Welcome back Spartans Troopers,

With the Banished now hitting shelves, it's time to look ahead, and we've got something special inbound. The fan-favourite Orbital Drop Shock Troopers are finally deploying into Halo: Flashpoint with the next expansion: Feet First Into Hell.

Lift the lid, and behind the stunning box art you’ll find everything you need to field the ODST: highly detailed plastic miniatures, a fresh expansion booklet titled Desperate Measures, an arsenal of new cards, themed ODST dice, a deluxe gaming board, and all the card terrain required to recreate the contested streets of New Mombasa right on your tabletop!

Plenty of you have already secured your pre-orders, but we know some of you are holding out for a bit of strategic  intel before making your move...

Well, we wouldn’t dream of standing between you and a full Orbital Drop of tabletop goodness…so it’s time to hand things over to the Rules Committee for a closer look at how the ODST operate in-game. Settle in for your briefing...things are about to get tactical.

Rules Committee ODST Overview

What are the first things you need to know about the ODST?

1. The ODST are cheaper than Spartans and players can easily field teams of 6-7 in 200pt games.
2. Their wide board presence from these extra miniatures makes them invaluable in objective-based missions.
3. They have decent ranged stats along with shorter movement across the board.
4. The ODST are more fragile than other units seen in Halo Flashpoint so far, so planning and timing your attacks carefully is important to get the best results from their fireteams.
5. The ODST can be used in mixed fireteams with Spartans, or as a pure ODST fireteam.

With those general points in mind, let's take a look at the new unit types available to UNSC players.

ODST Special Purpose Troopers

ODST Special Purpose Troopers are well-rounded and equipped for long-range, starting with either a M392 DMR or a BR55 Battle Rifle. Both of these weapons have Optics and can pack a punch, this coupled with Scout makes the Special Purpose Trooper a threat - especially for early-game strikes.

These are the cheapest of the ODST to field, allowing for 4 Special Purpose Troopers in under 100 points.

Buying them grenades works well - allowing them to indirectly fire and suppress to allow your other UNSC forces to move in for the kill.

ODST Air Assault ‘Bullfrogs’

ODST Air Assault ‘Bullfrogs’ are lethal combatants that excel at close-range, dropping in to eliminate targets and secure key objectives.

Bullfrogs have both Jump Pack and Acrobatic, as well as a Sprint stat of 3. This makes them particularly brutal in missions that reward for killing; they will earn extra points compared to other units due to Acrobatic. Bullfrogs begin with a Combat Knife and either an MA40 Assault Rifle or a M7S SMG.

The MA40 is a versatile weapon capable of reliable Rapid Fire, and Weight of Fire (2) helps both this and to strip shields easily. The SMG has Optics and Weight of Fire (2), so it’s useful for taking out unshielded models or even getting lucky kills from height on Spartans or Sangheili.

ODST ‘Firebreaks’

ODST Firebreaks carry heavy-duty weapons effective at close-range, starting with a Demo Charge in combat and either a M7057 Flamethrower or M90 Shotgun. These ODST are heavy-hitters to rely on for storming objectives, in King of The Hill and Extraction they are very useful for dropping in and clearing the area while in Slayer and Oddball they are useful for reliable strikes.

The M7057 brings the brand-new Incendiary keyword to Flashpoint, an area of effect attack that burns whole cubes at a time - great for clearing out busy cubes. The M90 Shotgun provides reliable Lethal (1) firepower for more precise attacks.

ODST Officers

The ODST 2nd Lieutenant has both Scout and Tactician, starting with a MA5K ‘Avenger’ Carbine. The MA5K has Weight of Fire (3) - making it incredibly useful to break shields early-game or go for lucky kills on low armour models.

The ODST Captain comes with higher Tactician and the M6C/SOCOM, a longer-range Optics weapon.

Both of these are invaluable to take in ODST fireteams for Tactician access, although they will be a priority target for your opponent so make sure to keep them safe!

Special Orders - Hot Drop

One of the most iconic features of the ODST, Hot Drop is a Special Order to allow them to drop precisely onto the board by passing a Ranged test - instead of respawning in the usual manner.

Alternatively, at the start of the game it can be used to allow multiple ODST to redeploy further onto the board.

This is an unrivalled tool for movement and to grab objectives quickly and efficiently. However, there are potentially lethal consequences to failing a Hot Drop roll so definitely make sure to use it at the right time!

Gear & List Building

Heavy weapons such as the Fuel Rod Gun, M41 SPNKR or the Plasma Launcher are all useful on ODST to boost their damage output. ODST Fireteams benefit from Command Dice upgrades, getting Hot Drop reliably and having spare Shoot Dice to use are both incredibly handy to augment your forces. You’ll want plenty of Tactician access for ODST Fireteams to maximise Hot Drop’s impact throughout the game.

UNSC Fireteams can mix between ODST and Spartans, allowing for greater list-building and flexibility within the faction. However, the ODST Captain cannot be taken with any Spartans that have Tactician: the enmity between high-ranking ODST and Spartans prevent this alliance, with the ODST resenting appearing weaker by comparison despite often holding a higher rank.

Deadeyes, CQBs and Brawlers all synergise well to boost the ODST’s killing power, while Zvevdas can provide a solid anchor for UNSC Fireteams.

A big thanks to the Rules Committee for their tactical deep dive into what the ODST bring to Halo: Flashpoint! It’s already got us rethinking our fireteam builds, and itching to deploy them against the Jiralhanae in the streets of New Mombasa...

How to Start Fielding the ODST in Halo Flashpoint

Stay sharp Trooper! A couple of points to note before you suit up. Feet First Into Hell is a full expansion for Halo: Flashpoint, so you’ll need a starter set to jump in. It also references some existing rules available through the Halo Flashpoint Web App, or the War Games booklet, or the downloadable War Games PDF.

The expansion is shipping this October, so if you’re brand new to the game—firstly, welcome aboard!—and secondly, you’ve got plenty of time to pick up a starter set and learn the ropes before the ODST...drop (pun absolutely intended).

Finally, let’s take another look at the box—it’s an absolute stunner and comes with free limited edition versions of Buck & Dare! If you haven’t locked in your copy from the first print run, just click HERE or on the image below to pre-order.

Want to look at all the contents in more detail? Just click HERE to check out our 'What's In The Box' blog.

We'll see you on the battlefield!