The Halo game franchise has been around for a decade now, but with each new release, many new things are added. The most recent release of the Halo franchise was Halo Reach, and one of the major additions to that game is the concept of Halo Reach Ranks.
In previous Halo games, a player was primarily identified by their level. In Halo Reach, the player is instead identified by their rank. These ranks start as common military ranks such as Private, Lietuenant, Captain, etc. About half way through the ranks list they change to more Halo specific rankings, such as Hero, Noble, Eclipse, Forerunner, Reclaimer, and the mighiest of them all, Inheritor.
In order to rank up in Halo Reach, all a player has to do is play the game. At the end of each match, you will earn credits based on your performance. As you gain more credits, your rank increases. While you can gain credits in Firefight and campaign modes, the fastest way to rank up is by playing competitive multiplayer, as that is where credits are given out most generously. Unlike in previous Halo games, where your level could increase based on whether you won or lost the game, ranks in Halo Reach only go up. You can never lose credits, and never lose your rank. The win/loss result of the multiplayer match also does not matter, as credits are based soley on individual performance.
So what do ranks actually do in Halo Reach? Well, the first thing they do is get you a cool new title, and a cool new icon next to your name. If you achieve a high rank, that icon next to your name will precede you into the room, and people will be intimidated by you as soon as you enter.
There are tangible bonuses to ranking up as well. The biggest of these is that certain armor types are only unlockable to you when you have a certain rank. When you earn credits, you can spend them to upgrade your armor and armor effects. However, many of the coolest helmets, shoulder pads, armor effects, etc are only available once you have unlocked them by reaching the necessary rank. For instance, the Haunted Helmet cannot be bought until you have the Inheritor rank.
One question that often comes up is whether or not spending credits on armor will make it take longer to rank up. The answer to that question is no. Your rank is based on the amount credits XP you have earned, not the amount you have, so it does not deduct the amount spent. That means that if you earn 1000 credits, and spend 500 of them, the credits that count towards your rank are still 1000, not 500.
Have fun ranking up in Halo Reach, you’ve got a long road ahead of you!
At the end of each match, you will earn credits towards your halo reach ranks. The more credits you have, the higher your rank. Attaining higher halo reach ranks gives you additional privileges not opened to those of lower ranks. Start playing now!
