I think it's a problem w/ confidence with getting this money back though.  This $70 drop is strictly with the hopes that this'll come back in their favor w/ parents collecting a few more family-oriented games along with it.  

Slade6alpha said: With SEGA bringing over VC to Xbox... I'd love it if P5 came. Tiago would agree

NO... Keep that thing away. I want JRPGs, but I want the good stuff... 

Why not create an slim without the UHD player and sell it barebones with a small HD for a flat two hundred? 

FORGE ON, YOU CRAZY CARTOGRAPHERS

Welcome back one and all to the Halo Community Update for your latest dose of news and intel from deep within the walls of 343. This week we've got a lot on tap including a look at post-Monitor's Bounty Forge goodness, an unsung hero and secret helmet, a Warzone update, a recap of recent HCS news, and more.

Before we begin I'd just like to say thank you to everyone for your excitement and support of the Monitor's Bounty release last week! The team has been beyond excited to finally share all of this great content and it's been awesome seeing such positive responses and players having fun across the Community. On behalf of the entire studio, thank you for your support and thank you for sharing your feedback as we continue working to improve your Halo 5 experience.

And without further ado, let's dive in!

First off, here's your quick bite-sized recap of various happenings around the world of Halo and within the studio since our last update:

ICYMI: We launched a big update for Halo 5 last week! No seriously, we totally did. If you've managed to read this far and this is somehow news to you, go read this right now. 

While the rest of the 343 team starts to wind down and scatter to the winds for the holidays, the Strategy team is working furiously on the final touches for Halo Wars: Definitive Edition, Halo Wars 2, and preparing some amazing goodness with the Blitz Beta for the new year. Halo Wars: DE is in the process of clearing certification now so it can be ready and waiting for players beginning Dec. 20!

Uny has been busy tidying up some of the Forge offerings in Matchmaking that were disrupted upon the release of Monitor's Bounty. Specifically he's been working with content creators to fix and restore Rift Ball (still under way), fixing that pesky insta-spawning Shotgun on Pegasus II (done!), attempting to fix the spawn trap on Pegasus II (done!), and Uny and the original creators have made some performance optimizations to improve framerate with Pegasus II and Orion II. He and the team have also been working on adjusting suicide and betrayal booting in both Action Sack and Grifball game types (done!). Oh and he also made some changes to Ground Pound Arena to remove the Sniper Rifle and replaced it with the Brute Plasma Rifle and Plasma Pistol. 

How's the new Gold Pack Gifting feature working out for you? I'm told that over 50% of players have already gifted their special giftable Gold Packs. What are the rest of you waiting for? Please though, do not send them to us! We apprecaite your generosity and support but I assure you nobody here at 343 needs REQ Packs. Instead, pay it forward to the Community at large or to that lower-ranked person you matched up with (or against) in a playlist. 'Tis the season after all.

I can't really say anything of substance but yesterday we had a studio-wide presentation by Tim Longo, Halo Creative Director, on some super interesting topics pertaining to super secret future stuff. All I can say is that I left that meeting feeling very excited [me too - Grim].

Tashi and the HCS team also made some big announcements over the weekend regarding Halo World Championship 2017 and details for the next HCS Pro League season! There's a ton to be excited about from open LANs to the Dreamhack partnership to crowd-funded prize pools for every event. You can get caught up on all the news HERE, and a few folks have asked for a higher res version of the hot new HWC logo, which you can grab right HERE.

The road to HWC 2017 kicks off in a matter of weeks with the first open LAN qualifier taking place Jan. 20-22, 2017,  just outside St. Louis, MO. This kickoff event, in partnership with UGC, offers a $50,000 prize pool and will secure Halo World Championship qualifying spots to the top three finishers. FFA and Team Passes went on sale today (Dec. 16) and can be purchased HERE. 

Lastly, the next step on the road to HWC 2017 is finalizing the updated game settings for the new year. Tashi, Strongside, Quinn, and others across the team have been working closely behind the scenes with HCS pro players for a few weeks now to discuss and evaluate the most pressing feedback and suggestions to help make the 2017 season as fair, competitive, and entertaining as possible. The current plan is to roll out these proposed changes into a rebranded "Team Arena Preview" playlist as early as next week and I'll be posting full details as soon as I have them (and of course stay tuned to @HCS on Twitter for all your Halo Championship Series news!).

HALO WARS: DEFINITIVE EDITION

Halo Wars: Definitive Edition is an enhanced version of the real-time strategy classic, Halo Wars, offering an updated chance to go back to the early beginnings of the iconic war between the Covenant and UNSC and experience the epic saga in brand-new ways. Halo Wars: Definitive Edition has been rebuilt to be better than ever:

• Optimized to run natively on Xbox One and Windows 10
• Improved visual effects, graphics and audio
• Up to 4K resolution on Windows 10 PC
• Includes all DLC from the original game
• Brand-new achievements (see below!)
• Bonus Content

And here's a quick repost of the Halo Wars: DE FAQ we ran a few weeks ago:

Q: How do I get Halo Wars: Definitive Edition?

A: Halo Wars: Definitive Edition is part of the Halo Wars 2: Ultimate Edition, which also includes the Halo Wars 2 Season Pass.

Q: How do I get early access to Halo Wars: Definitive Edition?

A: Everyone who pre-orders the digital version of the Halo Wars 2: Ultimate Edition for Xbox One or Windows 10 will receive a token for Halo Wars: Definitive Edition. Tokens begin rolling out on Dec. 20, 2016 and will be sent in waves. You can order the digital version of the Halo Wars 2: Ultimate Edition from the Xbox Store, Windows Store, Xbox.com, or participating retailers.

Q: I pre-ordered a digital version of Halo Wars 2: Ultimate Edition. How do I get my Halo Wars: Definitive Edition code?

A: If you ordered from the Xbox Store, Windows Store, or Xbox.com, the code will be sent to your Xbox message center. Log into your Xbox One, the Xbox App on Windows 10 or Xbox.com to check your message center. Tokens will begin rolling out on Dec. 20, 2016. It may take 7 – 10 days to receive your token after pre-ordering Halo Wars 2: Ultimate Edition.

If you pre-ordered the digital version from a participating retailer, you should receive a token for Halo Wars 2: Ultimate Edition. Log into your Xbox account and enter that token.  Your Halo Wars: Definitive Edition token will be sent to that account within 7 – 10 days (starting Dec. 20, 2016).

Q: How do I redeem my Halo Wars: Definitive Edition token?

A: Check this page for how to enter tokens: Xbox.com/howtoredeem-console

If you haven't pre-ordered your copy of Halo Wars 2: Ultimate Edition there's still time to get in and secure your early access copy to Halo Wars: Definitive Edition!

Now I'm going to kick it over to Grim who's got some hot-off-the-presses info about those aforementioned brand-new Achievments coming to Halo Wars: Definitive Edition:

BELIEVE TO ACHIEVE

Thanks, ske7chpad! It might not be widely known, but your friendly neighborhood Grim is an unabashed Achievement enthusiast. The first time that initial bleep went bloop on my Xbox 360 (I believe while playing Tomb Raider: Legend), I was hooked. So for me, it’s an extra special pleasure to reveal the official Achievement list for the Halo Wars: Definitive Edition on the Xbox One and Windows 10 PC – and as you’ll see, it’s worth a grand total of 1,500 gs! You’ll see both old favorites and some brand-new ones thrown in the mix, all accompanied by some absolutely beautiful pieces of Achievement art, ready to adorn your content feed with gorgeous glory. So, while you remain eagerly ready for the sequel, let’s check out the checklist that will be keeping you busy until that day arrives.

HALO WARS: DEFINITIVE EDITION ACHIEVEMENTS - 1,500 GS

2 Bugs are Better Than 1 – Win a Skirmish Game with Dual Scarabs – 10gs

24 Hours of Quality – Play Halo Wars for at least 24 total hours – 20gs

A Means to an End – Completed Mission 13 on any difficulty – 10gs

Adjudicate the Arbiter – Complete the Campaign on Heroic Difficulty – 30gs

Alas, Poor Andrew Thomas – Collect your first Skull – 5gs

Backscratcher – Complete any Campaign Mission in Co-op Mode – 10gs

Basically Naïve – Win 10 Skirmish or Multiplayer Matches – 10gs

Battened Down the Hatches – Mission 11: Save all the Airlocks – 5gs

Beaming with Pride – Mission 13: Destroy 25 units with the Scarab – 5gs

Big Al's Scooter – Win a Heroic Skirmish Game against the AI un under 10 minutes – 10gs

Build for Success – Completed Mission 2 on any difficulty – 10gs

Covenant "Hot Drop" – Mission 3: Kill at least 5 Covenant Units with the Bridge.5gs

Crushed Colors – Improve your Score in any Campaign Mission – 10gs

Dancing with the Beam Queen – Completed Mission 7 on any difficulty – 10gs

Detour the Great Journey – Complete the Campaign on Legendary Difficulty – 50gs

Didn’t Get to Second Base – Mission 14: Don't claim an extra base – 5gs

Don't Stop Me Now – Win 40 Skirmish or Multiplayer Matches – 70gs

Drain Cleaner – Kill 20 enemy squads with a continuous Covenant Leader Power on Memorial Basin – 30gs

Empire Builder – Win a game in every Skirmish Game Mode – 5gs

Endless Fun – Mission 2: Destroy every Methane Tank – 5gs

Epic Grinder – Obtain a lifetime campaign Score over 1,000,000 – 40gs

Evacuation of the Fittest – Completed Mission 10 on any difficulty – 10gs

Everything's Better with Bacon – Mission 1: Ram 50 Grunts with Warthogs – 5gs

Forging a Way to History – Completed Mission 15 on any difficulty – 10gs

Freak on a Streak – Gain at least 15 population from a single wave in a Reinforcement game – 20gs

Gallivant around the Galaxy – Win a game on every Skirmish Map – 25gs

Graverobber – Collect all Skulls – 30gs

Great Form! – Completed Mission 6 on any difficulty – 10gs

Halo Academic – Unlock 20 Timeline Events – 15gs

Halo Historian – Unlock All Timeline Events – 40gs

Halo Undergraduate – Unlock a Timeline event – 5gs

Handy with Tools – Mission 12: Repair the Power Core in less than 4 minutes – 5gs

Hardly Tardy – Finish five missions under Par Time on Heroic difficulty – 10gs

He's Got the Jack – Mission 5: Jack 5 Covenant Vehicles – 5gs

High Class Escort – Completed Mission 4 on any difficulty – 10gs

KillJoy – Disrupt 5 active Leader Powers in a single game on Blood River – 20gs

Living Loving Bug – Get a Scarab during a Reinforcement game – 30gs

Lovely Bunch of Coconuts – Collect 8 Skulls – 15gs

Maximum Effort – Win 50 Skirmish or Multiplayer Matches – 90gs

Meet Sergeant Forge – Completed Mission 1 on any difficulty – 10gs

Micro Manager – Mission 7: Do not destroy any Power Node – 5gs

Momma's Boy – Get a Gold Medal on any mission – 5gs

Most Valuable Deck Hand – Completed Mission 11 on any difficulty – 10gs

Mr. Punctual – Finish all missions under Par Time on Heroic difficulty – 15gs

My Virtual Friends Love Me – Win a 3v3 Skirmish game with 2 AI Allies – 10gs

Never Leave a Man Behind – Finish a game with 5000 net resources contributed to your teammates on Memorial Basin – 15gs

Noob n0 M0r3 – Win a Public game on Xbox LIVE – 10gs

Officer on Deck – Win 20 Skirmish or Multiplayer Matches – 30gs

One and Done – Score the winning point in a game of Keepaway against Legendary AIs – 30gs

Own Worst Enemy – Get a Gold Medal with all Debuff Skulls Active – 20gs

Patience IS a Virtue – Completed Mission 5 on any difficulty – 10gs

Penny Pincher – Get a winning High Score with 10 or less Squads against the Heroic AI – 10gs

Playin' the Field – Win a Skirmish Game with every Leader – 15gs

Pull Hard, Pull Deep – Win and never trail in a Tug of War game – 20gs

Racing the Clock – Finish one mission under Par Time on Heroic difficulty – 5gs

Ramblin' Man – Mission 8: Use Elephants to train 100 infantry – 5gs

Ready for the Sequel – 100% Completion – 75gs

Rhino Hugger – Mission 6: Successfully protect every Rhino – 5gs

Running the Show – Win 30 Skirmish or Multiplayer Matches – 50gs

Saving the Parade – Completed Mission 8 on any difficulty – 10gs

She's my Fixer Upper – Completed Mission 12 on any difficulty – 10gs

Signed, Sealed, Delivered – Completed Mission 14 on any difficulty – 10gs

Smash and Grab – Completed Mission 3 on any difficulty – 10gs

So Lonely At the Top – Win and have the highest score in a Public Game on Xbox Live – 20gs

Soldier of Ares – Win 75 Skirmish or Multiplayer Matches – 110gs

Staving Off the Infection – Completed Mission 9 on any difficulty – 10gs

Sweet Naptime – Mission 9: Put every Colony in Hibernation Mode at the same time – 5gs

The Procrastinator – Mission 10: Disrupt all Tractor Beams – 5gs

The Real Winner – Mission 4: Save Adam – 5gs

Thinkin' About My Doorbell – Mission 15: Open the Doors in order – 5gs

Titan – Get 20,000 points in any Skirmish Game – 15gs

Tour Coming Through – Hot drop 50 squads to your Covenant Leader in a single game on Barrens – 30gs

Walk-off Winner – Use one of the 6 Major Leader Powers to destroy an enemy's last unit – 30gs

Wall of Recognition – Get a Gold Medal on every Campaign Mission – 30gs

Weapon of Zeus – Win 100 Skirmish or Multiplayer Matches – 130gs

That's all for me, and now, back to ske7chers with the weather. 

ABOUT THAT HELMET...

Since we've now offiically confirmed the existence of the incredible "OLIVE" helmet it only seems fair to also explain how you may someday acquire one of your own. Don't worry, while it was important to Tom and team to let Josh have first dibs as a small token of appreciation, this reward is actually designed to be bestowed upon everyone who wields Forge to make contributions to Halo 5.

Specifically, everyone who creates a map or mode that makes its way to Matchmaking will be granted the "Olive" helmet as a badge of honor and token of thanks. We will start manually granting these to Forgers with existing content in Matchmaking soon and then going forward, will issue the "Olive" helmet out as we ingest new Forge content into Halo 5's playlists. With Monitor's Bounty we've given you the power and tools necessary to reshape Halo 5 and make it your own. Now the burden is on us to get quicker and more efficient at helping amazing community-created content get into Matchmaking.

We'll talk more about the other secret helmet soon

More in Link, Cool Forge Stuff: https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/news/forge-on

Slade6alpha said: Okay Forza Horizon 3 has too much shit to do. I don't know how I'm supposed to clear all these exibitions and championships

You're not. The whole point will be to always have shite to do...