In “Halo: Reach,” players experience the fateful moments that forged the “Halo” legend. It’s the story of Noble Team, a squad of heroic Spartan soldiers, and their final stand on planet Reach, humanity’s last line of defense between the terrifying Covenant and Earth. This darker story is echoed by grittier visuals amid a backdrop of massive, awe-inspiring environments. Characters, enemies and environments are rendered in amazing detail by an all-new engine designed to deliver epic-scale encounters against the cunning and ruthless Covenant.

Once the campaign is over, the battle continues online with an unparalleled multiplayer experience that expands on the award-winning suite of features that helped define the Xbox LIVE experience.

The Noble Map Pack introduces three new explosive environments into the online multiplayer battlefield, each designed to reinforce all of “Halo: Reach’s” vital warfronts, from small scale engagements to massive Invasion battlegrounds.

GameStop announced the first ever pre-order exclusive bonus item, the Mark V Spartan Flaming Helmet, for customers who pre-order the upcoming Halo: Reach Noble Map digital add-on pack at a U.S. GameStop location.

“Halo fans and gamers are looking forward to accessing hours of new gameplay and extending the Halo Reach experience,” said GameStop president Tony Bartel. “We are excited to provide our customers with easy access to great, new digital content, and at a $10 price point, we believe it’s a great value.”

The Noble Map Pack DLC code will be delivered securely to the “Downloads and Add-ons” area of pre-order customers’ GameStop PowerUp Rewards account on launch day. Codes to unlock the Mark V Spartan Flaming Helmet avatar will be delivered via email.

For customers who don’t already have a PowerUp Rewards account and want to take advantage of the offer, the program is free to join. Simply visit your local GameStop and provide your name, email address and proof of age to the store associate and we’ll provide a membership card. An email will be sent to you prompting you to set up your PowerUp Rewards account.

With the release of the Noble Map Pack on Nov. 30, the fight for humanity will continue to rage on a galactic scale, from a frozen xeno-archaeology site harboring centuries old secrets, to an orbital anchor defending the stars high above planet Reach and to mysterious places far, far beyond:

• Tempest – “Though we may never fully understand these devices, it is not our nature to leave ancient stones unturned.” This abandoned shoreline facility bends both sea and sky to an unnatural purpose, but the ground itself has quickly become another all too familiar battlefield. Though the two opposing symmetrical bases may never reveal their ancient purpose, both now offer makeshift shelter and access to strategic routes perfectly suited for small and large scale skirmishes alike. Tempest supports 8 – 16 players and offers a variety of modes including Free for All, Team Slayer, Team Objective and Big Team Battle. Tempest also provides players with a huge Forge palette, allowing them to create new custom map variants that can be shared with the community-at-large.
• Anchor 9 – “Orbital dockyards provide rapid refueling and repairs for a variety of UNSC vessels.” Within the confines of this low orbit dry-dock, UNSC craft undergo rapid repair and rearmament in support of the enduring war effort.  But for the small squads of infantry who now fight over the mirrored interior hallways and open central hangar bay, this platform no longer provides any safe harbor – whether the close quarters combat is occurring inside or out of its artificial gravitational field. Anchor 9 allows 2-8 players to face off in game variants including Free for All, Team Slayer and Team Objective.
• Breakpoint – “ONI officials believe the data buried within this artifact is key to our survival.” Atop this icy precipice, the Invasion continues. These modular archaeological labs were never intended to withstand such a large scale onslaught of Covenant military power, but the information being extracted here may prove vital to humanity’s survival. In response to the imminent Covenant threat, UNSC ground and air assets have been deployed to bolster entrenched Spartan countermeasures. This dig site must yield salvation, or it will become a grave. Breakpoint offers multiplayer mayhem for 8-16 players, and supports the Invasion and Big Team Battle game variants.

The Noble Map Pack will include all new Achievements worth a total of 250 Gamerscore and will be available for purchase for 800 Microsoft Points ($9.99) either directly from Xbox LIVE or with a Microsoft Points card sold at retail locations worldwide.

Key Features:

• Meet Noble Team. For the first time, players will fight alongside a squad of iconic Spartan soldiers, each with deadly talents as unique as their individual personalities and customized gear.
• An intense campaign. Live the events that set the stage for the “Halo” trilogy as the UNSC and Covenant clash at the height of their military power. New weapons and abilities complement the familiar “Halo” arsenal for the largest-scale battles ever witnessed in the “Halo” universe. Fiercely cunning artificial intelligence (AI) adds depth and complexity to each encounter, helping make every play-through a unique and epic experience.
• Stunning technical advancements. “Halo: Reach” takes a massive leap forward through all-new engine technology designed to take full advantage of next-generation graphics, audio, special effects, AI and animation while continuing to expand on the campaign, cooperative and multiplayer sandbox in a way that only “Halo” can.
• The definitive multiplayer experience. “Halo: Reach” builds on the success of its predecessors, setting a new standard for competitive gameplay, customization, variety and community integration.
• Unparalleled feature suite. “Halo: Reach” expands on the industry-leading suite of features found in “Halo 3,” including four-player cooperative campaign play, split-screen support, saved films, screenshots and exciting new surprises that have yet to be revealed.