Halo: Reach

Halo: Reach is the first game in the series to add sprint. As a speedrun, it has many tricks, but it is less popular than the main trilogy.

Halo Runs record page: http://www.haloruns.com/records?lb=500 (click the timestamps for video links)

Basic Techniques

Sprint and jumping

Unlike other games with sprint such as Call of Duty, in Reach your sprint meter continues to be used up if you jump while sprinting. This means that bunny-hopping is not useful as a sprint preservation technique. However, since jumping preserves some of your momentum, you can gain a little extra distance out of your sprint by jumping at near the end of a sprint. Testing shows this can save over a second for every 4 full sprints. http://pastebin.com/V5VruCH6

Noob Combo

Well known trick that consists in using an EMP for taking out the shields of any Elite and then switching to a Magnum or DMR to kill it with a headshot.

Cutscene Skips

Most of the cutscenes can be skiped by holding (Y) and (A) at the same time before they even start, that can save up to 2 secs per level in a Full Game Run.

Slide Jumping

This consists on keeping your vertical momentum (from jumping from a cliff or a normal jump) to gain more speed by jumping as soon as you land on a slope.

Grenade Jumping

As in some other shooters you can use a grenade explosion to gain extra height on a jump, something very useful when we talk about speedruns, can be used for skipping some triggers and also reaching some objectives. You can do this with almost any explosion in the game (Concussion Rifle, Vehicle Explosion, etc) you can try doing it with a Rocket or a Plasma nade but you will mostly die.

Box Launching

Similar to Halo 3, using an ammo crate (UNSC), a Gravity Hammer and a Grenade for launching, is a common trick used for jumptages and barely used in this game's speedrun. There are very few places where you can boxlaunch and save some seconds (this trick is more common in ILs).

Level Strategies

• Winter Contingency
• ONI: Sword Base
• Nightfall
• Tip of the Spear
• Long Night of Solace
• Exodus
• New Alexandria
• The Package
• The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Reach)
• Lone Wolf

Enemies

The enemies in Reach underwent a major change from the main trilogy. Elite ranks were reorganized. In addition, AI of other enemies behaves somewhat differently.

Elites

Major Elites in Reach are a red-orange color, not to be confused with the gold armor of Generals. When unshielded, they can sometimes withstand a melee.

White Elites (Ultras) in Reach are quite common, much more so than in Halo 2. They will occasionally use Armor Lock to tank explosions, such as grenades or needler supercombines. Unlike in Halo 2, they possess no sword pull ability, they will run and charge at you like any other Elite.

Gold Elites (Generals) in Reach have the strongest shields of any Elite (besides BOB), even stronger than Zealots. They are also fairly common. They are usually found wielding swords or heavy weapons (FRG/Plasma Launcher).

In Halo: Reach, Jetpack Elites (Rangers) were changed so they can no longer continuously fly. Instead, they perform extended jumps, much like Jump Pack Brutes. They have been seen using plasma repeaters, needle rifles, concussion rifles, and focus rifles.

The Invisible Elites in Reach are a cross between the Spec Ops and Stealth Elites in earlier games. They have a Spec Ops range of weaponry and the Stealth Elite's weaker shields and constant active camo.

In Reach, Zealots are changed to be a maroon/purple color. They appear on the levels Winter Contingency, Tip of the Spear, and The Pillar of Autumn (Halo: Reach). An extra-strong Zealot, the Field Marshal, is encountered on The Pillar of Autumn. He's noticeably faster and more responsive, and carries two weapons, fuel rod gun and energy sword respectively.

BOB Elites (Elite Rangers) can take an EMP without losing their shields. They can be seen in every level carrying concussion rifles or fuel rods. Not a big deal since they are rarely seen in a speedrun so don't worry about them too much

Other Enemies

In Halo: Reach, killing one Brute after another often triggers a chain reaction of berserking. Imagine the Brutes as operating in pairs, like the Hunters in Halo 2 and 3. Berserking Brutes will rush you in an unconvincing manner, compared to the fast moving ones in Halo 2 and 3.