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During the Development of Halo 2|development of ''Halo 2'', several levels were cut during development.
Cut campaign levels
A cut campaign level on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. This level seems to have the same story goal as the level The Oracle from the final game, involving the Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter securing 343 Guilty Spark for the Covenant. Unlike The Oracle, this level would be set in a Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction|heretic camp on Threshold's moon, Basis - the setting of the multiplayer map Burial Mounds.
File:H2_alphamoon.png|A view of the level.
This level was to take place immediately following Cairo Station. The level would have seen the player, as John-117, board a Covenant with a team of ODSTs, serving as the main introduction for Miranda Keyes. After opening the airlock of the Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station's docking bay, the player would be blasted toward the Covenant ship and board it instead of destroying it with the antimatter charge|bomb as seen in the final game. This level would have involved infiltrating the Covenant ship, taking on and killing its crew and eventually stealing a Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith and end up destroying the ship by bombarding its power core with the Wraith's plasma mortar|mortar.
As mentioned by Joseph Staten, Miranda Keyes and her ODSTs would have also been onboard the ship in order to help you and may have played a big role in the eventual outcome. This level however was cut due to time constraints and replaced by a cinematic that created "just as much work" for Bungie Employees.
File:H2AnnounceTrailer FreeFall.jpg|The level would have taken the place of this cutscene from the final game. File:H2 CovenantShip Whiteboard.png|A whiteboard showcasing part of covenantship's intended layout - matching known details including the ODSTs, Wraith and Ghost.
s concept.}}
At some point during early production, concept artists Eddie Smith and Robert McLees investigated the idea of a Flood-infected Covenant hydroponics ship, in which the Flood had taken over and formed a Gravemind from the ship's livestock. This ship, the ''Infinite Succor'', ultimately went unused in ''Halo 2'' and it is unclear as to how much the concept was seriously considered for inclusion as a level. The idea was ultimately taken and reused in 2006 with the release of the ''Halo Graphic Novel'', and the aptly-titled short story within ''The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor'' - which takes place aboard a Mjern-pattern agricultural support ship|Covenant agricultural ship of the Infinite Succor|same name and focuses on the actions of Rtas 'Vadum|the Special-Operations Commander during the events of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
File:H2_InfiniteSuccor_Concept.jpg|Early ''Halo 2'' concept of the ''Infinite Succor''.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo: Combat Evolved vehicles|cut ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' vehicle of the same name, the level named forerunnertank was only revealed on the ''Halo 2'' cutscene commentary contained in the Halo 3 Legendary Edition|''Halo 3'' Legendary Edition's ''Halo 2'' cinematics commentary.''Halo 3 Halo 3 Legendary Edition|Legendary Edition'': Essentials, Disc Two - Halo 2 cinematics commentary The purpose of the level was to tie in plot between the end of the level Regret (Halo 2 level)|Regret and the cutscene after the end of the level Quarantine Zone. The level was said to be placed after the cutscene in Quarantine Zone where the Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter is pushed down the index chamber by Tartarus and before the cutscene where the Arbiter meets the Master Chief and talks to the Gravemind. This level was supposed to be the Gravemind's introduction; in the level, the Gravemind's tentacles were going to slam down all around the player, and move behind doors like racing freight trains.
The level would have described the John-117|Master Chief's adventure through the bowels of Delta Halo before his eventual capture by the Gravemind; the "Forerunner Tank" providing the namesake of the level was only described as something "''... awesome, that blows things up, glows a lot from little windows and moves real fast.''" When asked why he wanted the Forerunner Tank in the game, Jason Jones' response was, "Awesomeness would ensue". The level's replacement was the short cutscene at the end of Regret; the level's removal resulted in the long series of different cutscenes between Quarantine Zone and Gravemind (level)|Gravemind.
Earth Ark was the name given to the final three missions of ''Halo 2'', including the game's original ending. This last act was ultimately completely cut for time constraints, though would later go on to be used for inspiration in ''Halo 3''.
Early campaign levels The campaign levels here are all work-in-progress versions of the levels found in the final ''Halo 2'' release, seen in a build of the game from September 2003. As such, they are mostly early editions of the final missions with various changes such as missing geometry, textures and lack of optimisation. The "mission pairs" seen in ''Halo 2'' were originally developed as one mission each, then split into two - as a result, levels share the same internal names (IE Outskirts and Metropolis sharing the earthcity map).
An early build of the levels The Arbiter and The Oracle, present on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. Upon spawning in, the player is in a dark room with several Special Operations Sangheili. The SpecOps Elites have no weapons and simply walk forward. Falling out of the level can reveal the gas mine geometry. The level has an extremely low frame rate.
File:H2_alphagasgiant.png|A view of this level.
An early version of the final level The Great Journey present in the September 2003 build. This level is unlit and untextured, spawning the player by the Bastion of the Brutes|"Scarab dock" structure from the final level. On spawning, a Banshee, a Phantom and a Wraith attack the player. The vehicles cannot be Boarding (gameplay mechanic)|boarded.
File:H2_deltacontrolroom.png|An image of this level.
An early version of the levels ''Delta Halo''/''Regret (Halo 2 level)|Regret'' in the September 2003 build.
File:H2_deltatemple.png|A view of the structure's exterior.
An early version of the levels Outskirts/ Metropolis in the September 2003 build, bearing heavy visual resemblance to the Halo 2 E3 demo|''Halo 2'' E3 demo. A large section of the city is modelled, with Wraiths attacking the player.
File:H2_earthcity.jpg|Earthcity.
The in-house name for the level ''High Charity (level)|High Charity'', which would have had ''Halo 2s Warthog run but was ultimately cut for time. The level geometry remains mostly intact in the final ''Halo 2'' game, and through modding can be rendered playable again.
A level present on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. The level was not launched in the ''Halo 2 E3 demo'' stream, leaving information about the level minimal aside from its name and description. Presumably, this level was an early version of the levels Sacred Icon/ Quarantine Zone.
Multiplayer maps Around 4-5 multiplayer maps were cut during the development of ''Halo 2''. Most were described by Max Hoberman as cut "for the right reasons" fairly early on in their respective block-out stages, with Hoberman calling this "the right call".
A multiplayer level tested during development. Anchor Point was to be a predominantly 2v2 map, designed for aerial Banshee dogfights. The map was revealed by Vic DeLeon on Twitter, ''Ok ok I'm sorry, here's one of four shots of the never-released #Halo2 map we called #AnchorPoint.'' and was scrapped as it purportedly "played like crap". ''So, I'm on the fence here. Would today be a good day for me to finally post shots of a #Halo2 MP map I made back in '04 that was completely rejected? I had cobbled it together in a week and it's definitely not pretty (Also it played like crap).'' The level files still exist at 343 Industries, with Jeff Easterling having played it as recently as November 2019. ''I actually played this not too long ago lol.''
File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 1.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 2.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 3.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 4.jpg
Cyclone was one of the earliest design exercises done for ''Halo 2''s multiplayer. The map was designed by Max Hoberman with the intent of creating the smallest map humanly possible - intended for just 2-4 players. The map was ultimately scrapped as Hoberman didn't think it would play well, and instead created the final game's Midship instead.
Design documentation for Cyclone references a cut powerup, Cut Halo 2 equipment#Adrenaline|Adrenaline - though little information exists as to what the powerup was intended to do.
File:H2_Cyclone_1.jpg|Design documentation for Cyclone's layout. File:H2_Cyclone_2.jpg|Design documentation for Cyclone's layout.
Raceday is the working title of a map experimented on ''very'' early in ''Halo 2'' development, based around the concept of a "''Wikipedia:Car Wars|Car Wars''" style mode. The map is noted as being cut so early, it more closely resembles ''Combat Evolved'' Cut Halo: Combat Evolved levels|cut levels. It is one of several maps unearthed by 343 Industries as part of the ongoing Digsite project.
Overboard is a map ill-recalled by Max Hoberman, who remembers little of its existence - and suggested it may have morphed into another map. In April of 2023, he posted several design layouts by Chris Carney on his Twitter, further adding that the reason for the map's cutting may have been due to his preference for mirrored map layouts over rotational symmetry. This is due to his belief that mirrored symmetry is more intuitive for allowing a player to navigate a map - something that is an issue in rotational symmetry style maps.
Hoberman later added that he suspected his original issues with the map in 2003-2004 were that it had a great degree of verticality and use of ladders among the aforementioned issues with rotational symmetry. At the time of production, Hoberman was interested in intuitive player navigation in the maps he shipped, and believed that a map such as Overboard could play well but would require much more work from the art team to make playable.
File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 1.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard. File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 2.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard. File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 3.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard.
The Blastacular Pack was originally conceived to release with three multiplayer maps; two remakes and one original map. The two remakes - Desolation and Tombstone - were able to make the cut but the original map had to be cut, as the map pack's original release date would have clashed with the timing of the ''Halo 3 Beta''. As such, the map was cut for "the wrong reasons" to allow the map pack to release earlier in 2007 (real world)|2007. Unlike other cut maps, this map was described by Max Hoberman as coming along fairly well and having potential.
This map was to be an asymmetric level similar to Zanzibar, and feature many dynamic elements. A focal dynamic element on the map was intended to be a light bridge which could be turned on or off by the players. As of 2014, Hoberman has yet to resurrect this level, though still wants to.
In 2023, the map was revealed as one of many recovered as part of the Digsite project, with a single released screenshot of the map's raw geometry. The map itself is similar in layout to ''Halo 3''s High Ground, and features a sword dug into a rock.
H2 Digsite Permafrost Screenshot.jpg|A screenshot of Permafrost's recovered geometry.
''Halo 2'' for Windows Vista map editor examples With the release of ''Halo 2 (Windows Vista)|Halo 2 Vista'' in 2007 came a new Halo Editing Kit toolset used to create modding|mods and custom content. On the disc was included one sample map - Example - used to show players how to work with the toolset. However, three additional maps were planned for inclusion on this disc, but were ultimately cut. One of developers from Hired Gun, the studio which ported ''Halo 2'', later finished the maps and uploaded them to halomaps.org under the username NiTrOuSoXiDe2k as free downloads on Halomaps.org.
"Earth City", known by the filename human_sample, serves as a small test environment similar to Example set in Old Mombasa. The map consists of a short street surrounded by buildings, with a Gauss Warthog present in the middle. The extremely small nature of the map makes it best suited for 1v1 or 2v2 play, and features weapons such as Battle Rifles.
Earth City can be downloaded for the Windows Vista edition of ''Halo 2'' from .
File:H2V HumanSample Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of human_sample. File:H2V HumanSample Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of human_sample.
"Beach Battle" serves as the Forerunner counterpart to Earth City, under the filename forerunner_sample. The map is set on a small coastal outcropping presumably on Delta Halo, and notably features the M7S SMG|Suppressed SMG - similarly to Example.
Beach Battle can be downloaded for the Windows Vista edition of ''Halo 2'' from .
File:H2V ForerunnerSample Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of forerunner_sample. File:H2V ForerunnerSample Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of forerunner_sample.
A third counterpart to the two prior maps was intended, focusing on a Covenant theme similar to existing maps such as Midship and Gemini. However, it was never released by NiTr0uSoXiDe2k, so no further information is available.
Development and testing levels These levels were created for the testing of various game features, and were never intended for release.
AI_test is a testing environment on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. In the build played by Brian Jarrard and Frank O'Connor, this level simply loaded with two Mgalekgolo|Hunters and a non-flyable Type-26 Banshee|Banshee in a small room. The room has some corridors around the outside, and some textures more closely resembling those of the final game - though some objects simply display UV checker textures.
File:H2_AI test.jpg|In the build, the player spawns with early versions of the SMG and Battle Rifle.
The audio playground is a sandbox used by Bungie to experiment with sound effects during the development of ''Halo 2''. It consists of a large enclosed space of varied terrain in which the player can test hitting objects and gunfire against the floor and walls, which represent particular surfaces. The surfaces' names are frequently written in the texture pattern. Audio playgrounds have been shown to come in variants for "solid steel", "dirt", "room", ice, water, and reportedly can feature virtually every substance in the game.
File:H2 AudioPlayground.png|A Warthog chaingun is used in the dirt room.
Meat Grinder''' was another level used for testing during the development of ''Halo 2''.''The Art of Halo: Creating a Virtual World'', p.13
File:H2 MarinesScorpion.jpg|Marines on the Meat Grinder level.
Sources
Category:Halo 2
Category:Deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo 2|development of ''Halo 2'', several levels were cut during development.
Cut campaign levels
A cut campaign level on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. This level seems to have the same story goal as the level The Oracle from the final game, involving the Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter securing 343 Guilty Spark for the Covenant. Unlike The Oracle, this level would be set in a Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction|heretic camp on Threshold's moon, Basis - the setting of the multiplayer map Burial Mounds.
File:H2_alphamoon.png|A view of the level.
This level was to take place immediately following Cairo Station. The level would have seen the player, as John-117, board a Covenant with a team of ODSTs, serving as the main introduction for Miranda Keyes. After opening the airlock of the Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station's docking bay, the player would be blasted toward the Covenant ship and board it instead of destroying it with the antimatter charge|bomb as seen in the final game. This level would have involved infiltrating the Covenant ship, taking on and killing its crew and eventually stealing a Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith and end up destroying the ship by bombarding its power core with the Wraith's plasma mortar|mortar.
As mentioned by Joseph Staten, Miranda Keyes and her ODSTs would have also been onboard the ship in order to help you and may have played a big role in the eventual outcome. This level however was cut due to time constraints and replaced by a cinematic that created "just as much work" for Bungie Employees.
File:H2AnnounceTrailer FreeFall.jpg|The level would have taken the place of this cutscene from the final game. File:H2 CovenantShip Whiteboard.png|A whiteboard showcasing part of covenantship's intended layout - matching known details including the ODSTs, Wraith and Ghost.
s concept.}}
At some point during early production, concept artists Eddie Smith and Robert McLees investigated the idea of a Flood-infected Covenant hydroponics ship, in which the Flood had taken over and formed a Gravemind from the ship's livestock. This ship, the ''Infinite Succor'', ultimately went unused in ''Halo 2'' and it is unclear as to how much the concept was seriously considered for inclusion as a level. The idea was ultimately taken and reused in 2006 with the release of the ''Halo Graphic Novel'', and the aptly-titled short story within ''The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor'' - which takes place aboard a Mjern-pattern agricultural support ship|Covenant agricultural ship of the Infinite Succor|same name and focuses on the actions of Rtas 'Vadum|the Special-Operations Commander during the events of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
File:H2_InfiniteSuccor_Concept.jpg|Early ''Halo 2'' concept of the ''Infinite Succor''.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo: Combat Evolved vehicles|cut ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' vehicle of the same name, the level named forerunnertank was only revealed on the ''Halo 2'' cutscene commentary contained in the Halo 3 Legendary Edition|''Halo 3'' Legendary Edition's ''Halo 2'' cinematics commentary.''Halo 3 Halo 3 Legendary Edition|Legendary Edition'': Essentials, Disc Two - Halo 2 cinematics commentary The purpose of the level was to tie in plot between the end of the level Regret (Halo 2 level)|Regret and the cutscene after the end of the level Quarantine Zone. The level was said to be placed after the cutscene in Quarantine Zone where the Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter is pushed down the index chamber by Tartarus and before the cutscene where the Arbiter meets the Master Chief and talks to the Gravemind. This level was supposed to be the Gravemind's introduction; in the level, the Gravemind's tentacles were going to slam down all around the player, and move behind doors like racing freight trains.
The level would have described the John-117|Master Chief's adventure through the bowels of Delta Halo before his eventual capture by the Gravemind; the "Forerunner Tank" providing the namesake of the level was only described as something "''... awesome, that blows things up, glows a lot from little windows and moves real fast.''" When asked why he wanted the Forerunner Tank in the game, Jason Jones' response was, "Awesomeness would ensue". The level's replacement was the short cutscene at the end of Regret; the level's removal resulted in the long series of different cutscenes between Quarantine Zone and Gravemind (level)|Gravemind.
Earth Ark was the name given to the final three missions of ''Halo 2'', including the game's original ending. This last act was ultimately completely cut for time constraints, though would later go on to be used for inspiration in ''Halo 3''.
Early campaign levels The campaign levels here are all work-in-progress versions of the levels found in the final ''Halo 2'' release, seen in a build of the game from September 2003. As such, they are mostly early editions of the final missions with various changes such as missing geometry, textures and lack of optimisation. The "mission pairs" seen in ''Halo 2'' were originally developed as one mission each, then split into two - as a result, levels share the same internal names (IE Outskirts and Metropolis sharing the earthcity map).
An early build of the levels The Arbiter and The Oracle, present on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. Upon spawning in, the player is in a dark room with several Special Operations Sangheili. The SpecOps Elites have no weapons and simply walk forward. Falling out of the level can reveal the gas mine geometry. The level has an extremely low frame rate.
File:H2_alphagasgiant.png|A view of this level.
An early version of the final level The Great Journey present in the September 2003 build. This level is unlit and untextured, spawning the player by the Bastion of the Brutes|"Scarab dock" structure from the final level. On spawning, a Banshee, a Phantom and a Wraith attack the player. The vehicles cannot be Boarding (gameplay mechanic)|boarded.
File:H2_deltacontrolroom.png|An image of this level.
An early version of the levels ''Delta Halo''/''Regret (Halo 2 level)|Regret'' in the September 2003 build.
File:H2_deltatemple.png|A view of the structure's exterior.
An early version of the levels Outskirts/ Metropolis in the September 2003 build, bearing heavy visual resemblance to the Halo 2 E3 demo|''Halo 2'' E3 demo. A large section of the city is modelled, with Wraiths attacking the player.
File:H2_earthcity.jpg|Earthcity.
The in-house name for the level ''High Charity (level)|High Charity'', which would have had ''Halo 2s Warthog run but was ultimately cut for time. The level geometry remains mostly intact in the final ''Halo 2'' game, and through modding can be rendered playable again.
A level present on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. The level was not launched in the ''Halo 2 E3 demo'' stream, leaving information about the level minimal aside from its name and description. Presumably, this level was an early version of the levels Sacred Icon/ Quarantine Zone.
Multiplayer maps Around 4-5 multiplayer maps were cut during the development of ''Halo 2''. Most were described by Max Hoberman as cut "for the right reasons" fairly early on in their respective block-out stages, with Hoberman calling this "the right call".
A multiplayer level tested during development. Anchor Point was to be a predominantly 2v2 map, designed for aerial Banshee dogfights. The map was revealed by Vic DeLeon on Twitter, ''Ok ok I'm sorry, here's one of four shots of the never-released #Halo2 map we called #AnchorPoint.'' and was scrapped as it purportedly "played like crap". ''So, I'm on the fence here. Would today be a good day for me to finally post shots of a #Halo2 MP map I made back in '04 that was completely rejected? I had cobbled it together in a week and it's definitely not pretty (Also it played like crap).'' The level files still exist at 343 Industries, with Jeff Easterling having played it as recently as November 2019. ''I actually played this not too long ago lol.''
File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 1.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 2.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 3.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 4.jpg
Cyclone was one of the earliest design exercises done for ''Halo 2''s multiplayer. The map was designed by Max Hoberman with the intent of creating the smallest map humanly possible - intended for just 2-4 players. The map was ultimately scrapped as Hoberman didn't think it would play well, and instead created the final game's Midship instead.
Design documentation for Cyclone references a cut powerup, Cut Halo 2 equipment#Adrenaline|Adrenaline - though little information exists as to what the powerup was intended to do.
File:H2_Cyclone_1.jpg|Design documentation for Cyclone's layout. File:H2_Cyclone_2.jpg|Design documentation for Cyclone's layout.
Raceday is the working title of a map experimented on ''very'' early in ''Halo 2'' development, based around the concept of a "''Wikipedia:Car Wars|Car Wars''" style mode. The map is noted as being cut so early, it more closely resembles ''Combat Evolved'' Cut Halo: Combat Evolved levels|cut levels. It is one of several maps unearthed by 343 Industries as part of the ongoing Digsite project.
Overboard is a map ill-recalled by Max Hoberman, who remembers little of its existence - and suggested it may have morphed into another map. In April of 2023, he posted several design layouts by Chris Carney on his Twitter, further adding that the reason for the map's cutting may have been due to his preference for mirrored map layouts over rotational symmetry. This is due to his belief that mirrored symmetry is more intuitive for allowing a player to navigate a map - something that is an issue in rotational symmetry style maps.
Hoberman later added that he suspected his original issues with the map in 2003-2004 were that it had a great degree of verticality and use of ladders among the aforementioned issues with rotational symmetry. At the time of production, Hoberman was interested in intuitive player navigation in the maps he shipped, and believed that a map such as Overboard could play well but would require much more work from the art team to make playable.
File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 1.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard. File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 2.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard. File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 3.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard.
The Blastacular Pack was originally conceived to release with three multiplayer maps; two remakes and one original map. The two remakes - Desolation and Tombstone - were able to make the cut but the original map had to be cut, as the map pack's original release date would have clashed with the timing of the ''Halo 3 Beta''. As such, the map was cut for "the wrong reasons" to allow the map pack to release earlier in 2007 (real world)|2007. Unlike other cut maps, this map was described by Max Hoberman as coming along fairly well and having potential.
This map was to be an asymmetric level similar to Zanzibar, and feature many dynamic elements. A focal dynamic element on the map was intended to be a light bridge which could be turned on or off by the players. As of 2014, Hoberman has yet to resurrect this level, though still wants to.
In 2023, the map was revealed as one of many recovered as part of the Digsite project, with a single released screenshot of the map's raw geometry. The map itself is similar in layout to ''Halo 3''s High Ground, and features a sword dug into a rock.
H2 Digsite Permafrost Screenshot.jpg|A screenshot of Permafrost's recovered geometry.
''Halo 2'' for Windows Vista map editor examples With the release of ''Halo 2 (Windows Vista)|Halo 2 Vista'' in 2007 came a new Halo Editing Kit toolset used to create modding|mods and custom content. On the disc was included one sample map - Example - used to show players how to work with the toolset. However, three additional maps were planned for inclusion on this disc, but were ultimately cut. One of developers from Hired Gun, the studio which ported ''Halo 2'', later finished the maps and uploaded them to halomaps.org under the username NiTrOuSoXiDe2k as free downloads on Halomaps.org.
"Earth City", known by the filename human_sample, serves as a small test environment similar to Example set in Old Mombasa. The map consists of a short street surrounded by buildings, with a Gauss Warthog present in the middle. The extremely small nature of the map makes it best suited for 1v1 or 2v2 play, and features weapons such as Battle Rifles.
Earth City can be downloaded for the Windows Vista edition of ''Halo 2'' from .
File:H2V HumanSample Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of human_sample. File:H2V HumanSample Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of human_sample.
"Beach Battle" serves as the Forerunner counterpart to Earth City, under the filename forerunner_sample. The map is set on a small coastal outcropping presumably on Delta Halo, and notably features the M7S SMG|Suppressed SMG - similarly to Example.
Beach Battle can be downloaded for the Windows Vista edition of ''Halo 2'' from .
File:H2V ForerunnerSample Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of forerunner_sample. File:H2V ForerunnerSample Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of forerunner_sample.
A third counterpart to the two prior maps was intended, focusing on a Covenant theme similar to existing maps such as Midship and Gemini. However, it was never released by NiTr0uSoXiDe2k, so no further information is available.
Development and testing levels These levels were created for the testing of various game features, and were never intended for release.
AI_test is a testing environment on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. In the build played by Brian Jarrard and Frank O'Connor, this level simply loaded with two Mgalekgolo|Hunters and a non-flyable Type-26 Banshee|Banshee in a small room. The room has some corridors around the outside, and some textures more closely resembling those of the final game - though some objects simply display UV checker textures.
File:H2_AI test.jpg|In the build, the player spawns with early versions of the SMG and Battle Rifle.
The audio playground is a sandbox used by Bungie to experiment with sound effects during the development of ''Halo 2''. It consists of a large enclosed space of varied terrain in which the player can test hitting objects and gunfire against the floor and walls, which represent particular surfaces. The surfaces' names are frequently written in the texture pattern. Audio playgrounds have been shown to come in variants for "solid steel", "dirt", "room", ice, water, and reportedly can feature virtually every substance in the game.
File:H2 AudioPlayground.png|A Warthog chaingun is used in the dirt room.
Meat Grinder''' was another level used for testing during the development of ''Halo 2''.''The Art of Halo: Creating a Virtual World'', p.13
File:H2 MarinesScorpion.jpg|Marines on the Meat Grinder level.
Sources
Category:Halo 2
Category:Deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo 2|development of ''Halo 2'', several levels were cut during development.
Cut campaign levels
A cut campaign level on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. This level seems to have the same story goal as the level The Oracle from the final game, involving the Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter securing 343 Guilty Spark for the Covenant. Unlike The Oracle, this level would be set in a Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction|heretic camp on Threshold's moon, Basis - the setting of the multiplayer map Burial Mounds.
File:H2_alphamoon.png|A view of the level.
This level was to take place immediately following Cairo Station. The level would have seen the player, as John-117, board a Covenant with a team of ODSTs, serving as the main introduction for Miranda Keyes. After opening the airlock of the Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station's docking bay, the player would be blasted toward the Covenant ship and board it instead of destroying it with the antimatter charge|bomb as seen in the final game. This level would have involved infiltrating the Covenant ship, taking on and killing its crew and eventually stealing a Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith and end up destroying the ship by bombarding its power core with the Wraith's plasma mortar|mortar.
As mentioned by Joseph Staten, Miranda Keyes and her ODSTs would have also been onboard the ship in order to help you and may have played a big role in the eventual outcome. This level however was cut due to time constraints and replaced by a cinematic that created "just as much work" for Bungie Employees.
File:H2AnnounceTrailer FreeFall.jpg|The level would have taken the place of this cutscene from the final game. File:H2 CovenantShip Whiteboard.png|A whiteboard showcasing part of covenantship's intended layout - matching known details including the ODSTs, Wraith and Ghost.
s concept.}}
At some point during early production, concept artists Eddie Smith and Robert McLees investigated the idea of a Flood-infected Covenant hydroponics ship, in which the Flood had taken over and formed a Gravemind from the ship's livestock. This ship, the ''Infinite Succor'', ultimately went unused in ''Halo 2'' and it is unclear as to how much the concept was seriously considered for inclusion as a level. The idea was ultimately taken and reused in 2006 with the release of the ''Halo Graphic Novel'', and the aptly-titled short story within ''The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor'' - which takes place aboard a Mjern-pattern agricultural support ship|Covenant agricultural ship of the Infinite Succor|same name and focuses on the actions of Rtas 'Vadum|the Special-Operations Commander during the events of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
File:H2_InfiniteSuccor_Concept.jpg|Early ''Halo 2'' concept of the ''Infinite Succor''.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo: Combat Evolved vehicles|cut ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' vehicle of the same name, the level named forerunnertank was only revealed on the ''Halo 2'' cutscene commentary contained in the Halo 3 Legendary Edition|''Halo 3'' Legendary Edition's ''Halo 2'' cinematics commentary.''Halo 3 Halo 3 Legendary Edition|Legendary Edition'': Essentials, Disc Two - Halo 2 cinematics commentary The purpose of the level was to tie in plot between the end of the level Regret (Halo 2 level)|Regret and the cutscene after the end of the level Quarantine Zone. The level was said to be placed after the cutscene in Quarantine Zone where the Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter is pushed down the index chamber by Tartarus and before the cutscene where the Arbiter meets the Master Chief and talks to the Gravemind. This level was supposed to be the Gravemind's introduction; in the level, the Gravemind's tentacles were going to slam down all around the player, and move behind doors like racing freight trains.
The level would have described the John-117|Master Chief's adventure through the bowels of Delta Halo before his eventual capture by the Gravemind; the "Forerunner Tank" providing the namesake of the level was only described as something "''... awesome, that blows things up, glows a lot from little windows and moves real fast.''" When asked why he wanted the Forerunner Tank in the game, Jason Jones' response was, "Awesomeness would ensue". The level's replacement was the short cutscene at the end of Regret; the level's removal resulted in the long series of different cutscenes between Quarantine Zone and Gravemind (level)|Gravemind.
Earth Ark was the name given to the final three missions of ''Halo 2'', including the game's original ending. This last act was ultimately completely cut for time constraints, though would later go on to be used for inspiration in ''Halo 3''.
Early campaign levels The campaign levels here are all work-in-progress versions of the levels found in the final ''Halo 2'' release, seen in a build of the game from September 2003. As such, they are mostly early editions of the final missions with various changes such as missing geometry, textures and lack of optimisation. The "mission pairs" seen in ''Halo 2'' were originally developed as one mission each, then split into two - as a result, levels share the same internal names (IE Outskirts and Metropolis sharing the earthcity map).
An early build of the levels The Arbiter and The Oracle, present on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. Upon spawning in, the player is in a dark room with several Special Operations Sangheili. The SpecOps Elites have no weapons and simply walk forward. Falling out of the level can reveal the gas mine geometry. The level has an extremely low frame rate.
File:H2_alphagasgiant.png|A view of this level.
An early version of the final level The Great Journey present in the September 2003 build. This level is unlit and untextured, spawning the player by the Bastion of the Brutes|"Scarab dock" structure from the final level. On spawning, a Banshee, a Phantom and a Wraith attack the player. The vehicles cannot be Boarding (gameplay mechanic)|boarded.
File:H2_deltacontrolroom.png|An image of this level.
An early version of the levels ''Delta Halo''/''Regret (Halo 2 level)|Regret'' in the September 2003 build.
File:H2_deltatemple.png|A view of the structure's exterior.
An early version of the levels Outskirts/ Metropolis in the September 2003 build, bearing heavy visual resemblance to the Halo 2 E3 demo|''Halo 2'' E3 demo. A large section of the city is modelled, with Wraiths attacking the player.
File:H2_earthcity.jpg|Earthcity.
The in-house name for the level ''High Charity (level)|High Charity'', which would have had ''Halo 2s Warthog run but was ultimately cut for time. The level geometry remains mostly intact in the final ''Halo 2'' game, and through modding can be rendered playable again.
A level present on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. The level was not launched in the ''Halo 2 E3 demo'' stream, leaving information about the level minimal aside from its name and description. Presumably, this level was an early version of the levels Sacred Icon/ Quarantine Zone.
Multiplayer maps Around 4-5 multiplayer maps were cut during the development of ''Halo 2''. Most were described by Max Hoberman as cut "for the right reasons" fairly early on in their respective block-out stages, with Hoberman calling this "the right call".
A multiplayer level tested during development. Anchor Point was to be a predominantly 2v2 map, designed for aerial Banshee dogfights. The map was revealed by Vic DeLeon on Twitter, ''Ok ok I'm sorry, here's one of four shots of the never-released #Halo2 map we called #AnchorPoint.'' and was scrapped as it purportedly "played like crap". ''So, I'm on the fence here. Would today be a good day for me to finally post shots of a #Halo2 MP map I made back in '04 that was completely rejected? I had cobbled it together in a week and it's definitely not pretty (Also it played like crap).'' The level files still exist at 343 Industries, with Jeff Easterling having played it as recently as November 2019. ''I actually played this not too long ago lol.''
File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 1.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 2.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 3.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 4.jpg
Cyclone was one of the earliest design exercises done for ''Halo 2''s multiplayer. The map was designed by Max Hoberman with the intent of creating the smallest map humanly possible - intended for just 2-4 players. The map was ultimately scrapped as Hoberman didn't think it would play well, and instead created the final game's Midship instead.
Design documentation for Cyclone references a cut powerup, Cut Halo 2 equipment#Adrenaline|Adrenaline - though little information exists as to what the powerup was intended to do.
File:H2_Cyclone_1.jpg|Design documentation for Cyclone's layout. File:H2_Cyclone_2.jpg|Design documentation for Cyclone's layout.
Raceday is the working title of a map experimented on ''very'' early in ''Halo 2'' development, based around the concept of a "''Wikipedia:Car Wars|Car Wars''" style mode. The map is noted as being cut so early, it more closely resembles ''Combat Evolved'' Cut Halo: Combat Evolved levels|cut levels. It is one of several maps unearthed by 343 Industries as part of the ongoing Digsite project.
Overboard is a map ill-recalled by Max Hoberman, who remembers little of its existence - and suggested it may have morphed into another map. In April of 2023, he posted several design layouts by Chris Carney on his Twitter, further adding that the reason for the map's cutting may have been due to his preference for mirrored map layouts over rotational symmetry. This is due to his belief that mirrored symmetry is more intuitive for allowing a player to navigate a map - something that is an issue in rotational symmetry style maps.
Hoberman later added that he suspected his original issues with the map in 2003-2004 were that it had a great degree of verticality and use of ladders among the aforementioned issues with rotational symmetry. At the time of production, Hoberman was interested in intuitive player navigation in the maps he shipped, and believed that a map such as Overboard could play well but would require much more work from the art team to make playable.
File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 1.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard. File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 2.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard. File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 3.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard.
The Blastacular Pack was originally conceived to release with three multiplayer maps; two remakes and one original map. The two remakes - Desolation and Tombstone - were able to make the cut but the original map had to be cut, as the map pack's original release date would have clashed with the timing of the ''Halo 3 Beta''. As such, the map was cut for "the wrong reasons" to allow the map pack to release earlier in 2007 (real world)|2007. Unlike other cut maps, this map was described by Max Hoberman as coming along fairly well and having potential.
This map was to be an asymmetric level similar to Zanzibar, and feature many dynamic elements. A focal dynamic element on the map was intended to be a light bridge which could be turned on or off by the players. As of 2014, Hoberman has yet to resurrect this level, though still wants to.
In 2023, the map was revealed as one of many recovered as part of the Digsite project, with a single released screenshot of the map's raw geometry. The map itself is similar in layout to ''Halo 3''s High Ground, and features a sword dug into a rock.
H2 Digsite Permafrost Screenshot.jpg|A screenshot of Permafrost's recovered geometry.
''Halo 2'' for Windows Vista map editor examples With the release of ''Halo 2 (Windows Vista)|Halo 2 Vista'' in 2007 came a new Halo Editing Kit toolset used to create modding|mods and custom content. On the disc was included one sample map - Example - used to show players how to work with the toolset. However, three additional maps were planned for inclusion on this disc, but were ultimately cut. One of developers from Hired Gun, the studio which ported ''Halo 2'', later finished the maps and uploaded them to halomaps.org under the username NiTrOuSoXiDe2k as free downloads on Halomaps.org.
"Earth City", known by the filename human_sample, serves as a small test environment similar to Example set in Old Mombasa. The map consists of a short street surrounded by buildings, with a Gauss Warthog present in the middle. The extremely small nature of the map makes it best suited for 1v1 or 2v2 play, and features weapons such as Battle Rifles.
Earth City can be downloaded for the Windows Vista edition of ''Halo 2'' from .
File:H2V HumanSample Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of human_sample. File:H2V HumanSample Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of human_sample.
"Beach Battle" serves as the Forerunner counterpart to Earth City, under the filename forerunner_sample. The map is set on a small coastal outcropping presumably on Delta Halo, and notably features the M7S SMG|Suppressed SMG - similarly to Example.
Beach Battle can be downloaded for the Windows Vista edition of ''Halo 2'' from .
File:H2V ForerunnerSample Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of forerunner_sample. File:H2V ForerunnerSample Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of forerunner_sample.
A third counterpart to the two prior maps was intended, focusing on a Covenant theme similar to existing maps such as Midship and Gemini. However, it was never released by NiTr0uSoXiDe2k, so no further information is available.
Development and testing levels These levels were created for the testing of various game features, and were never intended for release.
AI_test is a testing environment on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. In the build played by Brian Jarrard and Frank O'Connor, this level simply loaded with two Mgalekgolo|Hunters and a non-flyable Type-26 Banshee|Banshee in a small room. The room has some corridors around the outside, and some textures more closely resembling those of the final game - though some objects simply display UV checker textures.
File:H2_AI test.jpg|In the build, the player spawns with early versions of the SMG and Battle Rifle.
The audio playground is a sandbox used by Bungie to experiment with sound effects during the development of ''Halo 2''. It consists of a large enclosed space of varied terrain in which the player can test hitting objects and gunfire against the floor and walls, which represent particular surfaces. The surfaces' names are frequently written in the texture pattern. Audio playgrounds have been shown to come in variants for "solid steel", "dirt", "room", ice, water, and reportedly can feature virtually every substance in the game.
File:H2 AudioPlayground.png|A Warthog chaingun is used in the dirt room.
Meat Grinder''' was another level used for testing during the development of ''Halo 2''.''The Art of Halo: Creating a Virtual World'', p.13
File:H2 MarinesScorpion.jpg|Marines on the Meat Grinder level.
Sources
Category:Halo 2
Category:Deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo 2|development of ''Halo 2'', several levels were cut during development.
Cut campaign levels
A cut campaign level on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. This level seems to have the same story goal as the level The Oracle from the final game, involving the Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter securing 343 Guilty Spark for the Covenant. Unlike The Oracle, this level would be set in a Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction|heretic camp on Threshold's moon, Basis - the setting of the multiplayer map Burial Mounds.
File:H2_alphamoon.png|A view of the level.
This level was to take place immediately following Cairo Station. The level would have seen the player, as John-117, board a Covenant with a team of ODSTs, serving as the main introduction for Miranda Keyes. After opening the airlock of the Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station's docking bay, the player would be blasted toward the Covenant ship and board it instead of destroying it with the antimatter charge|bomb as seen in the final game. This level would have involved infiltrating the Covenant ship, taking on and killing its crew and eventually stealing a Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith and end up destroying the ship by bombarding its power core with the Wraith's plasma mortar|mortar.
As mentioned by Joseph Staten, Miranda Keyes and her ODSTs would have also been onboard the ship in order to help you and may have played a big role in the eventual outcome. This level however was cut due to time constraints and replaced by a cinematic that created "just as much work" for Bungie Employees.
File:H2AnnounceTrailer FreeFall.jpg|The level would have taken the place of this cutscene from the final game. File:H2 CovenantShip Whiteboard.png|A whiteboard showcasing part of covenantship's intended layout - matching known details including the ODSTs, Wraith and Ghost.
s concept.}}
At some point during early production, concept artists Eddie Smith and Robert McLees investigated the idea of a Flood-infected Covenant hydroponics ship, in which the Flood had taken over and formed a Gravemind from the ship's livestock. This ship, the ''Infinite Succor'', ultimately went unused in ''Halo 2'' and it is unclear as to how much the concept was seriously considered for inclusion as a level. The idea was ultimately taken and reused in 2006 with the release of the ''Halo Graphic Novel'', and the aptly-titled short story within ''The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor'' - which takes place aboard a Mjern-pattern agricultural support ship|Covenant agricultural ship of the Infinite Succor|same name and focuses on the actions of Rtas 'Vadum|the Special-Operations Commander during the events of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
File:H2_InfiniteSuccor_Concept.jpg|Early ''Halo 2'' concept of the ''Infinite Succor''.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo: Combat Evolved vehicles|cut ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' vehicle of the same name, the level named forerunnertank was only revealed on the ''Halo 2'' cutscene commentary contained in the Halo 3 Legendary Edition|''Halo 3'' Legendary Edition's ''Halo 2'' cinematics commentary.''Halo 3 Halo 3 Legendary Edition|Legendary Edition'': Essentials, Disc Two - Halo 2 cinematics commentary The purpose of the level was to tie in plot between the end of the level Regret (Halo 2 level)|Regret and the cutscene after the end of the level Quarantine Zone. The level was said to be placed after the cutscene in Quarantine Zone where the Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter is pushed down the index chamber by Tartarus and before the cutscene where the Arbiter meets the Master Chief and talks to the Gravemind. This level was supposed to be the Gravemind's introduction; in the level, the Gravemind's tentacles were going to slam down all around the player, and move behind doors like racing freight trains.
The level would have described the John-117|Master Chief's adventure through the bowels of Delta Halo before his eventual capture by the Gravemind; the "Forerunner Tank" providing the namesake of the level was only described as something "''... awesome, that blows things up, glows a lot from little windows and moves real fast.''" When asked why he wanted the Forerunner Tank in the game, Jason Jones' response was, "Awesomeness would ensue". The level's replacement was the short cutscene at the end of Regret; the level's removal resulted in the long series of different cutscenes between Quarantine Zone and Gravemind (level)|Gravemind.
Earth Ark was the name given to the final three missions of ''Halo 2'', including the game's original ending. This last act was ultimately completely cut for time constraints, though would later go on to be used for inspiration in ''Halo 3''.
Early campaign levels The campaign levels here are all work-in-progress versions of the levels found in the final ''Halo 2'' release, seen in a build of the game from September 2003. As such, they are mostly early editions of the final missions with various changes such as missing geometry, textures and lack of optimisation. The "mission pairs" seen in ''Halo 2'' were originally developed as one mission each, then split into two - as a result, levels share the same internal names (IE Outskirts and Metropolis sharing the earthcity map).
An early build of the levels The Arbiter and The Oracle, present on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. Upon spawning in, the player is in a dark room with several Special Operations Sangheili. The SpecOps Elites have no weapons and simply walk forward. Falling out of the level can reveal the gas mine geometry. The level has an extremely low frame rate.
File:H2_alphagasgiant.png|A view of this level.
An early version of the final level The Great Journey present in the September 2003 build. This level is unlit and untextured, spawning the player by the Bastion of the Brutes|"Scarab dock" structure from the final level. On spawning, a Banshee, a Phantom and a Wraith attack the player. The vehicles cannot be Boarding (gameplay mechanic)|boarded.
File:H2_deltacontrolroom.png|An image of this level.
An early version of the levels ''Delta Halo''/''Regret (Halo 2 level)|Regret'' in the September 2003 build.
File:H2_deltatemple.png|A view of the structure's exterior.
An early version of the levels Outskirts/ Metropolis in the September 2003 build, bearing heavy visual resemblance to the Halo 2 E3 demo|''Halo 2'' E3 demo. A large section of the city is modelled, with Wraiths attacking the player.
File:H2_earthcity.jpg|Earthcity.
The in-house name for the level ''High Charity (level)|High Charity'', which would have had ''Halo 2s Warthog run but was ultimately cut for time. The level geometry remains mostly intact in the final ''Halo 2'' game, and through modding can be rendered playable again.
A level present on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. The level was not launched in the ''Halo 2 E3 demo'' stream, leaving information about the level minimal aside from its name and description. Presumably, this level was an early version of the levels Sacred Icon/ Quarantine Zone.
Multiplayer maps Around 4-5 multiplayer maps were cut during the development of ''Halo 2''. Most were described by Max Hoberman as cut "for the right reasons" fairly early on in their respective block-out stages, with Hoberman calling this "the right call".
A multiplayer level tested during development. Anchor Point was to be a predominantly 2v2 map, designed for aerial Banshee dogfights. The map was revealed by Vic DeLeon on Twitter, ''Ok ok I'm sorry, here's one of four shots of the never-released #Halo2 map we called #AnchorPoint.'' and was scrapped as it purportedly "played like crap". ''So, I'm on the fence here. Would today be a good day for me to finally post shots of a #Halo2 MP map I made back in '04 that was completely rejected? I had cobbled it together in a week and it's definitely not pretty (Also it played like crap).'' The level files still exist at 343 Industries, with Jeff Easterling having played it as recently as November 2019. ''I actually played this not too long ago lol.''
File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 1.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 2.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 3.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 4.jpg
Cyclone was one of the earliest design exercises done for ''Halo 2''s multiplayer. The map was designed by Max Hoberman with the intent of creating the smallest map humanly possible - intended for just 2-4 players. The map was ultimately scrapped as Hoberman didn't think it would play well, and instead created the final game's Midship instead.
Design documentation for Cyclone references a cut powerup, Cut Halo 2 equipment#Adrenaline|Adrenaline - though little information exists as to what the powerup was intended to do.
File:H2_Cyclone_1.jpg|Design documentation for Cyclone's layout. File:H2_Cyclone_2.jpg|Design documentation for Cyclone's layout.
Raceday is the working title of a map experimented on ''very'' early in ''Halo 2'' development, based around the concept of a "''Wikipedia:Car Wars|Car Wars''" style mode. The map is noted as being cut so early, it more closely resembles ''Combat Evolved'' Cut Halo: Combat Evolved levels|cut levels. It is one of several maps unearthed by 343 Industries as part of the ongoing Digsite project.
Overboard is a map ill-recalled by Max Hoberman, who remembers little of its existence - and suggested it may have morphed into another map. In April of 2023, he posted several design layouts by Chris Carney on his Twitter, further adding that the reason for the map's cutting may have been due to his preference for mirrored map layouts over rotational symmetry. This is due to his belief that mirrored symmetry is more intuitive for allowing a player to navigate a map - something that is an issue in rotational symmetry style maps.
Hoberman later added that he suspected his original issues with the map in 2003-2004 were that it had a great degree of verticality and use of ladders among the aforementioned issues with rotational symmetry. At the time of production, Hoberman was interested in intuitive player navigation in the maps he shipped, and believed that a map such as Overboard could play well but would require much more work from the art team to make playable.
File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 1.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard. File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 2.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard. File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 3.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard.
The Blastacular Pack was originally conceived to release with three multiplayer maps; two remakes and one original map. The two remakes - Desolation and Tombstone - were able to make the cut but the original map had to be cut, as the map pack's original release date would have clashed with the timing of the ''Halo 3 Beta''. As such, the map was cut for "the wrong reasons" to allow the map pack to release earlier in 2007 (real world)|2007. Unlike other cut maps, this map was described by Max Hoberman as coming along fairly well and having potential.
This map was to be an asymmetric level similar to Zanzibar, and feature many dynamic elements. A focal dynamic element on the map was intended to be a light bridge which could be turned on or off by the players. As of 2014, Hoberman has yet to resurrect this level, though still wants to.
In 2023, the map was revealed as one of many recovered as part of the Digsite project, with a single released screenshot of the map's raw geometry. The map itself is similar in layout to ''Halo 3''s High Ground, and features a sword dug into a rock.
H2 Digsite Permafrost Screenshot.jpg|A screenshot of Permafrost's recovered geometry.
''Halo 2'' for Windows Vista map editor examples With the release of ''Halo 2 (Windows Vista)|Halo 2 Vista'' in 2007 came a new Halo Editing Kit toolset used to create modding|mods and custom content. On the disc was included one sample map - Example - used to show players how to work with the toolset. However, three additional maps were planned for inclusion on this disc, but were ultimately cut. One of developers from Hired Gun, the studio which ported ''Halo 2'', later finished the maps and uploaded them to halomaps.org under the username NiTrOuSoXiDe2k as free downloads on Halomaps.org.
"Earth City", known by the filename human_sample, serves as a small test environment similar to Example set in Old Mombasa. The map consists of a short street surrounded by buildings, with a Gauss Warthog present in the middle. The extremely small nature of the map makes it best suited for 1v1 or 2v2 play, and features weapons such as Battle Rifles.
Earth City can be downloaded for the Windows Vista edition of ''Halo 2'' from .
File:H2V HumanSample Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of human_sample. File:H2V HumanSample Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of human_sample.
"Beach Battle" serves as the Forerunner counterpart to Earth City, under the filename forerunner_sample. The map is set on a small coastal outcropping presumably on Delta Halo, and notably features the M7S SMG|Suppressed SMG - similarly to Example.
Beach Battle can be downloaded for the Windows Vista edition of ''Halo 2'' from .
File:H2V ForerunnerSample Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of forerunner_sample. File:H2V ForerunnerSample Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of forerunner_sample.
A third counterpart to the two prior maps was intended, focusing on a Covenant theme similar to existing maps such as Midship and Gemini. However, it was never released by NiTr0uSoXiDe2k, so no further information is available.
Development and testing levels These levels were created for the testing of various game features, and were never intended for release.
AI_test is a testing environment on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. In the build played by Brian Jarrard and Frank O'Connor, this level simply loaded with two Mgalekgolo|Hunters and a non-flyable Type-26 Banshee|Banshee in a small room. The room has some corridors around the outside, and some textures more closely resembling those of the final game - though some objects simply display UV checker textures.
File:H2_AI test.jpg|In the build, the player spawns with early versions of the SMG and Battle Rifle.
The audio playground is a sandbox used by Bungie to experiment with sound effects during the development of ''Halo 2''. It consists of a large enclosed space of varied terrain in which the player can test hitting objects and gunfire against the floor and walls, which represent particular surfaces. The surfaces' names are frequently written in the texture pattern. Audio playgrounds have been shown to come in variants for "solid steel", "dirt", "room", ice, water, and reportedly can feature virtually every substance in the game.
File:H2 AudioPlayground.png|A Warthog chaingun is used in the dirt room.
Meat Grinder''' was another level used for testing during the development of ''Halo 2''.''The Art of Halo: Creating a Virtual World'', p.13
File:H2 MarinesScorpion.jpg|Marines on the Meat Grinder level.
Sources
Category:Halo 2
Category:Deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo 2|development of ''Halo 2'', several levels were cut during development.
Cut campaign levels
A cut campaign level on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. This level seems to have the same story goal as the level The Oracle from the final game, involving the Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter securing 343 Guilty Spark for the Covenant. Unlike The Oracle, this level would be set in a Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction|heretic camp on Threshold's moon, Basis - the setting of the multiplayer map Burial Mounds.
File:H2_alphamoon.png|A view of the level.
This level was to take place immediately following Cairo Station. The level would have seen the player, as John-117, board a Covenant with a team of ODSTs, serving as the main introduction for Miranda Keyes. After opening the airlock of the Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station's docking bay, the player would be blasted toward the Covenant ship and board it instead of destroying it with the antimatter charge|bomb as seen in the final game. This level would have involved infiltrating the Covenant ship, taking on and killing its crew and eventually stealing a Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith and end up destroying the ship by bombarding its power core with the Wraith's plasma mortar|mortar.
As mentioned by Joseph Staten, Miranda Keyes and her ODSTs would have also been onboard the ship in order to help you and may have played a big role in the eventual outcome. This level however was cut due to time constraints and replaced by a cinematic that created "just as much work" for Bungie Employees.
File:H2AnnounceTrailer FreeFall.jpg|The level would have taken the place of this cutscene from the final game. File:H2 CovenantShip Whiteboard.png|A whiteboard showcasing part of covenantship's intended layout - matching known details including the ODSTs, Wraith and Ghost.
s concept.}}
At some point during early production, concept artists Eddie Smith and Robert McLees investigated the idea of a Flood-infected Covenant hydroponics ship, in which the Flood had taken over and formed a Gravemind from the ship's livestock. This ship, the ''Infinite Succor'', ultimately went unused in ''Halo 2'' and it is unclear as to how much the concept was seriously considered for inclusion as a level. The idea was ultimately taken and reused in 2006 with the release of the ''Halo Graphic Novel'', and the aptly-titled short story within ''The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor'' - which takes place aboard a Mjern-pattern agricultural support ship|Covenant agricultural ship of the Infinite Succor|same name and focuses on the actions of Rtas 'Vadum|the Special-Operations Commander during the events of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
File:H2_InfiniteSuccor_Concept.jpg|Early ''Halo 2'' concept of the ''Infinite Succor''.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo: Combat Evolved vehicles|cut ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' vehicle of the same name, the level named forerunnertank was only revealed on the ''Halo 2'' cutscene commentary contained in the Halo 3 Legendary Edition|''Halo 3'' Legendary Edition's ''Halo 2'' cinematics commentary.''Halo 3 Halo 3 Legendary Edition|Legendary Edition'': Essentials, Disc Two - Halo 2 cinematics commentary The purpose of the level was to tie in plot between the end of the level Regret (Halo 2 level)|Regret and the cutscene after the end of the level Quarantine Zone. The level was said to be placed after the cutscene in Quarantine Zone where the Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter is pushed down the index chamber by Tartarus and before the cutscene where the Arbiter meets the Master Chief and talks to the Gravemind. This level was supposed to be the Gravemind's introduction; in the level, the Gravemind's tentacles were going to slam down all around the player, and move behind doors like racing freight trains.
The level would have described the John-117|Master Chief's adventure through the bowels of Delta Halo before his eventual capture by the Gravemind; the "Forerunner Tank" providing the namesake of the level was only described as something "''... awesome, that blows things up, glows a lot from little windows and moves real fast.''" When asked why he wanted the Forerunner Tank in the game, Jason Jones' response was, "Awesomeness would ensue". The level's replacement was the short cutscene at the end of Regret; the level's removal resulted in the long series of different cutscenes between Quarantine Zone and Gravemind (level)|Gravemind.
Earth Ark was the name given to the final three missions of ''Halo 2'', including the game's original ending. This last act was ultimately completely cut for time constraints, though would later go on to be used for inspiration in ''Halo 3''.
Early campaign levels The campaign levels here are all work-in-progress versions of the levels found in the final ''Halo 2'' release, seen in a build of the game from September 2003. As such, they are mostly early editions of the final missions with various changes such as missing geometry, textures and lack of optimisation. The "mission pairs" seen in ''Halo 2'' were originally developed as one mission each, then split into two - as a result, levels share the same internal names (IE Outskirts and Metropolis sharing the earthcity map).
An early build of the levels The Arbiter and The Oracle, present on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. Upon spawning in, the player is in a dark room with several Special Operations Sangheili. The SpecOps Elites have no weapons and simply walk forward. Falling out of the level can reveal the gas mine geometry. The level has an extremely low frame rate.
File:H2_alphagasgiant.png|A view of this level.
An early version of the final level The Great Journey present in the September 2003 build. This level is unlit and untextured, spawning the player by the Bastion of the Brutes|"Scarab dock" structure from the final level. On spawning, a Banshee, a Phantom and a Wraith attack the player. The vehicles cannot be Boarding (gameplay mechanic)|boarded.
File:H2_deltacontrolroom.png|An image of this level.
An early version of the levels ''Delta Halo''/''Regret (Halo 2 level)|Regret'' in the September 2003 build.
File:H2_deltatemple.png|A view of the structure's exterior.
An early version of the levels Outskirts/ Metropolis in the September 2003 build, bearing heavy visual resemblance to the Halo 2 E3 demo|''Halo 2'' E3 demo. A large section of the city is modelled, with Wraiths attacking the player.
File:H2_earthcity.jpg|Earthcity.
The in-house name for the level ''High Charity (level)|High Charity'', which would have had ''Halo 2s Warthog run but was ultimately cut for time. The level geometry remains mostly intact in the final ''Halo 2'' game, and through modding can be rendered playable again.
A level present on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. The level was not launched in the ''Halo 2 E3 demo'' stream, leaving information about the level minimal aside from its name and description. Presumably, this level was an early version of the levels Sacred Icon/ Quarantine Zone.
Multiplayer maps Around 4-5 multiplayer maps were cut during the development of ''Halo 2''. Most were described by Max Hoberman as cut "for the right reasons" fairly early on in their respective block-out stages, with Hoberman calling this "the right call".
A multiplayer level tested during development. Anchor Point was to be a predominantly 2v2 map, designed for aerial Banshee dogfights. The map was revealed by Vic DeLeon on Twitter, ''Ok ok I'm sorry, here's one of four shots of the never-released #Halo2 map we called #AnchorPoint.'' and was scrapped as it purportedly "played like crap". ''So, I'm on the fence here. Would today be a good day for me to finally post shots of a #Halo2 MP map I made back in '04 that was completely rejected? I had cobbled it together in a week and it's definitely not pretty (Also it played like crap).'' The level files still exist at 343 Industries, with Jeff Easterling having played it as recently as November 2019. ''I actually played this not too long ago lol.''
File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 1.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 2.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 3.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 4.jpg
Cyclone was one of the earliest design exercises done for ''Halo 2''s multiplayer. The map was designed by Max Hoberman with the intent of creating the smallest map humanly possible - intended for just 2-4 players. The map was ultimately scrapped as Hoberman didn't think it would play well, and instead created the final game's Midship instead.
Design documentation for Cyclone references a cut powerup, Cut Halo 2 equipment#Adrenaline|Adrenaline - though little information exists as to what the powerup was intended to do.
File:H2_Cyclone_1.jpg|Design documentation for Cyclone's layout. File:H2_Cyclone_2.jpg|Design documentation for Cyclone's layout.
Raceday is the working title of a map experimented on ''very'' early in ''Halo 2'' development, based around the concept of a "''Wikipedia:Car Wars|Car Wars''" style mode. The map is noted as being cut so early, it more closely resembles ''Combat Evolved'' Cut Halo: Combat Evolved levels|cut levels. It is one of several maps unearthed by 343 Industries as part of the ongoing Digsite project.
Overboard is a map ill-recalled by Max Hoberman, who remembers little of its existence - and suggested it may have morphed into another map. In April of 2023, he posted several design layouts by Chris Carney on his Twitter, further adding that the reason for the map's cutting may have been due to his preference for mirrored map layouts over rotational symmetry. This is due to his belief that mirrored symmetry is more intuitive for allowing a player to navigate a map - something that is an issue in rotational symmetry style maps.
Hoberman later added that he suspected his original issues with the map in 2003-2004 were that it had a great degree of verticality and use of ladders among the aforementioned issues with rotational symmetry. At the time of production, Hoberman was interested in intuitive player navigation in the maps he shipped, and believed that a map such as Overboard could play well but would require much more work from the art team to make playable.
File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 1.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard. File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 2.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard. File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 3.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard.
The Blastacular Pack was originally conceived to release with three multiplayer maps; two remakes and one original map. The two remakes - Desolation and Tombstone - were able to make the cut but the original map had to be cut, as the map pack's original release date would have clashed with the timing of the ''Halo 3 Beta''. As such, the map was cut for "the wrong reasons" to allow the map pack to release earlier in 2007 (real world)|2007. Unlike other cut maps, this map was described by Max Hoberman as coming along fairly well and having potential.
This map was to be an asymmetric level similar to Zanzibar, and feature many dynamic elements. A focal dynamic element on the map was intended to be a light bridge which could be turned on or off by the players. As of 2014, Hoberman has yet to resurrect this level, though still wants to.
In 2023, the map was revealed as one of many recovered as part of the Digsite project, with a single released screenshot of the map's raw geometry. The map itself is similar in layout to ''Halo 3''s High Ground, and features a sword dug into a rock.
H2 Digsite Permafrost Screenshot.jpg|A screenshot of Permafrost's recovered geometry.
''Halo 2'' for Windows Vista map editor examples With the release of ''Halo 2 (Windows Vista)|Halo 2 Vista'' in 2007 came a new Halo Editing Kit toolset used to create modding|mods and custom content. On the disc was included one sample map - Example - used to show players how to work with the toolset. However, three additional maps were planned for inclusion on this disc, but were ultimately cut. One of developers from Hired Gun, the studio which ported ''Halo 2'', later finished the maps and uploaded them to halomaps.org under the username NiTrOuSoXiDe2k as free downloads on Halomaps.org.
"Earth City", known by the filename human_sample, serves as a small test environment similar to Example set in Old Mombasa. The map consists of a short street surrounded by buildings, with a Gauss Warthog present in the middle. The extremely small nature of the map makes it best suited for 1v1 or 2v2 play, and features weapons such as Battle Rifles.
Earth City can be downloaded for the Windows Vista edition of ''Halo 2'' from .
File:H2V HumanSample Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of human_sample. File:H2V HumanSample Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of human_sample.
"Beach Battle" serves as the Forerunner counterpart to Earth City, under the filename forerunner_sample. The map is set on a small coastal outcropping presumably on Delta Halo, and notably features the M7S SMG|Suppressed SMG - similarly to Example.
Beach Battle can be downloaded for the Windows Vista edition of ''Halo 2'' from .
File:H2V ForerunnerSample Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of forerunner_sample. File:H2V ForerunnerSample Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of forerunner_sample.
A third counterpart to the two prior maps was intended, focusing on a Covenant theme similar to existing maps such as Midship and Gemini. However, it was never released by NiTr0uSoXiDe2k, so no further information is available.
Development and testing levels These levels were created for the testing of various game features, and were never intended for release.
AI_test is a testing environment on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. In the build played by Brian Jarrard and Frank O'Connor, this level simply loaded with two Mgalekgolo|Hunters and a non-flyable Type-26 Banshee|Banshee in a small room. The room has some corridors around the outside, and some textures more closely resembling those of the final game - though some objects simply display UV checker textures.
File:H2_AI test.jpg|In the build, the player spawns with early versions of the SMG and Battle Rifle.
The audio playground is a sandbox used by Bungie to experiment with sound effects during the development of ''Halo 2''. It consists of a large enclosed space of varied terrain in which the player can test hitting objects and gunfire against the floor and walls, which represent particular surfaces. The surfaces' names are frequently written in the texture pattern. Audio playgrounds have been shown to come in variants for "solid steel", "dirt", "room", ice, water, and reportedly can feature virtually every substance in the game.
File:H2 AudioPlayground.png|A Warthog chaingun is used in the dirt room.
Meat Grinder''' was another level used for testing during the development of ''Halo 2''.''The Art of Halo: Creating a Virtual World'', p.13
File:H2 MarinesScorpion.jpg|Marines on the Meat Grinder level.
Sources
Category:Halo 2
Category:Deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo 2|development of ''Halo 2'', several levels were cut during development.
Cut campaign levels
A cut campaign level on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. This level seems to have the same story goal as the level The Oracle from the final game, involving the Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter securing 343 Guilty Spark for the Covenant. Unlike The Oracle, this level would be set in a Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction|heretic camp on Threshold's moon, Basis - the setting of the multiplayer map Burial Mounds.
File:H2_alphamoon.png|A view of the level.
This level was to take place immediately following Cairo Station. The level would have seen the player, as John-117, board a Covenant with a team of ODSTs, serving as the main introduction for Miranda Keyes. After opening the airlock of the Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station's docking bay, the player would be blasted toward the Covenant ship and board it instead of destroying it with the antimatter charge|bomb as seen in the final game. This level would have involved infiltrating the Covenant ship, taking on and killing its crew and eventually stealing a Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith and end up destroying the ship by bombarding its power core with the Wraith's plasma mortar|mortar.
As mentioned by Joseph Staten, Miranda Keyes and her ODSTs would have also been onboard the ship in order to help you and may have played a big role in the eventual outcome. This level however was cut due to time constraints and replaced by a cinematic that created "just as much work" for Bungie Employees.
File:H2AnnounceTrailer FreeFall.jpg|The level would have taken the place of this cutscene from the final game. File:H2 CovenantShip Whiteboard.png|A whiteboard showcasing part of covenantship's intended layout - matching known details including the ODSTs, Wraith and Ghost.
s concept.}}
At some point during early production, concept artists Eddie Smith and Robert McLees investigated the idea of a Flood-infected Covenant hydroponics ship, in which the Flood had taken over and formed a Gravemind from the ship's livestock. This ship, the ''Infinite Succor'', ultimately went unused in ''Halo 2'' and it is unclear as to how much the concept was seriously considered for inclusion as a level. The idea was ultimately taken and reused in 2006 with the release of the ''Halo Graphic Novel'', and the aptly-titled short story within ''The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor'' - which takes place aboard a Mjern-pattern agricultural support ship|Covenant agricultural ship of the Infinite Succor|same name and focuses on the actions of Rtas 'Vadum|the Special-Operations Commander during the events of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
File:H2_InfiniteSuccor_Concept.jpg|Early ''Halo 2'' concept of the ''Infinite Succor''.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo: Combat Evolved vehicles|cut ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' vehicle of the same name, the level named forerunnertank was only revealed on the ''Halo 2'' cutscene commentary contained in the Halo 3 Legendary Edition|''Halo 3'' Legendary Edition's ''Halo 2'' cinematics commentary.''Halo 3 Halo 3 Legendary Edition|Legendary Edition'': Essentials, Disc Two - Halo 2 cinematics commentary The purpose of the level was to tie in plot between the end of the level Regret (Halo 2 level)|Regret and the cutscene after the end of the level Quarantine Zone. The level was said to be placed after the cutscene in Quarantine Zone where the Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter is pushed down the index chamber by Tartarus and before the cutscene where the Arbiter meets the Master Chief and talks to the Gravemind. This level was supposed to be the Gravemind's introduction; in the level, the Gravemind's tentacles were going to slam down all around the player, and move behind doors like racing freight trains.
The level would have described the John-117|Master Chief's adventure through the bowels of Delta Halo before his eventual capture by the Gravemind; the "Forerunner Tank" providing the namesake of the level was only described as something "''... awesome, that blows things up, glows a lot from little windows and moves real fast.''" When asked why he wanted the Forerunner Tank in the game, Jason Jones' response was, "Awesomeness would ensue". The level's replacement was the short cutscene at the end of Regret; the level's removal resulted in the long series of different cutscenes between Quarantine Zone and Gravemind (level)|Gravemind.
Earth Ark was the name given to the final three missions of ''Halo 2'', including the game's original ending. This last act was ultimately completely cut for time constraints, though would later go on to be used for inspiration in ''Halo 3''.
Early campaign levels The campaign levels here are all work-in-progress versions of the levels found in the final ''Halo 2'' release, seen in a build of the game from September 2003. As such, they are mostly early editions of the final missions with various changes such as missing geometry, textures and lack of optimisation. The "mission pairs" seen in ''Halo 2'' were originally developed as one mission each, then split into two - as a result, levels share the same internal names (IE Outskirts and Metropolis sharing the earthcity map).
An early build of the levels The Arbiter and The Oracle, present on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. Upon spawning in, the player is in a dark room with several Special Operations Sangheili. The SpecOps Elites have no weapons and simply walk forward. Falling out of the level can reveal the gas mine geometry. The level has an extremely low frame rate.
File:H2_alphagasgiant.png|A view of this level.
An early version of the final level The Great Journey present in the September 2003 build. This level is unlit and untextured, spawning the player by the Bastion of the Brutes|"Scarab dock" structure from the final level. On spawning, a Banshee, a Phantom and a Wraith attack the player. The vehicles cannot be Boarding (gameplay mechanic)|boarded.
File:H2_deltacontrolroom.png|An image of this level.
An early version of the levels ''Delta Halo''/''Regret (Halo 2 level)|Regret'' in the September 2003 build.
File:H2_deltatemple.png|A view of the structure's exterior.
An early version of the levels Outskirts/ Metropolis in the September 2003 build, bearing heavy visual resemblance to the Halo 2 E3 demo|''Halo 2'' E3 demo. A large section of the city is modelled, with Wraiths attacking the player.
File:H2_earthcity.jpg|Earthcity.
The in-house name for the level ''High Charity (level)|High Charity'', which would have had ''Halo 2s Warthog run but was ultimately cut for time. The level geometry remains mostly intact in the final ''Halo 2'' game, and through modding can be rendered playable again.
A level present on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. The level was not launched in the ''Halo 2 E3 demo'' stream, leaving information about the level minimal aside from its name and description. Presumably, this level was an early version of the levels Sacred Icon/ Quarantine Zone.
Multiplayer maps Around 4-5 multiplayer maps were cut during the development of ''Halo 2''. Most were described by Max Hoberman as cut "for the right reasons" fairly early on in their respective block-out stages, with Hoberman calling this "the right call".
A multiplayer level tested during development. Anchor Point was to be a predominantly 2v2 map, designed for aerial Banshee dogfights. The map was revealed by Vic DeLeon on Twitter, ''Ok ok I'm sorry, here's one of four shots of the never-released #Halo2 map we called #AnchorPoint.'' and was scrapped as it purportedly "played like crap". ''So, I'm on the fence here. Would today be a good day for me to finally post shots of a #Halo2 MP map I made back in '04 that was completely rejected? I had cobbled it together in a week and it's definitely not pretty (Also it played like crap).'' The level files still exist at 343 Industries, with Jeff Easterling having played it as recently as November 2019. ''I actually played this not too long ago lol.''
File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 1.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 2.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 3.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 4.jpg
Cyclone was one of the earliest design exercises done for ''Halo 2''s multiplayer. The map was designed by Max Hoberman with the intent of creating the smallest map humanly possible - intended for just 2-4 players. The map was ultimately scrapped as Hoberman didn't think it would play well, and instead created the final game's Midship instead.
Design documentation for Cyclone references a cut powerup, Cut Halo 2 equipment#Adrenaline|Adrenaline - though little information exists as to what the powerup was intended to do.
File:H2_Cyclone_1.jpg|Design documentation for Cyclone's layout. File:H2_Cyclone_2.jpg|Design documentation for Cyclone's layout.
Raceday is the working title of a map experimented on ''very'' early in ''Halo 2'' development, based around the concept of a "''Wikipedia:Car Wars|Car Wars''" style mode. The map is noted as being cut so early, it more closely resembles ''Combat Evolved'' Cut Halo: Combat Evolved levels|cut levels. It is one of several maps unearthed by 343 Industries as part of the ongoing Digsite project.
Overboard is a map ill-recalled by Max Hoberman, who remembers little of its existence - and suggested it may have morphed into another map. In April of 2023, he posted several design layouts by Chris Carney on his Twitter, further adding that the reason for the map's cutting may have been due to his preference for mirrored map layouts over rotational symmetry. This is due to his belief that mirrored symmetry is more intuitive for allowing a player to navigate a map - something that is an issue in rotational symmetry style maps.
Hoberman later added that he suspected his original issues with the map in 2003-2004 were that it had a great degree of verticality and use of ladders among the aforementioned issues with rotational symmetry. At the time of production, Hoberman was interested in intuitive player navigation in the maps he shipped, and believed that a map such as Overboard could play well but would require much more work from the art team to make playable.
File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 1.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard. File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 2.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard. File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 3.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard.
The Blastacular Pack was originally conceived to release with three multiplayer maps; two remakes and one original map. The two remakes - Desolation and Tombstone - were able to make the cut but the original map had to be cut, as the map pack's original release date would have clashed with the timing of the ''Halo 3 Beta''. As such, the map was cut for "the wrong reasons" to allow the map pack to release earlier in 2007 (real world)|2007. Unlike other cut maps, this map was described by Max Hoberman as coming along fairly well and having potential.
This map was to be an asymmetric level similar to Zanzibar, and feature many dynamic elements. A focal dynamic element on the map was intended to be a light bridge which could be turned on or off by the players. As of 2014, Hoberman has yet to resurrect this level, though still wants to.
In 2023, the map was revealed as one of many recovered as part of the Digsite project, with a single released screenshot of the map's raw geometry. The map itself is similar in layout to ''Halo 3''s High Ground, and features a sword dug into a rock.
H2 Digsite Permafrost Screenshot.jpg|A screenshot of Permafrost's recovered geometry.
''Halo 2'' for Windows Vista map editor examples With the release of ''Halo 2 (Windows Vista)|Halo 2 Vista'' in 2007 came a new Halo Editing Kit toolset used to create modding|mods and custom content. On the disc was included one sample map - Example - used to show players how to work with the toolset. However, three additional maps were planned for inclusion on this disc, but were ultimately cut. One of developers from Hired Gun, the studio which ported ''Halo 2'', later finished the maps and uploaded them to halomaps.org under the username NiTrOuSoXiDe2k as free downloads on Halomaps.org.
"Earth City", known by the filename human_sample, serves as a small test environment similar to Example set in Old Mombasa. The map consists of a short street surrounded by buildings, with a Gauss Warthog present in the middle. The extremely small nature of the map makes it best suited for 1v1 or 2v2 play, and features weapons such as Battle Rifles.
Earth City can be downloaded for the Windows Vista edition of ''Halo 2'' from .
File:H2V HumanSample Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of human_sample. File:H2V HumanSample Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of human_sample.
"Beach Battle" serves as the Forerunner counterpart to Earth City, under the filename forerunner_sample. The map is set on a small coastal outcropping presumably on Delta Halo, and notably features the M7S SMG|Suppressed SMG - similarly to Example.
Beach Battle can be downloaded for the Windows Vista edition of ''Halo 2'' from .
File:H2V ForerunnerSample Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of forerunner_sample. File:H2V ForerunnerSample Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of forerunner_sample.
A third counterpart to the two prior maps was intended, focusing on a Covenant theme similar to existing maps such as Midship and Gemini. However, it was never released by NiTr0uSoXiDe2k, so no further information is available.
Development and testing levels These levels were created for the testing of various game features, and were never intended for release.
AI_test is a testing environment on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. In the build played by Brian Jarrard and Frank O'Connor, this level simply loaded with two Mgalekgolo|Hunters and a non-flyable Type-26 Banshee|Banshee in a small room. The room has some corridors around the outside, and some textures more closely resembling those of the final game - though some objects simply display UV checker textures.
File:H2_AI test.jpg|In the build, the player spawns with early versions of the SMG and Battle Rifle.
The audio playground is a sandbox used by Bungie to experiment with sound effects during the development of ''Halo 2''. It consists of a large enclosed space of varied terrain in which the player can test hitting objects and gunfire against the floor and walls, which represent particular surfaces. The surfaces' names are frequently written in the texture pattern. Audio playgrounds have been shown to come in variants for "solid steel", "dirt", "room", ice, water, and reportedly can feature virtually every substance in the game.
File:H2 AudioPlayground.png|A Warthog chaingun is used in the dirt room.
Meat Grinder''' was another level used for testing during the development of ''Halo 2''.''The Art of Halo: Creating a Virtual World'', p.13
File:H2 MarinesScorpion.jpg|Marines on the Meat Grinder level.
Sources
Category:Halo 2
Category:Deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo 2|development of ''Halo 2'', several levels were cut during development.
Cut campaign levels
A cut campaign level on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. This level seems to have the same story goal as the level The Oracle from the final game, involving the Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter securing 343 Guilty Spark for the Covenant. Unlike The Oracle, this level would be set in a Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction|heretic camp on Threshold's moon, Basis - the setting of the multiplayer map Burial Mounds.
File:H2_alphamoon.png|A view of the level.
This level was to take place immediately following Cairo Station. The level would have seen the player, as John-117, board a Covenant with a team of ODSTs, serving as the main introduction for Miranda Keyes. After opening the airlock of the Cairo Station (station)|Cairo Station's docking bay, the player would be blasted toward the Covenant ship and board it instead of destroying it with the antimatter charge|bomb as seen in the final game. This level would have involved infiltrating the Covenant ship, taking on and killing its crew and eventually stealing a Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith and end up destroying the ship by bombarding its power core with the Wraith's plasma mortar|mortar.
As mentioned by Joseph Staten, Miranda Keyes and her ODSTs would have also been onboard the ship in order to help you and may have played a big role in the eventual outcome. This level however was cut due to time constraints and replaced by a cinematic that created "just as much work" for Bungie Employees.
File:H2AnnounceTrailer FreeFall.jpg|The level would have taken the place of this cutscene from the final game. File:H2 CovenantShip Whiteboard.png|A whiteboard showcasing part of covenantship's intended layout - matching known details including the ODSTs, Wraith and Ghost.
s concept.}}
At some point during early production, concept artists Eddie Smith and Robert McLees investigated the idea of a Flood-infected Covenant hydroponics ship, in which the Flood had taken over and formed a Gravemind from the ship's livestock. This ship, the ''Infinite Succor'', ultimately went unused in ''Halo 2'' and it is unclear as to how much the concept was seriously considered for inclusion as a level. The idea was ultimately taken and reused in 2006 with the release of the ''Halo Graphic Novel'', and the aptly-titled short story within ''The Last Voyage of the Infinite Succor'' - which takes place aboard a Mjern-pattern agricultural support ship|Covenant agricultural ship of the Infinite Succor|same name and focuses on the actions of Rtas 'Vadum|the Special-Operations Commander during the events of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
File:H2_InfiniteSuccor_Concept.jpg|Early ''Halo 2'' concept of the ''Infinite Succor''.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo: Combat Evolved vehicles|cut ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' vehicle of the same name, the level named forerunnertank was only revealed on the ''Halo 2'' cutscene commentary contained in the Halo 3 Legendary Edition|''Halo 3'' Legendary Edition's ''Halo 2'' cinematics commentary.''Halo 3 Halo 3 Legendary Edition|Legendary Edition'': Essentials, Disc Two - Halo 2 cinematics commentary The purpose of the level was to tie in plot between the end of the level Regret (Halo 2 level)|Regret and the cutscene after the end of the level Quarantine Zone. The level was said to be placed after the cutscene in Quarantine Zone where the Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter is pushed down the index chamber by Tartarus and before the cutscene where the Arbiter meets the Master Chief and talks to the Gravemind. This level was supposed to be the Gravemind's introduction; in the level, the Gravemind's tentacles were going to slam down all around the player, and move behind doors like racing freight trains.
The level would have described the John-117|Master Chief's adventure through the bowels of Delta Halo before his eventual capture by the Gravemind; the "Forerunner Tank" providing the namesake of the level was only described as something "''... awesome, that blows things up, glows a lot from little windows and moves real fast.''" When asked why he wanted the Forerunner Tank in the game, Jason Jones' response was, "Awesomeness would ensue". The level's replacement was the short cutscene at the end of Regret; the level's removal resulted in the long series of different cutscenes between Quarantine Zone and Gravemind (level)|Gravemind.
Earth Ark was the name given to the final three missions of ''Halo 2'', including the game's original ending. This last act was ultimately completely cut for time constraints, though would later go on to be used for inspiration in ''Halo 3''.
Early campaign levels The campaign levels here are all work-in-progress versions of the levels found in the final ''Halo 2'' release, seen in a build of the game from September 2003. As such, they are mostly early editions of the final missions with various changes such as missing geometry, textures and lack of optimisation. The "mission pairs" seen in ''Halo 2'' were originally developed as one mission each, then split into two - as a result, levels share the same internal names (IE Outskirts and Metropolis sharing the earthcity map).
An early build of the levels The Arbiter and The Oracle, present on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. Upon spawning in, the player is in a dark room with several Special Operations Sangheili. The SpecOps Elites have no weapons and simply walk forward. Falling out of the level can reveal the gas mine geometry. The level has an extremely low frame rate.
File:H2_alphagasgiant.png|A view of this level.
An early version of the final level The Great Journey present in the September 2003 build. This level is unlit and untextured, spawning the player by the Bastion of the Brutes|"Scarab dock" structure from the final level. On spawning, a Banshee, a Phantom and a Wraith attack the player. The vehicles cannot be Boarding (gameplay mechanic)|boarded.
File:H2_deltacontrolroom.png|An image of this level.
An early version of the levels ''Delta Halo''/''Regret (Halo 2 level)|Regret'' in the September 2003 build.
File:H2_deltatemple.png|A view of the structure's exterior.
An early version of the levels Outskirts/ Metropolis in the September 2003 build, bearing heavy visual resemblance to the Halo 2 E3 demo|''Halo 2'' E3 demo. A large section of the city is modelled, with Wraiths attacking the player.
File:H2_earthcity.jpg|Earthcity.
The in-house name for the level ''High Charity (level)|High Charity'', which would have had ''Halo 2s Warthog run but was ultimately cut for time. The level geometry remains mostly intact in the final ''Halo 2'' game, and through modding can be rendered playable again.
A level present on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. The level was not launched in the ''Halo 2 E3 demo'' stream, leaving information about the level minimal aside from its name and description. Presumably, this level was an early version of the levels Sacred Icon/ Quarantine Zone.
Multiplayer maps Around 4-5 multiplayer maps were cut during the development of ''Halo 2''. Most were described by Max Hoberman as cut "for the right reasons" fairly early on in their respective block-out stages, with Hoberman calling this "the right call".
A multiplayer level tested during development. Anchor Point was to be a predominantly 2v2 map, designed for aerial Banshee dogfights. The map was revealed by Vic DeLeon on Twitter, ''Ok ok I'm sorry, here's one of four shots of the never-released #Halo2 map we called #AnchorPoint.'' and was scrapped as it purportedly "played like crap". ''So, I'm on the fence here. Would today be a good day for me to finally post shots of a #Halo2 MP map I made back in '04 that was completely rejected? I had cobbled it together in a week and it's definitely not pretty (Also it played like crap).'' The level files still exist at 343 Industries, with Jeff Easterling having played it as recently as November 2019. ''I actually played this not too long ago lol.''
File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 1.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 2.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 3.jpg File:H2 AnchorPoint Screenshot 4.jpg
Cyclone was one of the earliest design exercises done for ''Halo 2''s multiplayer. The map was designed by Max Hoberman with the intent of creating the smallest map humanly possible - intended for just 2-4 players. The map was ultimately scrapped as Hoberman didn't think it would play well, and instead created the final game's Midship instead.
Design documentation for Cyclone references a cut powerup, Cut Halo 2 equipment#Adrenaline|Adrenaline - though little information exists as to what the powerup was intended to do.
File:H2_Cyclone_1.jpg|Design documentation for Cyclone's layout. File:H2_Cyclone_2.jpg|Design documentation for Cyclone's layout.
Raceday is the working title of a map experimented on ''very'' early in ''Halo 2'' development, based around the concept of a "''Wikipedia:Car Wars|Car Wars''" style mode. The map is noted as being cut so early, it more closely resembles ''Combat Evolved'' Cut Halo: Combat Evolved levels|cut levels. It is one of several maps unearthed by 343 Industries as part of the ongoing Digsite project.
Overboard is a map ill-recalled by Max Hoberman, who remembers little of its existence - and suggested it may have morphed into another map. In April of 2023, he posted several design layouts by Chris Carney on his Twitter, further adding that the reason for the map's cutting may have been due to his preference for mirrored map layouts over rotational symmetry. This is due to his belief that mirrored symmetry is more intuitive for allowing a player to navigate a map - something that is an issue in rotational symmetry style maps.
Hoberman later added that he suspected his original issues with the map in 2003-2004 were that it had a great degree of verticality and use of ladders among the aforementioned issues with rotational symmetry. At the time of production, Hoberman was interested in intuitive player navigation in the maps he shipped, and believed that a map such as Overboard could play well but would require much more work from the art team to make playable.
File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 1.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard. File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 2.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard. File:H2 OverboardMap DesignDoc 3.jpg|A top-down layout for Overboard.
The Blastacular Pack was originally conceived to release with three multiplayer maps; two remakes and one original map. The two remakes - Desolation and Tombstone - were able to make the cut but the original map had to be cut, as the map pack's original release date would have clashed with the timing of the ''Halo 3 Beta''. As such, the map was cut for "the wrong reasons" to allow the map pack to release earlier in 2007 (real world)|2007. Unlike other cut maps, this map was described by Max Hoberman as coming along fairly well and having potential.
This map was to be an asymmetric level similar to Zanzibar, and feature many dynamic elements. A focal dynamic element on the map was intended to be a light bridge which could be turned on or off by the players. As of 2014, Hoberman has yet to resurrect this level, though still wants to.
In 2023, the map was revealed as one of many recovered as part of the Digsite project, with a single released screenshot of the map's raw geometry. The map itself is similar in layout to ''Halo 3''s High Ground, and features a sword dug into a rock.
H2 Digsite Permafrost Screenshot.jpg|A screenshot of Permafrost's recovered geometry.
''Halo 2'' for Windows Vista map editor examples With the release of ''Halo 2 (Windows Vista)|Halo 2 Vista'' in 2007 came a new Halo Editing Kit toolset used to create modding|mods and custom content. On the disc was included one sample map - Example - used to show players how to work with the toolset. However, three additional maps were planned for inclusion on this disc, but were ultimately cut. One of developers from Hired Gun, the studio which ported ''Halo 2'', later finished the maps and uploaded them to halomaps.org under the username NiTrOuSoXiDe2k as free downloads on Halomaps.org.
"Earth City", known by the filename human_sample, serves as a small test environment similar to Example set in Old Mombasa. The map consists of a short street surrounded by buildings, with a Gauss Warthog present in the middle. The extremely small nature of the map makes it best suited for 1v1 or 2v2 play, and features weapons such as Battle Rifles.
Earth City can be downloaded for the Windows Vista edition of ''Halo 2'' from .
File:H2V HumanSample Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of human_sample. File:H2V HumanSample Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of human_sample.
"Beach Battle" serves as the Forerunner counterpart to Earth City, under the filename forerunner_sample. The map is set on a small coastal outcropping presumably on Delta Halo, and notably features the M7S SMG|Suppressed SMG - similarly to Example.
Beach Battle can be downloaded for the Windows Vista edition of ''Halo 2'' from .
File:H2V ForerunnerSample Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of forerunner_sample. File:H2V ForerunnerSample Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of forerunner_sample.
A third counterpart to the two prior maps was intended, focusing on a Covenant theme similar to existing maps such as Midship and Gemini. However, it was never released by NiTr0uSoXiDe2k, so no further information is available.
Development and testing levels These levels were created for the testing of various game features, and were never intended for release.
AI_test is a testing environment on the September 2003 build of ''Halo 2''. In the build played by Brian Jarrard and Frank O'Connor, this level simply loaded with two Mgalekgolo|Hunters and a non-flyable Type-26 Banshee|Banshee in a small room. The room has some corridors around the outside, and some textures more closely resembling those of the final game - though some objects simply display UV checker textures.
File:H2_AI test.jpg|In the build, the player spawns with early versions of the SMG and Battle Rifle.
The audio playground is a sandbox used by Bungie to experiment with sound effects during the development of ''Halo 2''. It consists of a large enclosed space of varied terrain in which the player can test hitting objects and gunfire against the floor and walls, which represent particular surfaces. The surfaces' names are frequently written in the texture pattern. Audio playgrounds have been shown to come in variants for "solid steel", "dirt", "room", ice, water, and reportedly can feature virtually every substance in the game.
File:H2 AudioPlayground.png|A Warthog chaingun is used in the dirt room.
Meat Grinder''' was another level used for testing during the development of ''Halo 2''.''The Art of Halo: Creating a Virtual World'', p.13
File:H2 MarinesScorpion.jpg|Marines on the Meat Grinder level.
Sources
Category:Halo 2
Category:Deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo 2|development of ''Halo 2'', a number of vehicles were cut from the final game release.
UNSC vehicles
An anti-air equipped variant of the Scorpion tank was included in the early ''Halo 2'' design documentation. This variant was later canonised as the M808B2 Sun Devil vehicle included in the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)|Halo Encyclopedia''.
The Sun Devil was modelled to some extent by the ''Halo 2'' development team using the ''Combat Evolved'' iteration of the Scorpion tank as a base, though no known in-game implementation was ever done. The vehicle has been restored to functionality by the Digsite project, though with totally original tags and statistics. Due to its use of the ''Combat Evolved'' Scorpion model as a base, the vehicle has been restored into that game rather than ''Halo 2'' for consistency reasons.
File:HCE Digsite SunDevil.jpg|The original ''Halo 2'' Sun Devil model, restored into ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' by the Digsite project.
An anti-air equipped variant of the Wraith tank was also developed for ''Halo 2'', similarly to the Scorpion variant above. The AA Wraith bears an almost identical design to the later introduced properly in ''Halo 3'', albeit with minor aesthetic changes resulting from it using the ''Combat Evolved'' Wraith model as a base. As with the Sun Devil Scorpion, this vehicle has been restored into ''Combat Evolved''s engine by Digsite.
File:HCE_Digsite_AAWraith.jpg|The ''Halo 2'' model for the AA Wraith restored into ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' by Digsite.
While discussing the "strike fighter" (see below), the developers at Bungie also mentioned the need for a "Wikipedia:Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk|Black Hawk-type vehicle", which was later cut from the game. This seems to correspond with the prototype Falcon aircraft seen in very early Halo 2 Beta|beta builds of ''Halo 2'', which had been prototyped in 3D shortly after the release of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. The vehicle in these builds is untextured and un-animated, simply appearing as a low-poly blockout model. The vehicle has a single pilot with a nose-mounted machine gun at the front of the aircraft and two side-mounted seats for passengers. The Falcon is additionally included in a rough state in map files for the ''Halo 2'' build seen in ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'', and can be spawned in via modding.
Notably, a Cut Halo Wars units#Falcon|vehicle of the same name was concepted for, and cut from, the real-time strategy game ''Halo Wars'', though in that game was to appear more akin to a UNSC jet fighter and appears to have little resemblance to the ''Halo 2'' vehicle. The ''Halo 2'' Falcon was intended by Marcus Lehto to be a smaller cousin to the Pelican dropship, for small-unit deployment. Following the cutting of the ''Halo 2'' Falcon, Marcus Lehto continued to work on the idea, producing sketches between the production of ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3'' that later became ''Halo 3''s aerial craft the AV-14 Hornet|Hornet. However, Lehto wasn't satisfied with the Hornet and eventually the Falcon would finally be realised in 2010's ''Halo: Reach'' as the UH-144 Falcon, a tiltrotor helicopter bearing little visual resemblance to the original ''Halo 2'' design but filling the same "Black Hawk" gameplay role.
File:H2 Falcon Concept.jpg|''Halo 2'' concept art for the Falcon. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Back.jpg|Back view of the Falcon in ''The Master Chief Collection''. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Front.jpg|Front view of the Falcon in ''The Master Chief Collection''. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Side.jpg|Side view of the Falcon in ''The Master Chief Collection''. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Flying.jpg|Flying the Falcon in ''The Master Chief Collection''. File:HTMCC H2 Falcon 4Players.jpg|The Falcon with four passengers. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Shooting.jpg|A passenger shooting the cut M247 machine gun weapon. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Driver.jpg|An external view of the driver in the cockpit (note the Cut Halo 2 weapons#Silenced SMG|cut suppressed SMG. File:Early Falcon Concept.jpg|Marcus Lehto's Falcon concept sketch produced between ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3''. File:HR GrenadierFalcon FrontQuarter2.png|The Falcon as it appears in ''Halo: Reach''.
A model recovered by the Digsite project depicts a Scorpion tank equipped with missile launchers of some kind - presumably the M808B3 Tarantula Scorpion first canonised in the 2009 ''Halo Encyclopedia'' alongside the Sun Devil. In-lore, the Tarantula is equipped with twin Scimitar rocket pods.
The Mongoose was originally intended to be a vehicle useable in ''Halo 2''. The vehicle was fully built and animated, with gameplay of the ATV shown by Bungie in the Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition|''Halo 2'' Limited Collector's Edition documentary. In the build shown, the Mongoose uses the same driving sounds as the Warthog and has the aiming reticule of the Magnum. During development, the Mongoose was difficult to integrate into gameplay, with the designers trying out front-mounted guns and no weapons. Ultimately, the vehicle was cut as it interfered too much with the Warthog and Ghost.
Notably, the Mongoose was brought back almost wholly unchanged in ''Halo 3'' and has since remained a series staple; in ''Halo 3'' and subsequent titles, the Mongoose is a two-person vehicle with no armaments. A second player can mount the back of the vehicle and fire their handheld weapons in third-person or carry objectives (such as a flag). The idea of the Mongoose with weapons was later revisited in ''Halo 2: Anniversary'', with the game's multiplayer introducing the Gungoose - exactly the same as the regular Mongoose but with two front-mounted and driver-fired M67 light anti-infantry weapon|M67 LMGs.
File:Mongoose Large.jpg|A Mongoose on Coagulation. File:H2 Mongoose Front Render.jpg|Front render of the ''Halo 2'' Mongoose. File:H2 Mongoose Rear Render.jpg|Rear render of the ''Halo 2'' Mongoose. File:H2 BurialMounds Perspective Concept.jpg|Concept art for the map Burial Mounds depicting the Mongoose.
}}
The strike fighter was intended as a defensive space fighter for use by the UNSC during the Battle for Earth. The vehicle would have little place in actual gameplay, and instead be a cinematic-only vehicle, similar to the GA-TL1 Longsword|Longsword seen in the final game. For gameplay, the designers needed more of a "Wikipedia:Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk|Black Hawk-type vehicle", likely referring to the cut Falcon UNSC aircraft detailed above. Early Halo 2 storyboards|storyboards for the levels Cairo Station and the cut level Cut Halo 2 levels#Covenant Ship|Covenant Ship show some more usage of the strike fighter; in the cut sections of ''Halo 2''s early story, the strike fighters would have filled the role shown by the Longsword in the final game - performing an attack run on a Day of Jubilation|Covenant carrier.
The strike fighter notably bears a strong resemblance space fighters designed by Bungie in their later titles; specifically the FSS-1000 Sabre in ''Halo: Reach'' and the jumpships of the later ''Destiny''.
File:H2 StrikeFighter Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the Strike Fighter. File:H2 StrikeFighter Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Strike Fighter. File:H2 StrikeFighter Concept 3.jpg|Concept art for the Strike Fighter. File:H2 TheArmory Storyboard 1.jpg|Storyboard for The Armory, showcasing a strike fighter in the foreground.
The Orca is a vehicle mentioned in ''Halo 2'' design documentation. It was intended to be a troop-carrying watercraft. The documentation additionally details a variant known as the Mortar Orca, appropriately equipped with mortars as weapons.
Found in the files for ''Halo 2'', the Piglet is seemingly a static prop object intended to populate the level and visually resembles a scaled-down version of the Warthog. The model has no collision, animations and other info markers required to be useable as a vehicle in-game. The Piglet was notably featured in a breakdown by Kenneth Peters in an Halo: The Master Chief Collection|MCC Flighting Update on the ''Halo Waypoint'' forums, where he made the vehicle driveable in ''Halo 2'' via modding.
File:H2 Piglet Render.png|The Piglet's model, as viewed in 3DS Max. File:H2_Piglet_Elite.png|Setting up the Piglet to be driveable, via modding. File:H2_Piglet_Arby.png|The Arbiter driving a modded Piglet.
These Warthogs were created by artist Marcus Lehto shortly after the release of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. An image of them was later released on Bungie.net as part of their ''Halo 2'' project page. A model was also created for a unique rocket launcher-equipped Warthog turret. This model was later released by the Digsite project via their github tag releases, and is set up to be fully-playable once spawned in. When used, the rocket launcher fires two rockets in quick succession with every trigger pull, with a lengthy cooldown time inbetween.
In later media such as Bungie.net news, the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)|Halo Encyclopedia'' and the Halo Waypoint universe section, several vehicles have been described with very similar traits to these cut vehicles, namely being the (from left to right, as per the image and not including the standard Warthog) M868 Tropic Warthog, M862 Arctic Warthog and M914 Recovery Vehicle. This was later confirmed by Jeff Easterling, with the note that it can change later if 343 Industries needed. While the Rocket Warthog was not canonised directly, a similar vehicle was later introduced in ''Halo: Reach'' as the M12R Rocket Warthog.
''Halo 2'' design documentation also references a number of other Warthog variants including a desert camo Warthog and a "night mission" camo Warthog.
File:H2 Warthog Variants.jpg|The cut Warthog variants. File:H2 Digsite RocketHog Screenshot 1.png|A view of the Rocket Warthog modded onto Cut Halo 2 levels#Beach Battle (forerunner_sample)|Forerunner Sample, a cut map. File:H2 Digsite RocketHog Screenshot 2.png|A Spartan mounting the Rocket Warthog's turret.
Covenant vehicles
Referred to in documentation as the "Brute cycle", early ''Halo 2'' intended to feature the vehicle introduced in subsequent games as the Chopper for the Jiralhanae|Brutes. The vehicle was concepted by Eddie Smith, and ultimately later fairly faithfully realised in ''Halo 3'' as the Barukaza Workshop Chopper.
File:H2 Chopper Concept.jpg|''Halo 2'' Chopper concept art by Eddie Smith.
Early ''Halo 2'' design documentation references the desire to have Brutes able to ride List of animals|animal mounts into battle.
In the Halo 2 E3 demo|''Halo 2'' E3 demo, the city of New Mombasa is depicted as under siege by a massive Covenant artillery cannon. During the demo, a flight of Longswords is called in to bomb the gun. While this massive artillery piece does not appear in the final game, a smaller version of it known as the Type-48 Weevil does appear in the beach section of the level Outskirts - though inactive. Through modding, the guns are found to have turning and firing animations, indicating they may have been intended to be seen firing on the city of New Mombasa in-game.
File:H2E3Demo CovenantArtillery.png|The artillery in the E3 demo. File:H2-CovenantArtilleryTurret.png|The Type-48 Weevil seen in the final ''Halo 2'' build.
Early ''Halo 2'' design documentation references a vehicle called the "Covenant fuel truck". No further details are known. A Combat support vehicle|similar vehicle exists in ''Halo'' canon, though is likely unrelated to this concept.
Seen only in early Halo 2 storyboards|storyboards for the level The Arbiter, the command shuttle appears to be a large Covenant dropship similar in scale to the Kmiro'sish-pattern Lich|Lich. The vehicle would have been used to transport the Elite strike team to the Threshold gas mine, before being replaced by three Phantoms in the final game. The command shuttle reappears in storyboards for the game's epilogue cutscene, having been taken over by the Flood.
File:H2_TheArbiter_V2_Storyboard_Intro_1.jpg|Storyboards of a command shuttle inserting the Arbiter's team into the gas mine. File:H2_TheArbiter_V2_Storyboard_Intro_3.jpg|Storyboards of a command shuttle inserting the Arbiter's team into the gas mine. File:H2_TheArbiter_V2_Storyboard_Intro_6.jpg|Storyboards of a command shuttle inserting the Arbiter's team into the gas mine. File:H2_TheArbiter_V2_Storyboard_Intro_7.jpg|Storyboards of a command shuttle inserting the Arbiter's team into the gas mine. File:H2_Epilogue_Storyboard_2.jpg|A command shuttle can be seen in storyboards for the game's Earth Ark|original ending.
Early ''Halo 2'' design documentation references a vehicle called an "Excavation Ghost", alongside "VTOL" and "Special Forces" Ghost variants. No further details are known.
It is likely that the "Exacavation" variant would be intended for use by the Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction|heretics on the Alphamoon level, while the "Special Forces" Ghost would be for use by the Covenant Special Operations|SpecOps troops who deploy alongside the Arbiter in that level.
Early ''Halo 2'' design documentation references a vehicle called an "Excavation Shadow" - presumably a variant of the existing Shadow vehicle. No further details are known. As with the Ghosts mentioned above, it is likely that the "Excavation" Shadow was intended for use by the heretics on Alphamoon.
The Shadow troop carrier is a troop carrier. In-game, the vehicle is only featured in the level Outskirts, driving along the Mombasa highways. These vehicles carry Ghosts in their underbelly compartments; however, a troop carrier variant exists in the files unused, and is shown in the Halo 2 Manual|''Halo 2'' Manual. This vehicle is found in the shared map content in the ''Halo 2'' component of ''The Master Chief Collection'', and despite being unused the troop transport variant was even retextured for the visually updated campaign of ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.
File:H2 Shadow Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the troop transport Shadow. File:H2 Shadow Passengers.jpg|A Grunt and a Jackal in the troop bay. File:H2-T29ShadowTVT-Side.png|A render of the troop transport Shadow. File:H2-T29ShadowTVT-SideProfile.png|A render of the standard Shadow featured in ''Halo 2'', for reference. File:H2A T29Shadow TroopTransport.png|A visually updated troop transport Shadow in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.
Finalised storyboards for the level The Arbiter showcase a with door-mounted gunners. This Phantom design ultimately was discarded for the final game, instead preferring to use three larger plasma cannons. This design for the Phantom was later employed for ''Halo 3'' and subsequent ''Halo'' games.
The model for this variant of the Phantom can be seen in the Halo 2 E3 demo|''Halo 2'' E3 demo, and was restored into ''Halo 2'' by the Digsite project. It features landing gear and door gunners.
File:H2_TheArbiter_V3_Storyboard_Intro_27.jpg|A storyboard featuring the original Phantom. File:H2 Digsite E3Phantom.jpg|The "E3 Phantom" restored into ''Halo 2'' by Digsite.
Sources
Category:Halo 2
|
During the Development of Halo 2|development of ''Halo 2'', a number of vehicles were cut from the final game release.
UNSC vehicles
An anti-air equipped variant of the Scorpion tank was included in the early ''Halo 2'' design documentation. This variant was later canonised as the M808B2 Sun Devil vehicle included in the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)|Halo Encyclopedia''.
The Sun Devil was modelled to some extent by the ''Halo 2'' development team using the ''Combat Evolved'' iteration of the Scorpion tank as a base, though no known in-game implementation was ever done. The vehicle has been restored to functionality by the Digsite project, though with totally original tags and statistics. Due to its use of the ''Combat Evolved'' Scorpion model as a base, the vehicle has been restored into that game rather than ''Halo 2'' for consistency reasons.
File:HCE Digsite SunDevil.jpg|The original ''Halo 2'' Sun Devil model, restored into ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' by the Digsite project.
An anti-air equipped variant of the Wraith tank was also developed for ''Halo 2'', similarly to the Scorpion variant above. The AA Wraith bears an almost identical design to the later introduced properly in ''Halo 3'', albeit with minor aesthetic changes resulting from it using the ''Combat Evolved'' Wraith model as a base. As with the Sun Devil Scorpion, this vehicle has been restored into ''Combat Evolved''s engine by Digsite.
File:HCE_Digsite_AAWraith.jpg|The ''Halo 2'' model for the AA Wraith restored into ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' by Digsite.
While discussing the "strike fighter" (see below), the developers at Bungie also mentioned the need for a "Wikipedia:Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk|Black Hawk-type vehicle", which was later cut from the game. This seems to correspond with the prototype Falcon aircraft seen in very early Halo 2 Beta|beta builds of ''Halo 2'', which had been prototyped in 3D shortly after the release of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. The vehicle in these builds is untextured and un-animated, simply appearing as a low-poly blockout model. The vehicle has a single pilot with a nose-mounted machine gun at the front of the aircraft and two side-mounted seats for passengers. The Falcon is additionally included in a rough state in map files for the ''Halo 2'' build seen in ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'', and can be spawned in via modding.
Notably, a Cut Halo Wars units#Falcon|vehicle of the same name was concepted for, and cut from, the real-time strategy game ''Halo Wars'', though in that game was to appear more akin to a UNSC jet fighter and appears to have little resemblance to the ''Halo 2'' vehicle. The ''Halo 2'' Falcon was intended by Marcus Lehto to be a smaller cousin to the Pelican dropship, for small-unit deployment. Following the cutting of the ''Halo 2'' Falcon, Marcus Lehto continued to work on the idea, producing sketches between the production of ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3'' that later became ''Halo 3''s aerial craft the AV-14 Hornet|Hornet. However, Lehto wasn't satisfied with the Hornet and eventually the Falcon would finally be realised in 2010's ''Halo: Reach'' as the UH-144 Falcon, a tiltrotor helicopter bearing little visual resemblance to the original ''Halo 2'' design but filling the same "Black Hawk" gameplay role.
File:H2 Falcon Concept.jpg|''Halo 2'' concept art for the Falcon. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Back.jpg|Back view of the Falcon in ''The Master Chief Collection''. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Front.jpg|Front view of the Falcon in ''The Master Chief Collection''. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Side.jpg|Side view of the Falcon in ''The Master Chief Collection''. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Flying.jpg|Flying the Falcon in ''The Master Chief Collection''. File:HTMCC H2 Falcon 4Players.jpg|The Falcon with four passengers. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Shooting.jpg|A passenger shooting the cut M247 machine gun weapon. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Driver.jpg|An external view of the driver in the cockpit (note the Cut Halo 2 weapons#Silenced SMG|cut suppressed SMG. File:Early Falcon Concept.jpg|Marcus Lehto's Falcon concept sketch produced between ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3''. File:HR GrenadierFalcon FrontQuarter2.png|The Falcon as it appears in ''Halo: Reach''.
A model recovered by the Digsite project depicts a Scorpion tank equipped with missile launchers of some kind - presumably the M808B3 Tarantula Scorpion first canonised in the 2009 ''Halo Encyclopedia'' alongside the Sun Devil. In-lore, the Tarantula is equipped with twin Scimitar rocket pods.
The Mongoose was originally intended to be a vehicle useable in ''Halo 2''. The vehicle was fully built and animated, with gameplay of the ATV shown by Bungie in the Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition|''Halo 2'' Limited Collector's Edition documentary. In the build shown, the Mongoose uses the same driving sounds as the Warthog and has the aiming reticule of the Magnum. During development, the Mongoose was difficult to integrate into gameplay, with the designers trying out front-mounted guns and no weapons. Ultimately, the vehicle was cut as it interfered too much with the Warthog and Ghost.
Notably, the Mongoose was brought back almost wholly unchanged in ''Halo 3'' and has since remained a series staple; in ''Halo 3'' and subsequent titles, the Mongoose is a two-person vehicle with no armaments. A second player can mount the back of the vehicle and fire their handheld weapons in third-person or carry objectives (such as a flag). The idea of the Mongoose with weapons was later revisited in ''Halo 2: Anniversary'', with the game's multiplayer introducing the Gungoose - exactly the same as the regular Mongoose but with two front-mounted and driver-fired M67 light anti-infantry weapon|M67 LMGs.
File:Mongoose Large.jpg|A Mongoose on Coagulation. File:H2 Mongoose Front Render.jpg|Front render of the ''Halo 2'' Mongoose. File:H2 Mongoose Rear Render.jpg|Rear render of the ''Halo 2'' Mongoose. File:H2 BurialMounds Perspective Concept.jpg|Concept art for the map Burial Mounds depicting the Mongoose.
}}
The strike fighter was intended as a defensive space fighter for use by the UNSC during the Battle for Earth. The vehicle would have little place in actual gameplay, and instead be a cinematic-only vehicle, similar to the GA-TL1 Longsword|Longsword seen in the final game. For gameplay, the designers needed more of a "Wikipedia:Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk|Black Hawk-type vehicle", likely referring to the cut Falcon UNSC aircraft detailed above. Early Halo 2 storyboards|storyboards for the levels Cairo Station and the cut level Cut Halo 2 levels#Covenant Ship|Covenant Ship show some more usage of the strike fighter; in the cut sections of ''Halo 2''s early story, the strike fighters would have filled the role shown by the Longsword in the final game - performing an attack run on a Day of Jubilation|Covenant carrier.
The strike fighter notably bears a strong resemblance space fighters designed by Bungie in their later titles; specifically the FSS-1000 Sabre in ''Halo: Reach'' and the jumpships of the later ''Destiny''.
File:H2 StrikeFighter Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the Strike Fighter. File:H2 StrikeFighter Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Strike Fighter. File:H2 StrikeFighter Concept 3.jpg|Concept art for the Strike Fighter. File:H2 TheArmory Storyboard 1.jpg|Storyboard for The Armory, showcasing a strike fighter in the foreground.
The Orca is a vehicle mentioned in ''Halo 2'' design documentation. It was intended to be a troop-carrying watercraft. The documentation additionally details a variant known as the Mortar Orca, appropriately equipped with mortars as weapons.
Found in the files for ''Halo 2'', the Piglet is seemingly a static prop object intended to populate the level and visually resembles a scaled-down version of the Warthog. The model has no collision, animations and other info markers required to be useable as a vehicle in-game. The Piglet was notably featured in a breakdown by Kenneth Peters in an Halo: The Master Chief Collection|MCC Flighting Update on the ''Halo Waypoint'' forums, where he made the vehicle driveable in ''Halo 2'' via modding.
File:H2 Piglet Render.png|The Piglet's model, as viewed in 3DS Max. File:H2_Piglet_Elite.png|Setting up the Piglet to be driveable, via modding. File:H2_Piglet_Arby.png|The Arbiter driving a modded Piglet.
These Warthogs were created by artist Marcus Lehto shortly after the release of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. An image of them was later released on Bungie.net as part of their ''Halo 2'' project page. A model was also created for a unique rocket launcher-equipped Warthog turret. This model was later released by the Digsite project via their github tag releases, and is set up to be fully-playable once spawned in. When used, the rocket launcher fires two rockets in quick succession with every trigger pull, with a lengthy cooldown time inbetween.
In later media such as Bungie.net news, the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)|Halo Encyclopedia'' and the Halo Waypoint universe section, several vehicles have been described with very similar traits to these cut vehicles, namely being the (from left to right, as per the image and not including the standard Warthog) M868 Tropic Warthog, M862 Arctic Warthog and M914 Recovery Vehicle. This was later confirmed by Jeff Easterling, with the note that it can change later if 343 Industries needed. While the Rocket Warthog was not canonised directly, a similar vehicle was later introduced in ''Halo: Reach'' as the M12R Rocket Warthog.
''Halo 2'' design documentation also references a number of other Warthog variants including a desert camo Warthog and a "night mission" camo Warthog.
File:H2 Warthog Variants.jpg|The cut Warthog variants. File:H2 Digsite RocketHog Screenshot 1.png|A view of the Rocket Warthog modded onto Cut Halo 2 levels#Beach Battle (forerunner_sample)|Forerunner Sample, a cut map. File:H2 Digsite RocketHog Screenshot 2.png|A Spartan mounting the Rocket Warthog's turret.
Covenant vehicles
Referred to in documentation as the "Brute cycle", early ''Halo 2'' intended to feature the vehicle introduced in subsequent games as the Chopper for the Jiralhanae|Brutes. The vehicle was concepted by Eddie Smith, and ultimately later fairly faithfully realised in ''Halo 3'' as the Barukaza Workshop Chopper.
File:H2 Chopper Concept.jpg|''Halo 2'' Chopper concept art by Eddie Smith.
Early ''Halo 2'' design documentation references the desire to have Brutes able to ride List of animals|animal mounts into battle.
In the Halo 2 E3 demo|''Halo 2'' E3 demo, the city of New Mombasa is depicted as under siege by a massive Covenant artillery cannon. During the demo, a flight of Longswords is called in to bomb the gun. While this massive artillery piece does not appear in the final game, a smaller version of it known as the Type-48 Weevil does appear in the beach section of the level Outskirts - though inactive. Through modding, the guns are found to have turning and firing animations, indicating they may have been intended to be seen firing on the city of New Mombasa in-game.
File:H2E3Demo CovenantArtillery.png|The artillery in the E3 demo. File:H2-CovenantArtilleryTurret.png|The Type-48 Weevil seen in the final ''Halo 2'' build.
Early ''Halo 2'' design documentation references a vehicle called the "Covenant fuel truck". No further details are known. A Combat support vehicle|similar vehicle exists in ''Halo'' canon, though is likely unrelated to this concept.
Seen only in early Halo 2 storyboards|storyboards for the level The Arbiter, the command shuttle appears to be a large Covenant dropship similar in scale to the Kmiro'sish-pattern Lich|Lich. The vehicle would have been used to transport the Elite strike team to the Threshold gas mine, before being replaced by three Phantoms in the final game. The command shuttle reappears in storyboards for the game's epilogue cutscene, having been taken over by the Flood.
File:H2_TheArbiter_V2_Storyboard_Intro_1.jpg|Storyboards of a command shuttle inserting the Arbiter's team into the gas mine. File:H2_TheArbiter_V2_Storyboard_Intro_3.jpg|Storyboards of a command shuttle inserting the Arbiter's team into the gas mine. File:H2_TheArbiter_V2_Storyboard_Intro_6.jpg|Storyboards of a command shuttle inserting the Arbiter's team into the gas mine. File:H2_TheArbiter_V2_Storyboard_Intro_7.jpg|Storyboards of a command shuttle inserting the Arbiter's team into the gas mine. File:H2_Epilogue_Storyboard_2.jpg|A command shuttle can be seen in storyboards for the game's Earth Ark|original ending.
Early ''Halo 2'' design documentation references a vehicle called an "Excavation Ghost", alongside "VTOL" and "Special Forces" Ghost variants. No further details are known.
It is likely that the "Exacavation" variant would be intended for use by the Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction|heretics on the Alphamoon level, while the "Special Forces" Ghost would be for use by the Covenant Special Operations|SpecOps troops who deploy alongside the Arbiter in that level.
Early ''Halo 2'' design documentation references a vehicle called an "Excavation Shadow" - presumably a variant of the existing Shadow vehicle. No further details are known. As with the Ghosts mentioned above, it is likely that the "Excavation" Shadow was intended for use by the heretics on Alphamoon.
The Shadow troop carrier is a troop carrier. In-game, the vehicle is only featured in the level Outskirts, driving along the Mombasa highways. These vehicles carry Ghosts in their underbelly compartments; however, a troop carrier variant exists in the files unused, and is shown in the Halo 2 Manual|''Halo 2'' Manual. This vehicle is found in the shared map content in the ''Halo 2'' component of ''The Master Chief Collection'', and despite being unused the troop transport variant was even retextured for the visually updated campaign of ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.
File:H2 Shadow Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the troop transport Shadow. File:H2 Shadow Passengers.jpg|A Grunt and a Jackal in the troop bay. File:H2-T29ShadowTVT-Side.png|A render of the troop transport Shadow. File:H2-T29ShadowTVT-SideProfile.png|A render of the standard Shadow featured in ''Halo 2'', for reference. File:H2A T29Shadow TroopTransport.png|A visually updated troop transport Shadow in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.
Finalised storyboards for the level The Arbiter showcase a with door-mounted gunners. This Phantom design ultimately was discarded for the final game, instead preferring to use three larger plasma cannons. This design for the Phantom was later employed for ''Halo 3'' and subsequent ''Halo'' games.
The model for this variant of the Phantom can be seen in the Halo 2 E3 demo|''Halo 2'' E3 demo, and was restored into ''Halo 2'' by the Digsite project. It features landing gear and door gunners.
File:H2_TheArbiter_V3_Storyboard_Intro_27.jpg|A storyboard featuring the original Phantom. File:H2 Digsite E3Phantom.jpg|The "E3 Phantom" restored into ''Halo 2'' by Digsite.
Sources
Category:Halo 2
|
During the Development of Halo 2|development of ''Halo 2'', a number of vehicles were cut from the final game release.
UNSC vehicles
An anti-air equipped variant of the Scorpion tank was included in the early ''Halo 2'' design documentation. This variant was later canonised as the M808B2 Sun Devil vehicle included in the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)|Halo Encyclopedia''.
The Sun Devil was modelled to some extent by the ''Halo 2'' development team using the ''Combat Evolved'' iteration of the Scorpion tank as a base, though no known in-game implementation was ever done. The vehicle has been restored to functionality by the Digsite project, though with totally original tags and statistics. Due to its use of the ''Combat Evolved'' Scorpion model as a base, the vehicle has been restored into that game rather than ''Halo 2'' for consistency reasons.
File:HCE Digsite SunDevil.jpg|The original ''Halo 2'' Sun Devil model, restored into ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' by the Digsite project.
An anti-air equipped variant of the Wraith tank was also developed for ''Halo 2'', similarly to the Scorpion variant above. The AA Wraith bears an almost identical design to the later introduced properly in ''Halo 3'', albeit with minor aesthetic changes resulting from it using the ''Combat Evolved'' Wraith model as a base. As with the Sun Devil Scorpion, this vehicle has been restored into ''Combat Evolved''s engine by Digsite.
File:HCE_Digsite_AAWraith.jpg|The ''Halo 2'' model for the AA Wraith restored into ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' by Digsite.
While discussing the "strike fighter" (see below), the developers at Bungie also mentioned the need for a "Wikipedia:Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk|Black Hawk-type vehicle", which was later cut from the game. This seems to correspond with the prototype Falcon aircraft seen in very early Halo 2 Beta|beta builds of ''Halo 2'', which had been prototyped in 3D shortly after the release of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. The vehicle in these builds is untextured and un-animated, simply appearing as a low-poly blockout model. The vehicle has a single pilot with a nose-mounted machine gun at the front of the aircraft and two side-mounted seats for passengers. The Falcon is additionally included in a rough state in map files for the ''Halo 2'' build seen in ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'', and can be spawned in via modding.
Notably, a Cut Halo Wars units#Falcon|vehicle of the same name was concepted for, and cut from, the real-time strategy game ''Halo Wars'', though in that game was to appear more akin to a UNSC jet fighter and appears to have little resemblance to the ''Halo 2'' vehicle. The ''Halo 2'' Falcon was intended by Marcus Lehto to be a smaller cousin to the Pelican dropship, for small-unit deployment. Following the cutting of the ''Halo 2'' Falcon, Marcus Lehto continued to work on the idea, producing sketches between the production of ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3'' that later became ''Halo 3''s aerial craft the AV-14 Hornet|Hornet. However, Lehto wasn't satisfied with the Hornet and eventually the Falcon would finally be realised in 2010's ''Halo: Reach'' as the UH-144 Falcon, a tiltrotor helicopter bearing little visual resemblance to the original ''Halo 2'' design but filling the same "Black Hawk" gameplay role.
File:H2 Falcon Concept.jpg|''Halo 2'' concept art for the Falcon. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Back.jpg|Back view of the Falcon in ''The Master Chief Collection''. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Front.jpg|Front view of the Falcon in ''The Master Chief Collection''. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Side.jpg|Side view of the Falcon in ''The Master Chief Collection''. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Flying.jpg|Flying the Falcon in ''The Master Chief Collection''. File:HTMCC H2 Falcon 4Players.jpg|The Falcon with four passengers. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Shooting.jpg|A passenger shooting the cut M247 machine gun weapon. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Driver.jpg|An external view of the driver in the cockpit (note the Cut Halo 2 weapons#Silenced SMG|cut suppressed SMG. File:Early Falcon Concept.jpg|Marcus Lehto's Falcon concept sketch produced between ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3''. File:HR GrenadierFalcon FrontQuarter2.png|The Falcon as it appears in ''Halo: Reach''.
A model recovered by the Digsite project depicts a Scorpion tank equipped with missile launchers of some kind - presumably the M808B3 Tarantula Scorpion first canonised in the 2009 ''Halo Encyclopedia'' alongside the Sun Devil. In-lore, the Tarantula is equipped with twin Scimitar rocket pods.
The Mongoose was originally intended to be a vehicle useable in ''Halo 2''. The vehicle was fully built and animated, with gameplay of the ATV shown by Bungie in the Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition|''Halo 2'' Limited Collector's Edition documentary. In the build shown, the Mongoose uses the same driving sounds as the Warthog and has the aiming reticule of the Magnum. During development, the Mongoose was difficult to integrate into gameplay, with the designers trying out front-mounted guns and no weapons. Ultimately, the vehicle was cut as it interfered too much with the Warthog and Ghost.
Notably, the Mongoose was brought back almost wholly unchanged in ''Halo 3'' and has since remained a series staple; in ''Halo 3'' and subsequent titles, the Mongoose is a two-person vehicle with no armaments. A second player can mount the back of the vehicle and fire their handheld weapons in third-person or carry objectives (such as a flag). The idea of the Mongoose with weapons was later revisited in ''Halo 2: Anniversary'', with the game's multiplayer introducing the Gungoose - exactly the same as the regular Mongoose but with two front-mounted and driver-fired M67 light anti-infantry weapon|M67 LMGs.
File:Mongoose Large.jpg|A Mongoose on Coagulation. File:H2 Mongoose Front Render.jpg|Front render of the ''Halo 2'' Mongoose. File:H2 Mongoose Rear Render.jpg|Rear render of the ''Halo 2'' Mongoose. File:H2 BurialMounds Perspective Concept.jpg|Concept art for the map Burial Mounds depicting the Mongoose.
}}
The strike fighter was intended as a defensive space fighter for use by the UNSC during the Battle for Earth. The vehicle would have little place in actual gameplay, and instead be a cinematic-only vehicle, similar to the GA-TL1 Longsword|Longsword seen in the final game. For gameplay, the designers needed more of a "Wikipedia:Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk|Black Hawk-type vehicle", likely referring to the cut Falcon UNSC aircraft detailed above. Early Halo 2 storyboards|storyboards for the levels Cairo Station and the cut level Cut Halo 2 levels#Covenant Ship|Covenant Ship show some more usage of the strike fighter; in the cut sections of ''Halo 2''s early story, the strike fighters would have filled the role shown by the Longsword in the final game - performing an attack run on a Day of Jubilation|Covenant carrier.
The strike fighter notably bears a strong resemblance space fighters designed by Bungie in their later titles; specifically the FSS-1000 Sabre in ''Halo: Reach'' and the jumpships of the later ''Destiny''.
File:H2 StrikeFighter Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the Strike Fighter. File:H2 StrikeFighter Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Strike Fighter. File:H2 StrikeFighter Concept 3.jpg|Concept art for the Strike Fighter. File:H2 TheArmory Storyboard 1.jpg|Storyboard for The Armory, showcasing a strike fighter in the foreground.
The Orca is a vehicle mentioned in ''Halo 2'' design documentation. It was intended to be a troop-carrying watercraft. The documentation additionally details a variant known as the Mortar Orca, appropriately equipped with mortars as weapons.
Found in the files for ''Halo 2'', the Piglet is seemingly a static prop object intended to populate the level and visually resembles a scaled-down version of the Warthog. The model has no collision, animations and other info markers required to be useable as a vehicle in-game. The Piglet was notably featured in a breakdown by Kenneth Peters in an Halo: The Master Chief Collection|MCC Flighting Update on the ''Halo Waypoint'' forums, where he made the vehicle driveable in ''Halo 2'' via modding.
File:H2 Piglet Render.png|The Piglet's model, as viewed in 3DS Max. File:H2_Piglet_Elite.png|Setting up the Piglet to be driveable, via modding. File:H2_Piglet_Arby.png|The Arbiter driving a modded Piglet.
These Warthogs were created by artist Marcus Lehto shortly after the release of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. An image of them was later released on Bungie.net as part of their ''Halo 2'' project page. A model was also created for a unique rocket launcher-equipped Warthog turret. This model was later released by the Digsite project via their github tag releases, and is set up to be fully-playable once spawned in. When used, the rocket launcher fires two rockets in quick succession with every trigger pull, with a lengthy cooldown time inbetween.
In later media such as Bungie.net news, the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)|Halo Encyclopedia'' and the Halo Waypoint universe section, several vehicles have been described with very similar traits to these cut vehicles, namely being the (from left to right, as per the image and not including the standard Warthog) M868 Tropic Warthog, M862 Arctic Warthog and M914 Recovery Vehicle. This was later confirmed by Jeff Easterling, with the note that it can change later if 343 Industries needed. While the Rocket Warthog was not canonised directly, a similar vehicle was later introduced in ''Halo: Reach'' as the M12R Rocket Warthog.
''Halo 2'' design documentation also references a number of other Warthog variants including a desert camo Warthog and a "night mission" camo Warthog.
File:H2 Warthog Variants.jpg|The cut Warthog variants. File:H2 Digsite RocketHog Screenshot 1.png|A view of the Rocket Warthog modded onto Cut Halo 2 levels#Beach Battle (forerunner_sample)|Forerunner Sample, a cut map. File:H2 Digsite RocketHog Screenshot 2.png|A Spartan mounting the Rocket Warthog's turret.
Covenant vehicles
Referred to in documentation as the "Brute cycle", early ''Halo 2'' intended to feature the vehicle introduced in subsequent games as the Chopper for the Jiralhanae|Brutes. The vehicle was concepted by Eddie Smith, and ultimately later fairly faithfully realised in ''Halo 3'' as the Barukaza Workshop Chopper.
File:H2 Chopper Concept.jpg|''Halo 2'' Chopper concept art by Eddie Smith.
Early ''Halo 2'' design documentation references the desire to have Brutes able to ride List of animals|animal mounts into battle.
In the Halo 2 E3 demo|''Halo 2'' E3 demo, the city of New Mombasa is depicted as under siege by a massive Covenant artillery cannon. During the demo, a flight of Longswords is called in to bomb the gun. While this massive artillery piece does not appear in the final game, a smaller version of it known as the Type-48 Weevil does appear in the beach section of the level Outskirts - though inactive. Through modding, the guns are found to have turning and firing animations, indicating they may have been intended to be seen firing on the city of New Mombasa in-game.
File:H2E3Demo CovenantArtillery.png|The artillery in the E3 demo. File:H2-CovenantArtilleryTurret.png|The Type-48 Weevil seen in the final ''Halo 2'' build.
Early ''Halo 2'' design documentation references a vehicle called the "Covenant fuel truck". No further details are known. A Combat support vehicle|similar vehicle exists in ''Halo'' canon, though is likely unrelated to this concept.
Seen only in early Halo 2 storyboards|storyboards for the level The Arbiter, the command shuttle appears to be a large Covenant dropship similar in scale to the Kmiro'sish-pattern Lich|Lich. The vehicle would have been used to transport the Elite strike team to the Threshold gas mine, before being replaced by three Phantoms in the final game. The command shuttle reappears in storyboards for the game's epilogue cutscene, having been taken over by the Flood.
File:H2_TheArbiter_V2_Storyboard_Intro_1.jpg|Storyboards of a command shuttle inserting the Arbiter's team into the gas mine. File:H2_TheArbiter_V2_Storyboard_Intro_3.jpg|Storyboards of a command shuttle inserting the Arbiter's team into the gas mine. File:H2_TheArbiter_V2_Storyboard_Intro_6.jpg|Storyboards of a command shuttle inserting the Arbiter's team into the gas mine. File:H2_TheArbiter_V2_Storyboard_Intro_7.jpg|Storyboards of a command shuttle inserting the Arbiter's team into the gas mine. File:H2_Epilogue_Storyboard_2.jpg|A command shuttle can be seen in storyboards for the game's Earth Ark|original ending.
Early ''Halo 2'' design documentation references a vehicle called an "Excavation Ghost", alongside "VTOL" and "Special Forces" Ghost variants. No further details are known.
It is likely that the "Exacavation" variant would be intended for use by the Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction|heretics on the Alphamoon level, while the "Special Forces" Ghost would be for use by the Covenant Special Operations|SpecOps troops who deploy alongside the Arbiter in that level.
Early ''Halo 2'' design documentation references a vehicle called an "Excavation Shadow" - presumably a variant of the existing Shadow vehicle. No further details are known. As with the Ghosts mentioned above, it is likely that the "Excavation" Shadow was intended for use by the heretics on Alphamoon.
The Shadow troop carrier is a troop carrier. In-game, the vehicle is only featured in the level Outskirts, driving along the Mombasa highways. These vehicles carry Ghosts in their underbelly compartments; however, a troop carrier variant exists in the files unused, and is shown in the Halo 2 Manual|''Halo 2'' Manual. This vehicle is found in the shared map content in the ''Halo 2'' component of ''The Master Chief Collection'', and despite being unused the troop transport variant was even retextured for the visually updated campaign of ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.
File:H2 Shadow Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the troop transport Shadow. File:H2 Shadow Passengers.jpg|A Grunt and a Jackal in the troop bay. File:H2-T29ShadowTVT-Side.png|A render of the troop transport Shadow. File:H2-T29ShadowTVT-SideProfile.png|A render of the standard Shadow featured in ''Halo 2'', for reference. File:H2A T29Shadow TroopTransport.png|A visually updated troop transport Shadow in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.
Finalised storyboards for the level The Arbiter showcase a with door-mounted gunners. This Phantom design ultimately was discarded for the final game, instead preferring to use three larger plasma cannons. This design for the Phantom was later employed for ''Halo 3'' and subsequent ''Halo'' games.
The model for this variant of the Phantom can be seen in the Halo 2 E3 demo|''Halo 2'' E3 demo, and was restored into ''Halo 2'' by the Digsite project. It features landing gear and door gunners.
File:H2_TheArbiter_V3_Storyboard_Intro_27.jpg|A storyboard featuring the original Phantom. File:H2 Digsite E3Phantom.jpg|The "E3 Phantom" restored into ''Halo 2'' by Digsite.
Sources
Category:Halo 2
|
During the Development of Halo 2|development of ''Halo 2'', a number of vehicles were cut from the final game release.
UNSC vehicles
An anti-air equipped variant of the Scorpion tank was included in the early ''Halo 2'' design documentation. This variant was later canonised as the M808B2 Sun Devil vehicle included in the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)|Halo Encyclopedia''.
The Sun Devil was modelled to some extent by the ''Halo 2'' development team using the ''Combat Evolved'' iteration of the Scorpion tank as a base, though no known in-game implementation was ever done. The vehicle has been restored to functionality by the Digsite project, though with totally original tags and statistics. Due to its use of the ''Combat Evolved'' Scorpion model as a base, the vehicle has been restored into that game rather than ''Halo 2'' for consistency reasons.
File:HCE Digsite SunDevil.jpg|The original ''Halo 2'' Sun Devil model, restored into ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' by the Digsite project.
An anti-air equipped variant of the Wraith tank was also developed for ''Halo 2'', similarly to the Scorpion variant above. The AA Wraith bears an almost identical design to the later introduced properly in ''Halo 3'', albeit with minor aesthetic changes resulting from it using the ''Combat Evolved'' Wraith model as a base. As with the Sun Devil Scorpion, this vehicle has been restored into ''Combat Evolved''s engine by Digsite.
File:HCE_Digsite_AAWraith.jpg|The ''Halo 2'' model for the AA Wraith restored into ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' by Digsite.
While discussing the "strike fighter" (see below), the developers at Bungie also mentioned the need for a "Wikipedia:Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk|Black Hawk-type vehicle", which was later cut from the game. This seems to correspond with the prototype Falcon aircraft seen in very early Halo 2 Beta|beta builds of ''Halo 2'', which had been prototyped in 3D shortly after the release of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. The vehicle in these builds is untextured and un-animated, simply appearing as a low-poly blockout model. The vehicle has a single pilot with a nose-mounted machine gun at the front of the aircraft and two side-mounted seats for passengers. The Falcon is additionally included in a rough state in map files for the ''Halo 2'' build seen in ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'', and can be spawned in via modding.
Notably, a Cut Halo Wars units#Falcon|vehicle of the same name was concepted for, and cut from, the real-time strategy game ''Halo Wars'', though in that game was to appear more akin to a UNSC jet fighter and appears to have little resemblance to the ''Halo 2'' vehicle. The ''Halo 2'' Falcon was intended by Marcus Lehto to be a smaller cousin to the Pelican dropship, for small-unit deployment. Following the cutting of the ''Halo 2'' Falcon, Marcus Lehto continued to work on the idea, producing sketches between the production of ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3'' that later became ''Halo 3''s aerial craft the AV-14 Hornet|Hornet. However, Lehto wasn't satisfied with the Hornet and eventually the Falcon would finally be realised in 2010's ''Halo: Reach'' as the UH-144 Falcon, a tiltrotor helicopter bearing little visual resemblance to the original ''Halo 2'' design but filling the same "Black Hawk" gameplay role.
File:H2 Falcon Concept.jpg|''Halo 2'' concept art for the Falcon. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Back.jpg|Back view of the Falcon in ''The Master Chief Collection''. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Front.jpg|Front view of the Falcon in ''The Master Chief Collection''. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Side.jpg|Side view of the Falcon in ''The Master Chief Collection''. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Flying.jpg|Flying the Falcon in ''The Master Chief Collection''. File:HTMCC H2 Falcon 4Players.jpg|The Falcon with four passengers. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Shooting.jpg|A passenger shooting the cut M247 machine gun weapon. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Driver.jpg|An external view of the driver in the cockpit (note the Cut Halo 2 weapons#Silenced SMG|cut suppressed SMG. File:Early Falcon Concept.jpg|Marcus Lehto's Falcon concept sketch produced between ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3''. File:HR GrenadierFalcon FrontQuarter2.png|The Falcon as it appears in ''Halo: Reach''.
A model recovered by the Digsite project depicts a Scorpion tank equipped with missile launchers of some kind - presumably the M808B3 Tarantula Scorpion first canonised in the 2009 ''Halo Encyclopedia'' alongside the Sun Devil. In-lore, the Tarantula is equipped with twin Scimitar rocket pods.
The Mongoose was originally intended to be a vehicle useable in ''Halo 2''. The vehicle was fully built and animated, with gameplay of the ATV shown by Bungie in the Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition|''Halo 2'' Limited Collector's Edition documentary. In the build shown, the Mongoose uses the same driving sounds as the Warthog and has the aiming reticule of the Magnum. During development, the Mongoose was difficult to integrate into gameplay, with the designers trying out front-mounted guns and no weapons. Ultimately, the vehicle was cut as it interfered too much with the Warthog and Ghost.
Notably, the Mongoose was brought back almost wholly unchanged in ''Halo 3'' and has since remained a series staple; in ''Halo 3'' and subsequent titles, the Mongoose is a two-person vehicle with no armaments. A second player can mount the back of the vehicle and fire their handheld weapons in third-person or carry objectives (such as a flag). The idea of the Mongoose with weapons was later revisited in ''Halo 2: Anniversary'', with the game's multiplayer introducing the Gungoose - exactly the same as the regular Mongoose but with two front-mounted and driver-fired M67 light anti-infantry weapon|M67 LMGs.
File:Mongoose Large.jpg|A Mongoose on Coagulation. File:H2 Mongoose Front Render.jpg|Front render of the ''Halo 2'' Mongoose. File:H2 Mongoose Rear Render.jpg|Rear render of the ''Halo 2'' Mongoose. File:H2 BurialMounds Perspective Concept.jpg|Concept art for the map Burial Mounds depicting the Mongoose.
}}
The strike fighter was intended as a defensive space fighter for use by the UNSC during the Battle for Earth. The vehicle would have little place in actual gameplay, and instead be a cinematic-only vehicle, similar to the GA-TL1 Longsword|Longsword seen in the final game. For gameplay, the designers needed more of a "Wikipedia:Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk|Black Hawk-type vehicle", likely referring to the cut Falcon UNSC aircraft detailed above. Early Halo 2 storyboards|storyboards for the levels Cairo Station and the cut level Cut Halo 2 levels#Covenant Ship|Covenant Ship show some more usage of the strike fighter; in the cut sections of ''Halo 2''s early story, the strike fighters would have filled the role shown by the Longsword in the final game - performing an attack run on a Day of Jubilation|Covenant carrier.
The strike fighter notably bears a strong resemblance space fighters designed by Bungie in their later titles; specifically the FSS-1000 Sabre in ''Halo: Reach'' and the jumpships of the later ''Destiny''.
File:H2 StrikeFighter Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the Strike Fighter. File:H2 StrikeFighter Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Strike Fighter. File:H2 StrikeFighter Concept 3.jpg|Concept art for the Strike Fighter. File:H2 TheArmory Storyboard 1.jpg|Storyboard for The Armory, showcasing a strike fighter in the foreground.
The Orca is a vehicle mentioned in ''Halo 2'' design documentation. It was intended to be a troop-carrying watercraft. The documentation additionally details a variant known as the Mortar Orca, appropriately equipped with mortars as weapons.
Found in the files for ''Halo 2'', the Piglet is seemingly a static prop object intended to populate the level and visually resembles a scaled-down version of the Warthog. The model has no collision, animations and other info markers required to be useable as a vehicle in-game. The Piglet was notably featured in a breakdown by Kenneth Peters in an Halo: The Master Chief Collection|MCC Flighting Update on the ''Halo Waypoint'' forums, where he made the vehicle driveable in ''Halo 2'' via modding.
File:H2 Piglet Render.png|The Piglet's model, as viewed in 3DS Max. File:H2_Piglet_Elite.png|Setting up the Piglet to be driveable, via modding. File:H2_Piglet_Arby.png|The Arbiter driving a modded Piglet.
These Warthogs were created by artist Marcus Lehto shortly after the release of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. An image of them was later released on Bungie.net as part of their ''Halo 2'' project page. A model was also created for a unique rocket launcher-equipped Warthog turret. This model was later released by the Digsite project via their github tag releases, and is set up to be fully-playable once spawned in. When used, the rocket launcher fires two rockets in quick succession with every trigger pull, with a lengthy cooldown time inbetween.
In later media such as Bungie.net news, the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)|Halo Encyclopedia'' and the Halo Waypoint universe section, several vehicles have been described with very similar traits to these cut vehicles, namely being the (from left to right, as per the image and not including the standard Warthog) M868 Tropic Warthog, M862 Arctic Warthog and M914 Recovery Vehicle. This was later confirmed by Jeff Easterling, with the note that it can change later if 343 Industries needed. While the Rocket Warthog was not canonised directly, a similar vehicle was later introduced in ''Halo: Reach'' as the M12R Rocket Warthog.
''Halo 2'' design documentation also references a number of other Warthog variants including a desert camo Warthog and a "night mission" camo Warthog.
File:H2 Warthog Variants.jpg|The cut Warthog variants. File:H2 Digsite RocketHog Screenshot 1.png|A view of the Rocket Warthog modded onto Cut Halo 2 levels#Beach Battle (forerunner_sample)|Forerunner Sample, a cut map. File:H2 Digsite RocketHog Screenshot 2.png|A Spartan mounting the Rocket Warthog's turret.
Covenant vehicles
Referred to in documentation as the "Brute cycle", early ''Halo 2'' intended to feature the vehicle introduced in subsequent games as the Chopper for the Jiralhanae|Brutes. The vehicle was concepted by Eddie Smith, and ultimately later fairly faithfully realised in ''Halo 3'' as the Barukaza Workshop Chopper.
File:H2 Chopper Concept.jpg|''Halo 2'' Chopper concept art by Eddie Smith.
Early ''Halo 2'' design documentation references the desire to have Brutes able to ride List of animals|animal mounts into battle.
In the Halo 2 E3 demo|''Halo 2'' E3 demo, the city of New Mombasa is depicted as under siege by a massive Covenant artillery cannon. During the demo, a flight of Longswords is called in to bomb the gun. While this massive artillery piece does not appear in the final game, a smaller version of it known as the Type-48 Weevil does appear in the beach section of the level Outskirts - though inactive. Through modding, the guns are found to have turning and firing animations, indicating they may have been intended to be seen firing on the city of New Mombasa in-game.
File:H2E3Demo CovenantArtillery.png|The artillery in the E3 demo. File:H2-CovenantArtilleryTurret.png|The Type-48 Weevil seen in the final ''Halo 2'' build.
Early ''Halo 2'' design documentation references a vehicle called the "Covenant fuel truck". No further details are known. A Combat support vehicle|similar vehicle exists in ''Halo'' canon, though is likely unrelated to this concept.
Seen only in early Halo 2 storyboards|storyboards for the level The Arbiter, the command shuttle appears to be a large Covenant dropship similar in scale to the Kmiro'sish-pattern Lich|Lich. The vehicle would have been used to transport the Elite strike team to the Threshold gas mine, before being replaced by three Phantoms in the final game. The command shuttle reappears in storyboards for the game's epilogue cutscene, having been taken over by the Flood.
File:H2_TheArbiter_V2_Storyboard_Intro_1.jpg|Storyboards of a command shuttle inserting the Arbiter's team into the gas mine. File:H2_TheArbiter_V2_Storyboard_Intro_3.jpg|Storyboards of a command shuttle inserting the Arbiter's team into the gas mine. File:H2_TheArbiter_V2_Storyboard_Intro_6.jpg|Storyboards of a command shuttle inserting the Arbiter's team into the gas mine. File:H2_TheArbiter_V2_Storyboard_Intro_7.jpg|Storyboards of a command shuttle inserting the Arbiter's team into the gas mine. File:H2_Epilogue_Storyboard_2.jpg|A command shuttle can be seen in storyboards for the game's Earth Ark|original ending.
Early ''Halo 2'' design documentation references a vehicle called an "Excavation Ghost", alongside "VTOL" and "Special Forces" Ghost variants. No further details are known.
It is likely that the "Exacavation" variant would be intended for use by the Sesa 'Refumee's heretic faction|heretics on the Alphamoon level, while the "Special Forces" Ghost would be for use by the Covenant Special Operations|SpecOps troops who deploy alongside the Arbiter in that level.
Early ''Halo 2'' design documentation references a vehicle called an "Excavation Shadow" - presumably a variant of the existing Shadow vehicle. No further details are known. As with the Ghosts mentioned above, it is likely that the "Excavation" Shadow was intended for use by the heretics on Alphamoon.
The Shadow troop carrier is a troop carrier. In-game, the vehicle is only featured in the level Outskirts, driving along the Mombasa highways. These vehicles carry Ghosts in their underbelly compartments; however, a troop carrier variant exists in the files unused, and is shown in the Halo 2 Manual|''Halo 2'' Manual. This vehicle is found in the shared map content in the ''Halo 2'' component of ''The Master Chief Collection'', and despite being unused the troop transport variant was even retextured for the visually updated campaign of ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.
File:H2 Shadow Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the troop transport Shadow. File:H2 Shadow Passengers.jpg|A Grunt and a Jackal in the troop bay. File:H2-T29ShadowTVT-Side.png|A render of the troop transport Shadow. File:H2-T29ShadowTVT-SideProfile.png|A render of the standard Shadow featured in ''Halo 2'', for reference. File:H2A T29Shadow TroopTransport.png|A visually updated troop transport Shadow in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''.
Finalised storyboards for the level The Arbiter showcase a with door-mounted gunners. This Phantom design ultimately was discarded for the final game, instead preferring to use three larger plasma cannons. This design for the Phantom was later employed for ''Halo 3'' and subsequent ''Halo'' games.
The model for this variant of the Phantom can be seen in the Halo 2 E3 demo|''Halo 2'' E3 demo, and was restored into ''Halo 2'' by the Digsite project. It features landing gear and door gunners.
File:H2_TheArbiter_V3_Storyboard_Intro_27.jpg|A storyboard featuring the original Phantom. File:H2 Digsite E3Phantom.jpg|The "E3 Phantom" restored into ''Halo 2'' by Digsite.
Sources
Category:Halo 2
|
During the Development of Halo 2|development of ''Halo 2'', a number of weapons were cut from the game's release.
Human
Also found in the ''Halo 2'' beta, the M7057 flamethrower first Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons|cut from ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' and later featured in ''Halo: Combat Evolved (PC port)|Halo PC'' was similarly cut from ''Halo 2''. The weapon was rebuilt by Robert McLees for ''Halo 2'' based on the original ''Combat Evolved'' model, and was remarked upon as the most difficult to model to rebuild, based on the most difficult model to build in the first game.
The weapon was eventually realised in ''Halo 3''.
File:HTMCC_H2_Flamethrower.png|The Flamethrower on Lockout. File:HTMCC H2 Flamethrower Pickup.png|The pickup text for the Flamethrower has only placeholder text. File:HTMCC_H2_Flamethrower_FP.png|The flamethrower, as held in first-person. File:HTMCC_H2_Flamethrower_Firing_FP.png|The Flamethrower firing in first-person. File:H2 Flamethrower Screenshot.png|A Spartan holding the Flamethrower.
''Halo 2'' design documents reference a Flashbang grenade, as intended for inclusion in the game. A later change note from October of 2002 notes that to make standard frag grenades more useful outside of damage dealing, the grenades would gain the ability to blind and stun enemies. Max Hoberman speculated that this detail may have been intended for the game's campaign, as opposed to the multiplayer.
Although the M247 machine gun is featured in-game as a a support weapon, the general purpose machine gun (GPMG) was seemingly intended to also be available for use as a weapon in first-person. In the launch build of ''Halo 2'', strings in the game files referenced the GPMG such as picking up and switching to the weapon. The weapon was not seen physically until the release of ''Halo 2'' on PC as part of ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'', when the GPMG was added to the game's shared directory, allowing it to be spawned in and used via modding.
The GPMG is complete with firing, reload and melee animations, sound effects and firing particle effects, and features an altered model including a removable magazine and a buttstock not found on the original machine gun model.
File:HTMCC H2 GPMG.png|The GPMG on the ground. File:HTMCC_H2_GPMG_FP.png|The GPMG in first-person. File:HTMCC_H2_GPMG_Firing.png|Firing the GPMG. File:HTMCC_H2_GPMG_Reloading.png|Reloading the GPMG. File:HTMCC_H2_GPMG_Melee.png|Meleeing with the GPMG. File:HTMCC_H2_Falcon_Shooting.jpg|A passenger in a Cut Halo 2 vehicles#Falcon|Falcon shooting the GPMG.
In early concept art and builds of ''Halo 2'', the M247 machine gun was attached with an over-barrel grenade launcher. The weapon's texture states that the launcher fires a 20mm grenade, though ''The Art of Halo: Creating a Virtual World'' (likely-erroneously) claims that the weapon is a 25mm launcher.
The model file for the turret was recovered by the Digsite project, and used as a basis for making the weapon functional in the retail build of ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'' - though in the original ''Halo 2'' this weapon was purely a nonfunctional prop.
File:H2_GPMG_Concept.png|Concept art of the M247, showing the grenade launcher. File:H2 GPMG GrenadeLauncher.png|An image of a UNSC Marine Corps|Marine using an M247 GPMG with the grenade launcher attachment. File:H2 Digsite M247GPMG GrenadeLauncher 1.jpg|The restored GPMG with 20mm launcher, given functionality by Digsite. File:H2 Digsite M247GPMG GrenadeLauncher 2.jpg|Master Chief firing the now-functional grenade launcher.
At one point in the development of ''Halo 2'', the M7S SMG|Suppressed SMG was intended for inclusion. The weapon features unique firing sound effects and particle effects alongside a suppressor on the barrel, though otherwise appears to inherit all the properties of the basic M7 SMG. The M7S would later make its in-game debut in Halo 2 (Windows Vista)|''Halo 2'' for Windows Vista as a weapon spawn on the map Example, before being prominently featured in ''Halo 3: ODST''. The later release of ''Halo 2: Anniversary'' would see the Suppressed SMG included in the game's updated multiplayer component.
The release of ''Halo 2'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection'' similarly added the Suppressed SMG to the game files, allowing it to be used through the use of modding.
File:H2-M7SMG-Suppressor-Concept.png|The Suppressed SMG, as it appears in ''The Art of Halo: Creating a Virtual World''. File:HTMCC H2 SilencedSMG DualWield.png|Dual wielding the Silenced SMG (left) and the regular SMG (right). File:HTMCC H2 SilencedSMG.png|The Suppressed SMG in-game in ''The Master Chief Collection''. File:H3 EarlyXbox HighCharity Prototype 1.png|The Suppressed SMG in an early build of ''Halo 3'' running on the original Xbox, inside the High Charity (cut Halo 3 level)|original draft for the level Cortana (level)|Cortana.
Covenant
Mentioned in ''Halo 2'' design documentation briefly, the "blamite harpoon" was a presumably-Covenant weapon. Little is known of its operation, save that it was to use Subanese crystal|Blamite as its primary attack method. Max Hoberman discussed his affinity for the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Spear gun|harpoon gun cut from ''Combat Evolved'' and his want to bring it back - indicating this may have been an evolution on that concept.
The Brute Grenades were a grenade type intended for use by Jiralhanae troops during the game. They were modelled to some degree during the game's development, though ultimately cut. They would later return in ''Halo 3'' as the Jovokada Workshop spike grenade|spike grenade. This weapon is one of many recovered and restored to functionality by the Digsite project.
File:H2_Digsite SpikeGrenade 2.png|The grenade on the floor. File:H2 Digsite SpikeGrenade.jpg|Master Chief throwing the grenade.
A Covenant counterpart to the UNSC Flamethrower, the Disintegrator is featured in the ''Halo 2 Beta'' and can be spawned via modding. The weapons is untextured and fires flame-like particle effects - though in third-person the effects are more akin to a kind of red plasma. The weapon appears to have a cooldown bar of some kind around the reticule, though this is nonfunctional in the beta.
Sound effects for the Disintegrator can be found in the retail build of Halo 2 (Windows Vista)|the Windows Vista port of ''Halo 2''. Located in the sound\weapons\hunter_cannon\hunter_cannon_loop\z_disintegrator_fire\ path, they seem to indicate the Disintegrator was intended to be used by a Cut Halo 2 enemies#Disintegrator Hunters|similarly-cut variant of the Mgalekgolo|Hunter enemy type. The weapon was included in Max Hoberman's ''Halo 2'' multiplayer design documentation.
File:HTMCC H2 Disintegrator.png|The Disintegrator. File:HTMCC_H2_Disintegrator_FP.png|The Disintegrator in first-person. File:HTMCC_H2_Disintegrator_Firing.png|The Disintegrator firing in third-person. File:H2 Disintegrator HUD Icon.png|The HUD icon for the Disintegrator, still remaining in the files of ''Halo 2''.
Forerunner Several Sentinel weapons were seemingly cut from ''Halo 2''. All these weapons bear icons with similar designs, depicting a Sentinel beam and a small icon next to it, to denote the specific variant.
}}
During earlier stages of ''Halo 2'', the game was intended to include a Cut Halo 2 enemies#Needler Sentinel|Needler Sentinel as an enemy. This Sentinel variant was to be armed with a unique weapon, visually identical to the Sentinel beam, that shot small red Subanese crystal|needles, possibly similar to the shard cannons employed by Enforcers. The weapon was to have its own unique crosshair and weapon pickup icons, which remain in the files of ''Halo 2 (Windows Vista)|Halo 2 Vista'' alongside pickup text strings referencing the gun.
This Needler Sentinel enemy has little to do with the Needler Sentinel enemy included in ''Halo 2'', which was the result of an oversight by Bungie staff.
File:H2 SentinelNeedler Crosshair Icon.png|The crosshair icon for the Sentinel Needler. File:H2 SentinelNeedler HUD Icon.png|The HUD icon for the Sentinel Needler.
Similarly to the Sentinel Needler, ''Halo 2'' game files mention a "Sentinel Grenade Launcher" in the text pickup strings. Some unused HUD icons remain in the files for the weapon, though little is known of its intended function or purpose. This icon is also used in the default placeholder pickup strings for the General Purpose Machine Gun weapon.
File:H2_SentinelGrenadeLauncher_Crosshair_Icon.png|A weapon crosshair in the game files, likely corresponding with the Sentinel Grenade Launcher. File:H2 SentinelGrenadeLauncher HUD Icon.png|The icon for the Sentinel Grenade Launcher in the HUD.
Little is known of this weapon, save for its name. Some unused HUD icons (shown below) likely correspond with the weapon.
File:H2_SentinelChargedBolt_Crosshair_Icon.png|The presumed crosshair for the charged bolt. File:H2 SentinelChargedBolt HUD Icon.png|The presumed HUD icon for the charged bolt.
Miscellaneous A number of weapons were discussed by Max Hoberman and Andy Dudynsky during the ''Halo 2: Artifacts'' series; these weapons were only listed briefly, and thus there are few details on them.
The "non-lethal EMP mine" is a weapon described in the ''Halo 2'' design documentation. It was presumably to act as a Mine, capable of causing an Electromagnetic pulse without physically damaging its surroundings.
The "gravity rifle" is a weapon referenced in ''Halo 2'' design documentation. Little is known of its function or affiliation. Presumably, it was to be based on a weapon of the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Gravity rifle|same name cut from the original ''Combat Evolved''.
Satchel charges are mentioned in ''Halo 2'' design documentation. Little is known of their intended function. They were later included in an art piece done by Lorraine McLees for the gallery section of the ''Halo Graphic Novel'' (featured below), featuring John-117 surrounded by a menagerie of weapons from ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' and ''Halo 2''.
File:HGN - Lorraine.png|The satchel charges can be seen in this image, underneath the barrel of the machine gun on the left.
The "shredder" is a weapon referenced in ''Halo 2'' design documentation. Little is known of its function or affiliation.
The "sniper rod" is a weapon referenced in ''Halo 2'' design documentation. Little is known of its function or affiliation.
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo 2
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The following pieces of cut dialogue can be found in the game files for ''Halo 3''. Note that some files have been manually edited together for cohesiveness, and are stored as individual files in the game itself.
Sierra 117
The following lines of dialogue are found in the map files for Sierra 117.''Halo 3'', campaign level ''Sierra 117''
{| class"width: 70%;" cellspacing"1" border="0"
| !scope="col"|Dialogue
!scope="col"|File
| |Thel 'Vadam: "The Brutes love easy prey."
|
| |Thel 'Vadam: "We should not linger."
|
| |Thel 'Vadam: "This ravine will lead us to Avery Johnson|your Sergeant."
|
| |Thel 'Vadam: "You flank, I'll draw its fire."
|
| |Johnson: "Pelicans are en route Chief, but I can't raise Bravo. You find 'em, get 'em to the extraction point. Don't want our birds to roost any longer than they have to."
|
| |Thel 'Vadam: "Your soldiers crossed that bridge."
|
| |Thel 'Vadam: "They must be somewhere on the other side."
|
| |Marine 1: "Ugh... think I'm gonna be sick!"
Marine 2: "Why would they do this?"
Thel 'Vadam: "For sport, and meat."
|
| |Marine 1: "Ugh... think I'm gonna be sick!"
Marine 2: "Why would they do this?"
Thel 'Vadam: "For sport, and meat."
|
| |Thel 'Vadam: "Dishonourable butchers, I shall be the end of you!"
|
| |Thel 'Vadam: "And so the hunter becomes the prey."
|
| |Thel 'Vadam: "You ''reek'', with the stink of your betrayal."
|
| |Thel 'Vadam: "Howl and curse! It will not save you!"
|
| |Thel 'Vadam: "Indeed beast, you shall me ''my'' trophy"
|
| |Thel 'Vadam: "Perhaps ''now'' you see the error of your ways."
|
| |Thel 'Vadam: "We should've purged these traitors long ago."
|
| |Thel 'Vadam: "There is no Journey! Only death!"
|
| |Thel 'Vadam: "Blind faith is your undoing."
|
| |Thel 'Vadam: "Pitiful! To give your life for a lie."
|
| |Thel 'Vadam: "A Chieftain, one of their best warriors."
|
|}
The Covenant The following lines of dialogue are found in the map files for The Covenant (Level)|The Covenant.''Halo 3'', campaign level ''The Covenant (Level)|The Covenant''
{| class"width: 70%;" cellspacing"1" border="0"
| !scope="col"|Dialogue
!scope="col"|File
| |Thel 'Vadam: "We have breached the second tower."
|
| |Thel 'Vadam: "High Charity has burst apart."
|
| |Thel 'Vadam: "In numbers we ''cannot hope'' to contain!"
|
|}
Halo The following lines of dialogue are found in the map files for Halo (Halo 3 Level)|Halo.''Halo 3'', campaign level ''Halo (Halo 3 Level)|Halo''
{| class"width: 70%;" cellspacing"1" border="0"
| !scope="col"|Dialogue
!scope="col"|File
}}
| |Thel 'Vadam: "Where is the other?"
|
|}
Sources
Category:Halo 3 deleted material
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During the Development of Halo 3|production of ''Halo 3'', a number of enemy designs were concepted for inclusion in the game - with a handful implemented in some fashion but ultimately cut.
Human
Accessible via the files of the ''Halo 3 Editing Kit'', a number of female civilian models can be found. These civilians wear industrial jumpsuits like the male civilians found in the campaign level The Storm. Unlike their male counterparts, the female civilians do not share their face models with the female UNSC Marine Corps|Marines, possibly due to being a leftover from an earlier stage of development.
File:H3_FemaleCivilians.png|The civilians, spawned on Sandtrap via mod tools.
Covenant
The Brute Tracker is an unused Jiralhanae|Brute enemy rank found in the files and early builds of ''Halo 3''. The version seen in the ''Halo 3'' Alpha builds is green in colouration, without the blue colour overlay present in the final game's shaders. The Tracker uses a helmet model look similar to the Jiralhanae Stalker|Stalker, with armour and shoulder pauldrons reminiscent of the infantry and captain Brute ranks featured in the game.
File:H3 Alpha BruteTracker.png|The green Brute Tracker in the ''Halo 3'' Alpha.
Seen in early Halo 3 Alpha|''Halo 3'' Alpha footage and included in some final-game publications are variations of Brute enemies, sporting a much more vibrant armour colour scheme when compared to the final game. The most prominently-seen of these variants is a variant of the Jiralhanae Captain|Brute Captain enemy - seen sporting a red-coloured Leader power armor|power armor design. For reasons unknown, in the final game the shader implementation for this enemy type has the colour overlayed with a strong blue, though images of this enemy can be found in the Halo 3 manual|''Halo 3'' manual and the Bestiarum booklet included in the ''Halo 3 Limited Edition''. The comic series ''Halo: Uprising'' used the red design of the Captain for the character of Lepidus.
Early revisions of these Brutes also have some fur on their arms more akin to their ''Halo 2'' counterparts, though the fur clips through any armour present on the forearms.
File:Red_Brute_captain.jpg|A red Brute Captain in the ''Halo 3 ViDoc: Et Tu, Brute?''. File:BestiarumBrute.jpg|The Brute image included in the manual and Bestiarum. File:H3_Alpha_BruteBodyguard.png|An early, grey-coloured Brute Bodyguard in the Halo 3 Delta|''Halo 3'' Delta build.
Stealth Sangheili are an NPC type found in the files for ''Halo 3'', though go unused. The files feature two ranks; Stealth Minor and Stealth Major, both of whom wear the combat harness with no shoulder plating. The Stealth Major has its colour set to brown, but due to the shader configuration ultimately ends up looking grey.
The Stealth Minors do make an appearance in the ''Halo 3: ODST'' level Tayari Plaza, wherein their dead bodies can be found littering the streets of New Mombasa - having been killed by Brute forces prior to the level's start.
File:H3 StealthElite Bodies.png|Corpses for a Stealth Minor (left) and Stealth Major (right). File:H3_StealthElites.jpg|A Stealth Minor and Major Modding|modded back into ''Halo 3''.
A number of leftover Elite characters can be found in the files of the ''Halo 3'' Halo 3 Delta|Delta build. These consist of all of the Elite enemy rank types featured in the prior game, though updated with some early and unfinished ''Halo 3'' character models (all using the standard combat harness). Most of these were never intended to appear in the final game, though are listed below. Elite Minor - blue harness with dark blue secondary Elite Major - blue harness with red secondary Elite Ultra - blue harness with white secondary Elite SpecOps - light blue harness with dark blue secondary Elite Zealot - gold harness with white secondary Elite Stealth - light blue harness with dark blue secondary Elite Stealth Major - same as the regular Stealth Elite Honour Guards - same as the Stealth Elites, but lacking a helmet Shipmaster - the Rtas 'Vadum character from ''Halo 2'', though lacking his signature "Half-Jaw". White harness with grey secondary Elite Councilor - same as Shipmaster, but with no helmet
Found alongside the ''Halo 2'' leftover Elites in the Delta build are a series of Elites that spawn holding specific weapon loadouts. It is unclear why these Elites exist, and it may simply be character bipeds used for testing features. Alternatively, they may be a remnant of a weapon loadout system considered for ''Halo 3''. The weapon Elites are as follows;
Rocket Elite - gold elite with an M41 SPNKR on his back and an M7 SMG on his thigh Sniper Elite - blue Elite with an SRS99D-S2 AM sniper rifle on his back and an M6G magnum on his thigh Carbine Elite - purple Elite with a on his back and a Type-33 needler on his thigh Brute Shot Elite - red Elite with a Type-25 Brute Shot on his back and a Type-25 plasma pistol on his thigh.
All of the weapon elites additionally have a frag and a plasma grenade attached to their chestplates.
Flood
The "banger" is a variant of pod infector found in the files for the ''Halo 3'' mission Cortana, found as a tag in the pathway objects\characters\flood_infection\flood_infection_banger. In the files, the banger has no associated model and the tag is never loaded, though some contextual clues within the files (such as using the same nodes/markers and texture files) indicate it would have used the same model as the infection forms.
In gameplay, the banger was to perform as an infection form that would explode on death in a manner similar to the .
These concepts for Flood pure form|pure forms of the Flood are featured in ''The Art of Halo 3'', pages 2627, though it is unlikely they were ever seriously prototyped in-engine or developed in 3D. They are as follows;
Infector form Described as a "''3-limbed flood infection/ attack form w/3 regenerating spore projectiles''", the Infector is a major Flood enemy type that would have seen major interaction with the vehicle sandbox. The Infector has three legs and three large, bulpous pores on its main body. These pores are each capable of firing off a "spore" at enemy targets, which itself is capable of using a single tentacle to try and latch onto targets should it miss. When it comes into contact with infantry they are converted as normal, while contact with vehicles sees the spore take control of the driver and gunner stations - allowing the Flood to infect enemy vehicles and use them against their creators. This is an expansion on the idea of Flood-controlled vehicles first seen in ''Halo 2''s Quarantine Zone mission, with Flood combat forms driving vehicles in the level. While the Infectors were ultimately cut, similar ideas were later introduced into ''Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare'' in the form of the Flood infester form.
Stealth form The Stealth form has two images featured in the ''Art of Halo 3''. The images both depict a similar design; a mass of tentacles holding a plasma rifle. Little is known of the stealth form's intended direction, other than this.
Transport form The Transport form was to be a massive flood form. The form was a four-legged huge form similar in scale to a Scorpion tank, with a large maw and several sweeping tentacles that can grab enemies and force them into the maw. After a short period of ingestion, a series of "''boo-bags''" would glow on the creature before it hurls out a cocoon of flood biomass at enemies. The cocoon then births a fresh combat form. Alongside this, the transport form would be able to have several other Flood forms ride atop its back.
File:Infector_Flood.jpg|The Flood Infector form. File:Flood Purestrain Stealth.png|The Flood Stealth form. File:Transport_Flood.jpg|The Flood Transport form.
Forerunner
Early design documents for the Cut Halo 3 levels|cut level Guardian Forest suggest that in early production, Enforcers were to return as enemy combatants following their introduction in ''Halo 2''.
File:H3_GuardianForest_DesignDoc.png|Guardian Forest design document. File:Enforcer.png|An enforcer, seen in ''Halo 2''.
The Guardians have a storied history with the ''Halo'' series, with their core idea dating back to the development of ''Halo 2''. Notably, the Guardians were heavily developed for ''Halo 3'', with many pieces of concept art created for their design. The Guardians were to feature in the eponymous level ''Guardian Forest'' as enemies, with a model and animations being created for them, and the in-game character in iteration. In the level, the player would have been able to rip out the Guardian's "eye" and use it as a laser weapon. Unfortunately, the level and the Guardian enemy had to be cut, with the level being repurposed as the ''Guardian (map)|Guardian'' multiplayer map and the Guardian enemy model itself used on ''Epitaph'' in holographic form. The Guardian was intended to be similar in size to the similarly-cut Strato-Sentinels. While not seen in the final game, their design was later used in ''Origins'' for two Forerunner constructs seen escorting a Keyship to the Portal at Voi. The Guardian hologram reappears in ''Halo Infinite''. The ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'' reveals that the holograms of the Guardian Sentinels were repurposed as in-universe holographic representations of Offensive Bias.
According to ''Art of Halo 3'', ''"The Guardian evokes memories of Compilers (from one of Bungie's previous games, Marathon) and the robes of a High Court Judge - which is fitting because, as anyone who has encountered them can tell you, their judgments are swift and final, and their logic utterly alien."''
File:H3 Guardian Concept 1.jpg|Early ''Halo 3'' concept art. File:H3 Guardian Concept 2.jpg|Early ''Halo 3'' concept art. File:H3 Guardian Concept 3.jpg|Early ''Halo 3'' concept art. File:H3 Guardian Concept 4.jpg|Near-final ''Halo 3'' concept art. File:H3 Epitaph Hologram.png|The Guardian hologram on Epitaph.
The Strato-Sentinels were a concept heavily explored in ''Halo 3''s development, with multiple variations of concepts explored. Some of these were later reintroduced into canon as the Assembler Sentinel|Assembler, Excavator Sentinel|Excavator, Extractor Sentinel|Extractor, Retriever Sentinel|Retriever and Steward Sentinels.
Ambient life
A number of bird ambient creatures can be found leftover in the ''Halo 3'' files. These include the Cockatoo, Guira, Hornbill and a small flock.
Sources
Category:Halo 3 deleted material
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File:H3 Alpha CampaignLevels.jpg|400px|thumb|A look at the campaign level selection in the Halo 3 Alpha|''Halo 3'' Alpha, showcasing the original selection of intended missions with their in-development names. File:H3 CampaignLayout DesignDoc.jpg|400px|thumb|An early design document, showing the original planned progression of campaign levels in ''Halo 3''.
During the Development of Halo 3|development of ''Halo 3'', a number of levels were cut or changed dramatically.
Cut campaign levels
A level named "Tsavo Township" was referenced by Vic DeLeon briefly on Twitter, as a map he still had some images of. This may be the map DeLeon referred to as an "Old Mombasa" test in another tweet. It is unclear whether this map is an internal codename for a final shipped level such as The Storm, or an internal prototype that never made ship.
Flood Ship, also known as 060_floodship was a cut level set after ''Floodgate'' and taking place in the crashed Indulgence of Conviction|Flood ship in Voi. The original objective of the level was to detonate the ship's reactor and escape. However, due to time constraints and other development issues, much of this was cut and reworked into the final version of ''Cortana (level)|Cortana''. Though it was present as a selectable level in the ''Halo 3 Alpha''. More detailed information about the level can be found Cortana (level)#Production notes|here and Floodgate#Production notes|here.
In the end, in the idea of the playable Floodship space was conjoined onto ''Floodgate''; Objects used in that section of the level can still be found in the 060_floodship folder in the ''Halo 3 Mod Tools''. The original objective of the level is still mentioned in the final version of ''Floodgate'' despite there being a different one: ''"Find the crashed Flood ship; overload its engine core."'' as stated by Miranda Keyes.
File:H3_FloodShipPaperSketch.jpeg|Early paper sketch for initial layout. File:H3 Floodgate DesignDoc 1.jpg|Original digital design document layout for the level. File:H3_FloodShipDesignDoc.jpeg|Another version of the previous layout, seemingly trimmed down. File:H3 Floodgate DesignDoc 2.jpg|Redone level layout much smaller in size.
Guardian Forest, also known as 080_forest was a cut level set between ''The Ark (level)|The Ark'' and ''The Covenant (level)|The Covenant''. The level was set in a large forest on Installation 00 and was to feature a new enemy, the Guardian.
File:H3_GuardianForestPaperSketch.jpeg|Early paper sketch titled "Guardian Forest". File:H3 GuardianForest DesignDoc.png|Digital design document titled "080 - Forest". File:H3 GuardianForest Concept 1.jpg|A piece of concept art for the level. File:H3 Guardian Concept 4.jpg|Concept art for the Guardian enemy.
alpine, known as 090_alpine in the game files, is a cut campaign mission viewable in the ''Halo 3'' game files due to the release of the ''Halo 3 Mod Tools''. The folder itself contains no files of particular note, but the name itself reveals several details. The name ''alpine'' describes the kind of terrain the mission was intended to have - perfectly matching the landscapes found in the final game level of The Covenant (level)|The Covenant - itself known as 100_citadel. The 100 designation clashes with another cut level, 100_forecity, due to the fact that 090_alpine and 100_forecity were combined to become 100_citadel. This process was done fairly early on in development.
When the aforementioned Guardian Forest level was cut, the planned Hornet sections were transplanted into The Covenant, indicating that this major restructuring likely occurred around the same time as - or because - of the dropping of Guardian Forest.
File:H3 CovenantApproachConcept.jpg|Concept art of the Pelican approach at the level's start. File:H3 CovenantBridgeConcept.jpg|Concept art of a bridge that did not make the finalized level. File:H3 Ark Warthog Concept.jpg|Early concept art of the level's closure. File:H3 TheCovenant Storyboard 5.jpg|An early Halo 3 storyboards|storyboard depicting an alternate High Charity crash sequence intended for alpine. File:H3 TheCovenant Storyboard 6.jpg|An early storyboard depicting an alternate High Charity crash sequence intended for alpine. File:H3_AlpinePaperSketch.jpeg|Early paper sketch titled "Alpine". File:H3_BarrierDesignDoc.jpeg|Digital design document titled "5.1 - Barrier".
The level in the Mod Tools files referred to as 100_forecity likely corresponds with Forerunner City, a map developed by Paul Russel for the purposes of experimenting with Forerunner architectural design. Although described by Russell and Vic DeLeon as a map primarily used to demonstrate new technologies for the Xbox 360 and Halo 3 Engine|new engine, designer Dan Miller is also on record as mentioning that he was assigned as a designer on this level - indicating it was at one point intended to be a playable level space.
File:TheLostCity.jpg|The outside of the map's third iteration. File:H3 TheLostCity Courtyard 3.jpg|An art pass version of the map. File:H3_ForeCity_DesignDoc_1.jpg|Early paper sketch titled "Forerunner City". File:H3_ForeCity_DesignDoc_2.jpg|Digital design document titled "6.1 - Forerunner City".
Early campaign levels
''High Charity'', also known as 110_hc_old, comprises the original layout of the mission Cortana, prior to the level being cut-down and replaced with portions of the map designed for #Flood Ship|Flood Ship.
File:H3_HighCharityPaperSketch.jpeg|Early paper sketch. File:H3 Cortana DesignDoc 1.jpg|Digital design document. File:H3_HighCharityDesignDoc.jpeg|Another version with a slightly reduced layout. File:H3 HighCharity Schematic Concept.jpg|A level schematic by Chris Barrett. File:MausoleumConcept.jpg|Concept art of John-117 looking at the Mausoleum of the Arbiter, as intended for this level.
Multiplayer maps A number of multiplayer maps were considered for inclusion in ''Halo 3'', including several that did not make the final cut. Notably, the maps "Wall of Cotton" and "Shaft" do not match any known development names for released multiplayer maps, nor fit the theme of any released in the final game. Known details on "Shaft" are detailed further down this page. The document also shows remakes of the maps Hang 'Em High, Blood Gulch and Lockout as considered for inclusion - the latter of which eventually making its way into the game as Blackout.
In the ''Halo 3'' component of ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'', a number of seemingly-leftover .mapinfo files were removed from the game at some point during the flighting process. These maps contain the aforementioned "shaft", alongside a presently-unknown map referenced as "volcano". The files also reference maps named "landslide", "damn", "beachhead", and "warthog_inc" and "pump_haus", discussed in-detail further down this page.
File:H3_Maps_Documentation.jpg|A list of maps intended for inclusion in ''Halo 3'' as of the end of pre-production. File:H3 Steam CutMaps.png|A selection of the .mapinfo files removed from ''The Master Chief Collection''.
During the Development of Halo 3: ODST|development of ''Halo 3: ODST'', the game project was forked from ''Halo 3'' during the downloadable content production cycle. As such, many in-progressed and unused DLC maps developed for ''ODST'' remain in the working directory and were included in the Series 9|July 2023 update for the ''Halo 3: ODST Editing Kit''. These maps include "anxiety", "desecration", "battlecreek", and the aforementioned "beachhead", "damn", "landslide", and "warthog_inc"; all are detailed further down this page.
"Anxiety" is one of the work-in-progress DLC maps included in the ''Halo 3: ODST'' modding toolkit as of the July 2023 update. It is a unique case among ''Halo'' multiplayer maps, as its origins lie in the original ''Halo Custom Edition'' modding community for PC in the early 2000s; the map is a remake of a ''Halo: Combat Evolved (PC port)|Halo PC'' map of the same name created by modders Mothergoat and :Category:Images by Jason Keith|Jason Keith, who goes by the username . During the production of the ''Halo 3'' map Heretic, Keith was hired to work at Bungie on a remote contract, and evidently worked on incorporating anxiety into ''Halo 3'' in some form. The original ''Custom Edition'' map can be downloaded from halomaps.org .
The map is symmetrical in layout and uses the Installation 00|Ark skybox from regular ''Halo 3''. It is set in a box canyon with a base at each end and a bridge going over the top of the map. Each team gets a M12 Chaingun Warthog and a M274 Mongoose.
File:H3 Anxiety Screenshot 1.png|A screenshot of Anxiety. File:H3 Anxiety Screenshot 2.png|A screenshot of Anxiety. File:H3 Anxiety Base Screenshot 1.png|One of the bases on Anxiety. File:H3 Anxiety Base Screenshot 2.png|The other base on Anxiety. File:H3 Anxiety Skybox Screenshot.png|The Ark visible in the map's skybox. File:H3 Anxiety Exterior Screenshot.png|An out-of-bounds screenshot of the map's exterior passages.
A remake of the ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' map Battle Creek was considered at some point in the ''Halo 3'' production process, with a revision of the map geo and skybox present in the ''ODST'' modding files. The map is untextured, displaying only a UV checker texture, and utilises the skybox from the Warthog run at the end of the final campaign level ''Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo''. The map is set on Installation 08, with the ring visible in the sky alongside the Ark.
File:H3 BattleCreek Screenshot 1.png|The Battle Creek remake. File:H3 BattleCreek Screenshot 2.png|The Battle Creek remake.
Beachhead is a map more familiar to ''Halo'' players as the map Tempest, later included in the Noble Map Pack DLC for ''Halo: Reach''. The map was worked on as early as October 2007, shortly after ''Halo 3''s launch, though ultimately never released. It was later finished off in the aforementioned ''Reach'' DLC, and included in an incomplete state in the ''ODST'' modding tools. Unlike the release version of Tempest, this one take more of an influence from the tropical beach palette used on the map Last Resort, though otherwise has very few layout changes from the version eventually released for players.
File:H3_Tempest_Concept_1.jpg|''Halo 3''-era concept art. File:H3_Tempest_Concept_2.jpg|''Halo 3''-era concept art. File:H3_Tempest_Concept_3.jpg|''Halo 3''-era concept art. File:H3 Tempest Screenshot 1.png|A screenshot of Beachhead, as featured in the modding tools. File:H3 Tempest Screenshot 2.png|A screenshot of Beachhead, as featured in the modding tools. File:H3 Tempest Screenshot 3.png|A screenshot of Beachhead, as featured in the modding tools.
"Damn" is another work-in-progress DLC map recovered in the ''ODST'' modding toolkit. The map is a restored playable version of the A2 Hydroelectric Facility seen in the final section of the campaign level Sierra 117. The map has had several adjustments from its campaign iteration, featuring a new night setting, an un-destroyed bridge that can be traversed, and spawns for weapons, equipment, and objectives.
File:H3 Damn Screenshot 1.png|A screenshot of damn. File:H3 Damn Screenshot 2.png|A screenshot of damn. File:H3 Damn Screenshot 3.png|A screenshot of damn's back path with an Active camouflage and an M41B SPNKr. File:H3 Damn Base Screenshot 1.png|A screenshot of one of the base interiors; located in the room where Avery Johnson|Johnson is captured in the campaign. It has spawns for a Covenant Carbine inside. File:H3 Damn Base Screenshot 2.png|A screenshot of the other base; it has a more-or-less identical layout to the first base, with an AIE-486H machine gun on top. File:H3 Damn Bridge Screenshot.png|A screenshot of damn's repaired (and unfinished) bridge, with a Z-4190 bubble shield|bubble shield in the middle.
"Desecration" is a map included in the ''ODST'' modding files, seemingly intended to replicate the aesthetics of the Flood-infested Covenant interiors found in the main campaign. Similarly to the interior of the crashed Ket-pattern battlecruiser|battlecruiser ''Indulgence of Conviction'' in Floodgate or High Charity in Cortana (level)|Cortana, the map features Covenant architecture overtaken by what seems to be Flood growths with a crashed D77H-TCI Pelican atop. The map has lots of vertical play, with ordnance pods scattered around to provide weapons and multiple gravity lifts to aid traversal.
File:H3 Desecration Screenshot 1.png|An overview of Desecration. File:H3 Desecration Screenshot 2.png|The interior of the Flood-infested Covenant structure. File:H3 Desecration Screenshot 3.png|The interior of the Flood-infested Covenant structure. File:H3 Desecration Screenshot 4.png|The interior of the Flood-infested Covenant structure. File:H3 Desecration Screenshot 5.png|The Covenant structure, as seen from above. File:H3 Desecration Screenshot 6.png|A look at the cliffs and walkways in front of the subterranean structure.
Little is known of "Gauntlet" - the map was used in development to test a variety of objective-based gamemodes that ultimately never appeared in the final release of ''Halo 3''. Interestingly, concept sketches for the map layout suggest the idea of ''Halo 3'' including several classes including "Assault", "Rifleman" and "Warthog Dude".
File:H3 Gauntlet Sketch.png|A sketch of Gauntlet's layout.
"Landslide" is a large Big Team Battle map with a very similar art theming to Valhalla, reusing the bases and skybox from that map alongside the general palette of environment textures and trees. The map itself is a rough horseshoe shape, with a single team base at either end. The two bases are both situated at the lowest point on the map, with the map inclining toward the middle of the horseshoe - the top of the hill contains a third, neutral base. Each team gets a Warthog and a M808C Scorpion|Scorpion tank, with the middle base containing a Ghost and a Warthog.
File:H3 Landslide Screenshot 1.png|An overview of Landslide. File:H3 Landslide Screenshot 2.png|Looking up the mountain. File:H3 Landslide Base Screenshot 1.png|The first base. File:H3 Landslide Base Screenshot 2.png|The second base. File:H3 Landslide HumanWall Screenshot.png|A human-made wall off to the right of the prior base. File:H3 Landslide Base Screenshot 3.png|The neutral base at the top of the mountain.
The map internally named "Monkey Mountain" was built for the Capture the Flag gametype, and consisted of the attacking team assaulting up a hill (similarly to High Ground) to capture the flag. However, the map had a unique twist in that the attackers could then drop the flag off a cliff next to the base into a river below, at which point a boat could drive the flag back home, similarly to the design of ''Halo 2''s map Relic. The map was ultimately scrapped due to the river mechanic not working well enough to justify including the map. Monkey Mountain was also to include a rideable elevator of some kind.
Design documentation shared by Max Hoberman shows Monkey Mountain as intended for 8-12+ players, and was in development by the time ''Halo 3'' ended pre-production.
File:H3 MonkeyMountain Sketch.png|A sketch of Monkey Mountain's layout.
The map internally nicknamed "Pump Haus" or "Pump Haus" was a small map listed in Hoberman's initial maps outline as intended for 2-4 players. Some released screenshots from close to the end of pre-production show Spartans stood inside the map in a very primitive state. The Spartans are stood inside a cylindrical room with a Ghost in the bottom. The upper levels of the room are surrounded by balconies and ledges, indicating this chamber is the focal point of the map.
Pump Haus' name, visuals, and theme, notably closely match the map Powerhouse featured in ''Halo: Reach''. It is unknown whether the two had a direct connection.
File:H3 PumpHaus PrePro Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of Pump Haus. File:H3 PumpHaus PrePro Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of Pump Haus.
Shaft was originally a map Cut Halo 2 levels|cut from ''Halo 2''. It was reconsidered for ''Halo 3'' in Max Hoberman's documentation as a large Big Team Battle map, though was ultimately cut again. Shaft will be the subject of the Digsite restoration process in the future.
The map internally codenamed "Warthog Inc" was focused on the Territories gametype, and one of the last maps cut from ''Halo 3''. The map was to be set in a location where the titular Warthog was built and tested, and was reported by Chris Carney as "playing really well"; consisting of a collection of five 1-2 storey buildings each containing a territory zone. The map also contained a Warthog "test track" which allowed the player to use vehicles in a medium-sized map, but made movement predictable as to keep them balanced versus infantry. The map was ultimately scrapped as it never hit an "amazing" level of gameplay.
According to multiplayer lead Max Hoberman and tester Dan Callan, the early versions of the map featured some kind of "device machine gimmicks", with Hoberman further clarifying that the map may have had doors in the back that the player could "bust through" - with both unable to fully recall the details exactly.
Interestingly, Warthog Inc was also included (albeit unplayable) in the files of the Halo 3 Beta|''Halo 3'' beta. Additionally, it seems that Warthog Inc's early blockout geometry can be seen being playtested by Bungie staff in the ViDoc Halo 3 ViDoc: Is Quisnam Protero Damno!|Is Quisnam Protero Damno!. In one shot, the level is seen selected in the custom game lobby, and the geometry shown matches the level icon found in the Halo 3 Delta|''Halo 3'' Delta build. Design documentation shared by Hoberman shows Warthog Inc as intended for 4-8+ players, and was in development by the time ''Halo 3'' ended pre-production.
File:H3 WarthogInc Sketches.png|Sketches for Warthog Inc's layout. File:H3 Vidoc WarthogInc.png|Bungie developers playing Warthog Inc in the ''Is Quisnam Protero Damno!'' ViDoc. File:H3 WarthogInc Screenshot.png|The level preview icon for Warthog Inc in the ''Halo 3'' Delta. File:H3 WarthogInc PrePro Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of Warthog Inc close to the end of ''Halo 3'' pre-production, shared by Max Hoberman on Twitter in 2023. File:H3 WarthogInc PrePro Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of Warthog Inc close to the end of ''Halo 3'' pre-production, shared by Max Hoberman on Twitter in 2023. File:H3 WarthogInc Late Screenshot 1.png|A later-stage version of Warthog Inc, as included in the ''Halo 3: ODST'' modding tools. File:H3 WarthogInc Late Screenshot 2.png|A later-stage version of Warthog Inc, as included in the ''Halo 3: ODST'' modding tools. File:H3 WarthogInc Late Screenshot 3.png|A later-stage version of Warthog Inc, as included in the ''Halo 3: ODST'' modding tools. File:H3 WarthogInc Late Screenshot 4.png|A later-stage version of Warthog Inc, as included in the ''Halo 3: ODST'' modding tools. File:H3 WarthogInc Late Screenshot 5.png|A later-stage version of Warthog Inc, as included in the ''Halo 3: ODST'' modding tools. File:H3 WarthogInc Late Screenshot 6.png|A later-stage version of Warthog Inc, as included in the ''Halo 3: ODST'' modding tools.
Sources
Category:Halo 3 deleted material
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File:H3 Alpha CampaignLevels.jpg|400px|thumb|A look at the campaign level selection in the Halo 3 Alpha|''Halo 3'' Alpha, showcasing the original selection of intended missions with their in-development names. File:H3 CampaignLayout DesignDoc.jpg|400px|thumb|An early design document, showing the original planned progression of campaign levels in ''Halo 3''.
During the Development of Halo 3|development of ''Halo 3'', a number of levels were cut or changed dramatically.
Cut campaign levels
A level named "Tsavo Township" was referenced by Vic DeLeon briefly on Twitter, as a map he still had some images of. This may be the map DeLeon referred to as an "Old Mombasa" test in another tweet. It is unclear whether this map is an internal codename for a final shipped level such as The Storm, or an internal prototype that never made ship.
Flood Ship, also known as 060_floodship was a cut level set after ''Floodgate'' and taking place in the crashed Indulgence of Conviction|Flood ship in Voi. The original objective of the level was to detonate the ship's reactor and escape. However, due to time constraints and other development issues, much of this was cut and reworked into the final version of ''Cortana (level)|Cortana''. Though it was present as a selectable level in the ''Halo 3 Alpha''. More detailed information about the level can be found Cortana (level)#Production notes|here and Floodgate#Production notes|here.
In the end, in the idea of the playable Floodship space was conjoined onto ''Floodgate''; Objects used in that section of the level can still be found in the 060_floodship folder in the ''Halo 3 Mod Tools''. The original objective of the level is still mentioned in the final version of ''Floodgate'' despite there being a different one: ''"Find the crashed Flood ship; overload its engine core."'' as stated by Miranda Keyes.
File:H3_FloodShipPaperSketch.jpeg|Early paper sketch for initial layout. File:H3 Floodgate DesignDoc 1.jpg|Original digital design document layout for the level. File:H3_FloodShipDesignDoc.jpeg|Another version of the previous layout, seemingly trimmed down. File:H3 Floodgate DesignDoc 2.jpg|Redone level layout much smaller in size.
Guardian Forest, also known as 080_forest was a cut level set between ''The Ark (level)|The Ark'' and ''The Covenant (level)|The Covenant''. The level was set in a large forest on Installation 00 and was to feature a new enemy, the Guardian.
File:H3_GuardianForestPaperSketch.jpeg|Early paper sketch titled "Guardian Forest". File:H3 GuardianForest DesignDoc.png|Digital design document titled "080 - Forest". File:H3 GuardianForest Concept 1.jpg|A piece of concept art for the level. File:H3 Guardian Concept 4.jpg|Concept art for the Guardian enemy.
alpine, known as 090_alpine in the game files, is a cut campaign mission viewable in the ''Halo 3'' game files due to the release of the ''Halo 3 Mod Tools''. The folder itself contains no files of particular note, but the name itself reveals several details. The name ''alpine'' describes the kind of terrain the mission was intended to have - perfectly matching the landscapes found in the final game level of The Covenant (level)|The Covenant - itself known as 100_citadel. The 100 designation clashes with another cut level, 100_forecity, due to the fact that 090_alpine and 100_forecity were combined to become 100_citadel. This process was done fairly early on in development.
When the aforementioned Guardian Forest level was cut, the planned Hornet sections were transplanted into The Covenant, indicating that this major restructuring likely occurred around the same time as - or because - of the dropping of Guardian Forest.
File:H3 CovenantApproachConcept.jpg|Concept art of the Pelican approach at the level's start. File:H3 CovenantBridgeConcept.jpg|Concept art of a bridge that did not make the finalized level. File:H3 Ark Warthog Concept.jpg|Early concept art of the level's closure. File:H3 TheCovenant Storyboard 5.jpg|An early Halo 3 storyboards|storyboard depicting an alternate High Charity crash sequence intended for alpine. File:H3 TheCovenant Storyboard 6.jpg|An early storyboard depicting an alternate High Charity crash sequence intended for alpine. File:H3_AlpinePaperSketch.jpeg|Early paper sketch titled "Alpine". File:H3_BarrierDesignDoc.jpeg|Digital design document titled "5.1 - Barrier".
The level in the Mod Tools files referred to as 100_forecity likely corresponds with Forerunner City, a map developed by Paul Russel for the purposes of experimenting with Forerunner architectural design. Although described by Russell and Vic DeLeon as a map primarily used to demonstrate new technologies for the Xbox 360 and Halo 3 Engine|new engine, designer Dan Miller is also on record as mentioning that he was assigned as a designer on this level - indicating it was at one point intended to be a playable level space.
File:TheLostCity.jpg|The outside of the map's third iteration. File:H3 TheLostCity Courtyard 3.jpg|An art pass version of the map. File:H3_ForeCity_DesignDoc_1.jpg|Early paper sketch titled "Forerunner City". File:H3_ForeCity_DesignDoc_2.jpg|Digital design document titled "6.1 - Forerunner City".
Early campaign levels
''High Charity'', also known as 110_hc_old, comprises the original layout of the mission Cortana, prior to the level being cut-down and replaced with portions of the map designed for #Flood Ship|Flood Ship.
File:H3_HighCharityPaperSketch.jpeg|Early paper sketch. File:H3 Cortana DesignDoc 1.jpg|Digital design document. File:H3_HighCharityDesignDoc.jpeg|Another version with a slightly reduced layout. File:H3 HighCharity Schematic Concept.jpg|A level schematic by Chris Barrett. File:MausoleumConcept.jpg|Concept art of John-117 looking at the Mausoleum of the Arbiter, as intended for this level.
Multiplayer maps A number of multiplayer maps were considered for inclusion in ''Halo 3'', including several that did not make the final cut. Notably, the maps "Wall of Cotton" and "Shaft" do not match any known development names for released multiplayer maps, nor fit the theme of any released in the final game. Known details on "Shaft" are detailed further down this page. The document also shows remakes of the maps Hang 'Em High, Blood Gulch and Lockout as considered for inclusion - the latter of which eventually making its way into the game as Blackout.
In the ''Halo 3'' component of ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'', a number of seemingly-leftover .mapinfo files were removed from the game at some point during the flighting process. These maps contain the aforementioned "shaft", alongside a presently-unknown map referenced as "volcano". The files also reference maps named "landslide", "damn", "beachhead", and "warthog_inc" and "pump_haus", discussed in-detail further down this page.
File:H3_Maps_Documentation.jpg|A list of maps intended for inclusion in ''Halo 3'' as of the end of pre-production. File:H3 Steam CutMaps.png|A selection of the .mapinfo files removed from ''The Master Chief Collection''.
During the Development of Halo 3: ODST|development of ''Halo 3: ODST'', the game project was forked from ''Halo 3'' during the downloadable content production cycle. As such, many in-progressed and unused DLC maps developed for ''ODST'' remain in the working directory and were included in the Series 9|July 2023 update for the ''Halo 3: ODST Editing Kit''. These maps include "anxiety", "desecration", "battlecreek", and the aforementioned "beachhead", "damn", "landslide", and "warthog_inc"; all are detailed further down this page.
"Anxiety" is one of the work-in-progress DLC maps included in the ''Halo 3: ODST'' modding toolkit as of the July 2023 update. It is a unique case among ''Halo'' multiplayer maps, as its origins lie in the original ''Halo Custom Edition'' modding community for PC in the early 2000s; the map is a remake of a ''Halo: Combat Evolved (PC port)|Halo PC'' map of the same name created by modders Mothergoat and :Category:Images by Jason Keith|Jason Keith, who goes by the username . During the production of the ''Halo 3'' map Heretic, Keith was hired to work at Bungie on a remote contract, and evidently worked on incorporating anxiety into ''Halo 3'' in some form. The original ''Custom Edition'' map can be downloaded from halomaps.org .
The map is symmetrical in layout and uses the Installation 00|Ark skybox from regular ''Halo 3''. It is set in a box canyon with a base at each end and a bridge going over the top of the map. Each team gets a M12 Chaingun Warthog and a M274 Mongoose.
File:H3 Anxiety Screenshot 1.png|A screenshot of Anxiety. File:H3 Anxiety Screenshot 2.png|A screenshot of Anxiety. File:H3 Anxiety Base Screenshot 1.png|One of the bases on Anxiety. File:H3 Anxiety Base Screenshot 2.png|The other base on Anxiety. File:H3 Anxiety Skybox Screenshot.png|The Ark visible in the map's skybox. File:H3 Anxiety Exterior Screenshot.png|An out-of-bounds screenshot of the map's exterior passages.
A remake of the ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' map Battle Creek was considered at some point in the ''Halo 3'' production process, with a revision of the map geo and skybox present in the ''ODST'' modding files. The map is untextured, displaying only a UV checker texture, and utilises the skybox from the Warthog run at the end of the final campaign level ''Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo''. The map is set on Installation 08, with the ring visible in the sky alongside the Ark.
File:H3 BattleCreek Screenshot 1.png|The Battle Creek remake. File:H3 BattleCreek Screenshot 2.png|The Battle Creek remake.
Beachhead is a map more familiar to ''Halo'' players as the map Tempest, later included in the Noble Map Pack DLC for ''Halo: Reach''. The map was worked on as early as October 2007, shortly after ''Halo 3''s launch, though ultimately never released. It was later finished off in the aforementioned ''Reach'' DLC, and included in an incomplete state in the ''ODST'' modding tools. Unlike the release version of Tempest, this one take more of an influence from the tropical beach palette used on the map Last Resort, though otherwise has very few layout changes from the version eventually released for players.
File:H3_Tempest_Concept_1.jpg|''Halo 3''-era concept art. File:H3_Tempest_Concept_2.jpg|''Halo 3''-era concept art. File:H3_Tempest_Concept_3.jpg|''Halo 3''-era concept art. File:H3 Tempest Screenshot 1.png|A screenshot of Beachhead, as featured in the modding tools. File:H3 Tempest Screenshot 2.png|A screenshot of Beachhead, as featured in the modding tools. File:H3 Tempest Screenshot 3.png|A screenshot of Beachhead, as featured in the modding tools.
"Damn" is another work-in-progress DLC map recovered in the ''ODST'' modding toolkit. The map is a restored playable version of the A2 Hydroelectric Facility seen in the final section of the campaign level Sierra 117. The map has had several adjustments from its campaign iteration, featuring a new night setting, an un-destroyed bridge that can be traversed, and spawns for weapons, equipment, and objectives.
File:H3 Damn Screenshot 1.png|A screenshot of damn. File:H3 Damn Screenshot 2.png|A screenshot of damn. File:H3 Damn Screenshot 3.png|A screenshot of damn's back path with an Active camouflage and an M41B SPNKr. File:H3 Damn Base Screenshot 1.png|A screenshot of one of the base interiors; located in the room where Avery Johnson|Johnson is captured in the campaign. It has spawns for a Covenant Carbine inside. File:H3 Damn Base Screenshot 2.png|A screenshot of the other base; it has a more-or-less identical layout to the first base, with an AIE-486H machine gun on top. File:H3 Damn Bridge Screenshot.png|A screenshot of damn's repaired (and unfinished) bridge, with a Z-4190 bubble shield|bubble shield in the middle.
"Desecration" is a map included in the ''ODST'' modding files, seemingly intended to replicate the aesthetics of the Flood-infested Covenant interiors found in the main campaign. Similarly to the interior of the crashed Ket-pattern battlecruiser|battlecruiser ''Indulgence of Conviction'' in Floodgate or High Charity in Cortana (level)|Cortana, the map features Covenant architecture overtaken by what seems to be Flood growths with a crashed D77H-TCI Pelican atop. The map has lots of vertical play, with ordnance pods scattered around to provide weapons and multiple gravity lifts to aid traversal.
File:H3 Desecration Screenshot 1.png|An overview of Desecration. File:H3 Desecration Screenshot 2.png|The interior of the Flood-infested Covenant structure. File:H3 Desecration Screenshot 3.png|The interior of the Flood-infested Covenant structure. File:H3 Desecration Screenshot 4.png|The interior of the Flood-infested Covenant structure. File:H3 Desecration Screenshot 5.png|The Covenant structure, as seen from above. File:H3 Desecration Screenshot 6.png|A look at the cliffs and walkways in front of the subterranean structure.
Little is known of "Gauntlet" - the map was used in development to test a variety of objective-based gamemodes that ultimately never appeared in the final release of ''Halo 3''. Interestingly, concept sketches for the map layout suggest the idea of ''Halo 3'' including several classes including "Assault", "Rifleman" and "Warthog Dude".
File:H3 Gauntlet Sketch.png|A sketch of Gauntlet's layout.
"Landslide" is a large Big Team Battle map with a very similar art theming to Valhalla, reusing the bases and skybox from that map alongside the general palette of environment textures and trees. The map itself is a rough horseshoe shape, with a single team base at either end. The two bases are both situated at the lowest point on the map, with the map inclining toward the middle of the horseshoe - the top of the hill contains a third, neutral base. Each team gets a Warthog and a M808C Scorpion|Scorpion tank, with the middle base containing a Ghost and a Warthog.
File:H3 Landslide Screenshot 1.png|An overview of Landslide. File:H3 Landslide Screenshot 2.png|Looking up the mountain. File:H3 Landslide Base Screenshot 1.png|The first base. File:H3 Landslide Base Screenshot 2.png|The second base. File:H3 Landslide HumanWall Screenshot.png|A human-made wall off to the right of the prior base. File:H3 Landslide Base Screenshot 3.png|The neutral base at the top of the mountain.
The map internally named "Monkey Mountain" was built for the Capture the Flag gametype, and consisted of the attacking team assaulting up a hill (similarly to High Ground) to capture the flag. However, the map had a unique twist in that the attackers could then drop the flag off a cliff next to the base into a river below, at which point a boat could drive the flag back home, similarly to the design of ''Halo 2''s map Relic. The map was ultimately scrapped due to the river mechanic not working well enough to justify including the map. Monkey Mountain was also to include a rideable elevator of some kind.
Design documentation shared by Max Hoberman shows Monkey Mountain as intended for 8-12+ players, and was in development by the time ''Halo 3'' ended pre-production.
File:H3 MonkeyMountain Sketch.png|A sketch of Monkey Mountain's layout.
The map internally nicknamed "Pump Haus" or "Pump Haus" was a small map listed in Hoberman's initial maps outline as intended for 2-4 players. Some released screenshots from close to the end of pre-production show Spartans stood inside the map in a very primitive state. The Spartans are stood inside a cylindrical room with a Ghost in the bottom. The upper levels of the room are surrounded by balconies and ledges, indicating this chamber is the focal point of the map.
Pump Haus' name, visuals, and theme, notably closely match the map Powerhouse featured in ''Halo: Reach''. It is unknown whether the two had a direct connection.
File:H3 PumpHaus PrePro Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of Pump Haus. File:H3 PumpHaus PrePro Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of Pump Haus.
Shaft was originally a map Cut Halo 2 levels|cut from ''Halo 2''. It was reconsidered for ''Halo 3'' in Max Hoberman's documentation as a large Big Team Battle map, though was ultimately cut again. Shaft will be the subject of the Digsite restoration process in the future.
The map internally codenamed "Warthog Inc" was focused on the Territories gametype, and one of the last maps cut from ''Halo 3''. The map was to be set in a location where the titular Warthog was built and tested, and was reported by Chris Carney as "playing really well"; consisting of a collection of five 1-2 storey buildings each containing a territory zone. The map also contained a Warthog "test track" which allowed the player to use vehicles in a medium-sized map, but made movement predictable as to keep them balanced versus infantry. The map was ultimately scrapped as it never hit an "amazing" level of gameplay.
According to multiplayer lead Max Hoberman and tester Dan Callan, the early versions of the map featured some kind of "device machine gimmicks", with Hoberman further clarifying that the map may have had doors in the back that the player could "bust through" - with both unable to fully recall the details exactly.
Interestingly, Warthog Inc was also included (albeit unplayable) in the files of the Halo 3 Beta|''Halo 3'' beta. Additionally, it seems that Warthog Inc's early blockout geometry can be seen being playtested by Bungie staff in the ViDoc Halo 3 ViDoc: Is Quisnam Protero Damno!|Is Quisnam Protero Damno!. In one shot, the level is seen selected in the custom game lobby, and the geometry shown matches the level icon found in the Halo 3 Delta|''Halo 3'' Delta build. Design documentation shared by Hoberman shows Warthog Inc as intended for 4-8+ players, and was in development by the time ''Halo 3'' ended pre-production.
File:H3 WarthogInc Sketches.png|Sketches for Warthog Inc's layout. File:H3 Vidoc WarthogInc.png|Bungie developers playing Warthog Inc in the ''Is Quisnam Protero Damno!'' ViDoc. File:H3 WarthogInc Screenshot.png|The level preview icon for Warthog Inc in the ''Halo 3'' Delta. File:H3 WarthogInc PrePro Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of Warthog Inc close to the end of ''Halo 3'' pre-production, shared by Max Hoberman on Twitter in 2023. File:H3 WarthogInc PrePro Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of Warthog Inc close to the end of ''Halo 3'' pre-production, shared by Max Hoberman on Twitter in 2023. File:H3 WarthogInc Late Screenshot 1.png|A later-stage version of Warthog Inc, as included in the ''Halo 3: ODST'' modding tools. File:H3 WarthogInc Late Screenshot 2.png|A later-stage version of Warthog Inc, as included in the ''Halo 3: ODST'' modding tools. File:H3 WarthogInc Late Screenshot 3.png|A later-stage version of Warthog Inc, as included in the ''Halo 3: ODST'' modding tools. File:H3 WarthogInc Late Screenshot 4.png|A later-stage version of Warthog Inc, as included in the ''Halo 3: ODST'' modding tools. File:H3 WarthogInc Late Screenshot 5.png|A later-stage version of Warthog Inc, as included in the ''Halo 3: ODST'' modding tools. File:H3 WarthogInc Late Screenshot 6.png|A later-stage version of Warthog Inc, as included in the ''Halo 3: ODST'' modding tools.
Sources
Category:Halo 3 deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo 3|production of ''Halo 3'', several vehicles were concepted and implemented - though ultimately cut for various reasons.
Human vehicles
The Falcon was a vehicle Cut Halo 2 vehicles#Falcon|envisioned by Marcus Lehto during the Development of Halo 2|production of ''Halo 2'', but ultimately unrealised. Bungie continued their interest in the Falcon in the production of ''Halo 3'' with a handful of concepts being produced by Lehto and Isaac Hannaford. Ultimately, these concepts resulted in the creation of the AV-14 Hornet|Hornet gunship, with the Falcon later fully-realised in ''Halo: Reach'' as a helicopter.
File:H2_Falcon_Concept.jpg|Marcus Lehto's early ''Halo 2'' Falcon sketches. File:Early Falcon Concept.jpg|An early sketch for ''Halo 3'', by Lehto. Note the introduction of the Hornet's silhouette. File:H3 Falcon Concept.png|Concept art by Isaac Hannaford, featured in the ''Halo Encyclopedia'' and ''The Art of Halo 3''.
In the original :File:H3 Script FirstDraft.pdf|first-draft script produced for ''Halo 3'', a number of frigates were to be featured in the game's campaign. Due to the early phase of development, the script calls them out as s (the same a from ''Halo 2''), but they were ultimately redesigned for the final game as the .
In the early script, a frigate named replaces as the main ship featured in the game's plot. In addition, a number of other frigates are namedropped; , , and . Unlike the final game, seven frigates in total are featured in the campaign, with three kept in hiding by Terrence Hood|Lord Hood over the Arctic circle on Earth, and another four in the Atacama Desert. These seven frigates are used in the Battle of Voi|attack on the Keyship at the end of The Storm, and accompany the Elites' Fleet of Retribution to Installation 00|the Ark later on. In that battle, most of the frigates are destroyed with the exception of ''Providence'' and ''Ningbo''.
Several pieces of concept art were produced for ''Halo 3'' depicting these frigates in combat, with the ''Providence'' prominently featured. The artwork featuring ''Providence'' is featured in the Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)|2009 and Halo Encyclopedia (2011 edition)|2011 ''Halo'' encyclopedias.
While ''Halo 2''s ''Stalwart''-class frigates were redesigned for ''Halo 3'', a concept revision produced by Isaac Hannaford ultimately went unused - and was later used again in ''Halo: Reach'' as the . The ship depicted in this concept art, , is featured in ''The Art of Halo 3'' and the aforementioned ''Halo'' encyclopedias.
In the final ''Halo 3'' release, three ''Charon''-class frigates can be seen at the end of The Storm, with two going unnamed and the ''Providence'' renamed ''Forward Unto Dawn''. A fourth frigate is featured on Sandtrap, .
File:H3_SpaceBattle_Concept.jpg|Concept art for ''Providence'' in combat. File:H3_ProvidenceBattle_Concept.png|Concept art for ''Providence'' struck by weapons fire, used in the ''Halo Encyclopedia''. File:H3_UNSCAndraste_Concept.png|Concept art for ''Andraste'' - ultimately unused in ''Halo 3'' but later reused in ''Reach''.
A Medical Troop Warthog was a variant of the M831 Troop Transport Warthog that was to appear in ''Halo 3''. It was cut from the game during development; however, its files remained in the game's code and can be accessed through modding. It was first discovered in the files of the Halo 3 Beta|''Halo 3'' Beta and is present in the final game as well, although it was never used. Interestingly, Marines will sit on the stretchers like they would do on a normal M831 Troop Transport Warthog, suggesting that it was never fully completed.
Presumably, this vehicle's role would have been to transport wounded troops off of the battlefield to an aid station. It was therefore likely intended to be used during cinematics rather than during gameplay.
File:Medic Warthog 1.png|The Warthog modded into The Pit.
Covenant vehicles
In an early beta build of ''Halo 3'' dated March 2007, a very early version of the Ogab'd-pattern anti-aircraft Wraith|Anti-Air Wraith can be found. Unlike the version found in the final game, this early AA Wraith is covered in a purple sheen like the regular Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith, and lacks its fuel rod armaments. Instead, the early AA Wraith boats a pair of top-mounted automatic plasma cannons, though they share the same design as what would become the fuel rod cannons. The vehicle can be found on the map Snowbound in this beta build.
File:H3_Beta_AAWraith_Driving.png|Driving the early AA Wraith. File:H3_Beta_AAWraith_Shooting.png|Shooting the early AA Wraith.
The is featured in the final ''Halo 3'' game as an AI enemy which can be fought in the levels The Storm, The Ark (level)|The Ark and The Covenant (level)|The Covenant. However, mission design documents for the level Forerunner City showcase a planned encounter in which the player would be able to drive the Scarab and fire its focus cannon. In the level, the player was to emerge from a Forerunner structure to find a Flood-infected Scarab blocking their path. With the aid of Guardian Sentinels, they were to destroy the Scarab and take it over - using it to destroy some gates keeping the Scarab locked in a courtyard before proceeding to drive the Scarab and use it to fight two other Scarabs.
While this segment was ultimately cut, the premise of fighting two Scarabs was preserved in the final game in the battle outside the Installation 00 Citadel|Citadel on The Covenant. Another attempt would later be made to feature a drivable Scarab in ''Halo: Reach'', though this was also Cut Halo: Reach vehicles#Scarab|ultimately cut.
File:H3 ForeCity DesignDoc 2.jpg|A design document for 100_forecity, with the Scarab encounter noted at point D.
Referenced only as a physics model within ''Halo 3''s code, the "Mantis" (not to be confused with the Skar'wa-pattern Mantis|Mantis AA gun from the campaign or the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark IX Mantis|Mantis mech from ''Halo 4'') appears to have been a design for a cut mech of some kind. The physics model present within the ''Halo 3'' code references parameters for walking and manipulating legs. It is likely that these entries correspond to the early cut version of the Shade turret found in the March 2007 beta for ''Halo 3''. This early model Shade can be spawned in Forge on the map High Ground, and resembles a walker with six legs, a seat and a plasma cannon. The plasma cannon has a very high rate of fire and can quickly destroy a Mongoose, though the overall movement speed for the Shade is slow, and it cannot climb stairs very well.
According to designer Dan Miller, these Shades were intended to walk slowly to allow them to dodge incoming fire. The feature was ultimately cut as the turrets "looked stupid" and the design "didn't make sense". Jaime Griesemer later elaborated on this, explaining that the Mantis was to have been "entirely physics driven" and posess the ability to jump - further agreeing that the concept was "ridiculous".
File:H3 Beta ShadeWalker.png|The Shade, as spawned in Forge/Halo 3|Forge. File:H3 Beta ShadeWalker Rear.png|The rear of the walker. File:H3 Beta ShadeWalker Driving.png|A Spartan driving the vehicle. File:H3 Beta ShadeWalker Shooting.png|The vehicle shooting its plasma cannon. File:HTMCC-H3-Generalshadewalker.jpg|The Mantis on Snowbound, with a UV checker default texture.
Forerunner vehicles
Much like the Enforcer in ''Halo 2'', the cut enemy Guardian Sentinel was to work - behind the scenes - as a vehicle with AI. As such, properties for the cut Guardian enemy remain in the game files for ''Halo 3'' as a vehicle - the enemy was planned to be present on the cut level Guardian Forest.
Sources
Category:Halo 3 deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo 3|production of ''Halo 3'', several vehicles were concepted and implemented - though ultimately cut for various reasons.
Human vehicles
The Falcon was a vehicle Cut Halo 2 vehicles#Falcon|envisioned by Marcus Lehto during the Development of Halo 2|production of ''Halo 2'', but ultimately unrealised. Bungie continued their interest in the Falcon in the production of ''Halo 3'' with a handful of concepts being produced by Lehto and Isaac Hannaford. Ultimately, these concepts resulted in the creation of the AV-14 Hornet|Hornet gunship, with the Falcon later fully-realised in ''Halo: Reach'' as a helicopter.
File:H2_Falcon_Concept.jpg|Marcus Lehto's early ''Halo 2'' Falcon sketches. File:Early Falcon Concept.jpg|An early sketch for ''Halo 3'', by Lehto. Note the introduction of the Hornet's silhouette. File:H3 Falcon Concept.png|Concept art by Isaac Hannaford, featured in the ''Halo Encyclopedia'' and ''The Art of Halo 3''.
In the original :File:H3 Script FirstDraft.pdf|first-draft script produced for ''Halo 3'', a number of frigates were to be featured in the game's campaign. Due to the early phase of development, the script calls them out as s (the same a from ''Halo 2''), but they were ultimately redesigned for the final game as the .
In the early script, a frigate named replaces as the main ship featured in the game's plot. In addition, a number of other frigates are namedropped; , , and . Unlike the final game, seven frigates in total are featured in the campaign, with three kept in hiding by Terrence Hood|Lord Hood over the Arctic circle on Earth, and another four in the Atacama Desert. These seven frigates are used in the Battle of Voi|attack on the Keyship at the end of The Storm, and accompany the Elites' Fleet of Retribution to Installation 00|the Ark later on. In that battle, most of the frigates are destroyed with the exception of ''Providence'' and ''Ningbo''.
Several pieces of concept art were produced for ''Halo 3'' depicting these frigates in combat, with the ''Providence'' prominently featured. The artwork featuring ''Providence'' is featured in the Halo Encyclopedia (2009 edition)|2009 and Halo Encyclopedia (2011 edition)|2011 ''Halo'' encyclopedias.
While ''Halo 2''s ''Stalwart''-class frigates were redesigned for ''Halo 3'', a concept revision produced by Isaac Hannaford ultimately went unused - and was later used again in ''Halo: Reach'' as the . The ship depicted in this concept art, , is featured in ''The Art of Halo 3'' and the aforementioned ''Halo'' encyclopedias.
In the final ''Halo 3'' release, three ''Charon''-class frigates can be seen at the end of The Storm, with two going unnamed and the ''Providence'' renamed ''Forward Unto Dawn''. A fourth frigate is featured on Sandtrap, .
File:H3_SpaceBattle_Concept.jpg|Concept art for ''Providence'' in combat. File:H3_ProvidenceBattle_Concept.png|Concept art for ''Providence'' struck by weapons fire, used in the ''Halo Encyclopedia''. File:H3_UNSCAndraste_Concept.png|Concept art for ''Andraste'' - ultimately unused in ''Halo 3'' but later reused in ''Reach''.
A Medical Troop Warthog was a variant of the M831 Troop Transport Warthog that was to appear in ''Halo 3''. It was cut from the game during development; however, its files remained in the game's code and can be accessed through modding. It was first discovered in the files of the Halo 3 Beta|''Halo 3'' Beta and is present in the final game as well, although it was never used. Interestingly, Marines will sit on the stretchers like they would do on a normal M831 Troop Transport Warthog, suggesting that it was never fully completed.
Presumably, this vehicle's role would have been to transport wounded troops off of the battlefield to an aid station. It was therefore likely intended to be used during cinematics rather than during gameplay.
File:Medic Warthog 1.png|The Warthog modded into The Pit.
Covenant vehicles
In an early beta build of ''Halo 3'' dated March 2007, a very early version of the Ogab'd-pattern anti-aircraft Wraith|Anti-Air Wraith can be found. Unlike the version found in the final game, this early AA Wraith is covered in a purple sheen like the regular Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith, and lacks its fuel rod armaments. Instead, the early AA Wraith boats a pair of top-mounted automatic plasma cannons, though they share the same design as what would become the fuel rod cannons. The vehicle can be found on the map Snowbound in this beta build.
File:H3_Beta_AAWraith_Driving.png|Driving the early AA Wraith. File:H3_Beta_AAWraith_Shooting.png|Shooting the early AA Wraith.
The is featured in the final ''Halo 3'' game as an AI enemy which can be fought in the levels The Storm, The Ark (level)|The Ark and The Covenant (level)|The Covenant. However, mission design documents for the level Forerunner City showcase a planned encounter in which the player would be able to drive the Scarab and fire its focus cannon. In the level, the player was to emerge from a Forerunner structure to find a Flood-infected Scarab blocking their path. With the aid of Guardian Sentinels, they were to destroy the Scarab and take it over - using it to destroy some gates keeping the Scarab locked in a courtyard before proceeding to drive the Scarab and use it to fight two other Scarabs.
While this segment was ultimately cut, the premise of fighting two Scarabs was preserved in the final game in the battle outside the Installation 00 Citadel|Citadel on The Covenant. Another attempt would later be made to feature a drivable Scarab in ''Halo: Reach'', though this was also Cut Halo: Reach vehicles#Scarab|ultimately cut.
File:H3 ForeCity DesignDoc 2.jpg|A design document for 100_forecity, with the Scarab encounter noted at point D.
Referenced only as a physics model within ''Halo 3''s code, the "Mantis" (not to be confused with the Skar'wa-pattern Mantis|Mantis AA gun from the campaign or the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark IX Mantis|Mantis mech from ''Halo 4'') appears to have been a design for a cut mech of some kind. The physics model present within the ''Halo 3'' code references parameters for walking and manipulating legs. It is likely that these entries correspond to the early cut version of the Shade turret found in the March 2007 beta for ''Halo 3''. This early model Shade can be spawned in Forge on the map High Ground, and resembles a walker with six legs, a seat and a plasma cannon. The plasma cannon has a very high rate of fire and can quickly destroy a Mongoose, though the overall movement speed for the Shade is slow, and it cannot climb stairs very well.
According to designer Dan Miller, these Shades were intended to walk slowly to allow them to dodge incoming fire. The feature was ultimately cut as the turrets "looked stupid" and the design "didn't make sense". Jaime Griesemer later elaborated on this, explaining that the Mantis was to have been "entirely physics driven" and posess the ability to jump - further agreeing that the concept was "ridiculous".
File:H3 Beta ShadeWalker.png|The Shade, as spawned in Forge/Halo 3|Forge. File:H3 Beta ShadeWalker Rear.png|The rear of the walker. File:H3 Beta ShadeWalker Driving.png|A Spartan driving the vehicle. File:H3 Beta ShadeWalker Shooting.png|The vehicle shooting its plasma cannon. File:HTMCC-H3-Generalshadewalker.jpg|The Mantis on Snowbound, with a UV checker default texture.
Forerunner vehicles
Much like the Enforcer in ''Halo 2'', the cut enemy Guardian Sentinel was to work - behind the scenes - as a vehicle with AI. As such, properties for the cut Guardian enemy remain in the game files for ''Halo 3'' as a vehicle - the enemy was planned to be present on the cut level Guardian Forest.
Sources
Category:Halo 3 deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo 3|production of ''Halo 3'', several weapons were concepted and implemented - though ultimately cut for various reasons.
UNSC
During the game's development, it seems that a second rocket launcher was intended for inclusion. Several pieces of concept art for this weapon can be found in ''The Art of Halo 3'', showcasing multiple rocket launcher designs reminiscent of the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Anti-air rocket launcher|anti-air rocket launcher cut from ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. One of these concepts is famously known as the "G4H-DuSH", derived from the wikipedia:Leet|L33t speak for "gah-dush", an onomatopoeia of the sound a rocket makes when it is launched or detonates.
An image posted by Reddit user "sneakyfellow" showcases a weapon resembling these concepts in the Halo 3 Alpha|''Halo 3'' Alpha, though no details are known of its in-game operation. Given its resemblance to the anti-air rocket launcher, it is possible this weapon was eventually superseded by the LAU-65D/SGM-151 missile pod|missile pod.
A later leak of the ''Halo 3'' Alpha showcases some more gameplay of this weapon. Referred to in-game as the Missile Launcher, the weapon is an untextured model. It has a fully-realised HUD and carries one rocket, before needing to reload. The weapon fires a single missile with a fair degree of drop.
File:G4H-DuSH-RocketLauncher-Concept.png|Concept art for the "G4H-DuSH". File:H3_CutRocketLauncher_Concept_1.png|Concept art for the rocket launcher. File:H3_CutRocketLauncher_Concept_2.png|Concept art for the rocket launcher. File:H3 - Manual interior.jpg|Concept art used in the Halo 3 manual|''Halo 3'' manual depicting John-117 holding a missile launcher. File:H3 Alpha RocketLauncher.jpg|A picture of the rocket launcher in the ''Halo 3'' Alpha. File:H3 Alpha MissileLauncher Ground.png|The missile launcher on the ground inside a base on Valhalla. File:H3 Alpha MissileLauncher ThirdPerson.png|A Spartan holding the missile launcher. File:H3 Alpha MissileLauncher FirstPerson.png|A view of the missile launcher in first-person.
Covenant
The Excavator is a weapon found in early beta builds of ''Halo 3'', and can be found in the Halo 3 ViDoc: Et Tu, Brute?|Et Tu, Brute? ViDoc wielded by Jiralhanae|Brutes. The weapon is an early version of the Mauler found in the final game; the original design and concept for the Mauler was based on the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Excavator|Excavator weapon cut from ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. The weapon can be found in the ''Halo 3 Beta''.
File:H3 BruteExcavator.png|A Brute wielding the Excavator in ''Et Tu, Brute?''. File:H3_Beta_Excavator.png|The Excavator in the Beta. File:H3_Beta_Excavator_FP.png|The Excavator held in first-person - note the transparency effect on the gun.
Forerunner
In early production, the planned Guardian Sentinel in the titular Guardian Forest level was to have a unique weapon of its own. In the planned encounters, players would have been able to hijack the Guardian and rip out the Sentinel's eye, using it as a powerful weapon. Little is known of this weapon's planned function.
File:H3_Guardian_Concept_4.jpg|Near-final concept art for the Guardian Sentinel, with its distinctive red eye prominently-featured. File:H3_Epitaph_Hologram.png|A model of the Guardian featured on Epitaph.
Equipment Alongside the various cut weapons, a number of equipment items were cut or significantly altered prior to release.
The Type 14 Magnetic/Anti-Tank Mine|bomb used in the Assault gametype appears in the Beta, similar in purpose to the TR/9 trip mine|trip mine. The bomb can be picked up and thrown as an equipment, at which point it will roll along the ground while beeping and flashing red. The beeping escalates in frequency, ultimately resulting in an explosion.
File:H3 Beta07 Bomb Pickup.png|The bomb in the March 2007 beta. File:H3 Beta07 Bomb Thrown.png|The bomb in the March 2007 beta. File:H3 Beta07 Bomb Explosion.png|The bomb in the March 2007 beta.
Found in the files of the Halo 3 Beta|''Halo 3'' Beta, this early version of the TR/9 trip mine boasts a distinctly Covenant themeing as opposed to the aesthetic found in the final game. The metal and lights on the mine have a blue/purple hue rather than the brown-orange seen in the final game. The files in the Beta only have a model and texture, with no associated gameplay functions.
File:H3 Beta CovenantTripMine Screenshot 1.jpg|The Covenant tripmine in the ''Halo 3'' Beta. File:H3_Modded_CovenantTripMine_Screenshot_1.png|The Covenant tripmine restored into ''Halo 3'' via the use of modding.
Various early forms of the Z-4190 bubble shield|bubble shield can be found in early builds and trailers. One of the most notable can be found in the ''Starry Night'' trailer, thrown to the ground by John-117 to avoid incoming plasma mortar fire. This model seems to be based upon the version found in the March 2007 Beta build of ''Halo 3'', shown below.
Another, model of the bubble shield found in ViDocs and the multiplayer beta appears to use a similar design to the radar jammer and power drain, except yellow. This bubble shield is capable of rolling along the ground, pulling the shield with it.
File:BubbleShield StarryNight.jpg|A closeup of the bubble shield model in ''Starry Night''. File:Avatars Halo Halo3 Shield.jpg|The ''Starry Night'' bubble shield in use. File:H3 Beta07 BubbleShield Pickup.png|The bubble shield pickup in the March 2007 beta. File:H3 Beta07 BubbleShield Interior.png|The active bubble shield pickup in the March 2007 beta. File:H3 Beta07 BubbleShield Exterior.png|The active bubble shield pickup in the March 2007 beta. File:1179249572.jpg|An early bubble shield in the multiplayer beta.
Sources
Category:Halo 3 deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo 3|production of ''Halo 3'', several weapons were concepted and implemented - though ultimately cut for various reasons.
UNSC
During the game's development, it seems that a second rocket launcher was intended for inclusion. Several pieces of concept art for this weapon can be found in ''The Art of Halo 3'', showcasing multiple rocket launcher designs reminiscent of the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Anti-air rocket launcher|anti-air rocket launcher cut from ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. One of these concepts is famously known as the "G4H-DuSH", derived from the wikipedia:Leet|L33t speak for "gah-dush", an onomatopoeia of the sound a rocket makes when it is launched or detonates.
An image posted by Reddit user "sneakyfellow" showcases a weapon resembling these concepts in the Halo 3 Alpha|''Halo 3'' Alpha, though no details are known of its in-game operation. Given its resemblance to the anti-air rocket launcher, it is possible this weapon was eventually superseded by the LAU-65D/SGM-151 missile pod|missile pod.
A later leak of the ''Halo 3'' Alpha showcases some more gameplay of this weapon. Referred to in-game as the Missile Launcher, the weapon is an untextured model. It has a fully-realised HUD and carries one rocket, before needing to reload. The weapon fires a single missile with a fair degree of drop.
File:G4H-DuSH-RocketLauncher-Concept.png|Concept art for the "G4H-DuSH". File:H3_CutRocketLauncher_Concept_1.png|Concept art for the rocket launcher. File:H3_CutRocketLauncher_Concept_2.png|Concept art for the rocket launcher. File:H3 - Manual interior.jpg|Concept art used in the Halo 3 manual|''Halo 3'' manual depicting John-117 holding a missile launcher. File:H3 Alpha RocketLauncher.jpg|A picture of the rocket launcher in the ''Halo 3'' Alpha. File:H3 Alpha MissileLauncher Ground.png|The missile launcher on the ground inside a base on Valhalla. File:H3 Alpha MissileLauncher ThirdPerson.png|A Spartan holding the missile launcher. File:H3 Alpha MissileLauncher FirstPerson.png|A view of the missile launcher in first-person.
Covenant
The Excavator is a weapon found in early beta builds of ''Halo 3'', and can be found in the Halo 3 ViDoc: Et Tu, Brute?|Et Tu, Brute? ViDoc wielded by Jiralhanae|Brutes. The weapon is an early version of the Mauler found in the final game; the original design and concept for the Mauler was based on the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Excavator|Excavator weapon cut from ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. The weapon can be found in the ''Halo 3 Beta''.
File:H3 BruteExcavator.png|A Brute wielding the Excavator in ''Et Tu, Brute?''. File:H3_Beta_Excavator.png|The Excavator in the Beta. File:H3_Beta_Excavator_FP.png|The Excavator held in first-person - note the transparency effect on the gun.
Forerunner
In early production, the planned Guardian Sentinel in the titular Guardian Forest level was to have a unique weapon of its own. In the planned encounters, players would have been able to hijack the Guardian and rip out the Sentinel's eye, using it as a powerful weapon. Little is known of this weapon's planned function.
File:H3_Guardian_Concept_4.jpg|Near-final concept art for the Guardian Sentinel, with its distinctive red eye prominently-featured. File:H3_Epitaph_Hologram.png|A model of the Guardian featured on Epitaph.
Equipment Alongside the various cut weapons, a number of equipment items were cut or significantly altered prior to release.
The Type 14 Magnetic/Anti-Tank Mine|bomb used in the Assault gametype appears in the Beta, similar in purpose to the TR/9 trip mine|trip mine. The bomb can be picked up and thrown as an equipment, at which point it will roll along the ground while beeping and flashing red. The beeping escalates in frequency, ultimately resulting in an explosion.
File:H3 Beta07 Bomb Pickup.png|The bomb in the March 2007 beta. File:H3 Beta07 Bomb Thrown.png|The bomb in the March 2007 beta. File:H3 Beta07 Bomb Explosion.png|The bomb in the March 2007 beta.
Found in the files of the Halo 3 Beta|''Halo 3'' Beta, this early version of the TR/9 trip mine boasts a distinctly Covenant themeing as opposed to the aesthetic found in the final game. The metal and lights on the mine have a blue/purple hue rather than the brown-orange seen in the final game. The files in the Beta only have a model and texture, with no associated gameplay functions.
File:H3 Beta CovenantTripMine Screenshot 1.jpg|The Covenant tripmine in the ''Halo 3'' Beta. File:H3_Modded_CovenantTripMine_Screenshot_1.png|The Covenant tripmine restored into ''Halo 3'' via the use of modding.
Various early forms of the Z-4190 bubble shield|bubble shield can be found in early builds and trailers. One of the most notable can be found in the ''Starry Night'' trailer, thrown to the ground by John-117 to avoid incoming plasma mortar fire. This model seems to be based upon the version found in the March 2007 Beta build of ''Halo 3'', shown below.
Another, model of the bubble shield found in ViDocs and the multiplayer beta appears to use a similar design to the radar jammer and power drain, except yellow. This bubble shield is capable of rolling along the ground, pulling the shield with it.
File:BubbleShield StarryNight.jpg|A closeup of the bubble shield model in ''Starry Night''. File:Avatars Halo Halo3 Shield.jpg|The ''Starry Night'' bubble shield in use. File:H3 Beta07 BubbleShield Pickup.png|The bubble shield pickup in the March 2007 beta. File:H3 Beta07 BubbleShield Interior.png|The active bubble shield pickup in the March 2007 beta. File:H3 Beta07 BubbleShield Exterior.png|The active bubble shield pickup in the March 2007 beta. File:1179249572.jpg|An early bubble shield in the multiplayer beta.
Sources
Category:Halo 3 deleted material
|
Following in the footsteps of ''Halo: Reach'', ''Halo 4'' featured a large variety of player customization options, some of which hit the cutting room floor.
Armor
The CIO armor of ''Halo 4'' featured multiple released skins, one of which was "Ruin", released with McFarlane Toys/Halo 4 Series 2|Series 2 of McFarlane's ''Halo 4'' line of figures. The concept art of "Ruin" shows the armor's skin was originally present on its wrists and legs, but the skin's final release only features the skin on the armor's helmet, chest, and shoulders.
File:H4 - CIO armor (RUIN) - Transparent.png|A piece of art for the "Ruin" skin, showing the original wrist and leg patterns.
The Gungnir armor set's renders show the armor possessing unique wrist armor that would not be seen in the final release of ''Halo 4''. While it would not appear in ''Halo 4'', the armor's ''Halo 5: Guardians'' incarnation would feature it, as would ''Halo Online'', and later, ''Halo 3's'' variant of the armor, dubbed COS-class Mjolnir.
File:H4 MJOLNIR Gungnir.png|A render of the Gungnir set for ''Halo 4'', featuring unique wrists.
The Hayabusa armor, originally debuted as a crossover Armor customization (Halo 3)|armor set in ''Halo 3'', was concepted and modelled for inclusion in ''Halo 4'' though ultimately never realized. This may be due to rights issues, as the original Hayabusa design was created because of ''Dead or Alive 4''s inclusion of Nicole-458 as a character.
File:H4 Concept MultiplayerArmors.jpg|Concept art for many ''Halo 4'' armors, including Hayabusa (third row, third column). File:H4 Hayabusa armor 3d model.jpg|Front and back renders of the Hayabusa armor in ''Halo 4''. File:H4 Hayabusa armor 3d model-2.jpg|Angled front and back renders.
The Infiltrator armor was implemented in the final game, though some in-progress renders showcase a unique forearm design for the Infiltrator set not used in the final ''Halo 4'' release. These wrists would later go on to be used in ''Halo 5: Guardians'' and ''Halo Online'', and the ''Online'' armour port to ''Halo 3''.
File:H4 Infiltrator Concept Art.jpg|Concept art for Infiltrator, with the unused forearms on the left. File:H4 Infiltrator HighPoly Render.jpg|A render of the Infiltrator high-poly model, with the unused forearms.
The base Locus helmet was originally accompanied by a variant with an alternate skin. Instead of an X-shaped pattern adorning the helmet's skull-like face, a basic stripe ran down this variant's face. This skin wasn't just exclusive to renders done by Liquid Development, and could be seen in officially released screenshots, although it remains unobtainable in both ''Halo 4'', and ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection''.
File:H4 Locus CutSkin Render.jpg|The unreleased Locus skin, seen in a render done by Liquid Development's John Turner. File:Halo 4 - Locus - Undefined skin.jpg|The unreleased Locus skin, being used on Ragnarok. File:Halo 4 - Locus flag.png|A Spartan wearing this variant on Solace.
As seen in ''Awakening: The Art of Halo 4'', the Mark IV armor set was concepted for inclusion in ''Halo 4''. For unknown reasons, it was never fully realized, although it'd later make its debut in ''Halo 5: Guardians'' during the Cartographer's Gift update.
File:H4 ConceptArt MarkIV.png|Concept art of Mark IV.
Liquid Development renders for Recon show the armor set was meant to get a unique set of leg armor, which was modelled fully. This unique permutation would be seen in ''Spartan Ops'', with Anthony Madsen wearing it, but would remain unobtainable to players. While the armor would not appear in ''Halo 4'', the armor's ''Halo 5: Guardians'' incarnation would feature this unique leg armor.
H4_Recon_Legs_3d_model.jpg|The Recon armor set's unique leg armor. H4-AnthonyMadsen-ScanRender.png|Anthony Madsen's character model, featuring the same armor.
Renders seen for the Soldier armor set in ''Halo 4'' show the set featuring unique wrist and leg armor. These unique permutations would be seen in ''Spartan Ops'', with Paul DeMarco wearing them, but remain unobtainable to players in-game. While the armor would not appear in ''Halo 4'', the armor's ''Halo 5: Guardians'' incarnation would feature it, as would ''Halo Online'', and later, ''Halo 3's'' variant of the armor.
File:H4 Soldier 3d model.jpg|The Soldier armor set, featuring the unobtainable wrist and leg armor. File:H4-PaulDeMarco-ScanRender.png|Paul DeMarco's character model, featuring the same armor.
The Protector armor was implemented in the final game, though some in-progress renders showcase a unique leg design for the Protector set not used in the final ''Halo 4'' release. These legs would later go on to be used in ''Halo 5: Guardians''.
File:H4 Protector HighPoly Render.jpg|A render of the Protector set's high-poly model, with the unused legs.
Weapon skins
In addition to cut armour options, ''Halo 4'' had a large number of Weapon skins (Halo 4)|weapon skins that went unused in the original launch. Two such skins; Concrete (DMR) and Blast (BR), were present in the files of the original ''Halo 4'' Xbox 360 release, introduced in the Halo 4 Title Updates#Title Update 8/19/2013|8/19/2013 Title Update though unusable in-game outside of Halo 4 weapon skin glitch|a glitch in custom games, and modding. These two skins were introduced into the ''Halo 4'' component of ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'' with the game's release on PC platforms in Series 4: Reclaimer and Series 7: Elite for Blast and Concrete, respectively.
File:H4_Render_BattleRifle-BLAST.png|Blast (BLS) Battle Rifle. File:H4_Render_DMR-CONCRETE.png|Concrete (CTE) DMR. H4 - Blast skin (default).jpg|Blast BR skin. BR_Blast.png|The cut BR85HB Blast skin if it was included in ''Halo 4''. H4 - Blast skin.png|A close-up of the menu render of the Blast skin in ''Halo 4''s menu. H4 - Concrete skin (default).jpg|Concrete DMR skin. DMR_Concrete.png|The cut M395 DMR Concrete skin if it was included in the game. H4 - Concrete skin.png|A close-up of the menu render of the Concrete skin.
In addition to the skins above, a number of additional never-before skins were introduced to ''The Master Chief Collection'' in Seasons 4 and 7, respectively - presumably additional cutting room floor skin variants that never saw the light of day in the original release.
File:H4_Render_AR-PIXEL.png|Pixel (PXL) Assault Rifle. File:H4_Render_BR-EDGEWORK.png|Edgework (EWK) Battle Rifle. File:H4_Render_BR-PIXEL.png|Pixel (PXL) Battle Rifle. File:H4_Render_BR-MAW.png|Maw (MAW) Battle Rifle. File:H4_Render_DMR-Blood.png|Blood (BLD) DMR. File:H4_Render_DMR-PIXEL.png|Pixel (PXL) DMR. File:H4_Render_DMR-EWK.png|Edgework (EWK) DMR. File:H4_Render_Magnum-BLOOD.png|Blood (BLD) Magnum. File:H4_Render_Magnum-MAW.png|Maw (MAW) Magnum. File:H4_Render_Magnum-EWK.png|Edgework (EWK) Magnum. File:H4_Render_Magnum-PIXEL.png|Pixel (PXL) Magnum.
These skins are unused variants of those which made appearances in the final releases of ''Halo 4'', or ''The Master Chief Collection''.
File:H4 ShatterSuppressor.png|Unused variant of the Shatter skin. File:H4 - Shatter skin (transparent).png|The final game's Shatter skin, for comparison.
Sources
Category:Halo 4 deleted material Category:Halo 4 multiplayer armor permutations
|
During the development of ''Halo 4'', a number of maps were concepted and partially-developed though cut from the game for various reasons. Many of these maps were concepted by company , contracted by 343 Industries to help with the production of the game's Downloadable content|DLC map packs. A number of map ideas and concepts were pitched to 343 but went unused, and have since been released online.
Many of these early level blockouts can be found in the ''Halo 4'' tags build - an early prototype of the game leaked online including many early ''Halo 4'' DLC and non-DLC maps, development and testing levels and even several early levels intended for ''Halo 5: Guardians'' - which can be found detailed Cut Halo 5: Guardians levels|here. The maps found in the tags build exhibit very early geometry and basic blockouts with very little art or set-dressing, and contain placeholder names and descriptive text - often comprised of jokes written by the game's developers.
Multiplayer maps
An original map by Certain Affinity known by the filename CA_Breakingpoint.
An original map by Certain Affinity known by the filename CA_Blood_Bath.
An original map by Certain Affinity known by the filename CA_Blood_Pit.
An original map by Certain Affinity known by the filename CA_Ching, featuring a placeholder map name and descriptive text.
An original map design developed by Certain Affinity and given the filename CA_City, was presumably intended to resemble a Forerunner city. Interestingly, the top-down layouts of this map heavily resemble the Castle Map Pack map Perdition in layout.
An original map design developed by Certain Affinity, given the map filename CA_Dish, can be found in the tags build. The map takes the form of a long canyon, with multiple levels. The map is complete with vehicle and turret spawns, alongside respawn points for players - though appears not to have progressed beyond the early blockout stages. Interestingly, this map contains spawn points for the Cut Halo 4 vehicles#Revenant|Revenant design which was intended to appear in the game. The relatively late cutting of the Revenant from the game indicates that Dish may have been in development relatively late in ''Halo 4''s Development of Halo 4|development cycle.
File:H4 Dish Overview.jpg|A top-down look at the layout of Dish. File:H4 Dish Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of the map - note the presence of the Revenant at the bottom. File:H4 Dish Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of the map. File:H4 Dish Screenshot 3.jpg|A screenshot of the map. File:H4 Dish Revenant.jpg|The Revenant on Dish.
An original map by Certain Affinity and given the filename CA_Escalation.
This Certain Affinity-designed map is given no map name or description in the files, simply the filename CA_Gorge. The map consists of an empty box, indicating it never received major development by the time of the builds leaked and available to the public.
File:H4 CA Gorge Screenshot 1.png|A look at CA_Gorge. File:H4 CA Gorge Screenshot 2.png|Spartan for scale.
An original map by Certain Affinity, known in the files as CA_Station.
Known only in the files of the ''Halo 4'' tags build as Z01_Fortress, this map appears to have a layout similar to that of Sandtrap - featuring the same Shrine defender towers as Sandtrap and Sandbox. The map has spawns laid out for vehicles including the ''Halo 4'' cut iteration of the Cut Halo 4 vehicles#Revenant|Revenant, though the map as a whole has no textures.
File:H4 Z01Fortress Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of Z01_Fortress. File:H4 Z01Fortress Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of Z01_Fortress, showcasing a crashed D79-TC Pelican. File:H4 Z01Fortress Screenshot 3.jpg|A screenshot of Z01_Fortress. File:H4 Z01Fortress Screenshot 4.jpg|A screenshot of Z01_Fortress.
Known in the files as Z04_Tower.
Known in the files as Z06_Pillars.
Known in the files as Z07_Island.
Known in the files as Z08_Experimental.
Known in the files as ZD_01_Extinct.
Other cut levels present in the tags build of the game include Z06_pillars, Z07_island, Z08_experimental alongside maps Z02, Z03 and Z04.
DLC maps
A space-based map, intended to be set on a UNSC starship known by the name UNSC ''Constant Strife'' - which would have served as the map's namesake. The blockout geometry found in the map's early revisions bear no resemblance to any canonical UNSC spacecraft, and the skybox is reused from the map Impact. The interior layout slightly resembles Rat's Nest from ''Halo 3''s Heroic Map Pack, with either side consisting of a hangar bay containing an F-41 Broadsword strike fighter similar in design to that featured on Ivanoff Station in the opening cutscene of the level Midnight.
File:H4 ConstantStrife Screenshot 1.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 ConstantStrife Screenshot 2.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 ConstantStrife Screenshot 3.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 ConstantStrife Screenshot 4.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 ConstantStrife Screenshot 5.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 ConstantStrife Screenshot 6.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 ConstantStrife Screenshot 7.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 ConstantStrife Screenshot 8.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 ConstantStrife Screenshot 9.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 ConstantStrife Screenshot 10.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 ConstantStrife Screenshot 11.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 ConstantStrife Screenshot 12.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 ConstantStrife Screenshot 13.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 ConstantStrife Screenshot 14.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 ConstantStrife Screenshot 15.png|A screenshot of the level.
File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 1.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 2.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 3.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 4.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 5.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 6.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 7.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 8.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 9.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 10.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 11.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 12.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 13.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 14.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 15.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 16.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 17.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 18.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 19.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 20.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 21.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Peanut Screenshot 22.png|A screenshot of the level.
File:H4 Shipyard Screenshot 1.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Shipyard Screenshot 2.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Shipyard Screenshot 3.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Shipyard Screenshot 4.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Shipyard Screenshot 5.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Shipyard Screenshot 6.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Shipyard Screenshot 7.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Shipyard Screenshot 8.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Shipyard Screenshot 9.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Shipyard Screenshot 10.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Shipyard Screenshot 11.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Shipyard Screenshot 12.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Shipyard Screenshot 13.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Shipyard Screenshot 14.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Shipyard Screenshot 15.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Shipyard Screenshot 16.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Shipyard Screenshot 17.png|A screenshot of the level. File:H4 Shipyard Screenshot 18.png|A screenshot of the level.
Present in the ''Halo 4'' tags build, this map was in development by Certain Affinity. The map was a remake of ''Halo 3''s Heroic Map Pack|Heroic map Standoff.
File:H4 Standoff Remake 1.jpg|A screenshot of the Standoff remake. File:H4 Standoff Remake 2.jpg|A screenshot of the Standoff remake. File:H4 Standoff Remake 3.jpg|A screenshot of the Standoff remake. File:H4 Standoff Remake 4.jpg|A screenshot of the Standoff remake.
Unused DLC map concepts
"Arrowhead" was one potential DLC map concepted, and evidently would have taken place in or around a UNSC facility embedded in a cliffside, though no other details are known.
File:H4 Arrowhead Concept 1.jpg|Concept art of Arrowhead. File:H4 Arrowhead Concept 2.jpg|Sketches of the UNSC cliffside facility.
This potential DLC map was designed to focus on underwater Covenant technology.
File:H4 CutDLC UnderWaterCovenant Concept 1.jpg|Visual exploration for DLC, focusing on an underwater map with Covenant technology. File:H4 CutDLC UnderWaterCovenant Concept 2.jpg|Visual exploration for DLC, focusing on an underwater map with Covenant technology. File:H4 CutDLC UnderWaterCovenant Concept 3.jpg|Visual exploration for DLC, focusing on an underwater map with Covenant technology. File:H4 Concept CovenantOcean.jpg|Concept art of the map showing a portion of the structure above water.
Identified in a series of concept art uploads all titled genesis, this map has a similar theme to the release map Vortex, set in a crashed Forerunner ship in a desert wasteland, turned into a makeshift base by the UNSC. In the distance, a Forerunner Keyship can be seen. It is unknown if this pitch has any relation to the planet Genesis featured in ''Halo 5: Guardians''.
File:H4 MapKeyship Concept.jpg|Concept art for this map featuring a Keyship. File:H4 MapKeyship Concept 2.jpg|An alternate take on the prior image, labelled in the original ArtStation upload as a "target image". H4_GenessisMap_Concept_1.jpg H4_GenessisMap_Concept_2.jpg H4_GenessisMap_Concept_3.jpg H4_GenessisMap_Concept_4.jpg H4_GenessisMap_Concept_5.jpg H4_GenessisMap_Concept_6.jpg
One map concept shown involves a paintover of the sniper tower area of the ''Halo 3'' map Last Resort. Its filename, lastr-paintover, suggests it was intended to be a Last Resort remake. Notably, the map was later realised in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''s multiplayer as Stonetown.
File:H4_LastResort_Remake_Concept.jpg|The only concept art released of this map.
One concept pitched to 343 involved a remake of the ''Halo 3'' multiplayer map Narrows, redressed in a human architectural aesthetic.
File:H4 Narrows Hangar Concept.jpg|Concept of one of the bases, reimagined as a hangar for Pelican dropships. File:H4 Narrows Underpass Concept.jpg|Concept art for the 'underpass' segment of the map, under the main bridge. File:H4_Narrows_UnderpassSketch_Concept.jpg|A sketch of the underpass section. File:H4 Narrows Base Concept 1.jpg|Structural study of a UNSC-themed Narrows remake. File:H4 Narrows Base Concept 2.jpg|More structural study. File:H4 Narrows Base Concept 3.jpg|Painted concept art of the base at one end of the bridge. File:H4 Narrows Base Concept 4.jpg|Another concept of the base. File:H4_Narrows_Side_Concept.jpg|Concept art of the side of the base areas, where a gravity lift would be. File:H4 Narrows Bridge.jpg|Concept art of the bridge area of the map.
Concept art for the map suggests it would have had a similar theme and tone to the map Abandon, though it is unknown if the two maps are one and the same, or simply similar.
File:H4 Oni Bog Concept 1.jpg|Concept art. File:H4 Oni Bog Concept 2.jpg|Concept art. File:H4 Oni Bog Concept 3.jpg|Structural study for the base. File:H4_Oni_Bog_Concept_4.jpg|A fourth concept not explicitly labelled as ONI Bog in the original ArtStation upload, but seemingly matching the visual style of the other concepts. File:H4 Enclosure Concept.jpg|Another concept piece by the same artist as the previous one. This piece corresponds with the ONI Bog concepts, though in this upload was titled "Enclosure".
A series of concept pieces uploaded by artists :Category:Images by Zeljko Duvnjak|Zeljko Duvnjak and :Category:Images by Branislav Perkovic|Branislav Perkovic, concept artists for outsource studio Digital Extremes, depict a very unique multiplayer map, named in one post description as "Oracle". All of the concepts depict ancient alien structures, corresponding to no known art direction for the Forerunners, buried in the ice on an unknown world.
File:H4 OracleMap Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for Oracle. File:H4 OracleMap Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for Oracle. File:H4 OracleMap Concept 3.jpg|Concept art for Oracle. File:H4 OracleMap Concept 4.jpg|Concept art for Oracle. File:H4 OracleMap Concept 5.jpg|Concept art for Oracle. File:H4 OracleMap Concept 6.jpg|Concept art for Oracle. File:H4 OracleMap Concept 7.jpg|Concept art for Oracle. File:H4 OracleMap Concept 8.jpg|Concept art for Oracle. File:H4 OracleMap Concept 9.jpg|Concept art for Oracle. File:H4 OracleMap Concept 10.jpg|Concept art for Oracle. File:H4 OracleMap Concept 11.jpg|Concept art for Oracle. File:H4 OracleMap Concept 12.jpg|Concept art for Oracle. File:H4 OracleMap Concept 13.jpg|Concept art for Oracle. File:H4 OracleMap Concept 14.jpg|Concept art for Oracle. File:H4 OracleMap Concept 15.jpg|Concept art for Oracle.
Some callout sheets for individual map props have been posted online, of which tie to no particular known map.
File:H4_RailgunDLC_Concept.jpg|Concept art for a map which would have had players fight beneath a large railgun. File:H4 PillarDLC Concept.jpg|Concept art of a pillar for a cut map. File:H4 GeneratorDLC Concept.jpg|Concept art of a generator for a cut map. File:H4 GeneratorDLC Concept 2.jpg|Finalised concept art of a generator for a cut map. File:H4 SentinelFactory Concept.jpg|Concept art for a map set inside a Sentinel factory.
Development and testing levels
These maps, an interior and an exterior space, were employed by Bungie through the productions of ''Halo 3'', ''ODST'' and ''Reach'' - and were used by 343 Industries in the production of ''Halo 4''.
While never considered for official inclusion in the final game, the ''Halo 3'' multiplayer map Sandtrap was used in development for testing the vehicle sandbox of ''Halo 4''.
File:H4 Sandtrap.png|Sandtrap in the ''Halo 4'' tags build.
First referred to as such in the ''Halo: Reach Legendary Edition'' developer commentary by Martin O'Donnell, the so-called "Stripey Room" or sound.map is an audio testing level utilised by Bungie throughout the production of ''Halo 3'' through ''Halo: Reach'', and 343 Industries during the production of ''Halo 4''. The map is almost identical to its ''Reach'' incarnation, with the exception of labelled terrain types and water.
File:H4 StripeyRoom.png|A screenshot of the level.
This map was created by 343 Industries to test out visual effects such as the disintegration on Promethean weaponry.
z00_testchamber is a map present in the ''Halo 4'' tags build, used for testing. The map is described as a "small box test map".
This is one of three testing maps used to test the functionality of adding map packs into the game.
This is one of three testing maps used to test the functionality of adding map packs into the game.
This is one of three testing maps used to test the functionality of adding map packs into the game.
Sources
Category:Halo 4 deleted material
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During the Development of Halo 4|development of ''Halo 4'', various vehicles were cut from the final game release.
Human vehicles
In early pre-release screenshots and media, the UH-144 Falcon from ''Halo: Reach'' can be seen in the background - though was notably absent from final release.
With the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC as part of the ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection|Master Chief Collection'', the Falcon model was added to the game's files and can be spawned via modding. The Falcon model in question is not a useable vehicle, but instead a lower-resolution model intended for background usage. As such, it has a low polycount and texture size, and no collision or gameplay useability.
File:H4 Falcon Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the ''Halo 4'' iteration of the Falcon. File:H4 Falcon Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the ''Halo 4'' iteration of the Falcon. File:H4-E3-Campaign-10.jpg|An early screenshot of the ''Halo 4'' campaign level Reclaimer (level)|Reclaimer - Falcons can be seen in the background alongside . File:HTMCC H4 Falcon ForgeIsland.png|A Falcon spawned on Forge Island in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
When initially conceived, the Mantis was heavily inspired by the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark I ADS|Mark I ADS from the ''Halo Legends'' short, ''Prototype''. This armoured exoskeleton was initially concieved to fit numerous roles, mechanics and shapes alongside featuring a dedicated shield. This early Mantis also had the ability to use a jetpack, thrusters and a railgun, and an early prototype was developed which consisted of Master Chief riding inside and driving a larger Master Chief. This later evolved into a full mech, though remnants of this early idea could be seen in some concept art and early models which featured booster-like jets on the shoulders. These boosters can be viewed in-game, via the Mantis holograms on the Dominion vehicle spawn pads.
The early exoskeleton designs may have informed the Cut Halo 5: Guardians vehicles#Modular exoskeleton|modular exoskeleton similarly-cut from ''Halo 5: Guardians'' and ''Halo Wars 2''.
File:H4 Mantis concept art.jpg|Concept art for the earlier iterations of the Mantis. File:H4 Mantis Sketch Concept.jpg|Concept art for the jet-equipped Mantis. File:H4-Concept-Mantis.jpg|Concept art for this Mantis. File:H4-Mantisthrust.jpg|A Mantis in an early build of ''Halo 4'', still retaining the jump functionality. File:H5GC-MegaJohn.jpg|''Halo 5: Guardians'' concept art, depicting a similar concept. File:HW2_-_master_chief_.jpg|''Halo Wars 2'' concept art, depicting a similar concept.
Covenant vehicles
At some point in the game's development, an updated and redesigned iteration of the , which first debuted in ''Halo: Reach'', was intended for inclusion in the game. The vehicle was concepted by 343 Industries concept artist :Category:Images by Glenn Israel|Glenn Israel and high-poly modelled and textured by hard surface artist :Category:Images by Can Tuncer|Can Tuncer, and implemented in the ''Halo 4'' tags build. The vehicle can be seen spawned on several Cut Halo 4 levels|cut maps including Z01_Fortress and Dish.
The Revenant has seen a major redesign since its iteration in ''Reach'', with the vehicle as a whole being generally bulkier and up-armoured compared to the original version. Instead of the driver controlling a light plasma mortar, the vehicle now has an automatic plasma turret in the back which can be manned by an independent gunner - making the vehicle more akin to the Wuzum-pattern Spectre|Spectre or Warthog.
With the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC as part of the ''Master Chief Collection'', the Revenant was added to the game's files and can be spawned via modding. The vehicle was later re-canonised as the in the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)''.
File:H4-Revenant-Cut.jpg|The Revenant in an early build of the game, sporting its plasma turret. File:H4Revenant.jpg|The updated Revenant design.
The from ''Halo: Reach'' remains in the files of ''Halo 4'', and can be spawned in ''The Master Chief Collection'' via modding. The core can be destroyed, though the vehicle does not explode. In the regular edition of ''Halo 4'', the Scarab is present in the files of the Spartan Ops map Harvester (location)|Harvester.
The is present in the files of ''Halo 4'' in ''The Master Chief Collection'' and can be spawned in via modding. The vehicle is flyable, though remains untextured and is prone to glitching when performing Banshee tricks.
File:HTMCC_H4_SpaceBanshee_ForgeIsland_1.png|The Space Banshee on Forge Island. File:HTMCC_H4_SpaceBanshee_ForgeIsland_2.png|Flying the Space Banshee. File:HTMCC_H4_SpaceBanshee_ForgeIsland_3.png|The Space Banshee breaks apart while performing flips.
Sources
Category:Halo 4 deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo 4|development of ''Halo 4'', a number of various weapons were concepted and prototyped by 343 Industries for inclusion in the game, though were ultimately cut for various reasons. Some weapons were concepted but never reached 3D prototypes, and others were left in the game files as leftovers from the previous game, ''Halo: Reach''.
In-engine prototypes
The "attach beam" is an early version of the Binary Rifle, and uses an early model of the weapon. It uses the final game's Binary Rifle HUD but the reload sounds and animation of the Sniper Rifle, and an early model of the LightRifle.
With the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC as part of ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection|The Master Chief Collection'', files for this weapon - now named the "storm attach beam" - were added to the game's shared file directory, allowing them to be spawned in via modding..
File:H4_AttachBeam_FP.png|The attach beam.
The "bishop beam" is a seemingly-Forerunner beam weapon, similar in operation to the Sentinel Beam and Focus Rifle. It can be found in the files for the level Shutdown. When fired at vehicles, the beam locks onto the vehicle in question even if it outside the player's reticule, and will destroy the vehicle after a few moments of firing.
Notably, the Promethean Watcher enemies were named bishops during the early stages of ''Halo 4'', indicating they may have been intended to use this weapon, akin to the Aggressor Sentinel|Sentinels and their use of the sentinel beam. This weapon was one of several made available for use in modding, following the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
File:Bishop Beam.png|Profile of the bishop beam. File:Bishop Beam1.png|The bishop beam lying on the ground. File:Bishop Beam2.png|A first person view of the bishop beam. File:Bishop Beam3.png|The weapon firing. File:Bishop Beam4.png|The weapon overheating.
The "burst pistol" is a weapon which can be in the files for the Lockup map in Spartan Ops. It can fire a single shot or up to a six-round burst. This weapon is notably similar to the iteration of the Z-110 Boltshot|Bolshot found in ''Halo 5: Guardians''.
This weapon was one of several made available for use in modding, following the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
File:Burst Pistol.png|The burst pistol. File:Burst pistol.png|Firing the burst pistol.
Not to be confused with a cut ''Halo 2'' weapon Cut Halo 2 weapons#Disintegrator|of the same name, the disintegrator was intended to be a Forerunner equivalent to the M6 Spartan Laser|Spartan Laser. The weapon requires a charge-up before firing, and fires a blue beam. It uses the model of the UNSC Spartan Laser, though is buggy in first-person and has various parts of the geometry rotated in odd directions.
File:Disintegrator.png
Early concepts by :Category:Images by Glenn Israel|Glenn Israel considered a full redesign for the Concussion Rifle first introduced in ''Halo: Reach''. The weapon was given a limited early model pass in early ''Halo 4'' builds, though was ultimately scrapped with the final game weapon consisting of a retexture of the ''Reach'' model. Israel's sketches also produced the Plasma Caster weapon design that would ultimately go on to be used in ''Halo 5: Guardians''.
File:H4 ConcussionRifle Concept 1.jpg|Early concept revisions of the concussion rifle for ''Halo 4''. Note the plasma caster in the top right (design #2). File:H4 ConcussionRifle Concept 2.jpg|Finalised concept revisions of the concussion rifle for ''Halo 4''. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle FP Screenshot 1.png|The early concussion rifle model in a first-person view. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle FP Screenshot 2.jpg|The early concussion rifle model in a first-person view, on the Cut Halo 4 levels|cut remake of Sandtrap. File:H4_EarlyConcussionRifle_Screenshot_4.jpg|The early, unused, concussion rifle model as held by John-117 on the Sandtrap remake. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle Screenshot 1.png|The early, unused, concussion rifle model. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle Screenshot 2.png|The early, unused, concussion rifle model. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle Screenshot 3.png|The early, unused, concussion rifle model. File:H4-Reference-ConcussionRifle.jpg|Reference model sheet for the final Concussion Rifle in ''Halo 4''.
An unused Needler design can be found in early builds of ''Halo 4''. The design of this iteration of the Needler was developed by artist :Category:Images by Can Tuncer|Can Tuncer for use in ''Halo 4'' - but was ultimately never realised in the final game. It was later taken and expanded upon by :Category:Images by Kolby Jukes|Kolby Jukes for inclusion in ''Halo 5: Guardians'', with additional bio-organic detail based on the Za'zayara-pattern Harvester|Harvester Jukes had previously created for Spartan Ops. Ultimately, this design was never realised in either game.
File:H4 Alpha EarlyNeedler.jpg|The early Needler being held in ''Halo 4''. File:H5G Needler Concept 2.jpg|Kolby Jukes' model of the Needler created for ''Halo 5'', based on Can Tuncer's model for this Needler in ''Halo 4''.
Found in early builds appears to be a model for the Type-54 plasma pistol, featured in ''Halo 5: Guardians''. The final game of ''Halo 4'' shipped with a Type-25 plasma pistol more similar to that found in ''Halo: Reach'', indicating this may have been cut for time.
File:H4 Alpha T54PlasmaPistol Side.jpg|The Type-54 plasma pistol being held. File:H4_Alpha_T54PlasmaPistol_FP.jpg|The Type-54 in first-person. File:H4_Alpha_T54PlasmaPistol_Overcharge.jpg|The Type-54 overheating.
The homing rifle is a weapon found in various Alpha builds of ''Halo 4''. The weapon is fully-modelled and partially animated, with later builds containing a first-person viewmodel. In early builds, the weapon's function varies from firing a single large explosive bolt to firing a handful of smaller shots like a shotgun. Strings in the final game's LightRifle reference the homing rifle, indicating this weapon may have eventually evolved into the Light Rifle.
Some early renditions of the Cut Halo 4 enemies#Prometheans|Prometheans wielded the homing rifle.
File:H4 MasterChiefHomingRifle Screenshot 1.jpg|The homing rifle, as held by John-117. File:H4 MasterChiefHomingRifle Screenshot 2.jpg|The homing rifle, as held by John-117. File:H4 MasterChiefHomingRifle Screenshot 3.png|The homing rifle, as held by John-117. File:H4_HomingRifle_Screenshot_1.png|The homing rifle's full model. File:H4_HomingRifle_Screenshot_2.png|The homing rifle's reload, as held in third-person. File:H4_HomingRifle_FP_Screenshot_1.png|The homing rifle firing in first-person. File:H4_HomingRifle_FP_Screenshot_2.png|The homing rifle reloading in first-person. File:H4_HomingRifle_FP_Screenshot_3.png|The homing rifle reloading in first-person. File:H4 HomingRifle EarlyPromethean.png|An early Promethean holding the homing rifle.
Using the model of Jorge-052's machine gun from ''Reach'', Etilka, the Hunter LMG fires a bolt similar to those fired by the assault cannons of the Mgalekgolo|Hunters. When held by the player, the player uses the weapon in third-person similar to other support weapons, indicating this may be an early version of the assault cannon weapons featured in ''Halo 5: Guardians'' - notably the Beserker's Claw and Wicked Grasp. This weapon can be found in the files of the Fortress map in Spartan Ops.
File:M247H-HeavyMachineGun.png|Jorge's machine gun as seen in ''Reach''. File:H4 HunterLMG Model.png|The Hunter LMG on the ground. File:H4 HunterLMG Holding.png|Holding the Hunter LMG (The invisible player model is a side-effect of the methods required to get the weapon to spawn). File:H4 HunterLMG Firing.png|Firing the LMG. File:H4 HunterLMG Explosion.png|The explosion created by the bolt.
This weapon bears heavy resemblance to the Fuel Rod Gun used by the Covenant. It is shoulder-mounted and reloads in a similar manner, and appears to fire blue plasma mortars with a heavy arc into the distance, not dissimilarly to the Unidentified fuel rod gun|fuel rod variant predominantly featured in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' multiplayer. The weapon can fire several times in rapid succession, with each shot draining the charge bar a little. The charge system works akin to other plasma weapons, with paced shots allowing the charge bar to recharged while rapid spam quickly depletes the bar and requires a reload - six shots can be fired rapidly before reload is needed. This weapon has several similarities to the featured in ''Halo 5: Guardians'', and may be a conceptual predecessor.
File:H4 Alpha MortarLauncher Side.png|A side view of the mortar being held. File:H4 Alpha MortarLauncher Front.png|A front view of the mortar being held. File:H4_Alpha_MortarLauncher_FP.png|The mortar in first-person. File:H4_Alpha_MortarLauncher_Firing.png|The mortar firing. File:H4 Alpha MortarLauncher Reload.png|The mortar reloading.
Found in ''Awakening: The Art of Halo 4'' is a concept design for the M7 SMG previously featured in ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3''. A 3D model for this iteration of the SMG is present in the Halo 4 Alpha|''Halo 4'' Alpha, though lacks dedicated animations or a first-person viewmodel, indicating it did not get too far along in development.
Unlike the SMG found in ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3'', the ''Halo 4'' design lacks the side-mounted magazine characteristic of the M7 and instead replaces it with a magazine located inside the grip of the SMG - more akin to traditional modern equivalents. Although this model was scrapped, these design cues can be found in the multiplayer rendition of the SMG featured in ''Halo 2: Anniversary'' (which was built atop the ''Halo 4'' iteration of the Blam engine), albeit with adjustments such as the traditional magazine placement. Nonetheless, the carryover of these design cues makes it likely that the ''Halo 2: Anniversary'' multiplayer SMG reused elements of the ''Halo 4'' SMG iteration.
File:H4-Concept-M7SMG.jpg|Concept art of the SMG. File:H4 Alpha SMG Screenshot 1.jpg|The model of this SMG design in the alpha. File:H4 Alpha SMG Screenshot 2.jpg|The model of this SMG design in the alpha. File:H4 Alpha SMG Screenshot 3.jpg|John-117 holding the model of this SMG design in the alpha, in a Cut Halo 4 levels#Lighting reference test maps|lighting test map. Note the lack of dedicated animations. File:H4 Alpha SMG Magazine.png|The magazine inside the SMG. File:H2A_MP_M7_left.png|The SMG model later used in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''s multiplayer component bears extremely heavy resemblance to this design.
The "stasis rifle" appears in the game files of ''Halo 4'', unused on the Two Giants Spartan Ops map, among others. The weapon fires a green projectile which creates a purple sphere upon impact with geometry - similar to that of the M2705 regeneration field|regeneration field ability. The field appears not to damage players or vehicles, but does slow them as they walk through it - though crouching while in the field does not apply this effect. It can also scare Covenant out of turrets, as if it was a harmful projectile.
This weapon was one of several made available for use in modding, following the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
File:Stasis Rifle.png|The stasis rifle. File:Stasis rifle untextured.png|The untextured stasis rifle lying on the ground. File:Stasis_rifle.png|thumb|The stasis rifle generating a stasis field.
Concept-only weapons
Early in development, the design that would ultimately be used for the Light Rifle was originally intended to be the Binary Rifle. In these early stages, a unique design was concepted for the Light Rifle, which ultimately went unused.
File:H4-Concept-LightRifle-Initial.jpg|The unused concept.
''Halo: Reach'' leftovers
''Halo 4'' was built on the engine previously-used for the creation of ''Halo: Reach''. Due to this, many aspects of ''Reach'' are left in the game files of ''Halo 4''. In some cases, such as the Scorpion tank, the ''Reach'' model was re-textured and fully-integrated into the game. However, several weapon models from ''Reach'' remain unused as leftovers within ''Halo 4''s game files.
The M392 DMR from ''Halo: Reach'' remains in the files of ''Halo 4'', found in the files for the multiplayer map Harvest (map)|Harvest. The weapon model in the files is known as xsr_proto. This weapon was one of several made available for use in modding, following the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
The loadout menus of both ''Halo 4'' and ''The Master Chief Collection'' incorrectly use the M392 icon instead of that of the M395 DMR|M395 featured in-game, despite the icon being used in pre-release footage.
File:H4_M392DMR_FP.png|The M392 DMR in use in ''The Master Chief Collection'' on Forge Island. File:H4-DMR-HUD.png|The M392 icon in the menus.
Found in the files of the Harvester Spartan Ops map, or ''Halo 4'' on PC, this is the leftover of the energy sword as found in ''Reach''. The model is missing most of its visual effects and HUD.
File:H4_ReachSword_FP.png|The energy sword in use in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
The model of the H-165 target locator from ''Reach'' can be found in the files of the Quarry map. The weapon functions exactly as it did in ''Reach'', though does not call in the artillery strike. This was likely used to test the H-295 target designator used to call in MAC strikes from the M510 Mammoth|Mammoth in the Reclaimer level.
File:H4 H165Locator FP.png|The H-165 in use on Forge Island in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
Sources
Category:Halo 4 deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo 4|development of ''Halo 4'', a number of various weapons were concepted and prototyped by 343 Industries for inclusion in the game, though were ultimately cut for various reasons. Some weapons were concepted but never reached 3D prototypes, and others were left in the game files as leftovers from the previous game, ''Halo: Reach''.
In-engine prototypes
The "attach beam" is an early version of the Binary Rifle, and uses an early model of the weapon. It uses the final game's Binary Rifle HUD but the reload sounds and animation of the Sniper Rifle, and an early model of the LightRifle.
With the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC as part of ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection|The Master Chief Collection'', files for this weapon - now named the "storm attach beam" - were added to the game's shared file directory, allowing them to be spawned in via modding..
File:H4_AttachBeam_FP.png|The attach beam.
The "bishop beam" is a seemingly-Forerunner beam weapon, similar in operation to the Sentinel Beam and Focus Rifle. It can be found in the files for the level Shutdown. When fired at vehicles, the beam locks onto the vehicle in question even if it outside the player's reticule, and will destroy the vehicle after a few moments of firing.
Notably, the Promethean Watcher enemies were named bishops during the early stages of ''Halo 4'', indicating they may have been intended to use this weapon, akin to the Aggressor Sentinel|Sentinels and their use of the sentinel beam. This weapon was one of several made available for use in modding, following the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
File:Bishop Beam.png|Profile of the bishop beam. File:Bishop Beam1.png|The bishop beam lying on the ground. File:Bishop Beam2.png|A first person view of the bishop beam. File:Bishop Beam3.png|The weapon firing. File:Bishop Beam4.png|The weapon overheating.
The "burst pistol" is a weapon which can be in the files for the Lockup map in Spartan Ops. It can fire a single shot or up to a six-round burst. This weapon is notably similar to the iteration of the Z-110 Boltshot|Bolshot found in ''Halo 5: Guardians''.
This weapon was one of several made available for use in modding, following the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
File:Burst Pistol.png|The burst pistol. File:Burst pistol.png|Firing the burst pistol.
Not to be confused with a cut ''Halo 2'' weapon Cut Halo 2 weapons#Disintegrator|of the same name, the disintegrator was intended to be a Forerunner equivalent to the M6 Spartan Laser|Spartan Laser. The weapon requires a charge-up before firing, and fires a blue beam. It uses the model of the UNSC Spartan Laser, though is buggy in first-person and has various parts of the geometry rotated in odd directions.
File:Disintegrator.png
Early concepts by :Category:Images by Glenn Israel|Glenn Israel considered a full redesign for the Concussion Rifle first introduced in ''Halo: Reach''. The weapon was given a limited early model pass in early ''Halo 4'' builds, though was ultimately scrapped with the final game weapon consisting of a retexture of the ''Reach'' model. Israel's sketches also produced the Plasma Caster weapon design that would ultimately go on to be used in ''Halo 5: Guardians''.
File:H4 ConcussionRifle Concept 1.jpg|Early concept revisions of the concussion rifle for ''Halo 4''. Note the plasma caster in the top right (design #2). File:H4 ConcussionRifle Concept 2.jpg|Finalised concept revisions of the concussion rifle for ''Halo 4''. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle FP Screenshot 1.png|The early concussion rifle model in a first-person view. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle FP Screenshot 2.jpg|The early concussion rifle model in a first-person view, on the Cut Halo 4 levels|cut remake of Sandtrap. File:H4_EarlyConcussionRifle_Screenshot_4.jpg|The early, unused, concussion rifle model as held by John-117 on the Sandtrap remake. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle Screenshot 1.png|The early, unused, concussion rifle model. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle Screenshot 2.png|The early, unused, concussion rifle model. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle Screenshot 3.png|The early, unused, concussion rifle model. File:H4-Reference-ConcussionRifle.jpg|Reference model sheet for the final Concussion Rifle in ''Halo 4''.
An unused Needler design can be found in early builds of ''Halo 4''. The design of this iteration of the Needler was developed by artist :Category:Images by Can Tuncer|Can Tuncer for use in ''Halo 4'' - but was ultimately never realised in the final game. It was later taken and expanded upon by :Category:Images by Kolby Jukes|Kolby Jukes for inclusion in ''Halo 5: Guardians'', with additional bio-organic detail based on the Za'zayara-pattern Harvester|Harvester Jukes had previously created for Spartan Ops. Ultimately, this design was never realised in either game.
File:H4 Alpha EarlyNeedler.jpg|The early Needler being held in ''Halo 4''. File:H5G Needler Concept 2.jpg|Kolby Jukes' model of the Needler created for ''Halo 5'', based on Can Tuncer's model for this Needler in ''Halo 4''.
Found in early builds appears to be a model for the Type-54 plasma pistol, featured in ''Halo 5: Guardians''. The final game of ''Halo 4'' shipped with a Type-25 plasma pistol more similar to that found in ''Halo: Reach'', indicating this may have been cut for time.
File:H4 Alpha T54PlasmaPistol Side.jpg|The Type-54 plasma pistol being held. File:H4_Alpha_T54PlasmaPistol_FP.jpg|The Type-54 in first-person. File:H4_Alpha_T54PlasmaPistol_Overcharge.jpg|The Type-54 overheating.
The homing rifle is a weapon found in various Alpha builds of ''Halo 4''. The weapon is fully-modelled and partially animated, with later builds containing a first-person viewmodel. In early builds, the weapon's function varies from firing a single large explosive bolt to firing a handful of smaller shots like a shotgun. Strings in the final game's LightRifle reference the homing rifle, indicating this weapon may have eventually evolved into the Light Rifle.
Some early renditions of the Cut Halo 4 enemies#Prometheans|Prometheans wielded the homing rifle.
File:H4 MasterChiefHomingRifle Screenshot 1.jpg|The homing rifle, as held by John-117. File:H4 MasterChiefHomingRifle Screenshot 2.jpg|The homing rifle, as held by John-117. File:H4 MasterChiefHomingRifle Screenshot 3.png|The homing rifle, as held by John-117. File:H4_HomingRifle_Screenshot_1.png|The homing rifle's full model. File:H4_HomingRifle_Screenshot_2.png|The homing rifle's reload, as held in third-person. File:H4_HomingRifle_FP_Screenshot_1.png|The homing rifle firing in first-person. File:H4_HomingRifle_FP_Screenshot_2.png|The homing rifle reloading in first-person. File:H4_HomingRifle_FP_Screenshot_3.png|The homing rifle reloading in first-person. File:H4 HomingRifle EarlyPromethean.png|An early Promethean holding the homing rifle.
Using the model of Jorge-052's machine gun from ''Reach'', Etilka, the Hunter LMG fires a bolt similar to those fired by the assault cannons of the Mgalekgolo|Hunters. When held by the player, the player uses the weapon in third-person similar to other support weapons, indicating this may be an early version of the assault cannon weapons featured in ''Halo 5: Guardians'' - notably the Beserker's Claw and Wicked Grasp. This weapon can be found in the files of the Fortress map in Spartan Ops.
File:M247H-HeavyMachineGun.png|Jorge's machine gun as seen in ''Reach''. File:H4 HunterLMG Model.png|The Hunter LMG on the ground. File:H4 HunterLMG Holding.png|Holding the Hunter LMG (The invisible player model is a side-effect of the methods required to get the weapon to spawn). File:H4 HunterLMG Firing.png|Firing the LMG. File:H4 HunterLMG Explosion.png|The explosion created by the bolt.
This weapon bears heavy resemblance to the Fuel Rod Gun used by the Covenant. It is shoulder-mounted and reloads in a similar manner, and appears to fire blue plasma mortars with a heavy arc into the distance, not dissimilarly to the Unidentified fuel rod gun|fuel rod variant predominantly featured in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' multiplayer. The weapon can fire several times in rapid succession, with each shot draining the charge bar a little. The charge system works akin to other plasma weapons, with paced shots allowing the charge bar to recharged while rapid spam quickly depletes the bar and requires a reload - six shots can be fired rapidly before reload is needed. This weapon has several similarities to the featured in ''Halo 5: Guardians'', and may be a conceptual predecessor.
File:H4 Alpha MortarLauncher Side.png|A side view of the mortar being held. File:H4 Alpha MortarLauncher Front.png|A front view of the mortar being held. File:H4_Alpha_MortarLauncher_FP.png|The mortar in first-person. File:H4_Alpha_MortarLauncher_Firing.png|The mortar firing. File:H4 Alpha MortarLauncher Reload.png|The mortar reloading.
Found in ''Awakening: The Art of Halo 4'' is a concept design for the M7 SMG previously featured in ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3''. A 3D model for this iteration of the SMG is present in the Halo 4 Alpha|''Halo 4'' Alpha, though lacks dedicated animations or a first-person viewmodel, indicating it did not get too far along in development.
Unlike the SMG found in ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3'', the ''Halo 4'' design lacks the side-mounted magazine characteristic of the M7 and instead replaces it with a magazine located inside the grip of the SMG - more akin to traditional modern equivalents. Although this model was scrapped, these design cues can be found in the multiplayer rendition of the SMG featured in ''Halo 2: Anniversary'' (which was built atop the ''Halo 4'' iteration of the Blam engine), albeit with adjustments such as the traditional magazine placement. Nonetheless, the carryover of these design cues makes it likely that the ''Halo 2: Anniversary'' multiplayer SMG reused elements of the ''Halo 4'' SMG iteration.
File:H4-Concept-M7SMG.jpg|Concept art of the SMG. File:H4 Alpha SMG Screenshot 1.jpg|The model of this SMG design in the alpha. File:H4 Alpha SMG Screenshot 2.jpg|The model of this SMG design in the alpha. File:H4 Alpha SMG Screenshot 3.jpg|John-117 holding the model of this SMG design in the alpha, in a Cut Halo 4 levels#Lighting reference test maps|lighting test map. Note the lack of dedicated animations. File:H4 Alpha SMG Magazine.png|The magazine inside the SMG. File:H2A_MP_M7_left.png|The SMG model later used in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''s multiplayer component bears extremely heavy resemblance to this design.
The "stasis rifle" appears in the game files of ''Halo 4'', unused on the Two Giants Spartan Ops map, among others. The weapon fires a green projectile which creates a purple sphere upon impact with geometry - similar to that of the M2705 regeneration field|regeneration field ability. The field appears not to damage players or vehicles, but does slow them as they walk through it - though crouching while in the field does not apply this effect. It can also scare Covenant out of turrets, as if it was a harmful projectile.
This weapon was one of several made available for use in modding, following the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
File:Stasis Rifle.png|The stasis rifle. File:Stasis rifle untextured.png|The untextured stasis rifle lying on the ground. File:Stasis_rifle.png|thumb|The stasis rifle generating a stasis field.
Concept-only weapons
Early in development, the design that would ultimately be used for the Light Rifle was originally intended to be the Binary Rifle. In these early stages, a unique design was concepted for the Light Rifle, which ultimately went unused.
File:H4-Concept-LightRifle-Initial.jpg|The unused concept.
''Halo: Reach'' leftovers
''Halo 4'' was built on the engine previously-used for the creation of ''Halo: Reach''. Due to this, many aspects of ''Reach'' are left in the game files of ''Halo 4''. In some cases, such as the Scorpion tank, the ''Reach'' model was re-textured and fully-integrated into the game. However, several weapon models from ''Reach'' remain unused as leftovers within ''Halo 4''s game files.
The M392 DMR from ''Halo: Reach'' remains in the files of ''Halo 4'', found in the files for the multiplayer map Harvest (map)|Harvest. The weapon model in the files is known as xsr_proto. This weapon was one of several made available for use in modding, following the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
The loadout menus of both ''Halo 4'' and ''The Master Chief Collection'' incorrectly use the M392 icon instead of that of the M395 DMR|M395 featured in-game, despite the icon being used in pre-release footage.
File:H4_M392DMR_FP.png|The M392 DMR in use in ''The Master Chief Collection'' on Forge Island. File:H4-DMR-HUD.png|The M392 icon in the menus.
Found in the files of the Harvester Spartan Ops map, or ''Halo 4'' on PC, this is the leftover of the energy sword as found in ''Reach''. The model is missing most of its visual effects and HUD.
File:H4_ReachSword_FP.png|The energy sword in use in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
The model of the H-165 target locator from ''Reach'' can be found in the files of the Quarry map. The weapon functions exactly as it did in ''Reach'', though does not call in the artillery strike. This was likely used to test the H-295 target designator used to call in MAC strikes from the M510 Mammoth|Mammoth in the Reclaimer level.
File:H4 H165Locator FP.png|The H-165 in use on Forge Island in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
Sources
Category:Halo 4 deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo 4|development of ''Halo 4'', a number of various weapons were concepted and prototyped by 343 Industries for inclusion in the game, though were ultimately cut for various reasons. Some weapons were concepted but never reached 3D prototypes, and others were left in the game files as leftovers from the previous game, ''Halo: Reach''.
In-engine prototypes
The "attach beam" is an early version of the Binary Rifle, and uses an early model of the weapon. It uses the final game's Binary Rifle HUD but the reload sounds and animation of the Sniper Rifle, and an early model of the LightRifle.
With the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC as part of ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection|The Master Chief Collection'', files for this weapon - now named the "storm attach beam" - were added to the game's shared file directory, allowing them to be spawned in via modding..
File:H4_AttachBeam_FP.png|The attach beam.
The "bishop beam" is a seemingly-Forerunner beam weapon, similar in operation to the Sentinel Beam and Focus Rifle. It can be found in the files for the level Shutdown. When fired at vehicles, the beam locks onto the vehicle in question even if it outside the player's reticule, and will destroy the vehicle after a few moments of firing.
Notably, the Promethean Watcher enemies were named bishops during the early stages of ''Halo 4'', indicating they may have been intended to use this weapon, akin to the Aggressor Sentinel|Sentinels and their use of the sentinel beam. This weapon was one of several made available for use in modding, following the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
File:Bishop Beam.png|Profile of the bishop beam. File:Bishop Beam1.png|The bishop beam lying on the ground. File:Bishop Beam2.png|A first person view of the bishop beam. File:Bishop Beam3.png|The weapon firing. File:Bishop Beam4.png|The weapon overheating.
The "burst pistol" is a weapon which can be in the files for the Lockup map in Spartan Ops. It can fire a single shot or up to a six-round burst. This weapon is notably similar to the iteration of the Z-110 Boltshot|Bolshot found in ''Halo 5: Guardians''.
This weapon was one of several made available for use in modding, following the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
File:Burst Pistol.png|The burst pistol. File:Burst pistol.png|Firing the burst pistol.
Not to be confused with a cut ''Halo 2'' weapon Cut Halo 2 weapons#Disintegrator|of the same name, the disintegrator was intended to be a Forerunner equivalent to the M6 Spartan Laser|Spartan Laser. The weapon requires a charge-up before firing, and fires a blue beam. It uses the model of the UNSC Spartan Laser, though is buggy in first-person and has various parts of the geometry rotated in odd directions.
File:Disintegrator.png
Early concepts by :Category:Images by Glenn Israel|Glenn Israel considered a full redesign for the Concussion Rifle first introduced in ''Halo: Reach''. The weapon was given a limited early model pass in early ''Halo 4'' builds, though was ultimately scrapped with the final game weapon consisting of a retexture of the ''Reach'' model. Israel's sketches also produced the Plasma Caster weapon design that would ultimately go on to be used in ''Halo 5: Guardians''.
File:H4 ConcussionRifle Concept 1.jpg|Early concept revisions of the concussion rifle for ''Halo 4''. Note the plasma caster in the top right (design #2). File:H4 ConcussionRifle Concept 2.jpg|Finalised concept revisions of the concussion rifle for ''Halo 4''. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle FP Screenshot 1.png|The early concussion rifle model in a first-person view. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle FP Screenshot 2.jpg|The early concussion rifle model in a first-person view, on the Cut Halo 4 levels|cut remake of Sandtrap. File:H4_EarlyConcussionRifle_Screenshot_4.jpg|The early, unused, concussion rifle model as held by John-117 on the Sandtrap remake. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle Screenshot 1.png|The early, unused, concussion rifle model. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle Screenshot 2.png|The early, unused, concussion rifle model. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle Screenshot 3.png|The early, unused, concussion rifle model. File:H4-Reference-ConcussionRifle.jpg|Reference model sheet for the final Concussion Rifle in ''Halo 4''.
An unused Needler design can be found in early builds of ''Halo 4''. The design of this iteration of the Needler was developed by artist :Category:Images by Can Tuncer|Can Tuncer for use in ''Halo 4'' - but was ultimately never realised in the final game. It was later taken and expanded upon by :Category:Images by Kolby Jukes|Kolby Jukes for inclusion in ''Halo 5: Guardians'', with additional bio-organic detail based on the Za'zayara-pattern Harvester|Harvester Jukes had previously created for Spartan Ops. Ultimately, this design was never realised in either game.
File:H4 Alpha EarlyNeedler.jpg|The early Needler being held in ''Halo 4''. File:H5G Needler Concept 2.jpg|Kolby Jukes' model of the Needler created for ''Halo 5'', based on Can Tuncer's model for this Needler in ''Halo 4''.
Found in early builds appears to be a model for the Type-54 plasma pistol, featured in ''Halo 5: Guardians''. The final game of ''Halo 4'' shipped with a Type-25 plasma pistol more similar to that found in ''Halo: Reach'', indicating this may have been cut for time.
File:H4 Alpha T54PlasmaPistol Side.jpg|The Type-54 plasma pistol being held. File:H4_Alpha_T54PlasmaPistol_FP.jpg|The Type-54 in first-person. File:H4_Alpha_T54PlasmaPistol_Overcharge.jpg|The Type-54 overheating.
The homing rifle is a weapon found in various Alpha builds of ''Halo 4''. The weapon is fully-modelled and partially animated, with later builds containing a first-person viewmodel. In early builds, the weapon's function varies from firing a single large explosive bolt to firing a handful of smaller shots like a shotgun. Strings in the final game's LightRifle reference the homing rifle, indicating this weapon may have eventually evolved into the Light Rifle.
Some early renditions of the Cut Halo 4 enemies#Prometheans|Prometheans wielded the homing rifle.
File:H4 MasterChiefHomingRifle Screenshot 1.jpg|The homing rifle, as held by John-117. File:H4 MasterChiefHomingRifle Screenshot 2.jpg|The homing rifle, as held by John-117. File:H4 MasterChiefHomingRifle Screenshot 3.png|The homing rifle, as held by John-117. File:H4_HomingRifle_Screenshot_1.png|The homing rifle's full model. File:H4_HomingRifle_Screenshot_2.png|The homing rifle's reload, as held in third-person. File:H4_HomingRifle_FP_Screenshot_1.png|The homing rifle firing in first-person. File:H4_HomingRifle_FP_Screenshot_2.png|The homing rifle reloading in first-person. File:H4_HomingRifle_FP_Screenshot_3.png|The homing rifle reloading in first-person. File:H4 HomingRifle EarlyPromethean.png|An early Promethean holding the homing rifle.
Using the model of Jorge-052's machine gun from ''Reach'', Etilka, the Hunter LMG fires a bolt similar to those fired by the assault cannons of the Mgalekgolo|Hunters. When held by the player, the player uses the weapon in third-person similar to other support weapons, indicating this may be an early version of the assault cannon weapons featured in ''Halo 5: Guardians'' - notably the Beserker's Claw and Wicked Grasp. This weapon can be found in the files of the Fortress map in Spartan Ops.
File:M247H-HeavyMachineGun.png|Jorge's machine gun as seen in ''Reach''. File:H4 HunterLMG Model.png|The Hunter LMG on the ground. File:H4 HunterLMG Holding.png|Holding the Hunter LMG (The invisible player model is a side-effect of the methods required to get the weapon to spawn). File:H4 HunterLMG Firing.png|Firing the LMG. File:H4 HunterLMG Explosion.png|The explosion created by the bolt.
This weapon bears heavy resemblance to the Fuel Rod Gun used by the Covenant. It is shoulder-mounted and reloads in a similar manner, and appears to fire blue plasma mortars with a heavy arc into the distance, not dissimilarly to the Unidentified fuel rod gun|fuel rod variant predominantly featured in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' multiplayer. The weapon can fire several times in rapid succession, with each shot draining the charge bar a little. The charge system works akin to other plasma weapons, with paced shots allowing the charge bar to recharged while rapid spam quickly depletes the bar and requires a reload - six shots can be fired rapidly before reload is needed. This weapon has several similarities to the featured in ''Halo 5: Guardians'', and may be a conceptual predecessor.
File:H4 Alpha MortarLauncher Side.png|A side view of the mortar being held. File:H4 Alpha MortarLauncher Front.png|A front view of the mortar being held. File:H4_Alpha_MortarLauncher_FP.png|The mortar in first-person. File:H4_Alpha_MortarLauncher_Firing.png|The mortar firing. File:H4 Alpha MortarLauncher Reload.png|The mortar reloading.
Found in ''Awakening: The Art of Halo 4'' is a concept design for the M7 SMG previously featured in ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3''. A 3D model for this iteration of the SMG is present in the Halo 4 Alpha|''Halo 4'' Alpha, though lacks dedicated animations or a first-person viewmodel, indicating it did not get too far along in development.
Unlike the SMG found in ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3'', the ''Halo 4'' design lacks the side-mounted magazine characteristic of the M7 and instead replaces it with a magazine located inside the grip of the SMG - more akin to traditional modern equivalents. Although this model was scrapped, these design cues can be found in the multiplayer rendition of the SMG featured in ''Halo 2: Anniversary'' (which was built atop the ''Halo 4'' iteration of the Blam engine), albeit with adjustments such as the traditional magazine placement. Nonetheless, the carryover of these design cues makes it likely that the ''Halo 2: Anniversary'' multiplayer SMG reused elements of the ''Halo 4'' SMG iteration.
File:H4-Concept-M7SMG.jpg|Concept art of the SMG. File:H4 Alpha SMG Screenshot 1.jpg|The model of this SMG design in the alpha. File:H4 Alpha SMG Screenshot 2.jpg|The model of this SMG design in the alpha. File:H4 Alpha SMG Screenshot 3.jpg|John-117 holding the model of this SMG design in the alpha, in a Cut Halo 4 levels#Lighting reference test maps|lighting test map. Note the lack of dedicated animations. File:H4 Alpha SMG Magazine.png|The magazine inside the SMG. File:H2A_MP_M7_left.png|The SMG model later used in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''s multiplayer component bears extremely heavy resemblance to this design.
The "stasis rifle" appears in the game files of ''Halo 4'', unused on the Two Giants Spartan Ops map, among others. The weapon fires a green projectile which creates a purple sphere upon impact with geometry - similar to that of the M2705 regeneration field|regeneration field ability. The field appears not to damage players or vehicles, but does slow them as they walk through it - though crouching while in the field does not apply this effect. It can also scare Covenant out of turrets, as if it was a harmful projectile.
This weapon was one of several made available for use in modding, following the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
File:Stasis Rifle.png|The stasis rifle. File:Stasis rifle untextured.png|The untextured stasis rifle lying on the ground. File:Stasis_rifle.png|thumb|The stasis rifle generating a stasis field.
Concept-only weapons
Early in development, the design that would ultimately be used for the Light Rifle was originally intended to be the Binary Rifle. In these early stages, a unique design was concepted for the Light Rifle, which ultimately went unused.
File:H4-Concept-LightRifle-Initial.jpg|The unused concept.
''Halo: Reach'' leftovers
''Halo 4'' was built on the engine previously-used for the creation of ''Halo: Reach''. Due to this, many aspects of ''Reach'' are left in the game files of ''Halo 4''. In some cases, such as the Scorpion tank, the ''Reach'' model was re-textured and fully-integrated into the game. However, several weapon models from ''Reach'' remain unused as leftovers within ''Halo 4''s game files.
The M392 DMR from ''Halo: Reach'' remains in the files of ''Halo 4'', found in the files for the multiplayer map Harvest (map)|Harvest. The weapon model in the files is known as xsr_proto. This weapon was one of several made available for use in modding, following the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
The loadout menus of both ''Halo 4'' and ''The Master Chief Collection'' incorrectly use the M392 icon instead of that of the M395 DMR|M395 featured in-game, despite the icon being used in pre-release footage.
File:H4_M392DMR_FP.png|The M392 DMR in use in ''The Master Chief Collection'' on Forge Island. File:H4-DMR-HUD.png|The M392 icon in the menus.
Found in the files of the Harvester Spartan Ops map, or ''Halo 4'' on PC, this is the leftover of the energy sword as found in ''Reach''. The model is missing most of its visual effects and HUD.
File:H4_ReachSword_FP.png|The energy sword in use in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
The model of the H-165 target locator from ''Reach'' can be found in the files of the Quarry map. The weapon functions exactly as it did in ''Reach'', though does not call in the artillery strike. This was likely used to test the H-295 target designator used to call in MAC strikes from the M510 Mammoth|Mammoth in the Reclaimer level.
File:H4 H165Locator FP.png|The H-165 in use on Forge Island in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
Sources
Category:Halo 4 deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo 4|development of ''Halo 4'', a number of various weapons were concepted and prototyped by 343 Industries for inclusion in the game, though were ultimately cut for various reasons. Some weapons were concepted but never reached 3D prototypes, and others were left in the game files as leftovers from the previous game, ''Halo: Reach''.
In-engine prototypes
The "attach beam" is an early version of the Binary Rifle, and uses an early model of the weapon. It uses the final game's Binary Rifle HUD but the reload sounds and animation of the Sniper Rifle, and an early model of the LightRifle.
With the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC as part of ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection|The Master Chief Collection'', files for this weapon - now named the "storm attach beam" - were added to the game's shared file directory, allowing them to be spawned in via modding..
File:H4_AttachBeam_FP.png|The attach beam.
The "bishop beam" is a seemingly-Forerunner beam weapon, similar in operation to the Sentinel Beam and Focus Rifle. It can be found in the files for the level Shutdown. When fired at vehicles, the beam locks onto the vehicle in question even if it outside the player's reticule, and will destroy the vehicle after a few moments of firing.
Notably, the Promethean Watcher enemies were named bishops during the early stages of ''Halo 4'', indicating they may have been intended to use this weapon, akin to the Aggressor Sentinel|Sentinels and their use of the sentinel beam. This weapon was one of several made available for use in modding, following the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
File:Bishop Beam.png|Profile of the bishop beam. File:Bishop Beam1.png|The bishop beam lying on the ground. File:Bishop Beam2.png|A first person view of the bishop beam. File:Bishop Beam3.png|The weapon firing. File:Bishop Beam4.png|The weapon overheating.
The "burst pistol" is a weapon which can be in the files for the Lockup map in Spartan Ops. It can fire a single shot or up to a six-round burst. This weapon is notably similar to the iteration of the Z-110 Boltshot|Bolshot found in ''Halo 5: Guardians''.
This weapon was one of several made available for use in modding, following the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
File:Burst Pistol.png|The burst pistol. File:Burst pistol.png|Firing the burst pistol.
Not to be confused with a cut ''Halo 2'' weapon Cut Halo 2 weapons#Disintegrator|of the same name, the disintegrator was intended to be a Forerunner equivalent to the M6 Spartan Laser|Spartan Laser. The weapon requires a charge-up before firing, and fires a blue beam. It uses the model of the UNSC Spartan Laser, though is buggy in first-person and has various parts of the geometry rotated in odd directions.
File:Disintegrator.png
Early concepts by :Category:Images by Glenn Israel|Glenn Israel considered a full redesign for the Concussion Rifle first introduced in ''Halo: Reach''. The weapon was given a limited early model pass in early ''Halo 4'' builds, though was ultimately scrapped with the final game weapon consisting of a retexture of the ''Reach'' model. Israel's sketches also produced the Plasma Caster weapon design that would ultimately go on to be used in ''Halo 5: Guardians''.
File:H4 ConcussionRifle Concept 1.jpg|Early concept revisions of the concussion rifle for ''Halo 4''. Note the plasma caster in the top right (design #2). File:H4 ConcussionRifle Concept 2.jpg|Finalised concept revisions of the concussion rifle for ''Halo 4''. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle FP Screenshot 1.png|The early concussion rifle model in a first-person view. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle FP Screenshot 2.jpg|The early concussion rifle model in a first-person view, on the Cut Halo 4 levels|cut remake of Sandtrap. File:H4_EarlyConcussionRifle_Screenshot_4.jpg|The early, unused, concussion rifle model as held by John-117 on the Sandtrap remake. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle Screenshot 1.png|The early, unused, concussion rifle model. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle Screenshot 2.png|The early, unused, concussion rifle model. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle Screenshot 3.png|The early, unused, concussion rifle model. File:H4-Reference-ConcussionRifle.jpg|Reference model sheet for the final Concussion Rifle in ''Halo 4''.
An unused Needler design can be found in early builds of ''Halo 4''. The design of this iteration of the Needler was developed by artist :Category:Images by Can Tuncer|Can Tuncer for use in ''Halo 4'' - but was ultimately never realised in the final game. It was later taken and expanded upon by :Category:Images by Kolby Jukes|Kolby Jukes for inclusion in ''Halo 5: Guardians'', with additional bio-organic detail based on the Za'zayara-pattern Harvester|Harvester Jukes had previously created for Spartan Ops. Ultimately, this design was never realised in either game.
File:H4 Alpha EarlyNeedler.jpg|The early Needler being held in ''Halo 4''. File:H5G Needler Concept 2.jpg|Kolby Jukes' model of the Needler created for ''Halo 5'', based on Can Tuncer's model for this Needler in ''Halo 4''.
Found in early builds appears to be a model for the Type-54 plasma pistol, featured in ''Halo 5: Guardians''. The final game of ''Halo 4'' shipped with a Type-25 plasma pistol more similar to that found in ''Halo: Reach'', indicating this may have been cut for time.
File:H4 Alpha T54PlasmaPistol Side.jpg|The Type-54 plasma pistol being held. File:H4_Alpha_T54PlasmaPistol_FP.jpg|The Type-54 in first-person. File:H4_Alpha_T54PlasmaPistol_Overcharge.jpg|The Type-54 overheating.
The homing rifle is a weapon found in various Alpha builds of ''Halo 4''. The weapon is fully-modelled and partially animated, with later builds containing a first-person viewmodel. In early builds, the weapon's function varies from firing a single large explosive bolt to firing a handful of smaller shots like a shotgun. Strings in the final game's LightRifle reference the homing rifle, indicating this weapon may have eventually evolved into the Light Rifle.
Some early renditions of the Cut Halo 4 enemies#Prometheans|Prometheans wielded the homing rifle.
File:H4 MasterChiefHomingRifle Screenshot 1.jpg|The homing rifle, as held by John-117. File:H4 MasterChiefHomingRifle Screenshot 2.jpg|The homing rifle, as held by John-117. File:H4 MasterChiefHomingRifle Screenshot 3.png|The homing rifle, as held by John-117. File:H4_HomingRifle_Screenshot_1.png|The homing rifle's full model. File:H4_HomingRifle_Screenshot_2.png|The homing rifle's reload, as held in third-person. File:H4_HomingRifle_FP_Screenshot_1.png|The homing rifle firing in first-person. File:H4_HomingRifle_FP_Screenshot_2.png|The homing rifle reloading in first-person. File:H4_HomingRifle_FP_Screenshot_3.png|The homing rifle reloading in first-person. File:H4 HomingRifle EarlyPromethean.png|An early Promethean holding the homing rifle.
Using the model of Jorge-052's machine gun from ''Reach'', Etilka, the Hunter LMG fires a bolt similar to those fired by the assault cannons of the Mgalekgolo|Hunters. When held by the player, the player uses the weapon in third-person similar to other support weapons, indicating this may be an early version of the assault cannon weapons featured in ''Halo 5: Guardians'' - notably the Beserker's Claw and Wicked Grasp. This weapon can be found in the files of the Fortress map in Spartan Ops.
File:M247H-HeavyMachineGun.png|Jorge's machine gun as seen in ''Reach''. File:H4 HunterLMG Model.png|The Hunter LMG on the ground. File:H4 HunterLMG Holding.png|Holding the Hunter LMG (The invisible player model is a side-effect of the methods required to get the weapon to spawn). File:H4 HunterLMG Firing.png|Firing the LMG. File:H4 HunterLMG Explosion.png|The explosion created by the bolt.
This weapon bears heavy resemblance to the Fuel Rod Gun used by the Covenant. It is shoulder-mounted and reloads in a similar manner, and appears to fire blue plasma mortars with a heavy arc into the distance, not dissimilarly to the Unidentified fuel rod gun|fuel rod variant predominantly featured in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' multiplayer. The weapon can fire several times in rapid succession, with each shot draining the charge bar a little. The charge system works akin to other plasma weapons, with paced shots allowing the charge bar to recharged while rapid spam quickly depletes the bar and requires a reload - six shots can be fired rapidly before reload is needed. This weapon has several similarities to the featured in ''Halo 5: Guardians'', and may be a conceptual predecessor.
File:H4 Alpha MortarLauncher Side.png|A side view of the mortar being held. File:H4 Alpha MortarLauncher Front.png|A front view of the mortar being held. File:H4_Alpha_MortarLauncher_FP.png|The mortar in first-person. File:H4_Alpha_MortarLauncher_Firing.png|The mortar firing. File:H4 Alpha MortarLauncher Reload.png|The mortar reloading.
Found in ''Awakening: The Art of Halo 4'' is a concept design for the M7 SMG previously featured in ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3''. A 3D model for this iteration of the SMG is present in the Halo 4 Alpha|''Halo 4'' Alpha, though lacks dedicated animations or a first-person viewmodel, indicating it did not get too far along in development.
Unlike the SMG found in ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3'', the ''Halo 4'' design lacks the side-mounted magazine characteristic of the M7 and instead replaces it with a magazine located inside the grip of the SMG - more akin to traditional modern equivalents. Although this model was scrapped, these design cues can be found in the multiplayer rendition of the SMG featured in ''Halo 2: Anniversary'' (which was built atop the ''Halo 4'' iteration of the Blam engine), albeit with adjustments such as the traditional magazine placement. Nonetheless, the carryover of these design cues makes it likely that the ''Halo 2: Anniversary'' multiplayer SMG reused elements of the ''Halo 4'' SMG iteration.
File:H4-Concept-M7SMG.jpg|Concept art of the SMG. File:H4 Alpha SMG Screenshot 1.jpg|The model of this SMG design in the alpha. File:H4 Alpha SMG Screenshot 2.jpg|The model of this SMG design in the alpha. File:H4 Alpha SMG Screenshot 3.jpg|John-117 holding the model of this SMG design in the alpha, in a Cut Halo 4 levels#Lighting reference test maps|lighting test map. Note the lack of dedicated animations. File:H4 Alpha SMG Magazine.png|The magazine inside the SMG. File:H2A_MP_M7_left.png|The SMG model later used in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''s multiplayer component bears extremely heavy resemblance to this design.
The "stasis rifle" appears in the game files of ''Halo 4'', unused on the Two Giants Spartan Ops map, among others. The weapon fires a green projectile which creates a purple sphere upon impact with geometry - similar to that of the M2705 regeneration field|regeneration field ability. The field appears not to damage players or vehicles, but does slow them as they walk through it - though crouching while in the field does not apply this effect. It can also scare Covenant out of turrets, as if it was a harmful projectile.
This weapon was one of several made available for use in modding, following the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
File:Stasis Rifle.png|The stasis rifle. File:Stasis rifle untextured.png|The untextured stasis rifle lying on the ground. File:Stasis_rifle.png|thumb|The stasis rifle generating a stasis field.
Concept-only weapons
Early in development, the design that would ultimately be used for the Light Rifle was originally intended to be the Binary Rifle. In these early stages, a unique design was concepted for the Light Rifle, which ultimately went unused.
File:H4-Concept-LightRifle-Initial.jpg|The unused concept.
''Halo: Reach'' leftovers
''Halo 4'' was built on the engine previously-used for the creation of ''Halo: Reach''. Due to this, many aspects of ''Reach'' are left in the game files of ''Halo 4''. In some cases, such as the Scorpion tank, the ''Reach'' model was re-textured and fully-integrated into the game. However, several weapon models from ''Reach'' remain unused as leftovers within ''Halo 4''s game files.
The M392 DMR from ''Halo: Reach'' remains in the files of ''Halo 4'', found in the files for the multiplayer map Harvest (map)|Harvest. The weapon model in the files is known as xsr_proto. This weapon was one of several made available for use in modding, following the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
The loadout menus of both ''Halo 4'' and ''The Master Chief Collection'' incorrectly use the M392 icon instead of that of the M395 DMR|M395 featured in-game, despite the icon being used in pre-release footage.
File:H4_M392DMR_FP.png|The M392 DMR in use in ''The Master Chief Collection'' on Forge Island. File:H4-DMR-HUD.png|The M392 icon in the menus.
Found in the files of the Harvester Spartan Ops map, or ''Halo 4'' on PC, this is the leftover of the energy sword as found in ''Reach''. The model is missing most of its visual effects and HUD.
File:H4_ReachSword_FP.png|The energy sword in use in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
The model of the H-165 target locator from ''Reach'' can be found in the files of the Quarry map. The weapon functions exactly as it did in ''Reach'', though does not call in the artillery strike. This was likely used to test the H-295 target designator used to call in MAC strikes from the M510 Mammoth|Mammoth in the Reclaimer level.
File:H4 H165Locator FP.png|The H-165 in use on Forge Island in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
Sources
Category:Halo 4 deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo 4|development of ''Halo 4'', a number of various weapons were concepted and prototyped by 343 Industries for inclusion in the game, though were ultimately cut for various reasons. Some weapons were concepted but never reached 3D prototypes, and others were left in the game files as leftovers from the previous game, ''Halo: Reach''.
In-engine prototypes
The "attach beam" is an early version of the Binary Rifle, and uses an early model of the weapon. It uses the final game's Binary Rifle HUD but the reload sounds and animation of the Sniper Rifle, and an early model of the LightRifle.
With the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC as part of ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection|The Master Chief Collection'', files for this weapon - now named the "storm attach beam" - were added to the game's shared file directory, allowing them to be spawned in via modding..
File:H4_AttachBeam_FP.png|The attach beam.
The "bishop beam" is a seemingly-Forerunner beam weapon, similar in operation to the Sentinel Beam and Focus Rifle. It can be found in the files for the level Shutdown. When fired at vehicles, the beam locks onto the vehicle in question even if it outside the player's reticule, and will destroy the vehicle after a few moments of firing.
Notably, the Promethean Watcher enemies were named bishops during the early stages of ''Halo 4'', indicating they may have been intended to use this weapon, akin to the Aggressor Sentinel|Sentinels and their use of the sentinel beam. This weapon was one of several made available for use in modding, following the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
File:Bishop Beam.png|Profile of the bishop beam. File:Bishop Beam1.png|The bishop beam lying on the ground. File:Bishop Beam2.png|A first person view of the bishop beam. File:Bishop Beam3.png|The weapon firing. File:Bishop Beam4.png|The weapon overheating.
The "burst pistol" is a weapon which can be in the files for the Lockup map in Spartan Ops. It can fire a single shot or up to a six-round burst. This weapon is notably similar to the iteration of the Z-110 Boltshot|Bolshot found in ''Halo 5: Guardians''.
This weapon was one of several made available for use in modding, following the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
File:Burst Pistol.png|The burst pistol. File:Burst pistol.png|Firing the burst pistol.
Not to be confused with a cut ''Halo 2'' weapon Cut Halo 2 weapons#Disintegrator|of the same name, the disintegrator was intended to be a Forerunner equivalent to the M6 Spartan Laser|Spartan Laser. The weapon requires a charge-up before firing, and fires a blue beam. It uses the model of the UNSC Spartan Laser, though is buggy in first-person and has various parts of the geometry rotated in odd directions.
File:Disintegrator.png
Early concepts by :Category:Images by Glenn Israel|Glenn Israel considered a full redesign for the Concussion Rifle first introduced in ''Halo: Reach''. The weapon was given a limited early model pass in early ''Halo 4'' builds, though was ultimately scrapped with the final game weapon consisting of a retexture of the ''Reach'' model. Israel's sketches also produced the Plasma Caster weapon design that would ultimately go on to be used in ''Halo 5: Guardians''.
File:H4 ConcussionRifle Concept 1.jpg|Early concept revisions of the concussion rifle for ''Halo 4''. Note the plasma caster in the top right (design #2). File:H4 ConcussionRifle Concept 2.jpg|Finalised concept revisions of the concussion rifle for ''Halo 4''. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle FP Screenshot 1.png|The early concussion rifle model in a first-person view. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle FP Screenshot 2.jpg|The early concussion rifle model in a first-person view, on the Cut Halo 4 levels|cut remake of Sandtrap. File:H4_EarlyConcussionRifle_Screenshot_4.jpg|The early, unused, concussion rifle model as held by John-117 on the Sandtrap remake. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle Screenshot 1.png|The early, unused, concussion rifle model. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle Screenshot 2.png|The early, unused, concussion rifle model. File:H4 EarlyConcussionRifle Screenshot 3.png|The early, unused, concussion rifle model. File:H4-Reference-ConcussionRifle.jpg|Reference model sheet for the final Concussion Rifle in ''Halo 4''.
An unused Needler design can be found in early builds of ''Halo 4''. The design of this iteration of the Needler was developed by artist :Category:Images by Can Tuncer|Can Tuncer for use in ''Halo 4'' - but was ultimately never realised in the final game. It was later taken and expanded upon by :Category:Images by Kolby Jukes|Kolby Jukes for inclusion in ''Halo 5: Guardians'', with additional bio-organic detail based on the Za'zayara-pattern Harvester|Harvester Jukes had previously created for Spartan Ops. Ultimately, this design was never realised in either game.
File:H4 Alpha EarlyNeedler.jpg|The early Needler being held in ''Halo 4''. File:H5G Needler Concept 2.jpg|Kolby Jukes' model of the Needler created for ''Halo 5'', based on Can Tuncer's model for this Needler in ''Halo 4''.
Found in early builds appears to be a model for the Type-54 plasma pistol, featured in ''Halo 5: Guardians''. The final game of ''Halo 4'' shipped with a Type-25 plasma pistol more similar to that found in ''Halo: Reach'', indicating this may have been cut for time.
File:H4 Alpha T54PlasmaPistol Side.jpg|The Type-54 plasma pistol being held. File:H4_Alpha_T54PlasmaPistol_FP.jpg|The Type-54 in first-person. File:H4_Alpha_T54PlasmaPistol_Overcharge.jpg|The Type-54 overheating.
The homing rifle is a weapon found in various Alpha builds of ''Halo 4''. The weapon is fully-modelled and partially animated, with later builds containing a first-person viewmodel. In early builds, the weapon's function varies from firing a single large explosive bolt to firing a handful of smaller shots like a shotgun. Strings in the final game's LightRifle reference the homing rifle, indicating this weapon may have eventually evolved into the Light Rifle.
Some early renditions of the Cut Halo 4 enemies#Prometheans|Prometheans wielded the homing rifle.
File:H4 MasterChiefHomingRifle Screenshot 1.jpg|The homing rifle, as held by John-117. File:H4 MasterChiefHomingRifle Screenshot 2.jpg|The homing rifle, as held by John-117. File:H4 MasterChiefHomingRifle Screenshot 3.png|The homing rifle, as held by John-117. File:H4_HomingRifle_Screenshot_1.png|The homing rifle's full model. File:H4_HomingRifle_Screenshot_2.png|The homing rifle's reload, as held in third-person. File:H4_HomingRifle_FP_Screenshot_1.png|The homing rifle firing in first-person. File:H4_HomingRifle_FP_Screenshot_2.png|The homing rifle reloading in first-person. File:H4_HomingRifle_FP_Screenshot_3.png|The homing rifle reloading in first-person. File:H4 HomingRifle EarlyPromethean.png|An early Promethean holding the homing rifle.
Using the model of Jorge-052's machine gun from ''Reach'', Etilka, the Hunter LMG fires a bolt similar to those fired by the assault cannons of the Mgalekgolo|Hunters. When held by the player, the player uses the weapon in third-person similar to other support weapons, indicating this may be an early version of the assault cannon weapons featured in ''Halo 5: Guardians'' - notably the Beserker's Claw and Wicked Grasp. This weapon can be found in the files of the Fortress map in Spartan Ops.
File:M247H-HeavyMachineGun.png|Jorge's machine gun as seen in ''Reach''. File:H4 HunterLMG Model.png|The Hunter LMG on the ground. File:H4 HunterLMG Holding.png|Holding the Hunter LMG (The invisible player model is a side-effect of the methods required to get the weapon to spawn). File:H4 HunterLMG Firing.png|Firing the LMG. File:H4 HunterLMG Explosion.png|The explosion created by the bolt.
This weapon bears heavy resemblance to the Fuel Rod Gun used by the Covenant. It is shoulder-mounted and reloads in a similar manner, and appears to fire blue plasma mortars with a heavy arc into the distance, not dissimilarly to the Unidentified fuel rod gun|fuel rod variant predominantly featured in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' multiplayer. The weapon can fire several times in rapid succession, with each shot draining the charge bar a little. The charge system works akin to other plasma weapons, with paced shots allowing the charge bar to recharged while rapid spam quickly depletes the bar and requires a reload - six shots can be fired rapidly before reload is needed. This weapon has several similarities to the featured in ''Halo 5: Guardians'', and may be a conceptual predecessor.
File:H4 Alpha MortarLauncher Side.png|A side view of the mortar being held. File:H4 Alpha MortarLauncher Front.png|A front view of the mortar being held. File:H4_Alpha_MortarLauncher_FP.png|The mortar in first-person. File:H4_Alpha_MortarLauncher_Firing.png|The mortar firing. File:H4 Alpha MortarLauncher Reload.png|The mortar reloading.
Found in ''Awakening: The Art of Halo 4'' is a concept design for the M7 SMG previously featured in ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3''. A 3D model for this iteration of the SMG is present in the Halo 4 Alpha|''Halo 4'' Alpha, though lacks dedicated animations or a first-person viewmodel, indicating it did not get too far along in development.
Unlike the SMG found in ''Halo 2'' and ''Halo 3'', the ''Halo 4'' design lacks the side-mounted magazine characteristic of the M7 and instead replaces it with a magazine located inside the grip of the SMG - more akin to traditional modern equivalents. Although this model was scrapped, these design cues can be found in the multiplayer rendition of the SMG featured in ''Halo 2: Anniversary'' (which was built atop the ''Halo 4'' iteration of the Blam engine), albeit with adjustments such as the traditional magazine placement. Nonetheless, the carryover of these design cues makes it likely that the ''Halo 2: Anniversary'' multiplayer SMG reused elements of the ''Halo 4'' SMG iteration.
File:H4-Concept-M7SMG.jpg|Concept art of the SMG. File:H4 Alpha SMG Screenshot 1.jpg|The model of this SMG design in the alpha. File:H4 Alpha SMG Screenshot 2.jpg|The model of this SMG design in the alpha. File:H4 Alpha SMG Screenshot 3.jpg|John-117 holding the model of this SMG design in the alpha, in a Cut Halo 4 levels#Lighting reference test maps|lighting test map. Note the lack of dedicated animations. File:H4 Alpha SMG Magazine.png|The magazine inside the SMG. File:H2A_MP_M7_left.png|The SMG model later used in ''Halo 2: Anniversary''s multiplayer component bears extremely heavy resemblance to this design.
The "stasis rifle" appears in the game files of ''Halo 4'', unused on the Two Giants Spartan Ops map, among others. The weapon fires a green projectile which creates a purple sphere upon impact with geometry - similar to that of the M2705 regeneration field|regeneration field ability. The field appears not to damage players or vehicles, but does slow them as they walk through it - though crouching while in the field does not apply this effect. It can also scare Covenant out of turrets, as if it was a harmful projectile.
This weapon was one of several made available for use in modding, following the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
File:Stasis Rifle.png|The stasis rifle. File:Stasis rifle untextured.png|The untextured stasis rifle lying on the ground. File:Stasis_rifle.png|thumb|The stasis rifle generating a stasis field.
Concept-only weapons
Early in development, the design that would ultimately be used for the Light Rifle was originally intended to be the Binary Rifle. In these early stages, a unique design was concepted for the Light Rifle, which ultimately went unused.
File:H4-Concept-LightRifle-Initial.jpg|The unused concept.
''Halo: Reach'' leftovers
''Halo 4'' was built on the engine previously-used for the creation of ''Halo: Reach''. Due to this, many aspects of ''Reach'' are left in the game files of ''Halo 4''. In some cases, such as the Scorpion tank, the ''Reach'' model was re-textured and fully-integrated into the game. However, several weapon models from ''Reach'' remain unused as leftovers within ''Halo 4''s game files.
The M392 DMR from ''Halo: Reach'' remains in the files of ''Halo 4'', found in the files for the multiplayer map Harvest (map)|Harvest. The weapon model in the files is known as xsr_proto. This weapon was one of several made available for use in modding, following the release of ''Halo 4'' on PC in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
The loadout menus of both ''Halo 4'' and ''The Master Chief Collection'' incorrectly use the M392 icon instead of that of the M395 DMR|M395 featured in-game, despite the icon being used in pre-release footage.
File:H4_M392DMR_FP.png|The M392 DMR in use in ''The Master Chief Collection'' on Forge Island. File:H4-DMR-HUD.png|The M392 icon in the menus.
Found in the files of the Harvester Spartan Ops map, or ''Halo 4'' on PC, this is the leftover of the energy sword as found in ''Reach''. The model is missing most of its visual effects and HUD.
File:H4_ReachSword_FP.png|The energy sword in use in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
The model of the H-165 target locator from ''Reach'' can be found in the files of the Quarry map. The weapon functions exactly as it did in ''Reach'', though does not call in the artillery strike. This was likely used to test the H-295 target designator used to call in MAC strikes from the M510 Mammoth|Mammoth in the Reclaimer level.
File:H4 H165Locator FP.png|The H-165 in use on Forge Island in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
Sources
Category:Halo 4 deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo 5: Guardians|development of ''Halo 5: Guardians'', a number of various enemy types were concepted and prototyped by 343 Industries for inclusion in the game, though were ultimately cut for various reasons.
Human
One of the early drafts for ''Halo 5'' seems to have involved automated mining robots used by the Liang-Dortmund Corporation on Meridian. A number of sketches by Gabriel Garza, alongside some more detailed paintings by Nicolas Bouvier, indicate that they would have been fought by Blue Team on the planet.
File:H5G MiningRobot Concept 1.jpg|Early concept art for the robots. File:H5G MiningRobot Concept 2.jpg|Early concept art for the robots. File:H5G Achievement GoingTheDistance.png|Concept art for John-117 being ambushed by a robot. File:H5G Achievement ShootFromTheHip.png|Concept art for John-117 fighting a robot.
Covenant Concept art by Gabriel Garza depicts a form of Sangheili warrior with Promethean augmentations.
File:H5G ForerunnerElites Concept 1.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerElites Concept 2.jpg
Forerunner
The Forerunner Cavalier is a deleted Promethean|Promethean construct that was intended to be introduced in ''Halo 5: Guardians''. The Cavalier was apparently intended to start out as an empty shell, which would then be filled by the Cavalier itself. The Cavalier was intended to use a Forerunner polearm weapon (possibly similar to the hard light staves first appearing in 2015's ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'') and was capable of shielding itself. The Cavalier design eventually became the basis for the Warden Eternal.
File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 1.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 2.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 3.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 4.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 5.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 6.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 7.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 1.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 2.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 3.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 4.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 5.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 6.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 7.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 8.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 9.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier File:H5G Cavalier Final Concept 1.jpg|Near finalized concept of the Cavalier before being retooled as the Warden Eternal, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Final Concept 2.jpg|Near finalized concept of the Cavalier before being retooled as the Warden Eternal, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Final Concept 3.jpg|Near finalized concept of the Cavalier before being retooled as the Warden Eternal, by Gabriel Garza.
A number of Forerunner mechs were concepted by both Gabriel Garza and Paul Richards for ''Halo 5''. These concepts overlap with some of the other enemy designs featured on this page, and it is likely that they were created as part of the same exploratory process during the game's development. However, due to a lack of distinct commentary on these concepts, they are presented as one gallery.
File:H5G ForerunnerMech Concept 1.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerMech Concept 2.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerMech Concept 3.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerMech Concept 4.jpg
The 'Forerunner Packmaster is a Promethean enemy type cut from the release of ''Halo 5: Guardians'' worked on by concept artists :Category:Images by Gabriel Garza|Gabriel "Robogabo" Garza and :Category:Images by Paul Richards|Paul Richards. Due to its name, the Packmaster likely led Promethean Crawlers. It is seemingly equipped with a Z-250 lightrifle. The Packmaster did not make the cut for the game, however, early 3D models indicate that the designs may have later been re-purposed as the Armiger Soldier.
File:H5G Packmaster Concept 1.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 2.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 3.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 4.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 5.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 6.jpg|Concept art by Paul Richards, with a look at a rough 3D blockout of the model. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 7.jpg|Concept art by Paul Richards, which lists the Packmaster's name. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 8.jpg|Concept art by Paul Richards.
File:H5G SocketTank Concept.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 1.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 2.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 3.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 4.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 5.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 6.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 7.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 8.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 9.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerVehicle Concept 1.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G ForerunnerVehicle Concept 2.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza.
Concept art for a Forerunner War sphinx was produced by Paul Richards. Little else is known of this concept, including whether it made it into further production.
File:H5GC-WarSphinx.jpg
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo 5: Guardians
|
During the Development of Halo 5: Guardians|development of ''Halo 5: Guardians'', a number of various enemy types were concepted and prototyped by 343 Industries for inclusion in the game, though were ultimately cut for various reasons.
Human
One of the early drafts for ''Halo 5'' seems to have involved automated mining robots used by the Liang-Dortmund Corporation on Meridian. A number of sketches by Gabriel Garza, alongside some more detailed paintings by Nicolas Bouvier, indicate that they would have been fought by Blue Team on the planet.
File:H5G MiningRobot Concept 1.jpg|Early concept art for the robots. File:H5G MiningRobot Concept 2.jpg|Early concept art for the robots. File:H5G Achievement GoingTheDistance.png|Concept art for John-117 being ambushed by a robot. File:H5G Achievement ShootFromTheHip.png|Concept art for John-117 fighting a robot.
Covenant Concept art by Gabriel Garza depicts a form of Sangheili warrior with Promethean augmentations.
File:H5G ForerunnerElites Concept 1.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerElites Concept 2.jpg
Forerunner
The Forerunner Cavalier is a deleted Promethean|Promethean construct that was intended to be introduced in ''Halo 5: Guardians''. The Cavalier was apparently intended to start out as an empty shell, which would then be filled by the Cavalier itself. The Cavalier was intended to use a Forerunner polearm weapon (possibly similar to the hard light staves first appearing in 2015's ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'') and was capable of shielding itself. The Cavalier design eventually became the basis for the Warden Eternal.
File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 1.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 2.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 3.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 4.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 5.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 6.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 7.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 1.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 2.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 3.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 4.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 5.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 6.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 7.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 8.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 9.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier File:H5G Cavalier Final Concept 1.jpg|Near finalized concept of the Cavalier before being retooled as the Warden Eternal, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Final Concept 2.jpg|Near finalized concept of the Cavalier before being retooled as the Warden Eternal, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Final Concept 3.jpg|Near finalized concept of the Cavalier before being retooled as the Warden Eternal, by Gabriel Garza.
A number of Forerunner mechs were concepted by both Gabriel Garza and Paul Richards for ''Halo 5''. These concepts overlap with some of the other enemy designs featured on this page, and it is likely that they were created as part of the same exploratory process during the game's development. However, due to a lack of distinct commentary on these concepts, they are presented as one gallery.
File:H5G ForerunnerMech Concept 1.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerMech Concept 2.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerMech Concept 3.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerMech Concept 4.jpg
The 'Forerunner Packmaster is a Promethean enemy type cut from the release of ''Halo 5: Guardians'' worked on by concept artists :Category:Images by Gabriel Garza|Gabriel "Robogabo" Garza and :Category:Images by Paul Richards|Paul Richards. Due to its name, the Packmaster likely led Promethean Crawlers. It is seemingly equipped with a Z-250 lightrifle. The Packmaster did not make the cut for the game, however, early 3D models indicate that the designs may have later been re-purposed as the Armiger Soldier.
File:H5G Packmaster Concept 1.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 2.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 3.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 4.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 5.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 6.jpg|Concept art by Paul Richards, with a look at a rough 3D blockout of the model. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 7.jpg|Concept art by Paul Richards, which lists the Packmaster's name. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 8.jpg|Concept art by Paul Richards.
File:H5G SocketTank Concept.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 1.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 2.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 3.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 4.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 5.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 6.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 7.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 8.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 9.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerVehicle Concept 1.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G ForerunnerVehicle Concept 2.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza.
Concept art for a Forerunner War sphinx was produced by Paul Richards. Little else is known of this concept, including whether it made it into further production.
File:H5GC-WarSphinx.jpg
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo 5: Guardians
|
During the Development of Halo 5: Guardians|development of ''Halo 5: Guardians'', a number of various enemy types were concepted and prototyped by 343 Industries for inclusion in the game, though were ultimately cut for various reasons.
Human
One of the early drafts for ''Halo 5'' seems to have involved automated mining robots used by the Liang-Dortmund Corporation on Meridian. A number of sketches by Gabriel Garza, alongside some more detailed paintings by Nicolas Bouvier, indicate that they would have been fought by Blue Team on the planet.
File:H5G MiningRobot Concept 1.jpg|Early concept art for the robots. File:H5G MiningRobot Concept 2.jpg|Early concept art for the robots. File:H5G Achievement GoingTheDistance.png|Concept art for John-117 being ambushed by a robot. File:H5G Achievement ShootFromTheHip.png|Concept art for John-117 fighting a robot.
Covenant Concept art by Gabriel Garza depicts a form of Sangheili warrior with Promethean augmentations.
File:H5G ForerunnerElites Concept 1.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerElites Concept 2.jpg
Forerunner
The Forerunner Cavalier is a deleted Promethean|Promethean construct that was intended to be introduced in ''Halo 5: Guardians''. The Cavalier was apparently intended to start out as an empty shell, which would then be filled by the Cavalier itself. The Cavalier was intended to use a Forerunner polearm weapon (possibly similar to the hard light staves first appearing in 2015's ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'') and was capable of shielding itself. The Cavalier design eventually became the basis for the Warden Eternal.
File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 1.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 2.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 3.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 4.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 5.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 6.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G PRCavalier Concept 7.jpg|Concept art of the Cavalier, by Paul Richards. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 1.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 2.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 3.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 4.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 5.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 6.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 7.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 8.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Brainstorming Concept 9.jpg|Concept explorations for the Cavalier File:H5G Cavalier Final Concept 1.jpg|Near finalized concept of the Cavalier before being retooled as the Warden Eternal, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Final Concept 2.jpg|Near finalized concept of the Cavalier before being retooled as the Warden Eternal, by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Cavalier Final Concept 3.jpg|Near finalized concept of the Cavalier before being retooled as the Warden Eternal, by Gabriel Garza.
A number of Forerunner mechs were concepted by both Gabriel Garza and Paul Richards for ''Halo 5''. These concepts overlap with some of the other enemy designs featured on this page, and it is likely that they were created as part of the same exploratory process during the game's development. However, due to a lack of distinct commentary on these concepts, they are presented as one gallery.
File:H5G ForerunnerMech Concept 1.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerMech Concept 2.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerMech Concept 3.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerMech Concept 4.jpg
The 'Forerunner Packmaster is a Promethean enemy type cut from the release of ''Halo 5: Guardians'' worked on by concept artists :Category:Images by Gabriel Garza|Gabriel "Robogabo" Garza and :Category:Images by Paul Richards|Paul Richards. Due to its name, the Packmaster likely led Promethean Crawlers. It is seemingly equipped with a Z-250 lightrifle. The Packmaster did not make the cut for the game, however, early 3D models indicate that the designs may have later been re-purposed as the Armiger Soldier.
File:H5G Packmaster Concept 1.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 2.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 3.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 4.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 5.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 6.jpg|Concept art by Paul Richards, with a look at a rough 3D blockout of the model. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 7.jpg|Concept art by Paul Richards, which lists the Packmaster's name. File:H5G Packmaster Concept 8.jpg|Concept art by Paul Richards.
File:H5G SocketTank Concept.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 1.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 2.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 3.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 4.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 5.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 6.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 7.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 8.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 9.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerVehicle Concept 1.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G ForerunnerVehicle Concept 2.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza.
Concept art for a Forerunner War sphinx was produced by Paul Richards. Little else is known of this concept, including whether it made it into further production.
File:H5GC-WarSphinx.jpg
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo 5: Guardians
|
During the Development of Halo 5: Guardians|development of ''Halo 5: Guardians'', a number of levels and maps were cut.
Campaign levels
}}
The UNSC Infinity Hub was a planned "weapons down" campaign mission for ''Halo 5: Guardians'' that was cut during production.
File:H5G_InfinityAtrium_Concept.jpg|Concept art for the Infinity Hub's "atrium" area. File:H5G InfinityBarracks Atrium Concept.jpg|Concept art of how the barracks would connect to the atrium. File:H5G InfinityBarracks Transition Concept.jpg|Concept art of how the barracks would connect to a "transition" room. File:H5GC-CutInfinityHub.jpg|Concept art for the cut Infinity Hub level. File:H5GC-CutInfinityHub1.jpg|Concept art for the cut Infinity Hub level. File:H5GC-CutInfinityHub2.jpg|Concept art for the cut Infinity Hub level. File:H5GC-CutInfinityHub3.jpg|Concept art for the cut Infinity Hub level. File:H5G MJOLNIRArmoury Concept.jpg|Unlabelled concept art for a seemingly-cut area in ''Halo 5'', appearing to be a UNSC armoury - presumably intended for the Infinity Hub area. File:H5G_ResearchLab_Concept.jpg|Unlabelled concept art for a seemingly-cut area in ''Halo 5'', appearing to be a UNSC research lab - presumably intended for the Infinity Hub area. File:H5G_WorkStation_Concept.jpg|Unlabelled concept art for a seemingly-cut area in ''Halo 5'', appearing to be a UNSC work station- presumably intended for the Infinity Hub area. File:H5G_UNSCTower_Concept.jpg|Unlabelled concept art for a seemingly-cut area in ''Halo 5'', appearing to be a UNSC tower of some kind- presumably intended for the Infinity Hub area. File:H5G_UNSCTower_Callout_Concept.jpg|Unlabelled concept art for a seemingly-cut area in ''Halo 5'' - presumably intended for the Infinity Hub area.
One level prototyped for the game, but ultimately cut, was a larger vehicle-action level set on Sanghelios just prior to Battle of Sunaion (level)|Battle of Sunaion. Titled "Reef City" in development, the level was to have focused on the war between the Swords of Sanghelios and Jul 'Mdama's Covenant, and featured a massive Excavator|excavator walker similar in scope to the Scarab encounters of previous games. Much work was done to animate the walker, including it destroying parts of the city, though only one screenshot has been posted of the level.
Reef City was first revealed by ''Halo 5: Guardians'' designer Jayce Diaz in a thread on Twitter, to celebrate the game's eighth birthday. In a reply to the post, designer David Ellis also noted that a level he worked on was cut, which was to have been a nonlinear level involving Blue Team. It is unclear whether this level was to have been Reef City or another level
File:H5G ReefCity Walker 1.jpg|A screenshot of the walker on the level. File:H5G ReefCity Walker 2.jpg|A screenshot of the walker on the level. File:H5G ReefCity Walker 3.jpg|A screenshot of the walker on the level.
The level known in development as "Tsunami Station" would later go on to be named Battle of Sunaion (level)|Battle of Sunaion in the final game. Early drafts for the level had the mission split into two levels; one focusing on Blue Team and one focusing on Fireteam Osiris. Each level would have been slightly shorter than the one featured in the final game, and both would have featured Thel 'Vadam|the Arbiter fighting as an NPC, with the Locke mission showing him fighting in out-of-bounds zones. These iterations of the levels did not progress far into gameplay prototyping, and as such blockouts posted by level designer Jayce Diaz lack proper combat encounter zones.
An early level layout for the Tsunami Station levels was to feature Banshee gameplay inspired by ''Halo 2''.
File:H5G_TsunamiStation_Chief_Layout.jpg|The layout for the intended Master Chief-centric mission. File:H5G_TsunamiStation_Locke_Layout.jpg|The layout for the intended Locke-centric mission. File:H5G TsunamiStation BansheeZone.jpg|The area intended for a Banshee combat sequence; with the geometry taken from Maya and rendered in Unreal Engine. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_1.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_2.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_3.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_4.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_5.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_6.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_7.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_8.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_9.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_10.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_11.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_12.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation Layout.jpg|A near-final layout of the mission. File:H5G Sunaion Labelled Concept.png|A concept visualisation of Tsunami Station, with location call-outs.
Multiplayer maps A number of very early ''Halo 5: Guardians'' multiplayer map prototypes can be found in the files of the leaked ''Halo 4'' tags build, alongside many Cut Halo 4 levels|cut ''Halo 4'' levels. They can be signified by the file prefixes NG - shared by the map filenames in the final ''Halo 5: Guardians'' build and presumably standing for ''Next Generation'' (referring to the then-upcoming Xbox One console).
Sources
Category:Halo 5: Guardians
|
During the Development of Halo 5: Guardians|development of ''Halo 5: Guardians'', a number of levels and maps were cut.
Campaign levels
}}
The UNSC Infinity Hub was a planned "weapons down" campaign mission for ''Halo 5: Guardians'' that was cut during production.
File:H5G_InfinityAtrium_Concept.jpg|Concept art for the Infinity Hub's "atrium" area. File:H5G InfinityBarracks Atrium Concept.jpg|Concept art of how the barracks would connect to the atrium. File:H5G InfinityBarracks Transition Concept.jpg|Concept art of how the barracks would connect to a "transition" room. File:H5GC-CutInfinityHub.jpg|Concept art for the cut Infinity Hub level. File:H5GC-CutInfinityHub1.jpg|Concept art for the cut Infinity Hub level. File:H5GC-CutInfinityHub2.jpg|Concept art for the cut Infinity Hub level. File:H5GC-CutInfinityHub3.jpg|Concept art for the cut Infinity Hub level. File:H5G MJOLNIRArmoury Concept.jpg|Unlabelled concept art for a seemingly-cut area in ''Halo 5'', appearing to be a UNSC armoury - presumably intended for the Infinity Hub area. File:H5G_ResearchLab_Concept.jpg|Unlabelled concept art for a seemingly-cut area in ''Halo 5'', appearing to be a UNSC research lab - presumably intended for the Infinity Hub area. File:H5G_WorkStation_Concept.jpg|Unlabelled concept art for a seemingly-cut area in ''Halo 5'', appearing to be a UNSC work station- presumably intended for the Infinity Hub area. File:H5G_UNSCTower_Concept.jpg|Unlabelled concept art for a seemingly-cut area in ''Halo 5'', appearing to be a UNSC tower of some kind- presumably intended for the Infinity Hub area. File:H5G_UNSCTower_Callout_Concept.jpg|Unlabelled concept art for a seemingly-cut area in ''Halo 5'' - presumably intended for the Infinity Hub area.
One level prototyped for the game, but ultimately cut, was a larger vehicle-action level set on Sanghelios just prior to Battle of Sunaion (level)|Battle of Sunaion. Titled "Reef City" in development, the level was to have focused on the war between the Swords of Sanghelios and Jul 'Mdama's Covenant, and featured a massive Excavator|excavator walker similar in scope to the Scarab encounters of previous games. Much work was done to animate the walker, including it destroying parts of the city, though only one screenshot has been posted of the level.
Reef City was first revealed by ''Halo 5: Guardians'' designer Jayce Diaz in a thread on Twitter, to celebrate the game's eighth birthday. In a reply to the post, designer David Ellis also noted that a level he worked on was cut, which was to have been a nonlinear level involving Blue Team. It is unclear whether this level was to have been Reef City or another level
File:H5G ReefCity Walker 1.jpg|A screenshot of the walker on the level. File:H5G ReefCity Walker 2.jpg|A screenshot of the walker on the level. File:H5G ReefCity Walker 3.jpg|A screenshot of the walker on the level.
The level known in development as "Tsunami Station" would later go on to be named Battle of Sunaion (level)|Battle of Sunaion in the final game. Early drafts for the level had the mission split into two levels; one focusing on Blue Team and one focusing on Fireteam Osiris. Each level would have been slightly shorter than the one featured in the final game, and both would have featured Thel 'Vadam|the Arbiter fighting as an NPC, with the Locke mission showing him fighting in out-of-bounds zones. These iterations of the levels did not progress far into gameplay prototyping, and as such blockouts posted by level designer Jayce Diaz lack proper combat encounter zones.
An early level layout for the Tsunami Station levels was to feature Banshee gameplay inspired by ''Halo 2''.
File:H5G_TsunamiStation_Chief_Layout.jpg|The layout for the intended Master Chief-centric mission. File:H5G_TsunamiStation_Locke_Layout.jpg|The layout for the intended Locke-centric mission. File:H5G TsunamiStation BansheeZone.jpg|The area intended for a Banshee combat sequence; with the geometry taken from Maya and rendered in Unreal Engine. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_1.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_2.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_3.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_4.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_5.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_6.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_7.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_8.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_9.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_10.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_11.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation EarlyLayout_12.jpg|A screenshot of these early blockouts. File:H5G TsunamiStation Layout.jpg|A near-final layout of the mission. File:H5G Sunaion Labelled Concept.png|A concept visualisation of Tsunami Station, with location call-outs.
Multiplayer maps A number of very early ''Halo 5: Guardians'' multiplayer map prototypes can be found in the files of the leaked ''Halo 4'' tags build, alongside many Cut Halo 4 levels|cut ''Halo 4'' levels. They can be signified by the file prefixes NG - shared by the map filenames in the final ''Halo 5: Guardians'' build and presumably standing for ''Next Generation'' (referring to the then-upcoming Xbox One console).
Sources
Category:Halo 5: Guardians
|
During the Development of Halo 5: Guardians|development of ''Halo 5: Guardians'', a number of various vehicles were concepted and prototyped by 343 Industries for inclusion in the game, though were ultimately cut for various reasons.
Human
An early version of what seems to be the AV-49 Wasp can be found in the ''Halo 5: Guardians Local Server'' app. The model has no assigned UV unwrap, materials or textures and appears to be entirely placeholder.
File:H5G EarlyWasp Render 1.png File:H5G EarlyWasp Render 2.png File:H5G EarlyWasp Render 3.png File:H5G EarlyWasp Render 4.png
These mining mechs were concepted by :Category:Images by Gabriel Garza|Gabriel Garza, though were ultimately-seemingly never developed further than these sketches. They depict a number of mechs intended for use by the mining outfit of Liang-Dortmund Corporation on Meridian.
File:H5G MiningMechs Concept 1.jpg File:H5G MiningMechs Concept 2.jpg
Forerunner socket system One idea thrown around during development involved the "socket" system, intended for use on Forerunner vehicles. The system seems to be such that vehicles would have multiple different ability cores that could be swapped out onto various hardpoints, including a Weapon Core (used to fire a beam weapon), an Ability Core (that deploys an energy shield array) and a Deployer Core (which deploys some sort of drone to help defend the vehicle).
File:H5G ForerunnerSockets Concept.jpg
Some of the Forerunner vehicles concepted for the socket system consist of two tank-like vehicles. The first consists of the "boomerang tank-carrier", which appears to have multiple turrets comprised of multiple "cannon pods". The cannon pods are an independent vehicle in of themselves, which can then mount themselves onto the boomerang tank-carrier to act as turrets.
The second vehicle featured is a "socket tank", which also utilises the cannon pod inside the main body. It is unclear how much crossover this would have with the aforementioned socket system.
File:H5G ForerunnerTank Concept.jpg|Concept art for the "boomerang tank-carrier" and "socket tank".
Several other vehicle or vehicle-adjacent ideas were concepted by Richards, though given considerably less design iteration. Some of these concepts also showcase a similar implementation for several Cut Halo 5: Guardians enemies|cut enemy units.
File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 1.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 2.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 3.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 4.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 5.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 6.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 7.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 8.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 9.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerVehicle Concept 1.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G ForerunnerVehicle Concept 2.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza.
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo 5: Guardians
|
During the Development of Halo 5: Guardians|development of ''Halo 5: Guardians'', a number of various vehicles were concepted and prototyped by 343 Industries for inclusion in the game, though were ultimately cut for various reasons.
Human
An early version of what seems to be the AV-49 Wasp can be found in the ''Halo 5: Guardians Local Server'' app. The model has no assigned UV unwrap, materials or textures and appears to be entirely placeholder.
File:H5G EarlyWasp Render 1.png File:H5G EarlyWasp Render 2.png File:H5G EarlyWasp Render 3.png File:H5G EarlyWasp Render 4.png
These mining mechs were concepted by :Category:Images by Gabriel Garza|Gabriel Garza, though were ultimately-seemingly never developed further than these sketches. They depict a number of mechs intended for use by the mining outfit of Liang-Dortmund Corporation on Meridian.
File:H5G MiningMechs Concept 1.jpg File:H5G MiningMechs Concept 2.jpg
Forerunner socket system One idea thrown around during development involved the "socket" system, intended for use on Forerunner vehicles. The system seems to be such that vehicles would have multiple different ability cores that could be swapped out onto various hardpoints, including a Weapon Core (used to fire a beam weapon), an Ability Core (that deploys an energy shield array) and a Deployer Core (which deploys some sort of drone to help defend the vehicle).
File:H5G ForerunnerSockets Concept.jpg
Some of the Forerunner vehicles concepted for the socket system consist of two tank-like vehicles. The first consists of the "boomerang tank-carrier", which appears to have multiple turrets comprised of multiple "cannon pods". The cannon pods are an independent vehicle in of themselves, which can then mount themselves onto the boomerang tank-carrier to act as turrets.
The second vehicle featured is a "socket tank", which also utilises the cannon pod inside the main body. It is unclear how much crossover this would have with the aforementioned socket system.
File:H5G ForerunnerTank Concept.jpg|Concept art for the "boomerang tank-carrier" and "socket tank".
Several other vehicle or vehicle-adjacent ideas were concepted by Richards, though given considerably less design iteration. Some of these concepts also showcase a similar implementation for several Cut Halo 5: Guardians enemies|cut enemy units.
File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 1.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 2.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 3.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 4.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 5.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 6.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 7.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 8.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerSocketEnemies Concept 9.jpg File:H5G ForerunnerVehicle Concept 1.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza. File:H5G ForerunnerVehicle Concept 2.jpg|Concept art by Gabriel Garza.
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo 5: Guardians
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During the Development of Halo 5: Guardians|development of ''Halo 5: Guardians'', a number of various weapons were concepted and prototyped by 343 Industries for inclusion in the game, though were ultimately cut for various reasons.
Human weapons
Concepted by :Category:Images by Paul Richards|Paul Richards, the "UNSC Arm-Mounted Railgun" appears to be a railgun weapon intended for mounting in the back compartment of a D79-TC Pelican. The weapon is equipped with an arm connected to the dropship, as to support the Spartans holding it.
File:H5G ArmMountedRailgun Concept.jpg
The glass cutter was likely intended to be a support weapon based around the concept of a tool developed for cutting through the Lechatelierite|glass on Meridian. The weapon was concepted by :Category:Images by David Bolton|David Bolton.
File:H5G - Glass Cutter concept 1.jpg|Concept art of the cutter with a pointed end. File:H5G - Glass Cutter concept 2.jpg|Concept art of the cutter with an open end. File:H5G - Glass Cutter model 1.jpg|A marine holding a version of it. File:H5G - Glass Cutter model 2.jpg|A marine holding another version.
The Grenade Launcher CLUSTER is an unused Requisition system|REQ weapon that can be found within the files of ''Halo 5: Forge''. The weapon appears to have been fully modelled, textured, and functionally implemented in-game based on the existing Grenade Launcher. It is unknown why it was cut from the game.
Like other M319 grenade launchers, it can be fired immediately or held down to manually detonate on release. Additionally, manual detonation results in an EMP effect. Upon detonation, the projectile will split into 8 separate projectiles dealing damage in an area. Due to the spread and EMP effect, the secondary fire could be useful in disabling air vehicles. The splinters attempt to assemble into the same shape made by splinters of the traditional splinter grenade. Said shape is a plus-shape viewed from one side and a horizontal hexagon viewed perpendicular to that side.
File:GL_Cluster_sideview.png|The Grenade Launcher CLUSTER. File:GL_Cluster_inhand.png|First-person view of the weapon File:GL_Cluster_spread1.png|The projectile shortly after exploding File:GL_Cluster_spread2.png|Another view of the projectiles. Note that the projectiles are trying to form the aforementioned shape.
Other weapon silhouettes were produced by Paul Richards.
File:H5G HumanWeaponSilhouette Concept.jpg
Covenant weapons
This cut Needler design was originally prototyped by artist :Category:Images by Can Tuncer|Can Tuncer for use in ''Halo 4'' - but was ultimately never realised in the final game. It was later taken and expanded upon by :Category:Images by Kolby Jukes|Kolby Jukes for inclusion in ''Halo 5: Guardians'', with additional bio-organic detail based on the Za'zayara-pattern Harvester|Harvester Jukes had previously created for Spartan Ops. Ultimately, this design was never realised in either game.
File:H4 Alpha EarlyNeedler.jpg|The early Needler being held in ''Halo 4''. File:H5G Needler Concept.jpg|Kolby Jukes' model of the Needler created for ''Halo 5'', based on Can Tuncer's model for this Needler in ''Halo 4''.
The initial release of the Warzone Firefight update saw the inclusion of the into ''Halo 5'' for a brief time. The weapon was featured as used by Grunt enemies in the Warzone Firefight (gametype)|Warzone Firefight gamemode, and could be picked up and used by players. The weapon had no first-person model, but could be viewed in third-person. When fired, the plasma shots had no visible model or effect. The weapon was eventually removed from the game.
File:Plasma Launcher Halo5 Firefight.png|A Plasma Launcher in ''Halo 5: Guardians''. File:H5G-PlasmaLauncher-Render.png|Model shown in ''Halo 5: Guardians'' multiplayer. File:H5G - Spartan with Plasma Launcher.png|A Spartan-IV using the Plasma Launcher in ''Halo 5: Guardians''.
Forerunner socket weapons For the most part these weapons were concepted by :Category:Images by Paul Richards|Paul Richards as part of the Forerunner socket system extensively developed for - and cut from - the game.
File:H5G SocketWeapons Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the socket weapons. File:H5G SocketWeapons Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the socket weapons.
Brute weapons Files within ''Halo 5: Guardians'' show that 343 Industries was planning on releasing some :Category:Jiralhanae weapons|Brute weapons into the ''Halo 5'' sandbox - possibly to coincide with the release of ''Halo Wars 2''. These weapons coincide with a new #Brute scopes|scope variant planned for inclusion for use on loadout weapons. These weapons may have also served as prototypes for the Brute sandbox later featured in ''Halo Infinite''.
The brute sniper rifle was going to be a weapon in ''Halo 5: Guardians'' that would have served the role of a precision sniper rifle. The weapon holds four rounds in its magazine, with an additional 12 rounds storage for a total capacity of 16 rounds. The Subanese crystal needle fired from the sniper is the same model fired by the Needler, albeit recoloured and larger - intended as a placeholder. These rounds impale themselves in players and scenery upon impact and explode a few seconds after hitting their target, though the explosion is fairly small and likely only to hit the enemy if they stand atop the spike or are impaled. It takes one body shot with the explosion effect to drop a Spartan's energy shielding and another body shot to kill, though headshots cause an instalkill. The Brute sniper rifle has a 3.5 second reload speed.
File:H5G_brute_sniper.jpg|The Brute sniper rifle using the M395 DMR|DMR placeholder model with the brute scope.
The Brute magnetic missile was to serve as Brute-themed rocket launcher equivalent. The weapon holds only one round in its magazine, with a reserve of 5 rounds. The rocket fired from the weapon is a shot that splits into five smaller rounds mid-flight, which then proceed to arc downward explode after a few seconds after hitting the ground. The explosive effect of the projectiles cause an Electromagnetic pulse|EMP which can completely disable vehicles, alongside dealing heavy damage.
The magnetic missile can kill a Spartan in one shot, and has a reload speed of five seconds.
File:H5G_Brute_magnetic_missile.jpg|The brute magnetic missile using the M41 SPNKR|SPNKR placeholder model
The Brute spiker was a weapon presumably intended to bring the Paegaas Workshop Spiker previously featured in ''Halo 3'', ''Halo 3: ODST'' and ''Halo: Reach'' into ''Halo 5: Guardians''. The weapon holds 30 rounds in its magazine, with a reserve of 80 for a total of 110 rounds. The weapon uses Blamite Needler rounds as a placeholder to represent the spikes and the model of the Z-110 Boltshot|Boltshot in lieu of a proper Spiker weapon model. Although using the Needler's ammunition, the Spiker behaves akin to its ''Halo 3'' incarnation, and has no lock on capabilities. It takes roughly twelve rounds to drop shields while hitting the body, and then six or more for the kill.
The Spiker has a 1.5 second reload speed.
File:H5G_Brute_spiker.jpg|The brute spiker using the Z-110 Boltshot|Boltshot placeholder model
Intended as the Brutes' support weapon, the gatling mortar uses the model of the assault cannon as a placeholder. The weapon does not have an ammunition count, instead displaying the HUD icon for the Shea'p-pattern plasma cannon|plasma cannon and its ammo percentage meter. Despite the presence of this HUD element, the meter does not count down while firing, likely due to the weapon's unfinished nature. The projectiles that are fired from the gun are fast firing explosive bolts. It takes only five of these rounds to drop a fully shielded player, when hit anywhere on the body.
Interestingly, the gatling mortar has some broad similarities to the Grenflekt Workshop Scrap Cannon featured in ''Halo Infinite''.
File:H5G_Brute_gatling_mortar.jpg|The brute gatling mortar using the Assault cannon|Hunter cannon placeholder model.
Scopes
Contained within the files of ''Halo 5: Forge'' are Weapon attachment|scopes of Jiralhanae|Brute origin. The scopes are compatible with the Battle Rifle and Assault Rifle, and may have been intended to coincide with the 2016-2017 release of ''Halo Wars 2'' - which primarily focused on the Banished as an enemy.
File:H5G BruteScope FP.png|Using the scope. File:H5G BruteScope DMR.png|The scope mounted on an M395B DMR. File:H5G BruteScope BR.png|The scope mounted on an BR85N battle rifle. File:H5G BruteScope AR.png|The scope mounted on an MA5D assault rifle.
Early builds and concept art show an earlier revision of the Morph sight available for use in the final game.
File:H5G_EarlyPrometheanScope_AR.png|Using this scope.
Test weapons These weapons can be found within the files of ''Halo 5: Forge'' and made functional via modding. They consist of various weapon prototypes tested by 343 Industries but ultimately never implemented.
The laser guided weapon test uses the Binary Rifle model. When fired, it launches a large explosive projectile. While firing from the hip, the projectile simply travels on the vector it was initially fired - ultimately detonating when it impacts an obstacle. By comparison, while aimed in, the weapon allows the user to guide the projectile where they aim.
The test launcher uses the Incineration Cannon model, and seems to perform more-or-less the same as its ''Halo 4'' incarnation.
The mine layer employs an untextured model of the Concussion Rifle. When fired, it launches a small projectile that bounces on the ground before exploding. If the projectile hits a character, it will stick to them like a . Given these effects, the mine layer may have been an early test for the Plasma Caster.
The multi lock uses the Railgun model. When fired, it launches three small projectiles that stick to surfaces and characters, and detonate after a small time.
The supercombine rifle uses an untextered Beam Rifle model. When fired, the weapon exhibits effects similar to the supercombine function of the Needler and Needle Rifle - the first projectile to hit a character will do moderate damage, while the second will cause a supercombine explosion and kill them completely.
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo 5: Guardians
|
During the Development of Halo 5: Guardians|development of ''Halo 5: Guardians'', a number of various weapons were concepted and prototyped by 343 Industries for inclusion in the game, though were ultimately cut for various reasons.
Human weapons
Concepted by :Category:Images by Paul Richards|Paul Richards, the "UNSC Arm-Mounted Railgun" appears to be a railgun weapon intended for mounting in the back compartment of a D79-TC Pelican. The weapon is equipped with an arm connected to the dropship, as to support the Spartans holding it.
File:H5G ArmMountedRailgun Concept.jpg
The glass cutter was likely intended to be a support weapon based around the concept of a tool developed for cutting through the Lechatelierite|glass on Meridian. The weapon was concepted by :Category:Images by David Bolton|David Bolton.
File:H5G - Glass Cutter concept 1.jpg|Concept art of the cutter with a pointed end. File:H5G - Glass Cutter concept 2.jpg|Concept art of the cutter with an open end. File:H5G - Glass Cutter model 1.jpg|A marine holding a version of it. File:H5G - Glass Cutter model 2.jpg|A marine holding another version.
The Grenade Launcher CLUSTER is an unused Requisition system|REQ weapon that can be found within the files of ''Halo 5: Forge''. The weapon appears to have been fully modelled, textured, and functionally implemented in-game based on the existing Grenade Launcher. It is unknown why it was cut from the game.
Like other M319 grenade launchers, it can be fired immediately or held down to manually detonate on release. Additionally, manual detonation results in an EMP effect. Upon detonation, the projectile will split into 8 separate projectiles dealing damage in an area. Due to the spread and EMP effect, the secondary fire could be useful in disabling air vehicles. The splinters attempt to assemble into the same shape made by splinters of the traditional splinter grenade. Said shape is a plus-shape viewed from one side and a horizontal hexagon viewed perpendicular to that side.
File:GL_Cluster_sideview.png|The Grenade Launcher CLUSTER. File:GL_Cluster_inhand.png|First-person view of the weapon File:GL_Cluster_spread1.png|The projectile shortly after exploding File:GL_Cluster_spread2.png|Another view of the projectiles. Note that the projectiles are trying to form the aforementioned shape.
Other weapon silhouettes were produced by Paul Richards.
File:H5G HumanWeaponSilhouette Concept.jpg
Covenant weapons
This cut Needler design was originally prototyped by artist :Category:Images by Can Tuncer|Can Tuncer for use in ''Halo 4'' - but was ultimately never realised in the final game. It was later taken and expanded upon by :Category:Images by Kolby Jukes|Kolby Jukes for inclusion in ''Halo 5: Guardians'', with additional bio-organic detail based on the Za'zayara-pattern Harvester|Harvester Jukes had previously created for Spartan Ops. Ultimately, this design was never realised in either game.
File:H4 Alpha EarlyNeedler.jpg|The early Needler being held in ''Halo 4''. File:H5G Needler Concept.jpg|Kolby Jukes' model of the Needler created for ''Halo 5'', based on Can Tuncer's model for this Needler in ''Halo 4''.
The initial release of the Warzone Firefight update saw the inclusion of the into ''Halo 5'' for a brief time. The weapon was featured as used by Grunt enemies in the Warzone Firefight (gametype)|Warzone Firefight gamemode, and could be picked up and used by players. The weapon had no first-person model, but could be viewed in third-person. When fired, the plasma shots had no visible model or effect. The weapon was eventually removed from the game.
File:Plasma Launcher Halo5 Firefight.png|A Plasma Launcher in ''Halo 5: Guardians''. File:H5G-PlasmaLauncher-Render.png|Model shown in ''Halo 5: Guardians'' multiplayer. File:H5G - Spartan with Plasma Launcher.png|A Spartan-IV using the Plasma Launcher in ''Halo 5: Guardians''.
Forerunner socket weapons For the most part these weapons were concepted by :Category:Images by Paul Richards|Paul Richards as part of the Forerunner socket system extensively developed for - and cut from - the game.
File:H5G SocketWeapons Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the socket weapons. File:H5G SocketWeapons Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the socket weapons.
Brute weapons Files within ''Halo 5: Guardians'' show that 343 Industries was planning on releasing some :Category:Jiralhanae weapons|Brute weapons into the ''Halo 5'' sandbox - possibly to coincide with the release of ''Halo Wars 2''. These weapons coincide with a new #Brute scopes|scope variant planned for inclusion for use on loadout weapons. These weapons may have also served as prototypes for the Brute sandbox later featured in ''Halo Infinite''.
The brute sniper rifle was going to be a weapon in ''Halo 5: Guardians'' that would have served the role of a precision sniper rifle. The weapon holds four rounds in its magazine, with an additional 12 rounds storage for a total capacity of 16 rounds. The Subanese crystal needle fired from the sniper is the same model fired by the Needler, albeit recoloured and larger - intended as a placeholder. These rounds impale themselves in players and scenery upon impact and explode a few seconds after hitting their target, though the explosion is fairly small and likely only to hit the enemy if they stand atop the spike or are impaled. It takes one body shot with the explosion effect to drop a Spartan's energy shielding and another body shot to kill, though headshots cause an instalkill. The Brute sniper rifle has a 3.5 second reload speed.
File:H5G_brute_sniper.jpg|The Brute sniper rifle using the M395 DMR|DMR placeholder model with the brute scope.
The Brute magnetic missile was to serve as Brute-themed rocket launcher equivalent. The weapon holds only one round in its magazine, with a reserve of 5 rounds. The rocket fired from the weapon is a shot that splits into five smaller rounds mid-flight, which then proceed to arc downward explode after a few seconds after hitting the ground. The explosive effect of the projectiles cause an Electromagnetic pulse|EMP which can completely disable vehicles, alongside dealing heavy damage.
The magnetic missile can kill a Spartan in one shot, and has a reload speed of five seconds.
File:H5G_Brute_magnetic_missile.jpg|The brute magnetic missile using the M41 SPNKR|SPNKR placeholder model
The Brute spiker was a weapon presumably intended to bring the Paegaas Workshop Spiker previously featured in ''Halo 3'', ''Halo 3: ODST'' and ''Halo: Reach'' into ''Halo 5: Guardians''. The weapon holds 30 rounds in its magazine, with a reserve of 80 for a total of 110 rounds. The weapon uses Blamite Needler rounds as a placeholder to represent the spikes and the model of the Z-110 Boltshot|Boltshot in lieu of a proper Spiker weapon model. Although using the Needler's ammunition, the Spiker behaves akin to its ''Halo 3'' incarnation, and has no lock on capabilities. It takes roughly twelve rounds to drop shields while hitting the body, and then six or more for the kill.
The Spiker has a 1.5 second reload speed.
File:H5G_Brute_spiker.jpg|The brute spiker using the Z-110 Boltshot|Boltshot placeholder model
Intended as the Brutes' support weapon, the gatling mortar uses the model of the assault cannon as a placeholder. The weapon does not have an ammunition count, instead displaying the HUD icon for the Shea'p-pattern plasma cannon|plasma cannon and its ammo percentage meter. Despite the presence of this HUD element, the meter does not count down while firing, likely due to the weapon's unfinished nature. The projectiles that are fired from the gun are fast firing explosive bolts. It takes only five of these rounds to drop a fully shielded player, when hit anywhere on the body.
Interestingly, the gatling mortar has some broad similarities to the Grenflekt Workshop Scrap Cannon featured in ''Halo Infinite''.
File:H5G_Brute_gatling_mortar.jpg|The brute gatling mortar using the Assault cannon|Hunter cannon placeholder model.
Scopes
Contained within the files of ''Halo 5: Forge'' are Weapon attachment|scopes of Jiralhanae|Brute origin. The scopes are compatible with the Battle Rifle and Assault Rifle, and may have been intended to coincide with the 2016-2017 release of ''Halo Wars 2'' - which primarily focused on the Banished as an enemy.
File:H5G BruteScope FP.png|Using the scope. File:H5G BruteScope DMR.png|The scope mounted on an M395B DMR. File:H5G BruteScope BR.png|The scope mounted on an BR85N battle rifle. File:H5G BruteScope AR.png|The scope mounted on an MA5D assault rifle.
Early builds and concept art show an earlier revision of the Morph sight available for use in the final game.
File:H5G_EarlyPrometheanScope_AR.png|Using this scope.
Test weapons These weapons can be found within the files of ''Halo 5: Forge'' and made functional via modding. They consist of various weapon prototypes tested by 343 Industries but ultimately never implemented.
The laser guided weapon test uses the Binary Rifle model. When fired, it launches a large explosive projectile. While firing from the hip, the projectile simply travels on the vector it was initially fired - ultimately detonating when it impacts an obstacle. By comparison, while aimed in, the weapon allows the user to guide the projectile where they aim.
The test launcher uses the Incineration Cannon model, and seems to perform more-or-less the same as its ''Halo 4'' incarnation.
The mine layer employs an untextured model of the Concussion Rifle. When fired, it launches a small projectile that bounces on the ground before exploding. If the projectile hits a character, it will stick to them like a . Given these effects, the mine layer may have been an early test for the Plasma Caster.
The multi lock uses the Railgun model. When fired, it launches three small projectiles that stick to surfaces and characters, and detonate after a small time.
The supercombine rifle uses an untextered Beam Rifle model. When fired, the weapon exhibits effects similar to the supercombine function of the Needler and Needle Rifle - the first projectile to hit a character will do moderate damage, while the second will cause a supercombine explosion and kill them completely.
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo 5: Guardians
|
During the Development of Halo 5: Guardians|development of ''Halo 5: Guardians'', a number of various weapons were concepted and prototyped by 343 Industries for inclusion in the game, though were ultimately cut for various reasons.
Human weapons
Concepted by :Category:Images by Paul Richards|Paul Richards, the "UNSC Arm-Mounted Railgun" appears to be a railgun weapon intended for mounting in the back compartment of a D79-TC Pelican. The weapon is equipped with an arm connected to the dropship, as to support the Spartans holding it.
File:H5G ArmMountedRailgun Concept.jpg
The glass cutter was likely intended to be a support weapon based around the concept of a tool developed for cutting through the Lechatelierite|glass on Meridian. The weapon was concepted by :Category:Images by David Bolton|David Bolton.
File:H5G - Glass Cutter concept 1.jpg|Concept art of the cutter with a pointed end. File:H5G - Glass Cutter concept 2.jpg|Concept art of the cutter with an open end. File:H5G - Glass Cutter model 1.jpg|A marine holding a version of it. File:H5G - Glass Cutter model 2.jpg|A marine holding another version.
The Grenade Launcher CLUSTER is an unused Requisition system|REQ weapon that can be found within the files of ''Halo 5: Forge''. The weapon appears to have been fully modelled, textured, and functionally implemented in-game based on the existing Grenade Launcher. It is unknown why it was cut from the game.
Like other M319 grenade launchers, it can be fired immediately or held down to manually detonate on release. Additionally, manual detonation results in an EMP effect. Upon detonation, the projectile will split into 8 separate projectiles dealing damage in an area. Due to the spread and EMP effect, the secondary fire could be useful in disabling air vehicles. The splinters attempt to assemble into the same shape made by splinters of the traditional splinter grenade. Said shape is a plus-shape viewed from one side and a horizontal hexagon viewed perpendicular to that side.
File:GL_Cluster_sideview.png|The Grenade Launcher CLUSTER. File:GL_Cluster_inhand.png|First-person view of the weapon File:GL_Cluster_spread1.png|The projectile shortly after exploding File:GL_Cluster_spread2.png|Another view of the projectiles. Note that the projectiles are trying to form the aforementioned shape.
Other weapon silhouettes were produced by Paul Richards.
File:H5G HumanWeaponSilhouette Concept.jpg
Covenant weapons
This cut Needler design was originally prototyped by artist :Category:Images by Can Tuncer|Can Tuncer for use in ''Halo 4'' - but was ultimately never realised in the final game. It was later taken and expanded upon by :Category:Images by Kolby Jukes|Kolby Jukes for inclusion in ''Halo 5: Guardians'', with additional bio-organic detail based on the Za'zayara-pattern Harvester|Harvester Jukes had previously created for Spartan Ops. Ultimately, this design was never realised in either game.
File:H4 Alpha EarlyNeedler.jpg|The early Needler being held in ''Halo 4''. File:H5G Needler Concept.jpg|Kolby Jukes' model of the Needler created for ''Halo 5'', based on Can Tuncer's model for this Needler in ''Halo 4''.
The initial release of the Warzone Firefight update saw the inclusion of the into ''Halo 5'' for a brief time. The weapon was featured as used by Grunt enemies in the Warzone Firefight (gametype)|Warzone Firefight gamemode, and could be picked up and used by players. The weapon had no first-person model, but could be viewed in third-person. When fired, the plasma shots had no visible model or effect. The weapon was eventually removed from the game.
File:Plasma Launcher Halo5 Firefight.png|A Plasma Launcher in ''Halo 5: Guardians''. File:H5G-PlasmaLauncher-Render.png|Model shown in ''Halo 5: Guardians'' multiplayer. File:H5G - Spartan with Plasma Launcher.png|A Spartan-IV using the Plasma Launcher in ''Halo 5: Guardians''.
Forerunner socket weapons For the most part these weapons were concepted by :Category:Images by Paul Richards|Paul Richards as part of the Forerunner socket system extensively developed for - and cut from - the game.
File:H5G SocketWeapons Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the socket weapons. File:H5G SocketWeapons Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the socket weapons.
Brute weapons Files within ''Halo 5: Guardians'' show that 343 Industries was planning on releasing some :Category:Jiralhanae weapons|Brute weapons into the ''Halo 5'' sandbox - possibly to coincide with the release of ''Halo Wars 2''. These weapons coincide with a new #Brute scopes|scope variant planned for inclusion for use on loadout weapons. These weapons may have also served as prototypes for the Brute sandbox later featured in ''Halo Infinite''.
The brute sniper rifle was going to be a weapon in ''Halo 5: Guardians'' that would have served the role of a precision sniper rifle. The weapon holds four rounds in its magazine, with an additional 12 rounds storage for a total capacity of 16 rounds. The Subanese crystal needle fired from the sniper is the same model fired by the Needler, albeit recoloured and larger - intended as a placeholder. These rounds impale themselves in players and scenery upon impact and explode a few seconds after hitting their target, though the explosion is fairly small and likely only to hit the enemy if they stand atop the spike or are impaled. It takes one body shot with the explosion effect to drop a Spartan's energy shielding and another body shot to kill, though headshots cause an instalkill. The Brute sniper rifle has a 3.5 second reload speed.
File:H5G_brute_sniper.jpg|The Brute sniper rifle using the M395 DMR|DMR placeholder model with the brute scope.
The Brute magnetic missile was to serve as Brute-themed rocket launcher equivalent. The weapon holds only one round in its magazine, with a reserve of 5 rounds. The rocket fired from the weapon is a shot that splits into five smaller rounds mid-flight, which then proceed to arc downward explode after a few seconds after hitting the ground. The explosive effect of the projectiles cause an Electromagnetic pulse|EMP which can completely disable vehicles, alongside dealing heavy damage.
The magnetic missile can kill a Spartan in one shot, and has a reload speed of five seconds.
File:H5G_Brute_magnetic_missile.jpg|The brute magnetic missile using the M41 SPNKR|SPNKR placeholder model
The Brute spiker was a weapon presumably intended to bring the Paegaas Workshop Spiker previously featured in ''Halo 3'', ''Halo 3: ODST'' and ''Halo: Reach'' into ''Halo 5: Guardians''. The weapon holds 30 rounds in its magazine, with a reserve of 80 for a total of 110 rounds. The weapon uses Blamite Needler rounds as a placeholder to represent the spikes and the model of the Z-110 Boltshot|Boltshot in lieu of a proper Spiker weapon model. Although using the Needler's ammunition, the Spiker behaves akin to its ''Halo 3'' incarnation, and has no lock on capabilities. It takes roughly twelve rounds to drop shields while hitting the body, and then six or more for the kill.
The Spiker has a 1.5 second reload speed.
File:H5G_Brute_spiker.jpg|The brute spiker using the Z-110 Boltshot|Boltshot placeholder model
Intended as the Brutes' support weapon, the gatling mortar uses the model of the assault cannon as a placeholder. The weapon does not have an ammunition count, instead displaying the HUD icon for the Shea'p-pattern plasma cannon|plasma cannon and its ammo percentage meter. Despite the presence of this HUD element, the meter does not count down while firing, likely due to the weapon's unfinished nature. The projectiles that are fired from the gun are fast firing explosive bolts. It takes only five of these rounds to drop a fully shielded player, when hit anywhere on the body.
Interestingly, the gatling mortar has some broad similarities to the Grenflekt Workshop Scrap Cannon featured in ''Halo Infinite''.
File:H5G_Brute_gatling_mortar.jpg|The brute gatling mortar using the Assault cannon|Hunter cannon placeholder model.
Scopes
Contained within the files of ''Halo 5: Forge'' are Weapon attachment|scopes of Jiralhanae|Brute origin. The scopes are compatible with the Battle Rifle and Assault Rifle, and may have been intended to coincide with the 2016-2017 release of ''Halo Wars 2'' - which primarily focused on the Banished as an enemy.
File:H5G BruteScope FP.png|Using the scope. File:H5G BruteScope DMR.png|The scope mounted on an M395B DMR. File:H5G BruteScope BR.png|The scope mounted on an BR85N battle rifle. File:H5G BruteScope AR.png|The scope mounted on an MA5D assault rifle.
Early builds and concept art show an earlier revision of the Morph sight available for use in the final game.
File:H5G_EarlyPrometheanScope_AR.png|Using this scope.
Test weapons These weapons can be found within the files of ''Halo 5: Forge'' and made functional via modding. They consist of various weapon prototypes tested by 343 Industries but ultimately never implemented.
The laser guided weapon test uses the Binary Rifle model. When fired, it launches a large explosive projectile. While firing from the hip, the projectile simply travels on the vector it was initially fired - ultimately detonating when it impacts an obstacle. By comparison, while aimed in, the weapon allows the user to guide the projectile where they aim.
The test launcher uses the Incineration Cannon model, and seems to perform more-or-less the same as its ''Halo 4'' incarnation.
The mine layer employs an untextured model of the Concussion Rifle. When fired, it launches a small projectile that bounces on the ground before exploding. If the projectile hits a character, it will stick to them like a . Given these effects, the mine layer may have been an early test for the Plasma Caster.
The multi lock uses the Railgun model. When fired, it launches three small projectiles that stick to surfaces and characters, and detonate after a small time.
The supercombine rifle uses an untextered Beam Rifle model. When fired, the weapon exhibits effects similar to the supercombine function of the Needler and Needle Rifle - the first projectile to hit a character will do moderate damage, while the second will cause a supercombine explosion and kill them completely.
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo 5: Guardians
|
Due to the cancellation of ''Halo Online'', several multiplayer maps and a single-player training scenario were cut from the game. The map data is largely gathered from the files of the MS30 build of the game, wherein map names and descriptions can be found. Some map files have the prefix s3d_, indicating the map was built for the Saber3D engine employed by Saber Interactive and is thus built wholly new for the game. Other maps returning from prior ''Halo'' games do not have this prefix, indicating they were to be 1:1 ports.
This page lists only maps which never made it into a publically-accessible build of ''Halo Online''. For a list of all other ''Halo Online'' maps which did make it into the playable builds, see :Category:Halo Online multiplayer maps|here.
Tutorial Named s3d_tutorial in game files for the MS30 ''Halo Online'' build, this level would have been set on Anvil Station, and serve as an introductory tutorial for new players starting the game. Several pieces of released concept art for the level indicate the level was to involve a shooting range and Covenant automated turrets.
File:Halo Online Secret Update.jpg|A screenshot of this level. File:HO_Tutorial_Screenshot_1.png|A screenshot of this level. File:HO Tutorial Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the level. File:HO Tutorial Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the level. File:HO Tutorial Ability Concept.jpg|Concept art for the level. File:HO Tutorial TurretRoom Concept.jpg|Concept art for the level. File:HO Tutorial Ability Concept.jpg|Concept art for the level. File:HO Tutorial R1 Concept.jpg|Concept art for the level. File:HO Tutorial R2 Concept.jpg|Concept art for the level. File:HO Tutorial CovenantTurret Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the auto-turrets. File:HO Tutorial CovenantTurret Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the auto-turrets. File:HO Tutorial Signage Concept.jpg|Concept art for the level.
Multiplayer maps
Named chillout, little is known of this map aside from its name and description. The description suggests this map would be a Covenant-themed remake of the maps Chill Out and Cold Storage. Some related text strings indicate this map may have been intended to be called "Abeyance" in the final game.
Named s3d_dry_dock in the MS30 build, this map's description indicates it would have been set on High Charity. Several pieces of released concept art, shown below, were named "drydock" and may be for this level.
File:HO Shipyard Concept.jpg|Possible concept art for this map. File:HO CovenantShip Concept.jpg|Possible concept art for this map.
Named s3d_lockout in the MS30 build, this map was a remake of the ''Halo 2'' map Lockout. Concept art has been released for this map, depicting a possible setting similar to the map Haven on Requiem.
File:HO Lockout Concept.jpg|Concept art.
Named s3d_powerhouse in the MS30 build, the map's name and description suggest this would be a remake of the ''Halo: Reach'' map Powerhouse.
Named s3d_sky_bridgenew in the MS30 build, this map was to be set in Seongnam, Korea.
File:HO city map 4.jpg
Named s3d_waterfall in the MS30 build, little is known of this map. Several released pieces of concept art with the name "waterfall" in their filenames have been released and likely correspond to this map, shown below. Some text strings indicate this map may have been intended to have the final name of "Whiteout".
The map has been implemented into the ''Halo 3'' component of ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'' in Series 6: Raven.
File:HO Waterfall Concept.jpg|Concept art. File:HO Waterfall Pelicans Concept.jpg|Concept art. File:HO Waterfall Skybox Concept 1.jpg|Concept art. File:HO Waterfall Skybox Concept 2.jpg|Concept art. File:H3 Screenshot Waterfall-1.png|The map as it appeared in ''Halo 3''s ''MCC'' port.
The following maps are referenced in the MS30 text files, though beyond names no information is provided for these maps. As such, they are listed below. They consist of ''Halo 3'' multiplayer maps, and all use the same map filenames as those used in the original ''Halo 3'' game, indicating they were to be ported without any changes. armory construct descent docks fortress ghosttown isolation midship salvation sandbox sidewinder snowbound spacecamp warehouse
The following maps are referenced in the H3EK Shader Collection, though beyond names no information is provided for these maps. As such, they are listed below. They consist of cut ''Halo Online'' multiplayer maps. s3d_dale s3d_hangar s3d_rock s3d_sidewinder s3d_underwater s3d_well s3d_countdown s3d_lockout s3d_haven s3d_burial_mounds s3d_chillout s3d_beaver_creek
Firefight maps Some text strings in the files reference the filenames of several ''Halo 3: ODST'' and ''Halo: Reach'' Firefight maps. It is unknown if they are simply leftover assets in the engine from those games, or whether Firefight was a planned gamemode intended to be included in ''Halo Online''.
Named s3d_beachhead, this map was set on a former human colony world, and was presumably a remake of ''Reach''s map of the same name, Beachhead (Halo: Reach map)|Beachhead.
These firefight maps are referenced in the text files by name;
alphasite chasmten lostplatoon
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo Online multiplayer maps
|
This page contains units that were planned to be released/apart of ''Halo Wars 2'', but were left unused or cut from the game.
UNSC units
The Operative
The Operative is a UNSC stealth unit that was permanently cloaked. It's main role was to sabotage behind enemy lines.
File:Halo Wars 2 E-War Cut Operative.png
Quadruped Colossus During it's early concept of the Colossus, the mech is shown as a quadruped mech but ultimately being biped in the final release. There's another existing concept of the Quadruped Colossus being more of a garrison unit with the back part almost resembling a Bunker Drop|Bunker.
File:HW2-QuadColossus Concept.png File:HW2-PlatformColossus Concept.png
Spartans
It's unknown who was meant to train this Spartan, this Spartan was probably Spearbreaker's hero idea, the earliest hero idea for Commander Jerome, or a leader power unit such as Omega Team.
File:HW2 - spartan armor shield.jpg
This was probably Serina's earliest hero idea as the Spartan itself contains Cryo weapons.
File:HW2 - cryo spartan.jpg
During the earliest idea for the leader Kinsano, the Flame Spartan was either going to be the hero that Kinsano can train or be Kinsano herself, one concept art shows the Spartan near her Cyclops and was probably gonna be a hero unit similar to Comannder Jerome's hero.
File:HW2 - inferno cyclops.png File:HW2 - flame spartan.jpg
This unit was probably Forge's earliest hero idea as the Spartan has a Gauss turret as it's weapon.
File:HW2 - gauss spartan.jpg
It's unknown who was meant to train this hero but it can be a assume it was for Johnson as he was canonically a sniper, unlike the other Spartans, this Spartans has a heal drone with him.
File:HW2 - spartan sniper.jpg
Kinsano (Infantry)
During development of the leader, Kinsano was one time planned to be a white-armored Hellbringer similar to the Spearbreaker's hero unit.
File:HW2 - Kinsano concept.png
Super Heavy Tank The Super Heavy Tank was a modular tank used by the UNSC. As the concept shows a Grizzly being applied with heavy armor, it's unknown if the tank is meant to be an upgrade for the Grizzly or a separate unit of it's own.
File:HW2-SuperHeavyTank Concept.png
Banished units
The Infiltrator
The Infiltrator is a stealth Banished unit that was permanently cloaked. It's main role was to sabotage behind enemy lines.
File:Halo Wars 2 E-War Cut Infiltrator.png
Impervious Warlord The Impervious Warlord is a more armored Warlord, it's unknown who was originally supposed to train this unit before being turned to a Brute character known as Pavium.
File:HW2-ImperviousWarlord Concept.png
Unggoy Hero
The Unggoy Hero is a cut hero unit intended for inclusion in ''Halo Wars 2''. One piece of concept art shows the hero with a Eklon'Dal Workshop Goblin, while the other indicates that one of its abilities would have been to be resurrected. A model file for the unit can be found in the game files of ''Halo Wars 2''.
File:HW2 Grunt Hero.png|A model for the unit found in ''Halo Wars 2'' game files.
Super Wraith A super-heavy Banished vehicle. Looks like a large Wraith, possesses a pair of point-defence turrets on the top. Instead of a plasma mortar, carries some kind of railgun or missile launcher in the front hull. Judging by the concept art, it could use its speed and mass to splatter massed infantry formations.
File:HW2-BanishedSuperWraith Concept.jpg
Forerunner unit
This unit doesn't appear in the ''Halo Wars 2: Operation: SPEARBREAKER|Operation: SPEARBREAKER'' missions or the ''Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare|Awakening the Nightmare'' missions. In the final ''SPEARBREAKER'' campaign, Controller Sentinels can be found with shields, where this unit lacks one.
File:HW2 Shieldless Controller.png
Flood units
Infected Cyclops This unused unit has a finished mesh with textures, however, this unit takes the same role as it's standard-uninfected counterpart.
File:HW2 Infected Cyclops.png
Infected Grunt This unit was given a high-poly sculpt and model later posted on ArtStation, though did not make it into the final game.
File:HW2 - Flood Unggoy form.jpg
Infected Colossus This unused unit has a finished mesh with textures, however, this unit takes the same role as it's standard-uninfected counterpart.
File:HW2 Infected Colossus ingame.png
Infected Flamehog This unused unit has a finished mesh with textures, however, this unit takes the same role as it's standard-uninfected counterpart.
File:HW2 Infected Flamehog ingame.png
Infected Ghost This unused unit has a finished unique "damaged" mesh with textures, however, this unit takes the same role as it's standard-uninfected counterpart.
File:HW2 Infected Ghost ingame.png
Infected Grizzly This unused unit has a finished model that went unused, presumably it would've function as a standard Grizzly while losing it's Missile Barrage.
File:HW2 Infected Grizzly.png
Infected Jackrabbit This unused unit has a finished mesh with textures, however, this unit takes the same role as it's standard-uninfected counterpart.
HW2_Infected_Jackrabbit.png
Infected Kodiak This unused unit has a finished mesh with textures, this unit can turn to siege mode like it's standard-uninfected counterpart.
File:HW2 Infected Kodiak.png
Infected Locust This unused unit has a finished mesh with textures, however, this unit takes the same role as it's standard-uninfected counterpart.
File:HW2 Infected Locust.png
Infected Mantis This unused unit has a finished mesh with textures, however, this unit takes the same role as it's standard-uninfected counterpart.
File:HW2 Infected Mantis ingame.png
Infected Mastodon This unused unit has a finished mesh with textures, however, the unit can't carry troops.
HW2_Infected_Mastodon.png
Infected Reaver This unused unit has a finished mesh with textures, however, this unit takes the same role as it's standard-uninfected counterpart.
HW2_Infected_Reaver.png
Infected Wolverine This unused unit has a finished mesh with textures, however, this unit takes the same role as it's standard-uninfected counterpart.
File:HW2 Infected Wolverine.png
Infected Frostraven This unused unit has a finished mesh with textures, presumably it would've function as a standard Frostraven while losing it's Seismic Missile ability.
HW2_Infected_Frostraven.png File:HW2 Infected Frostraven ingame.png
Infected Hornet This unused unit has a finished mesh with textures, however, the unit's mesh breaks after getting damaged.
HW2_Infected_Hornet.png HW2_Infected_Hornet_ingame.png
Infected Phantom This unused unit has a finished mesh with textures, however, the unit can't carry troops.
File:HW2_Infected_Phantom.png File:HW2 Infected Phantom ingame.png
Infected Vulture This unused unit has a finished mesh with textures, however, the unit's mesh breaks after getting damaged.
HW2_Infected_Vulture.png File:HW2 Infected Vulture (Ingame).png
Category:Halo Wars 2
Category:Deleted material
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File:HW Screenshots E07 4.jpg|thumb|300px|An early iteration of the UNSC Firebase found in the Halo Wars E3 2007 Demo|''Halo Wars'' E3 2007 demo.
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Throughout the Development of Halo Wars|development of ''Halo Wars'', a large number of buildings were cut from the final release. Over the game's development, the building system went through over six iterations prior to settling on the Firebase system ultimately found in the Halo Wars E3 2008 Demo|E3 2008 Demo and final game.
UNSC buildings
While the Air Pad was ultimately included in the final game, it underwent several revisions to reach that stage. An early design of the air pad found in the E3 2007 build consists of a small hangar and runway for several aircraft including a B-65 Shortsword and three Cut Halo Wars units#Falcon|Falcons or AV-22 Sparrowhawk|Sparrowhawks. Icons depicting this design remain in the files of the final release.
File:HW Airpad Early Model.jpg|The model for this early air pad. File:HW_E307_AirPad.png|This air pad in-game.
Another building that survived into the final game, the barracks underwent many design iterations. In the E3 2007 build, the barracks are little more than a fenced-off courtyard, and have UNSC Marine Corps|Marines doing pushups behind the building. Another iteration of the barracks was intended to be "orbitally deployed", with the building dropping down from orbit and unpacking itself.
A third design of the barracks has also been shown, much more simplified in form and more closely-resembling the direction of the buildings in the final game. Icons depicting this design remain in the files of the final release.
File:HW_E307_Barracks.png|The barracks seen in the E3 2007 build, with marines doing pushups. File:HW OrbitalBarracks Concept.jpg|Concept art for the unfolding mechanism of the orbitally-deployed barracks. File:HW - Prerelease - UNSC Barracks with units.png|The model for the orbitally-deployed barracks. File:HW-Barracks Concept.jpg|Concept art for the third design. File:HW-EarlyBarracks_Wireframe.jpg|A wireframe render of the barracks, early in ''Halo Wars'' production. File:HW-EarlyBarracks_Render_1.jpg|A render of the early barracks design. File:HW-EarlyBarracks_Render_2.jpg|Another early render. File:HW-EarlyBarracks_HiPoly_1.jpg|Hi-poly render of the early barracks. File:HW-EarlyBarracks_HiPoly_2.jpg|Hi-poly render of the early barracks.
File:HW OrbitalBombardment Screenshot 2.jpg|A look at the E3 2007-era bases, with the command centre visible in the bottom-left. File:HW OrbitalBombardment Screenshot 1.jpg|A look at an iteration of the "orbitally-dropped" bases.
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Found in the E3 2007 Demo, the missile silo was presumably intended for launching missiles as part of the leader power system. The building is never used in the demo, leaving its full functionality a mystery.
File:HW E307 MissileSilo.png|Open and closed missile silos in the E3 2007 demo.
Another building that was realised in the final release, the field armory went through similar revision as other buildings. A particularly early revision labels the field armory as the "spec ops building", though the building went through at least one other iteration before the final design was chosen; this second iteration's icon remains in the files for ''Halo Wars''. Icons additionally remain in the files for yet another "specialops" building design alongside the aforementioned field armory.
File:HW SpecOpsLab Concept.jpg|The "spec ops building" 3D asset. File:HW-CommandCentreBuilding Concept.jpg|Concept art for a revised field armory. File:HW FieldArmory Concept.jpg|The 3D asset for this revised field armory.
File:UNSCSupply_Pad_concept.jpg|Early concept art for the supply pad. File:HW_OldUNSC_SupplyPad.jpg|An official render of the early supply pad model. File:HW_EarlySupplyPad_Concept.jpg|A later concept for a revised supply pad.
Some early designs for the M5 Talos base turrets would have seen the turrets able to be deployed from orbit, similar to abilities later implemented into ''Halo Wars 2''. These designs would have reused turret geometry from existing UNSC vehicles, with a third (unfinished) variation intended to create a crater with a small fortification in the middle.
File:HW - Prerelease - Turrets.jpg|Early turret designs.
Covenant buildings
Found in the earliest builds of ''Halo Wars'', these structures are descended from mechanics intended for the original ''Phoenix (Ensemble pitch)|Phoenix'' IP developed by Ensemble prior to adopting the ''Halo'' themeing. As part of this game, the alien enemies were to have the ability to build "fog-of-war killing barriers". Covenant-themed models for these structures were created by artist Duane Santos, though the mechanic was ultimately cut.
File:HW BruteTanks Early.jpg|The wall generators alongside some Banshees and Brute Tanks.
Identified only via filenames cov_bdlg_monument and cov_bdlg_upgradedmonument of icons in the released build of ''Halo Wars'', the Covenant monument building was to have five tiers of upgrade, shown below. The monument's intended function is unknown, though the labelling of the Kewu Umppi'pa'-pattern citadel turret|base defense turrets as cov_nodemonumentupgrade suggests the monument was intended to serve as the base headquarters/ command centre in the original free-placement building system.
File:HW-CovenantBuilding Concept.jpg|Concept art for an unknown building, possibly intended for the monument.
Flood buildings
Sources
Category:Halo Wars deleted material
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During the game's Development of Halo Wars|development, ''Halo Wars'' was to a feature a level which was later cut from the game.
Campaign
An early draft of the "tear sheet" (a high-level design document outlining concepts and ideas) for the level Relic Approach showcases a fairly different design intent for the level. Rather than the layout in the final game, the level was originally drafted to be set within a canyon carved into the surface of Harvest by Covenant excavation beams during the planet's glassing. Midway through the level, a UNSC cruiser would crash onto Harvest. In the final game, this was removed - though wreckage from the does appear on the Harvest levels as background scenery. The story of UNSC ''Prophecy'' would later play a prominent role in the ''Halo Wars: Genesis'' comic and the non-canon Spirit of Fire Archives; short stories written by ''Halo Wars'' lead writer Graeme Devine to immerse himself in the ''Halo'' universe during development.
File:HW RelicApproach TearSheet.jpg|The Relic Approach "tear sheet". File:HW_RelicApproach_EarlyBlockout.jpg|An early blockout for the level, as described in the tear sheet.
During the Repairs mission of the game, the comes face to face with a Covenant named ''Proclamation's Tithe'', which begins bombarding the ship with its broadside Plasma cannon (starship)|plasma cannons. Originally, ''Halo Wars'' was intended to have a level set after Repairs in which the forces of the ''Spirit of Fire'' would conduct a boarding action with the intent of destroying the ship's power core. Some information remains in the game files of ''Halo Wars'', and a few pieces of concept art released online showcase concepts for the ship's geometry.
File:HW-Concept-Covenant-Turret.jpg|Concept art for a Covenant Plasma beam emitter|beam weapon, likely intended for this level. File:HW DestroyerEngineCompartment Concept.jpg|Concept art for the destroyer's engine compartment, notably similar to the reactor core on the ''Spirit of Fire''.
Sources
Category:Halo Wars deleted material
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File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|300px|thumb|A number of cut Covenant units including the Gargoyle, Hydra and Brute Tank.
During the Development of Halo Wars|development of ''Halo Wars'', a number of units were concepted, prototyped and cut from the game.
UNSC
The Cougar was designed as a UNSC AFV, equipped with two M68 Gauss cannons. Although anti-heavy armor fire would blow the Cougar away quite easily, this vehicle was highly effective in holding off enemy armored vehicles until slower armored units could arrive at the battlefield. The Cougar had gained infamy in several urban tactical situations prior to the deployments in the war against the Covenant.
It appeared as a somewhat standard armored fighting vehicle with two wheels up front and two pairs in the rear. It bore a small mounted turret armed with two M68 Gauss cannons, as well as a machine gun or grenade launcher on other concept art. There was a windscreen on its forward body, with two side windows to provide a fairly high amount of visibility for the driver, which would have proved useful. It would have been able to reach a top speed of 90 mph.
The Cougar was ultimately cut from the game in favor of other vehicle ideas. Its shape may have proved the inspiration of the SP42 Cobra, as its role in ''Halo Wars'' was originally an anti-vehicle unit. The Cougar bears a striking resemblance to the World War II armored car, the Wikipedia:M8 Greyhound|M8 Greyhound.
The vehicle was later fully-canonized as the M35 Cougar in the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'', with the vehicle's lore and armament closely matching the lore flavor text given in the original concept art. The Cougar was one of several potential ideas suggested by MEGA Construx in a 2022 fan vote for which set should be created next. Concept art for the Cougar was provided alongside the Reaver, Warden Eternal and Flood invasion at Traxus Tower. The Cougar ultimately lost the vote.
File:HW Cougar Concept 3.jpg|Early concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 1.jpg|Finalised concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 2.jpg|The final Cougar model. File:HW Cougar Model.jpg|What the Cougar would have looked like in-game.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo 2 vehicles|cut vehicle of the same name from ''Halo 2'' or the UH-144 Falcon|tiltrotor helicopter that appeared in ''Halo: Reach'', the Falcon was a UNSC aircraft that got so far as having a 3D model made. The Falcon was a twin seater fighter aircraft planned to be used by the UNSC Army. Originally intended to be a usable unit, stored in the UNSC airpad, it filled the role of strike fighter, packing enough firepower to destroy enemy vehicles and infantry with "Sidewinder" missiles and heavy armor-piercing guns. Like several other units, it was cut from the final game before it shipped.
In terms of design, the Falcon uses forward-swept wings (giving it an appearance similar to the 20th Century Wikipedia:Sukhoi Su-47|Sukhoi Su-47), which are used to provide stability during steep dives, indicating an emphasis in air-to-ground combat. Another, smaller set of wing flaps are attached to the ventral hull, possibly to improve stability. It also possesses two inward-angled vertical stabilizers at the rear, and missile pods attached to the base of the wing and the ventral hull. At the rear of the craft are twin jet thrusters, capable of tilting to allow VTOL capability. Retractable landing gear appears to be located at the wing tips.
In 2023, the Falcon was canonized as the F-23 Falcata, following a highly detailed model recreation made by 343 Industries 3D Character Artist :Category:Images by Fletcher Kinnear|Fletcher Kinnear under the alias Skaboodlydoodle. The model made by Kinnear was one of many done by him as part of a series of personal projects to bring several ''Halo Wars'' vehicles into the first-person shooter ''Halo'' games via modding, with other such recreations including the AV-22 Sparrowhawk, HRUNTING Mark III (S) Cyclops, M121 Jackrabbit, and . Thanks to the work of the concurrent Digsite project, Kinnear was able to use the original Ensemble-developed Falcon model for reference when making his higher-detail recreation, making it a drivable vehicle mod for ''Halo: Reach''. This process was documented in several videos on his YouTube channel, .
Due to the Falcon being a name taken by ''Reach''s utility helicopter, the aircraft was instead designated the Falcata, after the pre-Roman Iberian blade of the Wikipedia:Falcata|same name. This naming convention follows the UNSC's tradition of naming fighter aircraft after blades, with the name literally meaning "falcon-shaped," referencing the original ''Halo Wars'' Falcon designation.
File:HW Falcon Concept.jpg|Concept art of a squadron of Falcons in flight. File:HW Airpad Early Model.jpg|An early model for the UNSC Airpad, with several Falcons docked on the runway. Later builds would see these Falcons replaced with AV-22 Sparrowhawks, before the design was changed completely. File:HW Falcon Model.jpg|The finalised game model for the Falcon. File:HR Falcata Screenshot 1.jpg|The Falcata modded into ''Halo: Reach''.
The Fox Cannon was a United Nations Space Command|UNSC vehicle cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was to be a self-propelled artillery vehicle, capable of firing five shells per minute, and with great accuracy due to satellite targeting over a distance greater than 50 kilometers. The Fox was equipped with a 175mm cannon that shot the M179 projectile. Given its role, it was likely replaced by the SP42 Cobra.
File:HW_FoxCannon_Concept_1.jpg|thumb|Fox Cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Concept 2.jpg|Fox cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Render 1.jpg|Render of the Fox Cannon from the development of ''Halo Wars''. File:HW FoxCannon Render 2.jpg|Another render. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 1.jpg|Wireframe view of the Fox Cannon. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 2.jpg|Another wireframe view. File:HW - Prerelease - UNSC Barracks with units.png|Prerelease version of ''Halo Wars'' with the Fox Cannon in it.
The Leviathan Mobile Firebase is a UNSC vehicle concepted during the development of ''Halo Wars'', but evidently never implemented. The vehicle is similar in size to the M510 Mammoth|Mammoth, being many times the size of an M12 Warthog and serving as a mobile Firebase. The vehicle is seen to have several different configurations such as a "Suicide assault" variant with nose-mounted saw blades and a "Paris gun" variant equipped with a massive artillery cannon. However, the primary variant appears to be a vehicle that would fill a role similar to that fulfilled by the M312 Elephant in the final game, sporting numerous machine gun turrets, a mobile UNSC Barracks|barracks and the ability to tow a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, like that seen in the mission Reactor (Halo Wars level)|Reactor.
File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art. File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art.
Early on in the development of ''Halo Wars'', the M274 Mongoose was intended to be included. The vehicle got as far as having a model created and implemented in game, though by the time of the Halo Wars Alpha|"Sway" alpha, all that remained in the files was a handful of text strings referencing test_pj_mongoose.
To create this Mongoose model, Ensemble 3D artist Jenell Jaquays had to rely on observing screenshots of the Mongoose as seen in ''Halo 3'', as Bungie were unwilling to share the original model file with Ensemble.
File:HW - Prerelease - Mongoose.png|The Mongoose unit in an early build.
This prototype infantry unit was created by artist Gene Kohler. Little is known of it or its purpose in-game.
File:HW - Render - Prototype Unit.png
The Tiger Tank is a unit referenced in the game files. Little is known of it, except for the below icon.
File:HW Tiger Tank.png
Covenant
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The Covenant Air Artillery was a unit cut from ''Halo Wars'' some time prior to January 2008. The vehicle was to boast three plasma mortars, and was intended for use in a ground attack role - noted to be especially effective against static bases.
File:Covenant Air Artillery.jpg|The final air artillery model. File:HW covenant airArtillery concept.jpg|Concept art for this vehicle. File:HW-AirArtillery_WIP_Renders.jpg|A work-in-progress blockout of the Covenant Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_Render.jpg|Renders of the Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_HP_Render.jpg|A high-poly render of the Air Artillery.
The "Brute Tank" is a vehicle cut from the game, notable for its high similarity to the existing Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith. However, the Brute Tank instead comes equipped with a M512 smooth-bore high-velocity cannon|turret like those found on the M808B Scorpion|Scorpion tank. Text strings in the "Sway" alpha build reference brutetank_power_hack_obstruction, possibly meaning the tank was to have some form of hacking ability. Presumably, this vehicle was intended to be used by the Jiralhanae and their Avitus|Chieftain.
Although the Brute Tank icon found in the final release of ''Halo Wars'' depicts a Wraith with a Scorpion turret, some models seen in earlier builds have a more distinctive appearance of a Wraith with a more Covenant-style turret; these vehicles bear some resemblance to certain ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art, shown below. Another piece of concept art uploaded to ArtStation by Nathan Stefan shows a vehicle very similar to the Brute Tank, though the image itself is named gorgon-005 - this vehicle bears little resemblance to the #Gorgon|Gorgon, so the art's status is unclear.
Another icon depicts this vehicle with a dome shield-like ability.
File:HW_Brute_Tank.jpg|The Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Brute Tank (top-left) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A pair of Brute Tanks (lower-left) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW BruteTank Shield Icon.png|The Brute Tank shield icon. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Brute Tanks can be seen in the E3 2007 build promotional images. File:HW BruteTank Icon.png|The Brute Tank, bearing a Scorpion turret. File:HCE Wraith Concept 2.jpg|''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art by Shi Kai Wang, bearing heavy resemblance to the Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech.
The Chimera was a Covenant unit cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was a four-legged walker bearing slight resemblance to the , though with a more hunched appearance.
File:HW-Chimera_Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|The Chimera (bottom-left), seen alongside a handful of other WIP renders of various Covenant vehicles. File:HW Chimera Icon.png|An icon for the Chimera from the in-game unit selection.
Found in some screenshots and an animation reel uploaded by animator Charles Tinney, the Elite Ranger was evidently to be a flying infantry unit. Their design is that of the Sangheili Ranger|Elite Rangers found in ''Halo 2''.
File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Several Rangers can be found in the mid-back of this promotional screenshot. File:HW_EliteRanger_Unit.png|The Ranger unit, as seen in Tinney's animation reel.
Named only in game files, the Gargoyle was intended to be a Covenant bomber aircraft. In the final game, a menu icon is still present in the files to represent the unit.
File:HW Gargoyle.jpg File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Gargoyle (top-right) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A trio of Gargoyles (lower-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Gargoyle UI Icon.png|The Gargoyle's UI icon.
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The Gorgon was a vehicle created for the Covenant and intended for use in the anti-air role. The vehicle was envisioned as a walker equipped with a needle cannon, used to attack air targets. The vehicle's mech-based nature conflicted with Ensemble's philosophy that anything with legs was considered infantry, and the overwhelming abundance of Covenant ground vehicles - combined with the relative lack of aircraft - ultimately led to the Gorgon being scrapped and replaced with the . A very similar vehicle; the Reaver, was later implemented in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Interestingly, a later Artstation upload by Nathan Stefan titled gorgon-005.jpg depicts a vehicle more similar in nature to the Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith or similarly-cut #Brute Tank|Brute Tank.
File:HW Gorgon Render.jpg|The cut Gorgon mech. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech. File:HW Gorgon MenuIcon.png|The Gorgon's menu icon in the final build of ''Halo Wars''.
Named in an image upload by artist Don Gagen, the Hydra was intended to be a Covenant aircraft.
File:HW-Hydra Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Hydra (top-middle) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|Several Hydras (top-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Hydra MenuIcon.png|The Hydra's icon, seen in the final game.
Present in the "Sway" alpha, the Recon Drone appears on an early version of the map Repository as a unit buildable in the map's central Sentinel factory alongside Aggressor Sentinels. Despite this Forerunner construction and neutral placement, the Recon Drone takes the form of a Yanme'e. The Drone has a complete model and animations, and is able to fly at high speeds around the map. True to its name, the Drone has no attacks, and is instead only intended for scouting.
File:HW Drone Sculpt.jpg|The high-poly sculpt of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Textured.jpg|The textured final unit of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Alpha.png|The Recon Drone in the internal alpha. File:HWDE Drone Cut.png|The Recon Drone found in Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.
Seen in the Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2007 build and on the box art for ''Halo Wars'', among other promotional screenshots, is the Protos-pattern Scarab|Type-47A "Protos" Scarab - the Scarab variant notably found in the ''Halo 2'' campaign levels ''Outskirts'', ''Metropolis'' and ''The Great Journey''. In the final ''Halo Wars'' game, the design notably used in ''Halo 3'', ''Halo 3: ODST'' and ''Halo: Reach'' is used.
In the E3 2007 demo, the Scarab appears near the end in a short viginette, climbing out of a Forerunner underground shaft. The Scarab proceeds to rampage across the battlefield, destroying several tanks and other units, and must ultimately be destroyed via Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC orbital bombardment.
File:HW Scarab Concept.jpg|Concept art depicting this Type-47A variant. File:HW Screenshots Screens 1.jpg|Multiple Scarabs in an early build of the game. File:Hornet war.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab fighting Hornets. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab seen right, firing on the UNSC force. File:HW Screenshots 005.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab can be seen on the bottom-left of this image. File:HW Screenshots E07 3.jpg|Another screenshot of the Scarab. File:HW E307 Scarab.png|The Scarab as it appears in the Halo Wars E3 2007 Demo|''Halo Wars'' E3 demo.
Forerunner
While the Sentinels do appear on many maps and levels of the final ''Halo Wars'' game, this Sentinel design in particular does not. While superficially similar to the final game's Super Sentinel in design and proportion, it has a number of very notable differences; predominantly the massive size it has compared to most other units in the game. The unit was intended to appear on the campaign level ''Cleansing'' as a boss enemy, though was ultimately cut. The model for the Sentinel remains in the game files, unused. An image of the Sentinel in-game appears to show it emitting plasma mortar-like projectiles firing at the Flood forces below.
Interestingly, this design was later brought back almost unchanged in ''Halo Wars 2'' as the Protector Sentinel (Installation 00)|Protector Sentinel.
File:HW_BossSentinel_Concept.jpg|Concept art of this Sentinel design. File:HW_BossSentinel_HiPoly.jpg|A hi-poly render of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Wireframe.jpg|A wireframe of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Render.jpg|A textured render of the early Sentinel. File:HW BossSentinel InGame.jpg|The Sentinel boss in-game, demonstrating its massive size. File:HW2 Blitz Protector Sentinel.png|A List of Blitz cards|Blitz card illustration of the Protector Sentinel, as it appears in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Ambient AI
A number of maps in ''Halo Wars'' feature neutral AI factions such as Unidentified insurrectionist group|rebels, Sentinels and Flood. These factions will typically be hostile to both the UNSC and Covenant. A number of additional factions were intended to be implemented in the game. These factions were developed under the codename of "creep", and include the following. Heretics One possible creep faction intended to be included in ''Halo Wars'' were the Covenant List of known Covenant heretics|heretics - those who sought fit to defy the Covenant religion. Concept art reveals that Sangheili were intended to be soldiers in this faction, while unused files within the releases of ''Halo Wars'' and ''Halo Wars: Definitive Edition'' showcase additional Heretic Unggoy|Grunts. An additional texture file known as creep_heretic_ghost_01 indicates the Heretics would have access to the Ghost vehicle; piloted by a Sangheili.
File:HW Heretics Concept.jpg|Concept art for the Heretic Elites. File:HW HereticGrunts.png|The Heretic Grunts; spawned in via modding. File:HW HereticGrunt Icon.png|The in-game unit icon for the Heretic Grunts.
Jackal pirates Another cut creep faction that would have been included are the Kig-Yar Piracy|pirates. Files for the Jackals are still available within ''Halo Wars'', allowing the units to be spawned in via modding. The Jackals were to spawn in squads of four, armed with Type-25 plasma pistol|plasma pistols or Type-33 needler|needlers. The pirates would also have access to Kig-Yar Snipers armed with Type-50 particle beam rifle|beam rifles.
File:HW JackalCreep Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW JackalCreep Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW Jackal Early Design.jpg|The final model for the pirates. File:HW JackalPirate Needlers.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with needlers. File:HW_JackalPirate_PlasmaPistols.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with plasma pistols. File:HW JackalPirate Snipers.png|The Jackal Pirate snipers.
Rebels While an unidentified insurrectionist group does appear in the final ''Halo Wars'' game on maps set on Harvest and Arcadia, released concept art indicates the rebels were intended to be much-more fleshed out. Released concept art showcases a rebel "sci-trooper" wielding an Electromagnetic pulse|EMP gun and an insurrectionist-branded M12G1 Gauss Warthog|Gauss Warthog.
File:HW SciTrooper Rebel Concept.jpg|Concept art for the rebel sci-trooper and EMP gun. File:HW_RebelSniper_Warthog_Concept.png|Concept art for the rebel sniper units which were included in ''Halo Wars'', and the cut Warthog.
Alongside the neutral factions, ''Halo Wars'' was intended to feature fauna as ambient AI in the game world. Some of these creatures were only concepted, while others were even modelled and textured for in-game implementation. For a list of other ambient life cut from other ''Halo'' games, see List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|this page. Arctic beast The arctic beast was a creature concepted, modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', likely intended to spawn on maps set in the polar regions of Harvest. This creature was later canonised in 2015's ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'' as the ''Chaefka''; a species of life indexed by the Forerunners and present on Installation 00|The Ark. The following year's ''Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo|Halo Mythos'' saw a scene from the book visualised with a new illustration, using the arctic beast's design almost entirely unaltered.
File:HW ArcticBeast Concept.jpg|Concept art for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast HiPoly.jpg|The high-poly sculpt for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast Render.jpg|The textured low-poly model for the arctic beast. File:HM-Chaefka.jpeg|An official illustration of the ''Chaefka'' from ''Halo Mythos''.
Arctic ice hound
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This creature was one of a number of concepts developed during the discussions of the wildlife of Harvest. It was concepted and even modelled and textured, though cut from release.
File:HW ArcticIceHound Concept.jpg|Concept art of the creature. File:HW ArcticIceHound Render.jpg|A textured 3D model of the creature.
Thorn beast The thorn beasts are another cut creature seen fully modelled, textured and animated; they are present in the ''Halo Wars'' Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2008 build and can be seen walking around the map around thirteen minutes into the demo. They do not appear to attack UNSC forces. Thorn beasts remain canon in the ''Halo'' setting; with the Avitus|Chieftain character said to particularly enjoy eating them; they were later featured in the novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest'' as a delicacy enjoyed by the crew of ''Rapid Conversion''.
Interestingly, ''Halo Wars'' is not the first time the thorn beasts were developed to appear in a ''Halo'' game; they were originally designed by Paul Russel during the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', where they were modelled with an identical design and similarly cut.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|Paul Russel's original thorn beast model for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:HW Unit Thorn Beast.png|A thorn beast can be seen in this image taken from the E3 2008 demo build of ''Halo Wars''.
Space owl
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The so-called "space owl" is another ambient creature concepted but ultimately never implemented in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was described as having a wingspan of six feet.
File:HW SpaceOwl Concept.jpg|Concept art for the creature.
Harvest whale
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The Harvest whale was designed as part of the exploration for the wildlife of Harvest. This creature would likely not be seen as an ambient AI on the map, but instead a dead body appearing in the environment.
File:HW HarvestWhale Concept.jpg|Concept art for the whale.
Oxyaena The oxyaena is another creature fully modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was present in the game's E3 2008 demo, and can be seen wandering the map at around one minute into the demo.
File:HW Oxyaena Render.jpg|The model created for the oxyanea. File:HW Unit Oxyaena.png|The oxyanea in the E3 2008 demo.
Other creatures These creatures have also been showcased in various work uploads related to ''Halo Wars''. Little is known of their design intent or purpose, and are thus presented below.
File:HW EelSnake Concept.jpg|Concept art for an eel-like creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 1.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 2.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature.
Sources
Category:Halo Wars deleted material
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File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|300px|thumb|A number of cut Covenant units including the Gargoyle, Hydra and Brute Tank.
During the Development of Halo Wars|development of ''Halo Wars'', a number of units were concepted, prototyped and cut from the game.
UNSC
The Cougar was designed as a UNSC AFV, equipped with two M68 Gauss cannons. Although anti-heavy armor fire would blow the Cougar away quite easily, this vehicle was highly effective in holding off enemy armored vehicles until slower armored units could arrive at the battlefield. The Cougar had gained infamy in several urban tactical situations prior to the deployments in the war against the Covenant.
It appeared as a somewhat standard armored fighting vehicle with two wheels up front and two pairs in the rear. It bore a small mounted turret armed with two M68 Gauss cannons, as well as a machine gun or grenade launcher on other concept art. There was a windscreen on its forward body, with two side windows to provide a fairly high amount of visibility for the driver, which would have proved useful. It would have been able to reach a top speed of 90 mph.
The Cougar was ultimately cut from the game in favor of other vehicle ideas. Its shape may have proved the inspiration of the SP42 Cobra, as its role in ''Halo Wars'' was originally an anti-vehicle unit. The Cougar bears a striking resemblance to the World War II armored car, the Wikipedia:M8 Greyhound|M8 Greyhound.
The vehicle was later fully-canonized as the M35 Cougar in the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'', with the vehicle's lore and armament closely matching the lore flavor text given in the original concept art. The Cougar was one of several potential ideas suggested by MEGA Construx in a 2022 fan vote for which set should be created next. Concept art for the Cougar was provided alongside the Reaver, Warden Eternal and Flood invasion at Traxus Tower. The Cougar ultimately lost the vote.
File:HW Cougar Concept 3.jpg|Early concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 1.jpg|Finalised concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 2.jpg|The final Cougar model. File:HW Cougar Model.jpg|What the Cougar would have looked like in-game.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo 2 vehicles|cut vehicle of the same name from ''Halo 2'' or the UH-144 Falcon|tiltrotor helicopter that appeared in ''Halo: Reach'', the Falcon was a UNSC aircraft that got so far as having a 3D model made. The Falcon was a twin seater fighter aircraft planned to be used by the UNSC Army. Originally intended to be a usable unit, stored in the UNSC airpad, it filled the role of strike fighter, packing enough firepower to destroy enemy vehicles and infantry with "Sidewinder" missiles and heavy armor-piercing guns. Like several other units, it was cut from the final game before it shipped.
In terms of design, the Falcon uses forward-swept wings (giving it an appearance similar to the 20th Century Wikipedia:Sukhoi Su-47|Sukhoi Su-47), which are used to provide stability during steep dives, indicating an emphasis in air-to-ground combat. Another, smaller set of wing flaps are attached to the ventral hull, possibly to improve stability. It also possesses two inward-angled vertical stabilizers at the rear, and missile pods attached to the base of the wing and the ventral hull. At the rear of the craft are twin jet thrusters, capable of tilting to allow VTOL capability. Retractable landing gear appears to be located at the wing tips.
In 2023, the Falcon was canonized as the F-23 Falcata, following a highly detailed model recreation made by 343 Industries 3D Character Artist :Category:Images by Fletcher Kinnear|Fletcher Kinnear under the alias Skaboodlydoodle. The model made by Kinnear was one of many done by him as part of a series of personal projects to bring several ''Halo Wars'' vehicles into the first-person shooter ''Halo'' games via modding, with other such recreations including the AV-22 Sparrowhawk, HRUNTING Mark III (S) Cyclops, M121 Jackrabbit, and . Thanks to the work of the concurrent Digsite project, Kinnear was able to use the original Ensemble-developed Falcon model for reference when making his higher-detail recreation, making it a drivable vehicle mod for ''Halo: Reach''. This process was documented in several videos on his YouTube channel, .
Due to the Falcon being a name taken by ''Reach''s utility helicopter, the aircraft was instead designated the Falcata, after the pre-Roman Iberian blade of the Wikipedia:Falcata|same name. This naming convention follows the UNSC's tradition of naming fighter aircraft after blades, with the name literally meaning "falcon-shaped," referencing the original ''Halo Wars'' Falcon designation.
File:HW Falcon Concept.jpg|Concept art of a squadron of Falcons in flight. File:HW Airpad Early Model.jpg|An early model for the UNSC Airpad, with several Falcons docked on the runway. Later builds would see these Falcons replaced with AV-22 Sparrowhawks, before the design was changed completely. File:HW Falcon Model.jpg|The finalised game model for the Falcon. File:HR Falcata Screenshot 1.jpg|The Falcata modded into ''Halo: Reach''.
The Fox Cannon was a United Nations Space Command|UNSC vehicle cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was to be a self-propelled artillery vehicle, capable of firing five shells per minute, and with great accuracy due to satellite targeting over a distance greater than 50 kilometers. The Fox was equipped with a 175mm cannon that shot the M179 projectile. Given its role, it was likely replaced by the SP42 Cobra.
File:HW_FoxCannon_Concept_1.jpg|thumb|Fox Cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Concept 2.jpg|Fox cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Render 1.jpg|Render of the Fox Cannon from the development of ''Halo Wars''. File:HW FoxCannon Render 2.jpg|Another render. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 1.jpg|Wireframe view of the Fox Cannon. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 2.jpg|Another wireframe view. File:HW - Prerelease - UNSC Barracks with units.png|Prerelease version of ''Halo Wars'' with the Fox Cannon in it.
The Leviathan Mobile Firebase is a UNSC vehicle concepted during the development of ''Halo Wars'', but evidently never implemented. The vehicle is similar in size to the M510 Mammoth|Mammoth, being many times the size of an M12 Warthog and serving as a mobile Firebase. The vehicle is seen to have several different configurations such as a "Suicide assault" variant with nose-mounted saw blades and a "Paris gun" variant equipped with a massive artillery cannon. However, the primary variant appears to be a vehicle that would fill a role similar to that fulfilled by the M312 Elephant in the final game, sporting numerous machine gun turrets, a mobile UNSC Barracks|barracks and the ability to tow a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, like that seen in the mission Reactor (Halo Wars level)|Reactor.
File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art. File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art.
Early on in the development of ''Halo Wars'', the M274 Mongoose was intended to be included. The vehicle got as far as having a model created and implemented in game, though by the time of the Halo Wars Alpha|"Sway" alpha, all that remained in the files was a handful of text strings referencing test_pj_mongoose.
To create this Mongoose model, Ensemble 3D artist Jenell Jaquays had to rely on observing screenshots of the Mongoose as seen in ''Halo 3'', as Bungie were unwilling to share the original model file with Ensemble.
File:HW - Prerelease - Mongoose.png|The Mongoose unit in an early build.
This prototype infantry unit was created by artist Gene Kohler. Little is known of it or its purpose in-game.
File:HW - Render - Prototype Unit.png
The Tiger Tank is a unit referenced in the game files. Little is known of it, except for the below icon.
File:HW Tiger Tank.png
Covenant
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The Covenant Air Artillery was a unit cut from ''Halo Wars'' some time prior to January 2008. The vehicle was to boast three plasma mortars, and was intended for use in a ground attack role - noted to be especially effective against static bases.
File:Covenant Air Artillery.jpg|The final air artillery model. File:HW covenant airArtillery concept.jpg|Concept art for this vehicle. File:HW-AirArtillery_WIP_Renders.jpg|A work-in-progress blockout of the Covenant Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_Render.jpg|Renders of the Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_HP_Render.jpg|A high-poly render of the Air Artillery.
The "Brute Tank" is a vehicle cut from the game, notable for its high similarity to the existing Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith. However, the Brute Tank instead comes equipped with a M512 smooth-bore high-velocity cannon|turret like those found on the M808B Scorpion|Scorpion tank. Text strings in the "Sway" alpha build reference brutetank_power_hack_obstruction, possibly meaning the tank was to have some form of hacking ability. Presumably, this vehicle was intended to be used by the Jiralhanae and their Avitus|Chieftain.
Although the Brute Tank icon found in the final release of ''Halo Wars'' depicts a Wraith with a Scorpion turret, some models seen in earlier builds have a more distinctive appearance of a Wraith with a more Covenant-style turret; these vehicles bear some resemblance to certain ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art, shown below. Another piece of concept art uploaded to ArtStation by Nathan Stefan shows a vehicle very similar to the Brute Tank, though the image itself is named gorgon-005 - this vehicle bears little resemblance to the #Gorgon|Gorgon, so the art's status is unclear.
Another icon depicts this vehicle with a dome shield-like ability.
File:HW_Brute_Tank.jpg|The Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Brute Tank (top-left) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A pair of Brute Tanks (lower-left) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW BruteTank Shield Icon.png|The Brute Tank shield icon. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Brute Tanks can be seen in the E3 2007 build promotional images. File:HW BruteTank Icon.png|The Brute Tank, bearing a Scorpion turret. File:HCE Wraith Concept 2.jpg|''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art by Shi Kai Wang, bearing heavy resemblance to the Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech.
The Chimera was a Covenant unit cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was a four-legged walker bearing slight resemblance to the , though with a more hunched appearance.
File:HW-Chimera_Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|The Chimera (bottom-left), seen alongside a handful of other WIP renders of various Covenant vehicles. File:HW Chimera Icon.png|An icon for the Chimera from the in-game unit selection.
Found in some screenshots and an animation reel uploaded by animator Charles Tinney, the Elite Ranger was evidently to be a flying infantry unit. Their design is that of the Sangheili Ranger|Elite Rangers found in ''Halo 2''.
File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Several Rangers can be found in the mid-back of this promotional screenshot. File:HW_EliteRanger_Unit.png|The Ranger unit, as seen in Tinney's animation reel.
Named only in game files, the Gargoyle was intended to be a Covenant bomber aircraft. In the final game, a menu icon is still present in the files to represent the unit.
File:HW Gargoyle.jpg File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Gargoyle (top-right) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A trio of Gargoyles (lower-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Gargoyle UI Icon.png|The Gargoyle's UI icon.
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The Gorgon was a vehicle created for the Covenant and intended for use in the anti-air role. The vehicle was envisioned as a walker equipped with a needle cannon, used to attack air targets. The vehicle's mech-based nature conflicted with Ensemble's philosophy that anything with legs was considered infantry, and the overwhelming abundance of Covenant ground vehicles - combined with the relative lack of aircraft - ultimately led to the Gorgon being scrapped and replaced with the . A very similar vehicle; the Reaver, was later implemented in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Interestingly, a later Artstation upload by Nathan Stefan titled gorgon-005.jpg depicts a vehicle more similar in nature to the Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith or similarly-cut #Brute Tank|Brute Tank.
File:HW Gorgon Render.jpg|The cut Gorgon mech. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech. File:HW Gorgon MenuIcon.png|The Gorgon's menu icon in the final build of ''Halo Wars''.
Named in an image upload by artist Don Gagen, the Hydra was intended to be a Covenant aircraft.
File:HW-Hydra Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Hydra (top-middle) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|Several Hydras (top-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Hydra MenuIcon.png|The Hydra's icon, seen in the final game.
Present in the "Sway" alpha, the Recon Drone appears on an early version of the map Repository as a unit buildable in the map's central Sentinel factory alongside Aggressor Sentinels. Despite this Forerunner construction and neutral placement, the Recon Drone takes the form of a Yanme'e. The Drone has a complete model and animations, and is able to fly at high speeds around the map. True to its name, the Drone has no attacks, and is instead only intended for scouting.
File:HW Drone Sculpt.jpg|The high-poly sculpt of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Textured.jpg|The textured final unit of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Alpha.png|The Recon Drone in the internal alpha. File:HWDE Drone Cut.png|The Recon Drone found in Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.
Seen in the Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2007 build and on the box art for ''Halo Wars'', among other promotional screenshots, is the Protos-pattern Scarab|Type-47A "Protos" Scarab - the Scarab variant notably found in the ''Halo 2'' campaign levels ''Outskirts'', ''Metropolis'' and ''The Great Journey''. In the final ''Halo Wars'' game, the design notably used in ''Halo 3'', ''Halo 3: ODST'' and ''Halo: Reach'' is used.
In the E3 2007 demo, the Scarab appears near the end in a short viginette, climbing out of a Forerunner underground shaft. The Scarab proceeds to rampage across the battlefield, destroying several tanks and other units, and must ultimately be destroyed via Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC orbital bombardment.
File:HW Scarab Concept.jpg|Concept art depicting this Type-47A variant. File:HW Screenshots Screens 1.jpg|Multiple Scarabs in an early build of the game. File:Hornet war.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab fighting Hornets. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab seen right, firing on the UNSC force. File:HW Screenshots 005.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab can be seen on the bottom-left of this image. File:HW Screenshots E07 3.jpg|Another screenshot of the Scarab. File:HW E307 Scarab.png|The Scarab as it appears in the Halo Wars E3 2007 Demo|''Halo Wars'' E3 demo.
Forerunner
While the Sentinels do appear on many maps and levels of the final ''Halo Wars'' game, this Sentinel design in particular does not. While superficially similar to the final game's Super Sentinel in design and proportion, it has a number of very notable differences; predominantly the massive size it has compared to most other units in the game. The unit was intended to appear on the campaign level ''Cleansing'' as a boss enemy, though was ultimately cut. The model for the Sentinel remains in the game files, unused. An image of the Sentinel in-game appears to show it emitting plasma mortar-like projectiles firing at the Flood forces below.
Interestingly, this design was later brought back almost unchanged in ''Halo Wars 2'' as the Protector Sentinel (Installation 00)|Protector Sentinel.
File:HW_BossSentinel_Concept.jpg|Concept art of this Sentinel design. File:HW_BossSentinel_HiPoly.jpg|A hi-poly render of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Wireframe.jpg|A wireframe of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Render.jpg|A textured render of the early Sentinel. File:HW BossSentinel InGame.jpg|The Sentinel boss in-game, demonstrating its massive size. File:HW2 Blitz Protector Sentinel.png|A List of Blitz cards|Blitz card illustration of the Protector Sentinel, as it appears in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Ambient AI
A number of maps in ''Halo Wars'' feature neutral AI factions such as Unidentified insurrectionist group|rebels, Sentinels and Flood. These factions will typically be hostile to both the UNSC and Covenant. A number of additional factions were intended to be implemented in the game. These factions were developed under the codename of "creep", and include the following. Heretics One possible creep faction intended to be included in ''Halo Wars'' were the Covenant List of known Covenant heretics|heretics - those who sought fit to defy the Covenant religion. Concept art reveals that Sangheili were intended to be soldiers in this faction, while unused files within the releases of ''Halo Wars'' and ''Halo Wars: Definitive Edition'' showcase additional Heretic Unggoy|Grunts. An additional texture file known as creep_heretic_ghost_01 indicates the Heretics would have access to the Ghost vehicle; piloted by a Sangheili.
File:HW Heretics Concept.jpg|Concept art for the Heretic Elites. File:HW HereticGrunts.png|The Heretic Grunts; spawned in via modding. File:HW HereticGrunt Icon.png|The in-game unit icon for the Heretic Grunts.
Jackal pirates Another cut creep faction that would have been included are the Kig-Yar Piracy|pirates. Files for the Jackals are still available within ''Halo Wars'', allowing the units to be spawned in via modding. The Jackals were to spawn in squads of four, armed with Type-25 plasma pistol|plasma pistols or Type-33 needler|needlers. The pirates would also have access to Kig-Yar Snipers armed with Type-50 particle beam rifle|beam rifles.
File:HW JackalCreep Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW JackalCreep Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW Jackal Early Design.jpg|The final model for the pirates. File:HW JackalPirate Needlers.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with needlers. File:HW_JackalPirate_PlasmaPistols.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with plasma pistols. File:HW JackalPirate Snipers.png|The Jackal Pirate snipers.
Rebels While an unidentified insurrectionist group does appear in the final ''Halo Wars'' game on maps set on Harvest and Arcadia, released concept art indicates the rebels were intended to be much-more fleshed out. Released concept art showcases a rebel "sci-trooper" wielding an Electromagnetic pulse|EMP gun and an insurrectionist-branded M12G1 Gauss Warthog|Gauss Warthog.
File:HW SciTrooper Rebel Concept.jpg|Concept art for the rebel sci-trooper and EMP gun. File:HW_RebelSniper_Warthog_Concept.png|Concept art for the rebel sniper units which were included in ''Halo Wars'', and the cut Warthog.
Alongside the neutral factions, ''Halo Wars'' was intended to feature fauna as ambient AI in the game world. Some of these creatures were only concepted, while others were even modelled and textured for in-game implementation. For a list of other ambient life cut from other ''Halo'' games, see List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|this page. Arctic beast The arctic beast was a creature concepted, modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', likely intended to spawn on maps set in the polar regions of Harvest. This creature was later canonised in 2015's ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'' as the ''Chaefka''; a species of life indexed by the Forerunners and present on Installation 00|The Ark. The following year's ''Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo|Halo Mythos'' saw a scene from the book visualised with a new illustration, using the arctic beast's design almost entirely unaltered.
File:HW ArcticBeast Concept.jpg|Concept art for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast HiPoly.jpg|The high-poly sculpt for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast Render.jpg|The textured low-poly model for the arctic beast. File:HM-Chaefka.jpeg|An official illustration of the ''Chaefka'' from ''Halo Mythos''.
Arctic ice hound
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This creature was one of a number of concepts developed during the discussions of the wildlife of Harvest. It was concepted and even modelled and textured, though cut from release.
File:HW ArcticIceHound Concept.jpg|Concept art of the creature. File:HW ArcticIceHound Render.jpg|A textured 3D model of the creature.
Thorn beast The thorn beasts are another cut creature seen fully modelled, textured and animated; they are present in the ''Halo Wars'' Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2008 build and can be seen walking around the map around thirteen minutes into the demo. They do not appear to attack UNSC forces. Thorn beasts remain canon in the ''Halo'' setting; with the Avitus|Chieftain character said to particularly enjoy eating them; they were later featured in the novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest'' as a delicacy enjoyed by the crew of ''Rapid Conversion''.
Interestingly, ''Halo Wars'' is not the first time the thorn beasts were developed to appear in a ''Halo'' game; they were originally designed by Paul Russel during the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', where they were modelled with an identical design and similarly cut.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|Paul Russel's original thorn beast model for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:HW Unit Thorn Beast.png|A thorn beast can be seen in this image taken from the E3 2008 demo build of ''Halo Wars''.
Space owl
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The so-called "space owl" is another ambient creature concepted but ultimately never implemented in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was described as having a wingspan of six feet.
File:HW SpaceOwl Concept.jpg|Concept art for the creature.
Harvest whale
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The Harvest whale was designed as part of the exploration for the wildlife of Harvest. This creature would likely not be seen as an ambient AI on the map, but instead a dead body appearing in the environment.
File:HW HarvestWhale Concept.jpg|Concept art for the whale.
Oxyaena The oxyaena is another creature fully modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was present in the game's E3 2008 demo, and can be seen wandering the map at around one minute into the demo.
File:HW Oxyaena Render.jpg|The model created for the oxyanea. File:HW Unit Oxyaena.png|The oxyanea in the E3 2008 demo.
Other creatures These creatures have also been showcased in various work uploads related to ''Halo Wars''. Little is known of their design intent or purpose, and are thus presented below.
File:HW EelSnake Concept.jpg|Concept art for an eel-like creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 1.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 2.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature.
Sources
Category:Halo Wars deleted material
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File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|300px|thumb|A number of cut Covenant units including the Gargoyle, Hydra and Brute Tank.
During the Development of Halo Wars|development of ''Halo Wars'', a number of units were concepted, prototyped and cut from the game.
UNSC
The Cougar was designed as a UNSC AFV, equipped with two M68 Gauss cannons. Although anti-heavy armor fire would blow the Cougar away quite easily, this vehicle was highly effective in holding off enemy armored vehicles until slower armored units could arrive at the battlefield. The Cougar had gained infamy in several urban tactical situations prior to the deployments in the war against the Covenant.
It appeared as a somewhat standard armored fighting vehicle with two wheels up front and two pairs in the rear. It bore a small mounted turret armed with two M68 Gauss cannons, as well as a machine gun or grenade launcher on other concept art. There was a windscreen on its forward body, with two side windows to provide a fairly high amount of visibility for the driver, which would have proved useful. It would have been able to reach a top speed of 90 mph.
The Cougar was ultimately cut from the game in favor of other vehicle ideas. Its shape may have proved the inspiration of the SP42 Cobra, as its role in ''Halo Wars'' was originally an anti-vehicle unit. The Cougar bears a striking resemblance to the World War II armored car, the Wikipedia:M8 Greyhound|M8 Greyhound.
The vehicle was later fully-canonized as the M35 Cougar in the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'', with the vehicle's lore and armament closely matching the lore flavor text given in the original concept art. The Cougar was one of several potential ideas suggested by MEGA Construx in a 2022 fan vote for which set should be created next. Concept art for the Cougar was provided alongside the Reaver, Warden Eternal and Flood invasion at Traxus Tower. The Cougar ultimately lost the vote.
File:HW Cougar Concept 3.jpg|Early concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 1.jpg|Finalised concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 2.jpg|The final Cougar model. File:HW Cougar Model.jpg|What the Cougar would have looked like in-game.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo 2 vehicles|cut vehicle of the same name from ''Halo 2'' or the UH-144 Falcon|tiltrotor helicopter that appeared in ''Halo: Reach'', the Falcon was a UNSC aircraft that got so far as having a 3D model made. The Falcon was a twin seater fighter aircraft planned to be used by the UNSC Army. Originally intended to be a usable unit, stored in the UNSC airpad, it filled the role of strike fighter, packing enough firepower to destroy enemy vehicles and infantry with "Sidewinder" missiles and heavy armor-piercing guns. Like several other units, it was cut from the final game before it shipped.
In terms of design, the Falcon uses forward-swept wings (giving it an appearance similar to the 20th Century Wikipedia:Sukhoi Su-47|Sukhoi Su-47), which are used to provide stability during steep dives, indicating an emphasis in air-to-ground combat. Another, smaller set of wing flaps are attached to the ventral hull, possibly to improve stability. It also possesses two inward-angled vertical stabilizers at the rear, and missile pods attached to the base of the wing and the ventral hull. At the rear of the craft are twin jet thrusters, capable of tilting to allow VTOL capability. Retractable landing gear appears to be located at the wing tips.
In 2023, the Falcon was canonized as the F-23 Falcata, following a highly detailed model recreation made by 343 Industries 3D Character Artist :Category:Images by Fletcher Kinnear|Fletcher Kinnear under the alias Skaboodlydoodle. The model made by Kinnear was one of many done by him as part of a series of personal projects to bring several ''Halo Wars'' vehicles into the first-person shooter ''Halo'' games via modding, with other such recreations including the AV-22 Sparrowhawk, HRUNTING Mark III (S) Cyclops, M121 Jackrabbit, and . Thanks to the work of the concurrent Digsite project, Kinnear was able to use the original Ensemble-developed Falcon model for reference when making his higher-detail recreation, making it a drivable vehicle mod for ''Halo: Reach''. This process was documented in several videos on his YouTube channel, .
Due to the Falcon being a name taken by ''Reach''s utility helicopter, the aircraft was instead designated the Falcata, after the pre-Roman Iberian blade of the Wikipedia:Falcata|same name. This naming convention follows the UNSC's tradition of naming fighter aircraft after blades, with the name literally meaning "falcon-shaped," referencing the original ''Halo Wars'' Falcon designation.
File:HW Falcon Concept.jpg|Concept art of a squadron of Falcons in flight. File:HW Airpad Early Model.jpg|An early model for the UNSC Airpad, with several Falcons docked on the runway. Later builds would see these Falcons replaced with AV-22 Sparrowhawks, before the design was changed completely. File:HW Falcon Model.jpg|The finalised game model for the Falcon. File:HR Falcata Screenshot 1.jpg|The Falcata modded into ''Halo: Reach''.
The Fox Cannon was a United Nations Space Command|UNSC vehicle cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was to be a self-propelled artillery vehicle, capable of firing five shells per minute, and with great accuracy due to satellite targeting over a distance greater than 50 kilometers. The Fox was equipped with a 175mm cannon that shot the M179 projectile. Given its role, it was likely replaced by the SP42 Cobra.
File:HW_FoxCannon_Concept_1.jpg|thumb|Fox Cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Concept 2.jpg|Fox cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Render 1.jpg|Render of the Fox Cannon from the development of ''Halo Wars''. File:HW FoxCannon Render 2.jpg|Another render. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 1.jpg|Wireframe view of the Fox Cannon. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 2.jpg|Another wireframe view. File:HW - Prerelease - UNSC Barracks with units.png|Prerelease version of ''Halo Wars'' with the Fox Cannon in it.
The Leviathan Mobile Firebase is a UNSC vehicle concepted during the development of ''Halo Wars'', but evidently never implemented. The vehicle is similar in size to the M510 Mammoth|Mammoth, being many times the size of an M12 Warthog and serving as a mobile Firebase. The vehicle is seen to have several different configurations such as a "Suicide assault" variant with nose-mounted saw blades and a "Paris gun" variant equipped with a massive artillery cannon. However, the primary variant appears to be a vehicle that would fill a role similar to that fulfilled by the M312 Elephant in the final game, sporting numerous machine gun turrets, a mobile UNSC Barracks|barracks and the ability to tow a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, like that seen in the mission Reactor (Halo Wars level)|Reactor.
File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art. File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art.
Early on in the development of ''Halo Wars'', the M274 Mongoose was intended to be included. The vehicle got as far as having a model created and implemented in game, though by the time of the Halo Wars Alpha|"Sway" alpha, all that remained in the files was a handful of text strings referencing test_pj_mongoose.
To create this Mongoose model, Ensemble 3D artist Jenell Jaquays had to rely on observing screenshots of the Mongoose as seen in ''Halo 3'', as Bungie were unwilling to share the original model file with Ensemble.
File:HW - Prerelease - Mongoose.png|The Mongoose unit in an early build.
This prototype infantry unit was created by artist Gene Kohler. Little is known of it or its purpose in-game.
File:HW - Render - Prototype Unit.png
The Tiger Tank is a unit referenced in the game files. Little is known of it, except for the below icon.
File:HW Tiger Tank.png
Covenant
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The Covenant Air Artillery was a unit cut from ''Halo Wars'' some time prior to January 2008. The vehicle was to boast three plasma mortars, and was intended for use in a ground attack role - noted to be especially effective against static bases.
File:Covenant Air Artillery.jpg|The final air artillery model. File:HW covenant airArtillery concept.jpg|Concept art for this vehicle. File:HW-AirArtillery_WIP_Renders.jpg|A work-in-progress blockout of the Covenant Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_Render.jpg|Renders of the Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_HP_Render.jpg|A high-poly render of the Air Artillery.
The "Brute Tank" is a vehicle cut from the game, notable for its high similarity to the existing Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith. However, the Brute Tank instead comes equipped with a M512 smooth-bore high-velocity cannon|turret like those found on the M808B Scorpion|Scorpion tank. Text strings in the "Sway" alpha build reference brutetank_power_hack_obstruction, possibly meaning the tank was to have some form of hacking ability. Presumably, this vehicle was intended to be used by the Jiralhanae and their Avitus|Chieftain.
Although the Brute Tank icon found in the final release of ''Halo Wars'' depicts a Wraith with a Scorpion turret, some models seen in earlier builds have a more distinctive appearance of a Wraith with a more Covenant-style turret; these vehicles bear some resemblance to certain ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art, shown below. Another piece of concept art uploaded to ArtStation by Nathan Stefan shows a vehicle very similar to the Brute Tank, though the image itself is named gorgon-005 - this vehicle bears little resemblance to the #Gorgon|Gorgon, so the art's status is unclear.
Another icon depicts this vehicle with a dome shield-like ability.
File:HW_Brute_Tank.jpg|The Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Brute Tank (top-left) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A pair of Brute Tanks (lower-left) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW BruteTank Shield Icon.png|The Brute Tank shield icon. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Brute Tanks can be seen in the E3 2007 build promotional images. File:HW BruteTank Icon.png|The Brute Tank, bearing a Scorpion turret. File:HCE Wraith Concept 2.jpg|''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art by Shi Kai Wang, bearing heavy resemblance to the Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech.
The Chimera was a Covenant unit cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was a four-legged walker bearing slight resemblance to the , though with a more hunched appearance.
File:HW-Chimera_Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|The Chimera (bottom-left), seen alongside a handful of other WIP renders of various Covenant vehicles. File:HW Chimera Icon.png|An icon for the Chimera from the in-game unit selection.
Found in some screenshots and an animation reel uploaded by animator Charles Tinney, the Elite Ranger was evidently to be a flying infantry unit. Their design is that of the Sangheili Ranger|Elite Rangers found in ''Halo 2''.
File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Several Rangers can be found in the mid-back of this promotional screenshot. File:HW_EliteRanger_Unit.png|The Ranger unit, as seen in Tinney's animation reel.
Named only in game files, the Gargoyle was intended to be a Covenant bomber aircraft. In the final game, a menu icon is still present in the files to represent the unit.
File:HW Gargoyle.jpg File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Gargoyle (top-right) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A trio of Gargoyles (lower-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Gargoyle UI Icon.png|The Gargoyle's UI icon.
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The Gorgon was a vehicle created for the Covenant and intended for use in the anti-air role. The vehicle was envisioned as a walker equipped with a needle cannon, used to attack air targets. The vehicle's mech-based nature conflicted with Ensemble's philosophy that anything with legs was considered infantry, and the overwhelming abundance of Covenant ground vehicles - combined with the relative lack of aircraft - ultimately led to the Gorgon being scrapped and replaced with the . A very similar vehicle; the Reaver, was later implemented in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Interestingly, a later Artstation upload by Nathan Stefan titled gorgon-005.jpg depicts a vehicle more similar in nature to the Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith or similarly-cut #Brute Tank|Brute Tank.
File:HW Gorgon Render.jpg|The cut Gorgon mech. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech. File:HW Gorgon MenuIcon.png|The Gorgon's menu icon in the final build of ''Halo Wars''.
Named in an image upload by artist Don Gagen, the Hydra was intended to be a Covenant aircraft.
File:HW-Hydra Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Hydra (top-middle) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|Several Hydras (top-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Hydra MenuIcon.png|The Hydra's icon, seen in the final game.
Present in the "Sway" alpha, the Recon Drone appears on an early version of the map Repository as a unit buildable in the map's central Sentinel factory alongside Aggressor Sentinels. Despite this Forerunner construction and neutral placement, the Recon Drone takes the form of a Yanme'e. The Drone has a complete model and animations, and is able to fly at high speeds around the map. True to its name, the Drone has no attacks, and is instead only intended for scouting.
File:HW Drone Sculpt.jpg|The high-poly sculpt of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Textured.jpg|The textured final unit of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Alpha.png|The Recon Drone in the internal alpha. File:HWDE Drone Cut.png|The Recon Drone found in Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.
Seen in the Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2007 build and on the box art for ''Halo Wars'', among other promotional screenshots, is the Protos-pattern Scarab|Type-47A "Protos" Scarab - the Scarab variant notably found in the ''Halo 2'' campaign levels ''Outskirts'', ''Metropolis'' and ''The Great Journey''. In the final ''Halo Wars'' game, the design notably used in ''Halo 3'', ''Halo 3: ODST'' and ''Halo: Reach'' is used.
In the E3 2007 demo, the Scarab appears near the end in a short viginette, climbing out of a Forerunner underground shaft. The Scarab proceeds to rampage across the battlefield, destroying several tanks and other units, and must ultimately be destroyed via Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC orbital bombardment.
File:HW Scarab Concept.jpg|Concept art depicting this Type-47A variant. File:HW Screenshots Screens 1.jpg|Multiple Scarabs in an early build of the game. File:Hornet war.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab fighting Hornets. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab seen right, firing on the UNSC force. File:HW Screenshots 005.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab can be seen on the bottom-left of this image. File:HW Screenshots E07 3.jpg|Another screenshot of the Scarab. File:HW E307 Scarab.png|The Scarab as it appears in the Halo Wars E3 2007 Demo|''Halo Wars'' E3 demo.
Forerunner
While the Sentinels do appear on many maps and levels of the final ''Halo Wars'' game, this Sentinel design in particular does not. While superficially similar to the final game's Super Sentinel in design and proportion, it has a number of very notable differences; predominantly the massive size it has compared to most other units in the game. The unit was intended to appear on the campaign level ''Cleansing'' as a boss enemy, though was ultimately cut. The model for the Sentinel remains in the game files, unused. An image of the Sentinel in-game appears to show it emitting plasma mortar-like projectiles firing at the Flood forces below.
Interestingly, this design was later brought back almost unchanged in ''Halo Wars 2'' as the Protector Sentinel (Installation 00)|Protector Sentinel.
File:HW_BossSentinel_Concept.jpg|Concept art of this Sentinel design. File:HW_BossSentinel_HiPoly.jpg|A hi-poly render of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Wireframe.jpg|A wireframe of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Render.jpg|A textured render of the early Sentinel. File:HW BossSentinel InGame.jpg|The Sentinel boss in-game, demonstrating its massive size. File:HW2 Blitz Protector Sentinel.png|A List of Blitz cards|Blitz card illustration of the Protector Sentinel, as it appears in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Ambient AI
A number of maps in ''Halo Wars'' feature neutral AI factions such as Unidentified insurrectionist group|rebels, Sentinels and Flood. These factions will typically be hostile to both the UNSC and Covenant. A number of additional factions were intended to be implemented in the game. These factions were developed under the codename of "creep", and include the following. Heretics One possible creep faction intended to be included in ''Halo Wars'' were the Covenant List of known Covenant heretics|heretics - those who sought fit to defy the Covenant religion. Concept art reveals that Sangheili were intended to be soldiers in this faction, while unused files within the releases of ''Halo Wars'' and ''Halo Wars: Definitive Edition'' showcase additional Heretic Unggoy|Grunts. An additional texture file known as creep_heretic_ghost_01 indicates the Heretics would have access to the Ghost vehicle; piloted by a Sangheili.
File:HW Heretics Concept.jpg|Concept art for the Heretic Elites. File:HW HereticGrunts.png|The Heretic Grunts; spawned in via modding. File:HW HereticGrunt Icon.png|The in-game unit icon for the Heretic Grunts.
Jackal pirates Another cut creep faction that would have been included are the Kig-Yar Piracy|pirates. Files for the Jackals are still available within ''Halo Wars'', allowing the units to be spawned in via modding. The Jackals were to spawn in squads of four, armed with Type-25 plasma pistol|plasma pistols or Type-33 needler|needlers. The pirates would also have access to Kig-Yar Snipers armed with Type-50 particle beam rifle|beam rifles.
File:HW JackalCreep Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW JackalCreep Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW Jackal Early Design.jpg|The final model for the pirates. File:HW JackalPirate Needlers.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with needlers. File:HW_JackalPirate_PlasmaPistols.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with plasma pistols. File:HW JackalPirate Snipers.png|The Jackal Pirate snipers.
Rebels While an unidentified insurrectionist group does appear in the final ''Halo Wars'' game on maps set on Harvest and Arcadia, released concept art indicates the rebels were intended to be much-more fleshed out. Released concept art showcases a rebel "sci-trooper" wielding an Electromagnetic pulse|EMP gun and an insurrectionist-branded M12G1 Gauss Warthog|Gauss Warthog.
File:HW SciTrooper Rebel Concept.jpg|Concept art for the rebel sci-trooper and EMP gun. File:HW_RebelSniper_Warthog_Concept.png|Concept art for the rebel sniper units which were included in ''Halo Wars'', and the cut Warthog.
Alongside the neutral factions, ''Halo Wars'' was intended to feature fauna as ambient AI in the game world. Some of these creatures were only concepted, while others were even modelled and textured for in-game implementation. For a list of other ambient life cut from other ''Halo'' games, see List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|this page. Arctic beast The arctic beast was a creature concepted, modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', likely intended to spawn on maps set in the polar regions of Harvest. This creature was later canonised in 2015's ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'' as the ''Chaefka''; a species of life indexed by the Forerunners and present on Installation 00|The Ark. The following year's ''Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo|Halo Mythos'' saw a scene from the book visualised with a new illustration, using the arctic beast's design almost entirely unaltered.
File:HW ArcticBeast Concept.jpg|Concept art for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast HiPoly.jpg|The high-poly sculpt for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast Render.jpg|The textured low-poly model for the arctic beast. File:HM-Chaefka.jpeg|An official illustration of the ''Chaefka'' from ''Halo Mythos''.
Arctic ice hound
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This creature was one of a number of concepts developed during the discussions of the wildlife of Harvest. It was concepted and even modelled and textured, though cut from release.
File:HW ArcticIceHound Concept.jpg|Concept art of the creature. File:HW ArcticIceHound Render.jpg|A textured 3D model of the creature.
Thorn beast The thorn beasts are another cut creature seen fully modelled, textured and animated; they are present in the ''Halo Wars'' Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2008 build and can be seen walking around the map around thirteen minutes into the demo. They do not appear to attack UNSC forces. Thorn beasts remain canon in the ''Halo'' setting; with the Avitus|Chieftain character said to particularly enjoy eating them; they were later featured in the novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest'' as a delicacy enjoyed by the crew of ''Rapid Conversion''.
Interestingly, ''Halo Wars'' is not the first time the thorn beasts were developed to appear in a ''Halo'' game; they were originally designed by Paul Russel during the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', where they were modelled with an identical design and similarly cut.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|Paul Russel's original thorn beast model for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:HW Unit Thorn Beast.png|A thorn beast can be seen in this image taken from the E3 2008 demo build of ''Halo Wars''.
Space owl
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The so-called "space owl" is another ambient creature concepted but ultimately never implemented in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was described as having a wingspan of six feet.
File:HW SpaceOwl Concept.jpg|Concept art for the creature.
Harvest whale
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The Harvest whale was designed as part of the exploration for the wildlife of Harvest. This creature would likely not be seen as an ambient AI on the map, but instead a dead body appearing in the environment.
File:HW HarvestWhale Concept.jpg|Concept art for the whale.
Oxyaena The oxyaena is another creature fully modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was present in the game's E3 2008 demo, and can be seen wandering the map at around one minute into the demo.
File:HW Oxyaena Render.jpg|The model created for the oxyanea. File:HW Unit Oxyaena.png|The oxyanea in the E3 2008 demo.
Other creatures These creatures have also been showcased in various work uploads related to ''Halo Wars''. Little is known of their design intent or purpose, and are thus presented below.
File:HW EelSnake Concept.jpg|Concept art for an eel-like creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 1.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 2.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature.
Sources
Category:Halo Wars deleted material
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File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|300px|thumb|A number of cut Covenant units including the Gargoyle, Hydra and Brute Tank.
During the Development of Halo Wars|development of ''Halo Wars'', a number of units were concepted, prototyped and cut from the game.
UNSC
The Cougar was designed as a UNSC AFV, equipped with two M68 Gauss cannons. Although anti-heavy armor fire would blow the Cougar away quite easily, this vehicle was highly effective in holding off enemy armored vehicles until slower armored units could arrive at the battlefield. The Cougar had gained infamy in several urban tactical situations prior to the deployments in the war against the Covenant.
It appeared as a somewhat standard armored fighting vehicle with two wheels up front and two pairs in the rear. It bore a small mounted turret armed with two M68 Gauss cannons, as well as a machine gun or grenade launcher on other concept art. There was a windscreen on its forward body, with two side windows to provide a fairly high amount of visibility for the driver, which would have proved useful. It would have been able to reach a top speed of 90 mph.
The Cougar was ultimately cut from the game in favor of other vehicle ideas. Its shape may have proved the inspiration of the SP42 Cobra, as its role in ''Halo Wars'' was originally an anti-vehicle unit. The Cougar bears a striking resemblance to the World War II armored car, the Wikipedia:M8 Greyhound|M8 Greyhound.
The vehicle was later fully-canonized as the M35 Cougar in the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'', with the vehicle's lore and armament closely matching the lore flavor text given in the original concept art. The Cougar was one of several potential ideas suggested by MEGA Construx in a 2022 fan vote for which set should be created next. Concept art for the Cougar was provided alongside the Reaver, Warden Eternal and Flood invasion at Traxus Tower. The Cougar ultimately lost the vote.
File:HW Cougar Concept 3.jpg|Early concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 1.jpg|Finalised concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 2.jpg|The final Cougar model. File:HW Cougar Model.jpg|What the Cougar would have looked like in-game.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo 2 vehicles|cut vehicle of the same name from ''Halo 2'' or the UH-144 Falcon|tiltrotor helicopter that appeared in ''Halo: Reach'', the Falcon was a UNSC aircraft that got so far as having a 3D model made. The Falcon was a twin seater fighter aircraft planned to be used by the UNSC Army. Originally intended to be a usable unit, stored in the UNSC airpad, it filled the role of strike fighter, packing enough firepower to destroy enemy vehicles and infantry with "Sidewinder" missiles and heavy armor-piercing guns. Like several other units, it was cut from the final game before it shipped.
In terms of design, the Falcon uses forward-swept wings (giving it an appearance similar to the 20th Century Wikipedia:Sukhoi Su-47|Sukhoi Su-47), which are used to provide stability during steep dives, indicating an emphasis in air-to-ground combat. Another, smaller set of wing flaps are attached to the ventral hull, possibly to improve stability. It also possesses two inward-angled vertical stabilizers at the rear, and missile pods attached to the base of the wing and the ventral hull. At the rear of the craft are twin jet thrusters, capable of tilting to allow VTOL capability. Retractable landing gear appears to be located at the wing tips.
In 2023, the Falcon was canonized as the F-23 Falcata, following a highly detailed model recreation made by 343 Industries 3D Character Artist :Category:Images by Fletcher Kinnear|Fletcher Kinnear under the alias Skaboodlydoodle. The model made by Kinnear was one of many done by him as part of a series of personal projects to bring several ''Halo Wars'' vehicles into the first-person shooter ''Halo'' games via modding, with other such recreations including the AV-22 Sparrowhawk, HRUNTING Mark III (S) Cyclops, M121 Jackrabbit, and . Thanks to the work of the concurrent Digsite project, Kinnear was able to use the original Ensemble-developed Falcon model for reference when making his higher-detail recreation, making it a drivable vehicle mod for ''Halo: Reach''. This process was documented in several videos on his YouTube channel, .
Due to the Falcon being a name taken by ''Reach''s utility helicopter, the aircraft was instead designated the Falcata, after the pre-Roman Iberian blade of the Wikipedia:Falcata|same name. This naming convention follows the UNSC's tradition of naming fighter aircraft after blades, with the name literally meaning "falcon-shaped," referencing the original ''Halo Wars'' Falcon designation.
File:HW Falcon Concept.jpg|Concept art of a squadron of Falcons in flight. File:HW Airpad Early Model.jpg|An early model for the UNSC Airpad, with several Falcons docked on the runway. Later builds would see these Falcons replaced with AV-22 Sparrowhawks, before the design was changed completely. File:HW Falcon Model.jpg|The finalised game model for the Falcon. File:HR Falcata Screenshot 1.jpg|The Falcata modded into ''Halo: Reach''.
The Fox Cannon was a United Nations Space Command|UNSC vehicle cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was to be a self-propelled artillery vehicle, capable of firing five shells per minute, and with great accuracy due to satellite targeting over a distance greater than 50 kilometers. The Fox was equipped with a 175mm cannon that shot the M179 projectile. Given its role, it was likely replaced by the SP42 Cobra.
File:HW_FoxCannon_Concept_1.jpg|thumb|Fox Cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Concept 2.jpg|Fox cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Render 1.jpg|Render of the Fox Cannon from the development of ''Halo Wars''. File:HW FoxCannon Render 2.jpg|Another render. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 1.jpg|Wireframe view of the Fox Cannon. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 2.jpg|Another wireframe view. File:HW - Prerelease - UNSC Barracks with units.png|Prerelease version of ''Halo Wars'' with the Fox Cannon in it.
The Leviathan Mobile Firebase is a UNSC vehicle concepted during the development of ''Halo Wars'', but evidently never implemented. The vehicle is similar in size to the M510 Mammoth|Mammoth, being many times the size of an M12 Warthog and serving as a mobile Firebase. The vehicle is seen to have several different configurations such as a "Suicide assault" variant with nose-mounted saw blades and a "Paris gun" variant equipped with a massive artillery cannon. However, the primary variant appears to be a vehicle that would fill a role similar to that fulfilled by the M312 Elephant in the final game, sporting numerous machine gun turrets, a mobile UNSC Barracks|barracks and the ability to tow a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, like that seen in the mission Reactor (Halo Wars level)|Reactor.
File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art. File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art.
Early on in the development of ''Halo Wars'', the M274 Mongoose was intended to be included. The vehicle got as far as having a model created and implemented in game, though by the time of the Halo Wars Alpha|"Sway" alpha, all that remained in the files was a handful of text strings referencing test_pj_mongoose.
To create this Mongoose model, Ensemble 3D artist Jenell Jaquays had to rely on observing screenshots of the Mongoose as seen in ''Halo 3'', as Bungie were unwilling to share the original model file with Ensemble.
File:HW - Prerelease - Mongoose.png|The Mongoose unit in an early build.
This prototype infantry unit was created by artist Gene Kohler. Little is known of it or its purpose in-game.
File:HW - Render - Prototype Unit.png
The Tiger Tank is a unit referenced in the game files. Little is known of it, except for the below icon.
File:HW Tiger Tank.png
Covenant
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The Covenant Air Artillery was a unit cut from ''Halo Wars'' some time prior to January 2008. The vehicle was to boast three plasma mortars, and was intended for use in a ground attack role - noted to be especially effective against static bases.
File:Covenant Air Artillery.jpg|The final air artillery model. File:HW covenant airArtillery concept.jpg|Concept art for this vehicle. File:HW-AirArtillery_WIP_Renders.jpg|A work-in-progress blockout of the Covenant Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_Render.jpg|Renders of the Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_HP_Render.jpg|A high-poly render of the Air Artillery.
The "Brute Tank" is a vehicle cut from the game, notable for its high similarity to the existing Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith. However, the Brute Tank instead comes equipped with a M512 smooth-bore high-velocity cannon|turret like those found on the M808B Scorpion|Scorpion tank. Text strings in the "Sway" alpha build reference brutetank_power_hack_obstruction, possibly meaning the tank was to have some form of hacking ability. Presumably, this vehicle was intended to be used by the Jiralhanae and their Avitus|Chieftain.
Although the Brute Tank icon found in the final release of ''Halo Wars'' depicts a Wraith with a Scorpion turret, some models seen in earlier builds have a more distinctive appearance of a Wraith with a more Covenant-style turret; these vehicles bear some resemblance to certain ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art, shown below. Another piece of concept art uploaded to ArtStation by Nathan Stefan shows a vehicle very similar to the Brute Tank, though the image itself is named gorgon-005 - this vehicle bears little resemblance to the #Gorgon|Gorgon, so the art's status is unclear.
Another icon depicts this vehicle with a dome shield-like ability.
File:HW_Brute_Tank.jpg|The Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Brute Tank (top-left) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A pair of Brute Tanks (lower-left) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW BruteTank Shield Icon.png|The Brute Tank shield icon. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Brute Tanks can be seen in the E3 2007 build promotional images. File:HW BruteTank Icon.png|The Brute Tank, bearing a Scorpion turret. File:HCE Wraith Concept 2.jpg|''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art by Shi Kai Wang, bearing heavy resemblance to the Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech.
The Chimera was a Covenant unit cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was a four-legged walker bearing slight resemblance to the , though with a more hunched appearance.
File:HW-Chimera_Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|The Chimera (bottom-left), seen alongside a handful of other WIP renders of various Covenant vehicles. File:HW Chimera Icon.png|An icon for the Chimera from the in-game unit selection.
Found in some screenshots and an animation reel uploaded by animator Charles Tinney, the Elite Ranger was evidently to be a flying infantry unit. Their design is that of the Sangheili Ranger|Elite Rangers found in ''Halo 2''.
File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Several Rangers can be found in the mid-back of this promotional screenshot. File:HW_EliteRanger_Unit.png|The Ranger unit, as seen in Tinney's animation reel.
Named only in game files, the Gargoyle was intended to be a Covenant bomber aircraft. In the final game, a menu icon is still present in the files to represent the unit.
File:HW Gargoyle.jpg File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Gargoyle (top-right) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A trio of Gargoyles (lower-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Gargoyle UI Icon.png|The Gargoyle's UI icon.
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The Gorgon was a vehicle created for the Covenant and intended for use in the anti-air role. The vehicle was envisioned as a walker equipped with a needle cannon, used to attack air targets. The vehicle's mech-based nature conflicted with Ensemble's philosophy that anything with legs was considered infantry, and the overwhelming abundance of Covenant ground vehicles - combined with the relative lack of aircraft - ultimately led to the Gorgon being scrapped and replaced with the . A very similar vehicle; the Reaver, was later implemented in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Interestingly, a later Artstation upload by Nathan Stefan titled gorgon-005.jpg depicts a vehicle more similar in nature to the Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith or similarly-cut #Brute Tank|Brute Tank.
File:HW Gorgon Render.jpg|The cut Gorgon mech. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech. File:HW Gorgon MenuIcon.png|The Gorgon's menu icon in the final build of ''Halo Wars''.
Named in an image upload by artist Don Gagen, the Hydra was intended to be a Covenant aircraft.
File:HW-Hydra Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Hydra (top-middle) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|Several Hydras (top-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Hydra MenuIcon.png|The Hydra's icon, seen in the final game.
Present in the "Sway" alpha, the Recon Drone appears on an early version of the map Repository as a unit buildable in the map's central Sentinel factory alongside Aggressor Sentinels. Despite this Forerunner construction and neutral placement, the Recon Drone takes the form of a Yanme'e. The Drone has a complete model and animations, and is able to fly at high speeds around the map. True to its name, the Drone has no attacks, and is instead only intended for scouting.
File:HW Drone Sculpt.jpg|The high-poly sculpt of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Textured.jpg|The textured final unit of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Alpha.png|The Recon Drone in the internal alpha. File:HWDE Drone Cut.png|The Recon Drone found in Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.
Seen in the Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2007 build and on the box art for ''Halo Wars'', among other promotional screenshots, is the Protos-pattern Scarab|Type-47A "Protos" Scarab - the Scarab variant notably found in the ''Halo 2'' campaign levels ''Outskirts'', ''Metropolis'' and ''The Great Journey''. In the final ''Halo Wars'' game, the design notably used in ''Halo 3'', ''Halo 3: ODST'' and ''Halo: Reach'' is used.
In the E3 2007 demo, the Scarab appears near the end in a short viginette, climbing out of a Forerunner underground shaft. The Scarab proceeds to rampage across the battlefield, destroying several tanks and other units, and must ultimately be destroyed via Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC orbital bombardment.
File:HW Scarab Concept.jpg|Concept art depicting this Type-47A variant. File:HW Screenshots Screens 1.jpg|Multiple Scarabs in an early build of the game. File:Hornet war.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab fighting Hornets. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab seen right, firing on the UNSC force. File:HW Screenshots 005.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab can be seen on the bottom-left of this image. File:HW Screenshots E07 3.jpg|Another screenshot of the Scarab. File:HW E307 Scarab.png|The Scarab as it appears in the Halo Wars E3 2007 Demo|''Halo Wars'' E3 demo.
Forerunner
While the Sentinels do appear on many maps and levels of the final ''Halo Wars'' game, this Sentinel design in particular does not. While superficially similar to the final game's Super Sentinel in design and proportion, it has a number of very notable differences; predominantly the massive size it has compared to most other units in the game. The unit was intended to appear on the campaign level ''Cleansing'' as a boss enemy, though was ultimately cut. The model for the Sentinel remains in the game files, unused. An image of the Sentinel in-game appears to show it emitting plasma mortar-like projectiles firing at the Flood forces below.
Interestingly, this design was later brought back almost unchanged in ''Halo Wars 2'' as the Protector Sentinel (Installation 00)|Protector Sentinel.
File:HW_BossSentinel_Concept.jpg|Concept art of this Sentinel design. File:HW_BossSentinel_HiPoly.jpg|A hi-poly render of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Wireframe.jpg|A wireframe of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Render.jpg|A textured render of the early Sentinel. File:HW BossSentinel InGame.jpg|The Sentinel boss in-game, demonstrating its massive size. File:HW2 Blitz Protector Sentinel.png|A List of Blitz cards|Blitz card illustration of the Protector Sentinel, as it appears in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Ambient AI
A number of maps in ''Halo Wars'' feature neutral AI factions such as Unidentified insurrectionist group|rebels, Sentinels and Flood. These factions will typically be hostile to both the UNSC and Covenant. A number of additional factions were intended to be implemented in the game. These factions were developed under the codename of "creep", and include the following. Heretics One possible creep faction intended to be included in ''Halo Wars'' were the Covenant List of known Covenant heretics|heretics - those who sought fit to defy the Covenant religion. Concept art reveals that Sangheili were intended to be soldiers in this faction, while unused files within the releases of ''Halo Wars'' and ''Halo Wars: Definitive Edition'' showcase additional Heretic Unggoy|Grunts. An additional texture file known as creep_heretic_ghost_01 indicates the Heretics would have access to the Ghost vehicle; piloted by a Sangheili.
File:HW Heretics Concept.jpg|Concept art for the Heretic Elites. File:HW HereticGrunts.png|The Heretic Grunts; spawned in via modding. File:HW HereticGrunt Icon.png|The in-game unit icon for the Heretic Grunts.
Jackal pirates Another cut creep faction that would have been included are the Kig-Yar Piracy|pirates. Files for the Jackals are still available within ''Halo Wars'', allowing the units to be spawned in via modding. The Jackals were to spawn in squads of four, armed with Type-25 plasma pistol|plasma pistols or Type-33 needler|needlers. The pirates would also have access to Kig-Yar Snipers armed with Type-50 particle beam rifle|beam rifles.
File:HW JackalCreep Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW JackalCreep Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW Jackal Early Design.jpg|The final model for the pirates. File:HW JackalPirate Needlers.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with needlers. File:HW_JackalPirate_PlasmaPistols.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with plasma pistols. File:HW JackalPirate Snipers.png|The Jackal Pirate snipers.
Rebels While an unidentified insurrectionist group does appear in the final ''Halo Wars'' game on maps set on Harvest and Arcadia, released concept art indicates the rebels were intended to be much-more fleshed out. Released concept art showcases a rebel "sci-trooper" wielding an Electromagnetic pulse|EMP gun and an insurrectionist-branded M12G1 Gauss Warthog|Gauss Warthog.
File:HW SciTrooper Rebel Concept.jpg|Concept art for the rebel sci-trooper and EMP gun. File:HW_RebelSniper_Warthog_Concept.png|Concept art for the rebel sniper units which were included in ''Halo Wars'', and the cut Warthog.
Alongside the neutral factions, ''Halo Wars'' was intended to feature fauna as ambient AI in the game world. Some of these creatures were only concepted, while others were even modelled and textured for in-game implementation. For a list of other ambient life cut from other ''Halo'' games, see List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|this page. Arctic beast The arctic beast was a creature concepted, modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', likely intended to spawn on maps set in the polar regions of Harvest. This creature was later canonised in 2015's ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'' as the ''Chaefka''; a species of life indexed by the Forerunners and present on Installation 00|The Ark. The following year's ''Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo|Halo Mythos'' saw a scene from the book visualised with a new illustration, using the arctic beast's design almost entirely unaltered.
File:HW ArcticBeast Concept.jpg|Concept art for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast HiPoly.jpg|The high-poly sculpt for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast Render.jpg|The textured low-poly model for the arctic beast. File:HM-Chaefka.jpeg|An official illustration of the ''Chaefka'' from ''Halo Mythos''.
Arctic ice hound
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This creature was one of a number of concepts developed during the discussions of the wildlife of Harvest. It was concepted and even modelled and textured, though cut from release.
File:HW ArcticIceHound Concept.jpg|Concept art of the creature. File:HW ArcticIceHound Render.jpg|A textured 3D model of the creature.
Thorn beast The thorn beasts are another cut creature seen fully modelled, textured and animated; they are present in the ''Halo Wars'' Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2008 build and can be seen walking around the map around thirteen minutes into the demo. They do not appear to attack UNSC forces. Thorn beasts remain canon in the ''Halo'' setting; with the Avitus|Chieftain character said to particularly enjoy eating them; they were later featured in the novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest'' as a delicacy enjoyed by the crew of ''Rapid Conversion''.
Interestingly, ''Halo Wars'' is not the first time the thorn beasts were developed to appear in a ''Halo'' game; they were originally designed by Paul Russel during the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', where they were modelled with an identical design and similarly cut.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|Paul Russel's original thorn beast model for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:HW Unit Thorn Beast.png|A thorn beast can be seen in this image taken from the E3 2008 demo build of ''Halo Wars''.
Space owl
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The so-called "space owl" is another ambient creature concepted but ultimately never implemented in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was described as having a wingspan of six feet.
File:HW SpaceOwl Concept.jpg|Concept art for the creature.
Harvest whale
}}
The Harvest whale was designed as part of the exploration for the wildlife of Harvest. This creature would likely not be seen as an ambient AI on the map, but instead a dead body appearing in the environment.
File:HW HarvestWhale Concept.jpg|Concept art for the whale.
Oxyaena The oxyaena is another creature fully modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was present in the game's E3 2008 demo, and can be seen wandering the map at around one minute into the demo.
File:HW Oxyaena Render.jpg|The model created for the oxyanea. File:HW Unit Oxyaena.png|The oxyanea in the E3 2008 demo.
Other creatures These creatures have also been showcased in various work uploads related to ''Halo Wars''. Little is known of their design intent or purpose, and are thus presented below.
File:HW EelSnake Concept.jpg|Concept art for an eel-like creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 1.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 2.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature.
Sources
Category:Halo Wars deleted material
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File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|300px|thumb|A number of cut Covenant units including the Gargoyle, Hydra and Brute Tank.
During the Development of Halo Wars|development of ''Halo Wars'', a number of units were concepted, prototyped and cut from the game.
UNSC
The Cougar was designed as a UNSC AFV, equipped with two M68 Gauss cannons. Although anti-heavy armor fire would blow the Cougar away quite easily, this vehicle was highly effective in holding off enemy armored vehicles until slower armored units could arrive at the battlefield. The Cougar had gained infamy in several urban tactical situations prior to the deployments in the war against the Covenant.
It appeared as a somewhat standard armored fighting vehicle with two wheels up front and two pairs in the rear. It bore a small mounted turret armed with two M68 Gauss cannons, as well as a machine gun or grenade launcher on other concept art. There was a windscreen on its forward body, with two side windows to provide a fairly high amount of visibility for the driver, which would have proved useful. It would have been able to reach a top speed of 90 mph.
The Cougar was ultimately cut from the game in favor of other vehicle ideas. Its shape may have proved the inspiration of the SP42 Cobra, as its role in ''Halo Wars'' was originally an anti-vehicle unit. The Cougar bears a striking resemblance to the World War II armored car, the Wikipedia:M8 Greyhound|M8 Greyhound.
The vehicle was later fully-canonized as the M35 Cougar in the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'', with the vehicle's lore and armament closely matching the lore flavor text given in the original concept art. The Cougar was one of several potential ideas suggested by MEGA Construx in a 2022 fan vote for which set should be created next. Concept art for the Cougar was provided alongside the Reaver, Warden Eternal and Flood invasion at Traxus Tower. The Cougar ultimately lost the vote.
File:HW Cougar Concept 3.jpg|Early concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 1.jpg|Finalised concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 2.jpg|The final Cougar model. File:HW Cougar Model.jpg|What the Cougar would have looked like in-game.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo 2 vehicles|cut vehicle of the same name from ''Halo 2'' or the UH-144 Falcon|tiltrotor helicopter that appeared in ''Halo: Reach'', the Falcon was a UNSC aircraft that got so far as having a 3D model made. The Falcon was a twin seater fighter aircraft planned to be used by the UNSC Army. Originally intended to be a usable unit, stored in the UNSC airpad, it filled the role of strike fighter, packing enough firepower to destroy enemy vehicles and infantry with "Sidewinder" missiles and heavy armor-piercing guns. Like several other units, it was cut from the final game before it shipped.
In terms of design, the Falcon uses forward-swept wings (giving it an appearance similar to the 20th Century Wikipedia:Sukhoi Su-47|Sukhoi Su-47), which are used to provide stability during steep dives, indicating an emphasis in air-to-ground combat. Another, smaller set of wing flaps are attached to the ventral hull, possibly to improve stability. It also possesses two inward-angled vertical stabilizers at the rear, and missile pods attached to the base of the wing and the ventral hull. At the rear of the craft are twin jet thrusters, capable of tilting to allow VTOL capability. Retractable landing gear appears to be located at the wing tips.
In 2023, the Falcon was canonized as the F-23 Falcata, following a highly detailed model recreation made by 343 Industries 3D Character Artist :Category:Images by Fletcher Kinnear|Fletcher Kinnear under the alias Skaboodlydoodle. The model made by Kinnear was one of many done by him as part of a series of personal projects to bring several ''Halo Wars'' vehicles into the first-person shooter ''Halo'' games via modding, with other such recreations including the AV-22 Sparrowhawk, HRUNTING Mark III (S) Cyclops, M121 Jackrabbit, and . Thanks to the work of the concurrent Digsite project, Kinnear was able to use the original Ensemble-developed Falcon model for reference when making his higher-detail recreation, making it a drivable vehicle mod for ''Halo: Reach''. This process was documented in several videos on his YouTube channel, .
Due to the Falcon being a name taken by ''Reach''s utility helicopter, the aircraft was instead designated the Falcata, after the pre-Roman Iberian blade of the Wikipedia:Falcata|same name. This naming convention follows the UNSC's tradition of naming fighter aircraft after blades, with the name literally meaning "falcon-shaped," referencing the original ''Halo Wars'' Falcon designation.
File:HW Falcon Concept.jpg|Concept art of a squadron of Falcons in flight. File:HW Airpad Early Model.jpg|An early model for the UNSC Airpad, with several Falcons docked on the runway. Later builds would see these Falcons replaced with AV-22 Sparrowhawks, before the design was changed completely. File:HW Falcon Model.jpg|The finalised game model for the Falcon. File:HR Falcata Screenshot 1.jpg|The Falcata modded into ''Halo: Reach''.
The Fox Cannon was a United Nations Space Command|UNSC vehicle cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was to be a self-propelled artillery vehicle, capable of firing five shells per minute, and with great accuracy due to satellite targeting over a distance greater than 50 kilometers. The Fox was equipped with a 175mm cannon that shot the M179 projectile. Given its role, it was likely replaced by the SP42 Cobra.
File:HW_FoxCannon_Concept_1.jpg|thumb|Fox Cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Concept 2.jpg|Fox cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Render 1.jpg|Render of the Fox Cannon from the development of ''Halo Wars''. File:HW FoxCannon Render 2.jpg|Another render. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 1.jpg|Wireframe view of the Fox Cannon. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 2.jpg|Another wireframe view. File:HW - Prerelease - UNSC Barracks with units.png|Prerelease version of ''Halo Wars'' with the Fox Cannon in it.
The Leviathan Mobile Firebase is a UNSC vehicle concepted during the development of ''Halo Wars'', but evidently never implemented. The vehicle is similar in size to the M510 Mammoth|Mammoth, being many times the size of an M12 Warthog and serving as a mobile Firebase. The vehicle is seen to have several different configurations such as a "Suicide assault" variant with nose-mounted saw blades and a "Paris gun" variant equipped with a massive artillery cannon. However, the primary variant appears to be a vehicle that would fill a role similar to that fulfilled by the M312 Elephant in the final game, sporting numerous machine gun turrets, a mobile UNSC Barracks|barracks and the ability to tow a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, like that seen in the mission Reactor (Halo Wars level)|Reactor.
File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art. File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art.
Early on in the development of ''Halo Wars'', the M274 Mongoose was intended to be included. The vehicle got as far as having a model created and implemented in game, though by the time of the Halo Wars Alpha|"Sway" alpha, all that remained in the files was a handful of text strings referencing test_pj_mongoose.
To create this Mongoose model, Ensemble 3D artist Jenell Jaquays had to rely on observing screenshots of the Mongoose as seen in ''Halo 3'', as Bungie were unwilling to share the original model file with Ensemble.
File:HW - Prerelease - Mongoose.png|The Mongoose unit in an early build.
This prototype infantry unit was created by artist Gene Kohler. Little is known of it or its purpose in-game.
File:HW - Render - Prototype Unit.png
The Tiger Tank is a unit referenced in the game files. Little is known of it, except for the below icon.
File:HW Tiger Tank.png
Covenant
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The Covenant Air Artillery was a unit cut from ''Halo Wars'' some time prior to January 2008. The vehicle was to boast three plasma mortars, and was intended for use in a ground attack role - noted to be especially effective against static bases.
File:Covenant Air Artillery.jpg|The final air artillery model. File:HW covenant airArtillery concept.jpg|Concept art for this vehicle. File:HW-AirArtillery_WIP_Renders.jpg|A work-in-progress blockout of the Covenant Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_Render.jpg|Renders of the Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_HP_Render.jpg|A high-poly render of the Air Artillery.
The "Brute Tank" is a vehicle cut from the game, notable for its high similarity to the existing Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith. However, the Brute Tank instead comes equipped with a M512 smooth-bore high-velocity cannon|turret like those found on the M808B Scorpion|Scorpion tank. Text strings in the "Sway" alpha build reference brutetank_power_hack_obstruction, possibly meaning the tank was to have some form of hacking ability. Presumably, this vehicle was intended to be used by the Jiralhanae and their Avitus|Chieftain.
Although the Brute Tank icon found in the final release of ''Halo Wars'' depicts a Wraith with a Scorpion turret, some models seen in earlier builds have a more distinctive appearance of a Wraith with a more Covenant-style turret; these vehicles bear some resemblance to certain ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art, shown below. Another piece of concept art uploaded to ArtStation by Nathan Stefan shows a vehicle very similar to the Brute Tank, though the image itself is named gorgon-005 - this vehicle bears little resemblance to the #Gorgon|Gorgon, so the art's status is unclear.
Another icon depicts this vehicle with a dome shield-like ability.
File:HW_Brute_Tank.jpg|The Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Brute Tank (top-left) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A pair of Brute Tanks (lower-left) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW BruteTank Shield Icon.png|The Brute Tank shield icon. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Brute Tanks can be seen in the E3 2007 build promotional images. File:HW BruteTank Icon.png|The Brute Tank, bearing a Scorpion turret. File:HCE Wraith Concept 2.jpg|''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art by Shi Kai Wang, bearing heavy resemblance to the Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech.
The Chimera was a Covenant unit cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was a four-legged walker bearing slight resemblance to the , though with a more hunched appearance.
File:HW-Chimera_Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|The Chimera (bottom-left), seen alongside a handful of other WIP renders of various Covenant vehicles. File:HW Chimera Icon.png|An icon for the Chimera from the in-game unit selection.
Found in some screenshots and an animation reel uploaded by animator Charles Tinney, the Elite Ranger was evidently to be a flying infantry unit. Their design is that of the Sangheili Ranger|Elite Rangers found in ''Halo 2''.
File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Several Rangers can be found in the mid-back of this promotional screenshot. File:HW_EliteRanger_Unit.png|The Ranger unit, as seen in Tinney's animation reel.
Named only in game files, the Gargoyle was intended to be a Covenant bomber aircraft. In the final game, a menu icon is still present in the files to represent the unit.
File:HW Gargoyle.jpg File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Gargoyle (top-right) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A trio of Gargoyles (lower-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Gargoyle UI Icon.png|The Gargoyle's UI icon.
}}
The Gorgon was a vehicle created for the Covenant and intended for use in the anti-air role. The vehicle was envisioned as a walker equipped with a needle cannon, used to attack air targets. The vehicle's mech-based nature conflicted with Ensemble's philosophy that anything with legs was considered infantry, and the overwhelming abundance of Covenant ground vehicles - combined with the relative lack of aircraft - ultimately led to the Gorgon being scrapped and replaced with the . A very similar vehicle; the Reaver, was later implemented in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Interestingly, a later Artstation upload by Nathan Stefan titled gorgon-005.jpg depicts a vehicle more similar in nature to the Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith or similarly-cut #Brute Tank|Brute Tank.
File:HW Gorgon Render.jpg|The cut Gorgon mech. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech. File:HW Gorgon MenuIcon.png|The Gorgon's menu icon in the final build of ''Halo Wars''.
Named in an image upload by artist Don Gagen, the Hydra was intended to be a Covenant aircraft.
File:HW-Hydra Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Hydra (top-middle) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|Several Hydras (top-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Hydra MenuIcon.png|The Hydra's icon, seen in the final game.
Present in the "Sway" alpha, the Recon Drone appears on an early version of the map Repository as a unit buildable in the map's central Sentinel factory alongside Aggressor Sentinels. Despite this Forerunner construction and neutral placement, the Recon Drone takes the form of a Yanme'e. The Drone has a complete model and animations, and is able to fly at high speeds around the map. True to its name, the Drone has no attacks, and is instead only intended for scouting.
File:HW Drone Sculpt.jpg|The high-poly sculpt of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Textured.jpg|The textured final unit of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Alpha.png|The Recon Drone in the internal alpha. File:HWDE Drone Cut.png|The Recon Drone found in Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.
Seen in the Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2007 build and on the box art for ''Halo Wars'', among other promotional screenshots, is the Protos-pattern Scarab|Type-47A "Protos" Scarab - the Scarab variant notably found in the ''Halo 2'' campaign levels ''Outskirts'', ''Metropolis'' and ''The Great Journey''. In the final ''Halo Wars'' game, the design notably used in ''Halo 3'', ''Halo 3: ODST'' and ''Halo: Reach'' is used.
In the E3 2007 demo, the Scarab appears near the end in a short viginette, climbing out of a Forerunner underground shaft. The Scarab proceeds to rampage across the battlefield, destroying several tanks and other units, and must ultimately be destroyed via Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC orbital bombardment.
File:HW Scarab Concept.jpg|Concept art depicting this Type-47A variant. File:HW Screenshots Screens 1.jpg|Multiple Scarabs in an early build of the game. File:Hornet war.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab fighting Hornets. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab seen right, firing on the UNSC force. File:HW Screenshots 005.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab can be seen on the bottom-left of this image. File:HW Screenshots E07 3.jpg|Another screenshot of the Scarab. File:HW E307 Scarab.png|The Scarab as it appears in the Halo Wars E3 2007 Demo|''Halo Wars'' E3 demo.
Forerunner
While the Sentinels do appear on many maps and levels of the final ''Halo Wars'' game, this Sentinel design in particular does not. While superficially similar to the final game's Super Sentinel in design and proportion, it has a number of very notable differences; predominantly the massive size it has compared to most other units in the game. The unit was intended to appear on the campaign level ''Cleansing'' as a boss enemy, though was ultimately cut. The model for the Sentinel remains in the game files, unused. An image of the Sentinel in-game appears to show it emitting plasma mortar-like projectiles firing at the Flood forces below.
Interestingly, this design was later brought back almost unchanged in ''Halo Wars 2'' as the Protector Sentinel (Installation 00)|Protector Sentinel.
File:HW_BossSentinel_Concept.jpg|Concept art of this Sentinel design. File:HW_BossSentinel_HiPoly.jpg|A hi-poly render of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Wireframe.jpg|A wireframe of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Render.jpg|A textured render of the early Sentinel. File:HW BossSentinel InGame.jpg|The Sentinel boss in-game, demonstrating its massive size. File:HW2 Blitz Protector Sentinel.png|A List of Blitz cards|Blitz card illustration of the Protector Sentinel, as it appears in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Ambient AI
A number of maps in ''Halo Wars'' feature neutral AI factions such as Unidentified insurrectionist group|rebels, Sentinels and Flood. These factions will typically be hostile to both the UNSC and Covenant. A number of additional factions were intended to be implemented in the game. These factions were developed under the codename of "creep", and include the following. Heretics One possible creep faction intended to be included in ''Halo Wars'' were the Covenant List of known Covenant heretics|heretics - those who sought fit to defy the Covenant religion. Concept art reveals that Sangheili were intended to be soldiers in this faction, while unused files within the releases of ''Halo Wars'' and ''Halo Wars: Definitive Edition'' showcase additional Heretic Unggoy|Grunts. An additional texture file known as creep_heretic_ghost_01 indicates the Heretics would have access to the Ghost vehicle; piloted by a Sangheili.
File:HW Heretics Concept.jpg|Concept art for the Heretic Elites. File:HW HereticGrunts.png|The Heretic Grunts; spawned in via modding. File:HW HereticGrunt Icon.png|The in-game unit icon for the Heretic Grunts.
Jackal pirates Another cut creep faction that would have been included are the Kig-Yar Piracy|pirates. Files for the Jackals are still available within ''Halo Wars'', allowing the units to be spawned in via modding. The Jackals were to spawn in squads of four, armed with Type-25 plasma pistol|plasma pistols or Type-33 needler|needlers. The pirates would also have access to Kig-Yar Snipers armed with Type-50 particle beam rifle|beam rifles.
File:HW JackalCreep Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW JackalCreep Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW Jackal Early Design.jpg|The final model for the pirates. File:HW JackalPirate Needlers.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with needlers. File:HW_JackalPirate_PlasmaPistols.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with plasma pistols. File:HW JackalPirate Snipers.png|The Jackal Pirate snipers.
Rebels While an unidentified insurrectionist group does appear in the final ''Halo Wars'' game on maps set on Harvest and Arcadia, released concept art indicates the rebels were intended to be much-more fleshed out. Released concept art showcases a rebel "sci-trooper" wielding an Electromagnetic pulse|EMP gun and an insurrectionist-branded M12G1 Gauss Warthog|Gauss Warthog.
File:HW SciTrooper Rebel Concept.jpg|Concept art for the rebel sci-trooper and EMP gun. File:HW_RebelSniper_Warthog_Concept.png|Concept art for the rebel sniper units which were included in ''Halo Wars'', and the cut Warthog.
Alongside the neutral factions, ''Halo Wars'' was intended to feature fauna as ambient AI in the game world. Some of these creatures were only concepted, while others were even modelled and textured for in-game implementation. For a list of other ambient life cut from other ''Halo'' games, see List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|this page. Arctic beast The arctic beast was a creature concepted, modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', likely intended to spawn on maps set in the polar regions of Harvest. This creature was later canonised in 2015's ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'' as the ''Chaefka''; a species of life indexed by the Forerunners and present on Installation 00|The Ark. The following year's ''Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo|Halo Mythos'' saw a scene from the book visualised with a new illustration, using the arctic beast's design almost entirely unaltered.
File:HW ArcticBeast Concept.jpg|Concept art for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast HiPoly.jpg|The high-poly sculpt for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast Render.jpg|The textured low-poly model for the arctic beast. File:HM-Chaefka.jpeg|An official illustration of the ''Chaefka'' from ''Halo Mythos''.
Arctic ice hound
}}
This creature was one of a number of concepts developed during the discussions of the wildlife of Harvest. It was concepted and even modelled and textured, though cut from release.
File:HW ArcticIceHound Concept.jpg|Concept art of the creature. File:HW ArcticIceHound Render.jpg|A textured 3D model of the creature.
Thorn beast The thorn beasts are another cut creature seen fully modelled, textured and animated; they are present in the ''Halo Wars'' Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2008 build and can be seen walking around the map around thirteen minutes into the demo. They do not appear to attack UNSC forces. Thorn beasts remain canon in the ''Halo'' setting; with the Avitus|Chieftain character said to particularly enjoy eating them; they were later featured in the novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest'' as a delicacy enjoyed by the crew of ''Rapid Conversion''.
Interestingly, ''Halo Wars'' is not the first time the thorn beasts were developed to appear in a ''Halo'' game; they were originally designed by Paul Russel during the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', where they were modelled with an identical design and similarly cut.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|Paul Russel's original thorn beast model for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:HW Unit Thorn Beast.png|A thorn beast can be seen in this image taken from the E3 2008 demo build of ''Halo Wars''.
Space owl
}}
The so-called "space owl" is another ambient creature concepted but ultimately never implemented in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was described as having a wingspan of six feet.
File:HW SpaceOwl Concept.jpg|Concept art for the creature.
Harvest whale
}}
The Harvest whale was designed as part of the exploration for the wildlife of Harvest. This creature would likely not be seen as an ambient AI on the map, but instead a dead body appearing in the environment.
File:HW HarvestWhale Concept.jpg|Concept art for the whale.
Oxyaena The oxyaena is another creature fully modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was present in the game's E3 2008 demo, and can be seen wandering the map at around one minute into the demo.
File:HW Oxyaena Render.jpg|The model created for the oxyanea. File:HW Unit Oxyaena.png|The oxyanea in the E3 2008 demo.
Other creatures These creatures have also been showcased in various work uploads related to ''Halo Wars''. Little is known of their design intent or purpose, and are thus presented below.
File:HW EelSnake Concept.jpg|Concept art for an eel-like creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 1.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 2.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature.
Sources
Category:Halo Wars deleted material
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File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|300px|thumb|A number of cut Covenant units including the Gargoyle, Hydra and Brute Tank.
During the Development of Halo Wars|development of ''Halo Wars'', a number of units were concepted, prototyped and cut from the game.
UNSC
The Cougar was designed as a UNSC AFV, equipped with two M68 Gauss cannons. Although anti-heavy armor fire would blow the Cougar away quite easily, this vehicle was highly effective in holding off enemy armored vehicles until slower armored units could arrive at the battlefield. The Cougar had gained infamy in several urban tactical situations prior to the deployments in the war against the Covenant.
It appeared as a somewhat standard armored fighting vehicle with two wheels up front and two pairs in the rear. It bore a small mounted turret armed with two M68 Gauss cannons, as well as a machine gun or grenade launcher on other concept art. There was a windscreen on its forward body, with two side windows to provide a fairly high amount of visibility for the driver, which would have proved useful. It would have been able to reach a top speed of 90 mph.
The Cougar was ultimately cut from the game in favor of other vehicle ideas. Its shape may have proved the inspiration of the SP42 Cobra, as its role in ''Halo Wars'' was originally an anti-vehicle unit. The Cougar bears a striking resemblance to the World War II armored car, the Wikipedia:M8 Greyhound|M8 Greyhound.
The vehicle was later fully-canonized as the M35 Cougar in the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'', with the vehicle's lore and armament closely matching the lore flavor text given in the original concept art. The Cougar was one of several potential ideas suggested by MEGA Construx in a 2022 fan vote for which set should be created next. Concept art for the Cougar was provided alongside the Reaver, Warden Eternal and Flood invasion at Traxus Tower. The Cougar ultimately lost the vote.
File:HW Cougar Concept 3.jpg|Early concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 1.jpg|Finalised concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 2.jpg|The final Cougar model. File:HW Cougar Model.jpg|What the Cougar would have looked like in-game.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo 2 vehicles|cut vehicle of the same name from ''Halo 2'' or the UH-144 Falcon|tiltrotor helicopter that appeared in ''Halo: Reach'', the Falcon was a UNSC aircraft that got so far as having a 3D model made. The Falcon was a twin seater fighter aircraft planned to be used by the UNSC Army. Originally intended to be a usable unit, stored in the UNSC airpad, it filled the role of strike fighter, packing enough firepower to destroy enemy vehicles and infantry with "Sidewinder" missiles and heavy armor-piercing guns. Like several other units, it was cut from the final game before it shipped.
In terms of design, the Falcon uses forward-swept wings (giving it an appearance similar to the 20th Century Wikipedia:Sukhoi Su-47|Sukhoi Su-47), which are used to provide stability during steep dives, indicating an emphasis in air-to-ground combat. Another, smaller set of wing flaps are attached to the ventral hull, possibly to improve stability. It also possesses two inward-angled vertical stabilizers at the rear, and missile pods attached to the base of the wing and the ventral hull. At the rear of the craft are twin jet thrusters, capable of tilting to allow VTOL capability. Retractable landing gear appears to be located at the wing tips.
In 2023, the Falcon was canonized as the F-23 Falcata, following a highly detailed model recreation made by 343 Industries 3D Character Artist :Category:Images by Fletcher Kinnear|Fletcher Kinnear under the alias Skaboodlydoodle. The model made by Kinnear was one of many done by him as part of a series of personal projects to bring several ''Halo Wars'' vehicles into the first-person shooter ''Halo'' games via modding, with other such recreations including the AV-22 Sparrowhawk, HRUNTING Mark III (S) Cyclops, M121 Jackrabbit, and . Thanks to the work of the concurrent Digsite project, Kinnear was able to use the original Ensemble-developed Falcon model for reference when making his higher-detail recreation, making it a drivable vehicle mod for ''Halo: Reach''. This process was documented in several videos on his YouTube channel, .
Due to the Falcon being a name taken by ''Reach''s utility helicopter, the aircraft was instead designated the Falcata, after the pre-Roman Iberian blade of the Wikipedia:Falcata|same name. This naming convention follows the UNSC's tradition of naming fighter aircraft after blades, with the name literally meaning "falcon-shaped," referencing the original ''Halo Wars'' Falcon designation.
File:HW Falcon Concept.jpg|Concept art of a squadron of Falcons in flight. File:HW Airpad Early Model.jpg|An early model for the UNSC Airpad, with several Falcons docked on the runway. Later builds would see these Falcons replaced with AV-22 Sparrowhawks, before the design was changed completely. File:HW Falcon Model.jpg|The finalised game model for the Falcon. File:HR Falcata Screenshot 1.jpg|The Falcata modded into ''Halo: Reach''.
The Fox Cannon was a United Nations Space Command|UNSC vehicle cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was to be a self-propelled artillery vehicle, capable of firing five shells per minute, and with great accuracy due to satellite targeting over a distance greater than 50 kilometers. The Fox was equipped with a 175mm cannon that shot the M179 projectile. Given its role, it was likely replaced by the SP42 Cobra.
File:HW_FoxCannon_Concept_1.jpg|thumb|Fox Cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Concept 2.jpg|Fox cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Render 1.jpg|Render of the Fox Cannon from the development of ''Halo Wars''. File:HW FoxCannon Render 2.jpg|Another render. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 1.jpg|Wireframe view of the Fox Cannon. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 2.jpg|Another wireframe view. File:HW - Prerelease - UNSC Barracks with units.png|Prerelease version of ''Halo Wars'' with the Fox Cannon in it.
The Leviathan Mobile Firebase is a UNSC vehicle concepted during the development of ''Halo Wars'', but evidently never implemented. The vehicle is similar in size to the M510 Mammoth|Mammoth, being many times the size of an M12 Warthog and serving as a mobile Firebase. The vehicle is seen to have several different configurations such as a "Suicide assault" variant with nose-mounted saw blades and a "Paris gun" variant equipped with a massive artillery cannon. However, the primary variant appears to be a vehicle that would fill a role similar to that fulfilled by the M312 Elephant in the final game, sporting numerous machine gun turrets, a mobile UNSC Barracks|barracks and the ability to tow a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, like that seen in the mission Reactor (Halo Wars level)|Reactor.
File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art. File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art.
Early on in the development of ''Halo Wars'', the M274 Mongoose was intended to be included. The vehicle got as far as having a model created and implemented in game, though by the time of the Halo Wars Alpha|"Sway" alpha, all that remained in the files was a handful of text strings referencing test_pj_mongoose.
To create this Mongoose model, Ensemble 3D artist Jenell Jaquays had to rely on observing screenshots of the Mongoose as seen in ''Halo 3'', as Bungie were unwilling to share the original model file with Ensemble.
File:HW - Prerelease - Mongoose.png|The Mongoose unit in an early build.
This prototype infantry unit was created by artist Gene Kohler. Little is known of it or its purpose in-game.
File:HW - Render - Prototype Unit.png
The Tiger Tank is a unit referenced in the game files. Little is known of it, except for the below icon.
File:HW Tiger Tank.png
Covenant
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The Covenant Air Artillery was a unit cut from ''Halo Wars'' some time prior to January 2008. The vehicle was to boast three plasma mortars, and was intended for use in a ground attack role - noted to be especially effective against static bases.
File:Covenant Air Artillery.jpg|The final air artillery model. File:HW covenant airArtillery concept.jpg|Concept art for this vehicle. File:HW-AirArtillery_WIP_Renders.jpg|A work-in-progress blockout of the Covenant Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_Render.jpg|Renders of the Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_HP_Render.jpg|A high-poly render of the Air Artillery.
The "Brute Tank" is a vehicle cut from the game, notable for its high similarity to the existing Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith. However, the Brute Tank instead comes equipped with a M512 smooth-bore high-velocity cannon|turret like those found on the M808B Scorpion|Scorpion tank. Text strings in the "Sway" alpha build reference brutetank_power_hack_obstruction, possibly meaning the tank was to have some form of hacking ability. Presumably, this vehicle was intended to be used by the Jiralhanae and their Avitus|Chieftain.
Although the Brute Tank icon found in the final release of ''Halo Wars'' depicts a Wraith with a Scorpion turret, some models seen in earlier builds have a more distinctive appearance of a Wraith with a more Covenant-style turret; these vehicles bear some resemblance to certain ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art, shown below. Another piece of concept art uploaded to ArtStation by Nathan Stefan shows a vehicle very similar to the Brute Tank, though the image itself is named gorgon-005 - this vehicle bears little resemblance to the #Gorgon|Gorgon, so the art's status is unclear.
Another icon depicts this vehicle with a dome shield-like ability.
File:HW_Brute_Tank.jpg|The Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Brute Tank (top-left) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A pair of Brute Tanks (lower-left) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW BruteTank Shield Icon.png|The Brute Tank shield icon. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Brute Tanks can be seen in the E3 2007 build promotional images. File:HW BruteTank Icon.png|The Brute Tank, bearing a Scorpion turret. File:HCE Wraith Concept 2.jpg|''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art by Shi Kai Wang, bearing heavy resemblance to the Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech.
The Chimera was a Covenant unit cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was a four-legged walker bearing slight resemblance to the , though with a more hunched appearance.
File:HW-Chimera_Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|The Chimera (bottom-left), seen alongside a handful of other WIP renders of various Covenant vehicles. File:HW Chimera Icon.png|An icon for the Chimera from the in-game unit selection.
Found in some screenshots and an animation reel uploaded by animator Charles Tinney, the Elite Ranger was evidently to be a flying infantry unit. Their design is that of the Sangheili Ranger|Elite Rangers found in ''Halo 2''.
File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Several Rangers can be found in the mid-back of this promotional screenshot. File:HW_EliteRanger_Unit.png|The Ranger unit, as seen in Tinney's animation reel.
Named only in game files, the Gargoyle was intended to be a Covenant bomber aircraft. In the final game, a menu icon is still present in the files to represent the unit.
File:HW Gargoyle.jpg File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Gargoyle (top-right) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A trio of Gargoyles (lower-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Gargoyle UI Icon.png|The Gargoyle's UI icon.
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The Gorgon was a vehicle created for the Covenant and intended for use in the anti-air role. The vehicle was envisioned as a walker equipped with a needle cannon, used to attack air targets. The vehicle's mech-based nature conflicted with Ensemble's philosophy that anything with legs was considered infantry, and the overwhelming abundance of Covenant ground vehicles - combined with the relative lack of aircraft - ultimately led to the Gorgon being scrapped and replaced with the . A very similar vehicle; the Reaver, was later implemented in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Interestingly, a later Artstation upload by Nathan Stefan titled gorgon-005.jpg depicts a vehicle more similar in nature to the Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith or similarly-cut #Brute Tank|Brute Tank.
File:HW Gorgon Render.jpg|The cut Gorgon mech. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech. File:HW Gorgon MenuIcon.png|The Gorgon's menu icon in the final build of ''Halo Wars''.
Named in an image upload by artist Don Gagen, the Hydra was intended to be a Covenant aircraft.
File:HW-Hydra Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Hydra (top-middle) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|Several Hydras (top-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Hydra MenuIcon.png|The Hydra's icon, seen in the final game.
Present in the "Sway" alpha, the Recon Drone appears on an early version of the map Repository as a unit buildable in the map's central Sentinel factory alongside Aggressor Sentinels. Despite this Forerunner construction and neutral placement, the Recon Drone takes the form of a Yanme'e. The Drone has a complete model and animations, and is able to fly at high speeds around the map. True to its name, the Drone has no attacks, and is instead only intended for scouting.
File:HW Drone Sculpt.jpg|The high-poly sculpt of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Textured.jpg|The textured final unit of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Alpha.png|The Recon Drone in the internal alpha. File:HWDE Drone Cut.png|The Recon Drone found in Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.
Seen in the Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2007 build and on the box art for ''Halo Wars'', among other promotional screenshots, is the Protos-pattern Scarab|Type-47A "Protos" Scarab - the Scarab variant notably found in the ''Halo 2'' campaign levels ''Outskirts'', ''Metropolis'' and ''The Great Journey''. In the final ''Halo Wars'' game, the design notably used in ''Halo 3'', ''Halo 3: ODST'' and ''Halo: Reach'' is used.
In the E3 2007 demo, the Scarab appears near the end in a short viginette, climbing out of a Forerunner underground shaft. The Scarab proceeds to rampage across the battlefield, destroying several tanks and other units, and must ultimately be destroyed via Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC orbital bombardment.
File:HW Scarab Concept.jpg|Concept art depicting this Type-47A variant. File:HW Screenshots Screens 1.jpg|Multiple Scarabs in an early build of the game. File:Hornet war.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab fighting Hornets. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab seen right, firing on the UNSC force. File:HW Screenshots 005.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab can be seen on the bottom-left of this image. File:HW Screenshots E07 3.jpg|Another screenshot of the Scarab. File:HW E307 Scarab.png|The Scarab as it appears in the Halo Wars E3 2007 Demo|''Halo Wars'' E3 demo.
Forerunner
While the Sentinels do appear on many maps and levels of the final ''Halo Wars'' game, this Sentinel design in particular does not. While superficially similar to the final game's Super Sentinel in design and proportion, it has a number of very notable differences; predominantly the massive size it has compared to most other units in the game. The unit was intended to appear on the campaign level ''Cleansing'' as a boss enemy, though was ultimately cut. The model for the Sentinel remains in the game files, unused. An image of the Sentinel in-game appears to show it emitting plasma mortar-like projectiles firing at the Flood forces below.
Interestingly, this design was later brought back almost unchanged in ''Halo Wars 2'' as the Protector Sentinel (Installation 00)|Protector Sentinel.
File:HW_BossSentinel_Concept.jpg|Concept art of this Sentinel design. File:HW_BossSentinel_HiPoly.jpg|A hi-poly render of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Wireframe.jpg|A wireframe of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Render.jpg|A textured render of the early Sentinel. File:HW BossSentinel InGame.jpg|The Sentinel boss in-game, demonstrating its massive size. File:HW2 Blitz Protector Sentinel.png|A List of Blitz cards|Blitz card illustration of the Protector Sentinel, as it appears in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Ambient AI
A number of maps in ''Halo Wars'' feature neutral AI factions such as Unidentified insurrectionist group|rebels, Sentinels and Flood. These factions will typically be hostile to both the UNSC and Covenant. A number of additional factions were intended to be implemented in the game. These factions were developed under the codename of "creep", and include the following. Heretics One possible creep faction intended to be included in ''Halo Wars'' were the Covenant List of known Covenant heretics|heretics - those who sought fit to defy the Covenant religion. Concept art reveals that Sangheili were intended to be soldiers in this faction, while unused files within the releases of ''Halo Wars'' and ''Halo Wars: Definitive Edition'' showcase additional Heretic Unggoy|Grunts. An additional texture file known as creep_heretic_ghost_01 indicates the Heretics would have access to the Ghost vehicle; piloted by a Sangheili.
File:HW Heretics Concept.jpg|Concept art for the Heretic Elites. File:HW HereticGrunts.png|The Heretic Grunts; spawned in via modding. File:HW HereticGrunt Icon.png|The in-game unit icon for the Heretic Grunts.
Jackal pirates Another cut creep faction that would have been included are the Kig-Yar Piracy|pirates. Files for the Jackals are still available within ''Halo Wars'', allowing the units to be spawned in via modding. The Jackals were to spawn in squads of four, armed with Type-25 plasma pistol|plasma pistols or Type-33 needler|needlers. The pirates would also have access to Kig-Yar Snipers armed with Type-50 particle beam rifle|beam rifles.
File:HW JackalCreep Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW JackalCreep Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW Jackal Early Design.jpg|The final model for the pirates. File:HW JackalPirate Needlers.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with needlers. File:HW_JackalPirate_PlasmaPistols.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with plasma pistols. File:HW JackalPirate Snipers.png|The Jackal Pirate snipers.
Rebels While an unidentified insurrectionist group does appear in the final ''Halo Wars'' game on maps set on Harvest and Arcadia, released concept art indicates the rebels were intended to be much-more fleshed out. Released concept art showcases a rebel "sci-trooper" wielding an Electromagnetic pulse|EMP gun and an insurrectionist-branded M12G1 Gauss Warthog|Gauss Warthog.
File:HW SciTrooper Rebel Concept.jpg|Concept art for the rebel sci-trooper and EMP gun. File:HW_RebelSniper_Warthog_Concept.png|Concept art for the rebel sniper units which were included in ''Halo Wars'', and the cut Warthog.
Alongside the neutral factions, ''Halo Wars'' was intended to feature fauna as ambient AI in the game world. Some of these creatures were only concepted, while others were even modelled and textured for in-game implementation. For a list of other ambient life cut from other ''Halo'' games, see List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|this page. Arctic beast The arctic beast was a creature concepted, modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', likely intended to spawn on maps set in the polar regions of Harvest. This creature was later canonised in 2015's ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'' as the ''Chaefka''; a species of life indexed by the Forerunners and present on Installation 00|The Ark. The following year's ''Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo|Halo Mythos'' saw a scene from the book visualised with a new illustration, using the arctic beast's design almost entirely unaltered.
File:HW ArcticBeast Concept.jpg|Concept art for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast HiPoly.jpg|The high-poly sculpt for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast Render.jpg|The textured low-poly model for the arctic beast. File:HM-Chaefka.jpeg|An official illustration of the ''Chaefka'' from ''Halo Mythos''.
Arctic ice hound
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This creature was one of a number of concepts developed during the discussions of the wildlife of Harvest. It was concepted and even modelled and textured, though cut from release.
File:HW ArcticIceHound Concept.jpg|Concept art of the creature. File:HW ArcticIceHound Render.jpg|A textured 3D model of the creature.
Thorn beast The thorn beasts are another cut creature seen fully modelled, textured and animated; they are present in the ''Halo Wars'' Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2008 build and can be seen walking around the map around thirteen minutes into the demo. They do not appear to attack UNSC forces. Thorn beasts remain canon in the ''Halo'' setting; with the Avitus|Chieftain character said to particularly enjoy eating them; they were later featured in the novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest'' as a delicacy enjoyed by the crew of ''Rapid Conversion''.
Interestingly, ''Halo Wars'' is not the first time the thorn beasts were developed to appear in a ''Halo'' game; they were originally designed by Paul Russel during the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', where they were modelled with an identical design and similarly cut.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|Paul Russel's original thorn beast model for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:HW Unit Thorn Beast.png|A thorn beast can be seen in this image taken from the E3 2008 demo build of ''Halo Wars''.
Space owl
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The so-called "space owl" is another ambient creature concepted but ultimately never implemented in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was described as having a wingspan of six feet.
File:HW SpaceOwl Concept.jpg|Concept art for the creature.
Harvest whale
}}
The Harvest whale was designed as part of the exploration for the wildlife of Harvest. This creature would likely not be seen as an ambient AI on the map, but instead a dead body appearing in the environment.
File:HW HarvestWhale Concept.jpg|Concept art for the whale.
Oxyaena The oxyaena is another creature fully modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was present in the game's E3 2008 demo, and can be seen wandering the map at around one minute into the demo.
File:HW Oxyaena Render.jpg|The model created for the oxyanea. File:HW Unit Oxyaena.png|The oxyanea in the E3 2008 demo.
Other creatures These creatures have also been showcased in various work uploads related to ''Halo Wars''. Little is known of their design intent or purpose, and are thus presented below.
File:HW EelSnake Concept.jpg|Concept art for an eel-like creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 1.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 2.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature.
Sources
Category:Halo Wars deleted material
|
File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|300px|thumb|A number of cut Covenant units including the Gargoyle, Hydra and Brute Tank.
During the Development of Halo Wars|development of ''Halo Wars'', a number of units were concepted, prototyped and cut from the game.
UNSC
The Cougar was designed as a UNSC AFV, equipped with two M68 Gauss cannons. Although anti-heavy armor fire would blow the Cougar away quite easily, this vehicle was highly effective in holding off enemy armored vehicles until slower armored units could arrive at the battlefield. The Cougar had gained infamy in several urban tactical situations prior to the deployments in the war against the Covenant.
It appeared as a somewhat standard armored fighting vehicle with two wheels up front and two pairs in the rear. It bore a small mounted turret armed with two M68 Gauss cannons, as well as a machine gun or grenade launcher on other concept art. There was a windscreen on its forward body, with two side windows to provide a fairly high amount of visibility for the driver, which would have proved useful. It would have been able to reach a top speed of 90 mph.
The Cougar was ultimately cut from the game in favor of other vehicle ideas. Its shape may have proved the inspiration of the SP42 Cobra, as its role in ''Halo Wars'' was originally an anti-vehicle unit. The Cougar bears a striking resemblance to the World War II armored car, the Wikipedia:M8 Greyhound|M8 Greyhound.
The vehicle was later fully-canonized as the M35 Cougar in the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'', with the vehicle's lore and armament closely matching the lore flavor text given in the original concept art. The Cougar was one of several potential ideas suggested by MEGA Construx in a 2022 fan vote for which set should be created next. Concept art for the Cougar was provided alongside the Reaver, Warden Eternal and Flood invasion at Traxus Tower. The Cougar ultimately lost the vote.
File:HW Cougar Concept 3.jpg|Early concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 1.jpg|Finalised concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 2.jpg|The final Cougar model. File:HW Cougar Model.jpg|What the Cougar would have looked like in-game.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo 2 vehicles|cut vehicle of the same name from ''Halo 2'' or the UH-144 Falcon|tiltrotor helicopter that appeared in ''Halo: Reach'', the Falcon was a UNSC aircraft that got so far as having a 3D model made. The Falcon was a twin seater fighter aircraft planned to be used by the UNSC Army. Originally intended to be a usable unit, stored in the UNSC airpad, it filled the role of strike fighter, packing enough firepower to destroy enemy vehicles and infantry with "Sidewinder" missiles and heavy armor-piercing guns. Like several other units, it was cut from the final game before it shipped.
In terms of design, the Falcon uses forward-swept wings (giving it an appearance similar to the 20th Century Wikipedia:Sukhoi Su-47|Sukhoi Su-47), which are used to provide stability during steep dives, indicating an emphasis in air-to-ground combat. Another, smaller set of wing flaps are attached to the ventral hull, possibly to improve stability. It also possesses two inward-angled vertical stabilizers at the rear, and missile pods attached to the base of the wing and the ventral hull. At the rear of the craft are twin jet thrusters, capable of tilting to allow VTOL capability. Retractable landing gear appears to be located at the wing tips.
In 2023, the Falcon was canonized as the F-23 Falcata, following a highly detailed model recreation made by 343 Industries 3D Character Artist :Category:Images by Fletcher Kinnear|Fletcher Kinnear under the alias Skaboodlydoodle. The model made by Kinnear was one of many done by him as part of a series of personal projects to bring several ''Halo Wars'' vehicles into the first-person shooter ''Halo'' games via modding, with other such recreations including the AV-22 Sparrowhawk, HRUNTING Mark III (S) Cyclops, M121 Jackrabbit, and . Thanks to the work of the concurrent Digsite project, Kinnear was able to use the original Ensemble-developed Falcon model for reference when making his higher-detail recreation, making it a drivable vehicle mod for ''Halo: Reach''. This process was documented in several videos on his YouTube channel, .
Due to the Falcon being a name taken by ''Reach''s utility helicopter, the aircraft was instead designated the Falcata, after the pre-Roman Iberian blade of the Wikipedia:Falcata|same name. This naming convention follows the UNSC's tradition of naming fighter aircraft after blades, with the name literally meaning "falcon-shaped," referencing the original ''Halo Wars'' Falcon designation.
File:HW Falcon Concept.jpg|Concept art of a squadron of Falcons in flight. File:HW Airpad Early Model.jpg|An early model for the UNSC Airpad, with several Falcons docked on the runway. Later builds would see these Falcons replaced with AV-22 Sparrowhawks, before the design was changed completely. File:HW Falcon Model.jpg|The finalised game model for the Falcon. File:HR Falcata Screenshot 1.jpg|The Falcata modded into ''Halo: Reach''.
The Fox Cannon was a United Nations Space Command|UNSC vehicle cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was to be a self-propelled artillery vehicle, capable of firing five shells per minute, and with great accuracy due to satellite targeting over a distance greater than 50 kilometers. The Fox was equipped with a 175mm cannon that shot the M179 projectile. Given its role, it was likely replaced by the SP42 Cobra.
File:HW_FoxCannon_Concept_1.jpg|thumb|Fox Cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Concept 2.jpg|Fox cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Render 1.jpg|Render of the Fox Cannon from the development of ''Halo Wars''. File:HW FoxCannon Render 2.jpg|Another render. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 1.jpg|Wireframe view of the Fox Cannon. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 2.jpg|Another wireframe view. File:HW - Prerelease - UNSC Barracks with units.png|Prerelease version of ''Halo Wars'' with the Fox Cannon in it.
The Leviathan Mobile Firebase is a UNSC vehicle concepted during the development of ''Halo Wars'', but evidently never implemented. The vehicle is similar in size to the M510 Mammoth|Mammoth, being many times the size of an M12 Warthog and serving as a mobile Firebase. The vehicle is seen to have several different configurations such as a "Suicide assault" variant with nose-mounted saw blades and a "Paris gun" variant equipped with a massive artillery cannon. However, the primary variant appears to be a vehicle that would fill a role similar to that fulfilled by the M312 Elephant in the final game, sporting numerous machine gun turrets, a mobile UNSC Barracks|barracks and the ability to tow a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, like that seen in the mission Reactor (Halo Wars level)|Reactor.
File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art. File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art.
Early on in the development of ''Halo Wars'', the M274 Mongoose was intended to be included. The vehicle got as far as having a model created and implemented in game, though by the time of the Halo Wars Alpha|"Sway" alpha, all that remained in the files was a handful of text strings referencing test_pj_mongoose.
To create this Mongoose model, Ensemble 3D artist Jenell Jaquays had to rely on observing screenshots of the Mongoose as seen in ''Halo 3'', as Bungie were unwilling to share the original model file with Ensemble.
File:HW - Prerelease - Mongoose.png|The Mongoose unit in an early build.
This prototype infantry unit was created by artist Gene Kohler. Little is known of it or its purpose in-game.
File:HW - Render - Prototype Unit.png
The Tiger Tank is a unit referenced in the game files. Little is known of it, except for the below icon.
File:HW Tiger Tank.png
Covenant
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The Covenant Air Artillery was a unit cut from ''Halo Wars'' some time prior to January 2008. The vehicle was to boast three plasma mortars, and was intended for use in a ground attack role - noted to be especially effective against static bases.
File:Covenant Air Artillery.jpg|The final air artillery model. File:HW covenant airArtillery concept.jpg|Concept art for this vehicle. File:HW-AirArtillery_WIP_Renders.jpg|A work-in-progress blockout of the Covenant Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_Render.jpg|Renders of the Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_HP_Render.jpg|A high-poly render of the Air Artillery.
The "Brute Tank" is a vehicle cut from the game, notable for its high similarity to the existing Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith. However, the Brute Tank instead comes equipped with a M512 smooth-bore high-velocity cannon|turret like those found on the M808B Scorpion|Scorpion tank. Text strings in the "Sway" alpha build reference brutetank_power_hack_obstruction, possibly meaning the tank was to have some form of hacking ability. Presumably, this vehicle was intended to be used by the Jiralhanae and their Avitus|Chieftain.
Although the Brute Tank icon found in the final release of ''Halo Wars'' depicts a Wraith with a Scorpion turret, some models seen in earlier builds have a more distinctive appearance of a Wraith with a more Covenant-style turret; these vehicles bear some resemblance to certain ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art, shown below. Another piece of concept art uploaded to ArtStation by Nathan Stefan shows a vehicle very similar to the Brute Tank, though the image itself is named gorgon-005 - this vehicle bears little resemblance to the #Gorgon|Gorgon, so the art's status is unclear.
Another icon depicts this vehicle with a dome shield-like ability.
File:HW_Brute_Tank.jpg|The Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Brute Tank (top-left) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A pair of Brute Tanks (lower-left) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW BruteTank Shield Icon.png|The Brute Tank shield icon. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Brute Tanks can be seen in the E3 2007 build promotional images. File:HW BruteTank Icon.png|The Brute Tank, bearing a Scorpion turret. File:HCE Wraith Concept 2.jpg|''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art by Shi Kai Wang, bearing heavy resemblance to the Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech.
The Chimera was a Covenant unit cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was a four-legged walker bearing slight resemblance to the , though with a more hunched appearance.
File:HW-Chimera_Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|The Chimera (bottom-left), seen alongside a handful of other WIP renders of various Covenant vehicles. File:HW Chimera Icon.png|An icon for the Chimera from the in-game unit selection.
Found in some screenshots and an animation reel uploaded by animator Charles Tinney, the Elite Ranger was evidently to be a flying infantry unit. Their design is that of the Sangheili Ranger|Elite Rangers found in ''Halo 2''.
File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Several Rangers can be found in the mid-back of this promotional screenshot. File:HW_EliteRanger_Unit.png|The Ranger unit, as seen in Tinney's animation reel.
Named only in game files, the Gargoyle was intended to be a Covenant bomber aircraft. In the final game, a menu icon is still present in the files to represent the unit.
File:HW Gargoyle.jpg File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Gargoyle (top-right) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A trio of Gargoyles (lower-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Gargoyle UI Icon.png|The Gargoyle's UI icon.
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The Gorgon was a vehicle created for the Covenant and intended for use in the anti-air role. The vehicle was envisioned as a walker equipped with a needle cannon, used to attack air targets. The vehicle's mech-based nature conflicted with Ensemble's philosophy that anything with legs was considered infantry, and the overwhelming abundance of Covenant ground vehicles - combined with the relative lack of aircraft - ultimately led to the Gorgon being scrapped and replaced with the . A very similar vehicle; the Reaver, was later implemented in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Interestingly, a later Artstation upload by Nathan Stefan titled gorgon-005.jpg depicts a vehicle more similar in nature to the Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith or similarly-cut #Brute Tank|Brute Tank.
File:HW Gorgon Render.jpg|The cut Gorgon mech. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech. File:HW Gorgon MenuIcon.png|The Gorgon's menu icon in the final build of ''Halo Wars''.
Named in an image upload by artist Don Gagen, the Hydra was intended to be a Covenant aircraft.
File:HW-Hydra Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Hydra (top-middle) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|Several Hydras (top-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Hydra MenuIcon.png|The Hydra's icon, seen in the final game.
Present in the "Sway" alpha, the Recon Drone appears on an early version of the map Repository as a unit buildable in the map's central Sentinel factory alongside Aggressor Sentinels. Despite this Forerunner construction and neutral placement, the Recon Drone takes the form of a Yanme'e. The Drone has a complete model and animations, and is able to fly at high speeds around the map. True to its name, the Drone has no attacks, and is instead only intended for scouting.
File:HW Drone Sculpt.jpg|The high-poly sculpt of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Textured.jpg|The textured final unit of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Alpha.png|The Recon Drone in the internal alpha. File:HWDE Drone Cut.png|The Recon Drone found in Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.
Seen in the Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2007 build and on the box art for ''Halo Wars'', among other promotional screenshots, is the Protos-pattern Scarab|Type-47A "Protos" Scarab - the Scarab variant notably found in the ''Halo 2'' campaign levels ''Outskirts'', ''Metropolis'' and ''The Great Journey''. In the final ''Halo Wars'' game, the design notably used in ''Halo 3'', ''Halo 3: ODST'' and ''Halo: Reach'' is used.
In the E3 2007 demo, the Scarab appears near the end in a short viginette, climbing out of a Forerunner underground shaft. The Scarab proceeds to rampage across the battlefield, destroying several tanks and other units, and must ultimately be destroyed via Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC orbital bombardment.
File:HW Scarab Concept.jpg|Concept art depicting this Type-47A variant. File:HW Screenshots Screens 1.jpg|Multiple Scarabs in an early build of the game. File:Hornet war.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab fighting Hornets. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab seen right, firing on the UNSC force. File:HW Screenshots 005.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab can be seen on the bottom-left of this image. File:HW Screenshots E07 3.jpg|Another screenshot of the Scarab. File:HW E307 Scarab.png|The Scarab as it appears in the Halo Wars E3 2007 Demo|''Halo Wars'' E3 demo.
Forerunner
While the Sentinels do appear on many maps and levels of the final ''Halo Wars'' game, this Sentinel design in particular does not. While superficially similar to the final game's Super Sentinel in design and proportion, it has a number of very notable differences; predominantly the massive size it has compared to most other units in the game. The unit was intended to appear on the campaign level ''Cleansing'' as a boss enemy, though was ultimately cut. The model for the Sentinel remains in the game files, unused. An image of the Sentinel in-game appears to show it emitting plasma mortar-like projectiles firing at the Flood forces below.
Interestingly, this design was later brought back almost unchanged in ''Halo Wars 2'' as the Protector Sentinel (Installation 00)|Protector Sentinel.
File:HW_BossSentinel_Concept.jpg|Concept art of this Sentinel design. File:HW_BossSentinel_HiPoly.jpg|A hi-poly render of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Wireframe.jpg|A wireframe of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Render.jpg|A textured render of the early Sentinel. File:HW BossSentinel InGame.jpg|The Sentinel boss in-game, demonstrating its massive size. File:HW2 Blitz Protector Sentinel.png|A List of Blitz cards|Blitz card illustration of the Protector Sentinel, as it appears in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Ambient AI
A number of maps in ''Halo Wars'' feature neutral AI factions such as Unidentified insurrectionist group|rebels, Sentinels and Flood. These factions will typically be hostile to both the UNSC and Covenant. A number of additional factions were intended to be implemented in the game. These factions were developed under the codename of "creep", and include the following. Heretics One possible creep faction intended to be included in ''Halo Wars'' were the Covenant List of known Covenant heretics|heretics - those who sought fit to defy the Covenant religion. Concept art reveals that Sangheili were intended to be soldiers in this faction, while unused files within the releases of ''Halo Wars'' and ''Halo Wars: Definitive Edition'' showcase additional Heretic Unggoy|Grunts. An additional texture file known as creep_heretic_ghost_01 indicates the Heretics would have access to the Ghost vehicle; piloted by a Sangheili.
File:HW Heretics Concept.jpg|Concept art for the Heretic Elites. File:HW HereticGrunts.png|The Heretic Grunts; spawned in via modding. File:HW HereticGrunt Icon.png|The in-game unit icon for the Heretic Grunts.
Jackal pirates Another cut creep faction that would have been included are the Kig-Yar Piracy|pirates. Files for the Jackals are still available within ''Halo Wars'', allowing the units to be spawned in via modding. The Jackals were to spawn in squads of four, armed with Type-25 plasma pistol|plasma pistols or Type-33 needler|needlers. The pirates would also have access to Kig-Yar Snipers armed with Type-50 particle beam rifle|beam rifles.
File:HW JackalCreep Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW JackalCreep Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW Jackal Early Design.jpg|The final model for the pirates. File:HW JackalPirate Needlers.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with needlers. File:HW_JackalPirate_PlasmaPistols.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with plasma pistols. File:HW JackalPirate Snipers.png|The Jackal Pirate snipers.
Rebels While an unidentified insurrectionist group does appear in the final ''Halo Wars'' game on maps set on Harvest and Arcadia, released concept art indicates the rebels were intended to be much-more fleshed out. Released concept art showcases a rebel "sci-trooper" wielding an Electromagnetic pulse|EMP gun and an insurrectionist-branded M12G1 Gauss Warthog|Gauss Warthog.
File:HW SciTrooper Rebel Concept.jpg|Concept art for the rebel sci-trooper and EMP gun. File:HW_RebelSniper_Warthog_Concept.png|Concept art for the rebel sniper units which were included in ''Halo Wars'', and the cut Warthog.
Alongside the neutral factions, ''Halo Wars'' was intended to feature fauna as ambient AI in the game world. Some of these creatures were only concepted, while others were even modelled and textured for in-game implementation. For a list of other ambient life cut from other ''Halo'' games, see List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|this page. Arctic beast The arctic beast was a creature concepted, modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', likely intended to spawn on maps set in the polar regions of Harvest. This creature was later canonised in 2015's ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'' as the ''Chaefka''; a species of life indexed by the Forerunners and present on Installation 00|The Ark. The following year's ''Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo|Halo Mythos'' saw a scene from the book visualised with a new illustration, using the arctic beast's design almost entirely unaltered.
File:HW ArcticBeast Concept.jpg|Concept art for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast HiPoly.jpg|The high-poly sculpt for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast Render.jpg|The textured low-poly model for the arctic beast. File:HM-Chaefka.jpeg|An official illustration of the ''Chaefka'' from ''Halo Mythos''.
Arctic ice hound
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This creature was one of a number of concepts developed during the discussions of the wildlife of Harvest. It was concepted and even modelled and textured, though cut from release.
File:HW ArcticIceHound Concept.jpg|Concept art of the creature. File:HW ArcticIceHound Render.jpg|A textured 3D model of the creature.
Thorn beast The thorn beasts are another cut creature seen fully modelled, textured and animated; they are present in the ''Halo Wars'' Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2008 build and can be seen walking around the map around thirteen minutes into the demo. They do not appear to attack UNSC forces. Thorn beasts remain canon in the ''Halo'' setting; with the Avitus|Chieftain character said to particularly enjoy eating them; they were later featured in the novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest'' as a delicacy enjoyed by the crew of ''Rapid Conversion''.
Interestingly, ''Halo Wars'' is not the first time the thorn beasts were developed to appear in a ''Halo'' game; they were originally designed by Paul Russel during the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', where they were modelled with an identical design and similarly cut.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|Paul Russel's original thorn beast model for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:HW Unit Thorn Beast.png|A thorn beast can be seen in this image taken from the E3 2008 demo build of ''Halo Wars''.
Space owl
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The so-called "space owl" is another ambient creature concepted but ultimately never implemented in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was described as having a wingspan of six feet.
File:HW SpaceOwl Concept.jpg|Concept art for the creature.
Harvest whale
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The Harvest whale was designed as part of the exploration for the wildlife of Harvest. This creature would likely not be seen as an ambient AI on the map, but instead a dead body appearing in the environment.
File:HW HarvestWhale Concept.jpg|Concept art for the whale.
Oxyaena The oxyaena is another creature fully modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was present in the game's E3 2008 demo, and can be seen wandering the map at around one minute into the demo.
File:HW Oxyaena Render.jpg|The model created for the oxyanea. File:HW Unit Oxyaena.png|The oxyanea in the E3 2008 demo.
Other creatures These creatures have also been showcased in various work uploads related to ''Halo Wars''. Little is known of their design intent or purpose, and are thus presented below.
File:HW EelSnake Concept.jpg|Concept art for an eel-like creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 1.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 2.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature.
Sources
Category:Halo Wars deleted material
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File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|300px|thumb|A number of cut Covenant units including the Gargoyle, Hydra and Brute Tank.
During the Development of Halo Wars|development of ''Halo Wars'', a number of units were concepted, prototyped and cut from the game.
UNSC
The Cougar was designed as a UNSC AFV, equipped with two M68 Gauss cannons. Although anti-heavy armor fire would blow the Cougar away quite easily, this vehicle was highly effective in holding off enemy armored vehicles until slower armored units could arrive at the battlefield. The Cougar had gained infamy in several urban tactical situations prior to the deployments in the war against the Covenant.
It appeared as a somewhat standard armored fighting vehicle with two wheels up front and two pairs in the rear. It bore a small mounted turret armed with two M68 Gauss cannons, as well as a machine gun or grenade launcher on other concept art. There was a windscreen on its forward body, with two side windows to provide a fairly high amount of visibility for the driver, which would have proved useful. It would have been able to reach a top speed of 90 mph.
The Cougar was ultimately cut from the game in favor of other vehicle ideas. Its shape may have proved the inspiration of the SP42 Cobra, as its role in ''Halo Wars'' was originally an anti-vehicle unit. The Cougar bears a striking resemblance to the World War II armored car, the Wikipedia:M8 Greyhound|M8 Greyhound.
The vehicle was later fully-canonized as the M35 Cougar in the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'', with the vehicle's lore and armament closely matching the lore flavor text given in the original concept art. The Cougar was one of several potential ideas suggested by MEGA Construx in a 2022 fan vote for which set should be created next. Concept art for the Cougar was provided alongside the Reaver, Warden Eternal and Flood invasion at Traxus Tower. The Cougar ultimately lost the vote.
File:HW Cougar Concept 3.jpg|Early concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 1.jpg|Finalised concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 2.jpg|The final Cougar model. File:HW Cougar Model.jpg|What the Cougar would have looked like in-game.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo 2 vehicles|cut vehicle of the same name from ''Halo 2'' or the UH-144 Falcon|tiltrotor helicopter that appeared in ''Halo: Reach'', the Falcon was a UNSC aircraft that got so far as having a 3D model made. The Falcon was a twin seater fighter aircraft planned to be used by the UNSC Army. Originally intended to be a usable unit, stored in the UNSC airpad, it filled the role of strike fighter, packing enough firepower to destroy enemy vehicles and infantry with "Sidewinder" missiles and heavy armor-piercing guns. Like several other units, it was cut from the final game before it shipped.
In terms of design, the Falcon uses forward-swept wings (giving it an appearance similar to the 20th Century Wikipedia:Sukhoi Su-47|Sukhoi Su-47), which are used to provide stability during steep dives, indicating an emphasis in air-to-ground combat. Another, smaller set of wing flaps are attached to the ventral hull, possibly to improve stability. It also possesses two inward-angled vertical stabilizers at the rear, and missile pods attached to the base of the wing and the ventral hull. At the rear of the craft are twin jet thrusters, capable of tilting to allow VTOL capability. Retractable landing gear appears to be located at the wing tips.
In 2023, the Falcon was canonized as the F-23 Falcata, following a highly detailed model recreation made by 343 Industries 3D Character Artist :Category:Images by Fletcher Kinnear|Fletcher Kinnear under the alias Skaboodlydoodle. The model made by Kinnear was one of many done by him as part of a series of personal projects to bring several ''Halo Wars'' vehicles into the first-person shooter ''Halo'' games via modding, with other such recreations including the AV-22 Sparrowhawk, HRUNTING Mark III (S) Cyclops, M121 Jackrabbit, and . Thanks to the work of the concurrent Digsite project, Kinnear was able to use the original Ensemble-developed Falcon model for reference when making his higher-detail recreation, making it a drivable vehicle mod for ''Halo: Reach''. This process was documented in several videos on his YouTube channel, .
Due to the Falcon being a name taken by ''Reach''s utility helicopter, the aircraft was instead designated the Falcata, after the pre-Roman Iberian blade of the Wikipedia:Falcata|same name. This naming convention follows the UNSC's tradition of naming fighter aircraft after blades, with the name literally meaning "falcon-shaped," referencing the original ''Halo Wars'' Falcon designation.
File:HW Falcon Concept.jpg|Concept art of a squadron of Falcons in flight. File:HW Airpad Early Model.jpg|An early model for the UNSC Airpad, with several Falcons docked on the runway. Later builds would see these Falcons replaced with AV-22 Sparrowhawks, before the design was changed completely. File:HW Falcon Model.jpg|The finalised game model for the Falcon. File:HR Falcata Screenshot 1.jpg|The Falcata modded into ''Halo: Reach''.
The Fox Cannon was a United Nations Space Command|UNSC vehicle cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was to be a self-propelled artillery vehicle, capable of firing five shells per minute, and with great accuracy due to satellite targeting over a distance greater than 50 kilometers. The Fox was equipped with a 175mm cannon that shot the M179 projectile. Given its role, it was likely replaced by the SP42 Cobra.
File:HW_FoxCannon_Concept_1.jpg|thumb|Fox Cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Concept 2.jpg|Fox cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Render 1.jpg|Render of the Fox Cannon from the development of ''Halo Wars''. File:HW FoxCannon Render 2.jpg|Another render. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 1.jpg|Wireframe view of the Fox Cannon. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 2.jpg|Another wireframe view. File:HW - Prerelease - UNSC Barracks with units.png|Prerelease version of ''Halo Wars'' with the Fox Cannon in it.
The Leviathan Mobile Firebase is a UNSC vehicle concepted during the development of ''Halo Wars'', but evidently never implemented. The vehicle is similar in size to the M510 Mammoth|Mammoth, being many times the size of an M12 Warthog and serving as a mobile Firebase. The vehicle is seen to have several different configurations such as a "Suicide assault" variant with nose-mounted saw blades and a "Paris gun" variant equipped with a massive artillery cannon. However, the primary variant appears to be a vehicle that would fill a role similar to that fulfilled by the M312 Elephant in the final game, sporting numerous machine gun turrets, a mobile UNSC Barracks|barracks and the ability to tow a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, like that seen in the mission Reactor (Halo Wars level)|Reactor.
File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art. File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art.
Early on in the development of ''Halo Wars'', the M274 Mongoose was intended to be included. The vehicle got as far as having a model created and implemented in game, though by the time of the Halo Wars Alpha|"Sway" alpha, all that remained in the files was a handful of text strings referencing test_pj_mongoose.
To create this Mongoose model, Ensemble 3D artist Jenell Jaquays had to rely on observing screenshots of the Mongoose as seen in ''Halo 3'', as Bungie were unwilling to share the original model file with Ensemble.
File:HW - Prerelease - Mongoose.png|The Mongoose unit in an early build.
This prototype infantry unit was created by artist Gene Kohler. Little is known of it or its purpose in-game.
File:HW - Render - Prototype Unit.png
The Tiger Tank is a unit referenced in the game files. Little is known of it, except for the below icon.
File:HW Tiger Tank.png
Covenant
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The Covenant Air Artillery was a unit cut from ''Halo Wars'' some time prior to January 2008. The vehicle was to boast three plasma mortars, and was intended for use in a ground attack role - noted to be especially effective against static bases.
File:Covenant Air Artillery.jpg|The final air artillery model. File:HW covenant airArtillery concept.jpg|Concept art for this vehicle. File:HW-AirArtillery_WIP_Renders.jpg|A work-in-progress blockout of the Covenant Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_Render.jpg|Renders of the Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_HP_Render.jpg|A high-poly render of the Air Artillery.
The "Brute Tank" is a vehicle cut from the game, notable for its high similarity to the existing Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith. However, the Brute Tank instead comes equipped with a M512 smooth-bore high-velocity cannon|turret like those found on the M808B Scorpion|Scorpion tank. Text strings in the "Sway" alpha build reference brutetank_power_hack_obstruction, possibly meaning the tank was to have some form of hacking ability. Presumably, this vehicle was intended to be used by the Jiralhanae and their Avitus|Chieftain.
Although the Brute Tank icon found in the final release of ''Halo Wars'' depicts a Wraith with a Scorpion turret, some models seen in earlier builds have a more distinctive appearance of a Wraith with a more Covenant-style turret; these vehicles bear some resemblance to certain ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art, shown below. Another piece of concept art uploaded to ArtStation by Nathan Stefan shows a vehicle very similar to the Brute Tank, though the image itself is named gorgon-005 - this vehicle bears little resemblance to the #Gorgon|Gorgon, so the art's status is unclear.
Another icon depicts this vehicle with a dome shield-like ability.
File:HW_Brute_Tank.jpg|The Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Brute Tank (top-left) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A pair of Brute Tanks (lower-left) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW BruteTank Shield Icon.png|The Brute Tank shield icon. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Brute Tanks can be seen in the E3 2007 build promotional images. File:HW BruteTank Icon.png|The Brute Tank, bearing a Scorpion turret. File:HCE Wraith Concept 2.jpg|''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art by Shi Kai Wang, bearing heavy resemblance to the Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech.
The Chimera was a Covenant unit cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was a four-legged walker bearing slight resemblance to the , though with a more hunched appearance.
File:HW-Chimera_Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|The Chimera (bottom-left), seen alongside a handful of other WIP renders of various Covenant vehicles. File:HW Chimera Icon.png|An icon for the Chimera from the in-game unit selection.
Found in some screenshots and an animation reel uploaded by animator Charles Tinney, the Elite Ranger was evidently to be a flying infantry unit. Their design is that of the Sangheili Ranger|Elite Rangers found in ''Halo 2''.
File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Several Rangers can be found in the mid-back of this promotional screenshot. File:HW_EliteRanger_Unit.png|The Ranger unit, as seen in Tinney's animation reel.
Named only in game files, the Gargoyle was intended to be a Covenant bomber aircraft. In the final game, a menu icon is still present in the files to represent the unit.
File:HW Gargoyle.jpg File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Gargoyle (top-right) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A trio of Gargoyles (lower-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Gargoyle UI Icon.png|The Gargoyle's UI icon.
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The Gorgon was a vehicle created for the Covenant and intended for use in the anti-air role. The vehicle was envisioned as a walker equipped with a needle cannon, used to attack air targets. The vehicle's mech-based nature conflicted with Ensemble's philosophy that anything with legs was considered infantry, and the overwhelming abundance of Covenant ground vehicles - combined with the relative lack of aircraft - ultimately led to the Gorgon being scrapped and replaced with the . A very similar vehicle; the Reaver, was later implemented in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Interestingly, a later Artstation upload by Nathan Stefan titled gorgon-005.jpg depicts a vehicle more similar in nature to the Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith or similarly-cut #Brute Tank|Brute Tank.
File:HW Gorgon Render.jpg|The cut Gorgon mech. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech. File:HW Gorgon MenuIcon.png|The Gorgon's menu icon in the final build of ''Halo Wars''.
Named in an image upload by artist Don Gagen, the Hydra was intended to be a Covenant aircraft.
File:HW-Hydra Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Hydra (top-middle) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|Several Hydras (top-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Hydra MenuIcon.png|The Hydra's icon, seen in the final game.
Present in the "Sway" alpha, the Recon Drone appears on an early version of the map Repository as a unit buildable in the map's central Sentinel factory alongside Aggressor Sentinels. Despite this Forerunner construction and neutral placement, the Recon Drone takes the form of a Yanme'e. The Drone has a complete model and animations, and is able to fly at high speeds around the map. True to its name, the Drone has no attacks, and is instead only intended for scouting.
File:HW Drone Sculpt.jpg|The high-poly sculpt of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Textured.jpg|The textured final unit of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Alpha.png|The Recon Drone in the internal alpha. File:HWDE Drone Cut.png|The Recon Drone found in Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.
Seen in the Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2007 build and on the box art for ''Halo Wars'', among other promotional screenshots, is the Protos-pattern Scarab|Type-47A "Protos" Scarab - the Scarab variant notably found in the ''Halo 2'' campaign levels ''Outskirts'', ''Metropolis'' and ''The Great Journey''. In the final ''Halo Wars'' game, the design notably used in ''Halo 3'', ''Halo 3: ODST'' and ''Halo: Reach'' is used.
In the E3 2007 demo, the Scarab appears near the end in a short viginette, climbing out of a Forerunner underground shaft. The Scarab proceeds to rampage across the battlefield, destroying several tanks and other units, and must ultimately be destroyed via Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC orbital bombardment.
File:HW Scarab Concept.jpg|Concept art depicting this Type-47A variant. File:HW Screenshots Screens 1.jpg|Multiple Scarabs in an early build of the game. File:Hornet war.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab fighting Hornets. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab seen right, firing on the UNSC force. File:HW Screenshots 005.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab can be seen on the bottom-left of this image. File:HW Screenshots E07 3.jpg|Another screenshot of the Scarab. File:HW E307 Scarab.png|The Scarab as it appears in the Halo Wars E3 2007 Demo|''Halo Wars'' E3 demo.
Forerunner
While the Sentinels do appear on many maps and levels of the final ''Halo Wars'' game, this Sentinel design in particular does not. While superficially similar to the final game's Super Sentinel in design and proportion, it has a number of very notable differences; predominantly the massive size it has compared to most other units in the game. The unit was intended to appear on the campaign level ''Cleansing'' as a boss enemy, though was ultimately cut. The model for the Sentinel remains in the game files, unused. An image of the Sentinel in-game appears to show it emitting plasma mortar-like projectiles firing at the Flood forces below.
Interestingly, this design was later brought back almost unchanged in ''Halo Wars 2'' as the Protector Sentinel (Installation 00)|Protector Sentinel.
File:HW_BossSentinel_Concept.jpg|Concept art of this Sentinel design. File:HW_BossSentinel_HiPoly.jpg|A hi-poly render of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Wireframe.jpg|A wireframe of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Render.jpg|A textured render of the early Sentinel. File:HW BossSentinel InGame.jpg|The Sentinel boss in-game, demonstrating its massive size. File:HW2 Blitz Protector Sentinel.png|A List of Blitz cards|Blitz card illustration of the Protector Sentinel, as it appears in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Ambient AI
A number of maps in ''Halo Wars'' feature neutral AI factions such as Unidentified insurrectionist group|rebels, Sentinels and Flood. These factions will typically be hostile to both the UNSC and Covenant. A number of additional factions were intended to be implemented in the game. These factions were developed under the codename of "creep", and include the following. Heretics One possible creep faction intended to be included in ''Halo Wars'' were the Covenant List of known Covenant heretics|heretics - those who sought fit to defy the Covenant religion. Concept art reveals that Sangheili were intended to be soldiers in this faction, while unused files within the releases of ''Halo Wars'' and ''Halo Wars: Definitive Edition'' showcase additional Heretic Unggoy|Grunts. An additional texture file known as creep_heretic_ghost_01 indicates the Heretics would have access to the Ghost vehicle; piloted by a Sangheili.
File:HW Heretics Concept.jpg|Concept art for the Heretic Elites. File:HW HereticGrunts.png|The Heretic Grunts; spawned in via modding. File:HW HereticGrunt Icon.png|The in-game unit icon for the Heretic Grunts.
Jackal pirates Another cut creep faction that would have been included are the Kig-Yar Piracy|pirates. Files for the Jackals are still available within ''Halo Wars'', allowing the units to be spawned in via modding. The Jackals were to spawn in squads of four, armed with Type-25 plasma pistol|plasma pistols or Type-33 needler|needlers. The pirates would also have access to Kig-Yar Snipers armed with Type-50 particle beam rifle|beam rifles.
File:HW JackalCreep Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW JackalCreep Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW Jackal Early Design.jpg|The final model for the pirates. File:HW JackalPirate Needlers.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with needlers. File:HW_JackalPirate_PlasmaPistols.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with plasma pistols. File:HW JackalPirate Snipers.png|The Jackal Pirate snipers.
Rebels While an unidentified insurrectionist group does appear in the final ''Halo Wars'' game on maps set on Harvest and Arcadia, released concept art indicates the rebels were intended to be much-more fleshed out. Released concept art showcases a rebel "sci-trooper" wielding an Electromagnetic pulse|EMP gun and an insurrectionist-branded M12G1 Gauss Warthog|Gauss Warthog.
File:HW SciTrooper Rebel Concept.jpg|Concept art for the rebel sci-trooper and EMP gun. File:HW_RebelSniper_Warthog_Concept.png|Concept art for the rebel sniper units which were included in ''Halo Wars'', and the cut Warthog.
Alongside the neutral factions, ''Halo Wars'' was intended to feature fauna as ambient AI in the game world. Some of these creatures were only concepted, while others were even modelled and textured for in-game implementation. For a list of other ambient life cut from other ''Halo'' games, see List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|this page. Arctic beast The arctic beast was a creature concepted, modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', likely intended to spawn on maps set in the polar regions of Harvest. This creature was later canonised in 2015's ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'' as the ''Chaefka''; a species of life indexed by the Forerunners and present on Installation 00|The Ark. The following year's ''Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo|Halo Mythos'' saw a scene from the book visualised with a new illustration, using the arctic beast's design almost entirely unaltered.
File:HW ArcticBeast Concept.jpg|Concept art for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast HiPoly.jpg|The high-poly sculpt for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast Render.jpg|The textured low-poly model for the arctic beast. File:HM-Chaefka.jpeg|An official illustration of the ''Chaefka'' from ''Halo Mythos''.
Arctic ice hound
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This creature was one of a number of concepts developed during the discussions of the wildlife of Harvest. It was concepted and even modelled and textured, though cut from release.
File:HW ArcticIceHound Concept.jpg|Concept art of the creature. File:HW ArcticIceHound Render.jpg|A textured 3D model of the creature.
Thorn beast The thorn beasts are another cut creature seen fully modelled, textured and animated; they are present in the ''Halo Wars'' Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2008 build and can be seen walking around the map around thirteen minutes into the demo. They do not appear to attack UNSC forces. Thorn beasts remain canon in the ''Halo'' setting; with the Avitus|Chieftain character said to particularly enjoy eating them; they were later featured in the novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest'' as a delicacy enjoyed by the crew of ''Rapid Conversion''.
Interestingly, ''Halo Wars'' is not the first time the thorn beasts were developed to appear in a ''Halo'' game; they were originally designed by Paul Russel during the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', where they were modelled with an identical design and similarly cut.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|Paul Russel's original thorn beast model for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:HW Unit Thorn Beast.png|A thorn beast can be seen in this image taken from the E3 2008 demo build of ''Halo Wars''.
Space owl
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The so-called "space owl" is another ambient creature concepted but ultimately never implemented in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was described as having a wingspan of six feet.
File:HW SpaceOwl Concept.jpg|Concept art for the creature.
Harvest whale
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The Harvest whale was designed as part of the exploration for the wildlife of Harvest. This creature would likely not be seen as an ambient AI on the map, but instead a dead body appearing in the environment.
File:HW HarvestWhale Concept.jpg|Concept art for the whale.
Oxyaena The oxyaena is another creature fully modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was present in the game's E3 2008 demo, and can be seen wandering the map at around one minute into the demo.
File:HW Oxyaena Render.jpg|The model created for the oxyanea. File:HW Unit Oxyaena.png|The oxyanea in the E3 2008 demo.
Other creatures These creatures have also been showcased in various work uploads related to ''Halo Wars''. Little is known of their design intent or purpose, and are thus presented below.
File:HW EelSnake Concept.jpg|Concept art for an eel-like creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 1.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 2.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature.
Sources
Category:Halo Wars deleted material
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File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|300px|thumb|A number of cut Covenant units including the Gargoyle, Hydra and Brute Tank.
During the Development of Halo Wars|development of ''Halo Wars'', a number of units were concepted, prototyped and cut from the game.
UNSC
The Cougar was designed as a UNSC AFV, equipped with two M68 Gauss cannons. Although anti-heavy armor fire would blow the Cougar away quite easily, this vehicle was highly effective in holding off enemy armored vehicles until slower armored units could arrive at the battlefield. The Cougar had gained infamy in several urban tactical situations prior to the deployments in the war against the Covenant.
It appeared as a somewhat standard armored fighting vehicle with two wheels up front and two pairs in the rear. It bore a small mounted turret armed with two M68 Gauss cannons, as well as a machine gun or grenade launcher on other concept art. There was a windscreen on its forward body, with two side windows to provide a fairly high amount of visibility for the driver, which would have proved useful. It would have been able to reach a top speed of 90 mph.
The Cougar was ultimately cut from the game in favor of other vehicle ideas. Its shape may have proved the inspiration of the SP42 Cobra, as its role in ''Halo Wars'' was originally an anti-vehicle unit. The Cougar bears a striking resemblance to the World War II armored car, the Wikipedia:M8 Greyhound|M8 Greyhound.
The vehicle was later fully-canonized as the M35 Cougar in the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'', with the vehicle's lore and armament closely matching the lore flavor text given in the original concept art. The Cougar was one of several potential ideas suggested by MEGA Construx in a 2022 fan vote for which set should be created next. Concept art for the Cougar was provided alongside the Reaver, Warden Eternal and Flood invasion at Traxus Tower. The Cougar ultimately lost the vote.
File:HW Cougar Concept 3.jpg|Early concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 1.jpg|Finalised concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 2.jpg|The final Cougar model. File:HW Cougar Model.jpg|What the Cougar would have looked like in-game.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo 2 vehicles|cut vehicle of the same name from ''Halo 2'' or the UH-144 Falcon|tiltrotor helicopter that appeared in ''Halo: Reach'', the Falcon was a UNSC aircraft that got so far as having a 3D model made. The Falcon was a twin seater fighter aircraft planned to be used by the UNSC Army. Originally intended to be a usable unit, stored in the UNSC airpad, it filled the role of strike fighter, packing enough firepower to destroy enemy vehicles and infantry with "Sidewinder" missiles and heavy armor-piercing guns. Like several other units, it was cut from the final game before it shipped.
In terms of design, the Falcon uses forward-swept wings (giving it an appearance similar to the 20th Century Wikipedia:Sukhoi Su-47|Sukhoi Su-47), which are used to provide stability during steep dives, indicating an emphasis in air-to-ground combat. Another, smaller set of wing flaps are attached to the ventral hull, possibly to improve stability. It also possesses two inward-angled vertical stabilizers at the rear, and missile pods attached to the base of the wing and the ventral hull. At the rear of the craft are twin jet thrusters, capable of tilting to allow VTOL capability. Retractable landing gear appears to be located at the wing tips.
In 2023, the Falcon was canonized as the F-23 Falcata, following a highly detailed model recreation made by 343 Industries 3D Character Artist :Category:Images by Fletcher Kinnear|Fletcher Kinnear under the alias Skaboodlydoodle. The model made by Kinnear was one of many done by him as part of a series of personal projects to bring several ''Halo Wars'' vehicles into the first-person shooter ''Halo'' games via modding, with other such recreations including the AV-22 Sparrowhawk, HRUNTING Mark III (S) Cyclops, M121 Jackrabbit, and . Thanks to the work of the concurrent Digsite project, Kinnear was able to use the original Ensemble-developed Falcon model for reference when making his higher-detail recreation, making it a drivable vehicle mod for ''Halo: Reach''. This process was documented in several videos on his YouTube channel, .
Due to the Falcon being a name taken by ''Reach''s utility helicopter, the aircraft was instead designated the Falcata, after the pre-Roman Iberian blade of the Wikipedia:Falcata|same name. This naming convention follows the UNSC's tradition of naming fighter aircraft after blades, with the name literally meaning "falcon-shaped," referencing the original ''Halo Wars'' Falcon designation.
File:HW Falcon Concept.jpg|Concept art of a squadron of Falcons in flight. File:HW Airpad Early Model.jpg|An early model for the UNSC Airpad, with several Falcons docked on the runway. Later builds would see these Falcons replaced with AV-22 Sparrowhawks, before the design was changed completely. File:HW Falcon Model.jpg|The finalised game model for the Falcon. File:HR Falcata Screenshot 1.jpg|The Falcata modded into ''Halo: Reach''.
The Fox Cannon was a United Nations Space Command|UNSC vehicle cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was to be a self-propelled artillery vehicle, capable of firing five shells per minute, and with great accuracy due to satellite targeting over a distance greater than 50 kilometers. The Fox was equipped with a 175mm cannon that shot the M179 projectile. Given its role, it was likely replaced by the SP42 Cobra.
File:HW_FoxCannon_Concept_1.jpg|thumb|Fox Cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Concept 2.jpg|Fox cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Render 1.jpg|Render of the Fox Cannon from the development of ''Halo Wars''. File:HW FoxCannon Render 2.jpg|Another render. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 1.jpg|Wireframe view of the Fox Cannon. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 2.jpg|Another wireframe view. File:HW - Prerelease - UNSC Barracks with units.png|Prerelease version of ''Halo Wars'' with the Fox Cannon in it.
The Leviathan Mobile Firebase is a UNSC vehicle concepted during the development of ''Halo Wars'', but evidently never implemented. The vehicle is similar in size to the M510 Mammoth|Mammoth, being many times the size of an M12 Warthog and serving as a mobile Firebase. The vehicle is seen to have several different configurations such as a "Suicide assault" variant with nose-mounted saw blades and a "Paris gun" variant equipped with a massive artillery cannon. However, the primary variant appears to be a vehicle that would fill a role similar to that fulfilled by the M312 Elephant in the final game, sporting numerous machine gun turrets, a mobile UNSC Barracks|barracks and the ability to tow a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, like that seen in the mission Reactor (Halo Wars level)|Reactor.
File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art. File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art.
Early on in the development of ''Halo Wars'', the M274 Mongoose was intended to be included. The vehicle got as far as having a model created and implemented in game, though by the time of the Halo Wars Alpha|"Sway" alpha, all that remained in the files was a handful of text strings referencing test_pj_mongoose.
To create this Mongoose model, Ensemble 3D artist Jenell Jaquays had to rely on observing screenshots of the Mongoose as seen in ''Halo 3'', as Bungie were unwilling to share the original model file with Ensemble.
File:HW - Prerelease - Mongoose.png|The Mongoose unit in an early build.
This prototype infantry unit was created by artist Gene Kohler. Little is known of it or its purpose in-game.
File:HW - Render - Prototype Unit.png
The Tiger Tank is a unit referenced in the game files. Little is known of it, except for the below icon.
File:HW Tiger Tank.png
Covenant
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The Covenant Air Artillery was a unit cut from ''Halo Wars'' some time prior to January 2008. The vehicle was to boast three plasma mortars, and was intended for use in a ground attack role - noted to be especially effective against static bases.
File:Covenant Air Artillery.jpg|The final air artillery model. File:HW covenant airArtillery concept.jpg|Concept art for this vehicle. File:HW-AirArtillery_WIP_Renders.jpg|A work-in-progress blockout of the Covenant Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_Render.jpg|Renders of the Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_HP_Render.jpg|A high-poly render of the Air Artillery.
The "Brute Tank" is a vehicle cut from the game, notable for its high similarity to the existing Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith. However, the Brute Tank instead comes equipped with a M512 smooth-bore high-velocity cannon|turret like those found on the M808B Scorpion|Scorpion tank. Text strings in the "Sway" alpha build reference brutetank_power_hack_obstruction, possibly meaning the tank was to have some form of hacking ability. Presumably, this vehicle was intended to be used by the Jiralhanae and their Avitus|Chieftain.
Although the Brute Tank icon found in the final release of ''Halo Wars'' depicts a Wraith with a Scorpion turret, some models seen in earlier builds have a more distinctive appearance of a Wraith with a more Covenant-style turret; these vehicles bear some resemblance to certain ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art, shown below. Another piece of concept art uploaded to ArtStation by Nathan Stefan shows a vehicle very similar to the Brute Tank, though the image itself is named gorgon-005 - this vehicle bears little resemblance to the #Gorgon|Gorgon, so the art's status is unclear.
Another icon depicts this vehicle with a dome shield-like ability.
File:HW_Brute_Tank.jpg|The Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Brute Tank (top-left) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A pair of Brute Tanks (lower-left) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW BruteTank Shield Icon.png|The Brute Tank shield icon. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Brute Tanks can be seen in the E3 2007 build promotional images. File:HW BruteTank Icon.png|The Brute Tank, bearing a Scorpion turret. File:HCE Wraith Concept 2.jpg|''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art by Shi Kai Wang, bearing heavy resemblance to the Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech.
The Chimera was a Covenant unit cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was a four-legged walker bearing slight resemblance to the , though with a more hunched appearance.
File:HW-Chimera_Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|The Chimera (bottom-left), seen alongside a handful of other WIP renders of various Covenant vehicles. File:HW Chimera Icon.png|An icon for the Chimera from the in-game unit selection.
Found in some screenshots and an animation reel uploaded by animator Charles Tinney, the Elite Ranger was evidently to be a flying infantry unit. Their design is that of the Sangheili Ranger|Elite Rangers found in ''Halo 2''.
File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Several Rangers can be found in the mid-back of this promotional screenshot. File:HW_EliteRanger_Unit.png|The Ranger unit, as seen in Tinney's animation reel.
Named only in game files, the Gargoyle was intended to be a Covenant bomber aircraft. In the final game, a menu icon is still present in the files to represent the unit.
File:HW Gargoyle.jpg File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Gargoyle (top-right) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A trio of Gargoyles (lower-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Gargoyle UI Icon.png|The Gargoyle's UI icon.
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The Gorgon was a vehicle created for the Covenant and intended for use in the anti-air role. The vehicle was envisioned as a walker equipped with a needle cannon, used to attack air targets. The vehicle's mech-based nature conflicted with Ensemble's philosophy that anything with legs was considered infantry, and the overwhelming abundance of Covenant ground vehicles - combined with the relative lack of aircraft - ultimately led to the Gorgon being scrapped and replaced with the . A very similar vehicle; the Reaver, was later implemented in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Interestingly, a later Artstation upload by Nathan Stefan titled gorgon-005.jpg depicts a vehicle more similar in nature to the Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith or similarly-cut #Brute Tank|Brute Tank.
File:HW Gorgon Render.jpg|The cut Gorgon mech. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech. File:HW Gorgon MenuIcon.png|The Gorgon's menu icon in the final build of ''Halo Wars''.
Named in an image upload by artist Don Gagen, the Hydra was intended to be a Covenant aircraft.
File:HW-Hydra Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Hydra (top-middle) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|Several Hydras (top-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Hydra MenuIcon.png|The Hydra's icon, seen in the final game.
Present in the "Sway" alpha, the Recon Drone appears on an early version of the map Repository as a unit buildable in the map's central Sentinel factory alongside Aggressor Sentinels. Despite this Forerunner construction and neutral placement, the Recon Drone takes the form of a Yanme'e. The Drone has a complete model and animations, and is able to fly at high speeds around the map. True to its name, the Drone has no attacks, and is instead only intended for scouting.
File:HW Drone Sculpt.jpg|The high-poly sculpt of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Textured.jpg|The textured final unit of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Alpha.png|The Recon Drone in the internal alpha. File:HWDE Drone Cut.png|The Recon Drone found in Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.
Seen in the Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2007 build and on the box art for ''Halo Wars'', among other promotional screenshots, is the Protos-pattern Scarab|Type-47A "Protos" Scarab - the Scarab variant notably found in the ''Halo 2'' campaign levels ''Outskirts'', ''Metropolis'' and ''The Great Journey''. In the final ''Halo Wars'' game, the design notably used in ''Halo 3'', ''Halo 3: ODST'' and ''Halo: Reach'' is used.
In the E3 2007 demo, the Scarab appears near the end in a short viginette, climbing out of a Forerunner underground shaft. The Scarab proceeds to rampage across the battlefield, destroying several tanks and other units, and must ultimately be destroyed via Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC orbital bombardment.
File:HW Scarab Concept.jpg|Concept art depicting this Type-47A variant. File:HW Screenshots Screens 1.jpg|Multiple Scarabs in an early build of the game. File:Hornet war.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab fighting Hornets. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab seen right, firing on the UNSC force. File:HW Screenshots 005.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab can be seen on the bottom-left of this image. File:HW Screenshots E07 3.jpg|Another screenshot of the Scarab. File:HW E307 Scarab.png|The Scarab as it appears in the Halo Wars E3 2007 Demo|''Halo Wars'' E3 demo.
Forerunner
While the Sentinels do appear on many maps and levels of the final ''Halo Wars'' game, this Sentinel design in particular does not. While superficially similar to the final game's Super Sentinel in design and proportion, it has a number of very notable differences; predominantly the massive size it has compared to most other units in the game. The unit was intended to appear on the campaign level ''Cleansing'' as a boss enemy, though was ultimately cut. The model for the Sentinel remains in the game files, unused. An image of the Sentinel in-game appears to show it emitting plasma mortar-like projectiles firing at the Flood forces below.
Interestingly, this design was later brought back almost unchanged in ''Halo Wars 2'' as the Protector Sentinel (Installation 00)|Protector Sentinel.
File:HW_BossSentinel_Concept.jpg|Concept art of this Sentinel design. File:HW_BossSentinel_HiPoly.jpg|A hi-poly render of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Wireframe.jpg|A wireframe of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Render.jpg|A textured render of the early Sentinel. File:HW BossSentinel InGame.jpg|The Sentinel boss in-game, demonstrating its massive size. File:HW2 Blitz Protector Sentinel.png|A List of Blitz cards|Blitz card illustration of the Protector Sentinel, as it appears in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Ambient AI
A number of maps in ''Halo Wars'' feature neutral AI factions such as Unidentified insurrectionist group|rebels, Sentinels and Flood. These factions will typically be hostile to both the UNSC and Covenant. A number of additional factions were intended to be implemented in the game. These factions were developed under the codename of "creep", and include the following. Heretics One possible creep faction intended to be included in ''Halo Wars'' were the Covenant List of known Covenant heretics|heretics - those who sought fit to defy the Covenant religion. Concept art reveals that Sangheili were intended to be soldiers in this faction, while unused files within the releases of ''Halo Wars'' and ''Halo Wars: Definitive Edition'' showcase additional Heretic Unggoy|Grunts. An additional texture file known as creep_heretic_ghost_01 indicates the Heretics would have access to the Ghost vehicle; piloted by a Sangheili.
File:HW Heretics Concept.jpg|Concept art for the Heretic Elites. File:HW HereticGrunts.png|The Heretic Grunts; spawned in via modding. File:HW HereticGrunt Icon.png|The in-game unit icon for the Heretic Grunts.
Jackal pirates Another cut creep faction that would have been included are the Kig-Yar Piracy|pirates. Files for the Jackals are still available within ''Halo Wars'', allowing the units to be spawned in via modding. The Jackals were to spawn in squads of four, armed with Type-25 plasma pistol|plasma pistols or Type-33 needler|needlers. The pirates would also have access to Kig-Yar Snipers armed with Type-50 particle beam rifle|beam rifles.
File:HW JackalCreep Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW JackalCreep Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW Jackal Early Design.jpg|The final model for the pirates. File:HW JackalPirate Needlers.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with needlers. File:HW_JackalPirate_PlasmaPistols.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with plasma pistols. File:HW JackalPirate Snipers.png|The Jackal Pirate snipers.
Rebels While an unidentified insurrectionist group does appear in the final ''Halo Wars'' game on maps set on Harvest and Arcadia, released concept art indicates the rebels were intended to be much-more fleshed out. Released concept art showcases a rebel "sci-trooper" wielding an Electromagnetic pulse|EMP gun and an insurrectionist-branded M12G1 Gauss Warthog|Gauss Warthog.
File:HW SciTrooper Rebel Concept.jpg|Concept art for the rebel sci-trooper and EMP gun. File:HW_RebelSniper_Warthog_Concept.png|Concept art for the rebel sniper units which were included in ''Halo Wars'', and the cut Warthog.
Alongside the neutral factions, ''Halo Wars'' was intended to feature fauna as ambient AI in the game world. Some of these creatures were only concepted, while others were even modelled and textured for in-game implementation. For a list of other ambient life cut from other ''Halo'' games, see List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|this page. Arctic beast The arctic beast was a creature concepted, modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', likely intended to spawn on maps set in the polar regions of Harvest. This creature was later canonised in 2015's ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'' as the ''Chaefka''; a species of life indexed by the Forerunners and present on Installation 00|The Ark. The following year's ''Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo|Halo Mythos'' saw a scene from the book visualised with a new illustration, using the arctic beast's design almost entirely unaltered.
File:HW ArcticBeast Concept.jpg|Concept art for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast HiPoly.jpg|The high-poly sculpt for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast Render.jpg|The textured low-poly model for the arctic beast. File:HM-Chaefka.jpeg|An official illustration of the ''Chaefka'' from ''Halo Mythos''.
Arctic ice hound
}}
This creature was one of a number of concepts developed during the discussions of the wildlife of Harvest. It was concepted and even modelled and textured, though cut from release.
File:HW ArcticIceHound Concept.jpg|Concept art of the creature. File:HW ArcticIceHound Render.jpg|A textured 3D model of the creature.
Thorn beast The thorn beasts are another cut creature seen fully modelled, textured and animated; they are present in the ''Halo Wars'' Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2008 build and can be seen walking around the map around thirteen minutes into the demo. They do not appear to attack UNSC forces. Thorn beasts remain canon in the ''Halo'' setting; with the Avitus|Chieftain character said to particularly enjoy eating them; they were later featured in the novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest'' as a delicacy enjoyed by the crew of ''Rapid Conversion''.
Interestingly, ''Halo Wars'' is not the first time the thorn beasts were developed to appear in a ''Halo'' game; they were originally designed by Paul Russel during the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', where they were modelled with an identical design and similarly cut.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|Paul Russel's original thorn beast model for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:HW Unit Thorn Beast.png|A thorn beast can be seen in this image taken from the E3 2008 demo build of ''Halo Wars''.
Space owl
}}
The so-called "space owl" is another ambient creature concepted but ultimately never implemented in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was described as having a wingspan of six feet.
File:HW SpaceOwl Concept.jpg|Concept art for the creature.
Harvest whale
}}
The Harvest whale was designed as part of the exploration for the wildlife of Harvest. This creature would likely not be seen as an ambient AI on the map, but instead a dead body appearing in the environment.
File:HW HarvestWhale Concept.jpg|Concept art for the whale.
Oxyaena The oxyaena is another creature fully modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was present in the game's E3 2008 demo, and can be seen wandering the map at around one minute into the demo.
File:HW Oxyaena Render.jpg|The model created for the oxyanea. File:HW Unit Oxyaena.png|The oxyanea in the E3 2008 demo.
Other creatures These creatures have also been showcased in various work uploads related to ''Halo Wars''. Little is known of their design intent or purpose, and are thus presented below.
File:HW EelSnake Concept.jpg|Concept art for an eel-like creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 1.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 2.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature.
Sources
Category:Halo Wars deleted material
|
File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|300px|thumb|A number of cut Covenant units including the Gargoyle, Hydra and Brute Tank.
During the Development of Halo Wars|development of ''Halo Wars'', a number of units were concepted, prototyped and cut from the game.
UNSC
The Cougar was designed as a UNSC AFV, equipped with two M68 Gauss cannons. Although anti-heavy armor fire would blow the Cougar away quite easily, this vehicle was highly effective in holding off enemy armored vehicles until slower armored units could arrive at the battlefield. The Cougar had gained infamy in several urban tactical situations prior to the deployments in the war against the Covenant.
It appeared as a somewhat standard armored fighting vehicle with two wheels up front and two pairs in the rear. It bore a small mounted turret armed with two M68 Gauss cannons, as well as a machine gun or grenade launcher on other concept art. There was a windscreen on its forward body, with two side windows to provide a fairly high amount of visibility for the driver, which would have proved useful. It would have been able to reach a top speed of 90 mph.
The Cougar was ultimately cut from the game in favor of other vehicle ideas. Its shape may have proved the inspiration of the SP42 Cobra, as its role in ''Halo Wars'' was originally an anti-vehicle unit. The Cougar bears a striking resemblance to the World War II armored car, the Wikipedia:M8 Greyhound|M8 Greyhound.
The vehicle was later fully-canonized as the M35 Cougar in the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'', with the vehicle's lore and armament closely matching the lore flavor text given in the original concept art. The Cougar was one of several potential ideas suggested by MEGA Construx in a 2022 fan vote for which set should be created next. Concept art for the Cougar was provided alongside the Reaver, Warden Eternal and Flood invasion at Traxus Tower. The Cougar ultimately lost the vote.
File:HW Cougar Concept 3.jpg|Early concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 1.jpg|Finalised concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 2.jpg|The final Cougar model. File:HW Cougar Model.jpg|What the Cougar would have looked like in-game.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo 2 vehicles|cut vehicle of the same name from ''Halo 2'' or the UH-144 Falcon|tiltrotor helicopter that appeared in ''Halo: Reach'', the Falcon was a UNSC aircraft that got so far as having a 3D model made. The Falcon was a twin seater fighter aircraft planned to be used by the UNSC Army. Originally intended to be a usable unit, stored in the UNSC airpad, it filled the role of strike fighter, packing enough firepower to destroy enemy vehicles and infantry with "Sidewinder" missiles and heavy armor-piercing guns. Like several other units, it was cut from the final game before it shipped.
In terms of design, the Falcon uses forward-swept wings (giving it an appearance similar to the 20th Century Wikipedia:Sukhoi Su-47|Sukhoi Su-47), which are used to provide stability during steep dives, indicating an emphasis in air-to-ground combat. Another, smaller set of wing flaps are attached to the ventral hull, possibly to improve stability. It also possesses two inward-angled vertical stabilizers at the rear, and missile pods attached to the base of the wing and the ventral hull. At the rear of the craft are twin jet thrusters, capable of tilting to allow VTOL capability. Retractable landing gear appears to be located at the wing tips.
In 2023, the Falcon was canonized as the F-23 Falcata, following a highly detailed model recreation made by 343 Industries 3D Character Artist :Category:Images by Fletcher Kinnear|Fletcher Kinnear under the alias Skaboodlydoodle. The model made by Kinnear was one of many done by him as part of a series of personal projects to bring several ''Halo Wars'' vehicles into the first-person shooter ''Halo'' games via modding, with other such recreations including the AV-22 Sparrowhawk, HRUNTING Mark III (S) Cyclops, M121 Jackrabbit, and . Thanks to the work of the concurrent Digsite project, Kinnear was able to use the original Ensemble-developed Falcon model for reference when making his higher-detail recreation, making it a drivable vehicle mod for ''Halo: Reach''. This process was documented in several videos on his YouTube channel, .
Due to the Falcon being a name taken by ''Reach''s utility helicopter, the aircraft was instead designated the Falcata, after the pre-Roman Iberian blade of the Wikipedia:Falcata|same name. This naming convention follows the UNSC's tradition of naming fighter aircraft after blades, with the name literally meaning "falcon-shaped," referencing the original ''Halo Wars'' Falcon designation.
File:HW Falcon Concept.jpg|Concept art of a squadron of Falcons in flight. File:HW Airpad Early Model.jpg|An early model for the UNSC Airpad, with several Falcons docked on the runway. Later builds would see these Falcons replaced with AV-22 Sparrowhawks, before the design was changed completely. File:HW Falcon Model.jpg|The finalised game model for the Falcon. File:HR Falcata Screenshot 1.jpg|The Falcata modded into ''Halo: Reach''.
The Fox Cannon was a United Nations Space Command|UNSC vehicle cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was to be a self-propelled artillery vehicle, capable of firing five shells per minute, and with great accuracy due to satellite targeting over a distance greater than 50 kilometers. The Fox was equipped with a 175mm cannon that shot the M179 projectile. Given its role, it was likely replaced by the SP42 Cobra.
File:HW_FoxCannon_Concept_1.jpg|thumb|Fox Cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Concept 2.jpg|Fox cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Render 1.jpg|Render of the Fox Cannon from the development of ''Halo Wars''. File:HW FoxCannon Render 2.jpg|Another render. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 1.jpg|Wireframe view of the Fox Cannon. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 2.jpg|Another wireframe view. File:HW - Prerelease - UNSC Barracks with units.png|Prerelease version of ''Halo Wars'' with the Fox Cannon in it.
The Leviathan Mobile Firebase is a UNSC vehicle concepted during the development of ''Halo Wars'', but evidently never implemented. The vehicle is similar in size to the M510 Mammoth|Mammoth, being many times the size of an M12 Warthog and serving as a mobile Firebase. The vehicle is seen to have several different configurations such as a "Suicide assault" variant with nose-mounted saw blades and a "Paris gun" variant equipped with a massive artillery cannon. However, the primary variant appears to be a vehicle that would fill a role similar to that fulfilled by the M312 Elephant in the final game, sporting numerous machine gun turrets, a mobile UNSC Barracks|barracks and the ability to tow a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, like that seen in the mission Reactor (Halo Wars level)|Reactor.
File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art. File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art.
Early on in the development of ''Halo Wars'', the M274 Mongoose was intended to be included. The vehicle got as far as having a model created and implemented in game, though by the time of the Halo Wars Alpha|"Sway" alpha, all that remained in the files was a handful of text strings referencing test_pj_mongoose.
To create this Mongoose model, Ensemble 3D artist Jenell Jaquays had to rely on observing screenshots of the Mongoose as seen in ''Halo 3'', as Bungie were unwilling to share the original model file with Ensemble.
File:HW - Prerelease - Mongoose.png|The Mongoose unit in an early build.
This prototype infantry unit was created by artist Gene Kohler. Little is known of it or its purpose in-game.
File:HW - Render - Prototype Unit.png
The Tiger Tank is a unit referenced in the game files. Little is known of it, except for the below icon.
File:HW Tiger Tank.png
Covenant
}}
The Covenant Air Artillery was a unit cut from ''Halo Wars'' some time prior to January 2008. The vehicle was to boast three plasma mortars, and was intended for use in a ground attack role - noted to be especially effective against static bases.
File:Covenant Air Artillery.jpg|The final air artillery model. File:HW covenant airArtillery concept.jpg|Concept art for this vehicle. File:HW-AirArtillery_WIP_Renders.jpg|A work-in-progress blockout of the Covenant Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_Render.jpg|Renders of the Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_HP_Render.jpg|A high-poly render of the Air Artillery.
The "Brute Tank" is a vehicle cut from the game, notable for its high similarity to the existing Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith. However, the Brute Tank instead comes equipped with a M512 smooth-bore high-velocity cannon|turret like those found on the M808B Scorpion|Scorpion tank. Text strings in the "Sway" alpha build reference brutetank_power_hack_obstruction, possibly meaning the tank was to have some form of hacking ability. Presumably, this vehicle was intended to be used by the Jiralhanae and their Avitus|Chieftain.
Although the Brute Tank icon found in the final release of ''Halo Wars'' depicts a Wraith with a Scorpion turret, some models seen in earlier builds have a more distinctive appearance of a Wraith with a more Covenant-style turret; these vehicles bear some resemblance to certain ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art, shown below. Another piece of concept art uploaded to ArtStation by Nathan Stefan shows a vehicle very similar to the Brute Tank, though the image itself is named gorgon-005 - this vehicle bears little resemblance to the #Gorgon|Gorgon, so the art's status is unclear.
Another icon depicts this vehicle with a dome shield-like ability.
File:HW_Brute_Tank.jpg|The Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Brute Tank (top-left) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A pair of Brute Tanks (lower-left) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW BruteTank Shield Icon.png|The Brute Tank shield icon. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Brute Tanks can be seen in the E3 2007 build promotional images. File:HW BruteTank Icon.png|The Brute Tank, bearing a Scorpion turret. File:HCE Wraith Concept 2.jpg|''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art by Shi Kai Wang, bearing heavy resemblance to the Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech.
The Chimera was a Covenant unit cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was a four-legged walker bearing slight resemblance to the , though with a more hunched appearance.
File:HW-Chimera_Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|The Chimera (bottom-left), seen alongside a handful of other WIP renders of various Covenant vehicles. File:HW Chimera Icon.png|An icon for the Chimera from the in-game unit selection.
Found in some screenshots and an animation reel uploaded by animator Charles Tinney, the Elite Ranger was evidently to be a flying infantry unit. Their design is that of the Sangheili Ranger|Elite Rangers found in ''Halo 2''.
File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Several Rangers can be found in the mid-back of this promotional screenshot. File:HW_EliteRanger_Unit.png|The Ranger unit, as seen in Tinney's animation reel.
Named only in game files, the Gargoyle was intended to be a Covenant bomber aircraft. In the final game, a menu icon is still present in the files to represent the unit.
File:HW Gargoyle.jpg File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Gargoyle (top-right) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A trio of Gargoyles (lower-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Gargoyle UI Icon.png|The Gargoyle's UI icon.
}}
The Gorgon was a vehicle created for the Covenant and intended for use in the anti-air role. The vehicle was envisioned as a walker equipped with a needle cannon, used to attack air targets. The vehicle's mech-based nature conflicted with Ensemble's philosophy that anything with legs was considered infantry, and the overwhelming abundance of Covenant ground vehicles - combined with the relative lack of aircraft - ultimately led to the Gorgon being scrapped and replaced with the . A very similar vehicle; the Reaver, was later implemented in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Interestingly, a later Artstation upload by Nathan Stefan titled gorgon-005.jpg depicts a vehicle more similar in nature to the Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith or similarly-cut #Brute Tank|Brute Tank.
File:HW Gorgon Render.jpg|The cut Gorgon mech. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech. File:HW Gorgon MenuIcon.png|The Gorgon's menu icon in the final build of ''Halo Wars''.
Named in an image upload by artist Don Gagen, the Hydra was intended to be a Covenant aircraft.
File:HW-Hydra Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Hydra (top-middle) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|Several Hydras (top-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Hydra MenuIcon.png|The Hydra's icon, seen in the final game.
Present in the "Sway" alpha, the Recon Drone appears on an early version of the map Repository as a unit buildable in the map's central Sentinel factory alongside Aggressor Sentinels. Despite this Forerunner construction and neutral placement, the Recon Drone takes the form of a Yanme'e. The Drone has a complete model and animations, and is able to fly at high speeds around the map. True to its name, the Drone has no attacks, and is instead only intended for scouting.
File:HW Drone Sculpt.jpg|The high-poly sculpt of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Textured.jpg|The textured final unit of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Alpha.png|The Recon Drone in the internal alpha. File:HWDE Drone Cut.png|The Recon Drone found in Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.
Seen in the Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2007 build and on the box art for ''Halo Wars'', among other promotional screenshots, is the Protos-pattern Scarab|Type-47A "Protos" Scarab - the Scarab variant notably found in the ''Halo 2'' campaign levels ''Outskirts'', ''Metropolis'' and ''The Great Journey''. In the final ''Halo Wars'' game, the design notably used in ''Halo 3'', ''Halo 3: ODST'' and ''Halo: Reach'' is used.
In the E3 2007 demo, the Scarab appears near the end in a short viginette, climbing out of a Forerunner underground shaft. The Scarab proceeds to rampage across the battlefield, destroying several tanks and other units, and must ultimately be destroyed via Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC orbital bombardment.
File:HW Scarab Concept.jpg|Concept art depicting this Type-47A variant. File:HW Screenshots Screens 1.jpg|Multiple Scarabs in an early build of the game. File:Hornet war.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab fighting Hornets. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab seen right, firing on the UNSC force. File:HW Screenshots 005.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab can be seen on the bottom-left of this image. File:HW Screenshots E07 3.jpg|Another screenshot of the Scarab. File:HW E307 Scarab.png|The Scarab as it appears in the Halo Wars E3 2007 Demo|''Halo Wars'' E3 demo.
Forerunner
While the Sentinels do appear on many maps and levels of the final ''Halo Wars'' game, this Sentinel design in particular does not. While superficially similar to the final game's Super Sentinel in design and proportion, it has a number of very notable differences; predominantly the massive size it has compared to most other units in the game. The unit was intended to appear on the campaign level ''Cleansing'' as a boss enemy, though was ultimately cut. The model for the Sentinel remains in the game files, unused. An image of the Sentinel in-game appears to show it emitting plasma mortar-like projectiles firing at the Flood forces below.
Interestingly, this design was later brought back almost unchanged in ''Halo Wars 2'' as the Protector Sentinel (Installation 00)|Protector Sentinel.
File:HW_BossSentinel_Concept.jpg|Concept art of this Sentinel design. File:HW_BossSentinel_HiPoly.jpg|A hi-poly render of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Wireframe.jpg|A wireframe of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Render.jpg|A textured render of the early Sentinel. File:HW BossSentinel InGame.jpg|The Sentinel boss in-game, demonstrating its massive size. File:HW2 Blitz Protector Sentinel.png|A List of Blitz cards|Blitz card illustration of the Protector Sentinel, as it appears in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Ambient AI
A number of maps in ''Halo Wars'' feature neutral AI factions such as Unidentified insurrectionist group|rebels, Sentinels and Flood. These factions will typically be hostile to both the UNSC and Covenant. A number of additional factions were intended to be implemented in the game. These factions were developed under the codename of "creep", and include the following. Heretics One possible creep faction intended to be included in ''Halo Wars'' were the Covenant List of known Covenant heretics|heretics - those who sought fit to defy the Covenant religion. Concept art reveals that Sangheili were intended to be soldiers in this faction, while unused files within the releases of ''Halo Wars'' and ''Halo Wars: Definitive Edition'' showcase additional Heretic Unggoy|Grunts. An additional texture file known as creep_heretic_ghost_01 indicates the Heretics would have access to the Ghost vehicle; piloted by a Sangheili.
File:HW Heretics Concept.jpg|Concept art for the Heretic Elites. File:HW HereticGrunts.png|The Heretic Grunts; spawned in via modding. File:HW HereticGrunt Icon.png|The in-game unit icon for the Heretic Grunts.
Jackal pirates Another cut creep faction that would have been included are the Kig-Yar Piracy|pirates. Files for the Jackals are still available within ''Halo Wars'', allowing the units to be spawned in via modding. The Jackals were to spawn in squads of four, armed with Type-25 plasma pistol|plasma pistols or Type-33 needler|needlers. The pirates would also have access to Kig-Yar Snipers armed with Type-50 particle beam rifle|beam rifles.
File:HW JackalCreep Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW JackalCreep Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW Jackal Early Design.jpg|The final model for the pirates. File:HW JackalPirate Needlers.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with needlers. File:HW_JackalPirate_PlasmaPistols.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with plasma pistols. File:HW JackalPirate Snipers.png|The Jackal Pirate snipers.
Rebels While an unidentified insurrectionist group does appear in the final ''Halo Wars'' game on maps set on Harvest and Arcadia, released concept art indicates the rebels were intended to be much-more fleshed out. Released concept art showcases a rebel "sci-trooper" wielding an Electromagnetic pulse|EMP gun and an insurrectionist-branded M12G1 Gauss Warthog|Gauss Warthog.
File:HW SciTrooper Rebel Concept.jpg|Concept art for the rebel sci-trooper and EMP gun. File:HW_RebelSniper_Warthog_Concept.png|Concept art for the rebel sniper units which were included in ''Halo Wars'', and the cut Warthog.
Alongside the neutral factions, ''Halo Wars'' was intended to feature fauna as ambient AI in the game world. Some of these creatures were only concepted, while others were even modelled and textured for in-game implementation. For a list of other ambient life cut from other ''Halo'' games, see List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|this page. Arctic beast The arctic beast was a creature concepted, modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', likely intended to spawn on maps set in the polar regions of Harvest. This creature was later canonised in 2015's ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'' as the ''Chaefka''; a species of life indexed by the Forerunners and present on Installation 00|The Ark. The following year's ''Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo|Halo Mythos'' saw a scene from the book visualised with a new illustration, using the arctic beast's design almost entirely unaltered.
File:HW ArcticBeast Concept.jpg|Concept art for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast HiPoly.jpg|The high-poly sculpt for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast Render.jpg|The textured low-poly model for the arctic beast. File:HM-Chaefka.jpeg|An official illustration of the ''Chaefka'' from ''Halo Mythos''.
Arctic ice hound
}}
This creature was one of a number of concepts developed during the discussions of the wildlife of Harvest. It was concepted and even modelled and textured, though cut from release.
File:HW ArcticIceHound Concept.jpg|Concept art of the creature. File:HW ArcticIceHound Render.jpg|A textured 3D model of the creature.
Thorn beast The thorn beasts are another cut creature seen fully modelled, textured and animated; they are present in the ''Halo Wars'' Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2008 build and can be seen walking around the map around thirteen minutes into the demo. They do not appear to attack UNSC forces. Thorn beasts remain canon in the ''Halo'' setting; with the Avitus|Chieftain character said to particularly enjoy eating them; they were later featured in the novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest'' as a delicacy enjoyed by the crew of ''Rapid Conversion''.
Interestingly, ''Halo Wars'' is not the first time the thorn beasts were developed to appear in a ''Halo'' game; they were originally designed by Paul Russel during the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', where they were modelled with an identical design and similarly cut.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|Paul Russel's original thorn beast model for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:HW Unit Thorn Beast.png|A thorn beast can be seen in this image taken from the E3 2008 demo build of ''Halo Wars''.
Space owl
}}
The so-called "space owl" is another ambient creature concepted but ultimately never implemented in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was described as having a wingspan of six feet.
File:HW SpaceOwl Concept.jpg|Concept art for the creature.
Harvest whale
}}
The Harvest whale was designed as part of the exploration for the wildlife of Harvest. This creature would likely not be seen as an ambient AI on the map, but instead a dead body appearing in the environment.
File:HW HarvestWhale Concept.jpg|Concept art for the whale.
Oxyaena The oxyaena is another creature fully modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was present in the game's E3 2008 demo, and can be seen wandering the map at around one minute into the demo.
File:HW Oxyaena Render.jpg|The model created for the oxyanea. File:HW Unit Oxyaena.png|The oxyanea in the E3 2008 demo.
Other creatures These creatures have also been showcased in various work uploads related to ''Halo Wars''. Little is known of their design intent or purpose, and are thus presented below.
File:HW EelSnake Concept.jpg|Concept art for an eel-like creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 1.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 2.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature.
Sources
Category:Halo Wars deleted material
|
File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|300px|thumb|A number of cut Covenant units including the Gargoyle, Hydra and Brute Tank.
During the Development of Halo Wars|development of ''Halo Wars'', a number of units were concepted, prototyped and cut from the game.
UNSC
The Cougar was designed as a UNSC AFV, equipped with two M68 Gauss cannons. Although anti-heavy armor fire would blow the Cougar away quite easily, this vehicle was highly effective in holding off enemy armored vehicles until slower armored units could arrive at the battlefield. The Cougar had gained infamy in several urban tactical situations prior to the deployments in the war against the Covenant.
It appeared as a somewhat standard armored fighting vehicle with two wheels up front and two pairs in the rear. It bore a small mounted turret armed with two M68 Gauss cannons, as well as a machine gun or grenade launcher on other concept art. There was a windscreen on its forward body, with two side windows to provide a fairly high amount of visibility for the driver, which would have proved useful. It would have been able to reach a top speed of 90 mph.
The Cougar was ultimately cut from the game in favor of other vehicle ideas. Its shape may have proved the inspiration of the SP42 Cobra, as its role in ''Halo Wars'' was originally an anti-vehicle unit. The Cougar bears a striking resemblance to the World War II armored car, the Wikipedia:M8 Greyhound|M8 Greyhound.
The vehicle was later fully-canonized as the M35 Cougar in the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'', with the vehicle's lore and armament closely matching the lore flavor text given in the original concept art. The Cougar was one of several potential ideas suggested by MEGA Construx in a 2022 fan vote for which set should be created next. Concept art for the Cougar was provided alongside the Reaver, Warden Eternal and Flood invasion at Traxus Tower. The Cougar ultimately lost the vote.
File:HW Cougar Concept 3.jpg|Early concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 1.jpg|Finalised concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 2.jpg|The final Cougar model. File:HW Cougar Model.jpg|What the Cougar would have looked like in-game.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo 2 vehicles|cut vehicle of the same name from ''Halo 2'' or the UH-144 Falcon|tiltrotor helicopter that appeared in ''Halo: Reach'', the Falcon was a UNSC aircraft that got so far as having a 3D model made. The Falcon was a twin seater fighter aircraft planned to be used by the UNSC Army. Originally intended to be a usable unit, stored in the UNSC airpad, it filled the role of strike fighter, packing enough firepower to destroy enemy vehicles and infantry with "Sidewinder" missiles and heavy armor-piercing guns. Like several other units, it was cut from the final game before it shipped.
In terms of design, the Falcon uses forward-swept wings (giving it an appearance similar to the 20th Century Wikipedia:Sukhoi Su-47|Sukhoi Su-47), which are used to provide stability during steep dives, indicating an emphasis in air-to-ground combat. Another, smaller set of wing flaps are attached to the ventral hull, possibly to improve stability. It also possesses two inward-angled vertical stabilizers at the rear, and missile pods attached to the base of the wing and the ventral hull. At the rear of the craft are twin jet thrusters, capable of tilting to allow VTOL capability. Retractable landing gear appears to be located at the wing tips.
In 2023, the Falcon was canonized as the F-23 Falcata, following a highly detailed model recreation made by 343 Industries 3D Character Artist :Category:Images by Fletcher Kinnear|Fletcher Kinnear under the alias Skaboodlydoodle. The model made by Kinnear was one of many done by him as part of a series of personal projects to bring several ''Halo Wars'' vehicles into the first-person shooter ''Halo'' games via modding, with other such recreations including the AV-22 Sparrowhawk, HRUNTING Mark III (S) Cyclops, M121 Jackrabbit, and . Thanks to the work of the concurrent Digsite project, Kinnear was able to use the original Ensemble-developed Falcon model for reference when making his higher-detail recreation, making it a drivable vehicle mod for ''Halo: Reach''. This process was documented in several videos on his YouTube channel, .
Due to the Falcon being a name taken by ''Reach''s utility helicopter, the aircraft was instead designated the Falcata, after the pre-Roman Iberian blade of the Wikipedia:Falcata|same name. This naming convention follows the UNSC's tradition of naming fighter aircraft after blades, with the name literally meaning "falcon-shaped," referencing the original ''Halo Wars'' Falcon designation.
File:HW Falcon Concept.jpg|Concept art of a squadron of Falcons in flight. File:HW Airpad Early Model.jpg|An early model for the UNSC Airpad, with several Falcons docked on the runway. Later builds would see these Falcons replaced with AV-22 Sparrowhawks, before the design was changed completely. File:HW Falcon Model.jpg|The finalised game model for the Falcon. File:HR Falcata Screenshot 1.jpg|The Falcata modded into ''Halo: Reach''.
The Fox Cannon was a United Nations Space Command|UNSC vehicle cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was to be a self-propelled artillery vehicle, capable of firing five shells per minute, and with great accuracy due to satellite targeting over a distance greater than 50 kilometers. The Fox was equipped with a 175mm cannon that shot the M179 projectile. Given its role, it was likely replaced by the SP42 Cobra.
File:HW_FoxCannon_Concept_1.jpg|thumb|Fox Cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Concept 2.jpg|Fox cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Render 1.jpg|Render of the Fox Cannon from the development of ''Halo Wars''. File:HW FoxCannon Render 2.jpg|Another render. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 1.jpg|Wireframe view of the Fox Cannon. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 2.jpg|Another wireframe view. File:HW - Prerelease - UNSC Barracks with units.png|Prerelease version of ''Halo Wars'' with the Fox Cannon in it.
The Leviathan Mobile Firebase is a UNSC vehicle concepted during the development of ''Halo Wars'', but evidently never implemented. The vehicle is similar in size to the M510 Mammoth|Mammoth, being many times the size of an M12 Warthog and serving as a mobile Firebase. The vehicle is seen to have several different configurations such as a "Suicide assault" variant with nose-mounted saw blades and a "Paris gun" variant equipped with a massive artillery cannon. However, the primary variant appears to be a vehicle that would fill a role similar to that fulfilled by the M312 Elephant in the final game, sporting numerous machine gun turrets, a mobile UNSC Barracks|barracks and the ability to tow a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, like that seen in the mission Reactor (Halo Wars level)|Reactor.
File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art. File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art.
Early on in the development of ''Halo Wars'', the M274 Mongoose was intended to be included. The vehicle got as far as having a model created and implemented in game, though by the time of the Halo Wars Alpha|"Sway" alpha, all that remained in the files was a handful of text strings referencing test_pj_mongoose.
To create this Mongoose model, Ensemble 3D artist Jenell Jaquays had to rely on observing screenshots of the Mongoose as seen in ''Halo 3'', as Bungie were unwilling to share the original model file with Ensemble.
File:HW - Prerelease - Mongoose.png|The Mongoose unit in an early build.
This prototype infantry unit was created by artist Gene Kohler. Little is known of it or its purpose in-game.
File:HW - Render - Prototype Unit.png
The Tiger Tank is a unit referenced in the game files. Little is known of it, except for the below icon.
File:HW Tiger Tank.png
Covenant
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The Covenant Air Artillery was a unit cut from ''Halo Wars'' some time prior to January 2008. The vehicle was to boast three plasma mortars, and was intended for use in a ground attack role - noted to be especially effective against static bases.
File:Covenant Air Artillery.jpg|The final air artillery model. File:HW covenant airArtillery concept.jpg|Concept art for this vehicle. File:HW-AirArtillery_WIP_Renders.jpg|A work-in-progress blockout of the Covenant Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_Render.jpg|Renders of the Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_HP_Render.jpg|A high-poly render of the Air Artillery.
The "Brute Tank" is a vehicle cut from the game, notable for its high similarity to the existing Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith. However, the Brute Tank instead comes equipped with a M512 smooth-bore high-velocity cannon|turret like those found on the M808B Scorpion|Scorpion tank. Text strings in the "Sway" alpha build reference brutetank_power_hack_obstruction, possibly meaning the tank was to have some form of hacking ability. Presumably, this vehicle was intended to be used by the Jiralhanae and their Avitus|Chieftain.
Although the Brute Tank icon found in the final release of ''Halo Wars'' depicts a Wraith with a Scorpion turret, some models seen in earlier builds have a more distinctive appearance of a Wraith with a more Covenant-style turret; these vehicles bear some resemblance to certain ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art, shown below. Another piece of concept art uploaded to ArtStation by Nathan Stefan shows a vehicle very similar to the Brute Tank, though the image itself is named gorgon-005 - this vehicle bears little resemblance to the #Gorgon|Gorgon, so the art's status is unclear.
Another icon depicts this vehicle with a dome shield-like ability.
File:HW_Brute_Tank.jpg|The Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Brute Tank (top-left) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A pair of Brute Tanks (lower-left) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW BruteTank Shield Icon.png|The Brute Tank shield icon. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Brute Tanks can be seen in the E3 2007 build promotional images. File:HW BruteTank Icon.png|The Brute Tank, bearing a Scorpion turret. File:HCE Wraith Concept 2.jpg|''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art by Shi Kai Wang, bearing heavy resemblance to the Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech.
The Chimera was a Covenant unit cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was a four-legged walker bearing slight resemblance to the , though with a more hunched appearance.
File:HW-Chimera_Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|The Chimera (bottom-left), seen alongside a handful of other WIP renders of various Covenant vehicles. File:HW Chimera Icon.png|An icon for the Chimera from the in-game unit selection.
Found in some screenshots and an animation reel uploaded by animator Charles Tinney, the Elite Ranger was evidently to be a flying infantry unit. Their design is that of the Sangheili Ranger|Elite Rangers found in ''Halo 2''.
File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Several Rangers can be found in the mid-back of this promotional screenshot. File:HW_EliteRanger_Unit.png|The Ranger unit, as seen in Tinney's animation reel.
Named only in game files, the Gargoyle was intended to be a Covenant bomber aircraft. In the final game, a menu icon is still present in the files to represent the unit.
File:HW Gargoyle.jpg File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Gargoyle (top-right) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A trio of Gargoyles (lower-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Gargoyle UI Icon.png|The Gargoyle's UI icon.
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The Gorgon was a vehicle created for the Covenant and intended for use in the anti-air role. The vehicle was envisioned as a walker equipped with a needle cannon, used to attack air targets. The vehicle's mech-based nature conflicted with Ensemble's philosophy that anything with legs was considered infantry, and the overwhelming abundance of Covenant ground vehicles - combined with the relative lack of aircraft - ultimately led to the Gorgon being scrapped and replaced with the . A very similar vehicle; the Reaver, was later implemented in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Interestingly, a later Artstation upload by Nathan Stefan titled gorgon-005.jpg depicts a vehicle more similar in nature to the Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith or similarly-cut #Brute Tank|Brute Tank.
File:HW Gorgon Render.jpg|The cut Gorgon mech. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech. File:HW Gorgon MenuIcon.png|The Gorgon's menu icon in the final build of ''Halo Wars''.
Named in an image upload by artist Don Gagen, the Hydra was intended to be a Covenant aircraft.
File:HW-Hydra Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Hydra (top-middle) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|Several Hydras (top-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Hydra MenuIcon.png|The Hydra's icon, seen in the final game.
Present in the "Sway" alpha, the Recon Drone appears on an early version of the map Repository as a unit buildable in the map's central Sentinel factory alongside Aggressor Sentinels. Despite this Forerunner construction and neutral placement, the Recon Drone takes the form of a Yanme'e. The Drone has a complete model and animations, and is able to fly at high speeds around the map. True to its name, the Drone has no attacks, and is instead only intended for scouting.
File:HW Drone Sculpt.jpg|The high-poly sculpt of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Textured.jpg|The textured final unit of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Alpha.png|The Recon Drone in the internal alpha. File:HWDE Drone Cut.png|The Recon Drone found in Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.
Seen in the Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2007 build and on the box art for ''Halo Wars'', among other promotional screenshots, is the Protos-pattern Scarab|Type-47A "Protos" Scarab - the Scarab variant notably found in the ''Halo 2'' campaign levels ''Outskirts'', ''Metropolis'' and ''The Great Journey''. In the final ''Halo Wars'' game, the design notably used in ''Halo 3'', ''Halo 3: ODST'' and ''Halo: Reach'' is used.
In the E3 2007 demo, the Scarab appears near the end in a short viginette, climbing out of a Forerunner underground shaft. The Scarab proceeds to rampage across the battlefield, destroying several tanks and other units, and must ultimately be destroyed via Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC orbital bombardment.
File:HW Scarab Concept.jpg|Concept art depicting this Type-47A variant. File:HW Screenshots Screens 1.jpg|Multiple Scarabs in an early build of the game. File:Hornet war.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab fighting Hornets. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab seen right, firing on the UNSC force. File:HW Screenshots 005.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab can be seen on the bottom-left of this image. File:HW Screenshots E07 3.jpg|Another screenshot of the Scarab. File:HW E307 Scarab.png|The Scarab as it appears in the Halo Wars E3 2007 Demo|''Halo Wars'' E3 demo.
Forerunner
While the Sentinels do appear on many maps and levels of the final ''Halo Wars'' game, this Sentinel design in particular does not. While superficially similar to the final game's Super Sentinel in design and proportion, it has a number of very notable differences; predominantly the massive size it has compared to most other units in the game. The unit was intended to appear on the campaign level ''Cleansing'' as a boss enemy, though was ultimately cut. The model for the Sentinel remains in the game files, unused. An image of the Sentinel in-game appears to show it emitting plasma mortar-like projectiles firing at the Flood forces below.
Interestingly, this design was later brought back almost unchanged in ''Halo Wars 2'' as the Protector Sentinel (Installation 00)|Protector Sentinel.
File:HW_BossSentinel_Concept.jpg|Concept art of this Sentinel design. File:HW_BossSentinel_HiPoly.jpg|A hi-poly render of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Wireframe.jpg|A wireframe of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Render.jpg|A textured render of the early Sentinel. File:HW BossSentinel InGame.jpg|The Sentinel boss in-game, demonstrating its massive size. File:HW2 Blitz Protector Sentinel.png|A List of Blitz cards|Blitz card illustration of the Protector Sentinel, as it appears in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Ambient AI
A number of maps in ''Halo Wars'' feature neutral AI factions such as Unidentified insurrectionist group|rebels, Sentinels and Flood. These factions will typically be hostile to both the UNSC and Covenant. A number of additional factions were intended to be implemented in the game. These factions were developed under the codename of "creep", and include the following. Heretics One possible creep faction intended to be included in ''Halo Wars'' were the Covenant List of known Covenant heretics|heretics - those who sought fit to defy the Covenant religion. Concept art reveals that Sangheili were intended to be soldiers in this faction, while unused files within the releases of ''Halo Wars'' and ''Halo Wars: Definitive Edition'' showcase additional Heretic Unggoy|Grunts. An additional texture file known as creep_heretic_ghost_01 indicates the Heretics would have access to the Ghost vehicle; piloted by a Sangheili.
File:HW Heretics Concept.jpg|Concept art for the Heretic Elites. File:HW HereticGrunts.png|The Heretic Grunts; spawned in via modding. File:HW HereticGrunt Icon.png|The in-game unit icon for the Heretic Grunts.
Jackal pirates Another cut creep faction that would have been included are the Kig-Yar Piracy|pirates. Files for the Jackals are still available within ''Halo Wars'', allowing the units to be spawned in via modding. The Jackals were to spawn in squads of four, armed with Type-25 plasma pistol|plasma pistols or Type-33 needler|needlers. The pirates would also have access to Kig-Yar Snipers armed with Type-50 particle beam rifle|beam rifles.
File:HW JackalCreep Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW JackalCreep Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW Jackal Early Design.jpg|The final model for the pirates. File:HW JackalPirate Needlers.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with needlers. File:HW_JackalPirate_PlasmaPistols.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with plasma pistols. File:HW JackalPirate Snipers.png|The Jackal Pirate snipers.
Rebels While an unidentified insurrectionist group does appear in the final ''Halo Wars'' game on maps set on Harvest and Arcadia, released concept art indicates the rebels were intended to be much-more fleshed out. Released concept art showcases a rebel "sci-trooper" wielding an Electromagnetic pulse|EMP gun and an insurrectionist-branded M12G1 Gauss Warthog|Gauss Warthog.
File:HW SciTrooper Rebel Concept.jpg|Concept art for the rebel sci-trooper and EMP gun. File:HW_RebelSniper_Warthog_Concept.png|Concept art for the rebel sniper units which were included in ''Halo Wars'', and the cut Warthog.
Alongside the neutral factions, ''Halo Wars'' was intended to feature fauna as ambient AI in the game world. Some of these creatures were only concepted, while others were even modelled and textured for in-game implementation. For a list of other ambient life cut from other ''Halo'' games, see List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|this page. Arctic beast The arctic beast was a creature concepted, modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', likely intended to spawn on maps set in the polar regions of Harvest. This creature was later canonised in 2015's ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'' as the ''Chaefka''; a species of life indexed by the Forerunners and present on Installation 00|The Ark. The following year's ''Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo|Halo Mythos'' saw a scene from the book visualised with a new illustration, using the arctic beast's design almost entirely unaltered.
File:HW ArcticBeast Concept.jpg|Concept art for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast HiPoly.jpg|The high-poly sculpt for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast Render.jpg|The textured low-poly model for the arctic beast. File:HM-Chaefka.jpeg|An official illustration of the ''Chaefka'' from ''Halo Mythos''.
Arctic ice hound
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This creature was one of a number of concepts developed during the discussions of the wildlife of Harvest. It was concepted and even modelled and textured, though cut from release.
File:HW ArcticIceHound Concept.jpg|Concept art of the creature. File:HW ArcticIceHound Render.jpg|A textured 3D model of the creature.
Thorn beast The thorn beasts are another cut creature seen fully modelled, textured and animated; they are present in the ''Halo Wars'' Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2008 build and can be seen walking around the map around thirteen minutes into the demo. They do not appear to attack UNSC forces. Thorn beasts remain canon in the ''Halo'' setting; with the Avitus|Chieftain character said to particularly enjoy eating them; they were later featured in the novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest'' as a delicacy enjoyed by the crew of ''Rapid Conversion''.
Interestingly, ''Halo Wars'' is not the first time the thorn beasts were developed to appear in a ''Halo'' game; they were originally designed by Paul Russel during the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', where they were modelled with an identical design and similarly cut.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|Paul Russel's original thorn beast model for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:HW Unit Thorn Beast.png|A thorn beast can be seen in this image taken from the E3 2008 demo build of ''Halo Wars''.
Space owl
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The so-called "space owl" is another ambient creature concepted but ultimately never implemented in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was described as having a wingspan of six feet.
File:HW SpaceOwl Concept.jpg|Concept art for the creature.
Harvest whale
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The Harvest whale was designed as part of the exploration for the wildlife of Harvest. This creature would likely not be seen as an ambient AI on the map, but instead a dead body appearing in the environment.
File:HW HarvestWhale Concept.jpg|Concept art for the whale.
Oxyaena The oxyaena is another creature fully modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was present in the game's E3 2008 demo, and can be seen wandering the map at around one minute into the demo.
File:HW Oxyaena Render.jpg|The model created for the oxyanea. File:HW Unit Oxyaena.png|The oxyanea in the E3 2008 demo.
Other creatures These creatures have also been showcased in various work uploads related to ''Halo Wars''. Little is known of their design intent or purpose, and are thus presented below.
File:HW EelSnake Concept.jpg|Concept art for an eel-like creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 1.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 2.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature.
Sources
Category:Halo Wars deleted material
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File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|300px|thumb|A number of cut Covenant units including the Gargoyle, Hydra and Brute Tank.
During the Development of Halo Wars|development of ''Halo Wars'', a number of units were concepted, prototyped and cut from the game.
UNSC
The Cougar was designed as a UNSC AFV, equipped with two M68 Gauss cannons. Although anti-heavy armor fire would blow the Cougar away quite easily, this vehicle was highly effective in holding off enemy armored vehicles until slower armored units could arrive at the battlefield. The Cougar had gained infamy in several urban tactical situations prior to the deployments in the war against the Covenant.
It appeared as a somewhat standard armored fighting vehicle with two wheels up front and two pairs in the rear. It bore a small mounted turret armed with two M68 Gauss cannons, as well as a machine gun or grenade launcher on other concept art. There was a windscreen on its forward body, with two side windows to provide a fairly high amount of visibility for the driver, which would have proved useful. It would have been able to reach a top speed of 90 mph.
The Cougar was ultimately cut from the game in favor of other vehicle ideas. Its shape may have proved the inspiration of the SP42 Cobra, as its role in ''Halo Wars'' was originally an anti-vehicle unit. The Cougar bears a striking resemblance to the World War II armored car, the Wikipedia:M8 Greyhound|M8 Greyhound.
The vehicle was later fully-canonized as the M35 Cougar in the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'', with the vehicle's lore and armament closely matching the lore flavor text given in the original concept art. The Cougar was one of several potential ideas suggested by MEGA Construx in a 2022 fan vote for which set should be created next. Concept art for the Cougar was provided alongside the Reaver, Warden Eternal and Flood invasion at Traxus Tower. The Cougar ultimately lost the vote.
File:HW Cougar Concept 3.jpg|Early concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 1.jpg|Finalised concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 2.jpg|The final Cougar model. File:HW Cougar Model.jpg|What the Cougar would have looked like in-game.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo 2 vehicles|cut vehicle of the same name from ''Halo 2'' or the UH-144 Falcon|tiltrotor helicopter that appeared in ''Halo: Reach'', the Falcon was a UNSC aircraft that got so far as having a 3D model made. The Falcon was a twin seater fighter aircraft planned to be used by the UNSC Army. Originally intended to be a usable unit, stored in the UNSC airpad, it filled the role of strike fighter, packing enough firepower to destroy enemy vehicles and infantry with "Sidewinder" missiles and heavy armor-piercing guns. Like several other units, it was cut from the final game before it shipped.
In terms of design, the Falcon uses forward-swept wings (giving it an appearance similar to the 20th Century Wikipedia:Sukhoi Su-47|Sukhoi Su-47), which are used to provide stability during steep dives, indicating an emphasis in air-to-ground combat. Another, smaller set of wing flaps are attached to the ventral hull, possibly to improve stability. It also possesses two inward-angled vertical stabilizers at the rear, and missile pods attached to the base of the wing and the ventral hull. At the rear of the craft are twin jet thrusters, capable of tilting to allow VTOL capability. Retractable landing gear appears to be located at the wing tips.
In 2023, the Falcon was canonized as the F-23 Falcata, following a highly detailed model recreation made by 343 Industries 3D Character Artist :Category:Images by Fletcher Kinnear|Fletcher Kinnear under the alias Skaboodlydoodle. The model made by Kinnear was one of many done by him as part of a series of personal projects to bring several ''Halo Wars'' vehicles into the first-person shooter ''Halo'' games via modding, with other such recreations including the AV-22 Sparrowhawk, HRUNTING Mark III (S) Cyclops, M121 Jackrabbit, and . Thanks to the work of the concurrent Digsite project, Kinnear was able to use the original Ensemble-developed Falcon model for reference when making his higher-detail recreation, making it a drivable vehicle mod for ''Halo: Reach''. This process was documented in several videos on his YouTube channel, .
Due to the Falcon being a name taken by ''Reach''s utility helicopter, the aircraft was instead designated the Falcata, after the pre-Roman Iberian blade of the Wikipedia:Falcata|same name. This naming convention follows the UNSC's tradition of naming fighter aircraft after blades, with the name literally meaning "falcon-shaped," referencing the original ''Halo Wars'' Falcon designation.
File:HW Falcon Concept.jpg|Concept art of a squadron of Falcons in flight. File:HW Airpad Early Model.jpg|An early model for the UNSC Airpad, with several Falcons docked on the runway. Later builds would see these Falcons replaced with AV-22 Sparrowhawks, before the design was changed completely. File:HW Falcon Model.jpg|The finalised game model for the Falcon. File:HR Falcata Screenshot 1.jpg|The Falcata modded into ''Halo: Reach''.
The Fox Cannon was a United Nations Space Command|UNSC vehicle cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was to be a self-propelled artillery vehicle, capable of firing five shells per minute, and with great accuracy due to satellite targeting over a distance greater than 50 kilometers. The Fox was equipped with a 175mm cannon that shot the M179 projectile. Given its role, it was likely replaced by the SP42 Cobra.
File:HW_FoxCannon_Concept_1.jpg|thumb|Fox Cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Concept 2.jpg|Fox cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Render 1.jpg|Render of the Fox Cannon from the development of ''Halo Wars''. File:HW FoxCannon Render 2.jpg|Another render. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 1.jpg|Wireframe view of the Fox Cannon. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 2.jpg|Another wireframe view. File:HW - Prerelease - UNSC Barracks with units.png|Prerelease version of ''Halo Wars'' with the Fox Cannon in it.
The Leviathan Mobile Firebase is a UNSC vehicle concepted during the development of ''Halo Wars'', but evidently never implemented. The vehicle is similar in size to the M510 Mammoth|Mammoth, being many times the size of an M12 Warthog and serving as a mobile Firebase. The vehicle is seen to have several different configurations such as a "Suicide assault" variant with nose-mounted saw blades and a "Paris gun" variant equipped with a massive artillery cannon. However, the primary variant appears to be a vehicle that would fill a role similar to that fulfilled by the M312 Elephant in the final game, sporting numerous machine gun turrets, a mobile UNSC Barracks|barracks and the ability to tow a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, like that seen in the mission Reactor (Halo Wars level)|Reactor.
File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art. File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art.
Early on in the development of ''Halo Wars'', the M274 Mongoose was intended to be included. The vehicle got as far as having a model created and implemented in game, though by the time of the Halo Wars Alpha|"Sway" alpha, all that remained in the files was a handful of text strings referencing test_pj_mongoose.
To create this Mongoose model, Ensemble 3D artist Jenell Jaquays had to rely on observing screenshots of the Mongoose as seen in ''Halo 3'', as Bungie were unwilling to share the original model file with Ensemble.
File:HW - Prerelease - Mongoose.png|The Mongoose unit in an early build.
This prototype infantry unit was created by artist Gene Kohler. Little is known of it or its purpose in-game.
File:HW - Render - Prototype Unit.png
The Tiger Tank is a unit referenced in the game files. Little is known of it, except for the below icon.
File:HW Tiger Tank.png
Covenant
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The Covenant Air Artillery was a unit cut from ''Halo Wars'' some time prior to January 2008. The vehicle was to boast three plasma mortars, and was intended for use in a ground attack role - noted to be especially effective against static bases.
File:Covenant Air Artillery.jpg|The final air artillery model. File:HW covenant airArtillery concept.jpg|Concept art for this vehicle. File:HW-AirArtillery_WIP_Renders.jpg|A work-in-progress blockout of the Covenant Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_Render.jpg|Renders of the Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_HP_Render.jpg|A high-poly render of the Air Artillery.
The "Brute Tank" is a vehicle cut from the game, notable for its high similarity to the existing Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith. However, the Brute Tank instead comes equipped with a M512 smooth-bore high-velocity cannon|turret like those found on the M808B Scorpion|Scorpion tank. Text strings in the "Sway" alpha build reference brutetank_power_hack_obstruction, possibly meaning the tank was to have some form of hacking ability. Presumably, this vehicle was intended to be used by the Jiralhanae and their Avitus|Chieftain.
Although the Brute Tank icon found in the final release of ''Halo Wars'' depicts a Wraith with a Scorpion turret, some models seen in earlier builds have a more distinctive appearance of a Wraith with a more Covenant-style turret; these vehicles bear some resemblance to certain ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art, shown below. Another piece of concept art uploaded to ArtStation by Nathan Stefan shows a vehicle very similar to the Brute Tank, though the image itself is named gorgon-005 - this vehicle bears little resemblance to the #Gorgon|Gorgon, so the art's status is unclear.
Another icon depicts this vehicle with a dome shield-like ability.
File:HW_Brute_Tank.jpg|The Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Brute Tank (top-left) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A pair of Brute Tanks (lower-left) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW BruteTank Shield Icon.png|The Brute Tank shield icon. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Brute Tanks can be seen in the E3 2007 build promotional images. File:HW BruteTank Icon.png|The Brute Tank, bearing a Scorpion turret. File:HCE Wraith Concept 2.jpg|''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art by Shi Kai Wang, bearing heavy resemblance to the Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech.
The Chimera was a Covenant unit cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was a four-legged walker bearing slight resemblance to the , though with a more hunched appearance.
File:HW-Chimera_Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|The Chimera (bottom-left), seen alongside a handful of other WIP renders of various Covenant vehicles. File:HW Chimera Icon.png|An icon for the Chimera from the in-game unit selection.
Found in some screenshots and an animation reel uploaded by animator Charles Tinney, the Elite Ranger was evidently to be a flying infantry unit. Their design is that of the Sangheili Ranger|Elite Rangers found in ''Halo 2''.
File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Several Rangers can be found in the mid-back of this promotional screenshot. File:HW_EliteRanger_Unit.png|The Ranger unit, as seen in Tinney's animation reel.
Named only in game files, the Gargoyle was intended to be a Covenant bomber aircraft. In the final game, a menu icon is still present in the files to represent the unit.
File:HW Gargoyle.jpg File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Gargoyle (top-right) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A trio of Gargoyles (lower-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Gargoyle UI Icon.png|The Gargoyle's UI icon.
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The Gorgon was a vehicle created for the Covenant and intended for use in the anti-air role. The vehicle was envisioned as a walker equipped with a needle cannon, used to attack air targets. The vehicle's mech-based nature conflicted with Ensemble's philosophy that anything with legs was considered infantry, and the overwhelming abundance of Covenant ground vehicles - combined with the relative lack of aircraft - ultimately led to the Gorgon being scrapped and replaced with the . A very similar vehicle; the Reaver, was later implemented in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Interestingly, a later Artstation upload by Nathan Stefan titled gorgon-005.jpg depicts a vehicle more similar in nature to the Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith or similarly-cut #Brute Tank|Brute Tank.
File:HW Gorgon Render.jpg|The cut Gorgon mech. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech. File:HW Gorgon MenuIcon.png|The Gorgon's menu icon in the final build of ''Halo Wars''.
Named in an image upload by artist Don Gagen, the Hydra was intended to be a Covenant aircraft.
File:HW-Hydra Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Hydra (top-middle) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|Several Hydras (top-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Hydra MenuIcon.png|The Hydra's icon, seen in the final game.
Present in the "Sway" alpha, the Recon Drone appears on an early version of the map Repository as a unit buildable in the map's central Sentinel factory alongside Aggressor Sentinels. Despite this Forerunner construction and neutral placement, the Recon Drone takes the form of a Yanme'e. The Drone has a complete model and animations, and is able to fly at high speeds around the map. True to its name, the Drone has no attacks, and is instead only intended for scouting.
File:HW Drone Sculpt.jpg|The high-poly sculpt of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Textured.jpg|The textured final unit of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Alpha.png|The Recon Drone in the internal alpha. File:HWDE Drone Cut.png|The Recon Drone found in Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.
Seen in the Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2007 build and on the box art for ''Halo Wars'', among other promotional screenshots, is the Protos-pattern Scarab|Type-47A "Protos" Scarab - the Scarab variant notably found in the ''Halo 2'' campaign levels ''Outskirts'', ''Metropolis'' and ''The Great Journey''. In the final ''Halo Wars'' game, the design notably used in ''Halo 3'', ''Halo 3: ODST'' and ''Halo: Reach'' is used.
In the E3 2007 demo, the Scarab appears near the end in a short viginette, climbing out of a Forerunner underground shaft. The Scarab proceeds to rampage across the battlefield, destroying several tanks and other units, and must ultimately be destroyed via Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC orbital bombardment.
File:HW Scarab Concept.jpg|Concept art depicting this Type-47A variant. File:HW Screenshots Screens 1.jpg|Multiple Scarabs in an early build of the game. File:Hornet war.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab fighting Hornets. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab seen right, firing on the UNSC force. File:HW Screenshots 005.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab can be seen on the bottom-left of this image. File:HW Screenshots E07 3.jpg|Another screenshot of the Scarab. File:HW E307 Scarab.png|The Scarab as it appears in the Halo Wars E3 2007 Demo|''Halo Wars'' E3 demo.
Forerunner
While the Sentinels do appear on many maps and levels of the final ''Halo Wars'' game, this Sentinel design in particular does not. While superficially similar to the final game's Super Sentinel in design and proportion, it has a number of very notable differences; predominantly the massive size it has compared to most other units in the game. The unit was intended to appear on the campaign level ''Cleansing'' as a boss enemy, though was ultimately cut. The model for the Sentinel remains in the game files, unused. An image of the Sentinel in-game appears to show it emitting plasma mortar-like projectiles firing at the Flood forces below.
Interestingly, this design was later brought back almost unchanged in ''Halo Wars 2'' as the Protector Sentinel (Installation 00)|Protector Sentinel.
File:HW_BossSentinel_Concept.jpg|Concept art of this Sentinel design. File:HW_BossSentinel_HiPoly.jpg|A hi-poly render of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Wireframe.jpg|A wireframe of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Render.jpg|A textured render of the early Sentinel. File:HW BossSentinel InGame.jpg|The Sentinel boss in-game, demonstrating its massive size. File:HW2 Blitz Protector Sentinel.png|A List of Blitz cards|Blitz card illustration of the Protector Sentinel, as it appears in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Ambient AI
A number of maps in ''Halo Wars'' feature neutral AI factions such as Unidentified insurrectionist group|rebels, Sentinels and Flood. These factions will typically be hostile to both the UNSC and Covenant. A number of additional factions were intended to be implemented in the game. These factions were developed under the codename of "creep", and include the following. Heretics One possible creep faction intended to be included in ''Halo Wars'' were the Covenant List of known Covenant heretics|heretics - those who sought fit to defy the Covenant religion. Concept art reveals that Sangheili were intended to be soldiers in this faction, while unused files within the releases of ''Halo Wars'' and ''Halo Wars: Definitive Edition'' showcase additional Heretic Unggoy|Grunts. An additional texture file known as creep_heretic_ghost_01 indicates the Heretics would have access to the Ghost vehicle; piloted by a Sangheili.
File:HW Heretics Concept.jpg|Concept art for the Heretic Elites. File:HW HereticGrunts.png|The Heretic Grunts; spawned in via modding. File:HW HereticGrunt Icon.png|The in-game unit icon for the Heretic Grunts.
Jackal pirates Another cut creep faction that would have been included are the Kig-Yar Piracy|pirates. Files for the Jackals are still available within ''Halo Wars'', allowing the units to be spawned in via modding. The Jackals were to spawn in squads of four, armed with Type-25 plasma pistol|plasma pistols or Type-33 needler|needlers. The pirates would also have access to Kig-Yar Snipers armed with Type-50 particle beam rifle|beam rifles.
File:HW JackalCreep Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW JackalCreep Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW Jackal Early Design.jpg|The final model for the pirates. File:HW JackalPirate Needlers.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with needlers. File:HW_JackalPirate_PlasmaPistols.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with plasma pistols. File:HW JackalPirate Snipers.png|The Jackal Pirate snipers.
Rebels While an unidentified insurrectionist group does appear in the final ''Halo Wars'' game on maps set on Harvest and Arcadia, released concept art indicates the rebels were intended to be much-more fleshed out. Released concept art showcases a rebel "sci-trooper" wielding an Electromagnetic pulse|EMP gun and an insurrectionist-branded M12G1 Gauss Warthog|Gauss Warthog.
File:HW SciTrooper Rebel Concept.jpg|Concept art for the rebel sci-trooper and EMP gun. File:HW_RebelSniper_Warthog_Concept.png|Concept art for the rebel sniper units which were included in ''Halo Wars'', and the cut Warthog.
Alongside the neutral factions, ''Halo Wars'' was intended to feature fauna as ambient AI in the game world. Some of these creatures were only concepted, while others were even modelled and textured for in-game implementation. For a list of other ambient life cut from other ''Halo'' games, see List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|this page. Arctic beast The arctic beast was a creature concepted, modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', likely intended to spawn on maps set in the polar regions of Harvest. This creature was later canonised in 2015's ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'' as the ''Chaefka''; a species of life indexed by the Forerunners and present on Installation 00|The Ark. The following year's ''Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo|Halo Mythos'' saw a scene from the book visualised with a new illustration, using the arctic beast's design almost entirely unaltered.
File:HW ArcticBeast Concept.jpg|Concept art for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast HiPoly.jpg|The high-poly sculpt for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast Render.jpg|The textured low-poly model for the arctic beast. File:HM-Chaefka.jpeg|An official illustration of the ''Chaefka'' from ''Halo Mythos''.
Arctic ice hound
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This creature was one of a number of concepts developed during the discussions of the wildlife of Harvest. It was concepted and even modelled and textured, though cut from release.
File:HW ArcticIceHound Concept.jpg|Concept art of the creature. File:HW ArcticIceHound Render.jpg|A textured 3D model of the creature.
Thorn beast The thorn beasts are another cut creature seen fully modelled, textured and animated; they are present in the ''Halo Wars'' Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2008 build and can be seen walking around the map around thirteen minutes into the demo. They do not appear to attack UNSC forces. Thorn beasts remain canon in the ''Halo'' setting; with the Avitus|Chieftain character said to particularly enjoy eating them; they were later featured in the novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest'' as a delicacy enjoyed by the crew of ''Rapid Conversion''.
Interestingly, ''Halo Wars'' is not the first time the thorn beasts were developed to appear in a ''Halo'' game; they were originally designed by Paul Russel during the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', where they were modelled with an identical design and similarly cut.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|Paul Russel's original thorn beast model for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:HW Unit Thorn Beast.png|A thorn beast can be seen in this image taken from the E3 2008 demo build of ''Halo Wars''.
Space owl
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The so-called "space owl" is another ambient creature concepted but ultimately never implemented in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was described as having a wingspan of six feet.
File:HW SpaceOwl Concept.jpg|Concept art for the creature.
Harvest whale
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The Harvest whale was designed as part of the exploration for the wildlife of Harvest. This creature would likely not be seen as an ambient AI on the map, but instead a dead body appearing in the environment.
File:HW HarvestWhale Concept.jpg|Concept art for the whale.
Oxyaena The oxyaena is another creature fully modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was present in the game's E3 2008 demo, and can be seen wandering the map at around one minute into the demo.
File:HW Oxyaena Render.jpg|The model created for the oxyanea. File:HW Unit Oxyaena.png|The oxyanea in the E3 2008 demo.
Other creatures These creatures have also been showcased in various work uploads related to ''Halo Wars''. Little is known of their design intent or purpose, and are thus presented below.
File:HW EelSnake Concept.jpg|Concept art for an eel-like creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 1.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 2.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature.
Sources
Category:Halo Wars deleted material
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File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|300px|thumb|A number of cut Covenant units including the Gargoyle, Hydra and Brute Tank.
During the Development of Halo Wars|development of ''Halo Wars'', a number of units were concepted, prototyped and cut from the game.
UNSC
The Cougar was designed as a UNSC AFV, equipped with two M68 Gauss cannons. Although anti-heavy armor fire would blow the Cougar away quite easily, this vehicle was highly effective in holding off enemy armored vehicles until slower armored units could arrive at the battlefield. The Cougar had gained infamy in several urban tactical situations prior to the deployments in the war against the Covenant.
It appeared as a somewhat standard armored fighting vehicle with two wheels up front and two pairs in the rear. It bore a small mounted turret armed with two M68 Gauss cannons, as well as a machine gun or grenade launcher on other concept art. There was a windscreen on its forward body, with two side windows to provide a fairly high amount of visibility for the driver, which would have proved useful. It would have been able to reach a top speed of 90 mph.
The Cougar was ultimately cut from the game in favor of other vehicle ideas. Its shape may have proved the inspiration of the SP42 Cobra, as its role in ''Halo Wars'' was originally an anti-vehicle unit. The Cougar bears a striking resemblance to the World War II armored car, the Wikipedia:M8 Greyhound|M8 Greyhound.
The vehicle was later fully-canonized as the M35 Cougar in the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'', with the vehicle's lore and armament closely matching the lore flavor text given in the original concept art. The Cougar was one of several potential ideas suggested by MEGA Construx in a 2022 fan vote for which set should be created next. Concept art for the Cougar was provided alongside the Reaver, Warden Eternal and Flood invasion at Traxus Tower. The Cougar ultimately lost the vote.
File:HW Cougar Concept 3.jpg|Early concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 1.jpg|Finalised concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 2.jpg|The final Cougar model. File:HW Cougar Model.jpg|What the Cougar would have looked like in-game.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo 2 vehicles|cut vehicle of the same name from ''Halo 2'' or the UH-144 Falcon|tiltrotor helicopter that appeared in ''Halo: Reach'', the Falcon was a UNSC aircraft that got so far as having a 3D model made. The Falcon was a twin seater fighter aircraft planned to be used by the UNSC Army. Originally intended to be a usable unit, stored in the UNSC airpad, it filled the role of strike fighter, packing enough firepower to destroy enemy vehicles and infantry with "Sidewinder" missiles and heavy armor-piercing guns. Like several other units, it was cut from the final game before it shipped.
In terms of design, the Falcon uses forward-swept wings (giving it an appearance similar to the 20th Century Wikipedia:Sukhoi Su-47|Sukhoi Su-47), which are used to provide stability during steep dives, indicating an emphasis in air-to-ground combat. Another, smaller set of wing flaps are attached to the ventral hull, possibly to improve stability. It also possesses two inward-angled vertical stabilizers at the rear, and missile pods attached to the base of the wing and the ventral hull. At the rear of the craft are twin jet thrusters, capable of tilting to allow VTOL capability. Retractable landing gear appears to be located at the wing tips.
In 2023, the Falcon was canonized as the F-23 Falcata, following a highly detailed model recreation made by 343 Industries 3D Character Artist :Category:Images by Fletcher Kinnear|Fletcher Kinnear under the alias Skaboodlydoodle. The model made by Kinnear was one of many done by him as part of a series of personal projects to bring several ''Halo Wars'' vehicles into the first-person shooter ''Halo'' games via modding, with other such recreations including the AV-22 Sparrowhawk, HRUNTING Mark III (S) Cyclops, M121 Jackrabbit, and . Thanks to the work of the concurrent Digsite project, Kinnear was able to use the original Ensemble-developed Falcon model for reference when making his higher-detail recreation, making it a drivable vehicle mod for ''Halo: Reach''. This process was documented in several videos on his YouTube channel, .
Due to the Falcon being a name taken by ''Reach''s utility helicopter, the aircraft was instead designated the Falcata, after the pre-Roman Iberian blade of the Wikipedia:Falcata|same name. This naming convention follows the UNSC's tradition of naming fighter aircraft after blades, with the name literally meaning "falcon-shaped," referencing the original ''Halo Wars'' Falcon designation.
File:HW Falcon Concept.jpg|Concept art of a squadron of Falcons in flight. File:HW Airpad Early Model.jpg|An early model for the UNSC Airpad, with several Falcons docked on the runway. Later builds would see these Falcons replaced with AV-22 Sparrowhawks, before the design was changed completely. File:HW Falcon Model.jpg|The finalised game model for the Falcon. File:HR Falcata Screenshot 1.jpg|The Falcata modded into ''Halo: Reach''.
The Fox Cannon was a United Nations Space Command|UNSC vehicle cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was to be a self-propelled artillery vehicle, capable of firing five shells per minute, and with great accuracy due to satellite targeting over a distance greater than 50 kilometers. The Fox was equipped with a 175mm cannon that shot the M179 projectile. Given its role, it was likely replaced by the SP42 Cobra.
File:HW_FoxCannon_Concept_1.jpg|thumb|Fox Cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Concept 2.jpg|Fox cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Render 1.jpg|Render of the Fox Cannon from the development of ''Halo Wars''. File:HW FoxCannon Render 2.jpg|Another render. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 1.jpg|Wireframe view of the Fox Cannon. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 2.jpg|Another wireframe view. File:HW - Prerelease - UNSC Barracks with units.png|Prerelease version of ''Halo Wars'' with the Fox Cannon in it.
The Leviathan Mobile Firebase is a UNSC vehicle concepted during the development of ''Halo Wars'', but evidently never implemented. The vehicle is similar in size to the M510 Mammoth|Mammoth, being many times the size of an M12 Warthog and serving as a mobile Firebase. The vehicle is seen to have several different configurations such as a "Suicide assault" variant with nose-mounted saw blades and a "Paris gun" variant equipped with a massive artillery cannon. However, the primary variant appears to be a vehicle that would fill a role similar to that fulfilled by the M312 Elephant in the final game, sporting numerous machine gun turrets, a mobile UNSC Barracks|barracks and the ability to tow a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, like that seen in the mission Reactor (Halo Wars level)|Reactor.
File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art. File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art.
Early on in the development of ''Halo Wars'', the M274 Mongoose was intended to be included. The vehicle got as far as having a model created and implemented in game, though by the time of the Halo Wars Alpha|"Sway" alpha, all that remained in the files was a handful of text strings referencing test_pj_mongoose.
To create this Mongoose model, Ensemble 3D artist Jenell Jaquays had to rely on observing screenshots of the Mongoose as seen in ''Halo 3'', as Bungie were unwilling to share the original model file with Ensemble.
File:HW - Prerelease - Mongoose.png|The Mongoose unit in an early build.
This prototype infantry unit was created by artist Gene Kohler. Little is known of it or its purpose in-game.
File:HW - Render - Prototype Unit.png
The Tiger Tank is a unit referenced in the game files. Little is known of it, except for the below icon.
File:HW Tiger Tank.png
Covenant
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The Covenant Air Artillery was a unit cut from ''Halo Wars'' some time prior to January 2008. The vehicle was to boast three plasma mortars, and was intended for use in a ground attack role - noted to be especially effective against static bases.
File:Covenant Air Artillery.jpg|The final air artillery model. File:HW covenant airArtillery concept.jpg|Concept art for this vehicle. File:HW-AirArtillery_WIP_Renders.jpg|A work-in-progress blockout of the Covenant Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_Render.jpg|Renders of the Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_HP_Render.jpg|A high-poly render of the Air Artillery.
The "Brute Tank" is a vehicle cut from the game, notable for its high similarity to the existing Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith. However, the Brute Tank instead comes equipped with a M512 smooth-bore high-velocity cannon|turret like those found on the M808B Scorpion|Scorpion tank. Text strings in the "Sway" alpha build reference brutetank_power_hack_obstruction, possibly meaning the tank was to have some form of hacking ability. Presumably, this vehicle was intended to be used by the Jiralhanae and their Avitus|Chieftain.
Although the Brute Tank icon found in the final release of ''Halo Wars'' depicts a Wraith with a Scorpion turret, some models seen in earlier builds have a more distinctive appearance of a Wraith with a more Covenant-style turret; these vehicles bear some resemblance to certain ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art, shown below. Another piece of concept art uploaded to ArtStation by Nathan Stefan shows a vehicle very similar to the Brute Tank, though the image itself is named gorgon-005 - this vehicle bears little resemblance to the #Gorgon|Gorgon, so the art's status is unclear.
Another icon depicts this vehicle with a dome shield-like ability.
File:HW_Brute_Tank.jpg|The Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Brute Tank (top-left) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A pair of Brute Tanks (lower-left) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW BruteTank Shield Icon.png|The Brute Tank shield icon. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Brute Tanks can be seen in the E3 2007 build promotional images. File:HW BruteTank Icon.png|The Brute Tank, bearing a Scorpion turret. File:HCE Wraith Concept 2.jpg|''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art by Shi Kai Wang, bearing heavy resemblance to the Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech.
The Chimera was a Covenant unit cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was a four-legged walker bearing slight resemblance to the , though with a more hunched appearance.
File:HW-Chimera_Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|The Chimera (bottom-left), seen alongside a handful of other WIP renders of various Covenant vehicles. File:HW Chimera Icon.png|An icon for the Chimera from the in-game unit selection.
Found in some screenshots and an animation reel uploaded by animator Charles Tinney, the Elite Ranger was evidently to be a flying infantry unit. Their design is that of the Sangheili Ranger|Elite Rangers found in ''Halo 2''.
File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Several Rangers can be found in the mid-back of this promotional screenshot. File:HW_EliteRanger_Unit.png|The Ranger unit, as seen in Tinney's animation reel.
Named only in game files, the Gargoyle was intended to be a Covenant bomber aircraft. In the final game, a menu icon is still present in the files to represent the unit.
File:HW Gargoyle.jpg File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Gargoyle (top-right) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A trio of Gargoyles (lower-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Gargoyle UI Icon.png|The Gargoyle's UI icon.
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The Gorgon was a vehicle created for the Covenant and intended for use in the anti-air role. The vehicle was envisioned as a walker equipped with a needle cannon, used to attack air targets. The vehicle's mech-based nature conflicted with Ensemble's philosophy that anything with legs was considered infantry, and the overwhelming abundance of Covenant ground vehicles - combined with the relative lack of aircraft - ultimately led to the Gorgon being scrapped and replaced with the . A very similar vehicle; the Reaver, was later implemented in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Interestingly, a later Artstation upload by Nathan Stefan titled gorgon-005.jpg depicts a vehicle more similar in nature to the Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith or similarly-cut #Brute Tank|Brute Tank.
File:HW Gorgon Render.jpg|The cut Gorgon mech. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech. File:HW Gorgon MenuIcon.png|The Gorgon's menu icon in the final build of ''Halo Wars''.
Named in an image upload by artist Don Gagen, the Hydra was intended to be a Covenant aircraft.
File:HW-Hydra Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Hydra (top-middle) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|Several Hydras (top-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Hydra MenuIcon.png|The Hydra's icon, seen in the final game.
Present in the "Sway" alpha, the Recon Drone appears on an early version of the map Repository as a unit buildable in the map's central Sentinel factory alongside Aggressor Sentinels. Despite this Forerunner construction and neutral placement, the Recon Drone takes the form of a Yanme'e. The Drone has a complete model and animations, and is able to fly at high speeds around the map. True to its name, the Drone has no attacks, and is instead only intended for scouting.
File:HW Drone Sculpt.jpg|The high-poly sculpt of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Textured.jpg|The textured final unit of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Alpha.png|The Recon Drone in the internal alpha. File:HWDE Drone Cut.png|The Recon Drone found in Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.
Seen in the Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2007 build and on the box art for ''Halo Wars'', among other promotional screenshots, is the Protos-pattern Scarab|Type-47A "Protos" Scarab - the Scarab variant notably found in the ''Halo 2'' campaign levels ''Outskirts'', ''Metropolis'' and ''The Great Journey''. In the final ''Halo Wars'' game, the design notably used in ''Halo 3'', ''Halo 3: ODST'' and ''Halo: Reach'' is used.
In the E3 2007 demo, the Scarab appears near the end in a short viginette, climbing out of a Forerunner underground shaft. The Scarab proceeds to rampage across the battlefield, destroying several tanks and other units, and must ultimately be destroyed via Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC orbital bombardment.
File:HW Scarab Concept.jpg|Concept art depicting this Type-47A variant. File:HW Screenshots Screens 1.jpg|Multiple Scarabs in an early build of the game. File:Hornet war.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab fighting Hornets. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab seen right, firing on the UNSC force. File:HW Screenshots 005.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab can be seen on the bottom-left of this image. File:HW Screenshots E07 3.jpg|Another screenshot of the Scarab. File:HW E307 Scarab.png|The Scarab as it appears in the Halo Wars E3 2007 Demo|''Halo Wars'' E3 demo.
Forerunner
While the Sentinels do appear on many maps and levels of the final ''Halo Wars'' game, this Sentinel design in particular does not. While superficially similar to the final game's Super Sentinel in design and proportion, it has a number of very notable differences; predominantly the massive size it has compared to most other units in the game. The unit was intended to appear on the campaign level ''Cleansing'' as a boss enemy, though was ultimately cut. The model for the Sentinel remains in the game files, unused. An image of the Sentinel in-game appears to show it emitting plasma mortar-like projectiles firing at the Flood forces below.
Interestingly, this design was later brought back almost unchanged in ''Halo Wars 2'' as the Protector Sentinel (Installation 00)|Protector Sentinel.
File:HW_BossSentinel_Concept.jpg|Concept art of this Sentinel design. File:HW_BossSentinel_HiPoly.jpg|A hi-poly render of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Wireframe.jpg|A wireframe of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Render.jpg|A textured render of the early Sentinel. File:HW BossSentinel InGame.jpg|The Sentinel boss in-game, demonstrating its massive size. File:HW2 Blitz Protector Sentinel.png|A List of Blitz cards|Blitz card illustration of the Protector Sentinel, as it appears in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Ambient AI
A number of maps in ''Halo Wars'' feature neutral AI factions such as Unidentified insurrectionist group|rebels, Sentinels and Flood. These factions will typically be hostile to both the UNSC and Covenant. A number of additional factions were intended to be implemented in the game. These factions were developed under the codename of "creep", and include the following. Heretics One possible creep faction intended to be included in ''Halo Wars'' were the Covenant List of known Covenant heretics|heretics - those who sought fit to defy the Covenant religion. Concept art reveals that Sangheili were intended to be soldiers in this faction, while unused files within the releases of ''Halo Wars'' and ''Halo Wars: Definitive Edition'' showcase additional Heretic Unggoy|Grunts. An additional texture file known as creep_heretic_ghost_01 indicates the Heretics would have access to the Ghost vehicle; piloted by a Sangheili.
File:HW Heretics Concept.jpg|Concept art for the Heretic Elites. File:HW HereticGrunts.png|The Heretic Grunts; spawned in via modding. File:HW HereticGrunt Icon.png|The in-game unit icon for the Heretic Grunts.
Jackal pirates Another cut creep faction that would have been included are the Kig-Yar Piracy|pirates. Files for the Jackals are still available within ''Halo Wars'', allowing the units to be spawned in via modding. The Jackals were to spawn in squads of four, armed with Type-25 plasma pistol|plasma pistols or Type-33 needler|needlers. The pirates would also have access to Kig-Yar Snipers armed with Type-50 particle beam rifle|beam rifles.
File:HW JackalCreep Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW JackalCreep Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW Jackal Early Design.jpg|The final model for the pirates. File:HW JackalPirate Needlers.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with needlers. File:HW_JackalPirate_PlasmaPistols.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with plasma pistols. File:HW JackalPirate Snipers.png|The Jackal Pirate snipers.
Rebels While an unidentified insurrectionist group does appear in the final ''Halo Wars'' game on maps set on Harvest and Arcadia, released concept art indicates the rebels were intended to be much-more fleshed out. Released concept art showcases a rebel "sci-trooper" wielding an Electromagnetic pulse|EMP gun and an insurrectionist-branded M12G1 Gauss Warthog|Gauss Warthog.
File:HW SciTrooper Rebel Concept.jpg|Concept art for the rebel sci-trooper and EMP gun. File:HW_RebelSniper_Warthog_Concept.png|Concept art for the rebel sniper units which were included in ''Halo Wars'', and the cut Warthog.
Alongside the neutral factions, ''Halo Wars'' was intended to feature fauna as ambient AI in the game world. Some of these creatures were only concepted, while others were even modelled and textured for in-game implementation. For a list of other ambient life cut from other ''Halo'' games, see List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|this page. Arctic beast The arctic beast was a creature concepted, modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', likely intended to spawn on maps set in the polar regions of Harvest. This creature was later canonised in 2015's ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'' as the ''Chaefka''; a species of life indexed by the Forerunners and present on Installation 00|The Ark. The following year's ''Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo|Halo Mythos'' saw a scene from the book visualised with a new illustration, using the arctic beast's design almost entirely unaltered.
File:HW ArcticBeast Concept.jpg|Concept art for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast HiPoly.jpg|The high-poly sculpt for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast Render.jpg|The textured low-poly model for the arctic beast. File:HM-Chaefka.jpeg|An official illustration of the ''Chaefka'' from ''Halo Mythos''.
Arctic ice hound
}}
This creature was one of a number of concepts developed during the discussions of the wildlife of Harvest. It was concepted and even modelled and textured, though cut from release.
File:HW ArcticIceHound Concept.jpg|Concept art of the creature. File:HW ArcticIceHound Render.jpg|A textured 3D model of the creature.
Thorn beast The thorn beasts are another cut creature seen fully modelled, textured and animated; they are present in the ''Halo Wars'' Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2008 build and can be seen walking around the map around thirteen minutes into the demo. They do not appear to attack UNSC forces. Thorn beasts remain canon in the ''Halo'' setting; with the Avitus|Chieftain character said to particularly enjoy eating them; they were later featured in the novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest'' as a delicacy enjoyed by the crew of ''Rapid Conversion''.
Interestingly, ''Halo Wars'' is not the first time the thorn beasts were developed to appear in a ''Halo'' game; they were originally designed by Paul Russel during the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', where they were modelled with an identical design and similarly cut.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|Paul Russel's original thorn beast model for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:HW Unit Thorn Beast.png|A thorn beast can be seen in this image taken from the E3 2008 demo build of ''Halo Wars''.
Space owl
}}
The so-called "space owl" is another ambient creature concepted but ultimately never implemented in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was described as having a wingspan of six feet.
File:HW SpaceOwl Concept.jpg|Concept art for the creature.
Harvest whale
}}
The Harvest whale was designed as part of the exploration for the wildlife of Harvest. This creature would likely not be seen as an ambient AI on the map, but instead a dead body appearing in the environment.
File:HW HarvestWhale Concept.jpg|Concept art for the whale.
Oxyaena The oxyaena is another creature fully modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was present in the game's E3 2008 demo, and can be seen wandering the map at around one minute into the demo.
File:HW Oxyaena Render.jpg|The model created for the oxyanea. File:HW Unit Oxyaena.png|The oxyanea in the E3 2008 demo.
Other creatures These creatures have also been showcased in various work uploads related to ''Halo Wars''. Little is known of their design intent or purpose, and are thus presented below.
File:HW EelSnake Concept.jpg|Concept art for an eel-like creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 1.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 2.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature.
Sources
Category:Halo Wars deleted material
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File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|300px|thumb|A number of cut Covenant units including the Gargoyle, Hydra and Brute Tank.
During the Development of Halo Wars|development of ''Halo Wars'', a number of units were concepted, prototyped and cut from the game.
UNSC
The Cougar was designed as a UNSC AFV, equipped with two M68 Gauss cannons. Although anti-heavy armor fire would blow the Cougar away quite easily, this vehicle was highly effective in holding off enemy armored vehicles until slower armored units could arrive at the battlefield. The Cougar had gained infamy in several urban tactical situations prior to the deployments in the war against the Covenant.
It appeared as a somewhat standard armored fighting vehicle with two wheels up front and two pairs in the rear. It bore a small mounted turret armed with two M68 Gauss cannons, as well as a machine gun or grenade launcher on other concept art. There was a windscreen on its forward body, with two side windows to provide a fairly high amount of visibility for the driver, which would have proved useful. It would have been able to reach a top speed of 90 mph.
The Cougar was ultimately cut from the game in favor of other vehicle ideas. Its shape may have proved the inspiration of the SP42 Cobra, as its role in ''Halo Wars'' was originally an anti-vehicle unit. The Cougar bears a striking resemblance to the World War II armored car, the Wikipedia:M8 Greyhound|M8 Greyhound.
The vehicle was later fully-canonized as the M35 Cougar in the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'', with the vehicle's lore and armament closely matching the lore flavor text given in the original concept art. The Cougar was one of several potential ideas suggested by MEGA Construx in a 2022 fan vote for which set should be created next. Concept art for the Cougar was provided alongside the Reaver, Warden Eternal and Flood invasion at Traxus Tower. The Cougar ultimately lost the vote.
File:HW Cougar Concept 3.jpg|Early concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 1.jpg|Finalised concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 2.jpg|The final Cougar model. File:HW Cougar Model.jpg|What the Cougar would have looked like in-game.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo 2 vehicles|cut vehicle of the same name from ''Halo 2'' or the UH-144 Falcon|tiltrotor helicopter that appeared in ''Halo: Reach'', the Falcon was a UNSC aircraft that got so far as having a 3D model made. The Falcon was a twin seater fighter aircraft planned to be used by the UNSC Army. Originally intended to be a usable unit, stored in the UNSC airpad, it filled the role of strike fighter, packing enough firepower to destroy enemy vehicles and infantry with "Sidewinder" missiles and heavy armor-piercing guns. Like several other units, it was cut from the final game before it shipped.
In terms of design, the Falcon uses forward-swept wings (giving it an appearance similar to the 20th Century Wikipedia:Sukhoi Su-47|Sukhoi Su-47), which are used to provide stability during steep dives, indicating an emphasis in air-to-ground combat. Another, smaller set of wing flaps are attached to the ventral hull, possibly to improve stability. It also possesses two inward-angled vertical stabilizers at the rear, and missile pods attached to the base of the wing and the ventral hull. At the rear of the craft are twin jet thrusters, capable of tilting to allow VTOL capability. Retractable landing gear appears to be located at the wing tips.
In 2023, the Falcon was canonized as the F-23 Falcata, following a highly detailed model recreation made by 343 Industries 3D Character Artist :Category:Images by Fletcher Kinnear|Fletcher Kinnear under the alias Skaboodlydoodle. The model made by Kinnear was one of many done by him as part of a series of personal projects to bring several ''Halo Wars'' vehicles into the first-person shooter ''Halo'' games via modding, with other such recreations including the AV-22 Sparrowhawk, HRUNTING Mark III (S) Cyclops, M121 Jackrabbit, and . Thanks to the work of the concurrent Digsite project, Kinnear was able to use the original Ensemble-developed Falcon model for reference when making his higher-detail recreation, making it a drivable vehicle mod for ''Halo: Reach''. This process was documented in several videos on his YouTube channel, .
Due to the Falcon being a name taken by ''Reach''s utility helicopter, the aircraft was instead designated the Falcata, after the pre-Roman Iberian blade of the Wikipedia:Falcata|same name. This naming convention follows the UNSC's tradition of naming fighter aircraft after blades, with the name literally meaning "falcon-shaped," referencing the original ''Halo Wars'' Falcon designation.
File:HW Falcon Concept.jpg|Concept art of a squadron of Falcons in flight. File:HW Airpad Early Model.jpg|An early model for the UNSC Airpad, with several Falcons docked on the runway. Later builds would see these Falcons replaced with AV-22 Sparrowhawks, before the design was changed completely. File:HW Falcon Model.jpg|The finalised game model for the Falcon. File:HR Falcata Screenshot 1.jpg|The Falcata modded into ''Halo: Reach''.
The Fox Cannon was a United Nations Space Command|UNSC vehicle cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was to be a self-propelled artillery vehicle, capable of firing five shells per minute, and with great accuracy due to satellite targeting over a distance greater than 50 kilometers. The Fox was equipped with a 175mm cannon that shot the M179 projectile. Given its role, it was likely replaced by the SP42 Cobra.
File:HW_FoxCannon_Concept_1.jpg|thumb|Fox Cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Concept 2.jpg|Fox cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Render 1.jpg|Render of the Fox Cannon from the development of ''Halo Wars''. File:HW FoxCannon Render 2.jpg|Another render. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 1.jpg|Wireframe view of the Fox Cannon. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 2.jpg|Another wireframe view. File:HW - Prerelease - UNSC Barracks with units.png|Prerelease version of ''Halo Wars'' with the Fox Cannon in it.
The Leviathan Mobile Firebase is a UNSC vehicle concepted during the development of ''Halo Wars'', but evidently never implemented. The vehicle is similar in size to the M510 Mammoth|Mammoth, being many times the size of an M12 Warthog and serving as a mobile Firebase. The vehicle is seen to have several different configurations such as a "Suicide assault" variant with nose-mounted saw blades and a "Paris gun" variant equipped with a massive artillery cannon. However, the primary variant appears to be a vehicle that would fill a role similar to that fulfilled by the M312 Elephant in the final game, sporting numerous machine gun turrets, a mobile UNSC Barracks|barracks and the ability to tow a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, like that seen in the mission Reactor (Halo Wars level)|Reactor.
File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art. File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art.
Early on in the development of ''Halo Wars'', the M274 Mongoose was intended to be included. The vehicle got as far as having a model created and implemented in game, though by the time of the Halo Wars Alpha|"Sway" alpha, all that remained in the files was a handful of text strings referencing test_pj_mongoose.
To create this Mongoose model, Ensemble 3D artist Jenell Jaquays had to rely on observing screenshots of the Mongoose as seen in ''Halo 3'', as Bungie were unwilling to share the original model file with Ensemble.
File:HW - Prerelease - Mongoose.png|The Mongoose unit in an early build.
This prototype infantry unit was created by artist Gene Kohler. Little is known of it or its purpose in-game.
File:HW - Render - Prototype Unit.png
The Tiger Tank is a unit referenced in the game files. Little is known of it, except for the below icon.
File:HW Tiger Tank.png
Covenant
}}
The Covenant Air Artillery was a unit cut from ''Halo Wars'' some time prior to January 2008. The vehicle was to boast three plasma mortars, and was intended for use in a ground attack role - noted to be especially effective against static bases.
File:Covenant Air Artillery.jpg|The final air artillery model. File:HW covenant airArtillery concept.jpg|Concept art for this vehicle. File:HW-AirArtillery_WIP_Renders.jpg|A work-in-progress blockout of the Covenant Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_Render.jpg|Renders of the Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_HP_Render.jpg|A high-poly render of the Air Artillery.
The "Brute Tank" is a vehicle cut from the game, notable for its high similarity to the existing Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith. However, the Brute Tank instead comes equipped with a M512 smooth-bore high-velocity cannon|turret like those found on the M808B Scorpion|Scorpion tank. Text strings in the "Sway" alpha build reference brutetank_power_hack_obstruction, possibly meaning the tank was to have some form of hacking ability. Presumably, this vehicle was intended to be used by the Jiralhanae and their Avitus|Chieftain.
Although the Brute Tank icon found in the final release of ''Halo Wars'' depicts a Wraith with a Scorpion turret, some models seen in earlier builds have a more distinctive appearance of a Wraith with a more Covenant-style turret; these vehicles bear some resemblance to certain ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art, shown below. Another piece of concept art uploaded to ArtStation by Nathan Stefan shows a vehicle very similar to the Brute Tank, though the image itself is named gorgon-005 - this vehicle bears little resemblance to the #Gorgon|Gorgon, so the art's status is unclear.
Another icon depicts this vehicle with a dome shield-like ability.
File:HW_Brute_Tank.jpg|The Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Brute Tank (top-left) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A pair of Brute Tanks (lower-left) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW BruteTank Shield Icon.png|The Brute Tank shield icon. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Brute Tanks can be seen in the E3 2007 build promotional images. File:HW BruteTank Icon.png|The Brute Tank, bearing a Scorpion turret. File:HCE Wraith Concept 2.jpg|''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art by Shi Kai Wang, bearing heavy resemblance to the Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech.
The Chimera was a Covenant unit cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was a four-legged walker bearing slight resemblance to the , though with a more hunched appearance.
File:HW-Chimera_Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|The Chimera (bottom-left), seen alongside a handful of other WIP renders of various Covenant vehicles. File:HW Chimera Icon.png|An icon for the Chimera from the in-game unit selection.
Found in some screenshots and an animation reel uploaded by animator Charles Tinney, the Elite Ranger was evidently to be a flying infantry unit. Their design is that of the Sangheili Ranger|Elite Rangers found in ''Halo 2''.
File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Several Rangers can be found in the mid-back of this promotional screenshot. File:HW_EliteRanger_Unit.png|The Ranger unit, as seen in Tinney's animation reel.
Named only in game files, the Gargoyle was intended to be a Covenant bomber aircraft. In the final game, a menu icon is still present in the files to represent the unit.
File:HW Gargoyle.jpg File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Gargoyle (top-right) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A trio of Gargoyles (lower-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Gargoyle UI Icon.png|The Gargoyle's UI icon.
}}
The Gorgon was a vehicle created for the Covenant and intended for use in the anti-air role. The vehicle was envisioned as a walker equipped with a needle cannon, used to attack air targets. The vehicle's mech-based nature conflicted with Ensemble's philosophy that anything with legs was considered infantry, and the overwhelming abundance of Covenant ground vehicles - combined with the relative lack of aircraft - ultimately led to the Gorgon being scrapped and replaced with the . A very similar vehicle; the Reaver, was later implemented in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Interestingly, a later Artstation upload by Nathan Stefan titled gorgon-005.jpg depicts a vehicle more similar in nature to the Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith or similarly-cut #Brute Tank|Brute Tank.
File:HW Gorgon Render.jpg|The cut Gorgon mech. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech. File:HW Gorgon MenuIcon.png|The Gorgon's menu icon in the final build of ''Halo Wars''.
Named in an image upload by artist Don Gagen, the Hydra was intended to be a Covenant aircraft.
File:HW-Hydra Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Hydra (top-middle) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|Several Hydras (top-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Hydra MenuIcon.png|The Hydra's icon, seen in the final game.
Present in the "Sway" alpha, the Recon Drone appears on an early version of the map Repository as a unit buildable in the map's central Sentinel factory alongside Aggressor Sentinels. Despite this Forerunner construction and neutral placement, the Recon Drone takes the form of a Yanme'e. The Drone has a complete model and animations, and is able to fly at high speeds around the map. True to its name, the Drone has no attacks, and is instead only intended for scouting.
File:HW Drone Sculpt.jpg|The high-poly sculpt of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Textured.jpg|The textured final unit of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Alpha.png|The Recon Drone in the internal alpha. File:HWDE Drone Cut.png|The Recon Drone found in Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.
Seen in the Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2007 build and on the box art for ''Halo Wars'', among other promotional screenshots, is the Protos-pattern Scarab|Type-47A "Protos" Scarab - the Scarab variant notably found in the ''Halo 2'' campaign levels ''Outskirts'', ''Metropolis'' and ''The Great Journey''. In the final ''Halo Wars'' game, the design notably used in ''Halo 3'', ''Halo 3: ODST'' and ''Halo: Reach'' is used.
In the E3 2007 demo, the Scarab appears near the end in a short viginette, climbing out of a Forerunner underground shaft. The Scarab proceeds to rampage across the battlefield, destroying several tanks and other units, and must ultimately be destroyed via Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC orbital bombardment.
File:HW Scarab Concept.jpg|Concept art depicting this Type-47A variant. File:HW Screenshots Screens 1.jpg|Multiple Scarabs in an early build of the game. File:Hornet war.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab fighting Hornets. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab seen right, firing on the UNSC force. File:HW Screenshots 005.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab can be seen on the bottom-left of this image. File:HW Screenshots E07 3.jpg|Another screenshot of the Scarab. File:HW E307 Scarab.png|The Scarab as it appears in the Halo Wars E3 2007 Demo|''Halo Wars'' E3 demo.
Forerunner
While the Sentinels do appear on many maps and levels of the final ''Halo Wars'' game, this Sentinel design in particular does not. While superficially similar to the final game's Super Sentinel in design and proportion, it has a number of very notable differences; predominantly the massive size it has compared to most other units in the game. The unit was intended to appear on the campaign level ''Cleansing'' as a boss enemy, though was ultimately cut. The model for the Sentinel remains in the game files, unused. An image of the Sentinel in-game appears to show it emitting plasma mortar-like projectiles firing at the Flood forces below.
Interestingly, this design was later brought back almost unchanged in ''Halo Wars 2'' as the Protector Sentinel (Installation 00)|Protector Sentinel.
File:HW_BossSentinel_Concept.jpg|Concept art of this Sentinel design. File:HW_BossSentinel_HiPoly.jpg|A hi-poly render of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Wireframe.jpg|A wireframe of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Render.jpg|A textured render of the early Sentinel. File:HW BossSentinel InGame.jpg|The Sentinel boss in-game, demonstrating its massive size. File:HW2 Blitz Protector Sentinel.png|A List of Blitz cards|Blitz card illustration of the Protector Sentinel, as it appears in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Ambient AI
A number of maps in ''Halo Wars'' feature neutral AI factions such as Unidentified insurrectionist group|rebels, Sentinels and Flood. These factions will typically be hostile to both the UNSC and Covenant. A number of additional factions were intended to be implemented in the game. These factions were developed under the codename of "creep", and include the following. Heretics One possible creep faction intended to be included in ''Halo Wars'' were the Covenant List of known Covenant heretics|heretics - those who sought fit to defy the Covenant religion. Concept art reveals that Sangheili were intended to be soldiers in this faction, while unused files within the releases of ''Halo Wars'' and ''Halo Wars: Definitive Edition'' showcase additional Heretic Unggoy|Grunts. An additional texture file known as creep_heretic_ghost_01 indicates the Heretics would have access to the Ghost vehicle; piloted by a Sangheili.
File:HW Heretics Concept.jpg|Concept art for the Heretic Elites. File:HW HereticGrunts.png|The Heretic Grunts; spawned in via modding. File:HW HereticGrunt Icon.png|The in-game unit icon for the Heretic Grunts.
Jackal pirates Another cut creep faction that would have been included are the Kig-Yar Piracy|pirates. Files for the Jackals are still available within ''Halo Wars'', allowing the units to be spawned in via modding. The Jackals were to spawn in squads of four, armed with Type-25 plasma pistol|plasma pistols or Type-33 needler|needlers. The pirates would also have access to Kig-Yar Snipers armed with Type-50 particle beam rifle|beam rifles.
File:HW JackalCreep Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW JackalCreep Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW Jackal Early Design.jpg|The final model for the pirates. File:HW JackalPirate Needlers.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with needlers. File:HW_JackalPirate_PlasmaPistols.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with plasma pistols. File:HW JackalPirate Snipers.png|The Jackal Pirate snipers.
Rebels While an unidentified insurrectionist group does appear in the final ''Halo Wars'' game on maps set on Harvest and Arcadia, released concept art indicates the rebels were intended to be much-more fleshed out. Released concept art showcases a rebel "sci-trooper" wielding an Electromagnetic pulse|EMP gun and an insurrectionist-branded M12G1 Gauss Warthog|Gauss Warthog.
File:HW SciTrooper Rebel Concept.jpg|Concept art for the rebel sci-trooper and EMP gun. File:HW_RebelSniper_Warthog_Concept.png|Concept art for the rebel sniper units which were included in ''Halo Wars'', and the cut Warthog.
Alongside the neutral factions, ''Halo Wars'' was intended to feature fauna as ambient AI in the game world. Some of these creatures were only concepted, while others were even modelled and textured for in-game implementation. For a list of other ambient life cut from other ''Halo'' games, see List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|this page. Arctic beast The arctic beast was a creature concepted, modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', likely intended to spawn on maps set in the polar regions of Harvest. This creature was later canonised in 2015's ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'' as the ''Chaefka''; a species of life indexed by the Forerunners and present on Installation 00|The Ark. The following year's ''Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo|Halo Mythos'' saw a scene from the book visualised with a new illustration, using the arctic beast's design almost entirely unaltered.
File:HW ArcticBeast Concept.jpg|Concept art for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast HiPoly.jpg|The high-poly sculpt for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast Render.jpg|The textured low-poly model for the arctic beast. File:HM-Chaefka.jpeg|An official illustration of the ''Chaefka'' from ''Halo Mythos''.
Arctic ice hound
}}
This creature was one of a number of concepts developed during the discussions of the wildlife of Harvest. It was concepted and even modelled and textured, though cut from release.
File:HW ArcticIceHound Concept.jpg|Concept art of the creature. File:HW ArcticIceHound Render.jpg|A textured 3D model of the creature.
Thorn beast The thorn beasts are another cut creature seen fully modelled, textured and animated; they are present in the ''Halo Wars'' Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2008 build and can be seen walking around the map around thirteen minutes into the demo. They do not appear to attack UNSC forces. Thorn beasts remain canon in the ''Halo'' setting; with the Avitus|Chieftain character said to particularly enjoy eating them; they were later featured in the novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest'' as a delicacy enjoyed by the crew of ''Rapid Conversion''.
Interestingly, ''Halo Wars'' is not the first time the thorn beasts were developed to appear in a ''Halo'' game; they were originally designed by Paul Russel during the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', where they were modelled with an identical design and similarly cut.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|Paul Russel's original thorn beast model for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:HW Unit Thorn Beast.png|A thorn beast can be seen in this image taken from the E3 2008 demo build of ''Halo Wars''.
Space owl
}}
The so-called "space owl" is another ambient creature concepted but ultimately never implemented in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was described as having a wingspan of six feet.
File:HW SpaceOwl Concept.jpg|Concept art for the creature.
Harvest whale
}}
The Harvest whale was designed as part of the exploration for the wildlife of Harvest. This creature would likely not be seen as an ambient AI on the map, but instead a dead body appearing in the environment.
File:HW HarvestWhale Concept.jpg|Concept art for the whale.
Oxyaena The oxyaena is another creature fully modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was present in the game's E3 2008 demo, and can be seen wandering the map at around one minute into the demo.
File:HW Oxyaena Render.jpg|The model created for the oxyanea. File:HW Unit Oxyaena.png|The oxyanea in the E3 2008 demo.
Other creatures These creatures have also been showcased in various work uploads related to ''Halo Wars''. Little is known of their design intent or purpose, and are thus presented below.
File:HW EelSnake Concept.jpg|Concept art for an eel-like creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 1.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 2.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature.
Sources
Category:Halo Wars deleted material
|
File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|300px|thumb|A number of cut Covenant units including the Gargoyle, Hydra and Brute Tank.
During the Development of Halo Wars|development of ''Halo Wars'', a number of units were concepted, prototyped and cut from the game.
UNSC
The Cougar was designed as a UNSC AFV, equipped with two M68 Gauss cannons. Although anti-heavy armor fire would blow the Cougar away quite easily, this vehicle was highly effective in holding off enemy armored vehicles until slower armored units could arrive at the battlefield. The Cougar had gained infamy in several urban tactical situations prior to the deployments in the war against the Covenant.
It appeared as a somewhat standard armored fighting vehicle with two wheels up front and two pairs in the rear. It bore a small mounted turret armed with two M68 Gauss cannons, as well as a machine gun or grenade launcher on other concept art. There was a windscreen on its forward body, with two side windows to provide a fairly high amount of visibility for the driver, which would have proved useful. It would have been able to reach a top speed of 90 mph.
The Cougar was ultimately cut from the game in favor of other vehicle ideas. Its shape may have proved the inspiration of the SP42 Cobra, as its role in ''Halo Wars'' was originally an anti-vehicle unit. The Cougar bears a striking resemblance to the World War II armored car, the Wikipedia:M8 Greyhound|M8 Greyhound.
The vehicle was later fully-canonized as the M35 Cougar in the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'', with the vehicle's lore and armament closely matching the lore flavor text given in the original concept art. The Cougar was one of several potential ideas suggested by MEGA Construx in a 2022 fan vote for which set should be created next. Concept art for the Cougar was provided alongside the Reaver, Warden Eternal and Flood invasion at Traxus Tower. The Cougar ultimately lost the vote.
File:HW Cougar Concept 3.jpg|Early concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 1.jpg|Finalised concept art of the Cougar. File:HW Cougar Concept 2.jpg|The final Cougar model. File:HW Cougar Model.jpg|What the Cougar would have looked like in-game.
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo 2 vehicles|cut vehicle of the same name from ''Halo 2'' or the UH-144 Falcon|tiltrotor helicopter that appeared in ''Halo: Reach'', the Falcon was a UNSC aircraft that got so far as having a 3D model made. The Falcon was a twin seater fighter aircraft planned to be used by the UNSC Army. Originally intended to be a usable unit, stored in the UNSC airpad, it filled the role of strike fighter, packing enough firepower to destroy enemy vehicles and infantry with "Sidewinder" missiles and heavy armor-piercing guns. Like several other units, it was cut from the final game before it shipped.
In terms of design, the Falcon uses forward-swept wings (giving it an appearance similar to the 20th Century Wikipedia:Sukhoi Su-47|Sukhoi Su-47), which are used to provide stability during steep dives, indicating an emphasis in air-to-ground combat. Another, smaller set of wing flaps are attached to the ventral hull, possibly to improve stability. It also possesses two inward-angled vertical stabilizers at the rear, and missile pods attached to the base of the wing and the ventral hull. At the rear of the craft are twin jet thrusters, capable of tilting to allow VTOL capability. Retractable landing gear appears to be located at the wing tips.
In 2023, the Falcon was canonized as the F-23 Falcata, following a highly detailed model recreation made by 343 Industries 3D Character Artist :Category:Images by Fletcher Kinnear|Fletcher Kinnear under the alias Skaboodlydoodle. The model made by Kinnear was one of many done by him as part of a series of personal projects to bring several ''Halo Wars'' vehicles into the first-person shooter ''Halo'' games via modding, with other such recreations including the AV-22 Sparrowhawk, HRUNTING Mark III (S) Cyclops, M121 Jackrabbit, and . Thanks to the work of the concurrent Digsite project, Kinnear was able to use the original Ensemble-developed Falcon model for reference when making his higher-detail recreation, making it a drivable vehicle mod for ''Halo: Reach''. This process was documented in several videos on his YouTube channel, .
Due to the Falcon being a name taken by ''Reach''s utility helicopter, the aircraft was instead designated the Falcata, after the pre-Roman Iberian blade of the Wikipedia:Falcata|same name. This naming convention follows the UNSC's tradition of naming fighter aircraft after blades, with the name literally meaning "falcon-shaped," referencing the original ''Halo Wars'' Falcon designation.
File:HW Falcon Concept.jpg|Concept art of a squadron of Falcons in flight. File:HW Airpad Early Model.jpg|An early model for the UNSC Airpad, with several Falcons docked on the runway. Later builds would see these Falcons replaced with AV-22 Sparrowhawks, before the design was changed completely. File:HW Falcon Model.jpg|The finalised game model for the Falcon. File:HR Falcata Screenshot 1.jpg|The Falcata modded into ''Halo: Reach''.
The Fox Cannon was a United Nations Space Command|UNSC vehicle cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was to be a self-propelled artillery vehicle, capable of firing five shells per minute, and with great accuracy due to satellite targeting over a distance greater than 50 kilometers. The Fox was equipped with a 175mm cannon that shot the M179 projectile. Given its role, it was likely replaced by the SP42 Cobra.
File:HW_FoxCannon_Concept_1.jpg|thumb|Fox Cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Concept 2.jpg|Fox cannon concept art. File:HW FoxCannon Render 1.jpg|Render of the Fox Cannon from the development of ''Halo Wars''. File:HW FoxCannon Render 2.jpg|Another render. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 1.jpg|Wireframe view of the Fox Cannon. File:HW FoxCannon Wireframe 2.jpg|Another wireframe view. File:HW - Prerelease - UNSC Barracks with units.png|Prerelease version of ''Halo Wars'' with the Fox Cannon in it.
The Leviathan Mobile Firebase is a UNSC vehicle concepted during the development of ''Halo Wars'', but evidently never implemented. The vehicle is similar in size to the M510 Mammoth|Mammoth, being many times the size of an M12 Warthog and serving as a mobile Firebase. The vehicle is seen to have several different configurations such as a "Suicide assault" variant with nose-mounted saw blades and a "Paris gun" variant equipped with a massive artillery cannon. However, the primary variant appears to be a vehicle that would fill a role similar to that fulfilled by the M312 Elephant in the final game, sporting numerous machine gun turrets, a mobile UNSC Barracks|barracks and the ability to tow a Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine, like that seen in the mission Reactor (Halo Wars level)|Reactor.
File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art. File:HW_LeviathanFirebase_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art.
Early on in the development of ''Halo Wars'', the M274 Mongoose was intended to be included. The vehicle got as far as having a model created and implemented in game, though by the time of the Halo Wars Alpha|"Sway" alpha, all that remained in the files was a handful of text strings referencing test_pj_mongoose.
To create this Mongoose model, Ensemble 3D artist Jenell Jaquays had to rely on observing screenshots of the Mongoose as seen in ''Halo 3'', as Bungie were unwilling to share the original model file with Ensemble.
File:HW - Prerelease - Mongoose.png|The Mongoose unit in an early build.
This prototype infantry unit was created by artist Gene Kohler. Little is known of it or its purpose in-game.
File:HW - Render - Prototype Unit.png
The Tiger Tank is a unit referenced in the game files. Little is known of it, except for the below icon.
File:HW Tiger Tank.png
Covenant
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The Covenant Air Artillery was a unit cut from ''Halo Wars'' some time prior to January 2008. The vehicle was to boast three plasma mortars, and was intended for use in a ground attack role - noted to be especially effective against static bases.
File:Covenant Air Artillery.jpg|The final air artillery model. File:HW covenant airArtillery concept.jpg|Concept art for this vehicle. File:HW-AirArtillery_WIP_Renders.jpg|A work-in-progress blockout of the Covenant Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_Render.jpg|Renders of the Air Artillery. File:HW-AirArtillery_HP_Render.jpg|A high-poly render of the Air Artillery.
The "Brute Tank" is a vehicle cut from the game, notable for its high similarity to the existing Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith. However, the Brute Tank instead comes equipped with a M512 smooth-bore high-velocity cannon|turret like those found on the M808B Scorpion|Scorpion tank. Text strings in the "Sway" alpha build reference brutetank_power_hack_obstruction, possibly meaning the tank was to have some form of hacking ability. Presumably, this vehicle was intended to be used by the Jiralhanae and their Avitus|Chieftain.
Although the Brute Tank icon found in the final release of ''Halo Wars'' depicts a Wraith with a Scorpion turret, some models seen in earlier builds have a more distinctive appearance of a Wraith with a more Covenant-style turret; these vehicles bear some resemblance to certain ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art, shown below. Another piece of concept art uploaded to ArtStation by Nathan Stefan shows a vehicle very similar to the Brute Tank, though the image itself is named gorgon-005 - this vehicle bears little resemblance to the #Gorgon|Gorgon, so the art's status is unclear.
Another icon depicts this vehicle with a dome shield-like ability.
File:HW_Brute_Tank.jpg|The Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Brute Tank (top-left) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A pair of Brute Tanks (lower-left) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW BruteTank Shield Icon.png|The Brute Tank shield icon. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Brute Tanks can be seen in the E3 2007 build promotional images. File:HW BruteTank Icon.png|The Brute Tank, bearing a Scorpion turret. File:HCE Wraith Concept 2.jpg|''Halo: Combat Evolved'' concept art by Shi Kai Wang, bearing heavy resemblance to the Brute Tank. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech.
The Chimera was a Covenant unit cut from ''Halo Wars''. It was a four-legged walker bearing slight resemblance to the , though with a more hunched appearance.
File:HW-Chimera_Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|The Chimera (bottom-left), seen alongside a handful of other WIP renders of various Covenant vehicles. File:HW Chimera Icon.png|An icon for the Chimera from the in-game unit selection.
Found in some screenshots and an animation reel uploaded by animator Charles Tinney, the Elite Ranger was evidently to be a flying infantry unit. Their design is that of the Sangheili Ranger|Elite Rangers found in ''Halo 2''.
File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|Several Rangers can be found in the mid-back of this promotional screenshot. File:HW_EliteRanger_Unit.png|The Ranger unit, as seen in Tinney's animation reel.
Named only in game files, the Gargoyle was intended to be a Covenant bomber aircraft. In the final game, a menu icon is still present in the files to represent the unit.
File:HW Gargoyle.jpg File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Gargoyle (top-right) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|A trio of Gargoyles (lower-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Gargoyle UI Icon.png|The Gargoyle's UI icon.
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The Gorgon was a vehicle created for the Covenant and intended for use in the anti-air role. The vehicle was envisioned as a walker equipped with a needle cannon, used to attack air targets. The vehicle's mech-based nature conflicted with Ensemble's philosophy that anything with legs was considered infantry, and the overwhelming abundance of Covenant ground vehicles - combined with the relative lack of aircraft - ultimately led to the Gorgon being scrapped and replaced with the . A very similar vehicle; the Reaver, was later implemented in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Interestingly, a later Artstation upload by Nathan Stefan titled gorgon-005.jpg depicts a vehicle more similar in nature to the Zurdo-pattern Wraith|Wraith or similarly-cut #Brute Tank|Brute Tank.
File:HW Gorgon Render.jpg|The cut Gorgon mech. File:HW-EarlyGorgon Concept.jpg|Nathan Stefan's concept art titled "Gorgon" - it is unknown whether this vehicle has any relation to the Gorgon mech. File:HW Gorgon MenuIcon.png|The Gorgon's menu icon in the final build of ''Halo Wars''.
Named in an image upload by artist Don Gagen, the Hydra was intended to be a Covenant aircraft.
File:HW-Hydra Concept.png File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicleRenders.jpg|A Hydra (top-middle) alongside several other early renders of Covenant vehicles. File:HW-EarlyCovenantVehicles.jpg|Several Hydras (top-right) alongside other Covenant vehicles. File:HW Hydra MenuIcon.png|The Hydra's icon, seen in the final game.
Present in the "Sway" alpha, the Recon Drone appears on an early version of the map Repository as a unit buildable in the map's central Sentinel factory alongside Aggressor Sentinels. Despite this Forerunner construction and neutral placement, the Recon Drone takes the form of a Yanme'e. The Drone has a complete model and animations, and is able to fly at high speeds around the map. True to its name, the Drone has no attacks, and is instead only intended for scouting.
File:HW Drone Sculpt.jpg|The high-poly sculpt of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Textured.jpg|The textured final unit of the Recon Drone. File:HW Drone Alpha.png|The Recon Drone in the internal alpha. File:HWDE Drone Cut.png|The Recon Drone found in Halo Wars: Definitive Edition.
Seen in the Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2007 build and on the box art for ''Halo Wars'', among other promotional screenshots, is the Protos-pattern Scarab|Type-47A "Protos" Scarab - the Scarab variant notably found in the ''Halo 2'' campaign levels ''Outskirts'', ''Metropolis'' and ''The Great Journey''. In the final ''Halo Wars'' game, the design notably used in ''Halo 3'', ''Halo 3: ODST'' and ''Halo: Reach'' is used.
In the E3 2007 demo, the Scarab appears near the end in a short viginette, climbing out of a Forerunner underground shaft. The Scarab proceeds to rampage across the battlefield, destroying several tanks and other units, and must ultimately be destroyed via Magnetic Accelerator Cannon|MAC orbital bombardment.
File:HW Scarab Concept.jpg|Concept art depicting this Type-47A variant. File:HW Screenshots Screens 1.jpg|Multiple Scarabs in an early build of the game. File:Hornet war.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab fighting Hornets. File:HW Screenshots 004.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab seen right, firing on the UNSC force. File:HW Screenshots 005.jpg|A Type-47A Scarab can be seen on the bottom-left of this image. File:HW Screenshots E07 3.jpg|Another screenshot of the Scarab. File:HW E307 Scarab.png|The Scarab as it appears in the Halo Wars E3 2007 Demo|''Halo Wars'' E3 demo.
Forerunner
While the Sentinels do appear on many maps and levels of the final ''Halo Wars'' game, this Sentinel design in particular does not. While superficially similar to the final game's Super Sentinel in design and proportion, it has a number of very notable differences; predominantly the massive size it has compared to most other units in the game. The unit was intended to appear on the campaign level ''Cleansing'' as a boss enemy, though was ultimately cut. The model for the Sentinel remains in the game files, unused. An image of the Sentinel in-game appears to show it emitting plasma mortar-like projectiles firing at the Flood forces below.
Interestingly, this design was later brought back almost unchanged in ''Halo Wars 2'' as the Protector Sentinel (Installation 00)|Protector Sentinel.
File:HW_BossSentinel_Concept.jpg|Concept art of this Sentinel design. File:HW_BossSentinel_HiPoly.jpg|A hi-poly render of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Wireframe.jpg|A wireframe of the early Sentinel. File:HW_BossSentinel_Render.jpg|A textured render of the early Sentinel. File:HW BossSentinel InGame.jpg|The Sentinel boss in-game, demonstrating its massive size. File:HW2 Blitz Protector Sentinel.png|A List of Blitz cards|Blitz card illustration of the Protector Sentinel, as it appears in ''Halo Wars 2''.
Ambient AI
A number of maps in ''Halo Wars'' feature neutral AI factions such as Unidentified insurrectionist group|rebels, Sentinels and Flood. These factions will typically be hostile to both the UNSC and Covenant. A number of additional factions were intended to be implemented in the game. These factions were developed under the codename of "creep", and include the following. Heretics One possible creep faction intended to be included in ''Halo Wars'' were the Covenant List of known Covenant heretics|heretics - those who sought fit to defy the Covenant religion. Concept art reveals that Sangheili were intended to be soldiers in this faction, while unused files within the releases of ''Halo Wars'' and ''Halo Wars: Definitive Edition'' showcase additional Heretic Unggoy|Grunts. An additional texture file known as creep_heretic_ghost_01 indicates the Heretics would have access to the Ghost vehicle; piloted by a Sangheili.
File:HW Heretics Concept.jpg|Concept art for the Heretic Elites. File:HW HereticGrunts.png|The Heretic Grunts; spawned in via modding. File:HW HereticGrunt Icon.png|The in-game unit icon for the Heretic Grunts.
Jackal pirates Another cut creep faction that would have been included are the Kig-Yar Piracy|pirates. Files for the Jackals are still available within ''Halo Wars'', allowing the units to be spawned in via modding. The Jackals were to spawn in squads of four, armed with Type-25 plasma pistol|plasma pistols or Type-33 needler|needlers. The pirates would also have access to Kig-Yar Snipers armed with Type-50 particle beam rifle|beam rifles.
File:HW JackalCreep Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW JackalCreep Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the Jackal Pirates. File:HW Jackal Early Design.jpg|The final model for the pirates. File:HW JackalPirate Needlers.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with needlers. File:HW_JackalPirate_PlasmaPistols.png|The Jackal Pirates spawned into ''Halo Wars''; armed with plasma pistols. File:HW JackalPirate Snipers.png|The Jackal Pirate snipers.
Rebels While an unidentified insurrectionist group does appear in the final ''Halo Wars'' game on maps set on Harvest and Arcadia, released concept art indicates the rebels were intended to be much-more fleshed out. Released concept art showcases a rebel "sci-trooper" wielding an Electromagnetic pulse|EMP gun and an insurrectionist-branded M12G1 Gauss Warthog|Gauss Warthog.
File:HW SciTrooper Rebel Concept.jpg|Concept art for the rebel sci-trooper and EMP gun. File:HW_RebelSniper_Warthog_Concept.png|Concept art for the rebel sniper units which were included in ''Halo Wars'', and the cut Warthog.
Alongside the neutral factions, ''Halo Wars'' was intended to feature fauna as ambient AI in the game world. Some of these creatures were only concepted, while others were even modelled and textured for in-game implementation. For a list of other ambient life cut from other ''Halo'' games, see List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|this page. Arctic beast The arctic beast was a creature concepted, modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', likely intended to spawn on maps set in the polar regions of Harvest. This creature was later canonised in 2015's ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'' as the ''Chaefka''; a species of life indexed by the Forerunners and present on Installation 00|The Ark. The following year's ''Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo|Halo Mythos'' saw a scene from the book visualised with a new illustration, using the arctic beast's design almost entirely unaltered.
File:HW ArcticBeast Concept.jpg|Concept art for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast HiPoly.jpg|The high-poly sculpt for the arctic beast. File:HW ArcticBeast Render.jpg|The textured low-poly model for the arctic beast. File:HM-Chaefka.jpeg|An official illustration of the ''Chaefka'' from ''Halo Mythos''.
Arctic ice hound
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This creature was one of a number of concepts developed during the discussions of the wildlife of Harvest. It was concepted and even modelled and textured, though cut from release.
File:HW ArcticIceHound Concept.jpg|Concept art of the creature. File:HW ArcticIceHound Render.jpg|A textured 3D model of the creature.
Thorn beast The thorn beasts are another cut creature seen fully modelled, textured and animated; they are present in the ''Halo Wars'' Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2008 build and can be seen walking around the map around thirteen minutes into the demo. They do not appear to attack UNSC forces. Thorn beasts remain canon in the ''Halo'' setting; with the Avitus|Chieftain character said to particularly enjoy eating them; they were later featured in the novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest'' as a delicacy enjoyed by the crew of ''Rapid Conversion''.
Interestingly, ''Halo Wars'' is not the first time the thorn beasts were developed to appear in a ''Halo'' game; they were originally designed by Paul Russel during the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', where they were modelled with an identical design and similarly cut.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|Paul Russel's original thorn beast model for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:HW Unit Thorn Beast.png|A thorn beast can be seen in this image taken from the E3 2008 demo build of ''Halo Wars''.
Space owl
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The so-called "space owl" is another ambient creature concepted but ultimately never implemented in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was described as having a wingspan of six feet.
File:HW SpaceOwl Concept.jpg|Concept art for the creature.
Harvest whale
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The Harvest whale was designed as part of the exploration for the wildlife of Harvest. This creature would likely not be seen as an ambient AI on the map, but instead a dead body appearing in the environment.
File:HW HarvestWhale Concept.jpg|Concept art for the whale.
Oxyaena The oxyaena is another creature fully modelled and textured for inclusion in ''Halo Wars''. The creature was present in the game's E3 2008 demo, and can be seen wandering the map at around one minute into the demo.
File:HW Oxyaena Render.jpg|The model created for the oxyanea. File:HW Unit Oxyaena.png|The oxyanea in the E3 2008 demo.
Other creatures These creatures have also been showcased in various work uploads related to ''Halo Wars''. Little is known of their design intent or purpose, and are thus presented below.
File:HW EelSnake Concept.jpg|Concept art for an eel-like creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 1.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature. File:HW CutCreature Render 2.jpg|A textured 3D model of an unknown creature.
Sources
Category:Halo Wars deleted material
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File:HCE LostHalo Renders.png|thumb|300px|Several cut creatures and Cut Halo: Combat Evolved vehicles|vehicles by Paul Russel.
During the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', a number of creature designs were considered for inclusion by Bungie to serve the role of enemies, ambient AI and other miscellaneous NPCs. Not all of these concepts made it to full 3D development, though many were and have since been restored for use in the Halo Editing Kit by the Digsite project.
Ambient life In the earlier stages of ''Halo'', ambient fauna were intended to make up a significant portion of the environments, and many were fully modelled, animated and implemented in-engine. Ultimately, they were cut due to a combination of time constraints, design issues and performance problems, with problems such as how the AI would respond to action sequences and herd mentality being prevalent. Ultimately, they were cut to focus on more pressing issues, though there was one last reason. Had Installation 04 been depicted with a burgeoning and active ecosystem, the surprise reveal of the Flood would have been considerably less shocking. An unintended side-effect of the creatures' removal meant that the structures and landscapes of the ringworld setting felt creepy, eerie and abandoned - serving to enhance the mystery of the Forerunners in a good (albeit accidental) way.
Antaeus is a List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|cut creature developed for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. The creature was created by Marcus Lehto and inspired by the work of Wikipedia:Ray Harryhausen|Ray Harryhausen. Although the creature bears some visual similarities to the Jiralhanae|Brutes later introduced in ''Halo 2'', the creature was not related to them; though Lehto did note that they could originate from the Doisac|Brute homeworld.
File:HCE Antaeus Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for Antaeus. File:HCE_Antaeus.png|Antaeus.
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The Blind Wolf was a creature heavily featured in early revisions of ''Combat Evolved''. The creature was the brainchild of Marcus Lehto, who concepted and modelled it for implementation in-game. The original concept features the Blind Wolf in a symbiotic relationship with an insect; the insect would act as the "eyes" for the Blind Wolf and lead it to prey - and in turn get to feast on the carcass the Blind Wolf left. The creature would have been featured in game as a hostile piece of ambient fauna on the ring, though the player would also be able to tame them and ride them as a mount.
The Blind Wolf was later updated for inclusion in ''Halo 2'' and featured on the Collector's Edition DVD, complete with updated lighting and normal mapping.
The symbiote bug mentioned as concepted for the Blind Wolf was also modelled, and is detailed further down this page.
The Blind Wolf remains one of the most iconic cut creatures in the ''Halo'' series history, and has a long legacy. The creature was concepted for inclusion in Ensemble Studios' planned Titan (canceled game)|''Halo'' MMO, intended for use as a Brute mount and known as the "Jaggmaw Sawtail". It would later go on to be prominently featured in the 2015 novel ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'', taking a prime position on the book's cover art and being canonised as a Morolaath, a creature on Installation 00|the Ark.
File:HCE BlindWolf Concept.jpg|Lehto's original concept illustration of the Blind Wolf. File:Blind wolf - deletemat (textured).jpg|This image provides a more detailed look at the unused model of a blind wolf. File:Blind Wolves.jpg|A pack of blind wolves run past a M12 Warthog|Warthog in an early build of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:BlindWolfCut2.PNG|The player character rides a blind wolf in an early build of ''Combat Evolved''. File:Blindwolf ride.png|Riding the blind wolf. File:BlindWolfTrailer.PNG|A Warthog drives past a blind wolf in Halo E3 2000 trailer|the first trailer shown for ''Combat Evolved''.''Halo: Combat Evolved Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2000 ''Halo E3 2000 trailer|trailer File:BlindWolf.jpg|A render of the Blind Wolf in the ''Halo 2'' engine. File:MMO Jaggmaw Concept.jpg|''Halo'' MMO concept art for the Blind Wolf. File:Hunters in the Dark full cover.jpg|N'tho 'Sraom and Spartan Frank Kodiak face off against several ''morolaath'' on the cover art for ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark''.
The creature jokingly referred to as the "doberman gator" was featured on the ''Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition'' cutting room floor documentary, though it was not further discussed. The sketch was done by Robert McLees during production for ''Combat Evolved''. The creature's anatomy slightly resembles that of the prehistoric Wikipedia:Gorgonopsia|Gorgonopsids which lived on Earth within the Wikipedia:Permian|Permian. There are also similarities between it and Wikipedia:Ambulocetus|Ambulocetus; an aquatic as well as terrestrial ancestor of Earth's Wikipedia:Cetacea|Cetaceans which lived throughout the Wikipedia:Eocene|Eocene.
File:HCE DobermanGator Concept.png|The concept for the creature.
Seen only in concept art on the ''Halo 2'' LCE disc, the Keelbug was a creature intended to be present in ''Combat Evolved''. The Keelbug is described as being intended to fly into the battlefield, cut up dead bodies and fly them offscreen as a way of cleaning up the bodies. This was to serve in-game as a way of clearing corpses from the level to save on memory. The creature's behaviour was never developed, though the model was only cut from the game relatively late in development.
The Keelbug has since been referenced in the description of the "Bleached Bone" Armor coatings (Halo Infinite)|armor coating in ''Halo Infinite'' and canonized into lore as the ''Verivorr''.
File:HCE Keelbug Concept 1.png|Concept art for the Keelbug. File:HCE Keelbug Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Keelbug. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A keelbug (second-from-left) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The Quadwings were an ambient life form modelled for inclusion in ''Combat Evolved'', but ultimately cut for reasons unknown. Unlike many other creatures on this list, they were later revived for inclusion in ''Halo 2'', and later canonised by 343 Industries as the ''rangmejo''.
File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A Quadwing (middle, top) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The "rock worm" was featured in the Macworld build showcased by Marcus Lehto. It was cut prior to the transition from third- to first-person gameplay, though has successfully been restored by the Digsite project for use in retail ''Combat Evolved''. The creature initially appears in the ground disguised as a rock, before emerging once disturbed to thrash around wildly.
File:PXH RockWorm.png|The rock worm. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A rockworm (middle) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
When concepting the Sangheili|Elites for ''Combat Evolved'', Marcus Lehto felt that the team needed an enemy character that was "''more monster-like''". The Stalker was one such creature created under this direction. A second concept (shown below) for the Stalker's head depicts what appears to be some kind of collar around the creature's neck, with a curvilinear design similar in nature to Covenant technology. This may indicate them to have been the Covenant creatures kept as pets by the "Covenant Masters" (described further down this page); if the collar were to be shot off, the creatures would go on a rampage against their masters to cause chaos in the enemy ranks.
File:HCE Stalker Concept.png|Concept art for the Stalker. File:HCE StalkerHead Concept.png|Head study for the Stalker.
The Threeleg was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit Installation 04 in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. As its name suggests, it was a tripodal organism, with three powerful legs and two smaller arms. It appears to have had an exoskeleton, and at least two eyes. It was cut from the final game. The creature's model has been recovered by the Digsite project, though has yet to be released for general use due to needing significant work doing to properly animate and be useful for anything further than simply standing in place.
File:HCE Threeleg Render.png|A render of the Threeleg.
The Thorax was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit the ring in ''Combat Evolved''. Mostly blue, with luminous yellow on its back, it had thin arms but long, powerful legs and a single eye. It was cut from the final game. Very little information has survived about what the Thorax's function in-game would be, or where it would appear. The Digsite team has speculated that it may have appeared in the swamps of 343 Guilty Spark, though this is an inference based on the creature's visual appearance and not hinted at by any actual development files.
File:HCE Thorax Render.png|A render of the Thorax. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A Thorax (second-from-right) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The thorn beast was a creature modelled and textured by Paul Russel. It was shown in the Halo E3 2000 trailer|''Halo'' E3 2000 trailer as an ambient creature that the Marine squad passed by.
While cut from the game, the thorn beast did survive and eventually make its way into canon in the 2007 novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest|Contact Harvest'' - served as a delicacy aboard the ''Rapid Conversion''.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|A render of a thorn beast as it was intended to appear in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:Dinosaurs.jpg|Some thorn beasts being passed by Marines in the ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' E3 2000 trailer. File:Pre-Halo Thorn Beast.jpg|Close up of a thorn beast on Installation 04 in the E3 2000 trailer. File:Thornbeast2.png|Several thorn beasts.
The Vulpard was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit the ring in ''Combat Evolved''. As the name suggests, it was a quadruped with leopard-like spotted fur and a powerful, vulture-like beaked head. It was cut from the final game. The Vulpard would later be restored by the Digsite project, and officially brought into canon as the ''Zavfaraa''.
File:HCE Vulpard Render.png|The Vulpard. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A vulpard (far-left) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
File:HCE AmbientLife Concept 1.jpg|Ambient life sketches by Marcus Lehto.
Covenant
The "Covenant masters" (as-named in the internal files) are an extremely early iteration of the Sangheili|Elites. They were present in early builds of ''Halo'' and were intended to lead unruly Covenant creatures (possibly including the Stalker detailed further up this page) via the means of control collars. Were these collars to be shot off, the creatures would go on a rampage. While this design was ultimately scrapped, it formed the basis of the Elites known to modern ''Halo'', with the design ultimately going on to be reused in the 2022 ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'' as the canon armour for the ancient Sangheili warrior Ussa 'Xellus.
File:HCE Elite Concept 1.jpg|An early concept sketch for what would become the masters. File:PXH MacworldElites Screenshot 1.jpg|Covenant masters in pre-Xbox Halo. File:PXH MacworldElites Screenshot 2.jpg|Covenant masters in pre-Xbox Halo. File:HCE Digsite CovenantMasters.jpg|The Covenant masters restored into ''Combat Evolved'' by the Digsite project. Their animations were retargeted to use the retail Elites' animation set, allowing them to use the standard Elite weapons. File:Enc22 UssaXellus.png|A canon illustration of Ussa 'Xellus holding a burnblade; his design was based on the masters.
The Drinol was an enemy type intended to be employed by the Covenant, itself based on the marathongame:Drinniol|Drinniol enemies from ''Marathon''. The Drinol, as intended for ''Halo'', was modelled and textured by Paul Russel and animated by Marcus Lehto.
The Drinol model would be later implemented into the ''Halo 2'' engine and was intended to play a part in that game as a boss enemy of some sort, though was eventually Cut Halo 2 enemies#Sharquoi|similarly-cut. Nonetheless, the Drinol - now named the Sharquoi - did make it into ''Halo'' canon with the release of the ''Conversations from the Universe'' booklet and 2016's ''Halo: Envoy''.
The Sharquoi updated for inclusion in ''Halo 2'' was featured on the Collector's Edition DVD, complete with updated lighting and normal mapping.
File:HCE Drinol Concept 1.png|Concept art for the Drinol. File:HCE Drinol Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Drinol. File:HCE Drinol Render.png|The Drinol model. File:PXH Excavator Screenshot 3.png|Firing the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Excavator|Excavator at the Drinol. File:Drinolbig.jpg|The Drinol model rendered in the ''Halo 2'' iteration of the Blam engine, using normal mapping for increased detail.
}}
The Engineer is one of the more famous enemy types cut from ''Combat Evolved''. The Engineers were developed for the game and remained in the build until fairly late stages, being seen in multiple promotional screenshots and even remaining in the game files - albeit unused - at launch. As a result, they can be spawned in-game via modding, albeit without animations or AI. The Engineers' late cutting consequently saw them remain featured in ''Halo: Combat Evolved: Prima's Official Strategy Guide'', as they were unable to be removed in time.
Although cut from ''Combat Evolved'', the Engineers remained in ''Halo'' canon thanks to their inclusion in the novels ''Halo: The Fall of Reach|The Fall of Reach'' and ''Halo: First Strike|First Strike''. Their ''Combat Evolved'' design would later go on to be recreated by the team at Ensemble Studios for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', before being redesigned by Shi Kai Wang for a feature role in ''Halo 3: ODST''.
File:HCE ShotgunEngineers Screenshot.jpg|An early promotional screenshot showcasing an Engineer. File:CovenantEngineer-HaloCE.png|A side view of the cut Huragok from ''Combat Evolved''. File:HaloCE-HuragokEngineer-front.png|A frontal view of the cut Huragok. File:Engineer4.jpg|The early look of a Huragok aboard a Covenant ship. File:Engineers3.jpg|A group of the concept Engineers from a ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' mod of the level "The Silent Cartographer".
The special purpose sniper is a deleted Covenant species seen in the ''Halo 2'' Collector's Edition DVD. Its arms were to be used like a tripod (but not act like one), and it could flip from side to side, without having to switch weapons. It would also be able to hang from trees and building struts. Early revisions of this enemy's concept art can be seen wielding the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Particle beam rifle|particle beam rifle, similarly-cut from ''Combat Evolved''.
A later model shared by Paul Russel differs from these designs massively.
File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_2.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_3.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_4.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_5.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:Sniper.png|A 3D render of the model for the sniper by Paul Russel.
The Tankbeast is a deleted Covenant species created by Paul Russel. The Tankbeast would have stood roughly 3.5 meters (11.4 Foot) tall, with no visibly-distinct head. The Tankbeast also had an underslung weapon, and armored legs. The creature's visual similarities to the Mgalekgolo|Lekgolo may indicate it was to fulfill a similar role. The Tankbeast is one of the few known models that the Digsite team currently has no records of.
File:HCE Tankbeast Render.png|A render of the Tankbeast.
These Covenant species were sketched by Marcus Lehto, though never saw any further development.
File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept.jpg File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept 2.jpg File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept 3.jpg
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo: Combat Evolved
|
File:HCE LostHalo Renders.png|thumb|300px|Several cut creatures and Cut Halo: Combat Evolved vehicles|vehicles by Paul Russel.
During the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', a number of creature designs were considered for inclusion by Bungie to serve the role of enemies, ambient AI and other miscellaneous NPCs. Not all of these concepts made it to full 3D development, though many were and have since been restored for use in the Halo Editing Kit by the Digsite project.
Ambient life In the earlier stages of ''Halo'', ambient fauna were intended to make up a significant portion of the environments, and many were fully modelled, animated and implemented in-engine. Ultimately, they were cut due to a combination of time constraints, design issues and performance problems, with problems such as how the AI would respond to action sequences and herd mentality being prevalent. Ultimately, they were cut to focus on more pressing issues, though there was one last reason. Had Installation 04 been depicted with a burgeoning and active ecosystem, the surprise reveal of the Flood would have been considerably less shocking. An unintended side-effect of the creatures' removal meant that the structures and landscapes of the ringworld setting felt creepy, eerie and abandoned - serving to enhance the mystery of the Forerunners in a good (albeit accidental) way.
Antaeus is a List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|cut creature developed for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. The creature was created by Marcus Lehto and inspired by the work of Wikipedia:Ray Harryhausen|Ray Harryhausen. Although the creature bears some visual similarities to the Jiralhanae|Brutes later introduced in ''Halo 2'', the creature was not related to them; though Lehto did note that they could originate from the Doisac|Brute homeworld.
File:HCE Antaeus Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for Antaeus. File:HCE_Antaeus.png|Antaeus.
}}
The Blind Wolf was a creature heavily featured in early revisions of ''Combat Evolved''. The creature was the brainchild of Marcus Lehto, who concepted and modelled it for implementation in-game. The original concept features the Blind Wolf in a symbiotic relationship with an insect; the insect would act as the "eyes" for the Blind Wolf and lead it to prey - and in turn get to feast on the carcass the Blind Wolf left. The creature would have been featured in game as a hostile piece of ambient fauna on the ring, though the player would also be able to tame them and ride them as a mount.
The Blind Wolf was later updated for inclusion in ''Halo 2'' and featured on the Collector's Edition DVD, complete with updated lighting and normal mapping.
The symbiote bug mentioned as concepted for the Blind Wolf was also modelled, and is detailed further down this page.
The Blind Wolf remains one of the most iconic cut creatures in the ''Halo'' series history, and has a long legacy. The creature was concepted for inclusion in Ensemble Studios' planned Titan (canceled game)|''Halo'' MMO, intended for use as a Brute mount and known as the "Jaggmaw Sawtail". It would later go on to be prominently featured in the 2015 novel ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'', taking a prime position on the book's cover art and being canonised as a Morolaath, a creature on Installation 00|the Ark.
File:HCE BlindWolf Concept.jpg|Lehto's original concept illustration of the Blind Wolf. File:Blind wolf - deletemat (textured).jpg|This image provides a more detailed look at the unused model of a blind wolf. File:Blind Wolves.jpg|A pack of blind wolves run past a M12 Warthog|Warthog in an early build of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:BlindWolfCut2.PNG|The player character rides a blind wolf in an early build of ''Combat Evolved''. File:Blindwolf ride.png|Riding the blind wolf. File:BlindWolfTrailer.PNG|A Warthog drives past a blind wolf in Halo E3 2000 trailer|the first trailer shown for ''Combat Evolved''.''Halo: Combat Evolved Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2000 ''Halo E3 2000 trailer|trailer File:BlindWolf.jpg|A render of the Blind Wolf in the ''Halo 2'' engine. File:MMO Jaggmaw Concept.jpg|''Halo'' MMO concept art for the Blind Wolf. File:Hunters in the Dark full cover.jpg|N'tho 'Sraom and Spartan Frank Kodiak face off against several ''morolaath'' on the cover art for ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark''.
The creature jokingly referred to as the "doberman gator" was featured on the ''Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition'' cutting room floor documentary, though it was not further discussed. The sketch was done by Robert McLees during production for ''Combat Evolved''. The creature's anatomy slightly resembles that of the prehistoric Wikipedia:Gorgonopsia|Gorgonopsids which lived on Earth within the Wikipedia:Permian|Permian. There are also similarities between it and Wikipedia:Ambulocetus|Ambulocetus; an aquatic as well as terrestrial ancestor of Earth's Wikipedia:Cetacea|Cetaceans which lived throughout the Wikipedia:Eocene|Eocene.
File:HCE DobermanGator Concept.png|The concept for the creature.
Seen only in concept art on the ''Halo 2'' LCE disc, the Keelbug was a creature intended to be present in ''Combat Evolved''. The Keelbug is described as being intended to fly into the battlefield, cut up dead bodies and fly them offscreen as a way of cleaning up the bodies. This was to serve in-game as a way of clearing corpses from the level to save on memory. The creature's behaviour was never developed, though the model was only cut from the game relatively late in development.
The Keelbug has since been referenced in the description of the "Bleached Bone" Armor coatings (Halo Infinite)|armor coating in ''Halo Infinite'' and canonized into lore as the ''Verivorr''.
File:HCE Keelbug Concept 1.png|Concept art for the Keelbug. File:HCE Keelbug Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Keelbug. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A keelbug (second-from-left) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The Quadwings were an ambient life form modelled for inclusion in ''Combat Evolved'', but ultimately cut for reasons unknown. Unlike many other creatures on this list, they were later revived for inclusion in ''Halo 2'', and later canonised by 343 Industries as the ''rangmejo''.
File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A Quadwing (middle, top) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The "rock worm" was featured in the Macworld build showcased by Marcus Lehto. It was cut prior to the transition from third- to first-person gameplay, though has successfully been restored by the Digsite project for use in retail ''Combat Evolved''. The creature initially appears in the ground disguised as a rock, before emerging once disturbed to thrash around wildly.
File:PXH RockWorm.png|The rock worm. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A rockworm (middle) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
When concepting the Sangheili|Elites for ''Combat Evolved'', Marcus Lehto felt that the team needed an enemy character that was "''more monster-like''". The Stalker was one such creature created under this direction. A second concept (shown below) for the Stalker's head depicts what appears to be some kind of collar around the creature's neck, with a curvilinear design similar in nature to Covenant technology. This may indicate them to have been the Covenant creatures kept as pets by the "Covenant Masters" (described further down this page); if the collar were to be shot off, the creatures would go on a rampage against their masters to cause chaos in the enemy ranks.
File:HCE Stalker Concept.png|Concept art for the Stalker. File:HCE StalkerHead Concept.png|Head study for the Stalker.
The Threeleg was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit Installation 04 in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. As its name suggests, it was a tripodal organism, with three powerful legs and two smaller arms. It appears to have had an exoskeleton, and at least two eyes. It was cut from the final game. The creature's model has been recovered by the Digsite project, though has yet to be released for general use due to needing significant work doing to properly animate and be useful for anything further than simply standing in place.
File:HCE Threeleg Render.png|A render of the Threeleg.
The Thorax was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit the ring in ''Combat Evolved''. Mostly blue, with luminous yellow on its back, it had thin arms but long, powerful legs and a single eye. It was cut from the final game. Very little information has survived about what the Thorax's function in-game would be, or where it would appear. The Digsite team has speculated that it may have appeared in the swamps of 343 Guilty Spark, though this is an inference based on the creature's visual appearance and not hinted at by any actual development files.
File:HCE Thorax Render.png|A render of the Thorax. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A Thorax (second-from-right) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The thorn beast was a creature modelled and textured by Paul Russel. It was shown in the Halo E3 2000 trailer|''Halo'' E3 2000 trailer as an ambient creature that the Marine squad passed by.
While cut from the game, the thorn beast did survive and eventually make its way into canon in the 2007 novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest|Contact Harvest'' - served as a delicacy aboard the ''Rapid Conversion''.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|A render of a thorn beast as it was intended to appear in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:Dinosaurs.jpg|Some thorn beasts being passed by Marines in the ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' E3 2000 trailer. File:Pre-Halo Thorn Beast.jpg|Close up of a thorn beast on Installation 04 in the E3 2000 trailer. File:Thornbeast2.png|Several thorn beasts.
The Vulpard was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit the ring in ''Combat Evolved''. As the name suggests, it was a quadruped with leopard-like spotted fur and a powerful, vulture-like beaked head. It was cut from the final game. The Vulpard would later be restored by the Digsite project, and officially brought into canon as the ''Zavfaraa''.
File:HCE Vulpard Render.png|The Vulpard. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A vulpard (far-left) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
File:HCE AmbientLife Concept 1.jpg|Ambient life sketches by Marcus Lehto.
Covenant
The "Covenant masters" (as-named in the internal files) are an extremely early iteration of the Sangheili|Elites. They were present in early builds of ''Halo'' and were intended to lead unruly Covenant creatures (possibly including the Stalker detailed further up this page) via the means of control collars. Were these collars to be shot off, the creatures would go on a rampage. While this design was ultimately scrapped, it formed the basis of the Elites known to modern ''Halo'', with the design ultimately going on to be reused in the 2022 ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'' as the canon armour for the ancient Sangheili warrior Ussa 'Xellus.
File:HCE Elite Concept 1.jpg|An early concept sketch for what would become the masters. File:PXH MacworldElites Screenshot 1.jpg|Covenant masters in pre-Xbox Halo. File:PXH MacworldElites Screenshot 2.jpg|Covenant masters in pre-Xbox Halo. File:HCE Digsite CovenantMasters.jpg|The Covenant masters restored into ''Combat Evolved'' by the Digsite project. Their animations were retargeted to use the retail Elites' animation set, allowing them to use the standard Elite weapons. File:Enc22 UssaXellus.png|A canon illustration of Ussa 'Xellus holding a burnblade; his design was based on the masters.
The Drinol was an enemy type intended to be employed by the Covenant, itself based on the marathongame:Drinniol|Drinniol enemies from ''Marathon''. The Drinol, as intended for ''Halo'', was modelled and textured by Paul Russel and animated by Marcus Lehto.
The Drinol model would be later implemented into the ''Halo 2'' engine and was intended to play a part in that game as a boss enemy of some sort, though was eventually Cut Halo 2 enemies#Sharquoi|similarly-cut. Nonetheless, the Drinol - now named the Sharquoi - did make it into ''Halo'' canon with the release of the ''Conversations from the Universe'' booklet and 2016's ''Halo: Envoy''.
The Sharquoi updated for inclusion in ''Halo 2'' was featured on the Collector's Edition DVD, complete with updated lighting and normal mapping.
File:HCE Drinol Concept 1.png|Concept art for the Drinol. File:HCE Drinol Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Drinol. File:HCE Drinol Render.png|The Drinol model. File:PXH Excavator Screenshot 3.png|Firing the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Excavator|Excavator at the Drinol. File:Drinolbig.jpg|The Drinol model rendered in the ''Halo 2'' iteration of the Blam engine, using normal mapping for increased detail.
}}
The Engineer is one of the more famous enemy types cut from ''Combat Evolved''. The Engineers were developed for the game and remained in the build until fairly late stages, being seen in multiple promotional screenshots and even remaining in the game files - albeit unused - at launch. As a result, they can be spawned in-game via modding, albeit without animations or AI. The Engineers' late cutting consequently saw them remain featured in ''Halo: Combat Evolved: Prima's Official Strategy Guide'', as they were unable to be removed in time.
Although cut from ''Combat Evolved'', the Engineers remained in ''Halo'' canon thanks to their inclusion in the novels ''Halo: The Fall of Reach|The Fall of Reach'' and ''Halo: First Strike|First Strike''. Their ''Combat Evolved'' design would later go on to be recreated by the team at Ensemble Studios for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', before being redesigned by Shi Kai Wang for a feature role in ''Halo 3: ODST''.
File:HCE ShotgunEngineers Screenshot.jpg|An early promotional screenshot showcasing an Engineer. File:CovenantEngineer-HaloCE.png|A side view of the cut Huragok from ''Combat Evolved''. File:HaloCE-HuragokEngineer-front.png|A frontal view of the cut Huragok. File:Engineer4.jpg|The early look of a Huragok aboard a Covenant ship. File:Engineers3.jpg|A group of the concept Engineers from a ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' mod of the level "The Silent Cartographer".
The special purpose sniper is a deleted Covenant species seen in the ''Halo 2'' Collector's Edition DVD. Its arms were to be used like a tripod (but not act like one), and it could flip from side to side, without having to switch weapons. It would also be able to hang from trees and building struts. Early revisions of this enemy's concept art can be seen wielding the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Particle beam rifle|particle beam rifle, similarly-cut from ''Combat Evolved''.
A later model shared by Paul Russel differs from these designs massively.
File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_2.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_3.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_4.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_5.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:Sniper.png|A 3D render of the model for the sniper by Paul Russel.
The Tankbeast is a deleted Covenant species created by Paul Russel. The Tankbeast would have stood roughly 3.5 meters (11.4 Foot) tall, with no visibly-distinct head. The Tankbeast also had an underslung weapon, and armored legs. The creature's visual similarities to the Mgalekgolo|Lekgolo may indicate it was to fulfill a similar role. The Tankbeast is one of the few known models that the Digsite team currently has no records of.
File:HCE Tankbeast Render.png|A render of the Tankbeast.
These Covenant species were sketched by Marcus Lehto, though never saw any further development.
File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept.jpg File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept 2.jpg File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept 3.jpg
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo: Combat Evolved
|
File:HCE LostHalo Renders.png|thumb|300px|Several cut creatures and Cut Halo: Combat Evolved vehicles|vehicles by Paul Russel.
During the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', a number of creature designs were considered for inclusion by Bungie to serve the role of enemies, ambient AI and other miscellaneous NPCs. Not all of these concepts made it to full 3D development, though many were and have since been restored for use in the Halo Editing Kit by the Digsite project.
Ambient life In the earlier stages of ''Halo'', ambient fauna were intended to make up a significant portion of the environments, and many were fully modelled, animated and implemented in-engine. Ultimately, they were cut due to a combination of time constraints, design issues and performance problems, with problems such as how the AI would respond to action sequences and herd mentality being prevalent. Ultimately, they were cut to focus on more pressing issues, though there was one last reason. Had Installation 04 been depicted with a burgeoning and active ecosystem, the surprise reveal of the Flood would have been considerably less shocking. An unintended side-effect of the creatures' removal meant that the structures and landscapes of the ringworld setting felt creepy, eerie and abandoned - serving to enhance the mystery of the Forerunners in a good (albeit accidental) way.
Antaeus is a List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|cut creature developed for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. The creature was created by Marcus Lehto and inspired by the work of Wikipedia:Ray Harryhausen|Ray Harryhausen. Although the creature bears some visual similarities to the Jiralhanae|Brutes later introduced in ''Halo 2'', the creature was not related to them; though Lehto did note that they could originate from the Doisac|Brute homeworld.
File:HCE Antaeus Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for Antaeus. File:HCE_Antaeus.png|Antaeus.
}}
The Blind Wolf was a creature heavily featured in early revisions of ''Combat Evolved''. The creature was the brainchild of Marcus Lehto, who concepted and modelled it for implementation in-game. The original concept features the Blind Wolf in a symbiotic relationship with an insect; the insect would act as the "eyes" for the Blind Wolf and lead it to prey - and in turn get to feast on the carcass the Blind Wolf left. The creature would have been featured in game as a hostile piece of ambient fauna on the ring, though the player would also be able to tame them and ride them as a mount.
The Blind Wolf was later updated for inclusion in ''Halo 2'' and featured on the Collector's Edition DVD, complete with updated lighting and normal mapping.
The symbiote bug mentioned as concepted for the Blind Wolf was also modelled, and is detailed further down this page.
The Blind Wolf remains one of the most iconic cut creatures in the ''Halo'' series history, and has a long legacy. The creature was concepted for inclusion in Ensemble Studios' planned Titan (canceled game)|''Halo'' MMO, intended for use as a Brute mount and known as the "Jaggmaw Sawtail". It would later go on to be prominently featured in the 2015 novel ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'', taking a prime position on the book's cover art and being canonised as a Morolaath, a creature on Installation 00|the Ark.
File:HCE BlindWolf Concept.jpg|Lehto's original concept illustration of the Blind Wolf. File:Blind wolf - deletemat (textured).jpg|This image provides a more detailed look at the unused model of a blind wolf. File:Blind Wolves.jpg|A pack of blind wolves run past a M12 Warthog|Warthog in an early build of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:BlindWolfCut2.PNG|The player character rides a blind wolf in an early build of ''Combat Evolved''. File:Blindwolf ride.png|Riding the blind wolf. File:BlindWolfTrailer.PNG|A Warthog drives past a blind wolf in Halo E3 2000 trailer|the first trailer shown for ''Combat Evolved''.''Halo: Combat Evolved Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2000 ''Halo E3 2000 trailer|trailer File:BlindWolf.jpg|A render of the Blind Wolf in the ''Halo 2'' engine. File:MMO Jaggmaw Concept.jpg|''Halo'' MMO concept art for the Blind Wolf. File:Hunters in the Dark full cover.jpg|N'tho 'Sraom and Spartan Frank Kodiak face off against several ''morolaath'' on the cover art for ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark''.
The creature jokingly referred to as the "doberman gator" was featured on the ''Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition'' cutting room floor documentary, though it was not further discussed. The sketch was done by Robert McLees during production for ''Combat Evolved''. The creature's anatomy slightly resembles that of the prehistoric Wikipedia:Gorgonopsia|Gorgonopsids which lived on Earth within the Wikipedia:Permian|Permian. There are also similarities between it and Wikipedia:Ambulocetus|Ambulocetus; an aquatic as well as terrestrial ancestor of Earth's Wikipedia:Cetacea|Cetaceans which lived throughout the Wikipedia:Eocene|Eocene.
File:HCE DobermanGator Concept.png|The concept for the creature.
Seen only in concept art on the ''Halo 2'' LCE disc, the Keelbug was a creature intended to be present in ''Combat Evolved''. The Keelbug is described as being intended to fly into the battlefield, cut up dead bodies and fly them offscreen as a way of cleaning up the bodies. This was to serve in-game as a way of clearing corpses from the level to save on memory. The creature's behaviour was never developed, though the model was only cut from the game relatively late in development.
The Keelbug has since been referenced in the description of the "Bleached Bone" Armor coatings (Halo Infinite)|armor coating in ''Halo Infinite'' and canonized into lore as the ''Verivorr''.
File:HCE Keelbug Concept 1.png|Concept art for the Keelbug. File:HCE Keelbug Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Keelbug. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A keelbug (second-from-left) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The Quadwings were an ambient life form modelled for inclusion in ''Combat Evolved'', but ultimately cut for reasons unknown. Unlike many other creatures on this list, they were later revived for inclusion in ''Halo 2'', and later canonised by 343 Industries as the ''rangmejo''.
File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A Quadwing (middle, top) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The "rock worm" was featured in the Macworld build showcased by Marcus Lehto. It was cut prior to the transition from third- to first-person gameplay, though has successfully been restored by the Digsite project for use in retail ''Combat Evolved''. The creature initially appears in the ground disguised as a rock, before emerging once disturbed to thrash around wildly.
File:PXH RockWorm.png|The rock worm. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A rockworm (middle) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
When concepting the Sangheili|Elites for ''Combat Evolved'', Marcus Lehto felt that the team needed an enemy character that was "''more monster-like''". The Stalker was one such creature created under this direction. A second concept (shown below) for the Stalker's head depicts what appears to be some kind of collar around the creature's neck, with a curvilinear design similar in nature to Covenant technology. This may indicate them to have been the Covenant creatures kept as pets by the "Covenant Masters" (described further down this page); if the collar were to be shot off, the creatures would go on a rampage against their masters to cause chaos in the enemy ranks.
File:HCE Stalker Concept.png|Concept art for the Stalker. File:HCE StalkerHead Concept.png|Head study for the Stalker.
The Threeleg was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit Installation 04 in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. As its name suggests, it was a tripodal organism, with three powerful legs and two smaller arms. It appears to have had an exoskeleton, and at least two eyes. It was cut from the final game. The creature's model has been recovered by the Digsite project, though has yet to be released for general use due to needing significant work doing to properly animate and be useful for anything further than simply standing in place.
File:HCE Threeleg Render.png|A render of the Threeleg.
The Thorax was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit the ring in ''Combat Evolved''. Mostly blue, with luminous yellow on its back, it had thin arms but long, powerful legs and a single eye. It was cut from the final game. Very little information has survived about what the Thorax's function in-game would be, or where it would appear. The Digsite team has speculated that it may have appeared in the swamps of 343 Guilty Spark, though this is an inference based on the creature's visual appearance and not hinted at by any actual development files.
File:HCE Thorax Render.png|A render of the Thorax. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A Thorax (second-from-right) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The thorn beast was a creature modelled and textured by Paul Russel. It was shown in the Halo E3 2000 trailer|''Halo'' E3 2000 trailer as an ambient creature that the Marine squad passed by.
While cut from the game, the thorn beast did survive and eventually make its way into canon in the 2007 novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest|Contact Harvest'' - served as a delicacy aboard the ''Rapid Conversion''.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|A render of a thorn beast as it was intended to appear in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:Dinosaurs.jpg|Some thorn beasts being passed by Marines in the ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' E3 2000 trailer. File:Pre-Halo Thorn Beast.jpg|Close up of a thorn beast on Installation 04 in the E3 2000 trailer. File:Thornbeast2.png|Several thorn beasts.
The Vulpard was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit the ring in ''Combat Evolved''. As the name suggests, it was a quadruped with leopard-like spotted fur and a powerful, vulture-like beaked head. It was cut from the final game. The Vulpard would later be restored by the Digsite project, and officially brought into canon as the ''Zavfaraa''.
File:HCE Vulpard Render.png|The Vulpard. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A vulpard (far-left) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
File:HCE AmbientLife Concept 1.jpg|Ambient life sketches by Marcus Lehto.
Covenant
The "Covenant masters" (as-named in the internal files) are an extremely early iteration of the Sangheili|Elites. They were present in early builds of ''Halo'' and were intended to lead unruly Covenant creatures (possibly including the Stalker detailed further up this page) via the means of control collars. Were these collars to be shot off, the creatures would go on a rampage. While this design was ultimately scrapped, it formed the basis of the Elites known to modern ''Halo'', with the design ultimately going on to be reused in the 2022 ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'' as the canon armour for the ancient Sangheili warrior Ussa 'Xellus.
File:HCE Elite Concept 1.jpg|An early concept sketch for what would become the masters. File:PXH MacworldElites Screenshot 1.jpg|Covenant masters in pre-Xbox Halo. File:PXH MacworldElites Screenshot 2.jpg|Covenant masters in pre-Xbox Halo. File:HCE Digsite CovenantMasters.jpg|The Covenant masters restored into ''Combat Evolved'' by the Digsite project. Their animations were retargeted to use the retail Elites' animation set, allowing them to use the standard Elite weapons. File:Enc22 UssaXellus.png|A canon illustration of Ussa 'Xellus holding a burnblade; his design was based on the masters.
The Drinol was an enemy type intended to be employed by the Covenant, itself based on the marathongame:Drinniol|Drinniol enemies from ''Marathon''. The Drinol, as intended for ''Halo'', was modelled and textured by Paul Russel and animated by Marcus Lehto.
The Drinol model would be later implemented into the ''Halo 2'' engine and was intended to play a part in that game as a boss enemy of some sort, though was eventually Cut Halo 2 enemies#Sharquoi|similarly-cut. Nonetheless, the Drinol - now named the Sharquoi - did make it into ''Halo'' canon with the release of the ''Conversations from the Universe'' booklet and 2016's ''Halo: Envoy''.
The Sharquoi updated for inclusion in ''Halo 2'' was featured on the Collector's Edition DVD, complete with updated lighting and normal mapping.
File:HCE Drinol Concept 1.png|Concept art for the Drinol. File:HCE Drinol Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Drinol. File:HCE Drinol Render.png|The Drinol model. File:PXH Excavator Screenshot 3.png|Firing the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Excavator|Excavator at the Drinol. File:Drinolbig.jpg|The Drinol model rendered in the ''Halo 2'' iteration of the Blam engine, using normal mapping for increased detail.
}}
The Engineer is one of the more famous enemy types cut from ''Combat Evolved''. The Engineers were developed for the game and remained in the build until fairly late stages, being seen in multiple promotional screenshots and even remaining in the game files - albeit unused - at launch. As a result, they can be spawned in-game via modding, albeit without animations or AI. The Engineers' late cutting consequently saw them remain featured in ''Halo: Combat Evolved: Prima's Official Strategy Guide'', as they were unable to be removed in time.
Although cut from ''Combat Evolved'', the Engineers remained in ''Halo'' canon thanks to their inclusion in the novels ''Halo: The Fall of Reach|The Fall of Reach'' and ''Halo: First Strike|First Strike''. Their ''Combat Evolved'' design would later go on to be recreated by the team at Ensemble Studios for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', before being redesigned by Shi Kai Wang for a feature role in ''Halo 3: ODST''.
File:HCE ShotgunEngineers Screenshot.jpg|An early promotional screenshot showcasing an Engineer. File:CovenantEngineer-HaloCE.png|A side view of the cut Huragok from ''Combat Evolved''. File:HaloCE-HuragokEngineer-front.png|A frontal view of the cut Huragok. File:Engineer4.jpg|The early look of a Huragok aboard a Covenant ship. File:Engineers3.jpg|A group of the concept Engineers from a ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' mod of the level "The Silent Cartographer".
The special purpose sniper is a deleted Covenant species seen in the ''Halo 2'' Collector's Edition DVD. Its arms were to be used like a tripod (but not act like one), and it could flip from side to side, without having to switch weapons. It would also be able to hang from trees and building struts. Early revisions of this enemy's concept art can be seen wielding the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Particle beam rifle|particle beam rifle, similarly-cut from ''Combat Evolved''.
A later model shared by Paul Russel differs from these designs massively.
File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_2.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_3.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_4.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_5.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:Sniper.png|A 3D render of the model for the sniper by Paul Russel.
The Tankbeast is a deleted Covenant species created by Paul Russel. The Tankbeast would have stood roughly 3.5 meters (11.4 Foot) tall, with no visibly-distinct head. The Tankbeast also had an underslung weapon, and armored legs. The creature's visual similarities to the Mgalekgolo|Lekgolo may indicate it was to fulfill a similar role. The Tankbeast is one of the few known models that the Digsite team currently has no records of.
File:HCE Tankbeast Render.png|A render of the Tankbeast.
These Covenant species were sketched by Marcus Lehto, though never saw any further development.
File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept.jpg File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept 2.jpg File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept 3.jpg
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo: Combat Evolved
|
File:HCE LostHalo Renders.png|thumb|300px|Several cut creatures and Cut Halo: Combat Evolved vehicles|vehicles by Paul Russel.
During the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', a number of creature designs were considered for inclusion by Bungie to serve the role of enemies, ambient AI and other miscellaneous NPCs. Not all of these concepts made it to full 3D development, though many were and have since been restored for use in the Halo Editing Kit by the Digsite project.
Ambient life In the earlier stages of ''Halo'', ambient fauna were intended to make up a significant portion of the environments, and many were fully modelled, animated and implemented in-engine. Ultimately, they were cut due to a combination of time constraints, design issues and performance problems, with problems such as how the AI would respond to action sequences and herd mentality being prevalent. Ultimately, they were cut to focus on more pressing issues, though there was one last reason. Had Installation 04 been depicted with a burgeoning and active ecosystem, the surprise reveal of the Flood would have been considerably less shocking. An unintended side-effect of the creatures' removal meant that the structures and landscapes of the ringworld setting felt creepy, eerie and abandoned - serving to enhance the mystery of the Forerunners in a good (albeit accidental) way.
Antaeus is a List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|cut creature developed for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. The creature was created by Marcus Lehto and inspired by the work of Wikipedia:Ray Harryhausen|Ray Harryhausen. Although the creature bears some visual similarities to the Jiralhanae|Brutes later introduced in ''Halo 2'', the creature was not related to them; though Lehto did note that they could originate from the Doisac|Brute homeworld.
File:HCE Antaeus Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for Antaeus. File:HCE_Antaeus.png|Antaeus.
}}
The Blind Wolf was a creature heavily featured in early revisions of ''Combat Evolved''. The creature was the brainchild of Marcus Lehto, who concepted and modelled it for implementation in-game. The original concept features the Blind Wolf in a symbiotic relationship with an insect; the insect would act as the "eyes" for the Blind Wolf and lead it to prey - and in turn get to feast on the carcass the Blind Wolf left. The creature would have been featured in game as a hostile piece of ambient fauna on the ring, though the player would also be able to tame them and ride them as a mount.
The Blind Wolf was later updated for inclusion in ''Halo 2'' and featured on the Collector's Edition DVD, complete with updated lighting and normal mapping.
The symbiote bug mentioned as concepted for the Blind Wolf was also modelled, and is detailed further down this page.
The Blind Wolf remains one of the most iconic cut creatures in the ''Halo'' series history, and has a long legacy. The creature was concepted for inclusion in Ensemble Studios' planned Titan (canceled game)|''Halo'' MMO, intended for use as a Brute mount and known as the "Jaggmaw Sawtail". It would later go on to be prominently featured in the 2015 novel ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'', taking a prime position on the book's cover art and being canonised as a Morolaath, a creature on Installation 00|the Ark.
File:HCE BlindWolf Concept.jpg|Lehto's original concept illustration of the Blind Wolf. File:Blind wolf - deletemat (textured).jpg|This image provides a more detailed look at the unused model of a blind wolf. File:Blind Wolves.jpg|A pack of blind wolves run past a M12 Warthog|Warthog in an early build of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:BlindWolfCut2.PNG|The player character rides a blind wolf in an early build of ''Combat Evolved''. File:Blindwolf ride.png|Riding the blind wolf. File:BlindWolfTrailer.PNG|A Warthog drives past a blind wolf in Halo E3 2000 trailer|the first trailer shown for ''Combat Evolved''.''Halo: Combat Evolved Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2000 ''Halo E3 2000 trailer|trailer File:BlindWolf.jpg|A render of the Blind Wolf in the ''Halo 2'' engine. File:MMO Jaggmaw Concept.jpg|''Halo'' MMO concept art for the Blind Wolf. File:Hunters in the Dark full cover.jpg|N'tho 'Sraom and Spartan Frank Kodiak face off against several ''morolaath'' on the cover art for ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark''.
The creature jokingly referred to as the "doberman gator" was featured on the ''Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition'' cutting room floor documentary, though it was not further discussed. The sketch was done by Robert McLees during production for ''Combat Evolved''. The creature's anatomy slightly resembles that of the prehistoric Wikipedia:Gorgonopsia|Gorgonopsids which lived on Earth within the Wikipedia:Permian|Permian. There are also similarities between it and Wikipedia:Ambulocetus|Ambulocetus; an aquatic as well as terrestrial ancestor of Earth's Wikipedia:Cetacea|Cetaceans which lived throughout the Wikipedia:Eocene|Eocene.
File:HCE DobermanGator Concept.png|The concept for the creature.
Seen only in concept art on the ''Halo 2'' LCE disc, the Keelbug was a creature intended to be present in ''Combat Evolved''. The Keelbug is described as being intended to fly into the battlefield, cut up dead bodies and fly them offscreen as a way of cleaning up the bodies. This was to serve in-game as a way of clearing corpses from the level to save on memory. The creature's behaviour was never developed, though the model was only cut from the game relatively late in development.
The Keelbug has since been referenced in the description of the "Bleached Bone" Armor coatings (Halo Infinite)|armor coating in ''Halo Infinite'' and canonized into lore as the ''Verivorr''.
File:HCE Keelbug Concept 1.png|Concept art for the Keelbug. File:HCE Keelbug Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Keelbug. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A keelbug (second-from-left) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The Quadwings were an ambient life form modelled for inclusion in ''Combat Evolved'', but ultimately cut for reasons unknown. Unlike many other creatures on this list, they were later revived for inclusion in ''Halo 2'', and later canonised by 343 Industries as the ''rangmejo''.
File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A Quadwing (middle, top) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The "rock worm" was featured in the Macworld build showcased by Marcus Lehto. It was cut prior to the transition from third- to first-person gameplay, though has successfully been restored by the Digsite project for use in retail ''Combat Evolved''. The creature initially appears in the ground disguised as a rock, before emerging once disturbed to thrash around wildly.
File:PXH RockWorm.png|The rock worm. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A rockworm (middle) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
When concepting the Sangheili|Elites for ''Combat Evolved'', Marcus Lehto felt that the team needed an enemy character that was "''more monster-like''". The Stalker was one such creature created under this direction. A second concept (shown below) for the Stalker's head depicts what appears to be some kind of collar around the creature's neck, with a curvilinear design similar in nature to Covenant technology. This may indicate them to have been the Covenant creatures kept as pets by the "Covenant Masters" (described further down this page); if the collar were to be shot off, the creatures would go on a rampage against their masters to cause chaos in the enemy ranks.
File:HCE Stalker Concept.png|Concept art for the Stalker. File:HCE StalkerHead Concept.png|Head study for the Stalker.
The Threeleg was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit Installation 04 in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. As its name suggests, it was a tripodal organism, with three powerful legs and two smaller arms. It appears to have had an exoskeleton, and at least two eyes. It was cut from the final game. The creature's model has been recovered by the Digsite project, though has yet to be released for general use due to needing significant work doing to properly animate and be useful for anything further than simply standing in place.
File:HCE Threeleg Render.png|A render of the Threeleg.
The Thorax was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit the ring in ''Combat Evolved''. Mostly blue, with luminous yellow on its back, it had thin arms but long, powerful legs and a single eye. It was cut from the final game. Very little information has survived about what the Thorax's function in-game would be, or where it would appear. The Digsite team has speculated that it may have appeared in the swamps of 343 Guilty Spark, though this is an inference based on the creature's visual appearance and not hinted at by any actual development files.
File:HCE Thorax Render.png|A render of the Thorax. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A Thorax (second-from-right) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The thorn beast was a creature modelled and textured by Paul Russel. It was shown in the Halo E3 2000 trailer|''Halo'' E3 2000 trailer as an ambient creature that the Marine squad passed by.
While cut from the game, the thorn beast did survive and eventually make its way into canon in the 2007 novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest|Contact Harvest'' - served as a delicacy aboard the ''Rapid Conversion''.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|A render of a thorn beast as it was intended to appear in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:Dinosaurs.jpg|Some thorn beasts being passed by Marines in the ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' E3 2000 trailer. File:Pre-Halo Thorn Beast.jpg|Close up of a thorn beast on Installation 04 in the E3 2000 trailer. File:Thornbeast2.png|Several thorn beasts.
The Vulpard was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit the ring in ''Combat Evolved''. As the name suggests, it was a quadruped with leopard-like spotted fur and a powerful, vulture-like beaked head. It was cut from the final game. The Vulpard would later be restored by the Digsite project, and officially brought into canon as the ''Zavfaraa''.
File:HCE Vulpard Render.png|The Vulpard. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A vulpard (far-left) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
File:HCE AmbientLife Concept 1.jpg|Ambient life sketches by Marcus Lehto.
Covenant
The "Covenant masters" (as-named in the internal files) are an extremely early iteration of the Sangheili|Elites. They were present in early builds of ''Halo'' and were intended to lead unruly Covenant creatures (possibly including the Stalker detailed further up this page) via the means of control collars. Were these collars to be shot off, the creatures would go on a rampage. While this design was ultimately scrapped, it formed the basis of the Elites known to modern ''Halo'', with the design ultimately going on to be reused in the 2022 ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'' as the canon armour for the ancient Sangheili warrior Ussa 'Xellus.
File:HCE Elite Concept 1.jpg|An early concept sketch for what would become the masters. File:PXH MacworldElites Screenshot 1.jpg|Covenant masters in pre-Xbox Halo. File:PXH MacworldElites Screenshot 2.jpg|Covenant masters in pre-Xbox Halo. File:HCE Digsite CovenantMasters.jpg|The Covenant masters restored into ''Combat Evolved'' by the Digsite project. Their animations were retargeted to use the retail Elites' animation set, allowing them to use the standard Elite weapons. File:Enc22 UssaXellus.png|A canon illustration of Ussa 'Xellus holding a burnblade; his design was based on the masters.
The Drinol was an enemy type intended to be employed by the Covenant, itself based on the marathongame:Drinniol|Drinniol enemies from ''Marathon''. The Drinol, as intended for ''Halo'', was modelled and textured by Paul Russel and animated by Marcus Lehto.
The Drinol model would be later implemented into the ''Halo 2'' engine and was intended to play a part in that game as a boss enemy of some sort, though was eventually Cut Halo 2 enemies#Sharquoi|similarly-cut. Nonetheless, the Drinol - now named the Sharquoi - did make it into ''Halo'' canon with the release of the ''Conversations from the Universe'' booklet and 2016's ''Halo: Envoy''.
The Sharquoi updated for inclusion in ''Halo 2'' was featured on the Collector's Edition DVD, complete with updated lighting and normal mapping.
File:HCE Drinol Concept 1.png|Concept art for the Drinol. File:HCE Drinol Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Drinol. File:HCE Drinol Render.png|The Drinol model. File:PXH Excavator Screenshot 3.png|Firing the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Excavator|Excavator at the Drinol. File:Drinolbig.jpg|The Drinol model rendered in the ''Halo 2'' iteration of the Blam engine, using normal mapping for increased detail.
}}
The Engineer is one of the more famous enemy types cut from ''Combat Evolved''. The Engineers were developed for the game and remained in the build until fairly late stages, being seen in multiple promotional screenshots and even remaining in the game files - albeit unused - at launch. As a result, they can be spawned in-game via modding, albeit without animations or AI. The Engineers' late cutting consequently saw them remain featured in ''Halo: Combat Evolved: Prima's Official Strategy Guide'', as they were unable to be removed in time.
Although cut from ''Combat Evolved'', the Engineers remained in ''Halo'' canon thanks to their inclusion in the novels ''Halo: The Fall of Reach|The Fall of Reach'' and ''Halo: First Strike|First Strike''. Their ''Combat Evolved'' design would later go on to be recreated by the team at Ensemble Studios for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', before being redesigned by Shi Kai Wang for a feature role in ''Halo 3: ODST''.
File:HCE ShotgunEngineers Screenshot.jpg|An early promotional screenshot showcasing an Engineer. File:CovenantEngineer-HaloCE.png|A side view of the cut Huragok from ''Combat Evolved''. File:HaloCE-HuragokEngineer-front.png|A frontal view of the cut Huragok. File:Engineer4.jpg|The early look of a Huragok aboard a Covenant ship. File:Engineers3.jpg|A group of the concept Engineers from a ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' mod of the level "The Silent Cartographer".
The special purpose sniper is a deleted Covenant species seen in the ''Halo 2'' Collector's Edition DVD. Its arms were to be used like a tripod (but not act like one), and it could flip from side to side, without having to switch weapons. It would also be able to hang from trees and building struts. Early revisions of this enemy's concept art can be seen wielding the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Particle beam rifle|particle beam rifle, similarly-cut from ''Combat Evolved''.
A later model shared by Paul Russel differs from these designs massively.
File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_2.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_3.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_4.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_5.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:Sniper.png|A 3D render of the model for the sniper by Paul Russel.
The Tankbeast is a deleted Covenant species created by Paul Russel. The Tankbeast would have stood roughly 3.5 meters (11.4 Foot) tall, with no visibly-distinct head. The Tankbeast also had an underslung weapon, and armored legs. The creature's visual similarities to the Mgalekgolo|Lekgolo may indicate it was to fulfill a similar role. The Tankbeast is one of the few known models that the Digsite team currently has no records of.
File:HCE Tankbeast Render.png|A render of the Tankbeast.
These Covenant species were sketched by Marcus Lehto, though never saw any further development.
File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept.jpg File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept 2.jpg File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept 3.jpg
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo: Combat Evolved
|
File:HCE LostHalo Renders.png|thumb|300px|Several cut creatures and Cut Halo: Combat Evolved vehicles|vehicles by Paul Russel.
During the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', a number of creature designs were considered for inclusion by Bungie to serve the role of enemies, ambient AI and other miscellaneous NPCs. Not all of these concepts made it to full 3D development, though many were and have since been restored for use in the Halo Editing Kit by the Digsite project.
Ambient life In the earlier stages of ''Halo'', ambient fauna were intended to make up a significant portion of the environments, and many were fully modelled, animated and implemented in-engine. Ultimately, they were cut due to a combination of time constraints, design issues and performance problems, with problems such as how the AI would respond to action sequences and herd mentality being prevalent. Ultimately, they were cut to focus on more pressing issues, though there was one last reason. Had Installation 04 been depicted with a burgeoning and active ecosystem, the surprise reveal of the Flood would have been considerably less shocking. An unintended side-effect of the creatures' removal meant that the structures and landscapes of the ringworld setting felt creepy, eerie and abandoned - serving to enhance the mystery of the Forerunners in a good (albeit accidental) way.
Antaeus is a List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|cut creature developed for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. The creature was created by Marcus Lehto and inspired by the work of Wikipedia:Ray Harryhausen|Ray Harryhausen. Although the creature bears some visual similarities to the Jiralhanae|Brutes later introduced in ''Halo 2'', the creature was not related to them; though Lehto did note that they could originate from the Doisac|Brute homeworld.
File:HCE Antaeus Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for Antaeus. File:HCE_Antaeus.png|Antaeus.
}}
The Blind Wolf was a creature heavily featured in early revisions of ''Combat Evolved''. The creature was the brainchild of Marcus Lehto, who concepted and modelled it for implementation in-game. The original concept features the Blind Wolf in a symbiotic relationship with an insect; the insect would act as the "eyes" for the Blind Wolf and lead it to prey - and in turn get to feast on the carcass the Blind Wolf left. The creature would have been featured in game as a hostile piece of ambient fauna on the ring, though the player would also be able to tame them and ride them as a mount.
The Blind Wolf was later updated for inclusion in ''Halo 2'' and featured on the Collector's Edition DVD, complete with updated lighting and normal mapping.
The symbiote bug mentioned as concepted for the Blind Wolf was also modelled, and is detailed further down this page.
The Blind Wolf remains one of the most iconic cut creatures in the ''Halo'' series history, and has a long legacy. The creature was concepted for inclusion in Ensemble Studios' planned Titan (canceled game)|''Halo'' MMO, intended for use as a Brute mount and known as the "Jaggmaw Sawtail". It would later go on to be prominently featured in the 2015 novel ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'', taking a prime position on the book's cover art and being canonised as a Morolaath, a creature on Installation 00|the Ark.
File:HCE BlindWolf Concept.jpg|Lehto's original concept illustration of the Blind Wolf. File:Blind wolf - deletemat (textured).jpg|This image provides a more detailed look at the unused model of a blind wolf. File:Blind Wolves.jpg|A pack of blind wolves run past a M12 Warthog|Warthog in an early build of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:BlindWolfCut2.PNG|The player character rides a blind wolf in an early build of ''Combat Evolved''. File:Blindwolf ride.png|Riding the blind wolf. File:BlindWolfTrailer.PNG|A Warthog drives past a blind wolf in Halo E3 2000 trailer|the first trailer shown for ''Combat Evolved''.''Halo: Combat Evolved Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2000 ''Halo E3 2000 trailer|trailer File:BlindWolf.jpg|A render of the Blind Wolf in the ''Halo 2'' engine. File:MMO Jaggmaw Concept.jpg|''Halo'' MMO concept art for the Blind Wolf. File:Hunters in the Dark full cover.jpg|N'tho 'Sraom and Spartan Frank Kodiak face off against several ''morolaath'' on the cover art for ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark''.
The creature jokingly referred to as the "doberman gator" was featured on the ''Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition'' cutting room floor documentary, though it was not further discussed. The sketch was done by Robert McLees during production for ''Combat Evolved''. The creature's anatomy slightly resembles that of the prehistoric Wikipedia:Gorgonopsia|Gorgonopsids which lived on Earth within the Wikipedia:Permian|Permian. There are also similarities between it and Wikipedia:Ambulocetus|Ambulocetus; an aquatic as well as terrestrial ancestor of Earth's Wikipedia:Cetacea|Cetaceans which lived throughout the Wikipedia:Eocene|Eocene.
File:HCE DobermanGator Concept.png|The concept for the creature.
Seen only in concept art on the ''Halo 2'' LCE disc, the Keelbug was a creature intended to be present in ''Combat Evolved''. The Keelbug is described as being intended to fly into the battlefield, cut up dead bodies and fly them offscreen as a way of cleaning up the bodies. This was to serve in-game as a way of clearing corpses from the level to save on memory. The creature's behaviour was never developed, though the model was only cut from the game relatively late in development.
The Keelbug has since been referenced in the description of the "Bleached Bone" Armor coatings (Halo Infinite)|armor coating in ''Halo Infinite'' and canonized into lore as the ''Verivorr''.
File:HCE Keelbug Concept 1.png|Concept art for the Keelbug. File:HCE Keelbug Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Keelbug. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A keelbug (second-from-left) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The Quadwings were an ambient life form modelled for inclusion in ''Combat Evolved'', but ultimately cut for reasons unknown. Unlike many other creatures on this list, they were later revived for inclusion in ''Halo 2'', and later canonised by 343 Industries as the ''rangmejo''.
File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A Quadwing (middle, top) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The "rock worm" was featured in the Macworld build showcased by Marcus Lehto. It was cut prior to the transition from third- to first-person gameplay, though has successfully been restored by the Digsite project for use in retail ''Combat Evolved''. The creature initially appears in the ground disguised as a rock, before emerging once disturbed to thrash around wildly.
File:PXH RockWorm.png|The rock worm. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A rockworm (middle) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
When concepting the Sangheili|Elites for ''Combat Evolved'', Marcus Lehto felt that the team needed an enemy character that was "''more monster-like''". The Stalker was one such creature created under this direction. A second concept (shown below) for the Stalker's head depicts what appears to be some kind of collar around the creature's neck, with a curvilinear design similar in nature to Covenant technology. This may indicate them to have been the Covenant creatures kept as pets by the "Covenant Masters" (described further down this page); if the collar were to be shot off, the creatures would go on a rampage against their masters to cause chaos in the enemy ranks.
File:HCE Stalker Concept.png|Concept art for the Stalker. File:HCE StalkerHead Concept.png|Head study for the Stalker.
The Threeleg was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit Installation 04 in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. As its name suggests, it was a tripodal organism, with three powerful legs and two smaller arms. It appears to have had an exoskeleton, and at least two eyes. It was cut from the final game. The creature's model has been recovered by the Digsite project, though has yet to be released for general use due to needing significant work doing to properly animate and be useful for anything further than simply standing in place.
File:HCE Threeleg Render.png|A render of the Threeleg.
The Thorax was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit the ring in ''Combat Evolved''. Mostly blue, with luminous yellow on its back, it had thin arms but long, powerful legs and a single eye. It was cut from the final game. Very little information has survived about what the Thorax's function in-game would be, or where it would appear. The Digsite team has speculated that it may have appeared in the swamps of 343 Guilty Spark, though this is an inference based on the creature's visual appearance and not hinted at by any actual development files.
File:HCE Thorax Render.png|A render of the Thorax. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A Thorax (second-from-right) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The thorn beast was a creature modelled and textured by Paul Russel. It was shown in the Halo E3 2000 trailer|''Halo'' E3 2000 trailer as an ambient creature that the Marine squad passed by.
While cut from the game, the thorn beast did survive and eventually make its way into canon in the 2007 novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest|Contact Harvest'' - served as a delicacy aboard the ''Rapid Conversion''.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|A render of a thorn beast as it was intended to appear in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:Dinosaurs.jpg|Some thorn beasts being passed by Marines in the ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' E3 2000 trailer. File:Pre-Halo Thorn Beast.jpg|Close up of a thorn beast on Installation 04 in the E3 2000 trailer. File:Thornbeast2.png|Several thorn beasts.
The Vulpard was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit the ring in ''Combat Evolved''. As the name suggests, it was a quadruped with leopard-like spotted fur and a powerful, vulture-like beaked head. It was cut from the final game. The Vulpard would later be restored by the Digsite project, and officially brought into canon as the ''Zavfaraa''.
File:HCE Vulpard Render.png|The Vulpard. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A vulpard (far-left) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
File:HCE AmbientLife Concept 1.jpg|Ambient life sketches by Marcus Lehto.
Covenant
The "Covenant masters" (as-named in the internal files) are an extremely early iteration of the Sangheili|Elites. They were present in early builds of ''Halo'' and were intended to lead unruly Covenant creatures (possibly including the Stalker detailed further up this page) via the means of control collars. Were these collars to be shot off, the creatures would go on a rampage. While this design was ultimately scrapped, it formed the basis of the Elites known to modern ''Halo'', with the design ultimately going on to be reused in the 2022 ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'' as the canon armour for the ancient Sangheili warrior Ussa 'Xellus.
File:HCE Elite Concept 1.jpg|An early concept sketch for what would become the masters. File:PXH MacworldElites Screenshot 1.jpg|Covenant masters in pre-Xbox Halo. File:PXH MacworldElites Screenshot 2.jpg|Covenant masters in pre-Xbox Halo. File:HCE Digsite CovenantMasters.jpg|The Covenant masters restored into ''Combat Evolved'' by the Digsite project. Their animations were retargeted to use the retail Elites' animation set, allowing them to use the standard Elite weapons. File:Enc22 UssaXellus.png|A canon illustration of Ussa 'Xellus holding a burnblade; his design was based on the masters.
The Drinol was an enemy type intended to be employed by the Covenant, itself based on the marathongame:Drinniol|Drinniol enemies from ''Marathon''. The Drinol, as intended for ''Halo'', was modelled and textured by Paul Russel and animated by Marcus Lehto.
The Drinol model would be later implemented into the ''Halo 2'' engine and was intended to play a part in that game as a boss enemy of some sort, though was eventually Cut Halo 2 enemies#Sharquoi|similarly-cut. Nonetheless, the Drinol - now named the Sharquoi - did make it into ''Halo'' canon with the release of the ''Conversations from the Universe'' booklet and 2016's ''Halo: Envoy''.
The Sharquoi updated for inclusion in ''Halo 2'' was featured on the Collector's Edition DVD, complete with updated lighting and normal mapping.
File:HCE Drinol Concept 1.png|Concept art for the Drinol. File:HCE Drinol Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Drinol. File:HCE Drinol Render.png|The Drinol model. File:PXH Excavator Screenshot 3.png|Firing the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Excavator|Excavator at the Drinol. File:Drinolbig.jpg|The Drinol model rendered in the ''Halo 2'' iteration of the Blam engine, using normal mapping for increased detail.
}}
The Engineer is one of the more famous enemy types cut from ''Combat Evolved''. The Engineers were developed for the game and remained in the build until fairly late stages, being seen in multiple promotional screenshots and even remaining in the game files - albeit unused - at launch. As a result, they can be spawned in-game via modding, albeit without animations or AI. The Engineers' late cutting consequently saw them remain featured in ''Halo: Combat Evolved: Prima's Official Strategy Guide'', as they were unable to be removed in time.
Although cut from ''Combat Evolved'', the Engineers remained in ''Halo'' canon thanks to their inclusion in the novels ''Halo: The Fall of Reach|The Fall of Reach'' and ''Halo: First Strike|First Strike''. Their ''Combat Evolved'' design would later go on to be recreated by the team at Ensemble Studios for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', before being redesigned by Shi Kai Wang for a feature role in ''Halo 3: ODST''.
File:HCE ShotgunEngineers Screenshot.jpg|An early promotional screenshot showcasing an Engineer. File:CovenantEngineer-HaloCE.png|A side view of the cut Huragok from ''Combat Evolved''. File:HaloCE-HuragokEngineer-front.png|A frontal view of the cut Huragok. File:Engineer4.jpg|The early look of a Huragok aboard a Covenant ship. File:Engineers3.jpg|A group of the concept Engineers from a ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' mod of the level "The Silent Cartographer".
The special purpose sniper is a deleted Covenant species seen in the ''Halo 2'' Collector's Edition DVD. Its arms were to be used like a tripod (but not act like one), and it could flip from side to side, without having to switch weapons. It would also be able to hang from trees and building struts. Early revisions of this enemy's concept art can be seen wielding the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Particle beam rifle|particle beam rifle, similarly-cut from ''Combat Evolved''.
A later model shared by Paul Russel differs from these designs massively.
File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_2.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_3.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_4.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_5.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:Sniper.png|A 3D render of the model for the sniper by Paul Russel.
The Tankbeast is a deleted Covenant species created by Paul Russel. The Tankbeast would have stood roughly 3.5 meters (11.4 Foot) tall, with no visibly-distinct head. The Tankbeast also had an underslung weapon, and armored legs. The creature's visual similarities to the Mgalekgolo|Lekgolo may indicate it was to fulfill a similar role. The Tankbeast is one of the few known models that the Digsite team currently has no records of.
File:HCE Tankbeast Render.png|A render of the Tankbeast.
These Covenant species were sketched by Marcus Lehto, though never saw any further development.
File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept.jpg File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept 2.jpg File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept 3.jpg
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo: Combat Evolved
|
File:HCE LostHalo Renders.png|thumb|300px|Several cut creatures and Cut Halo: Combat Evolved vehicles|vehicles by Paul Russel.
During the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', a number of creature designs were considered for inclusion by Bungie to serve the role of enemies, ambient AI and other miscellaneous NPCs. Not all of these concepts made it to full 3D development, though many were and have since been restored for use in the Halo Editing Kit by the Digsite project.
Ambient life In the earlier stages of ''Halo'', ambient fauna were intended to make up a significant portion of the environments, and many were fully modelled, animated and implemented in-engine. Ultimately, they were cut due to a combination of time constraints, design issues and performance problems, with problems such as how the AI would respond to action sequences and herd mentality being prevalent. Ultimately, they were cut to focus on more pressing issues, though there was one last reason. Had Installation 04 been depicted with a burgeoning and active ecosystem, the surprise reveal of the Flood would have been considerably less shocking. An unintended side-effect of the creatures' removal meant that the structures and landscapes of the ringworld setting felt creepy, eerie and abandoned - serving to enhance the mystery of the Forerunners in a good (albeit accidental) way.
Antaeus is a List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|cut creature developed for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. The creature was created by Marcus Lehto and inspired by the work of Wikipedia:Ray Harryhausen|Ray Harryhausen. Although the creature bears some visual similarities to the Jiralhanae|Brutes later introduced in ''Halo 2'', the creature was not related to them; though Lehto did note that they could originate from the Doisac|Brute homeworld.
File:HCE Antaeus Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for Antaeus. File:HCE_Antaeus.png|Antaeus.
}}
The Blind Wolf was a creature heavily featured in early revisions of ''Combat Evolved''. The creature was the brainchild of Marcus Lehto, who concepted and modelled it for implementation in-game. The original concept features the Blind Wolf in a symbiotic relationship with an insect; the insect would act as the "eyes" for the Blind Wolf and lead it to prey - and in turn get to feast on the carcass the Blind Wolf left. The creature would have been featured in game as a hostile piece of ambient fauna on the ring, though the player would also be able to tame them and ride them as a mount.
The Blind Wolf was later updated for inclusion in ''Halo 2'' and featured on the Collector's Edition DVD, complete with updated lighting and normal mapping.
The symbiote bug mentioned as concepted for the Blind Wolf was also modelled, and is detailed further down this page.
The Blind Wolf remains one of the most iconic cut creatures in the ''Halo'' series history, and has a long legacy. The creature was concepted for inclusion in Ensemble Studios' planned Titan (canceled game)|''Halo'' MMO, intended for use as a Brute mount and known as the "Jaggmaw Sawtail". It would later go on to be prominently featured in the 2015 novel ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'', taking a prime position on the book's cover art and being canonised as a Morolaath, a creature on Installation 00|the Ark.
File:HCE BlindWolf Concept.jpg|Lehto's original concept illustration of the Blind Wolf. File:Blind wolf - deletemat (textured).jpg|This image provides a more detailed look at the unused model of a blind wolf. File:Blind Wolves.jpg|A pack of blind wolves run past a M12 Warthog|Warthog in an early build of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:BlindWolfCut2.PNG|The player character rides a blind wolf in an early build of ''Combat Evolved''. File:Blindwolf ride.png|Riding the blind wolf. File:BlindWolfTrailer.PNG|A Warthog drives past a blind wolf in Halo E3 2000 trailer|the first trailer shown for ''Combat Evolved''.''Halo: Combat Evolved Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2000 ''Halo E3 2000 trailer|trailer File:BlindWolf.jpg|A render of the Blind Wolf in the ''Halo 2'' engine. File:MMO Jaggmaw Concept.jpg|''Halo'' MMO concept art for the Blind Wolf. File:Hunters in the Dark full cover.jpg|N'tho 'Sraom and Spartan Frank Kodiak face off against several ''morolaath'' on the cover art for ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark''.
The creature jokingly referred to as the "doberman gator" was featured on the ''Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition'' cutting room floor documentary, though it was not further discussed. The sketch was done by Robert McLees during production for ''Combat Evolved''. The creature's anatomy slightly resembles that of the prehistoric Wikipedia:Gorgonopsia|Gorgonopsids which lived on Earth within the Wikipedia:Permian|Permian. There are also similarities between it and Wikipedia:Ambulocetus|Ambulocetus; an aquatic as well as terrestrial ancestor of Earth's Wikipedia:Cetacea|Cetaceans which lived throughout the Wikipedia:Eocene|Eocene.
File:HCE DobermanGator Concept.png|The concept for the creature.
Seen only in concept art on the ''Halo 2'' LCE disc, the Keelbug was a creature intended to be present in ''Combat Evolved''. The Keelbug is described as being intended to fly into the battlefield, cut up dead bodies and fly them offscreen as a way of cleaning up the bodies. This was to serve in-game as a way of clearing corpses from the level to save on memory. The creature's behaviour was never developed, though the model was only cut from the game relatively late in development.
The Keelbug has since been referenced in the description of the "Bleached Bone" Armor coatings (Halo Infinite)|armor coating in ''Halo Infinite'' and canonized into lore as the ''Verivorr''.
File:HCE Keelbug Concept 1.png|Concept art for the Keelbug. File:HCE Keelbug Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Keelbug. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A keelbug (second-from-left) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The Quadwings were an ambient life form modelled for inclusion in ''Combat Evolved'', but ultimately cut for reasons unknown. Unlike many other creatures on this list, they were later revived for inclusion in ''Halo 2'', and later canonised by 343 Industries as the ''rangmejo''.
File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A Quadwing (middle, top) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The "rock worm" was featured in the Macworld build showcased by Marcus Lehto. It was cut prior to the transition from third- to first-person gameplay, though has successfully been restored by the Digsite project for use in retail ''Combat Evolved''. The creature initially appears in the ground disguised as a rock, before emerging once disturbed to thrash around wildly.
File:PXH RockWorm.png|The rock worm. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A rockworm (middle) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
When concepting the Sangheili|Elites for ''Combat Evolved'', Marcus Lehto felt that the team needed an enemy character that was "''more monster-like''". The Stalker was one such creature created under this direction. A second concept (shown below) for the Stalker's head depicts what appears to be some kind of collar around the creature's neck, with a curvilinear design similar in nature to Covenant technology. This may indicate them to have been the Covenant creatures kept as pets by the "Covenant Masters" (described further down this page); if the collar were to be shot off, the creatures would go on a rampage against their masters to cause chaos in the enemy ranks.
File:HCE Stalker Concept.png|Concept art for the Stalker. File:HCE StalkerHead Concept.png|Head study for the Stalker.
The Threeleg was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit Installation 04 in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. As its name suggests, it was a tripodal organism, with three powerful legs and two smaller arms. It appears to have had an exoskeleton, and at least two eyes. It was cut from the final game. The creature's model has been recovered by the Digsite project, though has yet to be released for general use due to needing significant work doing to properly animate and be useful for anything further than simply standing in place.
File:HCE Threeleg Render.png|A render of the Threeleg.
The Thorax was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit the ring in ''Combat Evolved''. Mostly blue, with luminous yellow on its back, it had thin arms but long, powerful legs and a single eye. It was cut from the final game. Very little information has survived about what the Thorax's function in-game would be, or where it would appear. The Digsite team has speculated that it may have appeared in the swamps of 343 Guilty Spark, though this is an inference based on the creature's visual appearance and not hinted at by any actual development files.
File:HCE Thorax Render.png|A render of the Thorax. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A Thorax (second-from-right) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The thorn beast was a creature modelled and textured by Paul Russel. It was shown in the Halo E3 2000 trailer|''Halo'' E3 2000 trailer as an ambient creature that the Marine squad passed by.
While cut from the game, the thorn beast did survive and eventually make its way into canon in the 2007 novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest|Contact Harvest'' - served as a delicacy aboard the ''Rapid Conversion''.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|A render of a thorn beast as it was intended to appear in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:Dinosaurs.jpg|Some thorn beasts being passed by Marines in the ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' E3 2000 trailer. File:Pre-Halo Thorn Beast.jpg|Close up of a thorn beast on Installation 04 in the E3 2000 trailer. File:Thornbeast2.png|Several thorn beasts.
The Vulpard was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit the ring in ''Combat Evolved''. As the name suggests, it was a quadruped with leopard-like spotted fur and a powerful, vulture-like beaked head. It was cut from the final game. The Vulpard would later be restored by the Digsite project, and officially brought into canon as the ''Zavfaraa''.
File:HCE Vulpard Render.png|The Vulpard. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A vulpard (far-left) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
File:HCE AmbientLife Concept 1.jpg|Ambient life sketches by Marcus Lehto.
Covenant
The "Covenant masters" (as-named in the internal files) are an extremely early iteration of the Sangheili|Elites. They were present in early builds of ''Halo'' and were intended to lead unruly Covenant creatures (possibly including the Stalker detailed further up this page) via the means of control collars. Were these collars to be shot off, the creatures would go on a rampage. While this design was ultimately scrapped, it formed the basis of the Elites known to modern ''Halo'', with the design ultimately going on to be reused in the 2022 ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'' as the canon armour for the ancient Sangheili warrior Ussa 'Xellus.
File:HCE Elite Concept 1.jpg|An early concept sketch for what would become the masters. File:PXH MacworldElites Screenshot 1.jpg|Covenant masters in pre-Xbox Halo. File:PXH MacworldElites Screenshot 2.jpg|Covenant masters in pre-Xbox Halo. File:HCE Digsite CovenantMasters.jpg|The Covenant masters restored into ''Combat Evolved'' by the Digsite project. Their animations were retargeted to use the retail Elites' animation set, allowing them to use the standard Elite weapons. File:Enc22 UssaXellus.png|A canon illustration of Ussa 'Xellus holding a burnblade; his design was based on the masters.
The Drinol was an enemy type intended to be employed by the Covenant, itself based on the marathongame:Drinniol|Drinniol enemies from ''Marathon''. The Drinol, as intended for ''Halo'', was modelled and textured by Paul Russel and animated by Marcus Lehto.
The Drinol model would be later implemented into the ''Halo 2'' engine and was intended to play a part in that game as a boss enemy of some sort, though was eventually Cut Halo 2 enemies#Sharquoi|similarly-cut. Nonetheless, the Drinol - now named the Sharquoi - did make it into ''Halo'' canon with the release of the ''Conversations from the Universe'' booklet and 2016's ''Halo: Envoy''.
The Sharquoi updated for inclusion in ''Halo 2'' was featured on the Collector's Edition DVD, complete with updated lighting and normal mapping.
File:HCE Drinol Concept 1.png|Concept art for the Drinol. File:HCE Drinol Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Drinol. File:HCE Drinol Render.png|The Drinol model. File:PXH Excavator Screenshot 3.png|Firing the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Excavator|Excavator at the Drinol. File:Drinolbig.jpg|The Drinol model rendered in the ''Halo 2'' iteration of the Blam engine, using normal mapping for increased detail.
}}
The Engineer is one of the more famous enemy types cut from ''Combat Evolved''. The Engineers were developed for the game and remained in the build until fairly late stages, being seen in multiple promotional screenshots and even remaining in the game files - albeit unused - at launch. As a result, they can be spawned in-game via modding, albeit without animations or AI. The Engineers' late cutting consequently saw them remain featured in ''Halo: Combat Evolved: Prima's Official Strategy Guide'', as they were unable to be removed in time.
Although cut from ''Combat Evolved'', the Engineers remained in ''Halo'' canon thanks to their inclusion in the novels ''Halo: The Fall of Reach|The Fall of Reach'' and ''Halo: First Strike|First Strike''. Their ''Combat Evolved'' design would later go on to be recreated by the team at Ensemble Studios for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', before being redesigned by Shi Kai Wang for a feature role in ''Halo 3: ODST''.
File:HCE ShotgunEngineers Screenshot.jpg|An early promotional screenshot showcasing an Engineer. File:CovenantEngineer-HaloCE.png|A side view of the cut Huragok from ''Combat Evolved''. File:HaloCE-HuragokEngineer-front.png|A frontal view of the cut Huragok. File:Engineer4.jpg|The early look of a Huragok aboard a Covenant ship. File:Engineers3.jpg|A group of the concept Engineers from a ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' mod of the level "The Silent Cartographer".
The special purpose sniper is a deleted Covenant species seen in the ''Halo 2'' Collector's Edition DVD. Its arms were to be used like a tripod (but not act like one), and it could flip from side to side, without having to switch weapons. It would also be able to hang from trees and building struts. Early revisions of this enemy's concept art can be seen wielding the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Particle beam rifle|particle beam rifle, similarly-cut from ''Combat Evolved''.
A later model shared by Paul Russel differs from these designs massively.
File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_2.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_3.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_4.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_5.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:Sniper.png|A 3D render of the model for the sniper by Paul Russel.
The Tankbeast is a deleted Covenant species created by Paul Russel. The Tankbeast would have stood roughly 3.5 meters (11.4 Foot) tall, with no visibly-distinct head. The Tankbeast also had an underslung weapon, and armored legs. The creature's visual similarities to the Mgalekgolo|Lekgolo may indicate it was to fulfill a similar role. The Tankbeast is one of the few known models that the Digsite team currently has no records of.
File:HCE Tankbeast Render.png|A render of the Tankbeast.
These Covenant species were sketched by Marcus Lehto, though never saw any further development.
File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept.jpg File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept 2.jpg File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept 3.jpg
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo: Combat Evolved
|
File:HCE LostHalo Renders.png|thumb|300px|Several cut creatures and Cut Halo: Combat Evolved vehicles|vehicles by Paul Russel.
During the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', a number of creature designs were considered for inclusion by Bungie to serve the role of enemies, ambient AI and other miscellaneous NPCs. Not all of these concepts made it to full 3D development, though many were and have since been restored for use in the Halo Editing Kit by the Digsite project.
Ambient life In the earlier stages of ''Halo'', ambient fauna were intended to make up a significant portion of the environments, and many were fully modelled, animated and implemented in-engine. Ultimately, they were cut due to a combination of time constraints, design issues and performance problems, with problems such as how the AI would respond to action sequences and herd mentality being prevalent. Ultimately, they were cut to focus on more pressing issues, though there was one last reason. Had Installation 04 been depicted with a burgeoning and active ecosystem, the surprise reveal of the Flood would have been considerably less shocking. An unintended side-effect of the creatures' removal meant that the structures and landscapes of the ringworld setting felt creepy, eerie and abandoned - serving to enhance the mystery of the Forerunners in a good (albeit accidental) way.
Antaeus is a List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|cut creature developed for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. The creature was created by Marcus Lehto and inspired by the work of Wikipedia:Ray Harryhausen|Ray Harryhausen. Although the creature bears some visual similarities to the Jiralhanae|Brutes later introduced in ''Halo 2'', the creature was not related to them; though Lehto did note that they could originate from the Doisac|Brute homeworld.
File:HCE Antaeus Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for Antaeus. File:HCE_Antaeus.png|Antaeus.
}}
The Blind Wolf was a creature heavily featured in early revisions of ''Combat Evolved''. The creature was the brainchild of Marcus Lehto, who concepted and modelled it for implementation in-game. The original concept features the Blind Wolf in a symbiotic relationship with an insect; the insect would act as the "eyes" for the Blind Wolf and lead it to prey - and in turn get to feast on the carcass the Blind Wolf left. The creature would have been featured in game as a hostile piece of ambient fauna on the ring, though the player would also be able to tame them and ride them as a mount.
The Blind Wolf was later updated for inclusion in ''Halo 2'' and featured on the Collector's Edition DVD, complete with updated lighting and normal mapping.
The symbiote bug mentioned as concepted for the Blind Wolf was also modelled, and is detailed further down this page.
The Blind Wolf remains one of the most iconic cut creatures in the ''Halo'' series history, and has a long legacy. The creature was concepted for inclusion in Ensemble Studios' planned Titan (canceled game)|''Halo'' MMO, intended for use as a Brute mount and known as the "Jaggmaw Sawtail". It would later go on to be prominently featured in the 2015 novel ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'', taking a prime position on the book's cover art and being canonised as a Morolaath, a creature on Installation 00|the Ark.
File:HCE BlindWolf Concept.jpg|Lehto's original concept illustration of the Blind Wolf. File:Blind wolf - deletemat (textured).jpg|This image provides a more detailed look at the unused model of a blind wolf. File:Blind Wolves.jpg|A pack of blind wolves run past a M12 Warthog|Warthog in an early build of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:BlindWolfCut2.PNG|The player character rides a blind wolf in an early build of ''Combat Evolved''. File:Blindwolf ride.png|Riding the blind wolf. File:BlindWolfTrailer.PNG|A Warthog drives past a blind wolf in Halo E3 2000 trailer|the first trailer shown for ''Combat Evolved''.''Halo: Combat Evolved Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2000 ''Halo E3 2000 trailer|trailer File:BlindWolf.jpg|A render of the Blind Wolf in the ''Halo 2'' engine. File:MMO Jaggmaw Concept.jpg|''Halo'' MMO concept art for the Blind Wolf. File:Hunters in the Dark full cover.jpg|N'tho 'Sraom and Spartan Frank Kodiak face off against several ''morolaath'' on the cover art for ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark''.
The creature jokingly referred to as the "doberman gator" was featured on the ''Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition'' cutting room floor documentary, though it was not further discussed. The sketch was done by Robert McLees during production for ''Combat Evolved''. The creature's anatomy slightly resembles that of the prehistoric Wikipedia:Gorgonopsia|Gorgonopsids which lived on Earth within the Wikipedia:Permian|Permian. There are also similarities between it and Wikipedia:Ambulocetus|Ambulocetus; an aquatic as well as terrestrial ancestor of Earth's Wikipedia:Cetacea|Cetaceans which lived throughout the Wikipedia:Eocene|Eocene.
File:HCE DobermanGator Concept.png|The concept for the creature.
Seen only in concept art on the ''Halo 2'' LCE disc, the Keelbug was a creature intended to be present in ''Combat Evolved''. The Keelbug is described as being intended to fly into the battlefield, cut up dead bodies and fly them offscreen as a way of cleaning up the bodies. This was to serve in-game as a way of clearing corpses from the level to save on memory. The creature's behaviour was never developed, though the model was only cut from the game relatively late in development.
The Keelbug has since been referenced in the description of the "Bleached Bone" Armor coatings (Halo Infinite)|armor coating in ''Halo Infinite'' and canonized into lore as the ''Verivorr''.
File:HCE Keelbug Concept 1.png|Concept art for the Keelbug. File:HCE Keelbug Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Keelbug. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A keelbug (second-from-left) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The Quadwings were an ambient life form modelled for inclusion in ''Combat Evolved'', but ultimately cut for reasons unknown. Unlike many other creatures on this list, they were later revived for inclusion in ''Halo 2'', and later canonised by 343 Industries as the ''rangmejo''.
File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A Quadwing (middle, top) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The "rock worm" was featured in the Macworld build showcased by Marcus Lehto. It was cut prior to the transition from third- to first-person gameplay, though has successfully been restored by the Digsite project for use in retail ''Combat Evolved''. The creature initially appears in the ground disguised as a rock, before emerging once disturbed to thrash around wildly.
File:PXH RockWorm.png|The rock worm. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A rockworm (middle) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
When concepting the Sangheili|Elites for ''Combat Evolved'', Marcus Lehto felt that the team needed an enemy character that was "''more monster-like''". The Stalker was one such creature created under this direction. A second concept (shown below) for the Stalker's head depicts what appears to be some kind of collar around the creature's neck, with a curvilinear design similar in nature to Covenant technology. This may indicate them to have been the Covenant creatures kept as pets by the "Covenant Masters" (described further down this page); if the collar were to be shot off, the creatures would go on a rampage against their masters to cause chaos in the enemy ranks.
File:HCE Stalker Concept.png|Concept art for the Stalker. File:HCE StalkerHead Concept.png|Head study for the Stalker.
The Threeleg was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit Installation 04 in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. As its name suggests, it was a tripodal organism, with three powerful legs and two smaller arms. It appears to have had an exoskeleton, and at least two eyes. It was cut from the final game. The creature's model has been recovered by the Digsite project, though has yet to be released for general use due to needing significant work doing to properly animate and be useful for anything further than simply standing in place.
File:HCE Threeleg Render.png|A render of the Threeleg.
The Thorax was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit the ring in ''Combat Evolved''. Mostly blue, with luminous yellow on its back, it had thin arms but long, powerful legs and a single eye. It was cut from the final game. Very little information has survived about what the Thorax's function in-game would be, or where it would appear. The Digsite team has speculated that it may have appeared in the swamps of 343 Guilty Spark, though this is an inference based on the creature's visual appearance and not hinted at by any actual development files.
File:HCE Thorax Render.png|A render of the Thorax. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A Thorax (second-from-right) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The thorn beast was a creature modelled and textured by Paul Russel. It was shown in the Halo E3 2000 trailer|''Halo'' E3 2000 trailer as an ambient creature that the Marine squad passed by.
While cut from the game, the thorn beast did survive and eventually make its way into canon in the 2007 novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest|Contact Harvest'' - served as a delicacy aboard the ''Rapid Conversion''.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|A render of a thorn beast as it was intended to appear in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:Dinosaurs.jpg|Some thorn beasts being passed by Marines in the ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' E3 2000 trailer. File:Pre-Halo Thorn Beast.jpg|Close up of a thorn beast on Installation 04 in the E3 2000 trailer. File:Thornbeast2.png|Several thorn beasts.
The Vulpard was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit the ring in ''Combat Evolved''. As the name suggests, it was a quadruped with leopard-like spotted fur and a powerful, vulture-like beaked head. It was cut from the final game. The Vulpard would later be restored by the Digsite project, and officially brought into canon as the ''Zavfaraa''.
File:HCE Vulpard Render.png|The Vulpard. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A vulpard (far-left) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
File:HCE AmbientLife Concept 1.jpg|Ambient life sketches by Marcus Lehto.
Covenant
The "Covenant masters" (as-named in the internal files) are an extremely early iteration of the Sangheili|Elites. They were present in early builds of ''Halo'' and were intended to lead unruly Covenant creatures (possibly including the Stalker detailed further up this page) via the means of control collars. Were these collars to be shot off, the creatures would go on a rampage. While this design was ultimately scrapped, it formed the basis of the Elites known to modern ''Halo'', with the design ultimately going on to be reused in the 2022 ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'' as the canon armour for the ancient Sangheili warrior Ussa 'Xellus.
File:HCE Elite Concept 1.jpg|An early concept sketch for what would become the masters. File:PXH MacworldElites Screenshot 1.jpg|Covenant masters in pre-Xbox Halo. File:PXH MacworldElites Screenshot 2.jpg|Covenant masters in pre-Xbox Halo. File:HCE Digsite CovenantMasters.jpg|The Covenant masters restored into ''Combat Evolved'' by the Digsite project. Their animations were retargeted to use the retail Elites' animation set, allowing them to use the standard Elite weapons. File:Enc22 UssaXellus.png|A canon illustration of Ussa 'Xellus holding a burnblade; his design was based on the masters.
The Drinol was an enemy type intended to be employed by the Covenant, itself based on the marathongame:Drinniol|Drinniol enemies from ''Marathon''. The Drinol, as intended for ''Halo'', was modelled and textured by Paul Russel and animated by Marcus Lehto.
The Drinol model would be later implemented into the ''Halo 2'' engine and was intended to play a part in that game as a boss enemy of some sort, though was eventually Cut Halo 2 enemies#Sharquoi|similarly-cut. Nonetheless, the Drinol - now named the Sharquoi - did make it into ''Halo'' canon with the release of the ''Conversations from the Universe'' booklet and 2016's ''Halo: Envoy''.
The Sharquoi updated for inclusion in ''Halo 2'' was featured on the Collector's Edition DVD, complete with updated lighting and normal mapping.
File:HCE Drinol Concept 1.png|Concept art for the Drinol. File:HCE Drinol Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Drinol. File:HCE Drinol Render.png|The Drinol model. File:PXH Excavator Screenshot 3.png|Firing the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Excavator|Excavator at the Drinol. File:Drinolbig.jpg|The Drinol model rendered in the ''Halo 2'' iteration of the Blam engine, using normal mapping for increased detail.
}}
The Engineer is one of the more famous enemy types cut from ''Combat Evolved''. The Engineers were developed for the game and remained in the build until fairly late stages, being seen in multiple promotional screenshots and even remaining in the game files - albeit unused - at launch. As a result, they can be spawned in-game via modding, albeit without animations or AI. The Engineers' late cutting consequently saw them remain featured in ''Halo: Combat Evolved: Prima's Official Strategy Guide'', as they were unable to be removed in time.
Although cut from ''Combat Evolved'', the Engineers remained in ''Halo'' canon thanks to their inclusion in the novels ''Halo: The Fall of Reach|The Fall of Reach'' and ''Halo: First Strike|First Strike''. Their ''Combat Evolved'' design would later go on to be recreated by the team at Ensemble Studios for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', before being redesigned by Shi Kai Wang for a feature role in ''Halo 3: ODST''.
File:HCE ShotgunEngineers Screenshot.jpg|An early promotional screenshot showcasing an Engineer. File:CovenantEngineer-HaloCE.png|A side view of the cut Huragok from ''Combat Evolved''. File:HaloCE-HuragokEngineer-front.png|A frontal view of the cut Huragok. File:Engineer4.jpg|The early look of a Huragok aboard a Covenant ship. File:Engineers3.jpg|A group of the concept Engineers from a ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' mod of the level "The Silent Cartographer".
The special purpose sniper is a deleted Covenant species seen in the ''Halo 2'' Collector's Edition DVD. Its arms were to be used like a tripod (but not act like one), and it could flip from side to side, without having to switch weapons. It would also be able to hang from trees and building struts. Early revisions of this enemy's concept art can be seen wielding the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Particle beam rifle|particle beam rifle, similarly-cut from ''Combat Evolved''.
A later model shared by Paul Russel differs from these designs massively.
File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_2.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_3.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_4.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_5.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:Sniper.png|A 3D render of the model for the sniper by Paul Russel.
The Tankbeast is a deleted Covenant species created by Paul Russel. The Tankbeast would have stood roughly 3.5 meters (11.4 Foot) tall, with no visibly-distinct head. The Tankbeast also had an underslung weapon, and armored legs. The creature's visual similarities to the Mgalekgolo|Lekgolo may indicate it was to fulfill a similar role. The Tankbeast is one of the few known models that the Digsite team currently has no records of.
File:HCE Tankbeast Render.png|A render of the Tankbeast.
These Covenant species were sketched by Marcus Lehto, though never saw any further development.
File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept.jpg File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept 2.jpg File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept 3.jpg
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo: Combat Evolved
|
File:HCE LostHalo Renders.png|thumb|300px|Several cut creatures and Cut Halo: Combat Evolved vehicles|vehicles by Paul Russel.
During the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', a number of creature designs were considered for inclusion by Bungie to serve the role of enemies, ambient AI and other miscellaneous NPCs. Not all of these concepts made it to full 3D development, though many were and have since been restored for use in the Halo Editing Kit by the Digsite project.
Ambient life In the earlier stages of ''Halo'', ambient fauna were intended to make up a significant portion of the environments, and many were fully modelled, animated and implemented in-engine. Ultimately, they were cut due to a combination of time constraints, design issues and performance problems, with problems such as how the AI would respond to action sequences and herd mentality being prevalent. Ultimately, they were cut to focus on more pressing issues, though there was one last reason. Had Installation 04 been depicted with a burgeoning and active ecosystem, the surprise reveal of the Flood would have been considerably less shocking. An unintended side-effect of the creatures' removal meant that the structures and landscapes of the ringworld setting felt creepy, eerie and abandoned - serving to enhance the mystery of the Forerunners in a good (albeit accidental) way.
Antaeus is a List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|cut creature developed for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. The creature was created by Marcus Lehto and inspired by the work of Wikipedia:Ray Harryhausen|Ray Harryhausen. Although the creature bears some visual similarities to the Jiralhanae|Brutes later introduced in ''Halo 2'', the creature was not related to them; though Lehto did note that they could originate from the Doisac|Brute homeworld.
File:HCE Antaeus Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for Antaeus. File:HCE_Antaeus.png|Antaeus.
}}
The Blind Wolf was a creature heavily featured in early revisions of ''Combat Evolved''. The creature was the brainchild of Marcus Lehto, who concepted and modelled it for implementation in-game. The original concept features the Blind Wolf in a symbiotic relationship with an insect; the insect would act as the "eyes" for the Blind Wolf and lead it to prey - and in turn get to feast on the carcass the Blind Wolf left. The creature would have been featured in game as a hostile piece of ambient fauna on the ring, though the player would also be able to tame them and ride them as a mount.
The Blind Wolf was later updated for inclusion in ''Halo 2'' and featured on the Collector's Edition DVD, complete with updated lighting and normal mapping.
The symbiote bug mentioned as concepted for the Blind Wolf was also modelled, and is detailed further down this page.
The Blind Wolf remains one of the most iconic cut creatures in the ''Halo'' series history, and has a long legacy. The creature was concepted for inclusion in Ensemble Studios' planned Titan (canceled game)|''Halo'' MMO, intended for use as a Brute mount and known as the "Jaggmaw Sawtail". It would later go on to be prominently featured in the 2015 novel ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark'', taking a prime position on the book's cover art and being canonised as a Morolaath, a creature on Installation 00|the Ark.
File:HCE BlindWolf Concept.jpg|Lehto's original concept illustration of the Blind Wolf. File:Blind wolf - deletemat (textured).jpg|This image provides a more detailed look at the unused model of a blind wolf. File:Blind Wolves.jpg|A pack of blind wolves run past a M12 Warthog|Warthog in an early build of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:BlindWolfCut2.PNG|The player character rides a blind wolf in an early build of ''Combat Evolved''. File:Blindwolf ride.png|Riding the blind wolf. File:BlindWolfTrailer.PNG|A Warthog drives past a blind wolf in Halo E3 2000 trailer|the first trailer shown for ''Combat Evolved''.''Halo: Combat Evolved Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 2000 ''Halo E3 2000 trailer|trailer File:BlindWolf.jpg|A render of the Blind Wolf in the ''Halo 2'' engine. File:MMO Jaggmaw Concept.jpg|''Halo'' MMO concept art for the Blind Wolf. File:Hunters in the Dark full cover.jpg|N'tho 'Sraom and Spartan Frank Kodiak face off against several ''morolaath'' on the cover art for ''Halo: Hunters in the Dark''.
The creature jokingly referred to as the "doberman gator" was featured on the ''Halo 2 Limited Collector's Edition'' cutting room floor documentary, though it was not further discussed. The sketch was done by Robert McLees during production for ''Combat Evolved''. The creature's anatomy slightly resembles that of the prehistoric Wikipedia:Gorgonopsia|Gorgonopsids which lived on Earth within the Wikipedia:Permian|Permian. There are also similarities between it and Wikipedia:Ambulocetus|Ambulocetus; an aquatic as well as terrestrial ancestor of Earth's Wikipedia:Cetacea|Cetaceans which lived throughout the Wikipedia:Eocene|Eocene.
File:HCE DobermanGator Concept.png|The concept for the creature.
Seen only in concept art on the ''Halo 2'' LCE disc, the Keelbug was a creature intended to be present in ''Combat Evolved''. The Keelbug is described as being intended to fly into the battlefield, cut up dead bodies and fly them offscreen as a way of cleaning up the bodies. This was to serve in-game as a way of clearing corpses from the level to save on memory. The creature's behaviour was never developed, though the model was only cut from the game relatively late in development.
The Keelbug has since been referenced in the description of the "Bleached Bone" Armor coatings (Halo Infinite)|armor coating in ''Halo Infinite'' and canonized into lore as the ''Verivorr''.
File:HCE Keelbug Concept 1.png|Concept art for the Keelbug. File:HCE Keelbug Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Keelbug. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A keelbug (second-from-left) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The Quadwings were an ambient life form modelled for inclusion in ''Combat Evolved'', but ultimately cut for reasons unknown. Unlike many other creatures on this list, they were later revived for inclusion in ''Halo 2'', and later canonised by 343 Industries as the ''rangmejo''.
File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A Quadwing (middle, top) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The "rock worm" was featured in the Macworld build showcased by Marcus Lehto. It was cut prior to the transition from third- to first-person gameplay, though has successfully been restored by the Digsite project for use in retail ''Combat Evolved''. The creature initially appears in the ground disguised as a rock, before emerging once disturbed to thrash around wildly.
File:PXH RockWorm.png|The rock worm. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A rockworm (middle) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
When concepting the Sangheili|Elites for ''Combat Evolved'', Marcus Lehto felt that the team needed an enemy character that was "''more monster-like''". The Stalker was one such creature created under this direction. A second concept (shown below) for the Stalker's head depicts what appears to be some kind of collar around the creature's neck, with a curvilinear design similar in nature to Covenant technology. This may indicate them to have been the Covenant creatures kept as pets by the "Covenant Masters" (described further down this page); if the collar were to be shot off, the creatures would go on a rampage against their masters to cause chaos in the enemy ranks.
File:HCE Stalker Concept.png|Concept art for the Stalker. File:HCE StalkerHead Concept.png|Head study for the Stalker.
The Threeleg was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit Installation 04 in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. As its name suggests, it was a tripodal organism, with three powerful legs and two smaller arms. It appears to have had an exoskeleton, and at least two eyes. It was cut from the final game. The creature's model has been recovered by the Digsite project, though has yet to be released for general use due to needing significant work doing to properly animate and be useful for anything further than simply standing in place.
File:HCE Threeleg Render.png|A render of the Threeleg.
The Thorax was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit the ring in ''Combat Evolved''. Mostly blue, with luminous yellow on its back, it had thin arms but long, powerful legs and a single eye. It was cut from the final game. Very little information has survived about what the Thorax's function in-game would be, or where it would appear. The Digsite team has speculated that it may have appeared in the swamps of 343 Guilty Spark, though this is an inference based on the creature's visual appearance and not hinted at by any actual development files.
File:HCE Thorax Render.png|A render of the Thorax. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A Thorax (second-from-right) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
The thorn beast was a creature modelled and textured by Paul Russel. It was shown in the Halo E3 2000 trailer|''Halo'' E3 2000 trailer as an ambient creature that the Marine squad passed by.
While cut from the game, the thorn beast did survive and eventually make its way into canon in the 2007 novel ''Halo: Contact Harvest|Contact Harvest'' - served as a delicacy aboard the ''Rapid Conversion''.
File:Pre-Xbox Halo Thorn beast 1.png|A render of a thorn beast as it was intended to appear in ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:Dinosaurs.jpg|Some thorn beasts being passed by Marines in the ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' E3 2000 trailer. File:Pre-Halo Thorn Beast.jpg|Close up of a thorn beast on Installation 04 in the E3 2000 trailer. File:Thornbeast2.png|Several thorn beasts.
The Vulpard was an ambient lifeform intended to inhabit the ring in ''Combat Evolved''. As the name suggests, it was a quadruped with leopard-like spotted fur and a powerful, vulture-like beaked head. It was cut from the final game. The Vulpard would later be restored by the Digsite project, and officially brought into canon as the ''Zavfaraa''.
File:HCE Vulpard Render.png|The Vulpard. File:HCE Digsite Wildlife.jpg|A vulpard (far-left) among other ambient wildlife restored by the Digsite project.
File:HCE AmbientLife Concept 1.jpg|Ambient life sketches by Marcus Lehto.
Covenant
The "Covenant masters" (as-named in the internal files) are an extremely early iteration of the Sangheili|Elites. They were present in early builds of ''Halo'' and were intended to lead unruly Covenant creatures (possibly including the Stalker detailed further up this page) via the means of control collars. Were these collars to be shot off, the creatures would go on a rampage. While this design was ultimately scrapped, it formed the basis of the Elites known to modern ''Halo'', with the design ultimately going on to be reused in the 2022 ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'' as the canon armour for the ancient Sangheili warrior Ussa 'Xellus.
File:HCE Elite Concept 1.jpg|An early concept sketch for what would become the masters. File:PXH MacworldElites Screenshot 1.jpg|Covenant masters in pre-Xbox Halo. File:PXH MacworldElites Screenshot 2.jpg|Covenant masters in pre-Xbox Halo. File:HCE Digsite CovenantMasters.jpg|The Covenant masters restored into ''Combat Evolved'' by the Digsite project. Their animations were retargeted to use the retail Elites' animation set, allowing them to use the standard Elite weapons. File:Enc22 UssaXellus.png|A canon illustration of Ussa 'Xellus holding a burnblade; his design was based on the masters.
The Drinol was an enemy type intended to be employed by the Covenant, itself based on the marathongame:Drinniol|Drinniol enemies from ''Marathon''. The Drinol, as intended for ''Halo'', was modelled and textured by Paul Russel and animated by Marcus Lehto.
The Drinol model would be later implemented into the ''Halo 2'' engine and was intended to play a part in that game as a boss enemy of some sort, though was eventually Cut Halo 2 enemies#Sharquoi|similarly-cut. Nonetheless, the Drinol - now named the Sharquoi - did make it into ''Halo'' canon with the release of the ''Conversations from the Universe'' booklet and 2016's ''Halo: Envoy''.
The Sharquoi updated for inclusion in ''Halo 2'' was featured on the Collector's Edition DVD, complete with updated lighting and normal mapping.
File:HCE Drinol Concept 1.png|Concept art for the Drinol. File:HCE Drinol Concept 2.png|Concept art for the Drinol. File:HCE Drinol Render.png|The Drinol model. File:PXH Excavator Screenshot 3.png|Firing the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Excavator|Excavator at the Drinol. File:Drinolbig.jpg|The Drinol model rendered in the ''Halo 2'' iteration of the Blam engine, using normal mapping for increased detail.
}}
The Engineer is one of the more famous enemy types cut from ''Combat Evolved''. The Engineers were developed for the game and remained in the build until fairly late stages, being seen in multiple promotional screenshots and even remaining in the game files - albeit unused - at launch. As a result, they can be spawned in-game via modding, albeit without animations or AI. The Engineers' late cutting consequently saw them remain featured in ''Halo: Combat Evolved: Prima's Official Strategy Guide'', as they were unable to be removed in time.
Although cut from ''Combat Evolved'', the Engineers remained in ''Halo'' canon thanks to their inclusion in the novels ''Halo: The Fall of Reach|The Fall of Reach'' and ''Halo: First Strike|First Strike''. Their ''Combat Evolved'' design would later go on to be recreated by the team at Ensemble Studios for inclusion in ''Halo Wars'', before being redesigned by Shi Kai Wang for a feature role in ''Halo 3: ODST''.
File:HCE ShotgunEngineers Screenshot.jpg|An early promotional screenshot showcasing an Engineer. File:CovenantEngineer-HaloCE.png|A side view of the cut Huragok from ''Combat Evolved''. File:HaloCE-HuragokEngineer-front.png|A frontal view of the cut Huragok. File:Engineer4.jpg|The early look of a Huragok aboard a Covenant ship. File:Engineers3.jpg|A group of the concept Engineers from a ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' mod of the level "The Silent Cartographer".
The special purpose sniper is a deleted Covenant species seen in the ''Halo 2'' Collector's Edition DVD. Its arms were to be used like a tripod (but not act like one), and it could flip from side to side, without having to switch weapons. It would also be able to hang from trees and building struts. Early revisions of this enemy's concept art can be seen wielding the Cut Halo: Combat Evolved weapons#Particle beam rifle|particle beam rifle, similarly-cut from ''Combat Evolved''.
A later model shared by Paul Russel differs from these designs massively.
File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_2.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_3.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_4.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:HCE_SpecialPurposeSniper_Concept_5.png|Concept art of the Special Purpose Sniper. File:Sniper.png|A 3D render of the model for the sniper by Paul Russel.
The Tankbeast is a deleted Covenant species created by Paul Russel. The Tankbeast would have stood roughly 3.5 meters (11.4 Foot) tall, with no visibly-distinct head. The Tankbeast also had an underslung weapon, and armored legs. The creature's visual similarities to the Mgalekgolo|Lekgolo may indicate it was to fulfill a similar role. The Tankbeast is one of the few known models that the Digsite team currently has no records of.
File:HCE Tankbeast Render.png|A render of the Tankbeast.
These Covenant species were sketched by Marcus Lehto, though never saw any further development.
File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept.jpg File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept 2.jpg File:HCE CovenantSpecies Concept 3.jpg
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo: Combat Evolved
|
s cut levels.}}
During the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', the game took many forms including real-time strategy, third-person shooter and eventually, first-person shooter. As the game transitioned into an FPS and a release for the Xbox platform, work on the game's campaign still hadn't begun by 2000#September|September 2000. Mission brainstorming later began in earnest in December with the rest completed over the course of 2001. This page documents the levels known to be cut from release, predominantly those planned out for the game's final FPS release.
Overview s cut levels.}}
When planning out ''Halo: Combat Evolved''s campaign, Marcus Lehto originally planned things out on 3x5 index cards, with a number and letter system assigned. These names can be found in the final game map files, and are listed as such below;
A10 - The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Combat Evolved level)|The Pillar of Autumn A30 - Halo (Halo: Combat Evolved level)|Halo A50 - The Truth and Reconciliation B30 - The Silent Cartographer B40 - Assault on the Control Room C10 - 343 Guilty Spark C20 - The Library C40 - Two Betrayals D20 - Keyes D40 - The Maw
As can be seen in the numbering, there are several missing gaps indicating where levels were to be included, before being cut. At some point in development, the 40 missions Lehto planned out were eventually reduced to a more manageable 25, though another 15 were later cut for final release.
Campaign levels
B20 is a level developed very early in the production of ''Combat Evolved''. Little is known of it, though its files still exist at 343 Industries. As part of the "Digsite" project, the level was explored for potential use as a Firefight map. Most of the surviving information about B20 comes in the form of missing tag references, as opposed to actual useable files. Much of the level's overall swamp themeing was similar to the final game 343 Guilty Spark (level)|343 Guilty Spark, or the cut multiplayer map #Swampthing|Swampthing.
In the original story cut of B20, the Master Chief was to have been tasked with assassinating a Covenant "Prophet". At this stage in ''Halo'', the San'Shyuum species (more commonly known as "Prophets") did not exist yet and were to debut in ''Halo 2'' - instead, the Prophet target of the level was to have been an Sangheili|Elite wearing a "striking hat" - something which likely went on to inspire the Sangheili High Councilor|Elite Councilors in ''Halo 2'' instead. Similarly, the objective of assassinating a Prophet was realised in ''Halo 2'', with Master Chief's mission to assassinate the Prophet of Regret in the levels Delta Halo/Regret (Halo 2 level)|Regret. The level would have featured a mysterious monster that lurked in the central portion of the map, forcing the player to take a wide path around that middle section to avoid being killed while they made their way to a tower in the distance.
The series of storyboards marked X40 depict a cutscene not featured in the final release of ''Combat Evolved'', set after the end of the level The Truth and Reconciliation. The cutscenes depict the commandeered Dextro Xur-pattern Spirit|Spirit dropship (notably shown flying backwards due to a mistake on Wilson's part) returning to Alpha Base (Installation 04)|Alpha Base, flanked by Longsword fighters. The Spirit lands on the base's landing pad to an audience of hundreds of assembled Marines, who cheer at the return of the Captain and the Master Chief. The crowd is hushed and Keyes gives a speech, before turning away from the crowd and addressing the Master Chief and Cortana directly.
This mission lines up with a Cut Halo: Combat Evolved levels|cut level recalled by Joseph Staten during the ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' developer commentary included in the ''Halo 3 Legendary Edition'', in which he mentions that a level was intended to take place between The Truth and Reconciliation and the following mission The Silent Cartographer, which would have explained the purpose of Installation 04 and its purpose as a weapon. This mission was ultimately cut and the information relegated to the cutscene on The Truth and Reconciliation in which Keyes is saved from the brig; a decision later mocked by the developers who referred to the Captain as "Captain Exposition". It is likely that the cutscene shown here would have served the purpose mentioned by Staten.
These storyboards also give a look at what Bungie intended for Alpha Base, later featured heavily in 2003's ''Halo: The Flood'' as the UNSC base of operations on the ring. Part of the original pitch of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' would have seen the player waging a larger guerilla war against the Covenant on the ring, though by the final release almost all mentions of a UNSC home base on the ring were removed for time. The base in these storyboards resembles a beam emitter like those featured elsewhere in the game, though the base as visualised in 2018's ''Halo: Fireteam Raven'' has a drastically different appearance. X40 1
File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 1 1.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 1 2.jpg
X40 2
File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 2 1.jpg
X40 3
File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 3 1.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 3 2.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 3 3.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 3 4.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 3 5.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 3 6.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 3 7.jpg
X40 4
File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 4 1.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 4 2.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 4 3.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 4 4.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 4 5.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 4 6.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 4 7.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 4 8.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 4 9.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 4 10.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 4 11.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 4 12.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 4 13.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 4 14.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 4 15.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 4 16.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 4 17.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 4 18.jpg File:HCE AlphaBase Storyboard X40 4 19.jpg
In early drafts of ''Combat Evolved'', a level was intended to take place inbetween The Silent Cartographer and Assault on the Control Room. This level was ultimately cut for time, and the cinematic depicting Echo 419's descent inside the bowels of Installation 04 was included instead to justify the travel to a completely new region in the next level. A lack of resources at the time meant no matte paintings were available to depict the dropship flying above-ground.
Despite this level being cut, The Silent Cartographer and Assault on the Control Room retain subsequent ordering of B30 and B40 in the files, respectively - indicating that one of these missions may have been renamed in the course of development, or started development after this level was cut.
One level discussed for development around December 2000 involved "volcanos and heavy machinery". Little is known aside from this.
Multiplayer maps
}}
Indoor is a map developed by Gearbox Software for the Halo: Combat Evolved (PC port)|''Halo'' PC port, though never shipped with the game. The map was the most complete of the Gearbox cut ''Combat Evolved'' maps, with already near-finished visuals and a close-quarters, small-team layout - unlike the other ''Halo PC'' maps which were all designed for Big Team Battle.
In the Digsite restoration project, Indoor was taken by contributor Ludus and taken to a state of completion in a new map called Underground. Underground was created by Ludus with a goal to fix up Indoor's messy spawns and layout using feedback written by Bungie for Gearbox back in ''Halo PC''s development alongside a suite of textures created by Gearbox but never used in-game. The textures (and map theme in general) are human in nature - with ''Combat Evolved'' having few human-themed environments, this provided an opportunity to increase some visual variety in the ''Combat Evolved'' multiplayer experience. The map's soundscape was updated to include blaring sirens inspired by those of the film ''Alien''.
The tags for both the original Indoor and the Digsite-revamped Underground are available in the Digsite release for the ''Halo Editing Kit''.
File:HCE Digsite Indoor.jpg|The original Indoor map. File:HCE Digsite Underground.jpg|Ludus' recreation of Indoor, named Underground.
}}
Dusk was a map created by Gearbox Software for the ''Halo'' PC port. Unlike Indoor, Dusk was not close to content-complete, and had a considerably less refined layout, with an inconsistent scale and a muddied centre layout resembling the map from the ''Call of Duty'' franchise. As such, Digsite contributor Ludus used that as inspiration for his recreation of Dusk for the game's multiplayer, now-termed Abyss.
Abyss reuses an unused texture originally developed for Indoor, and the skybox from the E3 2000 build of ''Combat Evolved''. The tags for both Dusk and Abyss are available for modders to use as part of the Digsite release in the ''Halo Editing Kit''.
File:HCE Digsite Dusk.jpg|The original Dusk map. File:HCE Digsite Abyss.jpg|Ludus' recreation of Dusk, named Abyss. File:HCE Digsite Abyss.jpg|An early work-in-progress version of Abyss, using the original 2000-era skybox. File:HCE Digsite Abyss Skybox.jpg|The MacWorld skybox on Abyss. File:HCE Digsite Abyss Cave.jpg|A cave on Abyss.
"Mofocross" was a map created by Max Hoberman created back at the old Bungie offices in Chicago in c.1999. It consisted of an island with a racetrack running throughout it that would allow players to race Warthogs and Ghosts around the island.
}}
Swampthing was developed by Gearbox Software for ''Halo PC'' as a map with a similar theming to the level 343 Guilty Spark (level)|343 Guilty Spark or the earlier level #B20|B20. The map has a look and layout broadly similar to ''Halo 2''s Backwash, taking place inside the swamps of Installation 04. A map named "swamp" has also been referenced by Digsite, though whether swamp is related to swampthing is unclear.
File:HCE_Digsite_Swampthing.jpg|Swampthing, as restored by the Digsite team.
A map codenamed "ruinedpain" is referenced inside ''Combat Evolved''s files, with files still existing at 343 Industries. The map was recalled by Hardy LeBel as possibly coinciding with a map that was cut from the game involved a huge human interior space and created by Paul Russel as a test for his human architectural styles. The map was later passed onto LeBel, though ultimately scrapped due to requiring too much time and energy to work into something useable. As of 2015, LeBel could not remember if this space was the fabled ruinedpain, or another map.}}
The map can be spotted in the Halo:_Combat_Evolved_Beta_1749|1749 Beta, where the image for the level Damnation features the map in an untextured blockout form, with the description "Colony remains on Reach". As part of the Digside Alpha initiative to uncover and restore cut content, this map is being further developed by Conscars under the name "Purgatory", combining the existing model with a modified layout and new scenery inspired by the Beta 1749 description.
File:HCE_Con-Damnation.jpg|The level as it appears in the Halo:_Combat_Evolved_Beta_1749|1749 Beta. File:HCE_Con-purgatory1.jpg|A model of the level. File:HCE_Con-purgatory2.jpg|An in-development screenshot of the level "Purgatory", based on the cut Ruined Pain level.
A number of maps were created by the developers at Gearbox Software during their production of ''Halo Custom Edition'' and the Halo Editing Kit, that were not included in the official release of these levels. Gearbox developer Marc Tardif noted the following in an interview with Gamespy:
}}
Miscellaneous The following map names are known to remain in the files internally at 343 Industries, though little is currently known of them;
purgatory swamp
Playground is a developer testing environment used by 343's Digsite project for showcasing and evaluating project content.
Sources
Category:Halo: Combat Evolved
|
Campaign medals were originally set to appear within ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', but were ultimately cut before release. They would have been similar in concept to Achievements, first introduced in Halo 2 (Windows Vista)|''Halo 2'' for Windows Vista.
Overview These medals would have been granted to the player for completing certain actions within the campaign of ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. Like the medals in multiplayer, they likely would not have had a physical representation or have been able to be permanently tracked. While similar to what would become achievements in later games, they likely were not awarded permanently and would not have carried over from one play-through to another. Although cut as a function from the final game, non-functioning scripts for several campaign medals can still be found within the game's coding through modding. It is not known how developed campaign medals were before the function was abandoned, or the ultimate reasons for doing so. Two specific medals are known to have been planned, "skin diver" and "bloodthirsty", both from the level Keyes, as well as an "award ceremony".
This medal would have been awarded for killing a certain Flood forms on the level "Keyes". These Flood would have spawned in certain coolant pits with damage to different parts of their bodies (eg. missing heads, limbs, etc). These Flood forms do not appear in the final game, their spawn count set to zero. The script for the medal still appears in the level's code:
(script dormant i_am_skin_diver
(ai_place med1_flood )
(object_set_permutation (list_get (ai_actors med1_flood )0 )"head" "~damaged" )
(object_set_permutation (list_get (ai_actors med1_flood )0 )"left arm" "~damaged" )
(object_set_permutation (list_get (ai_actors med1_flood )1 )"" "~damaged" )
(object_set_permutation (list_get (ai_actors med1_flood )2 )"" "~damaged" )
(object_set_permutation (list_get (ai_actors med1_flood )2 )"left arm" "~damaged" )
(object_set_permutation (list_get (ai_actors med1_flood )3 )"" "~damaged" )
(object_set_permutation (list_get (ai_actors med1_flood )4 )"right arm" "~damaged" )
(object_set_permutation (list_get (ai_actors med1_flood )4 )"left arm" "~damaged" )
(sleep_until (= 0 (ai_living_count med1_flood )))(set skin_diver true ))
This medal would have been awarded for killing all of the Special Operations Sangheili|Spec-Ops Elites in the level "Keyes". It is similar in concept to the ''Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary'' achievement Tying Up Loose Ends. The script for the medal still appears in the level's code:
(script dormant more_blood_for_me
(sleep_until (> (ai_living_count enc5_7_cov/specops )0 ))
(sleep_until (= 0 (ai_living_count enc5_7_cov/specops )))
(sleep_until (> (ai_living_count enc7_1_cov )0 ))
(sleep_until (= 0 (ai_living_count enc7_1_cov )))
(sleep_until (> (ai_living_count enc7_3 )0 ))
(sleep_until (= 0 (ai_living_count enc7_3 )))(set bloodthirsty true ))
It is unclear exactly how campaign medals would have been awarded to the player. They might have been award in game as they were achieved or they could have been listed at the end of the mission, similar to campaign scoring. The script for an "award ceremony" still appears within the coding for the level "Keyes":
(script dormant award_ceremony
(if skin_diver (print "skin diver medal awarded!" ))
(if bloodthirsty (print "bloodthirsty medal awarded!" )))
Sources
Category:Medals Category:Halo: Combat Evolved
|
File:PXH_EarlyTankWarthog_Screenshot.jpg|300px|thumb|The third person-era stealth tank and Warthog.
During the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', the game went through many different styles including a Real-time strategy|strategy game, a third-person shooter and a first-person shooter. Throughout these iterations, many different vehicles were cut from the game, some of which presented notably different design styles from those found in the final 2001 release.
RTS era These vehicles were present in the early stages of the development of ''Halo'', when the game bore little resemblance to the final product. In this era, prior to 1998, the design of the human vehicles bore a notable resemblance to those found in the modern-day, with conventional-looking Humvees, tanks and attack helicopters.
In the RTS era of ''Halo'', the Covenant did not exist yet as an entity, simply being the "aliens". There were to be several vehicles used by what would later become the Covenant and Forerunners. A later variation of the alien tank, created in 1999, features the vehicle in the Covenant's purple color scheme.
File:Oldhalo rts longsword topright.png|Three vehicles named the "alientank" can be seen in the centre of this image. These vehicles were jokingly referred to as the "horseshoe crab tank". File:Rts redone 2.png|Several vehicles appearing more alien in nature. File:PHX_Vehicle-alientank_RTS_purple.png|A later render of the alien tank by Marcus Lehto named "c tank light 1", created in 1999.
The fighter pod was a vehicle intended for use by alien forces.
File:HCE FighterPod.png
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo 2 levels#Forerunnertank|cut level of the same name from ''Halo 2'', the Forerunner Tank as intended for the first ''Halo'' game was concepted by Marcus Lehto as a heavy vehicle intended for use by the Forerunners. At this point in time around 1998, the Forerunners were little more than an idea, though the intention was for the Forerunners to still be alive in the active setting of the game. Lehto designed the tank to contrast the art direction of the existing Covenant and UNSC tanks, with the tank design focused on asymmetry and unique forms. Lehto visualised the vehicle as coloured an "off-white" like an "old skull", with weathered "dried blood-red" accent colours.
When firing, Lehto visualised that the vehicle would fire a short-burst energy beam projectile, with an additional burst emitting from the back of the vehicle to counter recoil.
File:HCE ForerunnerTank Concept.jpg|Concept art of the tank. File:Rts redone.png|The Forerunner Tank-like vehicle can be seen in the top-right of this screenshot. File:Rts redone 2.png|The Forerunner Tank-like vehicle can be seen on the left of this screenshot. File:PXH_Ftank.png|A render of the Forerunner Tank's model.
A number of various armoured vehicle designs can be seen in many of the released RTS-era screenshots. Little information is known about most of these vehicles, and are such presented collectively in the below gallery.
File:Rts Stalker tank.png|The "Stalker" tank. File:Oldhalo rts 1.png|The "Zedsu" tank. File:Rts redone.png|A number of unnamed, un-textured various tank designs. File:Rts Mowitser.png|A screenshot with the "Mowitser" selected.
The Hummer - labelled in-game as the "scoutcar" - resembles a modern-day Humvee, and was eventually "sort of" replaced by the Warthog. The vehicle featured a pair of roof-mounted machine guns.
File:Hummer Hog.jpg|The Hummer model.
Third-person shooter era The third-person shooter era of ''Halo'' was characterised by the evolution and development of the Warthog. In the game's RTS stage, a third-person camera and driving controls were added to the Hummer vehicle to test the game's physics and terrain technology. Ultimately, the developers found driving the vehicle so fun that by late 1998 and early 1999 (real world)|1999, the game had transitioned into third-person format. The Warthog was a key aspect of this era of ''Halo'', though was accompanied by a vast assortment of other vehicles.
Various watercraft were concepted and tested for inclusion in ''Halo'', though ultimately none made it into the final release. One such vehicle was present in the earliest builds of the game, described as a single-man vehicle named the "Doozy". Another watercraft was cut from the game due to being "kind of pointless" and described as a floating dinghy looking like "two floating carrots". At this time, entering the vehicle would simply move the player model ''under'' the vehicle - the boat had a buggy physics engine, and was prone to bouncing out of the water. It may be possible that the "Doozy" and "Carrot Boat" are one and the same.
A vehicle named the Doozy lives on in ''Halo'' canon, but as a snowmobile rather than a watercraft.
File:HCE UNSCBoat Concept.jpg|Concept art for a boat. File:Carrotboat.png|The "Carrot" boat. File:HCE Doozy Concept 1.jpg|Concept art of the Doozy. File:HCE Doozy Concept 2.jpg|Concept art of the Doozy. File:HCE Doozy Concept 3.jpg|Concept art of the Doozy. File:PXH_Doozy-Concept.jpg|A higher resolution image of the Doozy's concept art File:PHX_Doozy_render.png|A render of the Doozy's model.
Concepted by Shi Kai Wang and modelled/textured by artist Paul Russel, this vehicle was to be a large bomber aircraft used by the Covenant, measuring 12m wide and 10m tall. It was presumably meant as a heavy aerial weapons platform, a supplement to the smaller, lighter Banshee, but was cut from the released game. It featured two forward-swept wings, akin to the twin booms of the Spirit dropship, and had a long protrusion underneath, which may have been an underslung weapons mount or landing gear.
File:Covenant bomber (fore view).png|The Covenant bomber. File:HCE LostHalo Renders.png|A compilation of various cut enemies, including the Covenant bomber in the centre.
Known in-game as c ground transport, this vehicle would later go on to be featured in ''Halo 2'' as the Ruwaa-pattern Shadow|Shadow.
File:PXH SeraphShadow.png|The ground transport (back) alongside the Seraph tank.
}}
This design for a Covenant tank was featured in these builds of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', and was built in 1998. The design was later reused as the Kai-pattern Seraph|''Kai''-pattern Seraph later featured in ''Halo 2''.
Interestingly, the original textures for this 2000-era tank remain in the files for ''Halo 2'', allowing the full model to be recreated via modding.
File:PXH SeraphShadow.png|The Covenant tank (foreground) alongside the ground transport. File:PXH Seraph Back.png|The back view of this Seraph.
}}
At one point in the game's third-person builds, a vehicle resembling a modern attack helicopter could be seen, though was cut as helicopters weren't "futuristic enough". Perhaps ironically, they would later be heavily featured in ''Halo: Reach'' as the Falcon.
File:Prexbox chopper.png|The helicopter.
The Kestrel was a human aircraft of some kind that was modelled for inclusion in ''Halo''. Little is known of the vehicle's intended role within ''Combat Evolved''. The vehicle was cut in-part because ''Combat Evolved'' lacks vehicle physics that can effectively simulate VTOL aircraft. The vehicle was later concepted for (and also cut from) ''Halo 2'', before eventually being brought to life as a MEGA Brands set. The vehicle would then go on to see its in-game debut in 2015's ''Halo: Spartan Strike'' as the AV-30 Kestrel. The original version of the vehicle would later be canonized as the JOV-99 Kestrel.
File:HCE_Kestrel_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art of the cut Kestrel. File:HCE_Kestrel_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art of the cut Kestrel. File:HCE_Kestrel_Concept_3.jpg|Concept art of the cut Kestrel. File:HCE-AV30Kestrel.png|The Kestrel model shown off by Marcus Lehto. File:HCE_Vehicle-Kestrel1.jpg|The Kestrel, ported into ''Combat Evolved''.
Concepted at some point by Marcus Lehto, this mech was described as being a "personal mech". No known depictions of this model in 3D exist. A similar concept would later make its way into ''Halo'' with the HRUNTING Mark III (B) Cyclops|Cyclops in ''Halo Wars'' and the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark IX Mantis|Mantis in ''Halo 4''.
File:HCE MechWalker Concept 1.jpg File:HCE MechWalker Concept 2.jpg
Known as the "Shadow" in this stage of development, this vehicle would later evolve into the Wuzum-pattern Spectre|Spectre seen in ''Halo 2''. The cut ''Combat Evolved'' Shadow would later be canonized as the Wuchek-pattern Spectre.
File:HCE Spectre_Concept 1.png|Early concept art of the Shadow. File:HCE Spectre_Concept 2.png|Finalized concept art of the cut Shadow. File:HCE_EarlyShadow_Concept.jpg|Another piece of concept art for the Shadow. File:HCE Transport Concept.jpg|Concept art of the Shadow's controls. File:Halo Spectre Concept.jpg|The "Shadow" in-game. File:PXH_Vehicle-Spectre1.jpg|The Shadow ported into ''Combat Evolved''. File:PHX_Spectre_shadertests.jpg|The Shadow ported into ''Combat Evolved'', demonstrating the vehicle's appearance under different shader settings.
Described as a "low-black Scorpion" and featuring "counter vented fire stablization", the stealth tank was a human vehicle present in the game's third-person era and fully-drivable. The vehicle was intended as a counterpart to the existing Scorpion, being lighter and more agile with a lower profile, but more vulnerable to enemy attacks due to having less armour.
The Stealth Tank was cut before the game moved to development on the Xbox console. As part of 343 Industries' Digsite Alpha initiative to uncover and restore cut content for ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', the stealth tank has been canonized as the M700 Viper.
File:Stealth tank + hog.png|The stealth tank seen in an early build. File:Prexbox Husk.png|The stealth tank. File:Stealth tank.png|The stealth tank, driven by the player. File:PXH StealthTankSquad Screenshot.jpg|A squad of cyborgs escorting the stealth tank. File:PXH_StealthTankArtillery_Screenshot.jpg|Stealth tanks in combat. File:PXH_Tanks_Comparison.png|A side-by-side comparison of the Stealth tank and the Scorpion. File:PXH_RTS_htankheavy.png|A render by Marcus Lehto named 'h tank heavy', described as an evolving iteration between the stealth tank and the Scorpion. File:PXH_Viper_StealthTank.jpg|The stealth tank ported into ''Combat Evolved'' as the "Viper".
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo: Combat Evolved
|
File:PXH_EarlyTankWarthog_Screenshot.jpg|300px|thumb|The third person-era stealth tank and Warthog.
During the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', the game went through many different styles including a Real-time strategy|strategy game, a third-person shooter and a first-person shooter. Throughout these iterations, many different vehicles were cut from the game, some of which presented notably different design styles from those found in the final 2001 release.
RTS era These vehicles were present in the early stages of the development of ''Halo'', when the game bore little resemblance to the final product. In this era, prior to 1998, the design of the human vehicles bore a notable resemblance to those found in the modern-day, with conventional-looking Humvees, tanks and attack helicopters.
In the RTS era of ''Halo'', the Covenant did not exist yet as an entity, simply being the "aliens". There were to be several vehicles used by what would later become the Covenant and Forerunners. A later variation of the alien tank, created in 1999, features the vehicle in the Covenant's purple color scheme.
File:Oldhalo rts longsword topright.png|Three vehicles named the "alientank" can be seen in the centre of this image. These vehicles were jokingly referred to as the "horseshoe crab tank". File:Rts redone 2.png|Several vehicles appearing more alien in nature. File:PHX_Vehicle-alientank_RTS_purple.png|A later render of the alien tank by Marcus Lehto named "c tank light 1", created in 1999.
The fighter pod was a vehicle intended for use by alien forces.
File:HCE FighterPod.png
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo 2 levels#Forerunnertank|cut level of the same name from ''Halo 2'', the Forerunner Tank as intended for the first ''Halo'' game was concepted by Marcus Lehto as a heavy vehicle intended for use by the Forerunners. At this point in time around 1998, the Forerunners were little more than an idea, though the intention was for the Forerunners to still be alive in the active setting of the game. Lehto designed the tank to contrast the art direction of the existing Covenant and UNSC tanks, with the tank design focused on asymmetry and unique forms. Lehto visualised the vehicle as coloured an "off-white" like an "old skull", with weathered "dried blood-red" accent colours.
When firing, Lehto visualised that the vehicle would fire a short-burst energy beam projectile, with an additional burst emitting from the back of the vehicle to counter recoil.
File:HCE ForerunnerTank Concept.jpg|Concept art of the tank. File:Rts redone.png|The Forerunner Tank-like vehicle can be seen in the top-right of this screenshot. File:Rts redone 2.png|The Forerunner Tank-like vehicle can be seen on the left of this screenshot. File:PXH_Ftank.png|A render of the Forerunner Tank's model.
A number of various armoured vehicle designs can be seen in many of the released RTS-era screenshots. Little information is known about most of these vehicles, and are such presented collectively in the below gallery.
File:Rts Stalker tank.png|The "Stalker" tank. File:Oldhalo rts 1.png|The "Zedsu" tank. File:Rts redone.png|A number of unnamed, un-textured various tank designs. File:Rts Mowitser.png|A screenshot with the "Mowitser" selected.
The Hummer - labelled in-game as the "scoutcar" - resembles a modern-day Humvee, and was eventually "sort of" replaced by the Warthog. The vehicle featured a pair of roof-mounted machine guns.
File:Hummer Hog.jpg|The Hummer model.
Third-person shooter era The third-person shooter era of ''Halo'' was characterised by the evolution and development of the Warthog. In the game's RTS stage, a third-person camera and driving controls were added to the Hummer vehicle to test the game's physics and terrain technology. Ultimately, the developers found driving the vehicle so fun that by late 1998 and early 1999 (real world)|1999, the game had transitioned into third-person format. The Warthog was a key aspect of this era of ''Halo'', though was accompanied by a vast assortment of other vehicles.
Various watercraft were concepted and tested for inclusion in ''Halo'', though ultimately none made it into the final release. One such vehicle was present in the earliest builds of the game, described as a single-man vehicle named the "Doozy". Another watercraft was cut from the game due to being "kind of pointless" and described as a floating dinghy looking like "two floating carrots". At this time, entering the vehicle would simply move the player model ''under'' the vehicle - the boat had a buggy physics engine, and was prone to bouncing out of the water. It may be possible that the "Doozy" and "Carrot Boat" are one and the same.
A vehicle named the Doozy lives on in ''Halo'' canon, but as a snowmobile rather than a watercraft.
File:HCE UNSCBoat Concept.jpg|Concept art for a boat. File:Carrotboat.png|The "Carrot" boat. File:HCE Doozy Concept 1.jpg|Concept art of the Doozy. File:HCE Doozy Concept 2.jpg|Concept art of the Doozy. File:HCE Doozy Concept 3.jpg|Concept art of the Doozy. File:PXH_Doozy-Concept.jpg|A higher resolution image of the Doozy's concept art File:PHX_Doozy_render.png|A render of the Doozy's model.
Concepted by Shi Kai Wang and modelled/textured by artist Paul Russel, this vehicle was to be a large bomber aircraft used by the Covenant, measuring 12m wide and 10m tall. It was presumably meant as a heavy aerial weapons platform, a supplement to the smaller, lighter Banshee, but was cut from the released game. It featured two forward-swept wings, akin to the twin booms of the Spirit dropship, and had a long protrusion underneath, which may have been an underslung weapons mount or landing gear.
File:Covenant bomber (fore view).png|The Covenant bomber. File:HCE LostHalo Renders.png|A compilation of various cut enemies, including the Covenant bomber in the centre.
Known in-game as c ground transport, this vehicle would later go on to be featured in ''Halo 2'' as the Ruwaa-pattern Shadow|Shadow.
File:PXH SeraphShadow.png|The ground transport (back) alongside the Seraph tank.
}}
This design for a Covenant tank was featured in these builds of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', and was built in 1998. The design was later reused as the Kai-pattern Seraph|''Kai''-pattern Seraph later featured in ''Halo 2''.
Interestingly, the original textures for this 2000-era tank remain in the files for ''Halo 2'', allowing the full model to be recreated via modding.
File:PXH SeraphShadow.png|The Covenant tank (foreground) alongside the ground transport. File:PXH Seraph Back.png|The back view of this Seraph.
}}
At one point in the game's third-person builds, a vehicle resembling a modern attack helicopter could be seen, though was cut as helicopters weren't "futuristic enough". Perhaps ironically, they would later be heavily featured in ''Halo: Reach'' as the Falcon.
File:Prexbox chopper.png|The helicopter.
The Kestrel was a human aircraft of some kind that was modelled for inclusion in ''Halo''. Little is known of the vehicle's intended role within ''Combat Evolved''. The vehicle was cut in-part because ''Combat Evolved'' lacks vehicle physics that can effectively simulate VTOL aircraft. The vehicle was later concepted for (and also cut from) ''Halo 2'', before eventually being brought to life as a MEGA Brands set. The vehicle would then go on to see its in-game debut in 2015's ''Halo: Spartan Strike'' as the AV-30 Kestrel. The original version of the vehicle would later be canonized as the JOV-99 Kestrel.
File:HCE_Kestrel_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art of the cut Kestrel. File:HCE_Kestrel_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art of the cut Kestrel. File:HCE_Kestrel_Concept_3.jpg|Concept art of the cut Kestrel. File:HCE-AV30Kestrel.png|The Kestrel model shown off by Marcus Lehto. File:HCE_Vehicle-Kestrel1.jpg|The Kestrel, ported into ''Combat Evolved''.
Concepted at some point by Marcus Lehto, this mech was described as being a "personal mech". No known depictions of this model in 3D exist. A similar concept would later make its way into ''Halo'' with the HRUNTING Mark III (B) Cyclops|Cyclops in ''Halo Wars'' and the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark IX Mantis|Mantis in ''Halo 4''.
File:HCE MechWalker Concept 1.jpg File:HCE MechWalker Concept 2.jpg
Known as the "Shadow" in this stage of development, this vehicle would later evolve into the Wuzum-pattern Spectre|Spectre seen in ''Halo 2''. The cut ''Combat Evolved'' Shadow would later be canonized as the Wuchek-pattern Spectre.
File:HCE Spectre_Concept 1.png|Early concept art of the Shadow. File:HCE Spectre_Concept 2.png|Finalized concept art of the cut Shadow. File:HCE_EarlyShadow_Concept.jpg|Another piece of concept art for the Shadow. File:HCE Transport Concept.jpg|Concept art of the Shadow's controls. File:Halo Spectre Concept.jpg|The "Shadow" in-game. File:PXH_Vehicle-Spectre1.jpg|The Shadow ported into ''Combat Evolved''. File:PHX_Spectre_shadertests.jpg|The Shadow ported into ''Combat Evolved'', demonstrating the vehicle's appearance under different shader settings.
Described as a "low-black Scorpion" and featuring "counter vented fire stablization", the stealth tank was a human vehicle present in the game's third-person era and fully-drivable. The vehicle was intended as a counterpart to the existing Scorpion, being lighter and more agile with a lower profile, but more vulnerable to enemy attacks due to having less armour.
The Stealth Tank was cut before the game moved to development on the Xbox console. As part of 343 Industries' Digsite Alpha initiative to uncover and restore cut content for ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', the stealth tank has been canonized as the M700 Viper.
File:Stealth tank + hog.png|The stealth tank seen in an early build. File:Prexbox Husk.png|The stealth tank. File:Stealth tank.png|The stealth tank, driven by the player. File:PXH StealthTankSquad Screenshot.jpg|A squad of cyborgs escorting the stealth tank. File:PXH_StealthTankArtillery_Screenshot.jpg|Stealth tanks in combat. File:PXH_Tanks_Comparison.png|A side-by-side comparison of the Stealth tank and the Scorpion. File:PXH_RTS_htankheavy.png|A render by Marcus Lehto named 'h tank heavy', described as an evolving iteration between the stealth tank and the Scorpion. File:PXH_Viper_StealthTank.jpg|The stealth tank ported into ''Combat Evolved'' as the "Viper".
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo: Combat Evolved
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File:PXH_EarlyTankWarthog_Screenshot.jpg|300px|thumb|The third person-era stealth tank and Warthog.
During the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', the game went through many different styles including a Real-time strategy|strategy game, a third-person shooter and a first-person shooter. Throughout these iterations, many different vehicles were cut from the game, some of which presented notably different design styles from those found in the final 2001 release.
RTS era These vehicles were present in the early stages of the development of ''Halo'', when the game bore little resemblance to the final product. In this era, prior to 1998, the design of the human vehicles bore a notable resemblance to those found in the modern-day, with conventional-looking Humvees, tanks and attack helicopters.
In the RTS era of ''Halo'', the Covenant did not exist yet as an entity, simply being the "aliens". There were to be several vehicles used by what would later become the Covenant and Forerunners. A later variation of the alien tank, created in 1999, features the vehicle in the Covenant's purple color scheme.
File:Oldhalo rts longsword topright.png|Three vehicles named the "alientank" can be seen in the centre of this image. These vehicles were jokingly referred to as the "horseshoe crab tank". File:Rts redone 2.png|Several vehicles appearing more alien in nature. File:PHX_Vehicle-alientank_RTS_purple.png|A later render of the alien tank by Marcus Lehto named "c tank light 1", created in 1999.
The fighter pod was a vehicle intended for use by alien forces.
File:HCE FighterPod.png
Not to be confused with a Cut Halo 2 levels#Forerunnertank|cut level of the same name from ''Halo 2'', the Forerunner Tank as intended for the first ''Halo'' game was concepted by Marcus Lehto as a heavy vehicle intended for use by the Forerunners. At this point in time around 1998, the Forerunners were little more than an idea, though the intention was for the Forerunners to still be alive in the active setting of the game. Lehto designed the tank to contrast the art direction of the existing Covenant and UNSC tanks, with the tank design focused on asymmetry and unique forms. Lehto visualised the vehicle as coloured an "off-white" like an "old skull", with weathered "dried blood-red" accent colours.
When firing, Lehto visualised that the vehicle would fire a short-burst energy beam projectile, with an additional burst emitting from the back of the vehicle to counter recoil.
File:HCE ForerunnerTank Concept.jpg|Concept art of the tank. File:Rts redone.png|The Forerunner Tank-like vehicle can be seen in the top-right of this screenshot. File:Rts redone 2.png|The Forerunner Tank-like vehicle can be seen on the left of this screenshot. File:PXH_Ftank.png|A render of the Forerunner Tank's model.
A number of various armoured vehicle designs can be seen in many of the released RTS-era screenshots. Little information is known about most of these vehicles, and are such presented collectively in the below gallery.
File:Rts Stalker tank.png|The "Stalker" tank. File:Oldhalo rts 1.png|The "Zedsu" tank. File:Rts redone.png|A number of unnamed, un-textured various tank designs. File:Rts Mowitser.png|A screenshot with the "Mowitser" selected.
The Hummer - labelled in-game as the "scoutcar" - resembles a modern-day Humvee, and was eventually "sort of" replaced by the Warthog. The vehicle featured a pair of roof-mounted machine guns.
File:Hummer Hog.jpg|The Hummer model.
Third-person shooter era The third-person shooter era of ''Halo'' was characterised by the evolution and development of the Warthog. In the game's RTS stage, a third-person camera and driving controls were added to the Hummer vehicle to test the game's physics and terrain technology. Ultimately, the developers found driving the vehicle so fun that by late 1998 and early 1999 (real world)|1999, the game had transitioned into third-person format. The Warthog was a key aspect of this era of ''Halo'', though was accompanied by a vast assortment of other vehicles.
Various watercraft were concepted and tested for inclusion in ''Halo'', though ultimately none made it into the final release. One such vehicle was present in the earliest builds of the game, described as a single-man vehicle named the "Doozy". Another watercraft was cut from the game due to being "kind of pointless" and described as a floating dinghy looking like "two floating carrots". At this time, entering the vehicle would simply move the player model ''under'' the vehicle - the boat had a buggy physics engine, and was prone to bouncing out of the water. It may be possible that the "Doozy" and "Carrot Boat" are one and the same.
A vehicle named the Doozy lives on in ''Halo'' canon, but as a snowmobile rather than a watercraft.
File:HCE UNSCBoat Concept.jpg|Concept art for a boat. File:Carrotboat.png|The "Carrot" boat. File:HCE Doozy Concept 1.jpg|Concept art of the Doozy. File:HCE Doozy Concept 2.jpg|Concept art of the Doozy. File:HCE Doozy Concept 3.jpg|Concept art of the Doozy. File:PXH_Doozy-Concept.jpg|A higher resolution image of the Doozy's concept art File:PHX_Doozy_render.png|A render of the Doozy's model.
Concepted by Shi Kai Wang and modelled/textured by artist Paul Russel, this vehicle was to be a large bomber aircraft used by the Covenant, measuring 12m wide and 10m tall. It was presumably meant as a heavy aerial weapons platform, a supplement to the smaller, lighter Banshee, but was cut from the released game. It featured two forward-swept wings, akin to the twin booms of the Spirit dropship, and had a long protrusion underneath, which may have been an underslung weapons mount or landing gear.
File:Covenant bomber (fore view).png|The Covenant bomber. File:HCE LostHalo Renders.png|A compilation of various cut enemies, including the Covenant bomber in the centre.
Known in-game as c ground transport, this vehicle would later go on to be featured in ''Halo 2'' as the Ruwaa-pattern Shadow|Shadow.
File:PXH SeraphShadow.png|The ground transport (back) alongside the Seraph tank.
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This design for a Covenant tank was featured in these builds of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', and was built in 1998. The design was later reused as the Kai-pattern Seraph|''Kai''-pattern Seraph later featured in ''Halo 2''.
Interestingly, the original textures for this 2000-era tank remain in the files for ''Halo 2'', allowing the full model to be recreated via modding.
File:PXH SeraphShadow.png|The Covenant tank (foreground) alongside the ground transport. File:PXH Seraph Back.png|The back view of this Seraph.
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At one point in the game's third-person builds, a vehicle resembling a modern attack helicopter could be seen, though was cut as helicopters weren't "futuristic enough". Perhaps ironically, they would later be heavily featured in ''Halo: Reach'' as the Falcon.
File:Prexbox chopper.png|The helicopter.
The Kestrel was a human aircraft of some kind that was modelled for inclusion in ''Halo''. Little is known of the vehicle's intended role within ''Combat Evolved''. The vehicle was cut in-part because ''Combat Evolved'' lacks vehicle physics that can effectively simulate VTOL aircraft. The vehicle was later concepted for (and also cut from) ''Halo 2'', before eventually being brought to life as a MEGA Brands set. The vehicle would then go on to see its in-game debut in 2015's ''Halo: Spartan Strike'' as the AV-30 Kestrel. The original version of the vehicle would later be canonized as the JOV-99 Kestrel.
File:HCE_Kestrel_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art of the cut Kestrel. File:HCE_Kestrel_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art of the cut Kestrel. File:HCE_Kestrel_Concept_3.jpg|Concept art of the cut Kestrel. File:HCE-AV30Kestrel.png|The Kestrel model shown off by Marcus Lehto. File:HCE_Vehicle-Kestrel1.jpg|The Kestrel, ported into ''Combat Evolved''.
Concepted at some point by Marcus Lehto, this mech was described as being a "personal mech". No known depictions of this model in 3D exist. A similar concept would later make its way into ''Halo'' with the HRUNTING Mark III (B) Cyclops|Cyclops in ''Halo Wars'' and the HRUNTING/YGGDRASIL Mark IX Mantis|Mantis in ''Halo 4''.
File:HCE MechWalker Concept 1.jpg File:HCE MechWalker Concept 2.jpg
Known as the "Shadow" in this stage of development, this vehicle would later evolve into the Wuzum-pattern Spectre|Spectre seen in ''Halo 2''. The cut ''Combat Evolved'' Shadow would later be canonized as the Wuchek-pattern Spectre.
File:HCE Spectre_Concept 1.png|Early concept art of the Shadow. File:HCE Spectre_Concept 2.png|Finalized concept art of the cut Shadow. File:HCE_EarlyShadow_Concept.jpg|Another piece of concept art for the Shadow. File:HCE Transport Concept.jpg|Concept art of the Shadow's controls. File:Halo Spectre Concept.jpg|The "Shadow" in-game. File:PXH_Vehicle-Spectre1.jpg|The Shadow ported into ''Combat Evolved''. File:PHX_Spectre_shadertests.jpg|The Shadow ported into ''Combat Evolved'', demonstrating the vehicle's appearance under different shader settings.
Described as a "low-black Scorpion" and featuring "counter vented fire stablization", the stealth tank was a human vehicle present in the game's third-person era and fully-drivable. The vehicle was intended as a counterpart to the existing Scorpion, being lighter and more agile with a lower profile, but more vulnerable to enemy attacks due to having less armour.
The Stealth Tank was cut before the game moved to development on the Xbox console. As part of 343 Industries' Digsite Alpha initiative to uncover and restore cut content for ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', the stealth tank has been canonized as the M700 Viper.
File:Stealth tank + hog.png|The stealth tank seen in an early build. File:Prexbox Husk.png|The stealth tank. File:Stealth tank.png|The stealth tank, driven by the player. File:PXH StealthTankSquad Screenshot.jpg|A squad of cyborgs escorting the stealth tank. File:PXH_StealthTankArtillery_Screenshot.jpg|Stealth tanks in combat. File:PXH_Tanks_Comparison.png|A side-by-side comparison of the Stealth tank and the Scorpion. File:PXH_RTS_htankheavy.png|A render by Marcus Lehto named 'h tank heavy', described as an evolving iteration between the stealth tank and the Scorpion. File:PXH_Viper_StealthTank.jpg|The stealth tank ported into ''Combat Evolved'' as the "Viper".
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo: Combat Evolved
|
}}
During the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', the game went through many different styles including a Real-time strategy|strategy game, a third-person shooter and a first-person shooter. Throughout these iterations, many different weapons were cut from the game, some of which presenting notably different design styles from those found in the final 2001 release. Most known cut weapons are from the 1999 (real world)|1999-2000 era builds of ''Combat Evolved'', during which time the game was intended to be a third-person shooter. However, a small handful from the FPS era are known.
At the time of the game's development, Bungie had a creative attitude to weapons creation - weapons were often designed with a question of what could be done, with details of how it might work in-game left to be figured out later. Due to this, there is no guarantee most of these weapons would have ever made it into a final build. However, the ideas or designs for many of them would later make their way into subsequent ''Halo'' entries, in particular ''Halo 2''.
Of particular note is the timeframe at which ''Halo'' started development. The Pre-Xbox Halo|initial RTS that would later become ''Halo'' begun development in 1997 (real world)|1997 under the codename "Armor", and as such many of the early designs for human weapons and equipment bear strong visual similarities from real-world Cold War weapons programs active in the 1990s and late 1980s. These include the Wikipedia:Objective Individual Combat Weapon|Objective Individual Combat Weapon, Wikipedia:AAI CAWS|AAI CAWS and Wikipedia:Heckler & Koch HK CAWS|H&K CAWS, Wikipedia:Denel NTW-20|Denel NTW-20, Wikipedia:Steyr IWS 2000|Steyr IWS 2000, Wikipedia:Walther WA 2000|Walther WA 2000 and others. Additional inspirations for human weaponry were based on popular science fiction media of the 1980s and 1990s - particularly 1986's ''Aliens'' and 1997's ''Starship Troopers'' - the latter of which released the same year as ''Halo'' beginning its development.
Human
The chaingun is a tri-barrelled rotary cannon that could be held with two hands by the player. It was frequently seen in promotional material for the game including the first-ever screenshot released, though was ultimately cut. The concept was later revived with the AIE-486H machine gun in ''Halo 3''.
File:PXH FirstOfficial Screenshot.jpg|The first-ever screenshot released from ''Halo''. File:PXH ChiefChaingunPose Screenshot 2.jpg|Master Chief wielding the chaingun. File:PXH ChiefChaingunPose Screenshot.jpg|Another screenshot of the chaingun in use.
Labelled in-game as the Pattern-2 Composite Sword, the machete was to be a human counterpard to the Covenant energy sword. Early revisions of John-117's armour had a port for the Machete to slot into. Althought the weapon was modelled and animated, it was never made functional as a weapon in-game. Although the machete was cut, it did live on in-game and in-lore as the Machete - a UNSC bladed weapon for use in jungle environments and found on all variations of the difficulty sigils for Normal, Heroic and Legendary difficulties.
File:PXH MacheteSwordBattle Screenshot.jpg|The machete being wielded by the Master Chief in an early build of ''Halo''. File:PXH Machete Screenshot 2.png|The machete being wielded by the player. File:PXH Machete Screenshot 3.jpg|Another image of the machete. File:PXH Machete Screenshot 1.png|An image showcasing the Pattern-2 Composite Sword. File:HCE John117 Early Concept.jpg|Early concept art of John-117, featuring the Pre-Xbox Halo machete. File:HCE-Johnswordconcept.jpg|Later concept art of the sheathed sword. File:TLJ Heroic Difficulty (Reach).png|The crossed machetes on the Heroic difficulty icon for ''Halo: Reach''.
Labelled in-game as the Lamprey Sub-Ed, the spear gun was intended for underwater combat against sea creatures. When fired, its projectiles would stick into enemies akin to those of the Needler and Paegaas Workshop Spiker in later games. The concept was revived in Halo Infinite with the Flaktura Workshop Skewer.
File:PXH SpearGun Screenshot 1.png|The Spear Gun held by the player. File:PXH_SpearGun_Screenshot_2.png|The Spear Gun reloading. File:PXH_SpearGun_Screenshot_3.png|The fired spears impaled in an elite.
The SMG (referred to in UI as the 12.7mm MP-99 Para) is an Wikipedia:Submachine gun|SMG originally slated to appear in ''Halo''. The weapon's concept was later revived in ''Halo 2'' as the M7 SMG. The SMG in the 1999-era builds sports a side-loaded magazine akin to a Wikipedia:Sten|Sten, which holds 50 12.7x40mm|12.7 rounds, with at least one spare.
File:PXH SMG Screenshot 1.png|The SMG being used by the player. File:PXH ThirdPerson WeaponsEngineer.png|An early iteration of the SMG can be seen in this 1999-era UI. File:HCE OrionSpartanTeam Screenshot.jpg|A later SMG design.
Covenant
The c concussion gun is another weapon found in the 2000-era builds of ''Combat Evolved''. The weapon appears to have a charge up before firing, and uses the M90 shotgun|Shotgun sound effect for firing (presumably as a placeholder). In later discussions, the weapon was jokingly referred to as the "drumkey".
File:PXH ConcussionGun Screenshot 1.png|The player holding the concussion gun. File:PXH_ConcussionGun_Screenshot_2.png|Holding the concussion gun in third-person view. File:PXH_ConcussionGun_Screenshot_3.png|The concussion gun.
While not strictly a weapon, Sangheili wielding arm-mounted Energy shielding|shield-generating gauntlets akin to those Kig-Yar point defense gauntlet|employed by Kig-Yar|Jackal infantry can be observed in concept art and screenshots. A Sangheili point defense gauntlet|similar device lives on in ''Halo'' canon.
File:HCE_Elite_Concept_3.png|Concept art of a Sangheili with a point defense gauntlet for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:Shieldandswordeq0.png|A Sangheili Major with an arm shield and energy sword in the Halo E3 2000 trailer|E3 2000 trailer for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
The c excavator is another weapon found in the 2000-era builds, and jokingly referred to as the "boring device". The Excavator has a tilted, rotating magazine near the front. The Excavator would eventually form the basis for the design of the Type-52 Mauler|Mauler in ''Halo 3''. Although labelled in-game as a Covenant weapon (using the c_ prefix) and visually reminiscent of the alien designs, the weapon is claimed in ''The Art of Halo 3'' to have been intended for use by the UNSC. It is unknown whether this was actually the case, or simply the case of the developers misremembering the facts in the intervening seven years.
The texture for the Excavator went on to be used as a placeholder texture for the Gravity Rifle and the Microwave Gun.
File:PXH Excavator Screenshot 1.png|The excavator held by the player. File:PXH Excavator Screenshot 2.png|The Excavator. File:PXH Excavator Screenshot 3.png|Holding the Excavator in third-person view. File:PXH Excavator Screenshot 4.png|Firing the Excavator.
The gravity rifle can be found in the files for released builds of ''Combat Evolved'', though lacks textures, first-person models, animations or projectiles. The weapon can be enabled on some maps in ''Halo Custom Edition'' by using the command cheat_all_weapons. When firing, the weapon emits a bright light and produces flames on its target, and is extremely accurate.
Data gathered from the game files of ''Combat Evolved'' reveal a few more details about this weapon;
It has the maximum rate-of-fire possible in ''Combat Evolved'' - essentially acting as a beam weapon similarly to the sentinel beam. The weapon has a magazine set up, with a 200 round capacity before needing to reload, and capable of carrying 200 spare rounds. The weapon has no additional properties such as spread or magnification set up.
In this manner, the gravity rifle appears to be somewhat of a spiritual successor to the microwave gun featured in the 1999 builds, and somewhat of a precursor to the Cut Halo 2 weapons#Disintegrator|Disintegrator later cut from ''Halo 2''.
File:HCE_BattleCreek_GravityRifle.jpg|A Spartan employing the Gravity Rifle on Battle Creek. File:HCE GravityRifle Screenshot 1.jpg|A closer look at the Gravity Rifle.
Appearing to function akin to a grenade launcher, the gravity wrench features two prongs which charge up and generate an energy ball between them, which is then launched on a projectile arc.
File:PXH GravityWrench Screenshot 1.png|The player holding the Gravity Wrench.
The weapon labelled c microwave gun is found in the 2000-era builds of ''Combat Evolved''. The weapon is held in two hands akin to holding the turrets found in ''Halo 3''-onward, and emits an orange beam-like particle effect while firing. When asked about this weapon, Marcus Lehto indicated he did not remember what purpose the weapon had, or if it had even been given one when it was first implemented.
File:PXH_MicrowaveGun_Screenshot_1.png|The microwave gun. File:PXH_MicrowaveGun_Screenshot_2.png|The microwave gun as held by the player. File:PXH_MicrowaveGun_Screenshot_3.png|Firing the microwave gun.
Found in the 2000-era builds and labelled c particle beam rifle (also referred to as the "alien sniper rifle"), little is known of this weapon. It presumably fulfills a role of a Covenant Sniper rifle (disambiguation)|sniper rifle, and presumably evolved into the particle beam rifle weapons later included in ''Halo 2'' and subsequent entries.
File:PXH ParticleBeamRifle Screenshot 1.png|The particle beam rifle held by the player. File:PXH ParticleBeamRifle Screenshot 2.png|The particle beam rifle in the third-person view. File:PXH_ParticleBeamRifle_Screenshot_3.png|The particle beam rifle. File:HCE SpecialPurposeSniper Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the special purpose sniper, a Cut Halo: Combat Evolved enemies|cut enemy which would have wielded the weapon.
This weapon appears in a handful of promotional screenshots from around August 2000. Little is known of the weapon, save that it was intended as a Covenant sniper weapon.
File:PXH CovenantRifle Screenshot 1.jpg|The rifle being held by a Sangheili.
Early weapon designs While ''Combat Evolved'' ultimately did ship with a diverse set of weapons, these final designs went through a large amount of iteration throughout the game's progression from strategy to shooter. This section covers the early iterations and radical redesigns that some of the weapons went through, before ending up at the versions ultimately found in the final release.
Early revisions of the MA5B assault rifle seemingly take influence from a number of sources, including the marathongame:MA-75 Assault Rifle/Grenade Launcher|MA75B assault rifle from the ''Marathon'' series and the avp:M41A Pulse Rifle|M41A Pulse Rifle from ''Aliens'' - a film which ''Halo'' is heavily List of references to Aliens in the Halo series|based upon. Some of these early RTS and third-person era assault rifles also displayed obvious outward similarities to the Wikipedia:Objective Individual Combat Weapon|Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW) program which was active in the 1990s (around the time ''Halo'' began development) and the from 1997's ''Starship Troopers'' - the former of which likely inspired the MA5's in-universe designation "Individual Combat Weapon System" (ICWS), while the latter was similarly-influential on the ''Halo'' series as ''Aliens''. This early OICW-inspired design can be seen firing an underbarrel grenade launcher.
The assault rifle design would gradually evolve throughout the rest of 1999 into a design more familiar to fans of the final game. PC Gamer's October 1999 issue would run a piece showcasing an updated screenshot with an assault rifle bearing much heavier resemblance to the final iteration. This version of the assault rifle has a black steel frame and green furniture, similar to the ''Aliens'' M41 rifle, and has the addition of a secondary magazine located in front of the trigger - presumably used to reload the grenade launcher. A version of the assault rifle later seen in the third-person builds of ''Halo'' boasted the name MA-5 ICW/30mm CGL (possibly standing for something akin to ''Model A-5 Individual Combat Weapon/30mm Caseless Grenade Launcher'').
File:HCE MA5B Concept.jpg|Early 1998-era concept art by Robert McLees. File:PXH MA5OICW Hologram Screenshot.jpg|A May 1999-era screenshot of the map room showcased in that year's Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 event, showcasing an assault rifle more overtly inspired by the OICW program. File:PXH MA5OICW_GrenadeLauncher_Screenshot.jpg|The OICW-inspired rifle firing its grenade launcher. File:HCE Marines Concept 2.png|1999 concept art by Shi Kai Wang - the Marines here showcase more recognisable designs for the assault rifle. File:PXH CornerPeek.jpg|Master Chief using the 1999-era assault rifle. File:PXH ThirdPersonAR.png|Master Chief using the assault rifle in the 1999-era builds of ''Halo''. File:PXH Gamestar2000 Cover.jpg|The MA5B on the cover of ''Gamestar'' magazine in May 2000. By this time, the assault rifle resembled the final iteration in all but colour scheme - though still retains its secondary magazine. File:HCE EarlyMarines Screenshot.jpg|A later iteration of the assault rifle can be seen wielded closer to mid-late 2000. In this iteration, the grenade launcher magazine has been removed, and the foregrip enlarged. File:MA5B.png|The MA5B seen in the final game.
The M6D magnum went through a handful of design phases throughout development. The earliest images of the Magnum originate in 1999 (real world)|1999 and bear an extremely crude, blocky design - a low-detail weapon intended for third-person viewing. Some brief footage of UNSC Navy crewmen in footage provided by Marcus Lehto showcases a second, alternate pistol design that is much more slimmed down and reminiscent of modern handguns.
Around 2000, a radical design shift can be seen for the pistol, with screenshots and concept art showcasing a pistol seemingly-based on the Wikipedia:Luger pistol|Luger pistol. Ultimately, the design was scrapped, and the Digsite restoration project has been unable to recover its files for restoration in ''The Master Chief Collection''. Despite appearing in relatively later builds of the game, the Luger design did not make the final cut, and instead the original first design was used as a basis for the weapon that would appear in the final game.
File:PXH_CGW1999Cover_Screenshot.jpg|The first iteration of the Magnum. File:Pre_xbox_magnum.png|Another look at the first iteration of the Magnum. File:PXH_ChiefVElites_Screenshot.jpg|A 1999-era Master Chief firing the first pistol iteration. File:PXH NavalCrew Pistols Screenshot.png|Un-armoured Marines holding the second pistol iteration. File:HCE_SgtLehtoLuger_Screenshot.jpg|A Marine sergeant holding the Luger-based design in a 2000-era screenshot for PC Gamer magazine. File:HCE_HumanCombatForm_Concept.jpg|Early 2000-era concept art of a Flood combat form depicting this Luger-based design. File:Pistol1.jpg|The M6D Magnum as seen in the beta builds of ''Combat Evolved''. File:HCE-M6DMagnumPistol.png|The final iteration of the Magnum.
The rocket launcher featured in ''Halo'' originated as two distinct designs; an anti-armour rocket launcher and an anti-air missile launcher. Both designs can be seen in various early screenshots, before merging later on in development to form the M41 SPNKR seen in final gameplay. The SPNKR takes its name from the marathongame:SPNKR SSM Launcher|SPNKR-XP surface-to-surface missile launcher in ''Marathon''.
Missile launcher Referred to in-game as the SPNKR 108 SAM, this weapon was described as being a rocket launcher intended for use against aircraft, while the standard rocket launcher was intended for anti-vehicle usage. A similar design was later concepted for ''Halo 3'' as the Cut Halo 3 weapons#G4H-DuSH|G4H-DuSH, though was similarly cut. The M57 Pilum would later debut in ''Halo 5: Guardians'', bearing some broad similarities to this rocket launcher.
The name "''SPNKR 108 SAM''" presumably stands for "''SPNKR 108 Surface-to-Air Missile''".
File:PXH AARocket Screenshot 1.png|The rocket launcher. File:PXH AARocket Screenshot 2.png|The front of the rocket launcher. File:PXH SAMLauncher Screenshot.jpg|Firing the SAM launcher. File:PXH MissileLauncher Screenshot.jpg|Holding the SAM launcher.
Rocket launcher The original design for the M41 rocket launcher bears resemblance to the final game counterpart in most areas. Its most notable differences lie in the red-coloured housing and the less boxy housing for the rockets. In the final game, the housing from the missile launcher appears to have been kitbashed onto the rocket launcher, and the red trim recoloured black.
File:Prexbox spnkr.png|The 1999-era SPNKR. File:PXH_CyborgWarthog_Screenshot.jpg|A group of cyborgs in a Warthog, with the passenger holding the rocket launcher. File:Rocket-launcher.png|The HUD icon for the launcher in the final game - note its almost unchanged appearance from the original design. File:HaloCE-M41SSM-RocketLauncher.png|The M41 SPNKR in the final release of ''Halo''.
The Shotgun can be first seen in 1999-era third-person builds, though little gameplay has been shown of it. In the HUD seen in these builds, the weapon is labelled the WSTE-M90 sacs, named in reference to the featured in ''Marathon 2''. The WST name would later make its way into ''Halo'' canon with the lore given for the M90A shotgun in ''Halo 3'', with Weapon System Technologies manufacturing numerous pieces of equipment for the UNSC. The 1999-era shotgun held five shells in its magazine, with at least one extra magazine in reserve.
The shotgun would make a few minor changes between 1999 and 2000, predominantly graphical enhancements on the same basic design. From here, it would remain largely unchanged until final release in 2001 - save for a re-designation from the WSTE-M90 sacs to the M90 shotgun|M90 Close Assault Weapon System (CAWS). It is likely that the CAWS acronym was inspired by the real-world Wikipedia:AAI CAWS|AAI CAWS and Wikipedia:Heckler & Koch HK CAWS|H&K CAWS shotguns, both predominant during the 1980s and 1990s.
File:Prexbox shotty.png|The 1999-era shotgun. File:PXH ThirdPerson WeaponsEngineer.png|An early iteration of the shotgun can be seen in this 1999-era UI. File:HCE CGWCover.jpg|The shotgun in 2000. File:HCE ShotgunEngineers Screenshot.jpg|2000-era Master Chief aiming the shotgun at an Engineer. File:HCE_MarineShotgun.jpg|A Marine using the shotgun. File:Shotgun2.jpg|Master Chief holding the 2000-era shotgun. File:HCE InciteCover Screenshot.jpg|The 2000-era shotgun. File:HCE 343 Guilty Spark Marine holding a M90.jpg|A Marine holding the shotgun in the final game.
Referred to in-game as the SWS99C-S2 (presumably standing for something akin to "''Sniper Weapon System 99C-Series 2''") and jokingly by developers as the "old shovel", this weapon was to be a bolt-action rifle featured in ''Halo''. The weapon appears to bear some resemblance to the real-world Wikipedia:Steyr IWS 2000|Steyr IWS 2000 and the Wikipedia:Walther WA 2000|Walther WA 2000. In-game, the weapon could only fire one round before reloading.
By 2000, the sniper rifle design had evolved massively from the "old shovel" rifle design to something more resembling the final game - based on the real-world Wikipedia:Denel NTW-20|Denel NTW-20. A 2011 GDC talk by Jaime Griesemer revealed the following from ''Halo''s original design documentation (quoted verbatim);
Sniper Rifle/ Digital Scope Long range, high penetration, high rate of fire with 5 round clip (but clip reloads slowly). Small contrail, very loud bang with huge flash and slowly dissipating smoke. Second trigger adjusts zoom level (exactly how TBD). Head shots kill anything man-sized except flood (these high-velocity bullets pass right through flood).
By the time of the final release, the sniper rifle would gain its magazine and a grey finish alongside general graphical improvements. The final canon name for the rifle is inspired by the original designation, now known as the SRS99C-S2 AM sniper rifle.
File:PXH BoltActionRifle Screenshot 1.png|The rifle being used by the player. File:PXH ThirdPerson WeaponsEngineer.png|An early iteration of this sniper can be seen in this 1999-era UI. File:PXH BoltActionRifle Screenshot 2.jpg|Master Chief using this sniper rifle. File:PXH BoltActionRifle Screenshot 3.png|A view of the rifle in gameplay. File:HCE_ThornBeastHunting_Screenshot.jpg|Master Chief using the 2000-era redesign to hunt Cut Halo: Combat Evolved enemies#Thorn beast|thorn beast. File:HCE EarlyMarines Screenshot.jpg|Marines in the 2000-era builds using the revised design. File:HCE_ChiefSniperWarthog.jpg|Master Chief holding the revised design.
Power-ups Two power-ups are present in the files of the retail ''Halo: Combat Evolved (PC port)''. They can be activated using the console command cheat_all_powerups, and display the tooltip "''Picked up flamethrower''" when activated.
File:HCE SpeedBoost PowerUp Screenshot.png|The unused power-ups (left).
A Speed Boost powerup can be found in the files for ''Combat Evolved''. It speeds up all of the player's actions, though entering a vehicle sees the game slow down. It makes a strange sound when activated.
This powerup has no effect when used.
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo: Combat Evolved
|
}}
During the Development of Halo: Combat Evolved|development of ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', the game went through many different styles including a Real-time strategy|strategy game, a third-person shooter and a first-person shooter. Throughout these iterations, many different weapons were cut from the game, some of which presenting notably different design styles from those found in the final 2001 release. Most known cut weapons are from the 1999 (real world)|1999-2000 era builds of ''Combat Evolved'', during which time the game was intended to be a third-person shooter. However, a small handful from the FPS era are known.
At the time of the game's development, Bungie had a creative attitude to weapons creation - weapons were often designed with a question of what could be done, with details of how it might work in-game left to be figured out later. Due to this, there is no guarantee most of these weapons would have ever made it into a final build. However, the ideas or designs for many of them would later make their way into subsequent ''Halo'' entries, in particular ''Halo 2''.
Of particular note is the timeframe at which ''Halo'' started development. The Pre-Xbox Halo|initial RTS that would later become ''Halo'' begun development in 1997 (real world)|1997 under the codename "Armor", and as such many of the early designs for human weapons and equipment bear strong visual similarities from real-world Cold War weapons programs active in the 1990s and late 1980s. These include the Wikipedia:Objective Individual Combat Weapon|Objective Individual Combat Weapon, Wikipedia:AAI CAWS|AAI CAWS and Wikipedia:Heckler & Koch HK CAWS|H&K CAWS, Wikipedia:Denel NTW-20|Denel NTW-20, Wikipedia:Steyr IWS 2000|Steyr IWS 2000, Wikipedia:Walther WA 2000|Walther WA 2000 and others. Additional inspirations for human weaponry were based on popular science fiction media of the 1980s and 1990s - particularly 1986's ''Aliens'' and 1997's ''Starship Troopers'' - the latter of which released the same year as ''Halo'' beginning its development.
Human
The chaingun is a tri-barrelled rotary cannon that could be held with two hands by the player. It was frequently seen in promotional material for the game including the first-ever screenshot released, though was ultimately cut. The concept was later revived with the AIE-486H machine gun in ''Halo 3''.
File:PXH FirstOfficial Screenshot.jpg|The first-ever screenshot released from ''Halo''. File:PXH ChiefChaingunPose Screenshot 2.jpg|Master Chief wielding the chaingun. File:PXH ChiefChaingunPose Screenshot.jpg|Another screenshot of the chaingun in use.
Labelled in-game as the Pattern-2 Composite Sword, the machete was to be a human counterpard to the Covenant energy sword. Early revisions of John-117's armour had a port for the Machete to slot into. Althought the weapon was modelled and animated, it was never made functional as a weapon in-game. Although the machete was cut, it did live on in-game and in-lore as the Machete - a UNSC bladed weapon for use in jungle environments and found on all variations of the difficulty sigils for Normal, Heroic and Legendary difficulties.
File:PXH MacheteSwordBattle Screenshot.jpg|The machete being wielded by the Master Chief in an early build of ''Halo''. File:PXH Machete Screenshot 2.png|The machete being wielded by the player. File:PXH Machete Screenshot 3.jpg|Another image of the machete. File:PXH Machete Screenshot 1.png|An image showcasing the Pattern-2 Composite Sword. File:HCE John117 Early Concept.jpg|Early concept art of John-117, featuring the Pre-Xbox Halo machete. File:HCE-Johnswordconcept.jpg|Later concept art of the sheathed sword. File:TLJ Heroic Difficulty (Reach).png|The crossed machetes on the Heroic difficulty icon for ''Halo: Reach''.
Labelled in-game as the Lamprey Sub-Ed, the spear gun was intended for underwater combat against sea creatures. When fired, its projectiles would stick into enemies akin to those of the Needler and Paegaas Workshop Spiker in later games. The concept was revived in Halo Infinite with the Flaktura Workshop Skewer.
File:PXH SpearGun Screenshot 1.png|The Spear Gun held by the player. File:PXH_SpearGun_Screenshot_2.png|The Spear Gun reloading. File:PXH_SpearGun_Screenshot_3.png|The fired spears impaled in an elite.
The SMG (referred to in UI as the 12.7mm MP-99 Para) is an Wikipedia:Submachine gun|SMG originally slated to appear in ''Halo''. The weapon's concept was later revived in ''Halo 2'' as the M7 SMG. The SMG in the 1999-era builds sports a side-loaded magazine akin to a Wikipedia:Sten|Sten, which holds 50 12.7x40mm|12.7 rounds, with at least one spare.
File:PXH SMG Screenshot 1.png|The SMG being used by the player. File:PXH ThirdPerson WeaponsEngineer.png|An early iteration of the SMG can be seen in this 1999-era UI. File:HCE OrionSpartanTeam Screenshot.jpg|A later SMG design.
Covenant
The c concussion gun is another weapon found in the 2000-era builds of ''Combat Evolved''. The weapon appears to have a charge up before firing, and uses the M90 shotgun|Shotgun sound effect for firing (presumably as a placeholder). In later discussions, the weapon was jokingly referred to as the "drumkey".
File:PXH ConcussionGun Screenshot 1.png|The player holding the concussion gun. File:PXH_ConcussionGun_Screenshot_2.png|Holding the concussion gun in third-person view. File:PXH_ConcussionGun_Screenshot_3.png|The concussion gun.
While not strictly a weapon, Sangheili wielding arm-mounted Energy shielding|shield-generating gauntlets akin to those Kig-Yar point defense gauntlet|employed by Kig-Yar|Jackal infantry can be observed in concept art and screenshots. A Sangheili point defense gauntlet|similar device lives on in ''Halo'' canon.
File:HCE_Elite_Concept_3.png|Concept art of a Sangheili with a point defense gauntlet for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''. File:Shieldandswordeq0.png|A Sangheili Major with an arm shield and energy sword in the Halo E3 2000 trailer|E3 2000 trailer for ''Halo: Combat Evolved''.
The c excavator is another weapon found in the 2000-era builds, and jokingly referred to as the "boring device". The Excavator has a tilted, rotating magazine near the front. The Excavator would eventually form the basis for the design of the Type-52 Mauler|Mauler in ''Halo 3''. Although labelled in-game as a Covenant weapon (using the c_ prefix) and visually reminiscent of the alien designs, the weapon is claimed in ''The Art of Halo 3'' to have been intended for use by the UNSC. It is unknown whether this was actually the case, or simply the case of the developers misremembering the facts in the intervening seven years.
The texture for the Excavator went on to be used as a placeholder texture for the Gravity Rifle and the Microwave Gun.
File:PXH Excavator Screenshot 1.png|The excavator held by the player. File:PXH Excavator Screenshot 2.png|The Excavator. File:PXH Excavator Screenshot 3.png|Holding the Excavator in third-person view. File:PXH Excavator Screenshot 4.png|Firing the Excavator.
The gravity rifle can be found in the files for released builds of ''Combat Evolved'', though lacks textures, first-person models, animations or projectiles. The weapon can be enabled on some maps in ''Halo Custom Edition'' by using the command cheat_all_weapons. When firing, the weapon emits a bright light and produces flames on its target, and is extremely accurate.
Data gathered from the game files of ''Combat Evolved'' reveal a few more details about this weapon;
It has the maximum rate-of-fire possible in ''Combat Evolved'' - essentially acting as a beam weapon similarly to the sentinel beam. The weapon has a magazine set up, with a 200 round capacity before needing to reload, and capable of carrying 200 spare rounds. The weapon has no additional properties such as spread or magnification set up.
In this manner, the gravity rifle appears to be somewhat of a spiritual successor to the microwave gun featured in the 1999 builds, and somewhat of a precursor to the Cut Halo 2 weapons#Disintegrator|Disintegrator later cut from ''Halo 2''.
File:HCE_BattleCreek_GravityRifle.jpg|A Spartan employing the Gravity Rifle on Battle Creek. File:HCE GravityRifle Screenshot 1.jpg|A closer look at the Gravity Rifle.
Appearing to function akin to a grenade launcher, the gravity wrench features two prongs which charge up and generate an energy ball between them, which is then launched on a projectile arc.
File:PXH GravityWrench Screenshot 1.png|The player holding the Gravity Wrench.
The weapon labelled c microwave gun is found in the 2000-era builds of ''Combat Evolved''. The weapon is held in two hands akin to holding the turrets found in ''Halo 3''-onward, and emits an orange beam-like particle effect while firing. When asked about this weapon, Marcus Lehto indicated he did not remember what purpose the weapon had, or if it had even been given one when it was first implemented.
File:PXH_MicrowaveGun_Screenshot_1.png|The microwave gun. File:PXH_MicrowaveGun_Screenshot_2.png|The microwave gun as held by the player. File:PXH_MicrowaveGun_Screenshot_3.png|Firing the microwave gun.
Found in the 2000-era builds and labelled c particle beam rifle (also referred to as the "alien sniper rifle"), little is known of this weapon. It presumably fulfills a role of a Covenant Sniper rifle (disambiguation)|sniper rifle, and presumably evolved into the particle beam rifle weapons later included in ''Halo 2'' and subsequent entries.
File:PXH ParticleBeamRifle Screenshot 1.png|The particle beam rifle held by the player. File:PXH ParticleBeamRifle Screenshot 2.png|The particle beam rifle in the third-person view. File:PXH_ParticleBeamRifle_Screenshot_3.png|The particle beam rifle. File:HCE SpecialPurposeSniper Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the special purpose sniper, a Cut Halo: Combat Evolved enemies|cut enemy which would have wielded the weapon.
This weapon appears in a handful of promotional screenshots from around August 2000. Little is known of the weapon, save that it was intended as a Covenant sniper weapon.
File:PXH CovenantRifle Screenshot 1.jpg|The rifle being held by a Sangheili.
Early weapon designs While ''Combat Evolved'' ultimately did ship with a diverse set of weapons, these final designs went through a large amount of iteration throughout the game's progression from strategy to shooter. This section covers the early iterations and radical redesigns that some of the weapons went through, before ending up at the versions ultimately found in the final release.
Early revisions of the MA5B assault rifle seemingly take influence from a number of sources, including the marathongame:MA-75 Assault Rifle/Grenade Launcher|MA75B assault rifle from the ''Marathon'' series and the avp:M41A Pulse Rifle|M41A Pulse Rifle from ''Aliens'' - a film which ''Halo'' is heavily List of references to Aliens in the Halo series|based upon. Some of these early RTS and third-person era assault rifles also displayed obvious outward similarities to the Wikipedia:Objective Individual Combat Weapon|Objective Individual Combat Weapon (OICW) program which was active in the 1990s (around the time ''Halo'' began development) and the from 1997's ''Starship Troopers'' - the former of which likely inspired the MA5's in-universe designation "Individual Combat Weapon System" (ICWS), while the latter was similarly-influential on the ''Halo'' series as ''Aliens''. This early OICW-inspired design can be seen firing an underbarrel grenade launcher.
The assault rifle design would gradually evolve throughout the rest of 1999 into a design more familiar to fans of the final game. PC Gamer's October 1999 issue would run a piece showcasing an updated screenshot with an assault rifle bearing much heavier resemblance to the final iteration. This version of the assault rifle has a black steel frame and green furniture, similar to the ''Aliens'' M41 rifle, and has the addition of a secondary magazine located in front of the trigger - presumably used to reload the grenade launcher. A version of the assault rifle later seen in the third-person builds of ''Halo'' boasted the name MA-5 ICW/30mm CGL (possibly standing for something akin to ''Model A-5 Individual Combat Weapon/30mm Caseless Grenade Launcher'').
File:HCE MA5B Concept.jpg|Early 1998-era concept art by Robert McLees. File:PXH MA5OICW Hologram Screenshot.jpg|A May 1999-era screenshot of the map room showcased in that year's Electronic Entertainment Expo|E3 event, showcasing an assault rifle more overtly inspired by the OICW program. File:PXH MA5OICW_GrenadeLauncher_Screenshot.jpg|The OICW-inspired rifle firing its grenade launcher. File:HCE Marines Concept 2.png|1999 concept art by Shi Kai Wang - the Marines here showcase more recognisable designs for the assault rifle. File:PXH CornerPeek.jpg|Master Chief using the 1999-era assault rifle. File:PXH ThirdPersonAR.png|Master Chief using the assault rifle in the 1999-era builds of ''Halo''. File:PXH Gamestar2000 Cover.jpg|The MA5B on the cover of ''Gamestar'' magazine in May 2000. By this time, the assault rifle resembled the final iteration in all but colour scheme - though still retains its secondary magazine. File:HCE EarlyMarines Screenshot.jpg|A later iteration of the assault rifle can be seen wielded closer to mid-late 2000. In this iteration, the grenade launcher magazine has been removed, and the foregrip enlarged. File:MA5B.png|The MA5B seen in the final game.
The M6D magnum went through a handful of design phases throughout development. The earliest images of the Magnum originate in 1999 (real world)|1999 and bear an extremely crude, blocky design - a low-detail weapon intended for third-person viewing. Some brief footage of UNSC Navy crewmen in footage provided by Marcus Lehto showcases a second, alternate pistol design that is much more slimmed down and reminiscent of modern handguns.
Around 2000, a radical design shift can be seen for the pistol, with screenshots and concept art showcasing a pistol seemingly-based on the Wikipedia:Luger pistol|Luger pistol. Ultimately, the design was scrapped, and the Digsite restoration project has been unable to recover its files for restoration in ''The Master Chief Collection''. Despite appearing in relatively later builds of the game, the Luger design did not make the final cut, and instead the original first design was used as a basis for the weapon that would appear in the final game.
File:PXH_CGW1999Cover_Screenshot.jpg|The first iteration of the Magnum. File:Pre_xbox_magnum.png|Another look at the first iteration of the Magnum. File:PXH_ChiefVElites_Screenshot.jpg|A 1999-era Master Chief firing the first pistol iteration. File:PXH NavalCrew Pistols Screenshot.png|Un-armoured Marines holding the second pistol iteration. File:HCE_SgtLehtoLuger_Screenshot.jpg|A Marine sergeant holding the Luger-based design in a 2000-era screenshot for PC Gamer magazine. File:HCE_HumanCombatForm_Concept.jpg|Early 2000-era concept art of a Flood combat form depicting this Luger-based design. File:Pistol1.jpg|The M6D Magnum as seen in the beta builds of ''Combat Evolved''. File:HCE-M6DMagnumPistol.png|The final iteration of the Magnum.
The rocket launcher featured in ''Halo'' originated as two distinct designs; an anti-armour rocket launcher and an anti-air missile launcher. Both designs can be seen in various early screenshots, before merging later on in development to form the M41 SPNKR seen in final gameplay. The SPNKR takes its name from the marathongame:SPNKR SSM Launcher|SPNKR-XP surface-to-surface missile launcher in ''Marathon''.
Missile launcher Referred to in-game as the SPNKR 108 SAM, this weapon was described as being a rocket launcher intended for use against aircraft, while the standard rocket launcher was intended for anti-vehicle usage. A similar design was later concepted for ''Halo 3'' as the Cut Halo 3 weapons#G4H-DuSH|G4H-DuSH, though was similarly cut. The M57 Pilum would later debut in ''Halo 5: Guardians'', bearing some broad similarities to this rocket launcher.
The name "''SPNKR 108 SAM''" presumably stands for "''SPNKR 108 Surface-to-Air Missile''".
File:PXH AARocket Screenshot 1.png|The rocket launcher. File:PXH AARocket Screenshot 2.png|The front of the rocket launcher. File:PXH SAMLauncher Screenshot.jpg|Firing the SAM launcher. File:PXH MissileLauncher Screenshot.jpg|Holding the SAM launcher.
Rocket launcher The original design for the M41 rocket launcher bears resemblance to the final game counterpart in most areas. Its most notable differences lie in the red-coloured housing and the less boxy housing for the rockets. In the final game, the housing from the missile launcher appears to have been kitbashed onto the rocket launcher, and the red trim recoloured black.
File:Prexbox spnkr.png|The 1999-era SPNKR. File:PXH_CyborgWarthog_Screenshot.jpg|A group of cyborgs in a Warthog, with the passenger holding the rocket launcher. File:Rocket-launcher.png|The HUD icon for the launcher in the final game - note its almost unchanged appearance from the original design. File:HaloCE-M41SSM-RocketLauncher.png|The M41 SPNKR in the final release of ''Halo''.
The Shotgun can be first seen in 1999-era third-person builds, though little gameplay has been shown of it. In the HUD seen in these builds, the weapon is labelled the WSTE-M90 sacs, named in reference to the featured in ''Marathon 2''. The WST name would later make its way into ''Halo'' canon with the lore given for the M90A shotgun in ''Halo 3'', with Weapon System Technologies manufacturing numerous pieces of equipment for the UNSC. The 1999-era shotgun held five shells in its magazine, with at least one extra magazine in reserve.
The shotgun would make a few minor changes between 1999 and 2000, predominantly graphical enhancements on the same basic design. From here, it would remain largely unchanged until final release in 2001 - save for a re-designation from the WSTE-M90 sacs to the M90 shotgun|M90 Close Assault Weapon System (CAWS). It is likely that the CAWS acronym was inspired by the real-world Wikipedia:AAI CAWS|AAI CAWS and Wikipedia:Heckler & Koch HK CAWS|H&K CAWS shotguns, both predominant during the 1980s and 1990s.
File:Prexbox shotty.png|The 1999-era shotgun. File:PXH ThirdPerson WeaponsEngineer.png|An early iteration of the shotgun can be seen in this 1999-era UI. File:HCE CGWCover.jpg|The shotgun in 2000. File:HCE ShotgunEngineers Screenshot.jpg|2000-era Master Chief aiming the shotgun at an Engineer. File:HCE_MarineShotgun.jpg|A Marine using the shotgun. File:Shotgun2.jpg|Master Chief holding the 2000-era shotgun. File:HCE InciteCover Screenshot.jpg|The 2000-era shotgun. File:HCE 343 Guilty Spark Marine holding a M90.jpg|A Marine holding the shotgun in the final game.
Referred to in-game as the SWS99C-S2 (presumably standing for something akin to "''Sniper Weapon System 99C-Series 2''") and jokingly by developers as the "old shovel", this weapon was to be a bolt-action rifle featured in ''Halo''. The weapon appears to bear some resemblance to the real-world Wikipedia:Steyr IWS 2000|Steyr IWS 2000 and the Wikipedia:Walther WA 2000|Walther WA 2000. In-game, the weapon could only fire one round before reloading.
By 2000, the sniper rifle design had evolved massively from the "old shovel" rifle design to something more resembling the final game - based on the real-world Wikipedia:Denel NTW-20|Denel NTW-20. A 2011 GDC talk by Jaime Griesemer revealed the following from ''Halo''s original design documentation (quoted verbatim);
Sniper Rifle/ Digital Scope Long range, high penetration, high rate of fire with 5 round clip (but clip reloads slowly). Small contrail, very loud bang with huge flash and slowly dissipating smoke. Second trigger adjusts zoom level (exactly how TBD). Head shots kill anything man-sized except flood (these high-velocity bullets pass right through flood).
By the time of the final release, the sniper rifle would gain its magazine and a grey finish alongside general graphical improvements. The final canon name for the rifle is inspired by the original designation, now known as the SRS99C-S2 AM sniper rifle.
File:PXH BoltActionRifle Screenshot 1.png|The rifle being used by the player. File:PXH ThirdPerson WeaponsEngineer.png|An early iteration of this sniper can be seen in this 1999-era UI. File:PXH BoltActionRifle Screenshot 2.jpg|Master Chief using this sniper rifle. File:PXH BoltActionRifle Screenshot 3.png|A view of the rifle in gameplay. File:HCE_ThornBeastHunting_Screenshot.jpg|Master Chief using the 2000-era redesign to hunt Cut Halo: Combat Evolved enemies#Thorn beast|thorn beast. File:HCE EarlyMarines Screenshot.jpg|Marines in the 2000-era builds using the revised design. File:HCE_ChiefSniperWarthog.jpg|Master Chief holding the revised design.
Power-ups Two power-ups are present in the files of the retail ''Halo: Combat Evolved (PC port)''. They can be activated using the console command cheat_all_powerups, and display the tooltip "''Picked up flamethrower''" when activated.
File:HCE SpeedBoost PowerUp Screenshot.png|The unused power-ups (left).
A Speed Boost powerup can be found in the files for ''Combat Evolved''. It speeds up all of the player's actions, though entering a vehicle sees the game slow down. It makes a strange sound when activated.
This powerup has no effect when used.
Sources
Category:Deleted material Category:Halo: Combat Evolved
|
File:HR CutAmbientLife.jpg|300px|thumb|Various cut ambient life in ''Reach''s lighting test map.
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During the game's Development of Halo: Reach|development, ''Halo: Reach'' was intended to feature a large variety of ambient life to populate the wilderness of the Reach|titular planet. The fauna covered on this page are one of List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|many examples of cut ambient life in ''Halo'' games.
Early wildlife revisions
Concepted by Isaac Hannaford, the Guta went through several revisions and rounds of development before reaching the form found in the final game. Early ideas showcased the creature as potentially being ridden by Kig-Yar|Jackals, with later in-game prototyping exploring the ideas of Sangheili|Elites and Unggoy|Grunts riding them. Later ideas suggested the Gutas were to have fur on their backs and arms - something that was conceived and modeled, though ultimately scrapped.
Early code for the creature (named "mule" in-development) suggests they were to have an acid spit attack, while another similar prototyped mechanic had the Guta "vomit hot rocks". Another possibility tested in development was for the Guta to have shoulder-mounted cannons.
Prior to their downscaled role in the game, the Guta were intended to be in two other missions alongside Nightfall. Alongside the ability of the Covenant to ride Gutas, some explorations were done for them to be ride-able by the player - and for the player to be able to Boarding (gameplay mechanic)|board the Guta by climbing up its back and kill it by planting a grenade in its mouth.
File:HR_Guta_Concept_1.jpg|Early designs of the guta. File:HR_Guta_Concept_7.jpg|Early designs of the guta. File:HR_Guta_Concept_2.jpg|The guta's near-finalized design. File:HR_Guta_Concept_3.jpg|Concept art featuring two Kig-Yar riding a guta. File:HR_Guta_Concept_6.jpg|Concept art featuring two Kig-Yar riding a guta. File:HR GutaFur Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of the early model, featuring fur. File:HR GutaFur Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of the early model, featuring fur. File:HR GutaFur Screenshot 3.jpg|A screenshot of the early model, featuring fur. File:HR GutaFur Screenshot 4.jpg|A screenshot of the early model, featuring fur.
The hawk was a bird included in ''Reach'', where it can be found in the sky during the mission Winter Contingency. It was modelled and textured by artist :Category:Images by Zeke Garcia|Zeke Garcia. This bird is presumably the "eagle" mentioned by Bungie during the developer commentary for ''Reach''; the original intent for the game's Legendary difficulty ending would see the bird fly down and land on SPARTAN-B312|Noble Six's helmet, during Catherine Halsey|Halsey's narration. A number of other similar birds can be found in other levels.
The hawk showcased in the early development images below displays some subtle changes from the one featured in the final game, having no legs and a more reddish hue.
File:HR_ReachHawk_HiPoly.jpg|The high-poly model for the hawk. File:HR_ReachHawk_Screenshot.jpg|The hawk in-game in an early build. File:HReach-Eagle.jpg|The hawk in the final release.
Cut wildlife File:HR ForgeWorld AmbientLife.jpg|thumb|250px|More various cut ambient life on Forge World.
The porcupine was a creature intended to inhabit Reach. It was ultimately cut due to animations issues in which the creature would only float above the ground, with little time to fix prior to Zero-bug release.
File:HR Porky.jpg|Porky the porcupine, as posted in the Bungie Weekly Update. File:HR_Porcupine_Screenshot_1.png|The porcupine in-game. File:HR_Porcupine_Screenshot_2.png|The porcupine in-game. File:HR_Porcupine_Screenshot_3.png|The porcupine in-game. File:HR_Porcupine_Screenshot_4.png|The porcupine in-game. File:HR_Porcupine_Screenshot_5.png|The porcupine in-game.
Several fish species were present in early builds.
HR_Fish_Screenshot_1.png HR_Fish_Screenshot_2.png HR_Fish_Screenshot_3.png HR_Fish_Screenshot_4.png HR_Fish_Screenshot_5.png
A creature resembling a goat was present in the tags build, though ultimately cut. Little else is known of it.
File:HR_ReachGoat_Screenshot_1.jpg|The goat-like creature. File:HR_ReachGoat_Screenshot_2.png|The goat-like creature. File:HR_ReachGoat_Screenshot_3.png|The goat-like creature. File:HR_ReachGoat_Screenshot_4.png|The goat-like creature.
The Spadehorn was originally to appear in ''Halo: Reach'' as ambient wildlife. Concept sketches were created for eight different varieties of the creature; the ''Highlands Spadehorn'', ''Prairie Spadehorn'', ''Angelhorn'', ''Ringhorn'', ''Hammerhorn'', ''Pryhorn'', ''Devilhorn'', and ''Godhorn'', each with different shaped horns. Spadehorns were intended to have an unusual genetic adaptation - horns that are flat and tough rather than brittle and pointy like those of their Earthbound cousins. The shovel-like horns were intended to dig through the rocky or frozen soil in Reach's boreal regions, though some variations were used instead to carve moss or lichen from sheer rock, or strip the bark from Reach's indigenous trees. Spadehorns did keep their place in ''Halo'' canon, serving as the in-universe namesake for the Spade truck drivable in-game, and later being recreated in ''Halo Mash-Up: Minecraft Evolved''.
File:HR SpadehornSkull HiPoly.jpg|A high-poly model of the Spadehorn's skull. File:HR_Spadehorn_Exploration_Concept_3.jpg|Concept sketches of different Spadehorns File:HR_Spadehorn_Exploration_Concept_4.jpg|Early exploration concepts for the Spadehorn File:HR Spadehorn Exploration Concept 2.jpg|Exploration concepts for the Highlands Spadehorn and Prairie Spadehorn File:HR_Spadehorn_Exploration_Concept.jpg|Exploration concept for the Highland Spadehorn File:HR CutAmbientLife.jpg|A model of the Spadehorn (back, far-right) in-game. File:HR Spadehorn Screenshot 1.png|A model of the Spadehorn in-game. File:HR Spadehorn Screenshot 2.png|A model of the Spadehorn in-game. File:HR Spadehorn Screenshot 3.png|A model of the Spadehorn in-game. File:HR Spadehorn Screenshot 4.png|A model of the Spadehorn in-game. File:HR Spadehorn Screenshot 5.png|A model of the Spadehorn in-game. File:HR Spadehorn Screenshot 6.png|A model of the Spadehorn in-game. File:HR Spadehorn Screenshot 7.png|A model of the Spadehorn in-game.
}}
The squirrel was a creature intended to inhabit Reach, and exists in the Halo: Reach DLC tags build|tags build complete with textures and idle animations. At some point, the porcupine was cut from the game so the squirrel could live, though the squirrel ultimately never made it to the final release, having been cut several weeks later.
File:HR Squirrel.png|The squirrel. File:HR RIPSpaceSquirrel.jpg|An image of the space squirrel, posted in the Bungie Weekly Update. File:HR Squirrel Screenshot 1.png|The squirrel in-game. File:HR Squirrel Screenshot 2.png|The squirrel in-game. File:HR Squirrel Screenshot 3.png|The squirrel in-game. File:HR Squirrel Screenshot 4.png|The squirrel in-game. File:HR Squirrel Screenshot 5.png|The squirrel in-game. File:HR Squirrel Screenshot 6.png|The squirrel in-game. File:HR Squirrel Screenshot 7.png|The squirrel in-game.
The slug was another creature intended to inhabit Reach. The creature was modelled by artist :Category:Images by Zeke Garcia|Zeke Garcia, and was fully textured and animated before it was cut. The slug was (possibly jokingly) mentioned by Bungie as intended to be used in the game's Legendary ending.
File:HR ReachSlug HiPoly.jpg|The Reach slug high-poly model. File:HR ReachSlug Bottom.jpg|The underside of the slug. File:HR_ReachSlug.jpg|Reach slug. File:HR_Slug_Screenshot_1.png|The slug in-game. File:HR_Slug_Screenshot_2.png|The slug in-game. File:HR_Slug_Screenshot_3.png|The slug in-game. File:HR_Slug_Screenshot_4.png|The slug in-game. File:HR_Slug_Screenshot_5.png|The slug in-game. File:HR_Slug_Screenshot_6.png|The slug in-game.
Sources
Category:Halo: Reach deleted material
|
File:HR CutAmbientLife.jpg|300px|thumb|Various cut ambient life in ''Reach''s lighting test map.
}}
During the game's Development of Halo: Reach|development, ''Halo: Reach'' was intended to feature a large variety of ambient life to populate the wilderness of the Reach|titular planet. The fauna covered on this page are one of List of deleted ambient life in Halo development|many examples of cut ambient life in ''Halo'' games.
Early wildlife revisions
Concepted by Isaac Hannaford, the Guta went through several revisions and rounds of development before reaching the form found in the final game. Early ideas showcased the creature as potentially being ridden by Kig-Yar|Jackals, with later in-game prototyping exploring the ideas of Sangheili|Elites and Unggoy|Grunts riding them. Later ideas suggested the Gutas were to have fur on their backs and arms - something that was conceived and modeled, though ultimately scrapped.
Early code for the creature (named "mule" in-development) suggests they were to have an acid spit attack, while another similar prototyped mechanic had the Guta "vomit hot rocks". Another possibility tested in development was for the Guta to have shoulder-mounted cannons.
Prior to their downscaled role in the game, the Guta were intended to be in two other missions alongside Nightfall. Alongside the ability of the Covenant to ride Gutas, some explorations were done for them to be ride-able by the player - and for the player to be able to Boarding (gameplay mechanic)|board the Guta by climbing up its back and kill it by planting a grenade in its mouth.
File:HR_Guta_Concept_1.jpg|Early designs of the guta. File:HR_Guta_Concept_7.jpg|Early designs of the guta. File:HR_Guta_Concept_2.jpg|The guta's near-finalized design. File:HR_Guta_Concept_3.jpg|Concept art featuring two Kig-Yar riding a guta. File:HR_Guta_Concept_6.jpg|Concept art featuring two Kig-Yar riding a guta. File:HR GutaFur Screenshot 1.jpg|A screenshot of the early model, featuring fur. File:HR GutaFur Screenshot 2.jpg|A screenshot of the early model, featuring fur. File:HR GutaFur Screenshot 3.jpg|A screenshot of the early model, featuring fur. File:HR GutaFur Screenshot 4.jpg|A screenshot of the early model, featuring fur.
The hawk was a bird included in ''Reach'', where it can be found in the sky during the mission Winter Contingency. It was modelled and textured by artist :Category:Images by Zeke Garcia|Zeke Garcia. This bird is presumably the "eagle" mentioned by Bungie during the developer commentary for ''Reach''; the original intent for the game's Legendary difficulty ending would see the bird fly down and land on SPARTAN-B312|Noble Six's helmet, during Catherine Halsey|Halsey's narration. A number of other similar birds can be found in other levels.
The hawk showcased in the early development images below displays some subtle changes from the one featured in the final game, having no legs and a more reddish hue.
File:HR_ReachHawk_HiPoly.jpg|The high-poly model for the hawk. File:HR_ReachHawk_Screenshot.jpg|The hawk in-game in an early build. File:HReach-Eagle.jpg|The hawk in the final release.
Cut wildlife File:HR ForgeWorld AmbientLife.jpg|thumb|250px|More various cut ambient life on Forge World.
The porcupine was a creature intended to inhabit Reach. It was ultimately cut due to animations issues in which the creature would only float above the ground, with little time to fix prior to Zero-bug release.
File:HR Porky.jpg|Porky the porcupine, as posted in the Bungie Weekly Update. File:HR_Porcupine_Screenshot_1.png|The porcupine in-game. File:HR_Porcupine_Screenshot_2.png|The porcupine in-game. File:HR_Porcupine_Screenshot_3.png|The porcupine in-game. File:HR_Porcupine_Screenshot_4.png|The porcupine in-game. File:HR_Porcupine_Screenshot_5.png|The porcupine in-game.
Several fish species were present in early builds.
HR_Fish_Screenshot_1.png HR_Fish_Screenshot_2.png HR_Fish_Screenshot_3.png HR_Fish_Screenshot_4.png HR_Fish_Screenshot_5.png
A creature resembling a goat was present in the tags build, though ultimately cut. Little else is known of it.
File:HR_ReachGoat_Screenshot_1.jpg|The goat-like creature. File:HR_ReachGoat_Screenshot_2.png|The goat-like creature. File:HR_ReachGoat_Screenshot_3.png|The goat-like creature. File:HR_ReachGoat_Screenshot_4.png|The goat-like creature.
The Spadehorn was originally to appear in ''Halo: Reach'' as ambient wildlife. Concept sketches were created for eight different varieties of the creature; the ''Highlands Spadehorn'', ''Prairie Spadehorn'', ''Angelhorn'', ''Ringhorn'', ''Hammerhorn'', ''Pryhorn'', ''Devilhorn'', and ''Godhorn'', each with different shaped horns. Spadehorns were intended to have an unusual genetic adaptation - horns that are flat and tough rather than brittle and pointy like those of their Earthbound cousins. The shovel-like horns were intended to dig through the rocky or frozen soil in Reach's boreal regions, though some variations were used instead to carve moss or lichen from sheer rock, or strip the bark from Reach's indigenous trees. Spadehorns did keep their place in ''Halo'' canon, serving as the in-universe namesake for the Spade truck drivable in-game, and later being recreated in ''Halo Mash-Up: Minecraft Evolved''.
File:HR SpadehornSkull HiPoly.jpg|A high-poly model of the Spadehorn's skull. File:HR_Spadehorn_Exploration_Concept_3.jpg|Concept sketches of different Spadehorns File:HR_Spadehorn_Exploration_Concept_4.jpg|Early exploration concepts for the Spadehorn File:HR Spadehorn Exploration Concept 2.jpg|Exploration concepts for the Highlands Spadehorn and Prairie Spadehorn File:HR_Spadehorn_Exploration_Concept.jpg|Exploration concept for the Highland Spadehorn File:HR CutAmbientLife.jpg|A model of the Spadehorn (back, far-right) in-game. File:HR Spadehorn Screenshot 1.png|A model of the Spadehorn in-game. File:HR Spadehorn Screenshot 2.png|A model of the Spadehorn in-game. File:HR Spadehorn Screenshot 3.png|A model of the Spadehorn in-game. File:HR Spadehorn Screenshot 4.png|A model of the Spadehorn in-game. File:HR Spadehorn Screenshot 5.png|A model of the Spadehorn in-game. File:HR Spadehorn Screenshot 6.png|A model of the Spadehorn in-game. File:HR Spadehorn Screenshot 7.png|A model of the Spadehorn in-game.
}}
The squirrel was a creature intended to inhabit Reach, and exists in the Halo: Reach DLC tags build|tags build complete with textures and idle animations. At some point, the porcupine was cut from the game so the squirrel could live, though the squirrel ultimately never made it to the final release, having been cut several weeks later.
File:HR Squirrel.png|The squirrel. File:HR RIPSpaceSquirrel.jpg|An image of the space squirrel, posted in the Bungie Weekly Update. File:HR Squirrel Screenshot 1.png|The squirrel in-game. File:HR Squirrel Screenshot 2.png|The squirrel in-game. File:HR Squirrel Screenshot 3.png|The squirrel in-game. File:HR Squirrel Screenshot 4.png|The squirrel in-game. File:HR Squirrel Screenshot 5.png|The squirrel in-game. File:HR Squirrel Screenshot 6.png|The squirrel in-game. File:HR Squirrel Screenshot 7.png|The squirrel in-game.
The slug was another creature intended to inhabit Reach. The creature was modelled by artist :Category:Images by Zeke Garcia|Zeke Garcia, and was fully textured and animated before it was cut. The slug was (possibly jokingly) mentioned by Bungie as intended to be used in the game's Legendary ending.
File:HR ReachSlug HiPoly.jpg|The Reach slug high-poly model. File:HR ReachSlug Bottom.jpg|The underside of the slug. File:HR_ReachSlug.jpg|Reach slug. File:HR_Slug_Screenshot_1.png|The slug in-game. File:HR_Slug_Screenshot_2.png|The slug in-game. File:HR_Slug_Screenshot_3.png|The slug in-game. File:HR_Slug_Screenshot_4.png|The slug in-game. File:HR_Slug_Screenshot_5.png|The slug in-game. File:HR_Slug_Screenshot_6.png|The slug in-game.
Sources
Category:Halo: Reach deleted material
|
File:HR Screenshot DefiantArmour1.png|thumb|300px|The most famous screenshot of the cut armour.
During the Development of Halo: Reach|production of the downloadable content for ''Halo: Reach'', a number of armor permutations were developed but ultimately cut. The sets were originally teased in a trailer for the game's Defiant Map Pack, and intended to be included in the Anniversary Map Pack - though were ultimately scrapped.
Base game
An alternate design for the Sangheili Minor|Elite Minor armour can be seen in the UI icons for early builds of ''Halo: Reach''. This armour design is mostly the same as the final game, with one major exception - the shoulders of the early variant are significantly more pronounced than in final. This model was used as the basis for the Minor Elites in ''Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary'' the year following ''Reach''s release.
File:HR EarlyEliteMinor.png|The Elite UI icon. File:Elite minor render.png|The Elite Minor in the final game, for comparison. File:AnniversaryLibrary.png|The cut ''Reach'' Minor armour in the Library (feature)|Library of ''Combat Evolved Anniversary''. File:HR CovenantThrusterPack Concept 1.jpg|A rear view of the cut Minor variant, seen in a concept paintover for the Covenant thruster pack. File:HR CovenantThrusterPack Concept 2.jpg|A rear view of the cut Minor variant, seen in a concept paintover for the Covenant thruster pack.
The Hardened External Sensor Array - External (HESA-E) was a helmet attachment available in the ''Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta''. The attachment is useable on the MP-class Mjolnir|Military Police helmet, and costs 20,000 Credits|cR to buy. In the final game, this attachment is still available though under the name of the Hardened uplink/remote sensor package|HU/RS attachment.
File:HESA E MP.jpg|The HESA-E attachment in the Beta.
DLC armor
These cut armour sets first appeared in promotional material for ''Halo: Reach''s ''Defiant Map Pack'' in 2011, where some of them were worn by a player in three screenshots of the map Condemned. The player wore the AKIS helmet, with the CBRN and GRD attachments, in combination with the Armor accessories/EXO|EXO/TSCS chest piece. In the absence of an official name, the ''Halo'' community took to calling the then-unknown helmet "GRD", a nickname that stuck and eventually became the official name for one of the helmet's attachments.
A lack of official communication about or acknowledgement of the mystery helmet from Bungie or 343 Industries led to a great deal of speculation about how it might be released, with some even suggesting that it could already be unlocked through some esoteric method. Eventually, these rumours were proven false when, on 2012|February 11th, 2012, 343 Industries employee David Ellis confirmed that 343 had intended to release it alongside the ''Anniversary Map Pack'', but that it had been cut due to time and resource constraints. Ultimately, neither the AKIS helmet nor the EXO/TSCS chest piece were ever released for ''Reach'' on the Xbox 360.
The Spartan dolls Easter egg in the ''Anniversary Map Pack'' features dolls of Spartans wearing the same armor configuration as the player in the ''Defiant Map Pack'' screenshots, including the AKIS helmet. This was a deliberate acknowledgment of the armor on 343 Industries' part. This doll object was later made available as a placeable object in ''Halo 5: Guardians'' Forge mode, in which it is known as the "5th Spartan" doll.
In 2019, it was announced that ''Halo: Reach'' would be added to ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'', and that ''The Master Chief Collection'' would be ported to PC, with ''Reach'' being the first of the games in the collection to release on the platform. This brought with it renewed interest in the unreleased armour, with many requesting that it be included in the game's re-release. 343 Industries would officially address these requests in a development update in July of that year, saying that they ''"[were] currently investigating it but [could not] commit to it being in the game at [that] time"'' and also noting that they were interested in expanding the pool of customization items in each game, potentially even including new armors.
Later the same year, a modder by the name of Gamecheat13 discovered customisation renders for two cut armour sets in the game files of the second Halo Insider program|Halo Insider flight (dubbed the "FireFlight") of Halo: The Master Chief Collection's PC port of ''Halo: Reach'', and also unearthed the internal codenames for both sets: spartan_dlc_condemned and spartan_dlc_preserve. The spartan_dlc_preserve set featured the AKIS helmet paired with an unidentified chest piece, while the spartan_dlc_condemned set included the EXO/TSCS chest piece with the Mariner helmet.
Eventually, in 2020|September 2020, it was confirmed in an MCC Development Update that several of these armour sets would be making their way into ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'' as part of Series 4: Reclaimer. This update also revealed the final name for the so-called "GRD" helmet: AKIS. However, due to issues in development, these armors did not meet a high enough quality standard to be included in the game as of Season 4's launch, and so AKIS, EXO/TSCS and Mariner were pushed back to Series 5: Anvil. To-date, the Preserve chest has yet to be implemented in the collection.
AKIS
The most famous piece of content developed for this initiative, the helmet named in ''The Master Chief Collection'' as AKIS and dubbed by fans as "GRD" was featured heavily in a handful of promotional materials for the Defiant Map Pack. The helmet went on to be featured in Season 5 with three helmet attachments; one of which was named GRD in reference to the fan name. This helmet is the subject of the Spartan dolls Easter egg.
File:HR AKIS Helmet Icon.png|AKIS - Base. File:HR AKIS GRD Helmet Icon.png|AKIS - GRD. File:HR AKIS CBRN Helmet Icon.png|AKIS - CBRN. File:HR AKIS GRDCBRN Helmet Icon.png|AKIS - GRD/CBRN. File:HR Screenshot DefiantArmour1.png|The original, widely-circulated screenshot of the GRD helmet on Condemned. File:HR Akis Comparison.png|A side-by-side comparison of AKIS in the original Defiant screenshot, and AKIS as it appears in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
Mariner
Another helmet developed for this collection of DLC armor, the Mariner helmet was never showcased in any promotional materials - the first time it was ever revealed was with its inclusion in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
File:HR Mariner Helmet Icon.png|Mariner - Base. File:HR Mariner Defiant Helmet Icon.png|Mariner - Defiant. File:HR Mariner MisterChief Helmet Icon.png|Mariner - Mister Chief. File:HR Mariner OPTREX Helmet Icon.png|Mariner - OPTREX module|OPTREX.
EXO/TSCS
The chest named in ''The Master Chief Collection'' as EXO/TSCS was also featured in the originally-released Defiant screenshots, though was partially-obscured by weapons and character positioning. It was later released as part of Season 5.
File:HR EXO-TSCS Chest Icon.png|EXO/TSCS. File:HR_Screenshot_DefiantArmour1-Closeup.png|The AKIS-equipped Spartan in the Defiant image can be seen wearing EXO/TSCS, if looking closely.
Preserve The chest piece known in the game files as "preserve" has yet to be officially acknowledged or implemented in ''The Master Chief Collection'', making it the only known cut ''Reach'' armor to have not been resurrected. The "Preserve" chest piece features two large armour plates which curve downward from the user's shoulders, towards the centre of their chest. At the join between these two plates, there is a wedge-shaped protrusion pointing downwards, directly beneath the user's head. Additionally, below the left and right plates, there is an additional piece of armor on either side, just above where the wearer's ribcage would end. These meet beneath the wedge-shaped protrusion, at the user's solar plexus, where there is a piece of unidentified apparatus jutting out of the front of the armor.
File:HR PRESERVE Chest Icon.png|A fan render of the Preserve chest, using models and textures extracted from the files of ''The Master Chief Collection''. File:MCC-HR CustomisationRender PreserveArmour-Prerelease.png|The customization render discovered by Gamecheat13. File:HR_Preserve_Models.png|The "Preserve" chest piece, found in the files of ''The Master Chief Collection'', shown paired with the AKIS helmet and its various attachments. File:HR Preserve Render.png|The chest piece with the base form of AKIS. File:HR_Perserve_Render_DeanInHD.png|The chest piece textured and complete on a Spartan wearing the AKIS helmet. Textures found and rendered by DeanInHD. File:HR-PreserveCompleteDeanInHD.png|An AKIS-clad Spartan wearing Preserve from both a front and side view. Textures found and rendered by DeanInHD.
Sources
Category:Halo: Reach deleted material Category:Halo: Reach multiplayer armor permutations
|
File:HR Screenshot DefiantArmour1.png|thumb|300px|The most famous screenshot of the cut armour.
During the Development of Halo: Reach|production of the downloadable content for ''Halo: Reach'', a number of armor permutations were developed but ultimately cut. The sets were originally teased in a trailer for the game's Defiant Map Pack, and intended to be included in the Anniversary Map Pack - though were ultimately scrapped.
Base game
An alternate design for the Sangheili Minor|Elite Minor armour can be seen in the UI icons for early builds of ''Halo: Reach''. This armour design is mostly the same as the final game, with one major exception - the shoulders of the early variant are significantly more pronounced than in final. This model was used as the basis for the Minor Elites in ''Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary'' the year following ''Reach''s release.
File:HR EarlyEliteMinor.png|The Elite UI icon. File:Elite minor render.png|The Elite Minor in the final game, for comparison. File:AnniversaryLibrary.png|The cut ''Reach'' Minor armour in the Library (feature)|Library of ''Combat Evolved Anniversary''. File:HR CovenantThrusterPack Concept 1.jpg|A rear view of the cut Minor variant, seen in a concept paintover for the Covenant thruster pack. File:HR CovenantThrusterPack Concept 2.jpg|A rear view of the cut Minor variant, seen in a concept paintover for the Covenant thruster pack.
The Hardened External Sensor Array - External (HESA-E) was a helmet attachment available in the ''Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta''. The attachment is useable on the MP-class Mjolnir|Military Police helmet, and costs 20,000 Credits|cR to buy. In the final game, this attachment is still available though under the name of the Hardened uplink/remote sensor package|HU/RS attachment.
File:HESA E MP.jpg|The HESA-E attachment in the Beta.
DLC armor
These cut armour sets first appeared in promotional material for ''Halo: Reach''s ''Defiant Map Pack'' in 2011, where some of them were worn by a player in three screenshots of the map Condemned. The player wore the AKIS helmet, with the CBRN and GRD attachments, in combination with the Armor accessories/EXO|EXO/TSCS chest piece. In the absence of an official name, the ''Halo'' community took to calling the then-unknown helmet "GRD", a nickname that stuck and eventually became the official name for one of the helmet's attachments.
A lack of official communication about or acknowledgement of the mystery helmet from Bungie or 343 Industries led to a great deal of speculation about how it might be released, with some even suggesting that it could already be unlocked through some esoteric method. Eventually, these rumours were proven false when, on 2012|February 11th, 2012, 343 Industries employee David Ellis confirmed that 343 had intended to release it alongside the ''Anniversary Map Pack'', but that it had been cut due to time and resource constraints. Ultimately, neither the AKIS helmet nor the EXO/TSCS chest piece were ever released for ''Reach'' on the Xbox 360.
The Spartan dolls Easter egg in the ''Anniversary Map Pack'' features dolls of Spartans wearing the same armor configuration as the player in the ''Defiant Map Pack'' screenshots, including the AKIS helmet. This was a deliberate acknowledgment of the armor on 343 Industries' part. This doll object was later made available as a placeable object in ''Halo 5: Guardians'' Forge mode, in which it is known as the "5th Spartan" doll.
In 2019, it was announced that ''Halo: Reach'' would be added to ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'', and that ''The Master Chief Collection'' would be ported to PC, with ''Reach'' being the first of the games in the collection to release on the platform. This brought with it renewed interest in the unreleased armour, with many requesting that it be included in the game's re-release. 343 Industries would officially address these requests in a development update in July of that year, saying that they ''"[were] currently investigating it but [could not] commit to it being in the game at [that] time"'' and also noting that they were interested in expanding the pool of customization items in each game, potentially even including new armors.
Later the same year, a modder by the name of Gamecheat13 discovered customisation renders for two cut armour sets in the game files of the second Halo Insider program|Halo Insider flight (dubbed the "FireFlight") of Halo: The Master Chief Collection's PC port of ''Halo: Reach'', and also unearthed the internal codenames for both sets: spartan_dlc_condemned and spartan_dlc_preserve. The spartan_dlc_preserve set featured the AKIS helmet paired with an unidentified chest piece, while the spartan_dlc_condemned set included the EXO/TSCS chest piece with the Mariner helmet.
Eventually, in 2020|September 2020, it was confirmed in an MCC Development Update that several of these armour sets would be making their way into ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'' as part of Series 4: Reclaimer. This update also revealed the final name for the so-called "GRD" helmet: AKIS. However, due to issues in development, these armors did not meet a high enough quality standard to be included in the game as of Season 4's launch, and so AKIS, EXO/TSCS and Mariner were pushed back to Series 5: Anvil. To-date, the Preserve chest has yet to be implemented in the collection.
AKIS
The most famous piece of content developed for this initiative, the helmet named in ''The Master Chief Collection'' as AKIS and dubbed by fans as "GRD" was featured heavily in a handful of promotional materials for the Defiant Map Pack. The helmet went on to be featured in Season 5 with three helmet attachments; one of which was named GRD in reference to the fan name. This helmet is the subject of the Spartan dolls Easter egg.
File:HR AKIS Helmet Icon.png|AKIS - Base. File:HR AKIS GRD Helmet Icon.png|AKIS - GRD. File:HR AKIS CBRN Helmet Icon.png|AKIS - CBRN. File:HR AKIS GRDCBRN Helmet Icon.png|AKIS - GRD/CBRN. File:HR Screenshot DefiantArmour1.png|The original, widely-circulated screenshot of the GRD helmet on Condemned. File:HR Akis Comparison.png|A side-by-side comparison of AKIS in the original Defiant screenshot, and AKIS as it appears in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
Mariner
Another helmet developed for this collection of DLC armor, the Mariner helmet was never showcased in any promotional materials - the first time it was ever revealed was with its inclusion in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
File:HR Mariner Helmet Icon.png|Mariner - Base. File:HR Mariner Defiant Helmet Icon.png|Mariner - Defiant. File:HR Mariner MisterChief Helmet Icon.png|Mariner - Mister Chief. File:HR Mariner OPTREX Helmet Icon.png|Mariner - OPTREX module|OPTREX.
EXO/TSCS
The chest named in ''The Master Chief Collection'' as EXO/TSCS was also featured in the originally-released Defiant screenshots, though was partially-obscured by weapons and character positioning. It was later released as part of Season 5.
File:HR EXO-TSCS Chest Icon.png|EXO/TSCS. File:HR_Screenshot_DefiantArmour1-Closeup.png|The AKIS-equipped Spartan in the Defiant image can be seen wearing EXO/TSCS, if looking closely.
Preserve The chest piece known in the game files as "preserve" has yet to be officially acknowledged or implemented in ''The Master Chief Collection'', making it the only known cut ''Reach'' armor to have not been resurrected. The "Preserve" chest piece features two large armour plates which curve downward from the user's shoulders, towards the centre of their chest. At the join between these two plates, there is a wedge-shaped protrusion pointing downwards, directly beneath the user's head. Additionally, below the left and right plates, there is an additional piece of armor on either side, just above where the wearer's ribcage would end. These meet beneath the wedge-shaped protrusion, at the user's solar plexus, where there is a piece of unidentified apparatus jutting out of the front of the armor.
File:HR PRESERVE Chest Icon.png|A fan render of the Preserve chest, using models and textures extracted from the files of ''The Master Chief Collection''. File:MCC-HR CustomisationRender PreserveArmour-Prerelease.png|The customization render discovered by Gamecheat13. File:HR_Preserve_Models.png|The "Preserve" chest piece, found in the files of ''The Master Chief Collection'', shown paired with the AKIS helmet and its various attachments. File:HR Preserve Render.png|The chest piece with the base form of AKIS. File:HR_Perserve_Render_DeanInHD.png|The chest piece textured and complete on a Spartan wearing the AKIS helmet. Textures found and rendered by DeanInHD. File:HR-PreserveCompleteDeanInHD.png|An AKIS-clad Spartan wearing Preserve from both a front and side view. Textures found and rendered by DeanInHD.
Sources
Category:Halo: Reach deleted material Category:Halo: Reach multiplayer armor permutations
|
File:HR Screenshot DefiantArmour1.png|thumb|300px|The most famous screenshot of the cut armour.
During the Development of Halo: Reach|production of the downloadable content for ''Halo: Reach'', a number of armor permutations were developed but ultimately cut. The sets were originally teased in a trailer for the game's Defiant Map Pack, and intended to be included in the Anniversary Map Pack - though were ultimately scrapped.
Base game
An alternate design for the Sangheili Minor|Elite Minor armour can be seen in the UI icons for early builds of ''Halo: Reach''. This armour design is mostly the same as the final game, with one major exception - the shoulders of the early variant are significantly more pronounced than in final. This model was used as the basis for the Minor Elites in ''Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary'' the year following ''Reach''s release.
File:HR EarlyEliteMinor.png|The Elite UI icon. File:Elite minor render.png|The Elite Minor in the final game, for comparison. File:AnniversaryLibrary.png|The cut ''Reach'' Minor armour in the Library (feature)|Library of ''Combat Evolved Anniversary''. File:HR CovenantThrusterPack Concept 1.jpg|A rear view of the cut Minor variant, seen in a concept paintover for the Covenant thruster pack. File:HR CovenantThrusterPack Concept 2.jpg|A rear view of the cut Minor variant, seen in a concept paintover for the Covenant thruster pack.
The Hardened External Sensor Array - External (HESA-E) was a helmet attachment available in the ''Halo: Reach Multiplayer Beta''. The attachment is useable on the MP-class Mjolnir|Military Police helmet, and costs 20,000 Credits|cR to buy. In the final game, this attachment is still available though under the name of the Hardened uplink/remote sensor package|HU/RS attachment.
File:HESA E MP.jpg|The HESA-E attachment in the Beta.
DLC armor
These cut armour sets first appeared in promotional material for ''Halo: Reach''s ''Defiant Map Pack'' in 2011, where some of them were worn by a player in three screenshots of the map Condemned. The player wore the AKIS helmet, with the CBRN and GRD attachments, in combination with the Armor accessories/EXO|EXO/TSCS chest piece. In the absence of an official name, the ''Halo'' community took to calling the then-unknown helmet "GRD", a nickname that stuck and eventually became the official name for one of the helmet's attachments.
A lack of official communication about or acknowledgement of the mystery helmet from Bungie or 343 Industries led to a great deal of speculation about how it might be released, with some even suggesting that it could already be unlocked through some esoteric method. Eventually, these rumours were proven false when, on 2012|February 11th, 2012, 343 Industries employee David Ellis confirmed that 343 had intended to release it alongside the ''Anniversary Map Pack'', but that it had been cut due to time and resource constraints. Ultimately, neither the AKIS helmet nor the EXO/TSCS chest piece were ever released for ''Reach'' on the Xbox 360.
The Spartan dolls Easter egg in the ''Anniversary Map Pack'' features dolls of Spartans wearing the same armor configuration as the player in the ''Defiant Map Pack'' screenshots, including the AKIS helmet. This was a deliberate acknowledgment of the armor on 343 Industries' part. This doll object was later made available as a placeable object in ''Halo 5: Guardians'' Forge mode, in which it is known as the "5th Spartan" doll.
In 2019, it was announced that ''Halo: Reach'' would be added to ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'', and that ''The Master Chief Collection'' would be ported to PC, with ''Reach'' being the first of the games in the collection to release on the platform. This brought with it renewed interest in the unreleased armour, with many requesting that it be included in the game's re-release. 343 Industries would officially address these requests in a development update in July of that year, saying that they ''"[were] currently investigating it but [could not] commit to it being in the game at [that] time"'' and also noting that they were interested in expanding the pool of customization items in each game, potentially even including new armors.
Later the same year, a modder by the name of Gamecheat13 discovered customisation renders for two cut armour sets in the game files of the second Halo Insider program|Halo Insider flight (dubbed the "FireFlight") of Halo: The Master Chief Collection's PC port of ''Halo: Reach'', and also unearthed the internal codenames for both sets: spartan_dlc_condemned and spartan_dlc_preserve. The spartan_dlc_preserve set featured the AKIS helmet paired with an unidentified chest piece, while the spartan_dlc_condemned set included the EXO/TSCS chest piece with the Mariner helmet.
Eventually, in 2020|September 2020, it was confirmed in an MCC Development Update that several of these armour sets would be making their way into ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'' as part of Series 4: Reclaimer. This update also revealed the final name for the so-called "GRD" helmet: AKIS. However, due to issues in development, these armors did not meet a high enough quality standard to be included in the game as of Season 4's launch, and so AKIS, EXO/TSCS and Mariner were pushed back to Series 5: Anvil. To-date, the Preserve chest has yet to be implemented in the collection.
AKIS
The most famous piece of content developed for this initiative, the helmet named in ''The Master Chief Collection'' as AKIS and dubbed by fans as "GRD" was featured heavily in a handful of promotional materials for the Defiant Map Pack. The helmet went on to be featured in Season 5 with three helmet attachments; one of which was named GRD in reference to the fan name. This helmet is the subject of the Spartan dolls Easter egg.
File:HR AKIS Helmet Icon.png|AKIS - Base. File:HR AKIS GRD Helmet Icon.png|AKIS - GRD. File:HR AKIS CBRN Helmet Icon.png|AKIS - CBRN. File:HR AKIS GRDCBRN Helmet Icon.png|AKIS - GRD/CBRN. File:HR Screenshot DefiantArmour1.png|The original, widely-circulated screenshot of the GRD helmet on Condemned. File:HR Akis Comparison.png|A side-by-side comparison of AKIS in the original Defiant screenshot, and AKIS as it appears in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
Mariner
Another helmet developed for this collection of DLC armor, the Mariner helmet was never showcased in any promotional materials - the first time it was ever revealed was with its inclusion in ''The Master Chief Collection''.
File:HR Mariner Helmet Icon.png|Mariner - Base. File:HR Mariner Defiant Helmet Icon.png|Mariner - Defiant. File:HR Mariner MisterChief Helmet Icon.png|Mariner - Mister Chief. File:HR Mariner OPTREX Helmet Icon.png|Mariner - OPTREX module|OPTREX.
EXO/TSCS
The chest named in ''The Master Chief Collection'' as EXO/TSCS was also featured in the originally-released Defiant screenshots, though was partially-obscured by weapons and character positioning. It was later released as part of Season 5.
File:HR EXO-TSCS Chest Icon.png|EXO/TSCS. File:HR_Screenshot_DefiantArmour1-Closeup.png|The AKIS-equipped Spartan in the Defiant image can be seen wearing EXO/TSCS, if looking closely.
Preserve The chest piece known in the game files as "preserve" has yet to be officially acknowledged or implemented in ''The Master Chief Collection'', making it the only known cut ''Reach'' armor to have not been resurrected. The "Preserve" chest piece features two large armour plates which curve downward from the user's shoulders, towards the centre of their chest. At the join between these two plates, there is a wedge-shaped protrusion pointing downwards, directly beneath the user's head. Additionally, below the left and right plates, there is an additional piece of armor on either side, just above where the wearer's ribcage would end. These meet beneath the wedge-shaped protrusion, at the user's solar plexus, where there is a piece of unidentified apparatus jutting out of the front of the armor.
File:HR PRESERVE Chest Icon.png|A fan render of the Preserve chest, using models and textures extracted from the files of ''The Master Chief Collection''. File:MCC-HR CustomisationRender PreserveArmour-Prerelease.png|The customization render discovered by Gamecheat13. File:HR_Preserve_Models.png|The "Preserve" chest piece, found in the files of ''The Master Chief Collection'', shown paired with the AKIS helmet and its various attachments. File:HR Preserve Render.png|The chest piece with the base form of AKIS. File:HR_Perserve_Render_DeanInHD.png|The chest piece textured and complete on a Spartan wearing the AKIS helmet. Textures found and rendered by DeanInHD. File:HR-PreserveCompleteDeanInHD.png|An AKIS-clad Spartan wearing Preserve from both a front and side view. Textures found and rendered by DeanInHD.
Sources
Category:Halo: Reach deleted material Category:Halo: Reach multiplayer armor permutations
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The following dialogue can be found in the game files for Halo: Reach. Most were either cut or not implemented, and cannot be heard in the retail game, however some lines were retained and/or repurposed. Note that some files have been manually edited together for cohesiveness, and are stored as individual files in the game itself.
Winter Contingency The following lines of dialogue are found in the map files for Winter Contingency (Level)|Winter Contingency.''Halo: Reach'', campaign level ''Winter Contingency (Level)|Winter Contingency''
{| class"width: 70%;" cellspacing"1" border="0"
| !scope="col"|Dialogue
!scope="col"|File
| |Auntie Dot: "Noble Six, your Mark V|armor has a locking function that will protect you from all types of damage, while sacrificing mobility."
|
| |Auntie Dot: "Please initiate an Armor Lock to verify functionality."
|
| |Auntie Dot: "Full protection and immobilization; use with caution"
|
| |Catherine-B320: "Six, you've got a module that will lock your armour. Locking will protect you from taking damage, but it will also make you immobile."
|
| |Catherine-B320: "Try an Armor Lock now, make sure it works."
|
| |Catherine-B320: "Good. Just don't stay in one place too long."
|
| |Charlie One Pilot: "Falcon, moving to assist."
Charlie Two Pilot: "Banshees, heads up Charlie One!"
Jun-A266: "Get some altitude, now!"
Charlie One Pilot: "Charlie One, taking fire. Hold on!"
Jun-A266: "Noble One, we're hit!"
Charlie One Pilot: "Mayday, mayday, Charlie One, going down!"
Jun-A266: "Noble Leader! Requesting evac, four-two-point-eight-"
Carter-A259: "Noble Three! Noble Three respond!"
Carter-A259: "Kat, Jorge, Emile- Take the remaining falcon to the relay outpost and contact Holland, he needs to know the Covenant are here!"
Catherine-B320: "Copy that, Commander.
Carter-A259: "Six, you and I are going to locate Jun."
Jun-A266: "Noble Three to Noble Leader,"
Carter-A259: "Jun, what's your status?"
Jun-A266: "Falcon's down boss, pilot's dead. Requesting evac.
Carter-A259: "Roger that Noble Three. Sit tight, we'll be right there."
Carter-A259: "Let's move six, we gotta find him before the Covenant does."
Carter-A259: "Follow me Noble Six."
Jun-A266: "Noble Three to Noble Leader!"
Carter-A259: "Talk to me Jun,"
Jun-A266: "Covenant closing on my position- taking heavy fire."
Carter-A259: "Hang in there, we're coming to you! Noble Six, we ''need'' to find that downed Falcon."
Carter-A259: "Follow me Noble Six!"
Jun-A266: "Good to see you Noble,"
Carter-A259: "Likewise, let's take down these tangos and get out of here!"
Carter-A259: "We've located Noble Three, request immediate evac- my coordinates."
Charlie Two Pilot: "Solid copy Commander, Falcon Charlie Two inbound to your position."
|
|}
ONI: Sword Base The following lines of dialogue are found in the map files for ONI: Sword Base.''Halo: Reach'', campaign level ''ONI: Sword Base|ONI: Sword Base''
{| class"width: 70%;" cellspacing"1" border="0"
| !scope="col"|Dialogue
!scope="col"|File
| |Auntie Dot: "Be advised Noble Six: That alpha shield will project a limited energy barrier that deflects incoming projectiles."
|
| |Auntie Dot: "Be advised Noble Six: That drop shield will project a limited energy barrier that deflects incoming projectiles."
|
| |Auntie Dot: "Create a shield to verify functionality."
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| |Auntie Dot: "Cover, exactly when you need it. How convenient!"
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| |Catherine-B320: "That's an Alpha Shield Six."
|
| |Catherine-B320: "That's a Drop Shield Six."
|
| |Catherine-B320: "It will generate a temporary barrier that deflects incoming projectiles."
|
| |Catherine-B320: "It will generate a temporary barrier that deflects incoming projectiles, and heals your wounds."
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| |Catherine-B320: "Use the shield, make sure it works."
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| |Catherine-B320: "Checks out. Should help when you can't find cover."
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| |Auntie Dot: "Lieutenant, this armor module will create you a holographic duplicate, and deploy it for short-term disorientation of hostile forces."
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| |Auntie Dot: "Please create a duplicate now, to verify module functionality."
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| |Auntie Dot: "Quite an accurate representation, Noble Six, wouldn't you agree?"
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| |Catherine-B320: "That's a hologram module Six. It'll generate a decoy of your armor config good enough to fool the Covenant."
|
| |Catherine-B320: "Try creating a decoy now, lets see how well it works."
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| |Catherine-B320: "Looks just like you Six."
|
|}
Nightfall The following lines of dialogue are found in the map files for Nightfall.''Halo: Reach'', campaign level ''Nightfall''
{| class"width: 70%;" cellspacing"1" border="0"
| !scope="col"|Dialogue
!scope="col"|File
| |Catherine-B320: "Six, that's an unidentified piece of Covenant gear- Go ahead and activate it so I can get more data."
|
| |Catherine-B320: "Interesting... I read negative light refraction from your shields."
|
| |Auntie Dot: "How very interesting. Armor diagnostics show negative light refraction from Noble Six's shields."
|
| |Jun-A266: "Active Camo? Next one's mine."
|
| |Jun-A266: "Kat, you pick any of that up?"
Catherine-B320: "Affirmative Recon Bravo. It's an indigenous creature called Guta."
Jun-A266: "Covies are trying to use them as draft animals, heh, not with much success."
Catherine-B320: "Odd, I'll report it."
|
|}
Tip of the Spear The following lines of dialogue are found in the map files for Tip of the Spear.''Halo: Reach'', campaign level ''Tip of the Spear''
{| class"width: 70%;" cellspacing"1" border="0"
| !scope="col"|Dialogue
!scope="col"|File
| |Auntie Dot: "Warning, scans indicate a Scarab mobile assault platform."
Carter-A259: "You heard her Noble, engage with caution."
Jorge-052: "Bit late for that."
Auntie Dot: "ONI intel suggests the Scarab's armor is weakest to the rear."
Carter-A259: "Roger that, hit it on the back side Noble!"
|
| |Jorge-052: "What are those? Jetpacks?"
|
| |Auntie Dot: "Be advised Noble Six, Jetpack amour module available in your vicinity."
|
| |Jorge-052: "Six, see if they're operational."
|
|}
Long Night of Solace The following lines of dialogue are found in the map files for Long Night of Solace (Level)|Long Night of Solace.''Halo: Reach'', campaign level ''Long Night of Solace (Level)|Long Night of Solace''
{| class"width: 70%;" cellspacing"1" border="0"
| !scope="col"|Dialogue
!scope="col"|File
| |Holland: "Head for the comms center Lieutenant, find and destroy the relay core."
Holland: "Six is close to the the comms center Dot, what's the protocol for offline-ing that relay core?"
Auntie Dot: "Noble Six, step into the transmission beam to disrupt the relay. Your shields will discharge, overloading the system."
Auntie Dot: "Lieutenant? Please step into the relay beam."
Holland: "Six, step into the beam. Let's get this done."
Holland: "Do it spartan, move into the beam!"
Holland: "Holland to Savannah, enemy comm relay is now offline."
|
|}
Exodus The following lines of dialogue are found in the map files for Exodus.''Halo: Reach'', campaign level ''Exodus''
{| class"width: 70%;" cellspacing"1" border="0"
| !scope="col"|Dialogue
!scope="col"|File
| |Army Trooper: "I can repair that visor for you, Lieutenant."
|
| |Army Trooper: "Trouble with your visor spartan? I can... take care of that for ya?"
|
| |Army Trooper: "Spartan- want me to do a quick fix on that visor?"
|
| |Army Trooper: "All done Lieutenant. Good Hunting."
|
| |Army Trooper: "That should do it! Give 'em hell spartan."
|
| |Army Trooper: "Good as new Lieutenant. Go get 'em."
|
| |Army Trooper: "Hunters! Big boys are ''all yours'' spartan!"
|
| |6 Echo 2 Pilot: "Mayday! Mayday!"
Duvall: "6 Echo 2, can you maintain altitude?"
6 Echo 2 Pilot: "Negative! We're going down...!"
Duvall: "Echo 2! Shut down your engines."
6 Echo 2 Pilot: "''Shut down'' our-"
Duvall: "You crash with your reactors hot you will ''nuke'', the whole city. Shut 'em down!"
6 Echo 2 Pilot: "Roger Sergeant Major, powering down."
6 Echo 2 Pilot: "Crash positioned... ''Now!'' Tell 'em!"
|
| |Stacker: "Something big on scope, just offshore..."
|
| |Stacker: "Scarabs! Heavy weapons units, move into position."
|
| |Stacker: "We can't stop them without air support!"
|
| |Falcon Pilot: "Falcons! Focus fire on those Scarabs!"
|
| |Falcon Pilot: "Another target- coming out of the harbour!"
|
| |Falcon Pilot: "Taking Scarab fire! Falcon hit, going down!"
|
|}
The Pillar of Autumn The following lines of dialogue are found in the map files for The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Reach level)|The Pillar of Autumn.''Halo: Reach'', campaign level ''The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Reach level)|The Pillar of Autumn''
{| class"width: 70%;" cellspacing"1" border="0"
| !scope="col"|Dialogue
!scope="col"|File
| |Emile: "Six, take that Warthog."
|
| |Emile: "Commandeer that Warthog, Lieutenant."
|
|}
Sources
Category:Halo: Reach deleted material
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File:HR EarlyCampaignLayout Map.jpg|300px|thumb|An early "map" of the planned campaign structure for ''Reach''.
During the Development of Halo: Reach|production of ''Halo: Reach'', many levels were cut or otherwise massively re-worked.
Lehto's original plan Early in the game's production, game director Marcus Lehto came up with an early draft for the game's campaign, which he later shared on Twitter.
File:HR EarlyCampaignLayout.jpg|Lehto's early ideas for the direction of the campaign. File:HR EarlyCampaignLayout Map.jpg|Another series of notes by Lehto. File:HR EarlyCampaignLayout Notes.jpg|Early notes for the campaign's plan. File:HR Reach EarlySetting Draft.jpg|An early exploration for the planet Reach itself.
Named in the Halo: Reach DLC tag build|''Halo: Reach'' DLC test builds as 40_boat, this level was planned to employ the Cut Halo: Reach vehicles#Motorboat|UNSC motorboat vehicle. The mission's name coincides with the final game map files numbering m35 (for Tip of the Spear) and m45 (for Long Night of Solace (level)|Long Night of Solace), with an apparent lack of an "m40" to fill the gap.
Outlined in Marcus Lehto's original game plans, this level was to involve the player attacking an "oil rig"-like structure in the ocean, with an approach similar to Wikipedia:United States Navy SEALs|Navy SEAL operations. The level was to have the target of the attack consist of a large, moving structure - a challenge for the engine and lighting due to a lack of ability to use BSP level geometry. A rough prototype was created based on the concept of boat combat. According to Lee Wilson, the mission was to additionally have a mechanic which would see players able to "ride torpedoes" in the water combat.
Lehto's documentation notes on the level were noted as the following;
}}
}}
}}
Footage of the boat's in-game prototype were later shown at PAX 2010, alongside some of the wave technology developed presumably for the prototype.
File:HR Boat Screenshot 3P.png|Footage of the boat being driven on the water, later showcased at PAX 2010. Note the presence of the ''Halo 3''-era John-117|Master Chief character model - indicating this was still fairly early in development. File:HR_Boat_Screenshot_1.png|A screenshot of the boat on the water. File:HR_Boat_Screenshot_2.png|A screenshot of the boat on the water.
Named in the DLC tag builds as 45_fightertown, this level was seemingly intended to be the predominant aircraft mission in the game. Interestingly, the mission name shares its 45 numeration with m45 - the final game level Long Night of Solace.
Notes provided by Marcus Lehto indicate this mission was to involve the player using an aircraft of some variety to engage in aerial combat and clear out Covenant forces from a number of small towns to allow friendly forces to deliver supplies. It is unclear whether this would have involved the Cut Halo: Reach vehicles#Drone|UAV-like drone aircraft cut from the game, or would have been intended as a Falcon mission. At this time, no other levels in the game were described as having similar air combat segments (and initially, the final game level New Alexandria was #Driving a Scarab|intended to involve a player driving a Scarab), indicating this may have been intended to be the game's Falcon mission.
Ultimately, this level was scrapped and the Falcon moved to New Alexandria; the 45 designation was reused for Long Night of Solace. Lehto's documentation notes on the level were noted as the following;
}}
}}
Production levels
While the did ultimately make its way into the final game as a low-poly background entity on the levels Tip of the Spear and The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Reach level)|The Pillar of Autumn (with the latter level also featuring a more detailed, non-interactive setpiece Scarab at one point in the mission), early ideas for the game's campaign were to have the player character able to ''drive'' the Scarab. Early ideas for the level New Alexandria would have seen the player drive the Scarab in the remains of the post-glassing city. Prototypes for the Scarab were made and the physics involved was described by Chris Ophdal as "sweet", though the Scarab was ultimately considered unsustainable - especially with the high engine cost needed to run the level. Ultimately, the drivable Scarab was scrapped and New Alexandria was transformed into an aerial mission focusing on the Falcon instead.
Cut Halo: Reach dialogue|Cut dialogue for the missions Tip of the Spear and Exodus shows that early plans for these levels were for both to feature Scarab encounters similar to those featured in ''Halo 3'' and ''Halo 3: ODST'', though all were cut.
File:ScarabNoble.jpg|The Scarab was ultimately realised in-game, though as a scripted setpiece with no gameplay attached.
Sources
Category:Halo: Reach deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo: Reach|production of ''Halo: Reach'', several vehicles were concepted and implemented - though ultimately cut for various reasons.
Human vehicles
Labelled in file uploads as the "Wolverine" and "Kodiak" at different stages, various concept images released by Isaac Hannaford indicate that at some point in the development of ''Reach'' an APC was planned for inclusion in the game. Few details are known of this vehicle, and it is likely it was never realised in 3D or in-engine prototyping. The vehicle notable bears an extremely heavy resemblance to the from the film ''Wikipedia:Aliens (film)|Aliens'' - one of List of references to Aliens in the Halo series|many inspirations taken from the ''Alien'' franchise as a whole.
The release of ''Halo Wars'' in 2009 saw the introduction of the M9 Wolverine - an anti-air tank employed by the UNSC. It is likely that this spurred the change of the APC's name from Wolverine to Kodiak. The release of ''Halo Wars 2'' in 2017 saw the introduction of the M400 Kodiak - a self-propelled artillery vehicle bearing little resemblance to the planned ''Reach'' vehicle.
The Kodiak was prototyped in-engine in some form, with code referencing the Wolverine as a vehicle physics model remaining in the files of ''Reach''. The vehicle operates in a similar manner to other human vehicles such as the Warthog and Mongoose, though has an additional deployed state. A model for the Kodiak was later recovered and restored for in-game use by the Digsite asset recovery project; the vehicle has a lockdown similar to the Kodiak SPG from ''Halo Wars 2'', which is used to deploy the turret on the back. The model as-present only exists in a low-poly, untextured state.
File:HR_WolverineAPC_Concept_1.jpg|Early concept art of the APC, when it was still known as the Wolverine. File:HR_WolverineAPC_Concept_2.jpg|Later concept art of the Wolverine. File:HR_KodiakAPC_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art of the APC, re-named the Kodiak. File:HR_KodiakAPC_Concept_2.jpg|Finalised concept art of the Kodiak. File:HR WolverineAPC Model.jpg|The raw model for the APC. File:HR WolverineAPC InGame.jpg|The APC restored to in-game functionality in ''Reach''.
Referred to in game files for the ''Halo: Reach Alpha'' as a "drone", this vehicle utilises a similar flight model to the final game's Sabre fighter. The fighter handles similarly and employs the same Machine-linked autocannon|autocannons as the Sabre for its primary weapon.
The visual appearance and name of the craft are seemingly inspired by the F-99 Wombat UCAV previously featured in ''Halo 3: ODST'', though the use of a flight model and visual design similar to that of the Sabre indicate it may have been an early version of the Sabre.
File:HR Alpha DroneFighter.jpg|The "drone" on Forge World. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Flying.png|Flying the drone. File:HR SabreVariantsConcept.jpg|Earlier Sabre concept revisions, with a strong visual resemblance to the drone. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Top.png|The top of the drone. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Right.png|The right of the drone. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Left.png|The left of the drone. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Back.png|The back of the drone. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Front.png|The front of the drone. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Overview.png|An overview of the drone.
Early in the development process, some revisions of the FSS-1000 Sabre were mocked up by Isaac Hannaford in 3D for implementation in-game. This early version was ultimately scrapped as this initial pass did not have a strong enough visual silhouette from the player camera perspective. At this stage in development, the fighter had the nickname of "Pegasus", and went through numerous concept revisions. The fighter was eventully made canon in a Canon Fodder as the S-930 Pegasus|S-930 Strike Fighter.
File:H2 StrikeFighter Concept 2.png|A sketch of the scrapped ''Halo 2'' "Strike Fighter," the Sabre's conceptual precursor. File:HR_Sabre_Concept_1.jpg|An early concept of the Sabre for ''Halo Reach''. File:HR Sabre Concept 5.jpg|Early Sabre concept designs. File:HR_Sabre_Concept_2.jpg|Several early conceptual explorations of the Sabre. File:HR StrikeFighter Concept 1.jpg|Concepts for this iteration. File:HR StrikeFighter Concept 2.jpg|Concepts for this iteration. File:HR SabreVariantsConcept.jpg|Iteration on these ideas. File:HR_SpaceBattle_Concept.jpg|The early Sabre 3D model can be seen in this concept piece. File:HTMCC HR Achievement I'mSorryDave.png|Achievements (Halo: The Master Chief Collection)|Achievement art for the I'm Sorry, Dave achievement, showing this Sabre revision in concept. File:HR Digsite Pegasus 1.jpg|One of the several Pegasus models recovered by the Digsite team. File:HR Digsite Pegasus 2.jpg|One of the several Pegasus models recovered by the Digsite team.
Once notable vehicle heavily prototyped in-engine was a UNSC watercraft, a small attack boat capable of seating a driver, a passenger and a gunner on an M41 Vulcan - akin to the Warthog. Early campaign Cut Halo: Reach levels|level layouts by Marcus Lehto indicated an Cut Halo: Reach levels#Mission 3 - Boat level|intent for the fourth level of the game to be a "covert Wikipedia:United States Navy SEALs|SEAL-esque boat attack at night", with the goal of sinking a ship.
The boat was conceived by Isaac Hannaford, and prototyped extensively in-engine resulting in the development of water-wake technology later re-used for the jet-wash effects on the Series 8 jetpack|jetpack. Ultimately, the boat was cut entirely, though the boat's removal was credited in allowing the level New Alexandria to be fully-developed and make it into the final game. A small amount of footage of the boat prototype was later shown at PAX 2010 in a demo reel of cut content; showcasing the boat riding on the waves and driven in a third-person view.
Code for the boat remains in the files of ''Reach''.
File:HR_UNSCBoat_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art of the boat by Isaac Hannaford. File:HR_UNSCBoat_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art of the boat by Isaac Hannaford. File:HR Boat Screenshot 3P.png|The boat being driven in its third-person view. Note the presence of the ''Halo 3''-era John-117|Master Chief character model - indicating this was still fairly early in development. File:HR_Boat_Screenshot_1.png|A screenshot of the boat on the water. File:HR_Boat_Screenshot_2.png|A screenshot of the boat on the water.
Covenant vehicles
Seen only in the ''Halo: Reach E3 2010 Trailer'', this drop pod design was cut from the final game and replaced for unknown reasons by the . This model was later featured (and thus, made canon) in 2017's ''Halo: Warfleet An Illustrated Guide to the Spacecraft of Halo'' as the .
File:HR_CovenantDropPod_Concept.jpg|Concept art for this drop pod. File:HR CovenantDropPod Overview.png|The cut drop pod. File:HR CovenantDropPod Overview.png|Renders of ''Suspa Al'' in ''Halo: Reach''. File:HRE3 CovenantDropPod.jpg|A ''Suspa Al'' in the attack on Farkas Lake.
Referenced only in the game code, the "Jackal glider" was presumably an aerial vehicle designed for the Kig-Yar. The glider's physics model is extremely advanced compared to all other aircraft in-game, containing data fields for wings, tail, rudders and drag among other things.
While the did ultimately make its way into the final game as a low-poly background entity on the levels Tip of the Spear and The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Reach level)|The Pillar of Autumn (with the latter level also featuring a more detailed, non-interactive setpiece Scarab at one point in the mission), early ideas for the game's campaign were to have the player character able to ''drive'' the Scarab. Early ideas for the level New Alexandria would have seen the player drive the Scarab in the remains of the post-glassing city. Prototypes for the Scarab were made and the physics involved was described by Chris Ophdal as "sweet", though the Scarab was ultimately considered unsustainable - especially with the high engine cost needed to run the level. Ultimately, the drivable Scarab was scrapped and New Alexandria was transformed into an aerial mission focusing on the Falcon instead.
Cut Halo: Reach dialogue|Cut dialogue for the missions Tip of the Spear and Exodus shows that early plans for these levels were for both to feature Scarab encounters similar to those featured in ''Halo 3'' and ''Halo 3: ODST'', though all were cut.
File:ScarabNoble.jpg|The Scarab was ultimately realised in-game, though as a scripted setpiece with no gameplay attached.
While the was ultimately realised in the final game as a fully-fledged vehicle, an unused physics model present in the game files suggests a different originally-intended role for the vehicle. In the final release, the Revenant utilised the "alien scout" physics model, shared with the Ghost which provides the vehicle with four directions of movement and a front-facing, driver-controlled weapon. The unused Revenant variation in the files acts similarly, though with the exception that the driver-controlled turret has a full 360 degrees of rotation - similar to the turret on the Scorpion tank. It is unknown why this ultimately went unused.
Notably, early concept explorations for the Revenant did explore the idea of giving the Revenant a fully-operational manned turret, akin to the or the Warthog. Although this design was ultimately unused, the concept was Cut Halo 4 vehicles|revisited in ''Halo 4'' as the .
File:HR Revenant Thumbnail Concept 1.jpg|Early thumbnail sketches for the Revenant in ''Halo: Reach''. File:HR Revenant Thumbnail Concept 2.jpg|Early thumbnail sketches for the Revenant in ''Halo: Reach''. File:HR Revenant Thumbnail Concept 3.jpg|Early thumbnail sketches for the Revenant in ''Halo: Reach''. File:HR Revenant Thumbnail Concept 4.jpg|Early thumbnail sketches for the Revenant in ''Halo: Reach''. File:HR_Revenant_Concept_5.jpg|More refined concept art for the Revenant. File:HR_Revenant_Concept_6.jpg|More refined concept art for the Revenant. File:HR_Revenant_Concept_7.jpg|More refined concept art for the Revenant.
Referred to internally as the "siege engine", little is known of this gargantuan Covenant vehicle's purpose. The vehicle was conceived by Isaac Hannaford, though never progressed past the concept stage. When asked about the vehicle's resemblance to the from the ''Terminator'' franchise, Hannaford responded that there were "''no coincidences''."
Some concept art for the Tip of the Spear mission indicates that early plans were to have the siege engines be the target of the Battle at Szurdok Ridge. This early concept may also be depicting what would have been mission nine in Lehto's early campaign level layouts; which list a mission with the following objectives;
''Destroy Covenant Supply Convoy''
*''Evening''
*''Take out massive hover platforms''
The "massive hover platforms" mentioned match the visual depictions of the siege engine.
The siege engine was later canonised in the 2022 edition of the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)|Halo Encyclopedia'' as the .
File:HR Draugr SiegeEngine Concept.jpg|The siege engine. File:HR_CovenantArmy_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art for a Covenant army, depicting what appear to be siege engines. File:HR_WarthogCharge_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art for Tip of the Spear - note the presence of siege engines in the artwork. File:HR EarlyDraugr Blockout Screenshot 1.jpg|An early blockout of the siege engine model. File:HR EarlyDraugr Blockout Screenshot 2.jpg|An early blockout of the siege engine model. File:HR EarlyDraugr Blockout Screenshot 3.jpg|An early blockout of the siege engine model, as viewed in first-person.
''Halo 3'' leftovers Code remains in the files for the physics models of several leftover vehicles used and/or Cut Halo 3 vehicles|cut from the previous game, ''Halo 3''. These include the Chopper, Cut Halo 3 vehicles#Mantis|Mantis and Guardian Sentinel (classed internally by the game as a vehicle).
Notes
Sources
Category:Halo: Reach deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo: Reach|production of ''Halo: Reach'', several vehicles were concepted and implemented - though ultimately cut for various reasons.
Human vehicles
Labelled in file uploads as the "Wolverine" and "Kodiak" at different stages, various concept images released by Isaac Hannaford indicate that at some point in the development of ''Reach'' an APC was planned for inclusion in the game. Few details are known of this vehicle, and it is likely it was never realised in 3D or in-engine prototyping. The vehicle notable bears an extremely heavy resemblance to the from the film ''Wikipedia:Aliens (film)|Aliens'' - one of List of references to Aliens in the Halo series|many inspirations taken from the ''Alien'' franchise as a whole.
The release of ''Halo Wars'' in 2009 saw the introduction of the M9 Wolverine - an anti-air tank employed by the UNSC. It is likely that this spurred the change of the APC's name from Wolverine to Kodiak. The release of ''Halo Wars 2'' in 2017 saw the introduction of the M400 Kodiak - a self-propelled artillery vehicle bearing little resemblance to the planned ''Reach'' vehicle.
The Kodiak was prototyped in-engine in some form, with code referencing the Wolverine as a vehicle physics model remaining in the files of ''Reach''. The vehicle operates in a similar manner to other human vehicles such as the Warthog and Mongoose, though has an additional deployed state. A model for the Kodiak was later recovered and restored for in-game use by the Digsite asset recovery project; the vehicle has a lockdown similar to the Kodiak SPG from ''Halo Wars 2'', which is used to deploy the turret on the back. The model as-present only exists in a low-poly, untextured state.
File:HR_WolverineAPC_Concept_1.jpg|Early concept art of the APC, when it was still known as the Wolverine. File:HR_WolverineAPC_Concept_2.jpg|Later concept art of the Wolverine. File:HR_KodiakAPC_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art of the APC, re-named the Kodiak. File:HR_KodiakAPC_Concept_2.jpg|Finalised concept art of the Kodiak. File:HR WolverineAPC Model.jpg|The raw model for the APC. File:HR WolverineAPC InGame.jpg|The APC restored to in-game functionality in ''Reach''.
Referred to in game files for the ''Halo: Reach Alpha'' as a "drone", this vehicle utilises a similar flight model to the final game's Sabre fighter. The fighter handles similarly and employs the same Machine-linked autocannon|autocannons as the Sabre for its primary weapon.
The visual appearance and name of the craft are seemingly inspired by the F-99 Wombat UCAV previously featured in ''Halo 3: ODST'', though the use of a flight model and visual design similar to that of the Sabre indicate it may have been an early version of the Sabre.
File:HR Alpha DroneFighter.jpg|The "drone" on Forge World. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Flying.png|Flying the drone. File:HR SabreVariantsConcept.jpg|Earlier Sabre concept revisions, with a strong visual resemblance to the drone. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Top.png|The top of the drone. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Right.png|The right of the drone. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Left.png|The left of the drone. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Back.png|The back of the drone. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Front.png|The front of the drone. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Overview.png|An overview of the drone.
Early in the development process, some revisions of the FSS-1000 Sabre were mocked up by Isaac Hannaford in 3D for implementation in-game. This early version was ultimately scrapped as this initial pass did not have a strong enough visual silhouette from the player camera perspective. At this stage in development, the fighter had the nickname of "Pegasus", and went through numerous concept revisions. The fighter was eventully made canon in a Canon Fodder as the S-930 Pegasus|S-930 Strike Fighter.
File:H2 StrikeFighter Concept 2.png|A sketch of the scrapped ''Halo 2'' "Strike Fighter," the Sabre's conceptual precursor. File:HR_Sabre_Concept_1.jpg|An early concept of the Sabre for ''Halo Reach''. File:HR Sabre Concept 5.jpg|Early Sabre concept designs. File:HR_Sabre_Concept_2.jpg|Several early conceptual explorations of the Sabre. File:HR StrikeFighter Concept 1.jpg|Concepts for this iteration. File:HR StrikeFighter Concept 2.jpg|Concepts for this iteration. File:HR SabreVariantsConcept.jpg|Iteration on these ideas. File:HR_SpaceBattle_Concept.jpg|The early Sabre 3D model can be seen in this concept piece. File:HTMCC HR Achievement I'mSorryDave.png|Achievements (Halo: The Master Chief Collection)|Achievement art for the I'm Sorry, Dave achievement, showing this Sabre revision in concept. File:HR Digsite Pegasus 1.jpg|One of the several Pegasus models recovered by the Digsite team. File:HR Digsite Pegasus 2.jpg|One of the several Pegasus models recovered by the Digsite team.
Once notable vehicle heavily prototyped in-engine was a UNSC watercraft, a small attack boat capable of seating a driver, a passenger and a gunner on an M41 Vulcan - akin to the Warthog. Early campaign Cut Halo: Reach levels|level layouts by Marcus Lehto indicated an Cut Halo: Reach levels#Mission 3 - Boat level|intent for the fourth level of the game to be a "covert Wikipedia:United States Navy SEALs|SEAL-esque boat attack at night", with the goal of sinking a ship.
The boat was conceived by Isaac Hannaford, and prototyped extensively in-engine resulting in the development of water-wake technology later re-used for the jet-wash effects on the Series 8 jetpack|jetpack. Ultimately, the boat was cut entirely, though the boat's removal was credited in allowing the level New Alexandria to be fully-developed and make it into the final game. A small amount of footage of the boat prototype was later shown at PAX 2010 in a demo reel of cut content; showcasing the boat riding on the waves and driven in a third-person view.
Code for the boat remains in the files of ''Reach''.
File:HR_UNSCBoat_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art of the boat by Isaac Hannaford. File:HR_UNSCBoat_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art of the boat by Isaac Hannaford. File:HR Boat Screenshot 3P.png|The boat being driven in its third-person view. Note the presence of the ''Halo 3''-era John-117|Master Chief character model - indicating this was still fairly early in development. File:HR_Boat_Screenshot_1.png|A screenshot of the boat on the water. File:HR_Boat_Screenshot_2.png|A screenshot of the boat on the water.
Covenant vehicles
Seen only in the ''Halo: Reach E3 2010 Trailer'', this drop pod design was cut from the final game and replaced for unknown reasons by the . This model was later featured (and thus, made canon) in 2017's ''Halo: Warfleet An Illustrated Guide to the Spacecraft of Halo'' as the .
File:HR_CovenantDropPod_Concept.jpg|Concept art for this drop pod. File:HR CovenantDropPod Overview.png|The cut drop pod. File:HR CovenantDropPod Overview.png|Renders of ''Suspa Al'' in ''Halo: Reach''. File:HRE3 CovenantDropPod.jpg|A ''Suspa Al'' in the attack on Farkas Lake.
Referenced only in the game code, the "Jackal glider" was presumably an aerial vehicle designed for the Kig-Yar. The glider's physics model is extremely advanced compared to all other aircraft in-game, containing data fields for wings, tail, rudders and drag among other things.
While the did ultimately make its way into the final game as a low-poly background entity on the levels Tip of the Spear and The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Reach level)|The Pillar of Autumn (with the latter level also featuring a more detailed, non-interactive setpiece Scarab at one point in the mission), early ideas for the game's campaign were to have the player character able to ''drive'' the Scarab. Early ideas for the level New Alexandria would have seen the player drive the Scarab in the remains of the post-glassing city. Prototypes for the Scarab were made and the physics involved was described by Chris Ophdal as "sweet", though the Scarab was ultimately considered unsustainable - especially with the high engine cost needed to run the level. Ultimately, the drivable Scarab was scrapped and New Alexandria was transformed into an aerial mission focusing on the Falcon instead.
Cut Halo: Reach dialogue|Cut dialogue for the missions Tip of the Spear and Exodus shows that early plans for these levels were for both to feature Scarab encounters similar to those featured in ''Halo 3'' and ''Halo 3: ODST'', though all were cut.
File:ScarabNoble.jpg|The Scarab was ultimately realised in-game, though as a scripted setpiece with no gameplay attached.
While the was ultimately realised in the final game as a fully-fledged vehicle, an unused physics model present in the game files suggests a different originally-intended role for the vehicle. In the final release, the Revenant utilised the "alien scout" physics model, shared with the Ghost which provides the vehicle with four directions of movement and a front-facing, driver-controlled weapon. The unused Revenant variation in the files acts similarly, though with the exception that the driver-controlled turret has a full 360 degrees of rotation - similar to the turret on the Scorpion tank. It is unknown why this ultimately went unused.
Notably, early concept explorations for the Revenant did explore the idea of giving the Revenant a fully-operational manned turret, akin to the or the Warthog. Although this design was ultimately unused, the concept was Cut Halo 4 vehicles|revisited in ''Halo 4'' as the .
File:HR Revenant Thumbnail Concept 1.jpg|Early thumbnail sketches for the Revenant in ''Halo: Reach''. File:HR Revenant Thumbnail Concept 2.jpg|Early thumbnail sketches for the Revenant in ''Halo: Reach''. File:HR Revenant Thumbnail Concept 3.jpg|Early thumbnail sketches for the Revenant in ''Halo: Reach''. File:HR Revenant Thumbnail Concept 4.jpg|Early thumbnail sketches for the Revenant in ''Halo: Reach''. File:HR_Revenant_Concept_5.jpg|More refined concept art for the Revenant. File:HR_Revenant_Concept_6.jpg|More refined concept art for the Revenant. File:HR_Revenant_Concept_7.jpg|More refined concept art for the Revenant.
Referred to internally as the "siege engine", little is known of this gargantuan Covenant vehicle's purpose. The vehicle was conceived by Isaac Hannaford, though never progressed past the concept stage. When asked about the vehicle's resemblance to the from the ''Terminator'' franchise, Hannaford responded that there were "''no coincidences''."
Some concept art for the Tip of the Spear mission indicates that early plans were to have the siege engines be the target of the Battle at Szurdok Ridge. This early concept may also be depicting what would have been mission nine in Lehto's early campaign level layouts; which list a mission with the following objectives;
''Destroy Covenant Supply Convoy''
*''Evening''
*''Take out massive hover platforms''
The "massive hover platforms" mentioned match the visual depictions of the siege engine.
The siege engine was later canonised in the 2022 edition of the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)|Halo Encyclopedia'' as the .
File:HR Draugr SiegeEngine Concept.jpg|The siege engine. File:HR_CovenantArmy_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art for a Covenant army, depicting what appear to be siege engines. File:HR_WarthogCharge_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art for Tip of the Spear - note the presence of siege engines in the artwork. File:HR EarlyDraugr Blockout Screenshot 1.jpg|An early blockout of the siege engine model. File:HR EarlyDraugr Blockout Screenshot 2.jpg|An early blockout of the siege engine model. File:HR EarlyDraugr Blockout Screenshot 3.jpg|An early blockout of the siege engine model, as viewed in first-person.
''Halo 3'' leftovers Code remains in the files for the physics models of several leftover vehicles used and/or Cut Halo 3 vehicles|cut from the previous game, ''Halo 3''. These include the Chopper, Cut Halo 3 vehicles#Mantis|Mantis and Guardian Sentinel (classed internally by the game as a vehicle).
Notes
Sources
Category:Halo: Reach deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo: Reach|production of ''Halo: Reach'', several vehicles were concepted and implemented - though ultimately cut for various reasons.
Human vehicles
Labelled in file uploads as the "Wolverine" and "Kodiak" at different stages, various concept images released by Isaac Hannaford indicate that at some point in the development of ''Reach'' an APC was planned for inclusion in the game. Few details are known of this vehicle, and it is likely it was never realised in 3D or in-engine prototyping. The vehicle notable bears an extremely heavy resemblance to the from the film ''Wikipedia:Aliens (film)|Aliens'' - one of List of references to Aliens in the Halo series|many inspirations taken from the ''Alien'' franchise as a whole.
The release of ''Halo Wars'' in 2009 saw the introduction of the M9 Wolverine - an anti-air tank employed by the UNSC. It is likely that this spurred the change of the APC's name from Wolverine to Kodiak. The release of ''Halo Wars 2'' in 2017 saw the introduction of the M400 Kodiak - a self-propelled artillery vehicle bearing little resemblance to the planned ''Reach'' vehicle.
The Kodiak was prototyped in-engine in some form, with code referencing the Wolverine as a vehicle physics model remaining in the files of ''Reach''. The vehicle operates in a similar manner to other human vehicles such as the Warthog and Mongoose, though has an additional deployed state. A model for the Kodiak was later recovered and restored for in-game use by the Digsite asset recovery project; the vehicle has a lockdown similar to the Kodiak SPG from ''Halo Wars 2'', which is used to deploy the turret on the back. The model as-present only exists in a low-poly, untextured state.
File:HR_WolverineAPC_Concept_1.jpg|Early concept art of the APC, when it was still known as the Wolverine. File:HR_WolverineAPC_Concept_2.jpg|Later concept art of the Wolverine. File:HR_KodiakAPC_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art of the APC, re-named the Kodiak. File:HR_KodiakAPC_Concept_2.jpg|Finalised concept art of the Kodiak. File:HR WolverineAPC Model.jpg|The raw model for the APC. File:HR WolverineAPC InGame.jpg|The APC restored to in-game functionality in ''Reach''.
Referred to in game files for the ''Halo: Reach Alpha'' as a "drone", this vehicle utilises a similar flight model to the final game's Sabre fighter. The fighter handles similarly and employs the same Machine-linked autocannon|autocannons as the Sabre for its primary weapon.
The visual appearance and name of the craft are seemingly inspired by the F-99 Wombat UCAV previously featured in ''Halo 3: ODST'', though the use of a flight model and visual design similar to that of the Sabre indicate it may have been an early version of the Sabre.
File:HR Alpha DroneFighter.jpg|The "drone" on Forge World. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Flying.png|Flying the drone. File:HR SabreVariantsConcept.jpg|Earlier Sabre concept revisions, with a strong visual resemblance to the drone. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Top.png|The top of the drone. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Right.png|The right of the drone. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Left.png|The left of the drone. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Back.png|The back of the drone. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Front.png|The front of the drone. File:HR Alpha DroneFighter Overview.png|An overview of the drone.
Early in the development process, some revisions of the FSS-1000 Sabre were mocked up by Isaac Hannaford in 3D for implementation in-game. This early version was ultimately scrapped as this initial pass did not have a strong enough visual silhouette from the player camera perspective. At this stage in development, the fighter had the nickname of "Pegasus", and went through numerous concept revisions. The fighter was eventully made canon in a Canon Fodder as the S-930 Pegasus|S-930 Strike Fighter.
File:H2 StrikeFighter Concept 2.png|A sketch of the scrapped ''Halo 2'' "Strike Fighter," the Sabre's conceptual precursor. File:HR_Sabre_Concept_1.jpg|An early concept of the Sabre for ''Halo Reach''. File:HR Sabre Concept 5.jpg|Early Sabre concept designs. File:HR_Sabre_Concept_2.jpg|Several early conceptual explorations of the Sabre. File:HR StrikeFighter Concept 1.jpg|Concepts for this iteration. File:HR StrikeFighter Concept 2.jpg|Concepts for this iteration. File:HR SabreVariantsConcept.jpg|Iteration on these ideas. File:HR_SpaceBattle_Concept.jpg|The early Sabre 3D model can be seen in this concept piece. File:HTMCC HR Achievement I'mSorryDave.png|Achievements (Halo: The Master Chief Collection)|Achievement art for the I'm Sorry, Dave achievement, showing this Sabre revision in concept. File:HR Digsite Pegasus 1.jpg|One of the several Pegasus models recovered by the Digsite team. File:HR Digsite Pegasus 2.jpg|One of the several Pegasus models recovered by the Digsite team.
Once notable vehicle heavily prototyped in-engine was a UNSC watercraft, a small attack boat capable of seating a driver, a passenger and a gunner on an M41 Vulcan - akin to the Warthog. Early campaign Cut Halo: Reach levels|level layouts by Marcus Lehto indicated an Cut Halo: Reach levels#Mission 3 - Boat level|intent for the fourth level of the game to be a "covert Wikipedia:United States Navy SEALs|SEAL-esque boat attack at night", with the goal of sinking a ship.
The boat was conceived by Isaac Hannaford, and prototyped extensively in-engine resulting in the development of water-wake technology later re-used for the jet-wash effects on the Series 8 jetpack|jetpack. Ultimately, the boat was cut entirely, though the boat's removal was credited in allowing the level New Alexandria to be fully-developed and make it into the final game. A small amount of footage of the boat prototype was later shown at PAX 2010 in a demo reel of cut content; showcasing the boat riding on the waves and driven in a third-person view.
Code for the boat remains in the files of ''Reach''.
File:HR_UNSCBoat_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art of the boat by Isaac Hannaford. File:HR_UNSCBoat_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art of the boat by Isaac Hannaford. File:HR Boat Screenshot 3P.png|The boat being driven in its third-person view. Note the presence of the ''Halo 3''-era John-117|Master Chief character model - indicating this was still fairly early in development. File:HR_Boat_Screenshot_1.png|A screenshot of the boat on the water. File:HR_Boat_Screenshot_2.png|A screenshot of the boat on the water.
Covenant vehicles
Seen only in the ''Halo: Reach E3 2010 Trailer'', this drop pod design was cut from the final game and replaced for unknown reasons by the . This model was later featured (and thus, made canon) in 2017's ''Halo: Warfleet An Illustrated Guide to the Spacecraft of Halo'' as the .
File:HR_CovenantDropPod_Concept.jpg|Concept art for this drop pod. File:HR CovenantDropPod Overview.png|The cut drop pod. File:HR CovenantDropPod Overview.png|Renders of ''Suspa Al'' in ''Halo: Reach''. File:HRE3 CovenantDropPod.jpg|A ''Suspa Al'' in the attack on Farkas Lake.
Referenced only in the game code, the "Jackal glider" was presumably an aerial vehicle designed for the Kig-Yar. The glider's physics model is extremely advanced compared to all other aircraft in-game, containing data fields for wings, tail, rudders and drag among other things.
While the did ultimately make its way into the final game as a low-poly background entity on the levels Tip of the Spear and The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Reach level)|The Pillar of Autumn (with the latter level also featuring a more detailed, non-interactive setpiece Scarab at one point in the mission), early ideas for the game's campaign were to have the player character able to ''drive'' the Scarab. Early ideas for the level New Alexandria would have seen the player drive the Scarab in the remains of the post-glassing city. Prototypes for the Scarab were made and the physics involved was described by Chris Ophdal as "sweet", though the Scarab was ultimately considered unsustainable - especially with the high engine cost needed to run the level. Ultimately, the drivable Scarab was scrapped and New Alexandria was transformed into an aerial mission focusing on the Falcon instead.
Cut Halo: Reach dialogue|Cut dialogue for the missions Tip of the Spear and Exodus shows that early plans for these levels were for both to feature Scarab encounters similar to those featured in ''Halo 3'' and ''Halo 3: ODST'', though all were cut.
File:ScarabNoble.jpg|The Scarab was ultimately realised in-game, though as a scripted setpiece with no gameplay attached.
While the was ultimately realised in the final game as a fully-fledged vehicle, an unused physics model present in the game files suggests a different originally-intended role for the vehicle. In the final release, the Revenant utilised the "alien scout" physics model, shared with the Ghost which provides the vehicle with four directions of movement and a front-facing, driver-controlled weapon. The unused Revenant variation in the files acts similarly, though with the exception that the driver-controlled turret has a full 360 degrees of rotation - similar to the turret on the Scorpion tank. It is unknown why this ultimately went unused.
Notably, early concept explorations for the Revenant did explore the idea of giving the Revenant a fully-operational manned turret, akin to the or the Warthog. Although this design was ultimately unused, the concept was Cut Halo 4 vehicles|revisited in ''Halo 4'' as the .
File:HR Revenant Thumbnail Concept 1.jpg|Early thumbnail sketches for the Revenant in ''Halo: Reach''. File:HR Revenant Thumbnail Concept 2.jpg|Early thumbnail sketches for the Revenant in ''Halo: Reach''. File:HR Revenant Thumbnail Concept 3.jpg|Early thumbnail sketches for the Revenant in ''Halo: Reach''. File:HR Revenant Thumbnail Concept 4.jpg|Early thumbnail sketches for the Revenant in ''Halo: Reach''. File:HR_Revenant_Concept_5.jpg|More refined concept art for the Revenant. File:HR_Revenant_Concept_6.jpg|More refined concept art for the Revenant. File:HR_Revenant_Concept_7.jpg|More refined concept art for the Revenant.
Referred to internally as the "siege engine", little is known of this gargantuan Covenant vehicle's purpose. The vehicle was conceived by Isaac Hannaford, though never progressed past the concept stage. When asked about the vehicle's resemblance to the from the ''Terminator'' franchise, Hannaford responded that there were "''no coincidences''."
Some concept art for the Tip of the Spear mission indicates that early plans were to have the siege engines be the target of the Battle at Szurdok Ridge. This early concept may also be depicting what would have been mission nine in Lehto's early campaign level layouts; which list a mission with the following objectives;
''Destroy Covenant Supply Convoy''
*''Evening''
*''Take out massive hover platforms''
The "massive hover platforms" mentioned match the visual depictions of the siege engine.
The siege engine was later canonised in the 2022 edition of the ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)|Halo Encyclopedia'' as the .
File:HR Draugr SiegeEngine Concept.jpg|The siege engine. File:HR_CovenantArmy_Concept_2.jpg|Concept art for a Covenant army, depicting what appear to be siege engines. File:HR_WarthogCharge_Concept_1.jpg|Concept art for Tip of the Spear - note the presence of siege engines in the artwork. File:HR EarlyDraugr Blockout Screenshot 1.jpg|An early blockout of the siege engine model. File:HR EarlyDraugr Blockout Screenshot 2.jpg|An early blockout of the siege engine model. File:HR EarlyDraugr Blockout Screenshot 3.jpg|An early blockout of the siege engine model, as viewed in first-person.
''Halo 3'' leftovers Code remains in the files for the physics models of several leftover vehicles used and/or Cut Halo 3 vehicles|cut from the previous game, ''Halo 3''. These include the Chopper, Cut Halo 3 vehicles#Mantis|Mantis and Guardian Sentinel (classed internally by the game as a vehicle).
Notes
Sources
Category:Halo: Reach deleted material
|
During the Development of Halo: Reach|production of ''Halo: Reach'', several weapons were concepted and implemented - though ultimately cut for various reasons.
Civilian weapons These civilian weapons were conceived by :Category:Images by Glenn Israel|Glenn Israel in 2009 and later modeled for inclusion in-game. These were not intended to appear as useable weapons for any player or character, and instead simply decorative props that could be found in some of the "pioneer" environments in levels such as Winter Contingency and Nightfall.
The weapons remain in the files of the Halo: Reach Alpha|''Halo: Reach'' Alpha build, listed with the following names;
decor_gun_shotgun decor_gun_shotgun_short decor_gun_rifle_scopes decor_gun_rifle
It is likely these were intended for use by the farmers and Reach militia encountered in the third level of the game, Nightfall.
File:HR CivilianGuns Concept 1.jpg|Concept art for the weapons. File:HR CivilianGuns Concept 2.jpg|Concept art for the weapons. File:HR Civilian ScopedRifle_Screenshot.jpg|The scoped rifle. File:HR_Civilian_ScopedRifleStock_Screenshot.jpg|The scoped rifle's stock. File:HR Civilian Rifle Screenshot.jpg|The rifle, without scope. File:HR Civilian Shotgun Screenshot.jpg|The shotgun. File:HR Civilian ShortShotgun Screenshot.jpg|The short-barrelled shotgun.
The shotgun design was later featured in Halo: Escalation Issue 18|Issue #18 of ''Halo: Escalation''.
File:HE18_Retaliate.jpg|The Unidentified shotgun is wielded by Holly Tanaka.
Covenant mortar The Covenant mortar was a weapon conceived by Glenn Israel, though whether it received any 3D development is unknown. Concept explorations posted by Israel showcase a weapon held in a manner akin to the Brute Shot or , or able to be deployed as a static emplacement. Some of the concepts show some designs more akin to the plasma mortar found on the Wraith and Revenant vehicles. The concept explorations pictured were done in 2009.
File:HR CovenantMortar Concept.jpg|Israel's concept explorations for the mortar.
Forerunner staff The object named forerunner_staff can be found in the files for the ''Halo: Reach'' DLC tag build. It is unclear as to what purpose the staff would have served, given the game's predominantly-human focus - though it may have been intended for usage on the game's DLC maps.
File:HR ForerunnerStaff.jpg|A Spartan holding the staff.
Sources
Category:Halo: Reach deleted material
|
Throughout its history, ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'' has seen a huge variety of player customization options. Many of these options have been removed from the game in subsequent Halo: The Master Chief Collection Content Updates|updates, though several have never been useable.
Unreleased Armor Armor that has been added and removed from The Master Chief Collection at various points, though never officially released.
One of Cut Halo: Reach armor|several pieces of equipment cut from the original release of the Anniversary Map Pack for ''Halo: Reach'' in 2011, the "Preserve" chest can be found in the files of the collection, fully-textured. Unlike its siblings in the Armor accessories/EXO|EXO/TSCS chest and AKIS & Mariner helmets, this chest has yet to be implemented for use as an Armor customization (Halo: Reach)|armor permutation.
File:HR PRESERVE Chest Icon.png|A custom render of the Preserve chest.
One of many cut Armor customization (Halo Online)|''Halo Online'' armor sets intended to be included in ''Halo 3'', this set's icons were included in the flight files for Season 7, though it ultimately has yet to be released. This set can be seen in the Halo: The Master Chief Collection - Season 5 Trailer|Season 5 Trailer.
File:HTMCC H3 S5Trailer Operator.jpg|A Spartan using the Operator helmet on Avalanche in the Season 5 trailer. File:HTMCC H3 Operator Ingame 1.png|Operator as it appeared in-game during the Season 5 December patch. File:Halo Online Operator Beta Skin.jpg|Operator as it appeared in ''Halo Online''; details within the Unlock Icons imply the set shared the same Armor Skin. File:HTMCC H3 Operator Helmet Icon.png|Operator helmet. File:HTMCC H3 Operator Chest Icon.png|Operator chest. File:HTMCC H3 Operator LShoulder Icon.png|Operator left shoulder. File:HTMCC H3 Operator RShoulder Icon.png|Operator right shoulder. File:HTMCC H3 Operator Forearms Icon.png|Operator forearms. File:HTMCC H3 Operator Legs Icon.png|Operator legs.
Another cut ''Halo Online'' armor set intended to be included in ''Halo 3'', this set's icons were included in the flight files for Season 7, though it ultimately has yet to be released. This set can be seen in the Season 5 Trailer.
File:HTMCC H3 S5Trailer Unknown helmet.png|The Spectrum helmet in the Season 5 trailer. File:HTMCC H3 Spectrum Ingame 1.png|Spectrum as it appeared in-game during the Season 5 December patch. File:HTMCC H3 Spectrum Helmet Icon.png|Spectrum helmet. File:HTMCC H3 Spectrum Chest Icon.png|Spectrum chest. File:HTMCC H3 Spectrum LShoulder Icon.png|Spectrum left shoulder. File:HTMCC H3 Spectrum RShoulder Icon.png|Spectrum right shoulder. File:HTMCC H3 Spectrum Forearms Icon.png|Spectrum forearms. File:HTMCC H3 Spectrum Legs Icon.png|Spectrum legs.
Named "Utility" in the files, the icons for this ''Halo Online'' iteration of the DEFENDER-class Mjolnir were included in the flight files for Season 7, though it was ultimately never released.
File:HTMCC H3 Utility(Defender) Ingame.png|Defender in-game during the Season 5 December patch. File:HTMCC H3 Utility Helmet Icon.png|Defender helmet. File:HTMCC H3 Utility Chest Icon.png|Defender chest. File:HTMCC H3 Utility LShoulder Icon.png|Defender left shoulder. File:HTMCC H3 Utility RShoulder Icon.png|Defender right shoulder. File:HTMCC H3 Utility Forearms Icon.png|Defender forearms. File:HTMCC H3 Utility Legs Icon.png|Defender legs.
Another cut ''Halo Online'' armor set intended to be included in ''Halo 3'', this set's icons were included in the flight files for Season 7, though it was ultimately never released.
File:HTMCC H3 Extractor Ingame.png|Extractor in-game during the Season 5 December patch. File:HTMCC H3 Extractor Helmet Icon.png|Extractor helmet. File:HTMCC H3 Extractor Chest Icon.png|Extractor chest. File:HTMCC H3 Extractor LShoulder Icon.png|Extractor left shoulder. File:HTMCC H3 Extractor RShoulder Icon.png|Extractor right shoulder. File:HTMCC H3 Extractor Forearms Icon.png|Extractor forearms. File:HTMCC H3 Extractor Legs Icon.png|Extractor legs.
Another cut ''Halo Online'' armor set intended to be included in ''Halo 3'', this set's icons were included in the flight files for Season 7, though it was ultimately never released.
File:HTMCC H3 Knight Ingame.png|Knight in-game during the Season 5 December Patch. File:HTMCC H3 Knight Helmet Icon.png|Knight helmet. File:HTMCC H3 Knight Chest Icon.png|Knight chest. File:HTMCC H3 Knight LShoulder Icon.png|Knight left shoulder. File:HTMCC H3 Knight RShoulder Icon.png|Knight right shoulder. File:HTMCC H3 Knight Legs Icon.png|Knight legs.
Another cut ''Halo Online'' armor set intended to be included in ''Halo 3'', this set's icons were included in the flight files for Season 7, though it was ultimately never released.
File:HTMCC H3 Blaster Ingame.png|Blaster in-game during the Season 5 December patch. File:HTMCC H3 Blaster Helmet Icon.png|Blaster helmet. File:HTMCC H3 Blaster Chest Icon.png|Blaster chest. File:HTMCC H3 Blaster LShoulder Icon.png|Blaster left shoulder. File:HTMCC H3 Blaster RShoulder Icon.png|Blaster right shoulder. File:HTMCC H3 Blaster Forearms Icon.png|Blaster forearms. File:HTMCC H3 Blaster Legs Icon.png|Blaster legs.
One of many Armor customization (Halo Online)|armor sets created for the now-cancelled ''Halo Online'', the Strider armor appeared briefly in the game files for Series 5: Anvil, though has since seemingly been removed.
File:HTMCC H3 Strider Ingame.png|Strider as it appeared in-game during the Season 5 December patch.
Removed Armor Armor that has been changed or removed from The Master Chief Collection at various points.
}}
The Tearful Bishop helmet was available as part of the flighting test for Series 8: Mythic, though was cut from the final release for unknown reasons. The helmet would have been available as part of the Blackguard armor|Blackguard series of Fractures armor for ''Halo 3'' and ''Halo: Reach''. The helmet would be re-added into the MCC in the November 3 update, but the name was changed to "Blackguard Fallen Equerry", and the cross-shape visor and description were altered.
File:HTMCC H3 BlackguardTearfulBishop.jpg|The original Tearful Bishop helmet. File:HR BlackguardTearfulBishop.png|The original Tearful Bishop helmet in Halo Reach. File:HTMCC H3 Blackguard FallenEquerry Helmet Icon.png|The redesigned Fallen Equerry helmet icon.
In the original flights for Season 8, the Valorous shoulder piece for the Belos armor|Belos Fracture set featured a large V symbol. In the final release, this was changed to the Season 8 lion emblem, for unknown reasons.
File:HTMCC H3 BelosValorous Shoulder Old.jpg|The old Valorous shoulder, as depicted in the Season 8 Flight. File:HTMCC H3 Belos Valorous Shoulder Icon.png|The final revision of the Valorous shoulder.
With the release of Season 8, the Evalach's Lament back accessory was altered for unknown reasons. During the flight, it was painted with a cross, while the final version was changed to be four squares.
File:HTMCC H3 EvalachsLament Backpack Old.jpg|The old Evalach's Lament back accessory. File:HTMCC H3 EvalachsLament Backpack Icon.png|The final revision of the Evalach's Lament back accessory.
Featured in the release of Series 6: Raven, the Sword and Board back accessory in the Season 6 Flight originally was blue and provided two Machetes on the UNSC shield|shield, while in the final game it changes color depending on the player's primary color, and features one Machete rather than two.
File:HTMCC H3 SwordAndBoard Backpack Icon 2.png|The original Sword and Board icon. File:HTMCC H3 SwordAndBoard Backpack Icon.png|The updated Sword and Board icon. File:H3-FlightingS&B.jpg|The original Sword and Board during gameplay. File:H3-S&B.png|The updated Sword and Board during gameplay.
Introduced with the release of Series 6: Raven, the Azure techsuit used a bright teal coloration during the Season 6 flight. In the final release, this would be changed to a more deep blue.
File:H3-FlightingS&B.jpg|The Azure techsuit during the flight. File:H3 Azure Techsuit.png|The Azure techsuit after release.
Named the "Rhino" armor in the files, this ''Halo Online'' armor set was changed prior to its release in Series 6: Raven as shown by its unused icon images, which display it having no gold, no forearms and different shoulders. This also could mean that Rhine was originally unlockable via the Season 6 Pass.
File:HTMCC H3 Rhino Ingame.png|Original Rhine design in-game from the Season 5 December Patch. File:HTMCC H3 Rhine Crop.png|Rhine as it appears following the release of Season 6. File:HTMCC H3 Cut Rhine LShoulder Icon.png|Cut Rhine left shoulder design. File:HTMCC H3 Cut Rhine RShoulder Icon.png|Cut Rhine right shoulder design. File:HTMCC H3 Rhine LShoulder Icon.png|Final Rhine Left shoulder design. File:HTMCC H3 Rhine RShoulder Icon.png|Final Rhine Right shoulder design. File:HTMCC H3 Rhine Forearms Icon.png|The New Forearms added for Season 6. File:HTMCC H3 Rhine Helmet Icon.png|Cut Rhine helmet design. File:HTMCC H3 Rhine Chest Icon.png|Cut Rhine chest design. File:HTMCC H3 Cut Rhine Legs Icon.png|Cut Rhine legs design.
Skins The following skins for Skins (Halo: Combat Evolved)|''Combat Evolved'' have been made unavailable for use.
Skins with the following filenames were shown as icons in the files of the collection for a time when Season 2: Spark launched, though have since been removed. All resembled pink placeholder textures. T_Im_WeaponSkin_h1FlamethrowerGolden.png T_Im_WeaponSkin_h1FlamethrowerInsurrection.png T_Im_WeaponSkin_h1FuelRodGunGolden.png T_Im_WeaponSkin_h1NeedlerGolden.png T_Im_WeaponSkin_h1RocketLauncherGolden.png T_Im_WeaponSkin_h1RocketLauncherGreatJourney.png T_Im_WeaponSkin_h1RocketLauncherWoodland.png
Two skins for the ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' Warthogs, both referencing ''Wikipedia:Jurassic Park|Jurassic Park'', were later removed from the game in the Series 5: Anvil update for unknown reasons. The skins were replaced with the Park Ranger and Field Medic skins, respectively.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
| !width="175px"|In-game !! Type !! Appearance Name !! Original Unlock Requirements !! Description !! Removal details
| |File:HCE Warthog ParkRanger Skin original.png|75px|center || Warthog || Park Ranger || Series 2: Spark|Series 2, Tier 11 () || Spared no expanse. || Removed during the Series 5: Anvil update and replaced with a new Park Ranger skin.
| |File:HCE RocketWarthog CleverGirl Skin.png|75px|center || Rocket Warthog ||Clever Girl || Series 2: Spark|Series 2, Tier 29 () || Objects in mirror are closer than they appear. || Removed during the Series 5: Anvil update and replaced with the Field Medic skin.
|}
Nameplates The following Nameplates/Halo: The Master Chief Collection|nameplates were changed or removed from ''The Master Chief Collection'' at various points, or were never available to use.
{| class="wikitable sortable"
| !width="200px"|Name !! In-game Appearance
| | Came... From... Behind || File:HTMCC Nameplate Came... From... Behind.png|frameless|center
| | Guilty Spark || File:HTMCC Nameplate Guilty Spark.png|frameless|center
| | Boat Cops || File:HTMCC Nameplate Boat Cops.png|frameless|center
| | Dreamhack || File:HTMCC Nameplate Dreamhack.png|frameless|center
| | NEEDS NAME || File:HTMCC Nameplate NEEDS NAME.png|frameless|center
| | Warthog Tread || File:HTMCC Nameplate WarthogTread.png|frameless|center
| | Gator Chops || File:HTMCC Nameplate GatorChops.png|frameless|center
| | White Tiger || File:HTMCC Nameplate WhiteTiger.png|frameless|center
| | Tank Tread || File:HTMCC Nameplate TankTread.png|frameless|center
| | Crock Skin || File:HTMCC Nameplate CrockSkin.png|frameless|center
| | Dead End || File:HTMCC Nameplate DeadEnd.png|frameless|center
| | MJOLNIR || File:HTMCC Nameplate MJOLNIR.png|frameless|center
| | Phalanx || File:HTMCC Nameplate Phalanx.png|frameless|center
| | Rubricae || N/A
| | Happy Halodays || File:HTMCC Nameplate HappyHalodays.png|frameless|center
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
| !width="200px"|Name !! Unlock Requirements !! Status !! In-game Appearance
| | MVP || Play ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'' before December 19, 2014. || Replaced by "Fronk" on 20 September 2018. || File:HTMCC Nameplate MVP.png|frameless|center
| | Pro || Play ''Halo: The Master Chief Collection'' before December 19, 2014. || Replaced by "Halo Championship Series" on 20 September 2018. || File:HTMCC Nameplate HCS Pro.png|frameless|center
| | Rank 44 || Reach rank 44 || Removed in the first patch. || File:HTMCC Nameplate Rank 44.png|frameless|center
| | Rank 45 || Reach rank 45 || Removed in the first patch. || File:HTMCC Nameplate Rank 45.png|frameless|center
| | Rank 46 || Reach rank 46 || Removed in the first patch. || File:HTMCC Nameplate Rank 46.png|frameless|center
| | Rank 47 || Reach rank 47 || Removed in the first patch. || File:HTMCC Nameplate Rank 47.png|frameless|center
| | Rank 48 || Reach rank 48 || Removed in the first patch. || File:HTMCC Nameplate Rank 48.png|frameless|center
| | Rank 49 || Reach rank 49 || Removed in the first patch. || File:HTMCC Nameplate Rank 49.png|frameless|center
| | Rank 50 || Reach rank 50 || Removed in the first patch. || File:HTMCC Nameplate Rank 50.png|frameless|center
| | Sirens || Series 3: Recon|Series 3, Tier 39 () || Removed after the Season 3 Flight and before the launch of Season 3, due to real-world police controversy. || File:HTMCC Nameplate Sirens.png|frameless|center
| | Dino Tracker || Season 3: Recon, Tier 45 () || Removed during the December 2020 patch along with other ''Jurassic Park'' references in skins. Replaced with a new nameplate of the same name in the same requirement.|| File:HTMCC Nameplate DinoTracker 1.png|frameless|center
|}
Sources
Category:Halo: The Master Chief Collection
|
Throughout the ''Halo|Halo series'', there are numerous glitches that take place during cutscene|cinematic moments that affect certain parts of them or change them completely. These glitches happen when certain objects or even A.I.'s are introduced intentionally or not into the cutscene.
''Halo: Combat Evolved''
Halo-Light Bridge
Keyes in Brig Before the cutscene begins, lure a Hunter from the Shuttle Bay to the Brig, then activate the cutscene. The Hunter will not be frozen and will reach to the characters that participate in the cutscene, knocking the Master Chief around, killing Captain Keyes and shooting at the Marine Corps|Marines. Once the cutscene ends, the Hunter will still be there and the player will have to fight it to proceed with the mission. Another thing that can happen is if you throw a grenade just as the cutscene begins, you will die, the cutscene will only play for a few seconds and when it ends, you will spawn dead, looking at your own body and not being able to do anything. There is no way to continue the mission from that point.
Unlocking the Map Room Once you reach the closed door that leads to the Cartographer, park your Warthog with the Marines inside, then proceed on-foot towards the second structure that unlock that door. Once you trigger the cutscene, the Marines in the warthog will start to fire on the Zealot that comes out, and it will also react and try to kill the Marines.
Shafted
Final Cutscene There are a number of things that can happen. You can lure a Hunter inside, and it will try to kill the Master Chief, knocking him forward, shooting at him and sometimes even knocking him inside the huge pit in the middle of the room. Another thing that can happen is a Banshee can follow the player inside the corridors and once the cutscene plays, it will splatter the Master Chief, fly around the room and even act hostile towards Cortana.
The Flood If the player pushes the Shade turret in the way of Jenkins's scripted walk path prior to entering the structure beforehand, he will get stuck in the spot where the turret was placed but continue his scripted movement while the rest of the squad moves ahead of him into the structure due to the fact that the recording takes place in the exact same places that the player previously traveled. This is because the game doesn't "clear out" the room and return it to the state that it would be in when Jenkins and his companions were in it.
Final Cutscene During the final cutscene, the player can bring a Banshee inside the room and park it where the Master Chief's speech is going to happen. When the cutscene is triggered, the Master Chief will face away from the Pulse Generator and the Banshee will also be present in between him and the Generator.
Into the Ship During the cutscene where the Master Chief goes into the Gravity Lift, if Flood Combat Forms are still alive in the area, they will attack the Chief then back away, and if Pod infector|Flood Infection Forms are still alive, they will latch onto the Chief, and he will start to spew up blood.
Infected Keyes During the cutscene, if Flood Combat Forms are still alive in the area and the cutscene is triggered, they will attack the player, knocking him down from the pedestal. The Proto Gravemind's face will then seem to explode at the moment where the Master Chief should have punched it. If the Flood has no arms, then it will just stay close to the Master Chief during the cutscene. Also, if the player manages to lure a Hunter into the room, it will push the Master Chief around, even killing him. The cutscene will take place like with the Flood inside.
Category:Glitches Category:Halo: Combat Evolved glitches Category:Tricks and cheats
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In the Halo universe|''Halo'' series, a cutscene, often spelled cut scene, is an in-game cinematic movie in which the player(s) temporarily loses control over their character(s). Cutscenes, often used to show storyline events, are usually played between campaign levels. They are sometimes played at a midpoint of a level.
Overview Cutscenes in the ''Halo'' shooter games are not always pre-rendered movies; instead, they are rendered in real time, using in-game assets. Because of this, cutscenes can sometimes be altered by moving objects into the locations where the cutscenes are about to take place. In several cases, cutscenes are rendered in hidden areas that are (usually) totally inaccessible to players; the Secret Room On The Ark is an example of this. The Panoramic camera mode|Pan Cam in ''Halo 3s Theater mode can be used to "break into" some of these areas. In ''Halo 3: ODST'', the first cutscene "Prepare to Drop" is accessible through the Firefight lobby by means of a glitch. This will allow players to free roam around the entire area where the cutscene takes place. In ''Halo 3s theater mode when watching the player's pre-made campaign game when a cutscene plays, the viewer will not be able to watch it but simply will experience a flash and will continue from the view of the player.
''Halo 2'' cutscenes feature the ability where the playable characters will hold the weapon the player used before the cutscene. This is not seen in other games except for ''Halo 3'', but this situation usually appears in cutscenes that take place in the middle of the level, notably only "Sierra 117"'s ''Quid Pro Quo'' cutscene and "Floodgate"'s ''Shadow of Intent'' cutscene will do so.
In ''Halo 3: ODST'', scenes called "signets" by Bungie employees are introduced.''Halo 3: ODST ViDoc: Dramatis Personae'' Signets are cutscenes played in first person point of view. They are usually played after cutscenes and before gameplay. Bungie used signets to lead players and show what is going on. Signets are also present in ''Halo: Reach'', albeit without the character's Heads-up display|HUD.
In ''Halo: Reach'', the armor permutation that the character is wearing in the campaign also shows up in cutscenes.
In "Halo Infinite", the weapon that you were holding and equipment you currently have equiped will always appear in cutscenes.
Pre-rendered cutscenes While most cutscenes in the ''Halo'' series are not pre-rendered, there is one cutscene in the original trilogy that is pre-rendered. This cutscene, which appears after the credits in ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', shows 343 Guilty Spark flying around in space. This cutscene is part of the ''Halo'' credits video file, which is entirely pre-rendered using Bink Video.
''Halo Wars'' uses both pre-rendered cutscenes, which were created by Blur Studios, and in-game "vignettes". ''Halo 2: Anniversary'' would also receive similar treatment from the studio. Portions of ''Halo 4'' are also pre-rendered, including the entire level Prologue.
Glitches In ''Halo 3'', on "The Covenant", going into the tower after the Scarab fight with a ghost and boosting will combine the Cortana moment with the scene that follows (the ghost must be meleed in as there is a barrier, but it is easy to do.)
Sometimes the music in a cutscene may not load or may become out of sync with the video. This is usually caused by lag. If the player places an object right where a character will walk during a cutscene, that character will walk through the object when the cutscene plays. Some other times however, for example in the ''Halo: Combat Evolved'' level "343 Guilty Spark (level)|343 Guilty Spark", the cutscene before the second part of the level, ''The Flood'', if the player places a Shade turret where Private Manuel Mendoza|Mendoza will walk to, the UNSC Marine Corps|marine will be seen walking against the turret. It is unknown why this is so. In Theater Mode, if one fast forwards during a cutscene, the dialogue will be cut short or overlapped with other lines, and nearly all non-dialogue sounds will not play. In ''Halo: Combat Evolved'', it is possible to manipulate enemies and relocate them in the areas where cutscenes play; they can also be Modding|modded into such positions. When this happens, the enemies will frequently interfere with the playback of the cutscene, performing such actions as pushing characters out of their scripted paths, blocking their scripted paths, or even killing the characters. Sometimes, this interference will pause the cutscene, as the characters involved wait for an action to be performed; other times, the cutscene will continue as if no error ever happened. Examples of such anomalies can be seen ; the Shafted cinematic glitch|Shafted Cinematic Glitch also involves this phenomenon. In some cases, if the character gets killed immediately after the cutscene begins, the game engine may still try to animate the dead body, causing the body to stand up in a strange position but not move completely. In ''Halo 3'', certain cutscenes can be altered by other glitches, such as the Time travel glitch. If the player skips certain cutscenes early during a campaign level, the events in the cutscene will still continue in-game. This can be observed in ''Halo 3s level "The Covenant (level)|The Covenant" when the player is deactivating the Barrier towers. If the player skips the cutscene right away, the player can still see the towers deactivating when gameplay resumes. On ''Halo 3s campaign level "Halo (Halo 3 level)|Halo", Forerunner automated turret|Auto-Turrets can be deployed right before triggering the Control Room cutscene. The Auto-Turrets actually turn on the John-117|Master Chief ''before'' the fight with Guilty Spark; during the cutscene, they will fire on the Chief, Thel 'Vadam|Arbiter, and Avery Junior Johnson|Johnson. (They will only manage to drain the Arbiter's shield and damage the Chief's.) Apparently, deployed equipment is not removed before a cutscene. In ''Halo 3'', in single player, it is possible to duplicate the co-op cutscene that plays when the Flood arrive, and retain the Arbiter in the cutscene and level. On the level "The Covenant" inside the third Barrier Tower, the player can melee the Arbiter into the elevator, kill all the Brutes, and finally push or melee the Arbiter to the window. Surprisingly, the Arbiter will not be removed from the cutscene and the level. If ''Halo 3: ODST'''s "Prepare To Drop" cutscene is accessed in Firefight (Halo 3: ODST)|Firefight over Xbox Live, the player's status will show that they is playing a Firefight match on an unknown map.
Sources
External links on halo.bungie.org
Category:Cinematics|
|
File:Cutters.png|200px|thumb|Message from Mary Cutter and her daughter to her husband, James.
The Cutter family was a human family who lived on Reach throughout the late twenty-fifth and early twenty-sixth centuries.
History
Members James Cutter|Capt. James Gregory Cutter, UNSCN - Captain of the ; presumed dead by UNSC authorities. Mary Cutter - Wife of James Cutter. Cutter's daughter - Daughter of James and Mary Cutter. Cutter's father - Father of James Cutter, who wanted him to peruse a degree and who was initially disappointed and his son's decision to join the naval service. Cutter's mother - Died sometime before 2525. Daniel Clayton|Capt. Daniel Clayton, UNSCN - Illegitimate son of James Cutter through a mistress on Tribute; defected from the UNSC to the New Colonial Alliance after the war.
List of appearances
''Halo Wars: Genesis''
''Halo Wars''
''Halo: Escalation''
Category:Families
|
Cutter may refer to the following:
Members of the Cutter family:
*James Gregory Cutter - The Captain (Navy)|Captain of the .
*Mary Cutter - James Cutter's wife.
*Cutter's daughter - The unnamed daughter of James and Mary Cutter. Laser-cutter - A Covenant cutting tool. Fibril cutter- An ancient human weapon system. Glass cutter - A human mining tool, cut from ''Halo 5: Guardians''. Patrol ship|Patrol cutter - A classification of small warship.
*Police cutter - A cutter employed by law enforcement forces
|
Captain (Navy)|Captain James Cutter and his wife, Mary Cutter, had one daughter. In 2531, she and her mother were living on Reach while James commanded the in the Epsilon Indi system.Halo Wars: Genesis
List of appearances
''Halo Wars: Genesis''
Sources
Category:Human civilians Category:Human characters
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|species=Human
|gender=Male
|height=
|mass=
|hair=
|eyes=
|affiliation=Unified Earth Government
|rank=
|sn=
|notable=
}}
The father of James Cutter was a human individual who lived on Reach in the late 25th century.
Biography
His son, James Gregory Cutter, was born to him and an unidentified woman on 2478#June|June 12, 2478. After James had left school, his father pushed him to get his degree. He was furious when his son became an ensign at the UN Colony Logistics Office and even more furious when he joined flight school, leaving the words "Nothing more than a trucker".
After August 8, 2525, when his son became captain of the , he toured the ship with him and gave him redeeming words by saying "I guess you knew something, after all. Your mom would be proud".
Sources
Category:Human characters
|
File:Cutting_crew_Medal.png|thumb Cutting Crewhttp://uk.xbox360.ign.com/dor/objects/14276699/halo-reach/images/halo-reach-20100820095436877.html?page=mediaFull is a spree medal in ''Halo: Reach'' in ''Halo: Reach'' multiplayer, campaign and Firefight. It is awarded for killing fifteen opponents with an Type-1 Energy Weapon/Sword|Energy Sword without dying.
Assassinations performed with the Sword do not count toward the medal. Pummels performed with a depleted Energy Sword do count toward the medal.
It is represented by a silver six-pointed star with an Energy Sword on a purple background in the middle.
Trivia Since you need fifteen kills with the Sword and the Sword only holds enough charge to make ten kills before it runs out of battery, the only way to earn this medal in Matchmaking (given that Matchmaking currently does not contain the Slayer#Swords|Swords gametype) would be for the player to make ten kills with a Sword, wait for it to respawn, then make five more kills with it, all without dying, or else attempt to get the remaining five kills with the depleted sword. The name of the medal is a reference to wikipedia:Cutting Crew|the '80s band of the same name. Assassinations performed with the Energy Sword do not count toward the sword spree medals.
Sources
http://www.youtube.com/watch?vchannel Fast forward to 1.22
Category:Medals
|
During the Development of Halo 3|production of ''Halo 3'', a number of enemy designs were concepted for inclusion in the game - with a handful implemented in some fashion but ultimately cut.
Human
Accessible via the files of the ''Halo 3 Editing Kit'', a number of female civilian models can be found. These civilians wear industrial jumpsuits like the male civilians found in the campaign level The Storm. Unlike their male counterparts, the female civilians do not share their face models with the female UNSC Marine Corps|Marines, possibly due to being a leftover from an earlier stage of development.
File:H3_FemaleCivilians.png|The civilians, spawned on Sandtrap via mod tools.
Covenant
The Brute Tracker is an unused Jiralhanae|Brute enemy rank found in the files and early builds of ''Halo 3''. The version seen in the ''Halo 3'' Alpha builds is green in colouration, without the blue colour overlay present in the final game's shaders. The Tracker uses a helmet model look similar to the Jiralhanae Stalker|Stalker, with armour and shoulder pauldrons reminiscent of the infantry and captain Brute ranks featured in the game.
File:H3 Alpha BruteTracker.png|The green Brute Tracker in the ''Halo 3'' Alpha.
Seen in early Halo 3 Alpha|''Halo 3'' Alpha footage and included in some final-game publications are variations of Brute enemies, sporting a much more vibrant armour colour scheme when compared to the final game. The most prominently-seen of these variants is a variant of the Jiralhanae Captain|Brute Captain enemy - seen sporting a red-coloured Leader power armor|power armor design. For reasons unknown, in the final game the shader implementation for this enemy type has the colour overlayed with a strong blue, though images of this enemy can be found in the Halo 3 manual|''Halo 3'' manual and the Bestiarum booklet included in the ''Halo 3 Limited Edition''. The comic series ''Halo: Uprising'' used the red design of the Captain for the character of Lepidus.
Early revisions of these Brutes also have some fur on their arms more akin to their ''Halo 2'' counterparts, though the fur clips through any armour present on the forearms.
File:Red_Brute_captain.jpg|A red Brute Captain in the ''Halo 3 ViDoc: Et Tu, Brute?''. File:BestiarumBrute.jpg|The Brute image included in the manual and Bestiarum. File:H3_Alpha_BruteBodyguard.png|An early, grey-coloured Brute Bodyguard in the Halo 3 Delta|''Halo 3'' Delta build.
Stealth Sangheili are an NPC type found in the files for ''Halo 3'', though go unused. The files feature two ranks; Stealth Minor and Stealth Major, both of whom wear the combat harness with no shoulder plating. The Stealth Major has its colour set to brown, but due to the shader configuration ultimately ends up looking grey.
The Stealth Minors do make an appearance in the ''Halo 3: ODST'' level Tayari Plaza, wherein their dead bodies can be found littering the streets of New Mombasa - having been killed by Brute forces prior to the level's start.
File:H3 StealthElite Bodies.png|Corpses for a Stealth Minor (left) and Stealth Major (right). File:H3_StealthElites.jpg|A Stealth Minor and Major Modding|modded back into ''Halo 3''.
A number of leftover Elite characters can be found in the files of the ''Halo 3'' Halo 3 Delta|Delta build. These consist of all of the Elite enemy rank types featured in the prior game, though updated with some early and unfinished ''Halo 3'' character models (all using the standard combat harness). Most of these were never intended to appear in the final game, though are listed below. Elite Minor - blue harness with dark blue secondary Elite Major - blue harness with red secondary Elite Ultra - blue harness with white secondary Elite SpecOps - light blue harness with dark blue secondary Elite Zealot - gold harness with white secondary Elite Stealth - light blue harness with dark blue secondary Elite Stealth Major - same as the regular Stealth Elite Honour Guards - same as the Stealth Elites, but lacking a helmet Shipmaster - the Rtas 'Vadum character from ''Halo 2'', though lacking his signature "Half-Jaw". White harness with grey secondary Elite Councilor - same as Shipmaster, but with no helmet
Found alongside the ''Halo 2'' leftover Elites in the Delta build are a series of Elites that spawn holding specific weapon loadouts. It is unclear why these Elites exist, and it may simply be character bipeds used for testing features. Alternatively, they may be a remnant of a weapon loadout system considered for ''Halo 3''. The weapon Elites are as follows;
Rocket Elite - gold elite with an M41 SPNKR on his back and an M7 SMG on his thigh Sniper Elite - blue Elite with an SRS99D-S2 AM sniper rifle on his back and an M6G magnum on his thigh Carbine Elite - purple Elite with a on his back and a Type-33 needler on his thigh Brute Shot Elite - red Elite with a Type-25 Brute Shot on his back and a Type-25 plasma pistol on his thigh.
All of the weapon elites additionally have a frag and a plasma grenade attached to their chestplates.
Flood
The "banger" is a variant of pod infector found in the files for the ''Halo 3'' mission Cortana, found as a tag in the pathway objects\characters\flood_infection\flood_infection_banger. In the files, the banger has no associated model and the tag is never loaded, though some contextual clues within the files (such as using the same nodes/markers and texture files) indicate it would have used the same model as the infection forms.
In gameplay, the banger was to perform as an infection form that would explode on death in a manner similar to the .
These concepts for Flood pure form|pure forms of the Flood are featured in ''The Art of Halo 3'', pages 2627, though it is unlikely they were ever seriously prototyped in-engine or developed in 3D. They are as follows;
Infector form Described as a "''3-limbed flood infection/ attack form w/3 regenerating spore projectiles''", the Infector is a major Flood enemy type that would have seen major interaction with the vehicle sandbox. The Infector has three legs and three large, bulpous pores on its main body. These pores are each capable of firing off a "spore" at enemy targets, which itself is capable of using a single tentacle to try and latch onto targets should it miss. When it comes into contact with infantry they are converted as normal, while contact with vehicles sees the spore take control of the driver and gunner stations - allowing the Flood to infect enemy vehicles and use them against their creators. This is an expansion on the idea of Flood-controlled vehicles first seen in ''Halo 2''s Quarantine Zone mission, with Flood combat forms driving vehicles in the level. While the Infectors were ultimately cut, similar ideas were later introduced into ''Halo Wars 2: Awakening the Nightmare'' in the form of the Flood infester form.
Stealth form The Stealth form has two images featured in the ''Art of Halo 3''. The images both depict a similar design; a mass of tentacles holding a plasma rifle. Little is known of the stealth form's intended direction, other than this.
Transport form The Transport form was to be a massive flood form. The form was a four-legged huge form similar in scale to a Scorpion tank, with a large maw and several sweeping tentacles that can grab enemies and force them into the maw. After a short period of ingestion, a series of "''boo-bags''" would glow on the creature before it hurls out a cocoon of flood biomass at enemies. The cocoon then births a fresh combat form. Alongside this, the transport form would be able to have several other Flood forms ride atop its back.
File:Infector_Flood.jpg|The Flood Infector form. File:Flood Purestrain Stealth.png|The Flood Stealth form. File:Transport_Flood.jpg|The Flood Transport form.
Forerunner
Early design documents for the Cut Halo 3 levels|cut level Guardian Forest suggest that in early production, Enforcers were to return as enemy combatants following their introduction in ''Halo 2''.
File:H3_GuardianForest_DesignDoc.png|Guardian Forest design document. File:Enforcer.png|An enforcer, seen in ''Halo 2''.
The Guardians have a storied history with the ''Halo'' series, with their core idea dating back to the development of ''Halo 2''. Notably, the Guardians were heavily developed for ''Halo 3'', with many pieces of concept art created for their design. The Guardians were to feature in the eponymous level ''Guardian Forest'' as enemies, with a model and animations being created for them, and the in-game character in iteration. In the level, the player would have been able to rip out the Guardian's "eye" and use it as a laser weapon. Unfortunately, the level and the Guardian enemy had to be cut, with the level being repurposed as the ''Guardian (map)|Guardian'' multiplayer map and the Guardian enemy model itself used on ''Epitaph'' in holographic form. The Guardian was intended to be similar in size to the similarly-cut Strato-Sentinels. While not seen in the final game, their design was later used in ''Origins'' for two Forerunner constructs seen escorting a Keyship to the Portal at Voi. The Guardian hologram reappears in ''Halo Infinite''. The ''Halo Encyclopedia (2022 edition)'' reveals that the holograms of the Guardian Sentinels were repurposed as in-universe holographic representations of Offensive Bias.
According to ''Art of Halo 3'', ''"The Guardian evokes memories of Compilers (from one of Bungie's previous games, Marathon) and the robes of a High Court Judge - which is fitting because, as anyone who has encountered them can tell you, their judgments are swift and final, and their logic utterly alien."''
File:H3 Guardian Concept 1.jpg|Early ''Halo 3'' concept art. File:H3 Guardian Concept 2.jpg|Early ''Halo 3'' concept art. File:H3 Guardian Concept 3.jpg|Early ''Halo 3'' concept art. File:H3 Guardian Concept 4.jpg|Near-final ''Halo 3'' concept art. File:H3 Epitaph Hologram.png|The Guardian hologram on Epitaph.
The Strato-Sentinels were a concept heavily explored in ''Halo 3''s development, with multiple variations of concepts explored. Some of these were later reintroduced into canon as the Assembler Sentinel|Assembler, Excavator Sentinel|Excavator, Extractor Sentinel|Extractor, Retriever Sentinel|Retriever and Steward Sentinels.
Ambient life
A number of bird ambient creatures can be found leftover in the ''Halo 3'' files. These include the Cockatoo, Guira, Hornbill and a small flock.
Sources
Category:Halo 3 deleted material
|
CW3, is a rank in the United Nations Space Command Unified Ground Command (UNICOM).
Overview
{| class"align:center; text-align:center;"
| !Name
!Duration start
!Duration end
!Rank status
!Notes
| |S. Coops
|Circa 2552
|N/A
|N/A
|N/A
|}
Production notes CW3 in real life refers to a "Wikipedia:Warrant officer (United States)|Chief Warrant Officer Three".
Sources
Category:UNSC ranks
|
|end=August 22, 2023
|numtiers=10
|totalcost=
|games=''Halo Infinite''
|gamelabel=Halo Infinite
}}
Cyber Showdown II is a multiplayer event for ''Halo Infinite''. Following the cosmetic theme of Season 01: Heroes of Reach|Season 01's Cyber Showdown event, Cyber Showdown II was hold between August 8 and 22, 2023, during Season 04: Infection. It was followed by Containment (event)|Containment on August 29, 2023. Event Pass tiers Players progressed through the Event Pass and unlock items by completing any of the ten Challenges/Halo Infinite#Tenrai II Challenges|event challenges over the two weeks the event was available.
{| class"width: 60%;"
! style="width: 5%"|Level
! style="width: 20%"|Unlocks
! style="width: 15%"|Images
|- align="center"
|1
|Weapon coating (MA40 assault rifle) - Plumfire
|File:HINF - Coating icon - Plumfire.png|100px
|- align="center"
|2
|Weapon coating (Mk50 Sidekick) - Plumfire
|File:HINF - Coating icon - Plumfire.png|100px
|- align="center"
|3
|Charm - Halo VHS
|File:HINF - Charm icon - Halo VHS.png|100px
|- align="center"
|4
|Glove (Mark VII) - Themic
|File:HINF - Glove icon - Themic.png|100px
|- align="center"
|5
|Weapon Model (Mk50 Sidekick) - Mk50 Groovegrip
|File:HINF - Weapon model icon - Mk50 Groovegrip.png|100px
|- align="center"
|6
|Weapon coating (M392 DMR|M392 Bandit) - Plumfire
|File:HINF - Coating icon - Plumfire.png|100px
|- align="center"
|7
|Weapon coating (BR75 battle rifle) - Plumfire
|File:HINF - Coating icon - Plumfire.png|100px
|- align="center"
|8
|Charm - Pinballer
|File:HINF - Charm icon - Pinballer.png|100px
|- align="center"
|9
|Stance - Craig Cover Band
|File:HINF - Stance icon - Craig Cover Band.png|100px
|- align="center"
|10
|Weapon Model (BR75 battle rifle) - BR75 Devloop
|File:HINF - Weapon model icon - BR75 Devloop.png|100px
|- align="center"
|}
An additional reward was made available for those who logged and played ''Halo Infinite'' during the event;
{| class"width: 60%;"
! style="width: 10%"|Requirement
! style="width: 20%"|Unlocks
! style="width: 20%"|Images
|- align="center"
|Play ''Halo Infinite'' during the Cyber Showdown II event
|Nameplate, Vehicle Emblem, Weapon Emblem, Armor Emblem - Cybercat
|File:HINF - Emblem icon - Cybercat.png|100px
|- align="center"
|}
Gallery
HINF - Event - Cyber Showdown II - Wallpaper (With text).png|The event's key art with logos. HINF - Event - Cyber Showdown II - Rewards.jpg|A preview of the event's rewards. HINF - Event - Cyber Showdown II - Rewards (Square).png|An alternatively-cropped preview of the event's rewards.
File:HINF - Event - Cyber Showdown II - 00001.jpg File:HINF - Event - Cyber Showdown II - 00002.jpg File:HINF - Event - Cyber Showdown II - 00003.jpg File:HINF - Event - Cyber Showdown II - 00004.jpg File:HINF - Event - Cyber Showdown II - 00005.jpg File:HINF - Event - Cyber Showdown II - 00006.jpg File:HINF - Event - Cyber Showdown II - 00007.jpg File:HINF - Event - Cyber Showdown II - 00008.jpg File:HINF - Event - Cyber Showdown II - 00009.jpg File:HINF - Event - Cyber Showdown II - 00010.jpg
Sources
Category:Halo Infinite events|Cyber Showdown II
|
|end=January 31, 2022
|numtiers=10
|totalcost=
|games=''Halo Infinite''
|gamelabel=Halo Infinite
}}
Cyber Showdown was a multiplayer event held for ''Halo Infinite''. It was held between January 18 and January 31, 2022 during Season 01: Heroes of Reach. It was succeeded by Cyber Showdown II in Season 04: Infection.
Event Pass tiers Each week during the Cyber Showdown event, ten of the 20 weekly Challenges/Halo Infinite|challenges were replaced with ten event challenges, which rewarded an additional 100 XP. Items on the Event Pass are unlocked by completing the event challenges, but they were limited to the event-exclusive Attrition playlist in matchmaking.
{| class"width: 60%;"
! style="width: 5%"|Level
! style="width: 20%"|Unlocks
! style="width: 15%"|Images
|- align="center"
|1
|Stance - Expecting Trouble
|File:HINF Expecting Trouble Stance Icon.png|100px
|- align="center"
|2
|Weapon Coating (MA40 Assault Rifle) - Electric Bubblegum
|File:HINF Electric Bubblegum Coating Icon.png|100px
|- align="center"
|3
|Backdrop - Cross Glitch
|File:HINF Cross Glitch Backdrop.png|class=blackbg|100px
|- align="center"
|4
|Backdrop - Brute Rock
|File:HINF Brute Rock Backdrop.png|class=blackbg|100px
|- align="center"
|5
|Armor Effect - Neon Screen
|File:HINF Neon Screen Armor FX Icon.png|100px
|- align="center"
|6
|Armor Coating (Mark VII) - Electric Bubblegum
|File:HINF Electric Bubblegum Coating Icon.png|100px
|- align="center"
|7
|Charm - Kukri
|File:HINF Kukri Charm Icon.png|100px
|- align="center"
|8
|Visor (Mark VII) - Blackpool
|File:HINF Blackpool Visor Icon.png|100px
|- align="center"
|9
|AI Color - Hunter Blood
|File:HINF AI Color Hunter Blood Icon.png|100px
|- align="center"
|10
|Armor Effect - Neon Hawk
|File:HINF Neon Hawk Armor FX Icon.png|100px
|}
{| class"width: 60%;"
! style="width: 5%"|Requirement
! style="width: 20%"|Unlocks
! style="width: 20%"|Images
|- align="center"
|Play ''Halo Infinite'' during the Cyber Showdown Event.
|Backdrop - New Heights
|File:HINF New Heights Backdrop.png|class=blackbg|100px
|- align="center"
|}
Gallery
File:HINF Event Cyber Showdown Banner.jpg|Keyart for Cyber Showdown, showcasing the event's rewards. File:HINF - Event - Cyber Showdown - Keyart.jpg|Clear keyart.
File:HINF - Event - Cyber Showdown - 00001.jpg File:HINF - Event - Cyber Showdown - 00002.jpg File:HINF - Event - Cyber Showdown - 00003.jpg File:HINF - Event - Cyber Showdown - 00004.jpg File:HINF - Event - Cyber Showdown - 00005.jpg
Sources
Category:Halo Infinite events|Cyber Showdown
|
"Cyclone" is the UNSC codename for a location on the Forerunner shield world of Requiem.
History File:H4 Vortex.jpg|thumb|250px|The area designated "Cyclone". During the Requiem Campaign in 2558, Jul 'Mdama's Covenant used this location as a supply depot, storing a large amount of Covenant and UNSC weapons within the central structure's vicinity. After Raid on the Warrens|learning about it from a central intel center in the "Warrens,"''Spartan Ops'', Scattered/Need To Know|S106 Need to Know Fireteam Crimson was sent in to Raid on Cyclone|destroy the plasma stockpiles, and in the process, the Spartans discovered discarded HAVOK tactical nuclear weapon|HAVOK nuclear missiles. However, the warheads were removed. Fireteam Crimson was then extracted to assist Fireteam Switchback.''Spartan Ops'', Scattered/Search and Destroy|S106 Search and Destroy It was later discovered that the removed nuclear warheads were taken to be used in Invasion of the UNSC Infinity|an attack on the .''Spartan Ops'', Invasion (Spartan Ops)|S107 Invasion
The Covenant forces later retook the area and placed three Ra'aam-pattern burst cannon|plasma artilleries in this area, allowing them to provide support to nearby troops. Fireteam Crimson and Fireteam Kodiak were Assault on Cyclone|sent in to neutralize these artilleries which were shelling Fireteam Majestic's position and pinning them down. The Spartans were able to destroy the heavily-shielded artillery pieces by targeting their power conduits and fought off a Covenant counterattack.''Spartan Ops'', Expendable/Majestic Rescue|S108 Majestic Rescue The Covenant were aided by a Covenant listening post at "Lockup" using a downed Pelican to listen in on Spartan communications,''Spartan Ops'', Expendable/Crystal Ball|S1E8 Crystal Ball but the defense and counterattack failed and both fireteams were extracted from the area.
After the abduction of Dr. Catherine Halsey, Crimson was redeployed to "Cyclone" as Halsey had been using it to bounce her transmissions around. "Cyclone" had once again been retaken by the Covenant, but the force guarding the area was much smaller and less heavily armed than on the previous occasions, and were Battle of Cyclone|eliminated without much trouble. At the same time that Crimson was in Cyclone, the Librarian's mind transfer|imprint was attempting to use a structure in the area to transmit herself to the Absolute Record. As Roland hacked the comm terminal in search of Halsey, the Librarian aided him in decoding the information and deployed beam turrets and Aggressor Sentinels to aid Crimson in fighting off attacking Prometheans. Both the decoding and the Librarian's transfer got stuck at 99% until Crimson opened up the breaker on the power source in the area. Roland was able to track the bouncing signal to "Control" while the Sentinels used their beams to open the structure in the middle of the area. In the form of a massive stream of energy, the Librarian's data stream was transmitted from Requiem to the Absolute Record. Dr. Lani Truman was able to tell that the stream of energy was a massive data stream, but it was moving too fast to analyze, while the Librarian announced that it was going to the Absolute Record. With Halsey's transmission traced to "Control," Crimson was extracted from the area by Pelican.''Spartan Ops'', Key/The Search for Halsey|S109 The Search for Halsey
At some point, the UNSC had documented this area into 's simulation combat deck for Spartan-IV training.
Trivia Cyclone is the location for the multiplayer map ''Vortex'', making ''Vortex'' the third multiplayer map to be featured in ''Spartan Ops''.
Gallery
File:H4-SO-MP-Cyclone-Vortex.png|Alternate view of the area known as "Cyclone". File:H4 Vortex-2.jpg|Rocky environment around "Cyclone". File:H4-SO-Location-Cyclone-01.png|
File:H4-SO-Location-Cyclone-02.png|
File:H4-SO-Location-Cyclone-03.png|
List of appearances
''Halo 4''
*''Spartan Ops''
Sources
Category:Requiem locations
|
CYCLOPS-class Mjolnir is a variant of the MJOLNIR Powered Assault Armor (GEN2)|MJOLNIR [GEN2] armor designed for urban combat.
Overview
The suit can use intrusion software to connect to both UEG and Covenant urban infrastructure networks, levering their hardware and databases to augment its own network of emplaced sensors, drones, and tacnet links.
Cyclops armor is designed for combat in urban and industrial environments, with the 's increased engagement on Insurrectionist|rebellious human colonies and Covenant worlds presenting ideal testing grounds.
In-game information
Cyclops was first introduced as an Armor customization (Halo 5: Guardians)|armor set in ''Halo 5: Guardians''. The suit has no skins.
{| class"width: 75%;"
! style="width: 15%"|Helmet
! style="width: 70%"|Description
! style="width: 15%"|Unlock requirements
|- align="center"
|File:H5-REQ-Cyclops-Helmet.jpg|100pxCyclops (helmet)
|align="left"|The CYCLOPS can parasitically connect to both UEG and Covenant urban infrastructure networks, levering their hardware and databases to augment its own network of emplaced sensors, drones, and tacnet links.
|align="left"|Uncommon List of REQ cards|REQ card
|- align="center"
|File:H5-REQ-Cyclops-Body.jpg|100pxCyclops (body)
|align="left"|CYCLOPS suits are urban predators, created to hunt in dense urban and industrial environments. The UNSC Infinity's increased engagement on rebellious human colonies and Covenant worlds present ideal testing grounds.
|align="left"|Uncommon List of REQ cards|REQ card
|}
Production notes
At various points in pre-Halo Online Closed Alpha|alpha builds of ''Halo Online'', a number of unique Armor customization (Halo Online)|suit designs were given the Cyclops name. Due to the game's turbulent development, these names frequently swapped between builds, though none shared the design of the ''Halo 5: Guardians'' iteration.
Gallery
File:H5G - Cyclops concept art 1.jpg|Concept art of the Cyclops armor File:H5G - Cyclops concept art 2.jpg|Another concept File:H5G-Cyclops Armor.png|Cyclops armor upper body
List of appearances
''Halo 5: Guardians''
Sources
Category:MJOLNIR armor Category:Halo 5: Guardians multiplayer armor permutations
|
The Cygnus system is a Unified Earth Government planetary system in the Outer Colonies, and is situated 24 light-years from Biko.Halo: First Strike (2010), ''Tug o' War''
Within its system are two human-colonized worlds, one of which is Cygnus, Chyler Silva's birthplace.Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, ''Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn: Squad|Squad'' The other human colony is New Jerusalem, the home of Office of Naval Intelligence|ONI operative Jilan al-Cygni.Halo: Contact Harvest, ''page 69'' They are the second and third planets in orbit around the star Cygnus, respectively.
List of appearances
''Halo: Contact Harvest''
''Halo: Evolutions - Essential Tales of the Halo Universe''
*''Dirt''
''Halo: Reach''
''Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn''
Sources
Category:Planetary systems
|
|body=
|position=Second planet
|moon(s)=
|diameter=
|gravity=
|daylength=
|yearlength=
|atmosphere=Oxygen-Wikipedia:Nitrogen|nitrogen
|temperature=
|demonym=
|species=Human
|population=
|colonized=
|government=Unified Earth Government
}}
Cygnus, also designated as Cygnus II, is an Outer Colony|Outer Human colonies|Colony planet|world of the Unified Earth Government and the second planet in orbit in the Cygnus system.
Overview
Chyler Silva United Nations Space Command|United Nations Space Command (UNSC) officer cadet, Corbulo Academy of Military Science''Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn: Squad''
History
Cygnus was one of two habitable worlds in the system colonized by the Unified Earth Government, the other being New Jerusalem.
In 2550, a colony ship traveling to Cygnus suffered a catastrophic Slipstream space|slipspace malfunction due to its improperly mounted Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine|slipspace drive. When the drive was activated, the ship was cut in half and 700 crew and passengers were killed.
After the Human-Covenant War, Fetching|fetcher Oliver Birch was intending to deliver a "saddle box" slipspace drive to an ONI agent, Steve (ONI)|Steve, on Cygnus.''Halo: First Strike'' (2010), Tug o' War
List of appearances
''Halo: First Strike''
*''Tug o' War''
''Halo: Reach''
''Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn''
Sources
Category:Planets Category:Human colonies
|
A Cylix is a genetic repository used by Forerunners to store and catalogue indexed specimens. Functioning as instrumental tools for the Lifeworkers Conservation Measure, cylixes were mainly used to protect population samples in order to later Reintroduction|reseed life in the galaxy after the activation of the Halo Array.
Overview
Cylixes take the form of large slabs with stylized Holography|holograms depicting the type of specimen that resides within them. The metallic surface of a cylix has been described as being so cold that feels like one's hand is burning as they touch it. When a cylix is opened, the face that is adorned with the hologram slides apart and the receptacle's occupant is released. While their main purpose was to facilitate the Reintroduction|repopulation of Milky Way|the galaxy, in some cases the Forerunners used cylixes as prisons for entities that were deemed to be a threat. It appears that cylixes can either be opened en masse via automated system, or individually by a Reclaimer.
Forerunner Keyships, such as the ''Anodyne Spirit'', carried large numbers of cylixes to be delivered by these vessels to various planets throughout the galaxy during the reseeding process that followed the Halo Array's Great Purification|activation. As of 2559, the ''Anodyne Spirit'' still holds what appears to be "millions" of these cylixes within one of its vast interior chambers, a region of the ship that the Covenant referred to as "the clerestory."
Cylixes within Installation 07 contained species such as humans, Jiralhanae, Kig-Yar, Sangheili and Unggoy, in addition to Flood and Xalanyn. The Xalanyn had mysteriously managed to survive the activation of the Halo Array, resulting in the surviving Forerunners deeming them a threat and imprisoning the species within cylixes on Installation 07. One member of the Xalanyn, known as The Harbinger, was released from her cylix by order of War Chief Escharum during the Installation 07 Battle for Zeta Halo|conflict in 2560.
Gallery
File:Origins samples.png|Cortana's depiction of cylixes onboard a Keyship in ''Halo Legends'': ''Origins''. File:Ancient Grunts.jpg|Ancient Unggoy being released from cylixes onto Balaho after the Great Purification. File:HINF CylixConcept.jpg|Concept art for ''Halo Infinite'' of a cylix and the various holograms that it can display. File:HINF Forerunner Cylix Storage.png|Numerous cylixes stored beneath Installation 07 in ''Halo Infinite''. File:HINF Zeta Halo Cylix.png|A human cylix. File:HINF Grunt Cylix.png|An Unggoy cylix. File:HINF Jackal Cylix.png|A Kig-Yar cylix. File:HINF SangheiliCylix.jpg|A Sangheili cylix. File:HINF_Endless_Cylix.png|A cylix containing one of the Xalanyn|Endless. File:HINF Harbinger Cylix.png|The cylix for the Harbinger, opened. File:HINF Unknown Cylix.png|A sequestered cylix for a Flood Pod infector. File:HINF Unknown Cylix Scan.png|The Flood cylix from below. File:HINF SA Jiralhanae Cylixes.png|Jiralhanae cylixes in the Silent Auditorium (location)|Silent Auditorium. File:HINF Jiralhanae Cylix.png|Jiralhanae Cylixes as seen in storage within the Silent Auditorium. File:HINF Cylix Jiralhanae.png|Another storage chamber containing Jiralhanae Cylixes.
List of appearances
''Halo Legends''
*''Origins''
''Halo: Shadows of Reach''
*''Sacrifice
''Halo Infinite''
''Halo: The Rubicon Protocol''
Sources
Category:Forerunner technology
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