Lovers of science fiction and intergalactic combat have a wealth of video game genres to pick from.
Just as there are slow-paced, brainy strategy games like PXD’s Stellaris, there are also fast-paced and action-packed shooters like Microsoft’s Halo franchise.
This military science fiction series began way back on the original XBOX, revolutionizing the FPS genre and sparking an obsession in the minds of a generation.
I don’t play first-person shooters as much as I did back when Halo 3 came out in 2007 – and Halo Infinite has been disappointing – but I still love the universe and its characters.
If you’re anything like me, you’ll love these Halo-centric Stellaris mods, letting you experience the Human-Covenant war from a whole new perspective.
One thing that makes Halo such a memorable game is its fantastic music.
Tracks like the main Halo theme song make even booting up the game feel epic. Halo is a lifetime obsession for some of us, and its music takes us back to when we first discovered the series.
Creator Skullkid offers this Halo Music Mod as an homage to the well-loved series.
The mod includes 42 of the best tracks from the entire series. Both games are science fiction epics with a similar setting, so these fit perfectly into Stellaris.
There’s nothing like incomprehensible Eldritch abominations to make space’s vastness feel terrifying and mysterious.
It’s one of my favorite tropes in the science fiction genre, and both Halo and Stellaris have a lot to offer in that regard.
The biggest example from Halo is the Gravemind – the grotesque hivemind of the Flood and the reason why the Halo Array was constructed in the first place.
This intergalactic tentacle monster actually talks to Master Chief several times throughout the series, with a deep and scary voice that’ll send a chill down your spine. All of this makes the Gravemind the perfect advisor for a hivemind species, and you can try it out with this mod by MrBreino.
The next spot goes to a collection of mods by Force728, introducing everything you need to build a Halo species in your next Stellaris playthrough.
Basing your new civilization off the Flood or the Covenant is easy to do thanks to Stellaris’ in-depth species creator – but without the correct portraits, it’s just not as immersive.
These mods add high-quality portraits and a custom cityset, namelist, and even new tech for each of the major factions in the Halo universe.
Along with the UNSC and the Covenant, you can play as the Prometheans, Forerunners, or even the Banished from Halo Wars 2.
At first, she was a voice inside Master Chief’s helmet. Then, she made her way into every PC running Windows 10 or beyond – and, now, she’s here to help you conquer the galaxy.
Cortana has been with us every step of the way – going so far as to briefly become the main antagonist in recent installments. Despite being a “computer program,” Cortana is one of the series’s most complex and exciting characters.
She may no longer be riding shotgun in Master Chief’s helmet, but you can still enjoy her company and support in Stellaris thanks to this mod by Rudolph Redherring.
The mod was created by splicing over 100 voice lines from Cortana’s appearance in the first four main Halo games.
That’s actually more than the average vanilla advisor!
Sins of the Prophets started its life as a Halo mod for Sins of a Solar Empire – a fantastic spacefaring RTS with some grand strategy elements. Now, it’s available for Stellaris.
The mod’s primary objective is to offer high-quality spaceships from the UNSC and the Covenant for your space conquering needs – but the addition of custom portraits, cities, and flags for both factions makes it a beefy, well-rounded Halo overhaul for Stellaris.
Even so, the ships remain the main attraction. Some of the most bad-ass new additions are the Covenant’s Unyielding Hierophant and the UNSC’s Thanatos-class heavy battleship.
Tip: You’ll find a slightly smaller version of the mod with achievement support right here.
Nelson Chitty is a Venezuelan expat living in Argentina. He’s a writer and translator passionate about history and foreign cultures. His ideal weekend is spent between leisurely playing games of Civilization VI and looking for the next seinen anime to marathon.
