Concept: A Covenant cruiser has put down for repairs over a Flood infested world. The Flood got on board, so now a Covenant strike force is sent in to neutralise the flood and repair the engines to get it safely away from the planet. This is a fairly self-contained multi-stage PvE gamemode with the possibility of some PvP via respawning constantly attacking Flood.

Arrival: The players are inserted via Spirit dropship into the cruiser's two hangars. Their immediate objective is to purge the cruiser of Flood and escort a team of Engineers (Huragok) to the engine room to start repairs. Once the Engineers are in position, players need to resecure the 5 points the Flood are entering the vessel: 4 breaches along the outer hull (the cruiser is grounded between some mountain peaks) and the gravlift.

Reinforcements: Periodically NPC Covenant squads or resupply drops can be called in via Spirit to reinforce one of the 4 hull breaches or the 2 landing bays. Dead players can respawn the same way (Spirit dropships) on a 1-5 minute timer. Depending on how well the situation is going, more powerful squads may be made available to help.

Repairs: Repairs will constantly tick upward, and periodically additional engineers will be made available to speed up the rate of repairs or replace dead engineers. Ship systems will gradually be repaired as well to help with the defenses (lights, power, airlocks, autosentries, defensive force fields). Eventually the gravlift controls will get repaired and the gravlift can be shut down (but not reactivated).

Hovering: When the engines get to 50% repaired the commander can choose to activate them to start the cruiser hovering in the air (the engines aren't repaired enough yet to escape though). Ordinary Flood combat forms and carriers will no longer be able to enter, but Flood fliers will still be able to get in (then morph into more dangerous forms). If/when the gravlift is shut down, any Covenant forces left on the planet are trapped there and players are instantly ghosted. Reinforcements and supply drops can no longer be called in to the outer hull breach points, and the planet effectively ceases to exist.

Escape: The slipspace engines can be activated to escape the system once repair reaches 100%, but if they're activated with any remaining Flood on board, the players instantly lose (because one Flood spore can destroy species!).

Concept: The players are specops elites who are dropped on a heavily fortified UNSC colony world with orders to assassinate a high ranking VIP (general or colonial governor). This is a quick PvE style mode with some possibilities for PvP.

Bonus objectives: There are some Spartan-IIs scattered around, and while they'll be tough if you can kill them you'll get bonus points.

Patrols: Marines and vehicles patrol around the area periodically, and if they're alerted they will spawn an endless amount of increasingly difficult UNSC forces to try to kill you so use stealth and avoid attention where possible.

Finishing: Stealth phantoms have snuck in to specific points on the map, and you should get to these to escape after you complete your objectives.

Concept: A crew of marines are stranded on a distant world infested with the Flood. They must survive for 5 days (full day/night cycle is 10-20 mins) until pelicans arrive to evac them. This is a nice easy, short PvE heavy mission with the possibility of some PvP via respawning Flood players.

Defenses: The crew spawn in a basic outdoors army camp with a few barricades spread around. There are portable barricades stashed which can be setup, along with basic MG turrets, autosentries, mines, other supplies and a broken down warthog. There is also a generator attached to some floodlights and an outer electric fence. Running the generator can provide lighting at night (more effective than flares), keep the autosentries firing and also power the electric fence but it runs on good old fashioned gasoline which has a limited supply.

Salvaging: The Flood attack in waves, and in between waves the marines should repair their defences, lick their wounds and salvage what they can from the surrounding wasteland. There are some crashed pelicans, supply drops and some intact vehicles (maybe even a tank!). Salvage items include weapons, ammunition, deployable defences (barricades, sandbags, 50cal turrets, autosentries), parts to repair the vehicles and electric fences, petrol, medical supplies, more mines etc. Make sure you get back to the safety of the base camp before the Flood return!

Escape: After 5 days, a pelican puts down in the middle of the camp and everyone has to get into it before it takes off. Better be quick as it will only stay 30 seconds.

Concept: A UNSC warship has discovered a massive Forerunner installation on a distant world, but as they approach the installation activates and a massive beam weapon malfunctions and destroys the ship. Luckily, many of the crew and marines managed to evacuate onto the surface of the planet and must now attempt to survive. This is a open world 3 faction gamemode similar to battlezone.

UNSC team: The marines are split up and crash landed on the surface of an alien world. They must regroup and survive the weather by finding shelter, weapons, gear and supplies (it could be freezing cold snow or burning hot desert). They can salvage supplies from crashed pelicans and lifepods, or go to specific pre-arranged supply drops sent in before the ship was destroyed. Eventually they find vehicles and make their way to one of the Forerunner buildings on the surface which gives them access to the massive underground facility.

Forerunner sentinels (2-6 players plus NPCs): One player is a monitor who controls the facility. The rest are AI which are able to jump around between sentinels and other defensive drones. They control factories which produce more sentinels and guard various terminals which control parts of the installation. One terminal controls the massive defensive beam weapon which, if accessed by the marines, can be disabled or fired on an approaching ship. Another terminal controls a radio jammer which can be disabled or used to jam other frequencies. The sentinels are not specifically hostile to the UNSC, depending on their objectives. There is also a control room which can switch all the sentinels and other automatic defences to be friendly/hostile to specific factions (win condition). The monitor starts with control of the beam weapon, but it takes some time to recharge and must be defended by whichever team wants to use it (it can also be destroyed by heavy weaponry or explosives). There is also a long range communications room which can summon a UNSC prowler into orbit which will send prowlers to specific points to evacuate them. If the monitor's mobile core is destroyed it is killed permanently, but the other AI can switch around when drone hosts are destroyed to stay in the game.

Antagonists (mainly NPCs but ghosts can join): The antagonist team is randomly chosen from 1 of 3 factions.

The first is a Covenant reclamation fleet which arrives and starts landing troops. Their objective is to "capture" the monitor, kill the humans and find activate the control room (requiring a human prisoner to do it for them). Player controlled Elites can lead small squads of troops. They have various landing sites on the surface and are hostile to the sentinels. The NPCs are fairly slow to progress and employ a systematic and predictable search pattern. The Forerunner team can choose to help or hinder the UNSC, but are permanently hostile to the Covenant loyalists. Player controlled Elites can choose to rebel from the Covenant (along with any NPC squads they lead) and become heretics which are friendly to the Forerunner AIs.

The main objective of the Covenant Heretics is to eliminate or convert all the loyalist Covenant (aka SS13 rev mode) and they are expected to follow the directions of the Forerunner AI, but attempting to activate the control room will turn the Forerunner AI hostile to them (and is a side objective). They are free to sabotage the UNSC to prevent them from achieving their objectives.

The second faction is the Flood, which can be released either by accident by the Marines or intentionally by a rampant Monitor (who assists the Flood). The Monitor goes rampant if the Marines interfere with the facility too much (press too many buttons, attack sentinels etc), or if he is still stable when the Flood is released the Flood can capture it and force it to help them. Sentinel players can choose to aid either the Monitor or the marines. If they rebel against the Monitor, they lose some access to Forerunner systems (but not all). To win, the UNSC/Forerunners must find and destroy the Gravemind. The Flood must consume all humans and infest the control room (take and hold for a specific amount of time).

The third faction are led by a Promethean awakened from void-stasis accidentally by exploring marines. He activates a force of Promethean Knights as his devoted soliders. I haven't played Halo 4 or 5 so I'm not so familiar with the mechanics and objectives of this faction, but I'd imagine they want to "convert" all the humans and take control of the Forerunner AI on the installation (having gained independence over the millenia somehow).

Win/end round conditions: Due to the complex and variable nature of the gamemode, there are a few different ways to end the round depending on the factions and how things progress. All factions aim to take control of the control room and activate it to their side, but have to do it in different ways and have slightly different effects. Factions can also change relations to each other depending on player actions. In rare circumstances, multiple antagonist factions can spawn into a round for bonus fun.

UNSC objectives: If the Forerunner AI are hostile, they are expected to become neutral and possibly friendly when the UNSC activate the control room. If there is a Covenant fleet in orbit they must be destroyed before evacuation can be called. The Covenant fleet can be destroyed by the beam weapon (requires time to charge up and can be destroyed, but is instant once it activates) or a sentinel fleet can be dispatched to destroy them from the control room (begins instantly, but takes time).

If the monitor is rampant, the other AI are expected to help the humans destroy it however their assistance will be limited (destroying the monitor requires an explosive trap or rare UNSC/Covenant heavy weaponry). If there are any hostile factions left, they need to defeat their leader/HQ then summon a prowler to evacuate. If they mange to evacuate the round ends early and all remaining objectives for all factions are failed, but if there are no hostile mobs left when they activate the control room they also win.

Covenant Loyalist objectives: Activate the control room with a captured human (requires leaving a human alive) AND THEN to kill all the humans. If all humans die without activating the control room, they still achieve a minor victory. Capturing the Monitor is a side objective (requires special EMP weaponry) but player controlled Elites can choose to become loyal to the Monitor thus turning into Heretics. Some roleplay expected to become Heretics, and heretic Elites can pretend to be loyalist although specific actions will turn the loyalist NPCs hostile to them. Any NPC squads commanded by the player Elites will become heretics along with them.

Covenant Heretic objectives: The Monitor is invulnerable to most Covenant weaponry, but can still be captured by the Loyalists so preventing this is your main objective. Your secondary objective is to destroy the Covenant fleet, kill the Covenant and kill the humans/sneakily override the AI by activating the control room, but you're also expected to be (at least superficially) loyal to the Forerunner AI. The AI may interfere with your attempts to kill the humans so you will need to be stealthy. It's likely you'll be heavily outnumbered and hostile to most factions though, so stealth is recommended anyway.

Flood objectives: Main objective is to get on board a ship and escape the system (instant round end). They can either take control of a Covenant grav lift (starts a victory count down as they infest the ship and prepare to fly it out of the system) or summon a UNSC prowler, get on board a pelican then get to the prowler which starts the same round end countdown to escape the system. Once the timer starts all other players will be notified, and they can make a last ditch attempt to destroy the ship via the beam weapon or a sentinel fleet.

Promethean objectives: Turn humans into more Prometheans. Destroy Covenant/any ships in orbit (Covenant or human). Activate control room to gain control of the other Forerunner AI.

Final notes: This round is fairly complex and relies on a lot of different mechanics and factions. It will probably be one of the last gamemodes to be looked at due to the amount of work involved.

Concept: The players are an unnamed/fictional company of Spartan-IIIs (Charlie company?) Their mission is to infiltrate and decommission a vital Covenant facility with extreme prejudice. Acceptable casualty level: 100%. A small number of players can optionally choose to play as Elites defending the facility.

Covenant defenders: The facility and objective is randomly generated from various preset possibilities, but it will always involve blowing up some vital piece/s of machinery. If there are any player Elites they can command a small squad of Covenant (perhaps with vehicle support) and optionally setup deployable defences. Over time, more NPC defenders will spawn making this a timed mission so the defenders should aim to delay the attackers from reaching the objective.

Extraction: Although none of the S3s are expected to survive, a small number of exfiltration craft (Calypso stealth shuttles) have been inserted into the area and will activate once enough of the objectives have been completed. Escaping is optional (and the Covenant can hunt down and destroy the exfiltration craft) but each S3 that escapes gives their side a score boost at the end.

We had a lil strategy meeting tonight and we're down to the last few items before the official public launch: mapping in the hangars into the cruiser and Insurrection asteroid base and coding in system-wide sensors. There's also a bunch of other features which may make it in (like NPC ships and ship turrets) but at this stage are more likely to get delayed into the weeks or months post-launch.

I don't wanna put a date on it but we're looking at late next week for the earliest and probably a fortnight or so on the outside.

Concept: This mode is a Covenant variant of the "Price of Power" mode. The players are divided up into teams of 1-6 players which each crew a basic small civilian ship, with the option of either being all-Jackal or all-Yonhet. The objective is to accumulate a certain amount of "favour" with the local Covenant ministry by the end of the round. Jackals have slight bonus to combat while Yonhet have slight bonus to reputation and artifact hunting (I'm trying to think of other races players can pick from but allowing Brutes or Elites doesn't seem quite lore correct OR balanced).

Earning money: While possible to trade, mine, pirate and smuggle to earn currency the currency is only a means to an end allowing players to purchase better ships and gear. It's expected a significant amount of time while be spent earning currency in order to make it easier to gain favour. "Illegal" actions can earn currency, gear and artifacts quite quickly, but being caught can result in a loss of favour as well as progress (if you escape with your life!).

Earning favour: Donating supplies to the ministry, turning in artifacts or hunting down humans/heretics. From time to time, the UNSC will send scouting missions (1-3 warships) which players can either run and hide (safe but time wasting) or assist to defeat in order to earn salvage and favour. The main way to earn favour however will be carrying out a treasure hunt through various Forerunner relic sites around the system.

Concept: The players are split up into small teams of 1-6 and each assigned as crew to a civilian trader, with one person appointed captain and another as the first mate to take over in case of the captain's untimely death. The objective is for each team of traders to accumulate a particular amount of credits (1 billion, 500 million or something) by the end of the round (2 hours). Each ship starts out as a basic small unarmed civilian vessel, but it can be traded in for successively larger and more specialised ships depending on what the crew wants to focus on. One crew spawns as an ONI crew on a prowler tasked with enforcing the law in the sector.

Ways to earn money: Trading in goods, mining, hunting Forerunner relics, smuggling, joining the Insurrection or doing mercenary work (bounty hunting, pirate hunting, fighting Insurrectionist, fighting invading Covenant). Players start out with just enough credits to buy starter gear for some of those specialised occupations above, but many occupations require specific permits (or are illegal) and the players must be prepared to fight or hide from NPC police (fairly weak and easy) or the ONI prowler (well equipped players who are enforcing the law).

PC Antagonists: One team are not civilians however, they spawn as ONI agents flying around a prowler and their mission is to simply hunt baddies and police the sector. Some civilians on other crews may even spawn as ONI infiltrators simply to keep an eye on things. They are NOT directly competing with the other players, but they will definitely cause them grief or outright shut them down if they are acting illegally/illicitly. ONI will be able to stop and search ships for contraband, inspect licences/permits and outright go into combat with some elements like pirates or the Insurrection.

Random events: Covenant may invade the system which will require all the players to run and hide (safe but you lose valuable money earning time) or join the fight (risky but potential rewards and gear via salvage). Pirates periodically prey on shipping and the Insurrection will be launching terrorist attacks against static installations and UNSC targets. Some NPCs will also offer randomly generated missions such as bounties, smuggling runs or even Insurrection/pirate recruiters. All anyone has to go to get involved with the darker side of the market should lurk in seedy bars and build up a reliable network of contacts.

Concept: The player's UNSC ship is sent to relieve the invasion of an outer rim colony world. No-one knows why the Covenant are invading this world instead of glassing it, so as well as assisting with the evacuation/defence one of your objectives is to find out why.

UNSC Warship: This ship is player controlled and crewed, and most of the players on the server get placed in this team. The players have the choice of flying around the system to pick up human reinforcements and supplies to drop off at the invaded colony as well as intercept Covenant ships as they jump into the system to try and destroy them before they can reinforce the Covenant ground forces on the planet. At critical junctures, the ship can also provide limited space to ground fire support (via it's MAC cannon) as well as drop in small teams of player Marines to join the fighting. Dead crew can respawn with the reinforcing marines as the player ship picks them up. UNSC forces on the ground will be gradually marshalling groups of civilians into the city's main space ports, so one of your objectives will be to evacuate them safely out of the system.

UNSC colonial defence forces: A small number of players (2-4) play as high ranking UNSC Marine officers and control groups of NPC marines who are tasked with defending the colony. Each player gets a small force (maybe 5-15 NPC marines) along with some vehicles and aircraft which they can use to defend human cities and army bases, or to attack Covenant bases and Forerunner installations unearthed by the invading Covenant. When a Covenant ship is in orbit they can also counterattack up the gravlift to board and try to destroy it, if they think it is worth the risk. Remember that your primary objective is to evacuate as many civilians as possible, but discovering what the Covenant are searching for before they do may be enough to change the whole course of the war...

Alternative to the above: Instead of playing UNSC officers, these players could be Spartans. They get significantly better gear and stats but aren't able to command any NPC troops. When the Spartans die, they respawn as a Marine Officer and can attempt to retrieve the "unconscious/MIA" Spartan o7

Covenant Relic Hunters: A similar number of players (3-6) control Sangheili who lead small but deadly spec-ops combat teams to search for Forerunner relics on the planet. The human pests are just a distraction for your mission so there will be plenty of NPC Covenant soldiers and vehicles attacking the UNSC to keep them distracted. To aid in your mission, you'll periodically be able to request they launch diversionary attacks against specific targets such as lightly defended civilian population centres... (or heavily fortified UNSC army bases, it's all the same to you).

At the start of the round, the Relic Hunters are given a clue about where to find the first installation. The rest of the round proceeds like a treasure hunt where each Forerunner installations they unearth gives them more clues toward the ultimate prize. What is it though, a map to one of the Halos? An opening to the interior of a shield world? An undamaged dreadnought? A functional Oracle? A living Forerunner? A Cryptum? A hideous and sentient bioweapon? Who knows! (randomly picked from one of those and other possibilities). Remember though, the humans are just a distraction and are ultimately meaningless to your final goal, but that prize might have horrific guardians of its own...

Concept: Two player controlled ships and their crew are set to battle to the death in a remote star system. They're all alone and far from any aid but this much is clear... Two starships enter, one starship leaves!

Teams/factions: The players are split into 2 teams, one Covenant and one UNSC. At the start of the round all players vote to choose what type of ship the teams get with both sides getting the same ship type, but each faction's ship being asymetrically balanced. The three ships are corvette, frigate, cruiser. The corvette is small, weak, fast and maneuvrable but carries virtually no fighters while the cruiser is large, well armed and armoured and carries a very large complement of fighters. Covenant ships and vehicles tend to be faster and more maneuvrable, their weaponry uses energy and they have plenty of shields but virtually no armour. UNSC ships and vehicles use munitions and fuel (requiring regular resupply and rearming) and have tons of effective armour to compensate for lack of shields.

Objectives: Destroy the opposing ship by any means. Board it to kill the crew and sabotage it from the inside and employ squadrons of fighters to help screen your ship and get inside their guns.

Unique UNSC stuff: the shipboard MAC cannon is extremely fast, accurate and powerful, but takes a long time to charge and by itself won't take down the shields from full. Undetectable nuclear mines can be deployed for sneaky counterattack. Fast tracking Archer missiles can be effective for disabling a fast moving enemy ship while starburst flak cannons provide a wall of effective anti-fighter fire.

Unique Covenant stuff: plasma torpedoes are slow to charge and slow moving once fired, but provided with limited tracking and extremely deadly. Unleash them at closer range or if you know the enemy has limited maneuvrability. Your shields aren't as effective as the UNSC armour plating shot for shot, but can recharge if you are given any breathing room. If your shields are low and you're unable to shake the UNSC ship, activate an in-system jump to quickly get away but be warned it has a very long cooldown.