Rating and Skill

Rating and Skill

There are two systems in Halo 3 that you can use to gauge the ability of all competitors in Matchmaking games: Rating and Skill. A player’s Rating is expressed in the form of a military title (for example, Sergeant or Captain) and a grade (Grade 2, for instance), and gives a “global” indication of how experienced that individual is. A Skill level, by contrast, is unique to individual Ranked Playlists, reflects how good you are “locally” in each Playlist, and is used to set you up with the most appropriate opponents in Matchmaking games. Both are useful for establishing that it’s a cold, hard fact that you’re better than your friends. The opposite, alas, is also true.

If you like to quantify your fun by laughing at the miserable credentials of less capable players, or glaring covetously at the impeccable stats of the Halo 3 elite, you’ll be glad to know that you can access the Player Details screen for each participant before and after matches by selecting their Gamertag.

Rating: Your Rating is represented both by an icon and a name. It is determined primarily by the amount of Experience Points (EXP) you obtain in Matchmaking games. EXP is awarded when you play well in both Ranked and Social Playlists. You are given EXP when your team wins a team match, and every time you finish in the top half of a free-for-all battle. On the other hand, no matter how miserable your performances may be, EXP will never be deducted from your total – thankfully, Bungie sees no reason to contribute a punitive EXP “insult” to add to the woes of players on an injuriously bad losing streak.
There is only one exception to this rule: an EXP penalty is levied when a player quits a team game, no matter the reason, which can cause someone to drop down a Rating if their EXP total falls below the required level. You may feel hard done by if your broadband connection goes the way of the Forerunners through no fault of your own, but take solace from the fact that it’s a system that benefits everyone who plays team-based matches in the long term.

To summarize, a player’s Rating gives a broad indication of their general experience, playing time and, if they have an Officer Rating, their ability. As the table to the right shows, all Ratings in the Enlisted class require only EXP. This means that a player who exclusively spends time in Social Playlists (or, indeed, the worst Ranked Playlist player in the world) could eventually reach the dizzy heights of Gunnery Sergeant Grade 4. However, to enter the Officer class, you will need EXP and Skill. Which leads us neatly to…

Skill: In each Ranked Playlist you have an individual Skill level, which is expressed as a number. This separation reflects the fact that proficiency in team-based or objective-based games doesn’t necessarily translate into Slayer supremacy, and vice versa. Based on your performances in a specific Ranked Playlist, your connected Skill level can go up or down, and therefore offers a clear and accurate indication of how good you are. We won’t bore you by explaining the underlying mathematics but, in brief, winning or finishing at the top of the score table helps you to gradually reach higher Skill levels, while a string of lousy last-place finishes might cause you to drop Skill levels. Additionally, the Skill level of other players in matches is also taken into account. You generally gain more points for beating players with a higher Skill level, and fewer for those with a total on a par or below yours; similarly, playing badly in games against players with lower Skill levels has a more adverse affect on your Skill level than when your opponents are at a higher level.
To become an Officer (Captain, Major, et al.), you will first need to reach a “Highest Skill” milestone, as we reveal in the Officer table. Until you reach a Highest Skill of 20 in a Ranked Playlist, for example, you cannot achieve the Rating of Captain – though you will (with time and perseverance) move up through the different Lieutenant Grades. If you subsequently increase your Highest Skill level to 20, the promotion to Captain is instantaneous. Even if you then drop back down to 19, your Highest Skill milestone has been reached and is permanent, so your Rating remains – only repeat “quitters” who decrease their EXP by bailing from team games run the risk of being stripped of their new stripes.

Enlisted

			Requirements
Rating	Grade	Icon	EXP	Highest Skill
Recruit	-	x	1	N/A
Apprentice	1	x	2	N/A
Apprentice	2	x	3	N/A
Private	1	x	5	N/A
Private	2	x	7	N/A
Corporal	1	x	10	N/A
Corporal	2	x	15	N/A
Sergeant	1	x	20	N/A
	2	x	30	N/A
	3	x	40	N/A
Gunnery Sergeant	1	x	50	N/A
	2	x	60	N/A
	3	x	150	N/A
	4	?	300	N/A

Officer

			Requirements
Rating	Grade	Icon	EXP	Highest Skill

Lieutenant	1	x x	70	10
	2	x	85
	3	x	200
	4	?	400
Captain	1	x	100	20
	2	x	150
	3	x	300
	4	?	600
Major	1	x	200	30
	2	x	300
	3	x	600
	4	? x	1,200
Commander	1	x	300	35
	2	x	450
	3	x	900
	4	?	1,800
Colonel	1	x	400	40
	2	x	600
	3	x	1,200
	4	?	2,400
Brigadier	1	?	500	45
	2	?	1,000
	3	?	2,000
	4	?	4,000
General	1	?	600	50
	2	?	1,200
	3	?	2,500
	4	?	5,000

Rating and Skill Tips

You can increase your Skill level in Ranked Matchmaking only.

You can earn EXP in any Matchmaking Playlist, both Ranked and Social.

Officer Ratings require Skill.

Many Playlists are designed to cater to specific playing styles and preferences. For example, “Team Slayer” Playlists feature games that require solid tactics where players coordinate to get kills. A “Team Skirmish” Playlist features objective-based games that require coordinated offensive and defensive tactics. Occasionally you will also encounter very specific Playlists, such as “Team Snipers”, that focus on a distinctive style of play.

If you have friends that you play with regularly, learn what you do best as a group, pick a Playlist where you will be most competitive, and concentrate on competing in that Playlist. Don’t go in cold, though. If you are serious about increasing your Skill level, warm up with a few social matches to prepare for the more competitive play ahead. Most Ranked Playlists will have equivalent Social Playlists that feature the same style of play.

If you’re going it alone in team-based Playlists, party up with your teammates after a good match. You’ll learn each other’s skills as you play, and potentially enjoy much more success over multiple matches by staying together – being forced to learn the idiosyncrasies of new teammates every game really won’t help you to reach your potential.

Field Promotions

If a player reaches what appears to be his or her particular Skill peak (or level of mediocrity, as “glass half empty” types might call it) in a Ranked Playlist, they still have the opportunity to rise in Grade by accumulating EXP. However, if the same player breaks their personal Skill glass ceiling at a later date, they might experience what Bungie refers to as a Field Promotion – an instant elevation to a superior Grade in their new Rating.

Here’s how it works. Let’s imagine that you are a Major, and that the Highest Skill level you have achieved is 32. After months of play, you have risen to Major Grade 4 by accumulating over 1200 EXP. If you then subsequently embark upon a winning streak in a Matchmaking Playlist that sees you reach a Skill of 35, you will immediately become a Grade 3 Commander – a quite considerable leap in prestige, but one richly deserved.

Medals

Halo 3 awards a wide range of Medals to acknowledge skilful play and noteworthy feats, as the table below and on the following page reveals. You’ll hear some of these announced as you play, and can study your medal haul in the post‑game Carnage Report.

Icon	Name	Condition
Standard Spree
X	Killing Spree!	Kill 5 opponents in a row without dying.
X	Killing Frenzy!	Kill 10 opponents in a row without dying.
X	Running Riot!	Kill 15 opponents in a row without dying.
X	Rampage!	Kill 20 opponents in a row without dying.
Role Spree
X	Shotgun Spree!	Kill 5 opponents in a row with a Shotgun without dying (no melee attacks).
X	Open Season!	Kill 10 opponents in a row with a Shotgun without dying (no melee attacks).
X	Sniper Spree!	Kill 5 opponents in a row with a sniper weapon without dying (no melee attacks).
X	Sharpshooter!	Kill 10 opponents in a row with a sniper weapon without dying (no melee attacks).
X	Sword Spree!	Kill 5 opponents in a row with an Energy Sword without dying.
X	Slice ‘n Dice!	Kill 10 opponents in a row with an Energy Sword without dying.
X	Splatter Spree!	Splatter 5 opponents in a row with a vehicle without dying (you may switch vehicles).
X	Vehicular Manslaughter!	Splatter 10 opponents in a row with a vehicle without dying (you may switch vehicles).
X	Juggernaut Spree!	Kill 5 opponents in a row as the Juggernaut without dying.
X	Unstoppable!	Kill 10 opponents in a row as the Juggernaut without dying.
X	Infection Spree!	Kill 5 humans in a row as a zombie without dying.
X	Mmmm Brains!	Kill 10 humans in a row as a zombie without dying.
X	Zombie Killing Spree!	Kill 5 zombies in a row as a human without dying.
X	Hell’s Janitor!	Kill 10 zombies in a row as a human without dying.
X	Hail to the King!	Kill 5 opponents in a row from inside the hill (without dying and without stepping outside its radius) before it moves.
Multi-Kills
	Multi-Kills
X	Double Kill!	Kill 2 opponents within 4 seconds.
X	Triple Kill!	Kill 3 opponents within 4 seconds of one another.
X	Overkill!	Kill 4 opponents within 4 seconds of one another.
X	Killtacular!	Kill 5 opponents within 4 seconds of one another.
X	Killtrocity!	Kill 6 opponents within 4 seconds of one another.
Objective
X	Killed VIP!	Kill an opponent‘s VIP in a VIP game.
X	Killed Flag Carrier!	Kill an opposing flag carrier.
X	Flag Kill!	Get a melee kill with the flag.
X	Flag Score!	Score in a Capture the Flag game.
X	Killed Bomb Carrier!	Kill an opposition bomb carrier in an Assault game.
X	Bomb Planted!	Plant the bomb in an Assault game.
X	Oddball Kill!	Get a melee kill while holding the Oddball.
X	Killed Juggernaut!	Kill the Juggernaut in a Juggernaut game.
X	Last Man Standing!	Be the last human in an Infection game.
Heroic
X	Laser Kill!	Kill an opponent with the Spartan Laser.
X	Grenade Stick!	Kill an opponent by sticking them with a Plasma or Spike grenade.
X	Beat Down!	Kill an opponent with a melee attack.
X	Assassin!	Kill an opponent with a melee attack from behind.
X	Bulltrue!	Kill an opponent who is in the act of a sword lunge.
X	Hijacker!	Board a vehicle by forcibly removing the driver.
X	Skyjacker!	Board an aircraft by forcibly removing the driver.
X	Wheelman!	Be the driver of a vehicle when a passenger kills an opponent.
X	Splatter!	Hit and kill an opponent with a vehicle.
X	Death From the Grave	Kill an opponent after you have died.
X	Killjoy!	End an opponent’s spree (any spree, whether Standard or Role based).
X	Sniper Kill!	Kill an opponent with a Sniper Rifle or Beam Rifle.
X	Incineration!	Kill an opponent with a flame-based weapon.
SECRET
?	Mystery Medals	You can unlock hidden accolades by performing certain (truly remarkable) multiplayer feats.

Don’t forget that you can press c at the end of a match to study a statistical review of your performance (and, if you’re interested, see how your opponents fared, too). It’s often surprising how revealing the information you find in the Carnage Report truly is. For example, a player with a high positive “K/D Spread” (number of kills minus number of deaths) and assorted sniper medals can be immediately identified as the sneaky camping [expletive deleted] who was wiping you out every time you respawned near the shore on High Ground.

There are many other stats to view, including which opponent you victimized the most during a game (always helps to add a little spice to post-game banter). The Assists column is perhaps the most consistently interesting piece of data. When you have one of those matches where it seems that everyone in the world is forming an orderly queue to “steal” your kills, you can (maybe) vindicate yourself by pointing this stat out to teammates and adversaries alike. (Whether you do so in a whining or heartbreakingly plaintive tone is entirely at your discretion.)

Finally, if you ever feel the urge to revisit past glories, check out http://www.bungie.net/stats/ to study your online performances in Bungie’s powerful Game Viewer.