Halo 4 – Armor Abilities Strategy Guide

In Halo 4 Armor Abilities are custom attachments that enhance the power and ability of your armor manufactured by both the UNSC and Covenant Empire.  The armor abilities often upgrade a specific function or ability and even add a new abilities to your armor.  With armor abilities it allows players to improve survivability under enemy fire.  These abilities are introduced as the game progresses through the missions for every mission after the first.

There are Returning favorites from past Halo games as well as many new ones that we will go through below in detail.  Armor abilities are enabled through the loadout at the beginning of each match and in the campaigns there are multiple places where you can change the ability but you will start each mission with a specific ability.

 You can switch up your armor abilities to whatever matches your game play style and what works for you there is no one ability that you have to have all the time however hardlight shield, autosentry and promethean vision I find help in combat scenarios and multi-player.  You should try all combinations of armor abilities with your play style to figure out what works best,  you will also be interested in support upgrades and tactical packages in the multi-player which we will have a guide out for shortly.  In this guide we have listed out the basics of what each armor ability does and some strategy tips on how to use them. 

Unlocking Armor Abilities

Here is a list of Armor Abilities and at what rank they are unlocked.

Armor Ability Unlocked at Rank Promethean Vision SR-3 Thruster Pack SR-3 Hologram SR-6 Jet Pack SR-6 Active Camouflage SR-10 Hardlight shield SR-10 Autosentry SR-16 Regeneration Field SR-16

 

Active Camouflage Designation: T-3 Refraction Dissonance Modifier/Camouflage

 

 The active camo (camouflage) is acquired early on in the game (mission 2) and allows the ability to either fully camouflage the player or partly camo the player.  This works by using the refraction dissonance modifier that blends the light around the surface of an object essentially giving them an almost invisibility type ability.

However active Camo isn’t the perfect invisibility function, the camo depletes faster if you run or move around, so crouching or slowly walking is ideal for a prolonged period of time. If you stand still in one spot and don’t move then the active camo is more effective and great for sniping.  So when you moves faster, the camo will not entirely camouflage the player, but when not moving at all or moving slowly, the camouflage will cover the player completely.

AutoSentry Designation: Z-2500 Automated Protection Drone

 

 Autosentry is a small combat capable drone that basically functions as a turret on the battle field protecting the player.  This type of drone has been used in Halo before but in Halo 4 it is a little more mobile and powerful.  Combining an autosentry with firepower is a great way to make faster kills.  The autosentry is also great for being a decoy or in a defensive position, you can even self-destruct an autosentry inflicting damage to anything near by (remember the cool down period though from when you self-destruct to when you can deploy the autosentry again).  

Hardlight Shield Designation: Z-90 Photonic Coalescence Emitter/Argis

 

 As I mentioned above the Hardlight shield is a great defense tool functioning as a full sized Aegis class anitpersonnel defensive shield.  When the shield is activated a blue holographic type shield is activated in front of the player that will deflect damage from enemy weapons this is perfect for assisting in retreats and defending against direct frontal results.  The Hardlight shield is very hard for enemies to break but there are caveats to activating the shield.  For one when the shield is activated your movement slows and you are not able to use weapons  as well you are left vulnerable to rear attacks.

Hologram Designation: T-27 Responsive Holographic Form Emulator

 

 The Hologram is basically a hologram, when activated it produces a pretty close to identical copy of the player.  Holograms can move and when they reach a certain set destination they will stop.   This can be used as a decoy and can be used to trick enemies into revealing their positions and as they try and kill your hologram you can flank them,  this is a really good move for multi-player scenarios. 

There are however some caveats to hologram, the copies are not perfect, you will notice at times a small flicker in the hologram (and your enemies will to).    To tell if its a hologram we generally use a sniper rifle scope or just spray a bunch of shots from longer distance to watch for a flicker.  Holograms also don’t have a shadow so that is a pretty dead give away if you know what your looking for you can spot a hologram.. but in the midst of combat your not always going to spot these things.

Jet Pack Designation: Series 12 Single Operator Lift Apparatus

 

 The Jetpack is what they call an gravity mitigation device (anti gravity) affixed to the back of the player.  The jet pack allows you to fly and maneuver in the air allowing you to be way more mobile on the battlefield.  In Mission 5 the jet pack is required and demonstrates why the jet pack is so important in any combat scenario.

Jet packs can be used to locate low-lying enemies, it can also be great for scouting, hopping over ledges and other such terrain.

Promethean Vision Designation: Z-5080 Short Range Spectrum Augmenter Vision

 

 Aquired in Mission 4 Promethean vision is an awesome ability that allows you to detect shapes behind solid object such as walls at short distances.  Combined with the VISR 4.0 tech suite this is one of the best abilities on the field.    When using promethean vision try it in short bursts so you can recharge and use it more effectively.  Look for snipers, ambushers behind walls etc.

Regeneration Field Designation: M2705 Regenerative Kinetic Dispenser Field

 

 Regeneration Field is used primarily for War Games and Multi-player scenarios.  The first feature is the ability to emit a burst of shunting energy that forces allies or enemies away from the player.  The second feature is the Njolnir component stabilization system which recharges your allies combat visibility through short term reappropriation of specific power systems,  these allies must be within close range for this to take affect on them.

Thruster Pack Designation: M805X Forward Acceleration System – Fulcrum Mitigating

 

Thruster packs allow players to move very quickly through a combat field for a short period of time.  This armor ability will provide a quick burst of speed that propels the player forward.  The thruster packs are introduced in Mission 7 and are great for last second dodges.  Thruster packs can also be used in mid movement scenarios such as mid jump,  its a great way to get from point a to b quickly however thrusters have a long recharge period where it cannot be used once depleted.