrite.
- J.H. Death Machine is a reference to Josh Hamrick, gameplay designer for Bungie who worked on the weapons in Halo: Reach.
- You Want This, Don't You? is a reference to Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. The Emperor says this to Luke when taunting him about wiping out the Rebel Alliance. This continues the theme of precision weapons, particularly the DMR, being compared to Lightsabers, started with the achievement An Elegant Weapon.
- Clear Eyes, Full Hearts is a reference to the show Friday Night Lights, used to motivate teams.
- I Need Some Ammo is a reference to a quote from Master Chief John-117 used in Halo 2 marketing and in a game cutscene 'I Need a Weapon'.
- The T.G. Opposition is a reference to Tyson Green, a senior designer at Bungie. Apparently Tyson goes with shotgun like chocolate goes with peanut butter.[5]
- Sticky Icky Icky is a reference to a marijuana lyric in a Snoop Dogg song.
- Not the Face is a reference to Red vs Blue. It is a line spoken by Grif.
- Double Double is an NBA reference; a Double Double is when a player in a game reaches double digits in two of the five following categories: points, rebounds, steals, assists, and blocked shots.
- Headshot Honcho is a reference to the Halo 3 achievement of the same name.
- Not as Clusmy or Random... is a line from Star Wars: A New Hope spoken by Obi-Wan Kenobi, comparing a lightsaber to a blaster. This continues precision weapons like the DMR being compared to the lightsaber.
- Lost Tyree, Lost Hutch : is a reference to the line said by "Gold 5" from Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, during the Battle of Yavin IV. Both names in the challenge are incorrect as Tyree is actually spelled "Tiree" and Hutch is actually known as "Dutch".