This version of the mod is out of date. Click here for the new version that is compatible with the Floodfight patch.

Do you want to replay Halo 2 again in a whole new way? Do you wish Bungie had just one more week to add some finishing tweaks to the campaign? Do you wish more missions in Halo felt like Assault on the Control Room from Halo: CE? If so, then this is the mod for you.

The basic premise behind this mod is that Halo 2 didn't have enough allied A.I. and this is particularly obvious on higher difficulties. This mod uses the existing framework of the campaign to try to add a diverse range of new allied A.I. whilst also keeping the missions balanced. In the original game, the player would receive a small fireteam in most levels and, once they were all dead, a handful of allied A.I. would arrive to replace them.

This mod enhances that idea by supplying the player with a lot of A.I. allies at the start of the level and enhancing the various A.I. drops so that the player is less likely to end up in situations where their allies have been totally wiped out.

Now, your allies can take acceptable losses and you can still push on with a complete fireteam, and if you manage to keep your allies alive, you will be rewarded by having large squads in various points throughout the campaign, just like how Assault on the Control Room in Halo: CE functioned. Read a list of changes below, though is this is just a brief overview as there are many surprises throughout this mod.

After being broken with the Season 8 update, Halo 2: Ultimate Campaign Tweaks is back. The return of this mod comes in two phases, the first of which is complete.

Phase One is remaking the mod using the pre-existing Assembly tools. (DONE).

Phase Two involves learning how to use the newly released official modding tools to add new things to this mod. If you would like to help out with this, please read the message at the bottom of the page.


Overview

- Increased ally NPC numbers throughout the campaign
- Added more variety to ally weapons
- Added more variety to enemy ranks and weapons
- Added more dual-wielding Elites
- Added several unused encounters throughout the campaign
- More variety in allied NPC spawns throughout the campaign
- Wraith auto-turrets now work for the player
- Shadows are driveable

List of Changes (Warning - Spoilers!)


The Armoy

- More Marines are now present during the brief gondola ride
- Idle Marines in the atrium now wield a variety of weapons

Cairo Station

- All Marine spawns have been magnified to increase the number of allied NPCs
- Living ODST allies are now present in the mission
- All Marine spawn pools have been diversified with more Female Marines and ODSTs
- Some enemy Elites have been replaced with Rangers where it makes sense to do so
- Elite Rangers have more diverse weapon varieties and more Elites now dual-wield
- Final wave of Boarding Craft enemies on Legendary have been expanded
- Several enemy NPC weapons have been altered
 - More Elites now dual-wield Plasma Rifles, Plasma Pistols or Needlers
 - Some Grunts wield Plasma Rifles
 - Some Jackals wield Plasma Rifles or Needlers
 - Some Drones now wield Plasma Rifles

Outskirts

- Increased number of starting Marines depending on the difficulty
- One of the starting Marines will always be a Pilot wielding a Magnum
- More Zealots can be found in the mission, including one that drops in before the tunnel
- The first Warthog is now driven by a Rocket Launcher Marine who can take the passenger seat
- Shadows are now usable for the player and the 'Troop Transport' Shadow is now available
- Two of the Ghosts in the tunnel section have been replaced by Hunters
- Several enemy NPC weapons have been altered
 - More Elites now dual-wield Plasma Rifles, Plasma Pistols or Needlers
 - Some Grunts wield Plasma Rifles
 - Some Jackals wield Plasma Rifles or Needlers
 - Some Drones now wield Plasma Rifles

Metropolis

- More Marines now spawn on the bridge, giving the player a full tank squad
- Three Marines now spawn in the tunnel before the Park to assault the city
- Wraith auto-turrets now work for the player
- More Marines now attempt to defend the command post against the Scarab with Turrets and Rockets
- Enemy waves on the Scarab have been tweaked to have more powerful weapons
- Several enemy NPC weapons have been altered
 - More Elites now dual-wield Plasma Rifles, Plasma Pistols or Needlers
 - Some Grunts wield Plasma Rifles
 - Some Jackals wield Plasma Rifles or Needlers

The Arbiter

- Allied NPCs are stronger on Easy, Heroic and Legendary
- Extra Grunts and one extra Elite spawns at the beginning
- 'Second Lance' Phantom drop have their weapons diversified
- Some Heretic Grunts now wield Plasma Pistols and Plasma Rifles
- Some Heretic Elites now dual-wield Plasma Rifles, Plasma Pistols or Needlers

The Oracle

- Allied NPCs are stronger on Easy, Heroic and Legendary
- Lots more allied Elites and Grunts are present in the elevator section
- Allied Elites dropped from the Phantom after the lab section have different weapons
- Some Heretic Grunts now wield Plasma Pistols and Plasma Rifles
- Some Heretic Elites now dual-wield Plasma Rifles, Plasma Pistols or Needlers

Delta Halo

- Far more ODSTs assist the player at the start of the mission
- Ally starting weapons have been diversified, some ODSTs wield Magnums or Sniper Rifles
- Wraith auto-turrets in this mission fire Needles
- All ally Pelican drops have had their spawn pools diversified, adding ODSTs and more weapon variety
- Several enemy NPC weapons have been altered
 - More Elites now dual-wield Plasma Rifles, Plasma Pistols or Needlers
 - Some Grunts wield Plasma Rifles
 - Some Jackals wield Plasma Rifles or Needlers
 - Some Drones now wield Plasma Rifles

Regret

- Starting ally numbers have been increased and ODSTs have been added to the level
- Ally NPC weapons have been diversified to include some Covenant weapons
- ODSTs have been added to ally Pelican drops and Female Marines are more common
- Several enemy NPC weapons have been altered
 - More Elites now dual-wield Plasma Rifles, Plasma Pistols or Needlers
 - Some Grunts wield Plasma Rifles
 - Some Jackals wield Plasma Rifles or Needlers
 - Some Drones now wield Plasma Rifles
- Some Elite Rangers have modified weapons
- The Grunts protecting Regret now wield Plasma Rifles

Sacred Icon

- Ally NPCs in the first section of the level have been diversified:

 - Allied Brutes now spawn in certain areas
 - The Grunt in the first squad is now a Heavy Grunt
 - More allied Jackals spawn, including Minors
- Enemy Marines now spawn in locations further in the level
- Allies at the camp at the end of the mission have better weapons
- Turrets at the camp at the end of the mission are now manned by Grunts

Quarantine Zone

- Three Spectres now spawn at the start of the level instead of one Spectre and two Ghosts
- The number of Spec Ops Elite allies have been doubled
- Wraith auto-turrets now work for the player
- More Sentinels now spawn with Needlers
- Rtas 'Vadum now mans the gun of his Spectre as it is dropped off
- The number of allied Elites on the final Gondola section has been doubled
 - Allied Elite weapons have been diversified - some Elites now dual-wield Needlers and Plasma Rifles

Gravemind

- Some Brute and Elite NPCs in the level now wield better weapons
- Some enemy NPCs modified for variety
 - Brute Honour Guards now fight Elite Honour Guards in Hanging Gardens A
 - More variety in Elite ranks will spawn in certain areas throughout the level
 - Some Grunts, Drones and Jackals allied with the Brutes now wield Brute Plasma Rifles
 - Some Grunts allied with the Elites now wield Plasma Rifles
- Far more Marines are present in the prison
- The three mad Jackals from the Arbiter cutscene are present as allies

Uprising

- Allied NPC ranks and weapons have been diversified
- Certain areas now have far more allied NPCs including the final stretch
- Some Elites spawn as special ranks such as Stealth Elites or Honour Guards
- Some Elites spawn as powerful warlords such as Councillors or Honour Guard Ultras
- Allied Jackals are now present in small numbers
- Some unused encounters have been reactivated, including the corridor rafter Drones
- Wraith auto-turrets are usable for the player and fire Brute Plasma
- An allied Spectre is now present in the final vehicle section
- Some Grunts, Drones and Jackals allied with the Brutes now wield Brute Plasma Rifles

High Charity

- Flood Carrier Forms now spawn 30 Infection Forms instead of five
- Some Flood Carrier Forms are now shielded
- Some Grunts, Drones and Jackals now wield Brute Plasma Rifles
- Some Covenant enemies now wield Human weapons

The Great Journey

- More allied Elites have been added to the Spectre
- Two more Spectres join the fight at the start of the mission
- Dual-wielding Needler Elite is now an Honour Guard Ultra
- Some Grunts, Drones and Jackals allied with the Brutes now wield Brute Plasma Rifles
- More Elites are present in the prison and imprisoned Councillors now dual-wield
- Diversified ally NPC weapons throughout the mission
- Allied Banshees will assist the player at the beginning of the mission and for a portion of the final Banshee section
- Wraith auto-turrets are usable for the player and fire Brute Plasma
- Marines, Hunters and more varieties of Elite have been added to the final battle against Tartarus

• - Can you kill ten Elite Rangers on Cairo Station?
• - Can you get four ODSTs to survive all the way to the Temple on Regret?
• - Can you get four Jackals, three Grunts and two Brutes to survive the Flood attack on Sacred Icon?
• - Can you get the first Spec Ops Elite and two Honour Guards to survive to the end of Uprising?
• - Can you get seven Marines from the tunnel to the Marine Command Post alive on Metropolis?
• - Can you find and destroy five Shielded Flood Carrier forms throughout the Campaign?
• - Can you hijack and use the three different types of Wraith auto-turrets throughout the Campaign?
• - Can you destroy the Scorpion manned by Marines on Quarantine Zone without losing any allies?
• - Can you get seven Marines, or a single allied Jackal, to survive the end of Gravemind?
• - Can you find and kill one Brute and one Jackal using Human weapons on High Charity?
• - Can you drive the troop transport Shadow all the way to the end of the level on Outskirts? (easier with co-op)
• - Can you defeat Tartarus without losing any Hunters on The Great Journey?
  

Q. Can I use the Halo 2 Ultimate Campaign Tweaks mod to make my own mod?
A. Absolutely! Provided credit is given if you decide to upload your variant of the mod online, you can do whatever you like with the mod.

Q. Is this mod compatible with co-op?
A. As far as I am aware, yes. Although I have only been able to do limited testing with this, so results may vary.

Q. Do you plan on making a similar mod for Halo: CE, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, Halo: Reach or Halo 4?
A. Yes, in limited amounts. I have plans for some 'more allies' mods for Halo: CE and similar mods for certain levels of Halo 3 and Reach, as well as some possible Firefight mods for Reach.

Q. Should I play this mod in classic or anniversary graphics?
A. This mod is compatible with both graphics modes (so no Flood Juggernaut yet). Some levels have altered colours for some Elite ranks in classic graphics.

Q. What difficulty should I play this mod on?
A. This mod has been tested on Normal and Heroic, the recommended difficulty is Heroic. Try Legendary for a fun challenge.

POINT OF ADVICE:
The most important word of advice regarding this mod actually comes from the game itself. Before you leave the Armory on the level The Armory, Master Guns says: "Just remember, take things slow."
Halo 2's code is held together by sticky tape and staples, and in some parts of the campaign this mod has pushed the levels to their limit. Just like in the original, unmodded Halo 2, some things may not spawn if you speed through the mission too fast.
This mod is still playable for speedruns, but you might miss out on new content in certain areas.

HOW YOU CAN HELP MAKE HALO 2: ULTIMATE CAMPAIGN TWEAKS EVEN BETTER

With the release of the new Halo 2 official mod tools, the scope of what we as a community can do with Halo 2 mods has increased dramatically, and this opens the doors for even more new and exciting content for mods like Halo 2: Ultimate Campaign Tweaks.
As I am only one person, it will take me some time to learn how to use the new tools and implement their functionality in this mod. However, there are some ideas that I have for things I want to do.
If you know how to use the new tools and think you can give me some advice on how to make these ideas a reality, please do get in touch either via a private message to my Nexus account (CarterKatJunEmile) or by posting a comment in the posts section of this mod.

Here are a few of the ideas I have for future features:
- Wieldable Human Machine Gun Turret that can be picked up if the mounted turret is destroyed, and same idea with the Covenant turret
- Shadows on more levels, such as Quarantine Zone and Uprising, with working troop transport seats
- Heretic Elites helping in the final mission using their Heretic Banshees
- Female Marine biped present in more levels
- Heretic Jackals in the first two Arbiter missions, as seen in the Halo: CEA terminals
- Brutes in earlier missions, such as Outskirts and Metropolis, as seen in the Halo 2 E3 Demo