But when it comes to science fiction FPS titles, Halo is the one we all recognize. And The Master Chief Collection is brilliant – offering a compilation of the first 6 games in one convenient package. Mods have allowed gamers to get even more out of these titles, adding in loads of new content and custom gameplay features. Well here are some of the best ones to try for Halo MCC.
20. Fox Mod – Skip 343 intro
Check Out This Mod Now if you’re anything like me, you open up a game and simply want to get straight into it. In the age of SSD’s, loading time is usually no longer an issue – but what’s annoying is when you startup a game and you’re forced to sit through loads of intro videos, which feels like forever before you even reach that main menu. Modder ShiroFox makes it simple by removing that completely. With his mod installed, running Halo: The Master Chief Collection will now skip the 343 intro, allowing you to get into the game much quicker.
19. Halo Reach – Ultimate Audio Overhaul
Check Out This Mod The MCC games were actually praised for making the games look and sound much better than the originals. But it appears not all games received the same amount of attention. Halo: Reach was a much newer game relative to most in the collection, and wasn’t given the same audio upgrades as the older titles. Lucky for us, modder imperiousMarxist2 had different plans – sharing his own audio overhaul mod for the game. This Halo Reach – Ultimate Audio Overhaul mod replaces most sounds in the game including weapon fire, reload, foley, and footsteps, all with his very own custom-mixed audio files.
18. All Character Customizations Unlocked
Check Out This Mod We all love character customization. It’s amazing how much time you can burn just looking at all the different noses your character can have. Halo might not have the same level of variety when it comes to cosmetics, but it’s always nice to have additional options. Unfortunately, many of the cosmetics in Halo are unlockables which you’ll earn as you progress through the game. But if you want to get that cosmetics closet open to you earlier, just install this mod and unlock everything.
17. Helmet Visor Overlay
Check Out This Mod This is a truly original mod idea. And if immersion is what you’re after – this one could work very well to that effect. The Helmet Visor Overlay Mod increases immersion by making you feel as though you’re actually wearing the helmet, much like they introduced in Halo 4. It adds overlays to make it appear as though you’re seeing the world through your helmet visor, even giving different design options to choose from. Some might think it’s too obstructive, but I suggest you give it a try and see for yourself.
16. Halo Reach Third Person Campaign
Check Out This Mod Shifting perspectives is always an interesting idea in video games, as long as it’s done right. And Halo: Reach in the third person is definitely interesting. This mod is surprisingly polished, almost to the point that it feels like it was actually the intended perspective of the game. And it’s a blast if I do say so myself.
15. Halo 2 Anniversary RTX
Check Out This Mod The version of Halo 2 included in The Master Chief Collection was already the Anniversary edition, which means you’re already getting a remastered version of the game. While the remaster already does look great (especially compared to the original), it’s still one of the more dated games in the compilation. If you’re looking to enhance the visuals even further, I recommend giving Halo 2 Anniversary RTX a try. The mod is actually a ReShade preset inspired by RTX technology, utilizing a total of 22 effects that help the visuals really come to life.
14. Unearthed – Hunter Firefight – No Visual Bugs
Check Out This Mod We encounter unique NPCs in mostly all games, whether they’re allies that are simply way cooler than the MC, or enemies that are just crazy powerful and would be a blast to play as. Well Kamaitachi96’s Hunter mod lets you do exactly that – making the hunter available for use in the Firefight map Unearthed. While there are other mods that do the same thing, this one claims to have removed all the visual bugs when using playing as a hunter, making it worth the download.
13. Guta FireFight Mod
Check Out This Mod Gutas are some of the scariest creatures you’ll encounter in Halo. They’re gigantic beasts that stomp the ground around them, basically destroying anything and everything that gets in their way. What could be more fun than adding even more of them, right? Guta FireFight is a modification of the Beachhead map for Firefight, where nothing else spawns other than Gutas. As the modder himself warns:
12. Halo Reach – Ultimate Forge World
Check Out This Mod The Forge has always been one of the most fun Halo features, giving you a sandbox where you could virtually spawn anything you want. One of the biggest things lacking from the Forge was that many of the vehicles were not included. Modder RejectedShotgun fixes this, as he explains himself that his desire to fly pelicans and shoot the Scarab Gun never died. The mod adds tons of campaign content to the Forge including the Scarab Gun, Missile Launcher, Pelican, Phantom, Spirit, and loads of other vehicles to play around with.
11. The Covenant Mod Series – Fallen Corvette V1.0
Check Out This Mod Elites are some of the most powerful beings in the Halo universe. And this mod lets you play as one. With The Fallen Corvette, you play as the last remaining Covenant Elites taking on hordes of UNSC troops trying to take your ship. As an Elite, you’ll have access to a host of new abilities including a powerful melee attack, access to powerful Covenant weapons, and even dual-wield weapons – which is always good fun. What makes this mod even more exciting is that it all takes place on a Corvette, which happens to be falling out of the sky as well.
10. Extinction – Massive Vehicle Combat
Check Out This Mod While Halo does make for some intense combat, large-scale vehicular combat was just never really a possibility. Until Extinction was introduced. This mod map gives players a huge open playing field, as well as access to drivable Scarabs and flyable Longswords, Pelicans, Phantoms, and much more to mess around with. If you’re looking for some epic large-scale battles, this is the mod to get.
9. Halo Reach Campaign With Master Chief (Ft Voice Of Steve Downes)
Check Out This Mod In Halo: Reach, you originally take control of Noble Six, a member of an elite supersoldier squad. This mod reimagines the entire Halo: Reach campaign, where you play as Master Chief instead. You’ll be able to simulate playing as Master Chief since the mod includes all Noble Six’s voice acting with Master Chief lines instead. What’s even better is that all of Master Chief’s lines are fully voiced by Steve Downes himself, making it much more believable.
8. Halo 3 Swords of Sangheilos
Check Out This Mod Alternate reality mods are always interesting. Halo 3 Swords of Sanghelios reimagines Halo 3 as though the Swords of Sanghelios existed during the timeline of the campaign. In this mod, you play as an elite named N’tho ‘Sraom and will have grunts, other elites, and hunters as allies throughout your playthrough. The mod introduces a few new weapons for you to play with as well.
7. Halo 3 ODST Fireteam Campaign
Check Out This Mod In yet another alternate universe add-on, the story of Halo 3 ODST Fireteam takes place. Here the spartan program never really existed. And instead Master Chief, Arbiter, Johnson, and some other marines became some of the best ODST’s in the United Nations Space Command. It’s an original idea. And the modder obviously took the time to polish out details like spawing with ODST weaponry, instead of the regular spartan guns you would normally have – all in all making the mod definitely worth a try.
6. Ruby’s Rebalanced Halo 3 Campaign
Check Out This Mod If you’re looking for something that doesn’t stray too far from vanilla, Ruby’s Rebalanced Halo 3 Campaign does a great job at improving what’s already good about the base campaign. Ruby’s rebalance mods are actually available for some of the other Halo titles in the Collection as well, and have become popular within the community for how polished they play out. This mod aims to create a “more gratifying and decision-based game”. It definitely achieves this through all the extra goodies like weapon, vehicle, and AI tweaks.
5. Avalanche AI Battleground
Check Out This Mod Halo never really let players create custom large-scale battles until Halo 5 when Warzone was introduced. But the Avalanche AI Battleground lets you access large-scale battles with the Master Chief Collection, too. The mod lets you spawn in pretty much any campaign AI unit you’d like, so you can have brutes and jackals all in one match fighting it out in an epic FFA. It works in multiplayer mode as well, so this should make for some good fun. Especially when playing with friends.
4. Halo 3 Custom Games (Extracted from 360)
Check Out This Mod As with many other online multiplayer games, custom game modes and maps are always a good idea. Halo had some crazy ones from back in the day, and modder Danrox147 took the time to rip his personal collection from his Xbox 360 to share with everyone. This mod contains a long list of mod maps and game modes to mess around with, including Jaws, LEFT4DEAD, Paintball, and Hide/Seek Town. Absolutely give it a try and see what you think!
3. Halo 3 Campaign Deluxe Remake
Check Out This Mod The Halo 3 campaign wasn’t one of the best ones in most fans’ memories. Modder DanBass2 thought there was hope yet, as his Halo 3 Campaign Deluxe remake designs a much better experience for us all. The mod introduces quite a long list of new content, tweaks, and improvements. Check out the mod notes for details, but it’s almost like a brand new campaign. It was released just in 2021 as well, and promises have already been made for further updates in the near future – making this a great mod to keep an eye on.
2. Elite Campaign
Check Out This Mod Many fans consider Halo: Reach to be one of the best Halo campaigns in the series. So making it better is going to be quite a tall order. KableInstinct took on the challenge, and this mod isn’t going to disappoint. The campaign has been reimagined where instead of taking control of Noble Six, you play the game as an Elite instead. There are loads of tweaks and gameplay changes introduced throughout the campaign as well, making for a completely unique Halo: Reach experience. If you’re big into that title, absolutely give this mod a shot.
1. Halo Reach Evolved
Check Out This Mod While the Elite Campaign is a great alternative campaign for Halo: Reach, it still strays quite far from the original. Halo: Reach Evolved aims to stay as close to the original as possible, except better. Way better. The mod naturally adds a long list of tweaks, mainly focused on making each weapon in the game serve a much more specific purpose. Other than weapons, the mod also impacts vehicles, characters, and encounters. Simply put, Halo Reach Evolved is the best campaign mod for Halo: Reach out there. A must-try for the Master Chief Collection.
