The wait is over, Halo fans. Well-- actually-- the wait will soon be over. While Bungie has already released the details of their vast and (some might say) unattainable ranking system, those who have been spending hours upon hours with Halo: Reach know that the levelling has been capped at a paltry "Lieutenant Colonel Grade 3."

Luckily, Bungie has revealed when the cap could be lifted, and how we to make the day arrive sooner.

In a recent update posted on the Bungie forums, the team filled fans in on recent changes made to matchmaking, gave spoiler-weary players one last warning before rolling out campaign matchmaking, and again challenged the community at large to test the limits of their own creativity with Bungie's ForgeWorld contest. The recent resetting of credits for Reach cheaters was also addressed - warning those looking to manipulate gameplay, in order to boost their credits, that the Bungie-operated banhammer is far more forgiving than the automated system that will soon be implemented.

The cap placed on achievable ranks has become an issue among fans, filling internet discussion boards with gamers complaining that they have reached the maximum, and have no reason left to play the game. But Bungie notes that while people may be complaining, their credit stats show that those players affected are still in the minority.

Still, the wait for the removal cap will soon be over - once the collective group of Reach players complete 117 million daily and weekly challenges:

"Don’t freak out. Currently, our online engineers project that you’re on pace to hit that milestone sometime in November. I’d wager to guess that you’ll hit it early in the month, but hey, what do I know?

Well, I do know that when you do cross the 117 Million mark, we’ll celebrate by blowing the lid off the level cap! In the immediate aftermath, new ranks and armor will be made magically available for you inside The Armory, provided you have the rank and credits required. Time to get to work!

Oh, and no, we won't be counting boosted challenges."

So for those of you who thought that Bungie had already moved onto their next big project, it's clear that the team is still very hands-on, refining the Reach their game community. It's clear that Reach meant quite a lot to them, and the announcment of the upcoming Halo: Reach map pack is evidence that they haven't washed their hands of  the Halo franchise - and fans.

If you're one of the slim minority of fans who are currently maxed out, assuming player trends continue, you'll soon have a whole new batch of upgrades and equipment for purchase. Is it too much to hope that a Flood-skin will be one of the new surprises? No it is not.

You can do your part for fans everywhere by putting some more hours into Halo: Reach's daily and weekly challenges exclusively on the Xbox 360.

Source: Bungie