Halo: Flashpoint Faction Focus – The UNSC

Welcome to Halo: Flashpoint - the game of tactical, fast-paced, and lethal skirmishes in the Halo universe.

With the first two factions now fleshing out nicely, today we're meeting the UNSC - the first and only line of defence for the human race in a dangerous time...

Who are the UNSC?

The United Nations Space Command (UNSC) is the military arm of humanity’s unified government, responsible for the protection and expansion of human-controlled space. Its forces include conventional Marine units, elite Orbital Drop Shock Troopers and a powerful navy, operating as a coordinated war machine across multiple fronts.

First to Fight - the UNSC Marine Corps

'First to Fight' is the motto of the UNSC Marine Corps, although in the case of Halo: Flashpoint...the Spartans and ODST beat them to it! However, their much-anticipated arrival into the game is a very big deal - providing the faction with conventional infantry that mobilise helpful weapons and keyword abilities to where you need them around the combat zone.

Beyond Basic Training

Alongside marines with a more standard loadout, their new boxed expansion also includes fellow troops with powerful weapons like the M41 SPNKr or S7 Sniper Rifle, specialists with the Medic keyword (a free Auxiliary action that removes 1 lost wound from a friendly model in the same cube), radio operators with Comms Relay (see below), and a Corporal with Tactician (1).

Comms Relay is a new keyword that represents the enhanced co-ordination of your forces, and you'll also find your opponents start looking for ways to take down/snipe your communications specialists - which feels very tactical and thematic!

"A model with this Keyword generates a free Special Order at the start of any Round if it is on the board. This can be spent during any activation by a friendly non-Legend model to trigger a friendly Special Order. At the end of the Round, any unspent tokens are removed."

What are Support Units?

Marines are also 'Support units'. Units with the new Support keyword have a few important features:

• Only half of your overall Fireteam (by number of models) can be made of units with the Support keyword.
• They are worth zero Victory Points for scoring.
• Less proficient with long-range weaponry, so firing anything with a range of 5 or more counts as a long action.
• Generally smaller minis, so you can include an extra Support unit when counting whether a cube is full.

New Special Order Preview

Also, the UNSC Marines come with two new faction Special Orders. Here's one of them - 'Target Acquired':

Feet First Into Hell - the ODST

Deploying to combat hot zones via hazardous Orbital Drops, the ODST have more than earned their moniker of 'the Helljumpers'. Among their ranks, you'll find a well rounded mix - which can be deployed as part of the wider UNSC faction, or by themselves as a specialist detachment.

The main things to know about the ODST during gameplay are:

1. You can easily field teams of 6-7 in a standard 200pt games.
2. This wide board presence makes them invaluable in objective-based missions.
3. They balance decent ranged stats against generally shorter movement across the board.
4. Being more fragile than Spartans, target selection and the timing of those attacks is important.
5. The ODST can be used in mixed fireteams with Spartans and Marines, or as a pure ODST fireteam.

What's Changed for the ODST in Halo: Flashpoint 1.5?

Not much! The ODST are already a very well-balanced part of the faction. The one exception is a wording update to their Special Order card, which needed a few refinements based up a very large number of games now played and some excellent player feedback:

Hot Drop is a special order that can be applied to any ODST, and in the v1.5 rebalanced version:

1. Hot Drop is now treated as an Advance rather than Auxiliary action.
2. You no longer risk scattering off the board during a Hot Drop, you simply re-roll the scatter.
3. The order may not be used to intentionally land within the enemy deployment zone.

As a reminder - you can get all of the updated cards either FREE with the updated 1.5 rulebook (HERE - free with first print run only) or for purchase as an affordable separate deck that covers every updated card in the game (HERE).

Spartans Never Die

Spartans are tough, fast, and excellent warriors - as you'd expect from their legendary status within the Halo universe! From the modern Spartan-IV's, to legendary Spartan-II's like John-117 and Jorge-052, they pack a serious punch on the tabletop.

They also come in a wide variety of variants, from Brawlers to Zvezdas, Deadeyes, Mark VII's and more. And with all that variety, it's important to make sure that they stack up both characterfully and fairly against everyone else!

What's Changed for Spartans in Halo: Flashpoint 1.5?

This is the part of the list that's seen the most tweaks. Getting updates are two of the starter set Spartans, plus those introduced in Fireteam Cerberus and Fireteam Grizzly (who originally appeared in the War Games expansion), which tidies some elements while leaning appropriately into their individual specialisations:

• Brawler Spartans: replace Spartan Fists with M11 Combat Knife
• Zvezda Spartans: gain Tactician (1)
• Gungnir Spartans: remove Tactician (1)
• JFO Spartans: change to Tactician (2)
• HAZOP Spartans: change Flight to Jump Pack
• CQB Spartans: change speed to 2/3

Additionally, Master Chief's 'One Many Army' special order has been simply too powerful in many situations, and is being replaced with a new card: 'Finish the Fight'. This is an equally characterful order that channels those classic moments where Master Chief finds an extra burst of strength, skill and energy to power through even the most brutal combat situations. We definitely think you're going to like it, so keep those eyes peeled...

As mentioned above, you can get all of the updated cards either FREE with the updated 1.5 rulebook (HERE - free with first print run only) or for purchase as an affordable separate deck that covers every updated card in the game (HERE).

Available To Order Now - UNSC Marines

For UNSC players everywhere, the new Marines set is going to add lots of fresh list-building opportunities to your gaming! If you haven't already, be sure to check it out among the latest releases.

And if this is just the start of your UNSC career, (firstly - a big welcome), there's now a recommended bundle that's the best place for you to start.

With this combination, you'll be quickly up and running with the latest rulebook and cards, the ODST faction box (Feet First Into Hell), which includes 3D faction-themed terrain plus all the dice and tokens you'll need. Plus, it includes Fireteam Grizzly and the Master Chief - so you'll have a full spread of Spartans, Marines and ODSTs to command!

Coming Soon

During the next two weeks, you can look forward to lots more deep dives into some of the most exciting aspects of the game:

• Overview: Starting Halo Flashpoint in 2026
• Learning the Game: How to Play Recap
• The Heroes and Villains of Halo: Flashpoint

And VERY excitingly:

• Video Battle Report: the latest forces go head-to-head

So while you wait - set the battlefield up, dive back into the Halo Universe, and invite your friends round for an evening of fast, furious Halo: Flashpoint action!