Easy

The Easy shield, as per Halo: The Master Chief Collection's release.

"Your foes cower and fall before your unstoppable onslaught, yet final victory will leave you wanting more."

— Description from Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, and Halo: The Master Chief Collection.

"Laugh as helpless victims flee in terror from their inevitable slaughter. The game basically plays itself."

— Description from Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST.

"Laugh as helpless victims flee in terror from their inevitable slaughter. Achievements cannot be unlocked on this difficulty."

— Description from Halo: Reach.

"Laugh as helpless victims flee in terror from their inevitable slaughter."

— Description from Halo 4.

"Casually operate with impunity and slaughter foes with ease. Recommended for players new to Halo."

— Description from Halo 5: Guardians

"Cut through your foes with ease and revel in your unstoppable onslaught. Recommended for players new to Halo Wars 2."

— Description from Halo Wars 2

"Take in the sights and sounds around the Ring as you slaughter outmatched adversaries. Recommended for players new to Halo."

— Description from Halo Infinite

Easy is the least challenging difficulty setting on Halo: Combat Evolved, 2, 3, 4, Halo 3: ODST, Halo Wars, Halo: Reach, Halo 5: Guardians, Halo Wars 2 and Halo Infinite. The enemies are few, target inaccurately, and are overall far weaker than on higher difficulty levels. Many players use it to learn the story. After they accomplish it on Easy, they will often play again on harder difficulties.

Summary

The original Easy shield.

The icon for the Easy difficulty setting is represented with a shield that has the Marathon logo encrusted into the center. This is for people just beginning to enter the Halo universe and the first person shooter genre in general.

General differences

Notable differences on this difficulty in general include:

• Increased shield and health strength.
• Reduced health and shield levels for enemies. Most enemies die from a single melee.
• Notable reduction in enemy intelligence. Enemies are far more reckless and easy to kill.
• Marines and other allies are tougher, more accurate, and deal more damage.

Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo: Anniversary

General differences

• Fewer Elites are encountered in general, very few Major Elites, with the most common being Minor Elites.

Awards

• The blue Halo nameplate is awarded to the player.
  • If the player has completed all campaigns on Easy, the platinum Halo nameplate will be awarded to the player.

Halo 2

Awards

• The bronze Halo nameplate is awarded to the player.
  • If the player has completed all campaigns on Easy, the platinum Halo nameplate will be awarded to the player.

Halo 3 and Halo 3: ODST

The Halo 3: ODST stylisation.

General differences

• Fewer Brute Captains are seen, on top of fewer Brutes being seen in general.
• Brute Minors are almost exclusively seen.
• Meta-point score is reduced to 25% of that of Normal.

Awards

• The silver Halo nameplate is awarded to the player.
  • If the player has completed all campaigns on Easy, the platinum Halo nameplate will be awarded to the player.

Halo: Reach

The Halo: Reach Easy shield. Notice the lack of the Marathon symbol.

General differences

• Barring the few story-based Zealots present, Minor Elites are almost exclusively seen.

Halo 4

The Halo 4 Easy shield.

General differences

• Alpha Crawlers and Promethean Knights are less common.
• Knight Commanders fire their Incineration Cannons far less frequently.

Specific differences

• If the player activates the Black Eye skull on the mission Forerunner and plays on Easy difficulty, the alternate animation of the Promethean Knight shooting John-117 after he kicks it will not play, causing the player to recharge their shields.

Awards

• The gold Halo nameplate is awarded to the player.
  • If the player has completed all campaigns on Easy, the platinum Halo nameplate will be awarded to the player.

Halo 5: Guardians

The Halo 5: Guardians Easy shield.

General differences

• Standard Promethean Soldiers and normal Knights are almost exclusively seen, with Soldier Snipers and Knight Commanders being rarer.
• Promethean Crawlers' built-in Boltshots never exhibit homing behavior against human players.

Halo Wars 2

The Halo Wars 2 Easy shield.

General differences

• Enemy AI will not build up their forces or upgrade their buildings and bases as feverishly.
• Leader powers will rarely be used against the player.
• Damage taken to a player's units will be lowered exponentially.

Halo Infinite

This section needs expansion. You can help Halopedia by expanding it.

Trivia

• In mainline Halo games from Halo 3 onwards, including Halo 3: ODST, the game will keep track of the highest difficulty you have finished the campaign on, in both solo and co-op.
• Most of the achievements in the Halo series do not unlock when played on Easy, as most need to be on Normal or higher, although there are exceptions. In addition, no skulls will appear in Halo 3 when played on Easy difficulty except for the Mythic skull for unknown reasons; however, the achievement for finding it will not be earned even if collected.
• Developers have referred to Easy in Halo: CE as "grandma mode", according to the official guidebook.
• 343 Guilty Spark will suggest that the player switch to "Easy" if the player starts attacking allies in Halo 3 with the IWHBYD Skull activated.
• In the beginning of each of the Halo games, there is a look inversion test on Easy and Normal to set your preferred view inversion setting, whilst on Heroic and Legendary, it will skipped based on the assumption that you will already be familiar with them.
  • The look inversion tests are skipped entirely from Halo 4 onwards.
• Commendations and Challenges will not advance on the Easy difficulty.