A modder has revealed a surprising fact about one of Halo 3's most memorable campaign levels, which is that every single rock on it is actually the exact same one, just cleverly repurposed in a variety of ways. Appreciation for the classic Halo 3 has been on an upswing after Halo Infinite's multiplayer added remakes of some of its best maps.

Back in November, a Halo Infinite update added the Halo 3 Refueled playlist, which has since become a permanent staple on the game's matchmaking page. The playlist features revamped versions of fan-favorite maps like Narrows, Construct, Guardian, The Pit, and more. While Halo 3's multiplayer was incredibly popular, so was its campaign, which told the final chapter in the original trilogy of Master Chief and Cortana's story. It featured iconic levels like The Ark and Halo, but another memorable level has harbored an interesting secret until now.

Twitter user and Halo modder RejectedShotgun revealed that every single rock in Halo 3's The Covenant is the same one, but rotated, scaled, and moved around to make each rock seem unique at first glance. The Halo 3 developer (or developers) that was responsible for this aspect of The Covenant has definitely earned themselves some praise, as the reused rocks hold up pretty well under scrutiny. Countless Halo fans, who have likely played through Halo 3's campaign multiple times, expressed their surprise at this revelation after seeing RejectedShotgun's viral tweet, which has racked up over seven million views. Others explained that this was a somewhat common tactic to help keep games' file sizes in check, a strategy that is still used today in certain titles. However, the tactic is far from lazy, as The Covenant effectively uses the same rock in countless ways.

I can't keep this knowledge to myself anymore.

EVERY SINGLE ROCK on The Covenant is the same rock.

EVERY ONE. ALL OF THEM. THERE IS ONE SINGLE ROCK ON THE COVENANT.

NOT TWO, NOT THREE, JUST ONE.

IT'S JUST ONE ROCK ROTATED, SCALED, AND MOVED AROUND. pic.twitter.com/vcOQ7KNSc4

— RejectedShotgun (@RejectedShotgun) February 16, 2024

In case fans need a refresher, The Covenant is Halo 3's third-to-last mission and features many of the franchise's most popular moments. The level sees Chief take part in a beach assault, vehicle combat, scarab takedown, and even includes a surprising twist in teaming up with The Flood. The memorable mission easily ranks as one of Halo 3's best levels.

Posted: Feb 21, 2024 8:07 pm
Related Forum: Xbox Forum

Source: https://gamerant.com/halo-3-covenant-level-rocks-all-the-same/