What is this mod?

This mod is designed to give Halo 2's campaign a refresh, making replaying the story a fun experience full of little surprises. If you have played Halo 2's campaign a hundred times (like I have) you'll love playing through this mod, as it adds just enough to make the game feel like a new experience without deviating from Bungie's original vision. I like to think that, had Bungie had a few more weeks to polish Halo 2 before release, they would have made many of the same changes to the campaign that I have implemented here. Every level has been painstakingly combed through using the modding tools, leaving no stone unturned. From better allies to more interesting enemies and a few fun additions along the way, Halo 2: Ultimate Campaign Tweaks is the best way to replay Halo 2 in 2022.

Overview

- Increased ally NPC numbers throughout the campaign
 - More Female Marines
 - More ODSTs
- Added more variety to ally and enemy weapons
 - More dual-wielding Elites
 - Enemies wield a more diverse variety of weapons
- Added several unused encounters throughout the campaign
- More variety in allied NPC spawns throughout the campain
- Wraith turrets now work for the players
- Shadows are now driveable


How to Install Manually

- Navigate to your steam folder and open the h2_maps_win64_dx11 folder in your halo2 folder
- Backup the campaign files 01a_tutorial to 08b_deltacontrol in a safe place
- Extract the mod files and copy them into the halo 2 maps folder
- Play Halo: The Master Chief Collection with Anti-Cheat disabled


List of Changes

The Armory

- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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

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
- 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
- Another Spectre joins the fight at the start of the mission
- Dual-wielding Needler Elite is now a high-ranking warlord
- 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
- Marines, Hunters and more varieties of Elite have been added to the final battle against Tartarus

Optional Files

Continuing the tradition of Halo 2: Ultimate Campaign Tweaks, there will be optional files uploaded to this mod page which contain fun modded versions of different levels. The current available optional missions are:

Cairo Station - Spec Ops Allies - This version of Cairo Station adds some Spec Ops Elites and Grunts to the mission that are allied with the player. Why? Who knows, but it's an opportunity for some fun new gameplay.

Outskirts - Shadow Mod - This version of Outskirts adds allied Elites and Grunts, as well as extra Transport Shadows that you can pack full of allies.

Delta Halo with Covenant allies - This modded version of Delta Halo replaces the ODSTs with allied Elites, Drones, Jackals and Grunts, as well as a few other changes throughout the mission such as more Honour Guard battles and Wraith turrets now fire Needles

Regret with Covenant allies - This modded version of Regret adds allied Elites, Jackals and Grunts to the opening of the mission, who will follow you all the way through the level and help you in the battle against the Prophet of Regret

Sacred Icon - Elite Squad - This version of Sacred Icon has allied Elites instead of Brutes, and also changes several other allies throughout the level, including added a squadron of Honour Guards to the final section instead of Spec Ops Elites.

Quarantine Zone - Gausshog Start - This version of Quarantine Zone adds allied Marines and Warthogs to the opening section, and also upgrades the Elites that fight alongside the player in the Gondola section at the end of the mission.

Gravemind with Elite allies - This modded version of Gravemind ensures that all Elites are allied with the player, as well as the other Covenant Separatist forces that are allied with the Elites such as Spec Ops Grunts and Hunters. Also, instead of Marines in the prison, you free a squad of Covenant prisoners, including Elites, Grunts and Jackal Snipers.