We’re dealing with the keygen problem as best we can. For starters, I pulled a list of keys that had actually been used as of a month or two ago, and we’ll probably validate against that list. So people won’t be able to just get the keygen now and claim the… reward. (i.e., people who didn’t even bother to pirate the game It also means that buying one of the few remaining copies at retail won’t help you anymore.

So yeah, we’re on it. Start spreading the word on other sites that Halo PC users should check here a couple weeks before Reach launches for details on what to do with the key.

To clarify, OLD keys work. If you ever used your key (technically, to enter the multiplayer game lobby, since that’s what validates the key) at any time from 2003 until a couple months ago (May?), you should be ok. We won’t be allowing NEW keys, because we’ll assume they were keygenned.

“Halo 1 for Mac” users are included in this.

“Halo 2 for PC” is NOT included since Bungie wasn’t involved in that port.

The reward is a small “visual flair”, as was described during the last days of Halo 2 for players of that game. Not armor or anything in the Armory. We realize that some people have lost their keys or never played online to validate their key, and unfortunately we can’t do anything about that. If that’s you, you’re not missing out on something like Recon or Flames, it’s just a little indication that people have been part of a certain Halo community for a while, and we wanted to give them a nod.

As others have noted, we have no way of telling if you’ve played the Xbox version, so that isn’t included here.

•A Monument to All Your Sins – Complete each Campaign Mission on Legendary – alone.
•Banshees, Fast and Low – Hijack a Banshee during the Reach Campaign.
•Yes, Sensei – Earn a First Strike Medal in a Matchmaking game.
•A New Challenger – Complete all of the Daily Challenges in a given day.
•Make It Rain – Purchase an item from the Armory that requires the rank of Lt. Colonel.

Halo Reach
Custom case modeled after a recovered ONI data module
Elite armor set for multiplayer modes
Artifact bag with the personal notes and documents of the creator of the SPARTAN program, Dr. Catherine Halsey
Dr. Halsey’s ONI Security Badge
Embroidered Spartan II Patch

The Halo Reach Legendary Edition will retail for $149.99 and contain everything in the Limited Edition plus:

Noble Team statue from McFarlane Toys
UNSC-themed custom packaging
In-game Spartan armor effect

To soften the blow, Microsoft is rewarding those who are still playing Halo 2 with a three month gold membership, 400 Microsoft Points, and an invitation to join the Halo: Reach Beta.