Halo: Flashpoint – The Game You Love, Just Better!

Over the last 18 months, Halo: Flashpoint has grown into one of the fastest growing and most approachable skirmish games out there.

With the upcoming release of the Grunts, Jackals, and UNSC Marines, we thought it was the perfect time to take a look at all we've learned, and pull it together in one shiny new book. Oh, and we've future proofed it too! 😉

What is Halo: Flashpoint 1.5?

Halo: Flashpoint 1.5 will be a compendium of all the core rules and key words created since the initial launch, plus things tidied up in FAQs, alongside a future-proofed balance update, all pulled together in one book! It incorporates a bunch of small changes to create a more fun, fair experience for all players– novice and veteran alike. It will release in early September, alongside the Reinforcement packs.

Firstly, we have not changed any major rules. This is Halo: Flashpoint as you love it, just rebalanced, tweaked and all the core rules pulled together in one book.

And you’ll feel the changes in:

• better balance between units
• cleaner, more consistent keywords
• more viable choices when building Fireteams

We also want to make it easier to dive into. So for the first time, we now have a rulebook pack (with extra terrain and tokens) available independently, outside of a big box starter set. It's ideal for rules curious players to have a look and see why tabletop Halo is growing at such a rate.

As an added bonus, we’re bringing the Fireteam construction rules from the old War Games expansion into the main rulebook, removing the need to buy another product before you start building your dream loadout.

Getting Up to Date

For everyone already playing, don’t worry: we’ve made sure you don’t need to go back and start again!

In summary:

• Keywords are all up-to-date and collected in the new rulebook, which also amalgamates the main rules from all the releases over the past 18 months, and clarifications from FAQs and errata.
• These rules are also free on the Halo Index Web App, so if you need to check anything just pop over there for the definitive answer.
• Most cards are unchanged and remain fully valid for play.
• The cards for the updated Unit Profiles are clearly marked, so you can easily see which cards are new.
• A full Changelog and the card details will be released online alongside the new rulebook, via the Halo Index Web App.
• Which means you could simply update your cards with a pen, but that’s hardly a Mantic solution…!

So, to get the updated cards for FREE:

• Updated physical card decks are available for FREE with the first print run of the new Game Rulebook Pack – available from FLGS’s and online, and launching in early September. This pack also contains extra tokens, great if yours have been heavily battle damaged from lots of use, and some cool bonus card terrain.

Or…

• Get the new Rulebook Pack AND the Updated Cards both for FREE with the Zeta Halo All-In Releases Bundle – getting all the latest sets with 1-click, and updating anything that needs it for free! It's our way of saying thank you for being a Halo: Flashpoint fan!

Finally...

The last 18 months has seen Halo: Flashpoint evolve from a big-box Spartan vs Spartan set, to a rapidly growing, global wargame set in the Halo Universe, with a slick, fast ruleset and a detailed range of miniatures.

The Banished and Marine Reinforcement sets really flesh out the first two factions – from Atriox and Master Chief, right down to the support units that die bravely in their droves around them. At the same time, we've taken the opportunity to rebalance and clarify the rules of the game, to allow Halo: Flashpoint to continue to grow and flourish in the years ahead. We hope you like what we have done.

We would like to finish with a big thank you to the whole Halo: Flashpoint community, the Rules Committee, playtesters, friendly local game stores, everyone who has given their feedback on both new miniatures and rules updates, and of course the team at Halo Studios who have given us all a truly fantastic universe to play in, and a great game to play with.

Balance Update FAQ

Finally, below is a quick FAQ that we hope will clear up any questions you may have about this exciting update.

Is this a new edition?
No. It’s a slightly larger balance update for the current game – all your miniatures, all your terrain/accessories, and most of your cards remain unchanged!

Do I need to buy anything?
Not if you don’t want to. The latest core rules and points are available online for free on the Halo Index Web App, all purchased Rulebook PDFs will be automatically updated to the 1.5 version for you to redownload at no further cost (and we have a special offer on those HERE right now) and we’ll share details of card changes alongside the rulebook release, so you can amend your existing cards manually if you prefer.

What about my current cards?
Most cards are unchanged and remain fully valid for competitive play. Updated cards are clearly marked and listed, so you'll be able to easily see what’s new. Plus, a full Changelog and card details will be released alongside the updated rulebook.

Are there New Product Boxes?
Yes. From September onwards, all new products and reprints will have a 1.5 badge on the front, showing they contain the new cards and rules.

What’s happening to War Games?
The Fireteam building rules are now part of the main rulebook for everyone, rather than locked into a (UNSC-specific) expansion. So while the War Games Set won’t be reprinted itself, going forward all the miniatures from that set will still continue in the new 'Fireteam Grizzly'.

Are more major updates planned like this?
No. This is a single pass of card updates to refine and future-proof the game. With these updates, and new sets designed for v1.5 from release, any future tweaks can afford to be very minor. We’ve accounted for the next few years’ worth of planned game development in what’s being updated here. *Hint, hint* 😉

What does this mean for Organised Play?
A more balanced ruleset makes for stronger, fairer games across events that will give lots more people the opportunity to enjoy OP, which is growing rapidly across the world.

Find a gaming event near you HERE, or start your own with the latest Organised Play kits HERE.  We will have more information on Season 2 in the future, including ways we're evolving the competitive game to welcome even more new players to Halo: Flashpoint.